He opens his chocolate eyes and he has to look around for a moment to realize where he actually is. And he’s worry again – isn’t this just a beautiful dream? Was he really able to escape? Is it finally over? Truly? Even if whole his body hurts and he feels every muscle, he sits, leaning his back against the wall. He hugs a little pillow, putting his head on the knees. It’s just a habit. He does it automatically every time he wakes up. He feels save as he would make an imaginary shell which will protect him.

He can finally examine the room where he is. Of course just with his look. Blue color of walls, light and soft. A carpet is blue too but in darker tone. And there are some motley shapes as well. He feels pale memory coming back to his mind. He sees himself playing on the floor with some toys. So light-hearted. But it’s too smudgy. Somebody laughs... And he guesses it’s his own laughter. And there’s a voice, so kind and nice, talking to him... He drops a toy and stands up. He runs to some person he can’t recognize. It’s just silhouette, he can’t see her face. Too foggy. Still he sees arms offering him an embrace and he doesn’t hesitate. He smells some scent and he knows it, it’s so familiar... But it’s too far. He closes his eyes; he wants to remember more, searching for any memory in his mind. But he finds nothing.

Then everything is gone, it’s hidden again in the eternity of his mind. And he is back in that room which reminds him his childhood. He realizes other details which he didn’t notice before – yellow curtains, wardrobe and finally a shelf covered with a lot of colorful stuffed animals. Whole room seems friendly. His exploration is suddenly over when he notices a bowl on the bedside table full of fresh fruit and pastries with a glass of orange juice next to it.

“That’s for you.”

He screams in horror, he didn’t even realize someone else is in this room. He didn’t notice anybody came. Yesung smiles apologetically, he didn’t expect he will terrify the boy so much.

“I didn’t want to scare you, I am sorry,” he says friendly. Then he frowns when he sees the boy is not lying again. But when he catches sight of a fear in boy’s eyes, his countenance changes immediately. He doesn’t want the boy to think he’s angry or something like that. That’s the last thing he wants. He’s just worried – his injuries must hurt whenever he moves. He should lie calmly. When he moves, he is just unnecessarily suffering.

“I know you’re hungry. Eat it,” he nods toward the bowl, smiling.

But Ryeowook doesn’t move, staring warily at Yesung, exploring his face, his every motion. He’s afraid of him. He doesn’t know him. He isn’t sure what he should expect. He doesn’t trust him. What if he is a friend of that man? What if he is the same as him? But... He seems different. His face is kind, friendly. There’s no anger or hatred.

“Go ahead, eat. You don’t want to starve, do you?” he asks calmly, slowly, distinctly. He wants to show the boy he can trust him. He sits on the edge of the bed, still watching him. His lips turn into a tiny smile.

“You don’t really have to be scared.”

Ryeowook presses a pillow to his chest and he leans over to a bedside table, still looking cautiously at Yesung. Yesung have to laugh when he sees it. He really reminds him a puppy. A small lost puppy. And suddenly he feels uncontrollable desire to protect this child from everything that can harm him. He wants to hide him in his embrace, letting nobody to hurt him.

He watches Ryeowook nibbling a piece of pastry. He smiles with relief; he was a bit worried the boy wouldn’t eat. When Ryeowook eats it up, he grabs a glass, drinking everything on one breath. He his lips, closing eyes contentedly. When was the last time he ate something so tasty? He nearly forgot a taste of jam, a scent of oranges...

“Do you want more?” Yesung asks, picking up an empty bowl, looking at brown-haired boy.

It’s just a while until Ryeowook nods timidly. Yesung’s smile widens.

“Wait a minute.”

He leaves the room, leaving a door slightly open. He goes down the stairs, heading straight to the kitchen. He takes other buns, spreading jam on them. He opens a refrigerator, hesitating for a while. Then he just shrugs, taking another box of juice.

When he comes back to the room he notices the boy haven’t moved at all. But he doesn’t care; he knows they will need a lot of time.

+++

He can hear a stream of water in the bathroom while he’s putting dishes in the sink. He’s glad he convinced Ryeowook to have a shower. Even he’s worried if the boy will manage it, his body is still too weak. If he wasn’t so scared, Yesung would help him. But that’s not possible now.

Sound of water subsides. Yesung heads back to the first floor just at the moment Ryeowook leaves a bathroom. He seems to be drowning in Yesung’s t-shirt; his tousled long hair falls into his face.

I will have to cut his hair, Yesung thinks. And buy some clothes. He can’t wear mine, it’s too large.

“Is everything alright?” he asks solicitously.

“Mhm,” Ryeowook nods.

“Okay. I have to work now. You can look around, there’s a television in the living room; you can turn it on. Do whatever you want like you were at home,” Yesung says, giving him another smile. After that he heads to his room, leaving the boy alone. Ryeowook stays there for a while, staring at the closed door.

He just can’t believe. Did he hear well? He can walk around the house. He can... He can... No, he doesn’t believe. Until now he was locked in one room. He could go nowhere. He could do nothing at all. And now... He turns his gaze to the stairs, hesitating if he should go. But in the end he runs to his room, closing a door and curling up in the corner of his bed. Maybe next time...

Yesung can hear a door slam. In fact he didn’t expect the boy will go anywhere. But he wanted to assure him he doesn’t imprison him. He wanted to assure him he can do whatever he wants. He wanted to assure him he’s free.

A/N: As ever I'm sorry for my english and I beg you to write me which mistakes you found to improve it in another chapter ^^

And... Can anybody write me some interjection of agreement in english? :D We have "Uhn" in our language but I can't translate it so I had to write it here too...

See you next time :-*