Warning: this has mentions of suicide

“Oh my God, Changmin,” Kyuhyun said with a huge smile on his face as Changmin sat next to him on the couch. “It’s so good to see you.”

Changmin smiled, looking down at his lap, his curly hair falling in front of his eyes.

“And you look like you’re doing a lot better,” Kyuhyun added. “I’m really happy.” He brought his hand to Changmin’s face, moving his hair behind his ear.

Changmin really did look better. Changmin was smiling again; The dark bags under his eyes seemed to be disappearing; Changmin’s lips were no longer chapped; and his cheeks were filling out. He was starting to look like his old self again.

“Have things still been better here for you?” Kyuhyun asked carefully. It was one thing to hear a positive report from the hospital. Kyuhyun wanted to hear it from Changmin.

To his relief, Changmin nodded.

“And there’s a new nurse here,” Changmin explained, the smile still on his face. “His name is Yunho. He’s really nice.”

Changmin wasn’t being forced to lie this time, Kyuhyun could see that. He seemed more at ease, and was more open to talking.

If he hadn’t noticed that, Kyuhyun probably would have burned this place down.

“And you ate, right?” Kyuhyun asked, earning another nod from Changmin

When Changmin had first been brought in here, it was nowhere near this good.

As promised, Kyuhyun came to see Changmin three days a week. Kyuhyun would have loved to come everyday if he could, but three days was all the hospital would allow.

When Changmin was first admitted, he was miserable, but it didn’t alarm Kyuhyun. Who wouldn’t be miserable after being forced to stay in a mental hospital because of a suicide attempt? He figured that with time, Changmin would come to see how necessary this was for him, and eventually he would get better.

Changmin only got worse.

By his second week, he was begging Kyuhyun to get him out. It physically pained Kyuhyun as Changmin broke down in tears, clutching him tightly as he kept saying how much “they” hurt him, how he just wanted to go home, how he’d find a way to get better on his own. As many years as Kyuhyun has known Changmin, he has never seen Changmin to be this vulnerable.

Kyuhyun wanted to break down and cry himself every time his visiting hour was up and he had to separate from Changmin’s hold. Changmin’s cries got even louder as Kyuhyun had to say his goodbyes, and Kyuhyun wished he could just grab Changmin and run, hoping Changmin would feel safe from whoever he was saying was hurting him.

No one ever knew who “they” were. Every time someone asked, Changmin would suddenly become silent, before just asking if he could be taken home. Once his request was denied, his tears would start to fall again.

During Changmin’s third week, when Kyuhyun asked Changmin if “they” were still hurting him, he’d shake his head and look away. If Kyuhyun tried to press the issue, Changmin would desperately beg him to change the subject, and seemed to relax a little more when Kyuhyun finally obliged.

By the fourth week, Kyuhyun couldn’t take it anymore. Something was wrong with Changmin, and there was no way he was going to sit idly while Changmin slowly deteriorated. 

Without Changmin’s knowledge, Kyuhyun visited the hospital, begging them to monitor Changmin more closely. Despite the many times the hospital staff accused Changmin of crying wolf just to seek attention, Kyuhyun knew Changmin too well to believe that. Changmin would never admit something was bothering him until it became too much, much less do something just for the sake of attention.

Finally, they got answers.

Exactly eleven days after Kyuhyun talked to the hospital staff, it was discovered that two of the nurses were abusing Changmin daily, and threatening to hurt him if he told anyone. The two nurses were fired right away, but that didn’t heal the anger Kyuhyun felt for the people that made Changmin feel like the threats were all in his head. It didn’t make Kyuhyun feel any less guilty over the fact that he should have taken action sooner. Immediately after everything was revealed, Kyuhyun rushed to the hospital, both he and Changmin sobbing uncontrollably as Kyuhyun apologized.

Kyuhyun wanted nothing more than for Changmin to be removed from the hospital immediately, but the Shims wouldn’t allow it, saying that if the threats were gone, then Changmin would be fine.

Despite the nurses gone, it still took a while before Changmin opened up to anyone, even Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun wasn’t mad at Changmin for that. Kyuhyun was the one that had failed him, and honestly wouldn’t have held it against Changmin if he wanted nothing to do with him anymore.

But for some reason, Changmin still wanted him to come visit, so Kyuhyun continued coming.

“I really missed you, Kyu,” Changmin says, breaking Kyuhyun from his thoughts. Changmin always told Kyuhyun how much he missed him, and it still pierced at Kyuhyun’s heart every time. Sure they were still allowed to see each other three days a week, but it wasn’t enough.

“I miss you too, Min,” Kyuhyun replied. “I promise once you get out of here I’m never leaving your side until you physically throw me away.” That wasn’t a joke. Kyuhyun didn’t realize how much of his life involved Changmin until Changmin was brought here, and then Kyuhyun felt how empty his life had suddenly become.

“Promise?” Changmin asked as he slowly wrapped his arms around Kyuhyun.

“Promise,” Kyuhyun said, returning the gesture. Changmin used to never give hugs as much as he does now. His displays of affection included punches and sarcasm, which Kyuhyun always returned in kind. However, Changmin always opted for hugs whenever Kyuhyun would come to see him. It seemed l