Two days later, the fort incident had been all but forgotten.  Focus had now turned to the upcoming Monday and Donghae’s first day of school.  It was the night before the big day and Leeteuk sat on the couch, a set of papers spread out in front of him on the coffee table.  He had a textbook balanced on his knees and his laptop was sitting next to him on the couch.  He had decided the best way to distract himself from the coming morning would be to drown himself in his own school work.

                On the other side of the couch was Kangin.  He had his briefcase open but his attention was focused on that morning’s newspaper which he was studying intently.  A peaceful tension had settled over the room which was illuminated by the yellow light of a single lamp.

                Heechul and Donghae had both gone to bed already.  Heechul had work early in the morning, but he promised he’d have enough time to see Donghae off before he went.  Kangin had moved his work to Monday afternoon so he could be there as well.  Still, anytime Leeteuk even thought about what tomorrow morning would bring he felt a wash of anxiety.  No matter how many times he had been reassured there was no convincing him that there was nothing to worry about.  They’d come so far already, it was only a matter of time before something went wrong.  Something always went wrong.   Donghae was already in bed, at least.

                At least, he thought Donghae was in bed, but then Leeteuk heard small footsteps and turned his head. 

                “Hey, bud, what are you doing up? It’s way past your bedtime.” 

                 Kangin turned at Leeteuk’s question and saw Donghae shuffling into the room.  Without need for any encouragement, the boy came around to the front of the couch and climbed up, plopping himself down in the empty space between them.  Sharing a look, Kangin and Leeteuk both put aside their work and looked expectantly at the brown haired child.

                Without prompting, he explained, “I’m really excited about school tomorrow.”  His tone didn’t match his words, though. 

                “Excited?” Leeteuk questioned amusedly.  Donghae sounded anything but excited.

                “Yeah, I mean, it’s just… what if I get there and I’m having so much fun and I like it so much that everyone thinks I’m weird and doesn’t like me.”

                “I can’t see that happening,” Leeteuk responded, endeared and entertained by Donghae’s concern.  “The kids are going to love you just like we do.” 

                 Sighing heavily and ruffling a hand through his own hair, Donghae said, “Yeah, but you guys have to like me.” 

                “No we don’t.”  Kangin was very carefully and deliberately folding his newspaper away into his briefcase.  When he had finished, he snapped the lid shut and latched it securely.  Only after he’d accomplished this and placed the leather case on the ground did he look over and address the strange looks he was getting. 

                “I work in a law office,” he explained unapologetically, “and there’s no rule anywhere that says we have to love you, or even like you.” 

                Donghae’s usual look of confusion was now marked with disappointment.  “Oh…” he accepted in a small voice.  Leeteuk looked at Kangin disapprovingly but the larger man wasn’t done yet and said,

                “So that means that the reason we like you,” he surprised Donghae by picking him up and putting him on his lap.  “And the reason we love you,” he ruffled the boy’s hair affectionately and Donghae twisted so he could look up at him as he finished, “is because you’re a great kid.”

                Leeteuk put a hand to his mouth and swallowed down the loving squeal that threatened to escape him as he watched Donghae’s eyes light up at Kangin’s sentimental words. 

                “Thanks, hyung,” Donghae said with a large grin.  Then he turned back to look at Leeteuk as well as he said, “But I’m not really good at school either, and it’s been a whole year since I’ve been.  I’ll be really far behind.”

                “I already told you that you’re just going to pick up right where you left off.  You won’t have missed much of anything,” Leeteuk reassured.

                “But I probably forget everything,” Donghae protested.  He scooted off of Kangin’s lap so that he could place himself between the two again and continued, “It’s probably better if I don’t go.  I should just stay home and hang out with you guys.”

                “I have a job,” Kangin reminded him, “I won’t be home.” 

                “Well,” Leeteuk admitted, “I’m home…but you have to go to school, Donghae, it’s a requirement.” 

                Putting on the most convincingly adorable face he could, Donghae stuck out his lip a little and whined, “But don’t you think it would be so much more fun if I was home?  Don’t you want me here?” 

                “Aegyo doesn’t work on me,” Kangin said to distract from the fact that it was definitely working on Leeteuk.

                Sighing and flopping back against the couch with his arms folded in defeat, Donghae wondered, “But what if I’m just too stupid?”

                “Don’t say that!” Leeteuk chastised him kindly.

                “Plus, there are always ways to get extra help,” Kangin pointed out. 

                Nodding his head slowly, Donghae said, “I guess,” through a yawn. 

                Looking over at the clock and seeing how late it was, Leeteuk suggested, “You should probably go to bed now if you want to wake up in the morning.” 

“I’m too excited to sleep,” Donghae said drowsily. 

Going with his first instinct, Leeteuk asked, “Do you want us to read you a story or something?”

                “Hyung, I’m 12, not 7.”

                Kangin jokingly came to Leeteuk’s defense, “Fine then, Mr. Big Shot, how about I read you the stock reports?”

                “Oh, that’ll put you right to sleep,” Leeteuk assured.

                Neither of them actually expected Donghae to nod.  “Okay.”

                Looking at each other over the boy’s head, trying to decide how to respond to this development, Leeteuk shrugged and Kangin, taking his cue, reached down and reopened his briefcase.  As Kangin searched for the reports, Donghae scooted closer and Leeteuk got himself situated at his side so that he too could see what Kangin was reading.  Then, with Donghae leaning his full weight on Kangin’s shoulder and Leeteuk propping himself up on his elbow on the back of the couch over the boy’s head, Kangin monotonously began reading off the series of abbreviations and numbers.  Somehow, the low tone of his voice started to have an effect as it cast a spell over the room.  Even Leeteuk felt his eyes drooping as he absentmindedly started petting Donghae’s head.  Time began to pass very slowly to the point where it didn’t seem to be moving at all.  After what felt like an eternity, Leeteuk looked down and saw that Donghae was asleep, his mouth half open like a puppy.

                Smiling endearingly down at the boy, Leeteuk tapped Kangin and pointed soundlessly.  Careful not to make any sudden movements, Kangin put down the paper.  Leeteuk gestured with his head back toward Donghae’s room and understandingly, Kangin shifted until he could pick the sleeping child up.  Then he carefully stood and, with Leeteuk following closely behind, he carried Donghae to his room. 

The thinner male snuck into the room behind Kangin and went over to the twin bed to flip back the covers.  As gently as he could Kangin put Donghae down onto the bed.  The boy shifted slightly as he was placed down but, to their relief, remained asleep.  Leeteuk folded the covers back over him and loosely tucked them into the side of the bed.  Then with a smile up at Kangin he gestured that they should leave and they both moved back toward the hallway.  Without a word, they stopped in the doorway and looked back into the room.

                Leeteuk bumped Kangin’s shoulder with his own and smiled. Kangin didn’t deign to respond at first but then he seemed to realize that his arm was around Leeteuk’s shoulder.  The other man was giving him a look that showed how highly amused he was by this.  His pride stopping him from acting like he hadn’t done this on purpose, Kangin only moved away slightly and, reading his roommate’s mind, he chastised under his breath, “We’re not married, Leeteuk.”

“I know that,” Leeteuk whispered back absentmindedly.  He was too busy watching the sleeping Donghae with pride in his eyes to really respond.          

                Kangin gave Leeteuk a knowing look and said sternly, “He’s not ours.”

                Indignantly, Leeteuk said back as loudly as he dared, “I know that!”

                They both fell silent and stayed looking into the room in the peaceful night and then Leeteuk said, “Let’s have another.” 

                “Aish,” Kangin sighed and cuffed Leeteuk on the side of the head as the other suppressed a string of laughter. 

                “Goodnight, Leeteuk,” Kangin said as he marched off toward his own room.

                Still laughing as he shut Donghae’s door, Leeteuk responded teasingly, “Night, yobo.”

“Hurry up, let’s go!”

“One second, I’m almost—”

“We’re going to be late!”

“Why are you so excited?”

“’Cause it’s the first day of school!” 

Kangin rolled his eyes as Heechul excitedly grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away from the sink where he had literally just finished shaving.  Using his free hand to grab the hand towel he’d hung over his shoulder, he wiped his face as Heechul dragged him down the hallway.  If he’d really wanted to stop, Heechul wouldn’t have been able to pull him anywhere, but Kangin begrudgingly allowed himself to be led to the foyer where Donghae was fighting off Leeteuk’s attempts to fix his hair.

“It’s fine, hyung, I promise.” 

“Just need to fix a little bit—”

Donghae spun out of Leeteuk’s reach.  “Hey, Kangin,” he greeted happily, seeing the larger man entering the living room.

Kangin grunted a response which was not the least bit off-putting to Donghae who had grown accustomed to Kangin’s ways.  “Can you tell Leeteuk that we have to go now,” the boy begged, “’cause I don’t want to be late.”

“I just wanted to…” Leeteuk protested as Kangin strode forward and pushed him toward the door.

“The boy’s right.  It’s a ten minute walk.” Kangin said.

Grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder, Donghae looked from the two heading out the door to Heechul and grinned. “It’s like they’re married.” 

Holding back a smile, Heechul countered, “Family means no shipping family members.”   But as he followed Donghae out toward the open door, he finished in a low voice, “And it especially means no shipping Leeteuk with anyone but me.”  He laughed and patted Donghae on the shoulder.

                The boy scoffed with a grin and then jumped outside.  His excitement renewed by the fresh air, he flew down the front steps two at a time and made another jump, landing hard on the sidewalk next to Leeteuk and Kangin. 

                “Do you have everything?” Leeteuk asked, “Pens, notebooks, lunch—”

                “Yeah, yeah, I’ve got it,” Donghae responded with a smile.    

                “Now,” Heechul announced as he gracefully descended the last few steps to join them on the curb.  “You,” he took Donghae by the shoulders and directed him back a few steps, “Stay right there.” 

                Looking incredibly confused, Donghae did as he’d been told and watched his strange little family rearranged themselves so that they were standing in a line.  Kangin didn’t seem particularly excited but he obligingly followed the others examples.

                Clearing his throat for dramatic effect, Heechul began in his best announcer voice, “Donghae, today we’ve prepared the world’s shortest skit for you.  Please accept it as a gift from us to you to mark our belief that you are going to be super awesome today.”

                He nodded to Leeteuk who was standing in the middle of their formation.  The blonde, already looking like he was on the verge of laughter, looked to his left and right.  He was mouthing a countdown and when he reached one, he said, “Donghae…” and then they three of them put their hands outstretched and finished, “Fighting!” all together. 

                An enormous smile spread across Donghae’s face which he desperately tried to stop out of embarrassment.  “You guys,” he whined even as he walked forward to give each of them each a hug. 

“What kind of family would we be if we didn’t at least try to embarrass you?” Heechul laughed.

Kangin interrupted the moment to urge, “There’s no time to be sentimental.  You have to start now if you’re going to make it.”

                Going to stand next to Donghae, and doing everything in his power to stop himself from taking the boy’s hand, Leeteuk nodded to his roommates.  “Have a good time at work, we’ll see you later.”

                “Yeah, yeah, get going,” Kangin grumbled.

                “Knock ‘em dead, Donghae,” Heechul said encouragingly with wink.   

                Donghae waved goodbye to Heechul and Kangin and then he and Leeteuk turned and started off down the road toward school.  It was a perfect day, maybe a little warm, but it felt right.  It felt like the kind of day that was destined to only be good.  After a moment, Leeteuk couldn’t help but start rambling.  “When we get there, we’re going to stop by the principal’s office but it’s just so he can get to know us and tell you where your classes are and stuff.  And you don’t have to worry because he already accepted the papers that Yesung made and I don’t want you to worry…” the words tumbling out of Leeteuk’s mouth stopped as Donghae took his hand.  Looking up at the Leeteuk with bright eyes, Donghae said, “Alright.”

                Feeling reassured by those young eyes, now so familiar, Leeteuk squeezed Donghae’s hand and said, “Okay, then, let’s go show them how we do things in the Park family.” 

                It was getting toward the end of the longest day of Leeteuk’s life and he was walking so quickly down the sidewalk that he broke into a jog every few steps, anticipating getting to see Donghae again after a whole day without him.  He never imagined how much he would miss the boy.  He didn’t realize how hopelessly attached he’d gotten to having him around.  It didn’t seem possible that they’d only really met a few weeks before. 

                The sun was in the middle of its downward descent, cooling the air.  A small but consistent breeze playing up around him made his pace feel all the more urgent.  He hoped everything had gone well.  Their meeting with the principal had been fine.  Donghae had seemed excited as he’d been led off down the hallway by one of the teachers.  Still, Leeteuk’s only thought was on getting him back.  He knew it was crazy but he couldn’t help but think that maybe someone had figured out the papers were fake and Donghae wouldn’t be there when he arrive.

He rounded the corner and the school came into view.  Immediately slowing his pace, knowing he’d just end up embarrassing Donghae if he looked too eager.  He scanned the schoolyard, only to stop in confusion as he realized it was empty.  Glancing down at his watch he saw that he was ten minutes late.  School must have gotten out already, but he’d told Donghae to wait for him.  There was no sign of anyone…  All of a sudden he spotted a young girl standing on the curb and, mindful of the fact that he’d probably end up looking creepy, he approached steadily, asking as he got closer, “Hi, excuse me?”

                The young girl, no older than ten looked up at him with big eyes.

                “Sorry,” he said, stopping a few feet away, “I’m just wondering if you could tell me if school already got out?”

                She nodded her head so quickly that her short hair swung. 

                “So, are you the last one here?”

                Not even blinking, the girl nodded.  Realizing that was probably a creepy question, Leeteuk explained, “I was supposed to pick up my brother,” the word ‘brother’ slipped easily into his sentence to the point where the ease of it, more than anything, made him feel  strange. 

                “Are you sure there’s no one else left?” he asked.  The girl was about to answer when a car pulled up and a harried looking woman got out.

                “I’m sorry I’m late,” she said as she scooped up her daughter.  She suddenly noticed Leeteuk standing there and shot him a dirty look.  “Let’s go, honey,” she addressed the girl in her arms. 

A few whirlwind moments later, Leeteuk was alone in the empty school yard, a sense of panic rising in his throat. 

It was very obvious that the school was deserted.  Turning in a circle, he experimentally called, “Donghae?”  The street was empty, the school yard was barren.  There was no one around to even react to his call.  His heart started beating quickly against his chest and he broke into a jog as he started looking every which way for the boy.  He’d told him to wait outside the school until he’d arrived. 

                All kind of horror stories started playing in his head.

                “Donghae?” he called again, quickening his pace as he flipped his head around, searching the school ground, searching the street.  Where could he have gone?  How could he have been so stupid?  He should have left earlier.  He should have been on time.  He’d gotten distracted by the laundry.  If anything had happened…

                He ended up making a complete lap around the side of the school, a sense of dread spilling over his heart.  He could now see the sports fields stretching out.  There were a bunch of high school kids out playing soccer.  He started to turn around in frustration when a smaller figure flashed by the high school kids, expertly moving the soccer ball ahead of him.  Eyes widening in disbelief, he realized it was his Donghae. 

                Literally sprinting, Leeteuk collided with the chain link fence that surrounded the field and called out sharply, “Donghae!”

                The impromptu game came to a stop.  Everyone stared over at the furious looking blonde man leaning against the fence.  Occasionally one of the players looked back at the brown haired boy frozen in the center of their formation.  The soccer ball lay forgotten at his feet.

                “Hyung…” Donghae said confusedly, walking over toward the fence. 

                Leeteuk hopped over the low gate and met Donghae halfway, pulling him into a fierce hug. 

                “I told you to wait,” he chastised, fear making his voice harsh. 

                “I was just playing.”

                “Hey, we’re sorry if we caused any trouble,” one of the soccer players said ducking his head out of respect. “We saw him waiting alone and figured—”   

                With a heroic effort, Leeteuk swallowed the harsh comments bubbling in his throat and simply said, “It’s fine,” glancing down at Donghae, he said, “We’re going now.”

                He took Donghae by the wrist and started pulling him away.  The boy shot a hasty goodbye over his shoulder at the stunned high school kids as he let Leeteuk pull him along.  They got to the street, Leeteuk mumbling angrily the whole way, before Donghae pulled his arm free and demanded to know,

                “What’s wrong?”

                “What’s wrong?” Leeteuk shot back, still feeling his heart beating furiously fast.  “I thought something happened to you!”

                “They asked me if I wanted to play with them…”   He honestly sounded like he had no clue what he’d done wrong and Leeteuk started to worry that maybe there was something legitimately wrong with the boy that he didn’t realize strangers could be dangerous.

“You can’t just go walking off with strangers, Donghae!”

                “I went walking off with you,” he pointed out.

                Not in the mood for being funny, Leeteuk got down onto Donghae’s level and looked him dead in the eyes.  “If I say wait for me, then you wait.  Okay?” 

                “Got it,” Donghae said in a small voice.  It looked like there might have been tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.  Realizing he was probably being too harsh, Leeteuk pulled the boy into a hug, this one much less violent than the desperate fear of the previous one.

                “I’m sorry,” he sighed genuinely, feeling his former fear vanishing. “I was just really, really scared for a second there.  I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened and…

                “Hyung, that’s silly.”

                Still hugging Donghae, Leeteuk tried to explain and to justify his action. “I used to have a brother and I lost him.  And I never want to go through the same thing with you.”

                “What happened?”

                Leeteuk debated telling him, but decided against it.  “He died,” he said simply.  Leeteuk suddenly felt Donghae hugging him back. 

                “I’m sorry,” the boy said.  Leeteuk bit his lip to stop himself form crying at Donghae’s innocent compassion. “But I’m like your brother now, right?”

                “Yeah, you really are,” Leeteuk said back.            

Donghae pulled back out of the hug and smiled slightly.  “There.  Then let’s go home, right?”

                Chuckling at how mature Donghae sounded, Leeteuk stood back up straight and put his arm on Donghae’s shoulder as they started back down the street.  Falling into a casual tone as they began to match each other’s strides, he asked,

                “So how was your first day?”

                “It was awesome,” Donghae said with a bounce, “I really like this school.  And I think it’s too late to join, but I would have liked being on the soccer team I think.”

                “I saw you playing with those big kids.  You looked good out there.  How about class?”

                “It was good.”

                “Wait…where’s your backpack?”

                Donghae stopped short and looked back toward the soccer field.  “Oh.” 

                Sighing humorously, Leeteuk steered Donghae back around and they went back to retrieve the bag.   

                The middle of that same week, Leeteuk sat in the kitchen staring at the clock.  He had to go pick up Donghae from school in a half hour and he was so afraid of being late again that he had decided not take his eyes off of the clock until it was time to leave. 

“I think I’m going to get a car,” Kangin announced as he walked into the kitchen.  Leeteuk jumped a mile.  He hadn’t even heard Kangin come home.

                “What?”

                “I got an advance today,” Kangin explained, going over to the fridge.   “And the guy I’m thinking of buying the car from said I could pay in installments.”

                “What do you need a car for?”  If Leeteuk’s had been so thrown off by the unexpected arrival, he probably would have been able to figure the answer out on his own.

                “I don’t want to bother with busses anymore getting to work.  Weird schedules and all that.”

                This seemed awfully sudden and rash to Leeteuk, but he realized that it wasn’t his place to protest.  He took a deep breath and glanced over at the clock.  Suddenly he remembered to say, “Oh…just so you know, Yesung’s here.”

                Shutting the fridge, Kangin’s head shot up and he glanced around as if he expected to see the strange man standing there behind him. 

                “He’s in Heechul’s room,” Leeteuk explained, noting this reaction.

                “What’s he doing here?” Kangin asked accusingly.

                “He’s Heechul’s friend,” the thinner man answered with a shrug, not seeing the problem.  “Plus, I told him he could stop by whenever he wanted.”

                Exhaling heavily, Kangin grumbled, “Just make sure he’s out of here before Donghae gets home, ya?  That guy is weird, Leeteuk, and he’s a bad influence.”

                Before Leeteuk could think of a good response, Kangin had left.  Deciding that, perhaps, his roommate did have a point, Leeteuk got up and headed down to the corridor that led to Heechul’s room.  He didn’t actually know what he was going to do, but he decided he’d probably figure it out by the time he got to the end of the hallway.

He heard a fast paced conversation occurring in soft tones down the corridor.  He didn’t want to eavesdrop, but it was impossible not to hear the words as they floated clearly from behind the closed door.

“Well, it sounds like you made the right decision.”

“I know…but I’m worried, Heechul.  I don’t think…”

“There’s nothing to worry about, they’ll find someone else to d—”

There was a frustrated sigh.  “You don’t get what I’m saying!”

There was a slight commotion and then Heechul’s door flew open and Leeteuk jumped, trying to look nonchalant even though he realized it shouldn’t seem suspicious for him to be there in his own apartment.  Yesung appeared in the hallway and was moving quickly toward him.  Leeteuk fumbled over a greeting but Yesung just moved by him without so much as a glance.  An aura of reserved and nervous agitation clung to the dark haired young man as he went  by.  Frozen, Leeteuk watched in stunned silence until he heard the front door shut. 

He turned back and looked at Heechul who had now appeared in the hallway.  The blonde pointed behind himself at the door. 

“Is everything alright with him?”

“Just some client trouble,” Heechul tried to reassure, though his face was also peaked with worry as he looked out to where Yesung had just disappeared out the door.  Not wanting the conversation to end there, Leeteuk announced,

                “Kangin’s going to get a car tomorrow.”

                “Cool,” Heechul said distractedly. 

                “I’m going to pick up Donghae now.  Do you want to come?”

                “No,” Heechul said, “not today.”  Then he turned back around and disappeared into his room. 

                It was a gorgeous day.  The sun was shining so brightly it was hard to see.  Leeteuk felt that he would have been whistling if he knew how as he carried a bag of groceries back to the apartment.  They had decided to celebrate the completion of Donghae’s first full week of school with a movie night so he’d had to run out to gather extra supplies.

He moved briskly down the sidewalk, thinking back on what a success this past week had been.  Donghae loved school, no one had figured out their ruse, Kangin had his car now, and everything just seemed to be falling into place.

As the apartment came into view, a smile spread across his face.  The building had never felt more like home.  He suddenly spotted a man sitting up against the brick building beside his apartment. Never one to be rude, even if the stranger was probably not the sort of person who required respect, seeing as he appeared to be sleeping outside on the sidewalk in broad daylight, Leeteuk nodded as he passed.  He paused as his shadow fell across the figure and he recognized who it was.

“Yesung?” he greeted with confusion.  “What are you doing here?”   He shifted the bag of groceries into one arm, prepared to give the strange young man a hand up.  “You could have waited on the porch if you wanted to see us, you know?”

Yesung didn’t make any sort of response.  His chin was resting against his chest and his dark hair was mostly obscuring his face.   

Leeteuk began to get a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.  Wasn’t Heechul home?  If Yesung had come to visit, he could have just knocked. It didn’t make sense for him to be sitting outside like this.  He decided that Yesung really was a strange guy.

Carefully putting down the bag of groceries on the steps of his apartment building, Leeteuk crouched next to the unresponsive Yesung and, not really knowing what else to do he asked with a hint of amusement, “Hey, there, you okay?”  The strange young man didn’t move.  Looking around like maybe there was something he was missing, Leeteuk then reached out hesitantly, using one hand to move the young man’s bangs out of his face.  His breath stayed frozen in his throat.  Yesung didn’t respond to the touch.  His eyes were closed and he looked paler than normal. 

Still fighting back a sense of panic, Leeteuk decided he was being ridiculous and just shook the young man’s shoulder.  “Hey, wake up.”  At the touch, Yesung’s head fell to the side and a slight groan emitted from his mouth.  A flare of concern going off in his heart, Leeteuk’s instincts kicked into overdrive as he started to realize that something was actually wrong.

“What is it?” he wondered, passing his eyes over the young man’s countenance, trying to figure out what was going on.  Yesung remained unresponsive but there didn’t seem to be anything obviously wrong. 

Leeteuk froze as his searching eyes fell on a dark pool that had started to form on the pavement beside the dark haired male.  Heart thudding, Leeteuk trailed his eyes up to the arm Yesung had pressed against his side.  Something had dampened the black sleeve. 

Adrenaline making his hands shake, Leeteuk used two fingers to move Yesung’s outer button down shirt off to the side.  The unconscious boy’s arm slid to the ground at the disturbance, revealing a dark red stain across his gray tee-shirt, spreading from the still-bleeding wound in his side.  

“Oh my god, Yesung,” he breathed as he fumbled for his phone.  It seemed to take an eternity for the emergency dispatcher to get on the line and all the while he protectively kept a hand on Yesung’s shoulder, looking around apprehensively for any sign of the attacker.

“What’s your emergency?” a woman’s voice emitted over the phone.

“Hi, I’ve got a young man here who’s been stabbed.”

The woman on the other end of the line asked in a calming voice, “Okay, sir, is the attacker still there?’

Leeteuk felt Yesung stirring under his hand and allowed himself to be distracted for a moment. 

“Sir?” the woman asked. 

“Um, sorry, no, I think whoever did it is gone.” 

“Alright, sir, we’re sending an ambulance to your location.  Would you like me to stay on the line with you?” 

Looking down at the stirring Yesung, Leeteuk quickly dismissed, “No, no, that’s okay,” only vaguely wondering how they knew where he was.  Hanging up the phone without another thought he quickly addressed the young man before him, gripping his other shoulder as well in some desperate desire to keep a hold of this slowly returning consciousness.

“What the hell happened to you, Yesung…” he breathed, knowing he wouldn’t be getting a response.  He had no clue what to do.  He couldn’t even process that this was really happening.

The young man had started sliding his shoes against the ground uselessly as if he was trying to transfer the pain out of his body and into the pavement. Relieved that Yesung was definitely alive but simultaneous, hopelessly terrified, Leeteuk refused to even blink, in case Yesung would fade away while he wasn’t watching. “Hey,” he tried to sound reassuring, “you’re alright.  Just stay calm, I’ve got you.” 

Yesung’s eyes remained closed but his mouth parted slightly and he mumbled out in a terribly vulnerable voice, “’m sorry.  I didn’t know where else to…”

Leeteuk shushed him, realizing just how young the 19 year old was.  “It’s okay,” he tried to assure him, hearing the way his own voice shook.  There would be time for explanation later.  All that mattered now was that he stayed alive. 

Yesung’s back suddenly arched and he started to slide down the wall.  Leeteuk tightened his panicked grip on his shoulders.

“I screwed up,” was the last thing Yesung mumbled before his entire countenance collapsed and he slipped into unconsciousness.

A/N  So..um....I'm just going to ....run away now...    

:Completely ignores fact that everyone now wants to kill her:  

So yeah!  This chapter killed me to write on so many levels.  I'm sorry it's so disjointed too and forgive me for Kangin being ridiculous at the beginning of this chapter.  I'm just happy he's back XD <3 

Man, I had so much to say when I was writing this and now I can't remember. . .

Um...New Character next chapter if that's any consolation and um....forgive me...if you can. 

Subscribe, Comment, Form an angry mob....I don't know...  I'll probably remember what I needed to say later.  

....OH over 1,000 views!  :D That was one of them.  So thank you all so so so much! 

and the other one I just remembered is these 20 chapters contain the equivalient of a Middle School Novel.  40,000 words FTW!! XD 

And even if you now all want to kill me...I love you . XD <3 

P.S. I'm sorry this is so long.  XD