A/n: Everyone aggressively told me to update soon, and this was as soon as I could get! I'm sorry if everyone died in the last chapter. This one's not all butterflies and rainbows either, (expected; Kyungsoo sort of just went through a traumatizing experience) but it's not as horrible. There's development. I dunno, maybe it just ㅠㅠ Let me know if you still hate me. <3

Jongin took a long time to fall asleep, afraid he wouldn’t be able to protect Kyungsoo if he wasn’t awake. Kyungsoo slept somewhat peacefully for a while, but then he started whimpering, and it tugged at Jongin’s heart. He didn’t want to wake the boy, but he didn’t want him stuck in nightmares either, so he just cooed softly, his hair and promising him everything was okay. He held Kyungsoo close, pressed against his chest, Kyungsoo’s arms thrown around his neck. His eyes were puffy from crying, his lips swollen for reasons Jongin didn’t want to think about. Jongin’s pillow was soaked with his own tears, because no amount of comforting could undo what had been done. If he ever found out who had done this, he would kill them.

The sounds of the party began dissipating hours after Kyungsoo had fallen asleep, vanishing entirely around three or so in the morning. Yet Jongin continued to just lay there long afterwards, sleep evading him. Sometime after six, he finally dozed off, lightly enough that he would feel it when Kyungsoo woke up, a few hours later.

“

Kyungsoo opened his eyes, which felt very heavy, and found himself in a confusing situation. He was curled up against someone – whom he found out to be Jongin when he tilted his head up – and was fully . It was quiet; everything seemed blissful.

Slowly, pain began blossoming into his awareness; a pounding headache, sore throat and a disgusting taste in his mouth, a tingling burn on his wrists and ankles, and agony, pure agony between his legs. Oh gosh, what happened? Had he slept with Jongin? Is this what it felt like? Holy . He wasn’t entirely unsure he hadn’t been shot repeatedly.

Through a haze of alcohol, memories returned to him. As they did, horror came with them. Someone had ed him, and then left him there, and Jongin had found him. His mind relived the stranger’s actions, and he felt terror, squeezing his eyes shut and longing for it to stop. But it was over. It was in the past, it wasn’t happening now…

He was shaking, tears slipping out of the corner of his eyes, and the Jongin’s voice startled him.

“Kyungsoo, I’m here,” he breathed. “No one’s going to hurt you; it’s all over.”

Kyungsoo held Jongin tighter, feeling the boy’s fingers brush down his back softly. Jongin promised him that everything was okay, but he didn’t know. He couldn’t feel what Kyungsoo felt, or remember what he remembered. But Kyungsoo couldn’t speak, he was struggling to control his breathing and not choke on his sobs. After a while, he managed to contain himself enough to ask Jongin a question.

“H-how did you – find me?”

“Yixing saw you come in here,” Jongin explained quietly. “But you didn’t leave. I didn’t know about it, or I would’ve come sooner.” Kyungsoo remembered the eternity in the dark, thinking no one would ever find him, and he would have to suffer the rest of the night. Then Jongin had finally arrived and saved him. “I’m so sorry, Kyungsoo.”

It’s not your fault. But Kyungsoo couldn’t comfort him right now. He was shivering, terrified, feeling repulsed in being in his own skin. He just kept thinking of the boy touching him, shoving his inside him, forcing Kyungsoo to swallow his come. He felt so dirty and disgusting, wanting to burn the ghosts of the touches off of his skin. He just lay there with Jongin for a long time, drowning in his recollections.

As if Jongin could read his mind, he suggested, “Why don’t you have a shower?” and Kyungsoo agreed, but he didn’t want to move. A moment later, Jongin asked if he wanted Kyungsoo to carry him, to which Kyungsoo just nodded. Jongin sat up cautiously, trying not to make any sudden movements and distress Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo just held on to Jongin’s neck. Jongin’s hands slipped around his shoulders and under his thighs, carefully cradling him and standing up; Kyungsoo tucked his chin into the crook in Jongin’s neck, closing his eyes and letting the boy take him out of the bedroom, down the hall, to the bathroom. When they arrived, Jongin told him he needed to put him down so he could get the shower ready, slowly lowering him so his feet touched the cold tiled floor. Kyungsoo opened his eyes, releasing Jongin and trying to stand on his own. But his legs were weak, feeling like jello, and he fell to his knees, leaning on the toilet for support. Jongin kneeled down beside him, concerned, but Kyungsoo said he was alright, he just needed a moment. Then Jongin began running the shower, and Kyungsoo felt abruptly nauseous, flipping up the toilet seat and vomiting. The acid burned away the previous taste in his mouth, and he was grateful, but the new taste stung. Jongin was by his side again, but Kyungsoo just took his hand, throwing up again. When he was done, he slumped against the younger boy, and Jongin kissed the top of his head, murmuring that it was alright, he was alright. Then Kyungsoo allowed him to help him into the shower, and Jongin promised to wait outside the door if he needed him.

When alone, Kyungsoo turned up the heat of the water so it was almost scalding, leaning against the wall for support and grabbing Jongin’s loofah and the soap bar. He lathered soap onto the sponge, and rubbed it viciously on his skin, trying to rid himself of the sickening filth crawling on his skin. Soon he was scrubbed raw, but it wasn’t helping anything. He could still feel the repulsiveness coursing through him, and it was becoming unbearable to hold himself up. Dropping to his knees, he shuddered, still feeling cold despite the feverish heat of the water. He felt himself crying, curling in on himself, and he must have been loud because he heard Jongin come in a moment later.

“Hyung? Are you okay in there?” Kyungsoo couldn’t formulate words, and continued to shed tears. Jongin’s voice came closer. “I’m gonna come in, okay?” The curtain was drawn back, and Kyungsoo heard Jongin inhale sharply, stepping into the tub beside Kyungsoo and leaning down. His hand touched Kyungsoo’s shoulder gently, water running over it. He hissed at the heat, but ignored it. “Soo? Kyungsoo, it’s alright, I’m here, I’m not going to hurt you.”

Kyungsoo turned, throwing his arms around Jongin, who was fully clothed but didn’t seem to care that Kyungsoo was soaked. “Help me,” Kyungsoo whispered, pressing his forehead into Jongin’s shoulder.

“How?”

Save me. Protect me. Don’t let the world get me. “Hold me.” Jongin’s arms wrapped around him securely, and Kyungsoo raised his head to rest his chin on Jongin’s shoulder.

“I’ve got you,” Jongin promised. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“

Jongin turned off the shower soon after, afraid of the sight of his red and raw-skinned hyung. Kyungsoo couldn’t will himself to walk, and even if he could, it caused him so much pain he wouldn’t make it very far anyway, so Jongin carried him back to his bedroom. He sat Kyungsoo in a chair gently, and fished out the comfortable track pants he’d let Kyungsoo wear two days prior from his laundry basket, helping the boy get them on. Jongin hated the sight of the bruises on Kyungsoo’s thighs and groin, and he didn’t doubt Kyungsoo did too. Then he turned to his bed, ripping off all the sheets and throwing them out in the hallway. He went out to the linen closet down the hall and got a new set of bedding, redressing the bed so Kyungsoo wouldn’t have to lie in the sheets full of his terrible memories. Then he lifted Kyungsoo into the bed, and the boy pulled the fresh sheets up over him, turning on his side and staring up at Jongin.

“What do you need?”

“You.” Kyungsoo held out a hand to Jongin and Jongin took it. Kyungsoo tugged. “Please stay with me.”

Jongin hesitated. “Can you give me a couple minutes? I won’t be long, but I need to clear the stragglers out of my house.” Kyungsoo bit his lip, but nodded, and Jongin leaned down to kiss his forehead. “I’ll be right back, I promise. Five minutes at the most.”

Kyungsoo released his hand and watched him go, closing the door behind him. Immediately Kyungsoo began panicking, almost claustrophobic and just terrified of the loneliness. He didn’t think Jongin would come back. He was going to be left alone, until that other boy returned and tried to him again.

him. The boy had him. Kyungsoo had been . Oh God. Oh God, how did this happen?  He felt dread rise up in him, imagining confronting his parents, Sehun, everyone at his school. There was so much shame, humiliation, fear in the idea of people knowing, people laughing and mocking him, people spreading the news until it got back to the boy – the – and then he would come for Kyungsoo. Maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe someone else would. Who was to say others wouldn’t think he was a good ? Oh God, oh God…

He was crying again when Jongin returned, and Jongin snuggled in beside him, holding him close and trying to calm him. “Shh. Don’t cry. Baby, don’t cry.”

“I’m scared,” Kyungsoo wept. “I’m s-so scared…”

“No, don’t be scared,” Jongin murmured, wiping tears from Kyungsoo’s cheeks. “You’re safe, it’s okay. I’m here, hyung, it’s okay.” Kyungsoo pulled him closer, and Jongin kissed his hair, Kyungsoo’s eyes pressing shut. Unable to bear the idea of being alone, he clung tightly to Jongin, not wanting him to leave him again. Yet no matter how close he was to Jongin, no matter how much of the boy he could feel pressed against him, it didn’t seem to be enough; it felt like Jongin was going to just fade away, vanish through his hands like smoke. His eyes flew open, and Jongin was still there, he was there, he was beside Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo stared up at him, trying not to blink so he wouldn’t disappear. But it still wasn’t good enough.

“Say something,” Kyungsoo said desperately.

“What do you want me to say?” Jongin asked softly. Kyungsoo shook his head. Anything. Keep talking, please. “Okay… Tell me why you’re afraid.”

Kyungsoo bit his lip. “I’m afraid you’re not real. And I’m gonna be left alone again. And get hurt.”

Jongin nodded. “I’m real. Do you feel this?” He took Kyungsoo’s hand, clasping their fingers together, and gave it a squeeze. “I’m real, and I’m not going to leave you alone, and I’m not going to let anything hurt you. I promise.”

“Tell me something else,” Kyungsoo whispered. It’s too simple. I could make up his words. “A story.” Something I couldn’t come up with on my own.

He paused, thinking for a moment, then said, “Do you remember the first week of school this year?” Vaguely. “The first day, I saw you. I knew who you were, of course. We’d been going to school for a year together at that point. I thought you were cute, but you were also weird, one of the people I didn’t associate with. You dressed differently, you had like two friends, and you were kind of a nerd.  None of that has really changed, just the way I see you. You’re wonderful, Kyungsoo, and I’m gonna take care of you.”

“That wasn’t a story.”

It made Jongin smile a bit. Then he tried again. He told Kyungsoo about a beautiful wolf and a pitiful lion. The wolf had no interest in the lion, and the lion knew he and the wolf were of different worlds. The wolf travelled alone, the lion had a pack of his fellow species. The rest of the lions looked down on the lonely wolf, but the one lion admired him – how he took care of himself, and how beautiful and different he was.  He became friends with the wolf, and ended up falling in love with him.

Jongin trailed off there.

“What happened?” Kyungsoo wondered. Jongin had drawn him into the story, pushing reality away, although it still nagged in his mind. He tried to make Jongin continue though, because it was better to be even a little distracted than not at all. “Did the wolf love him back?”

“I don’t know,” Jongin said carefully. “Did he?”

How should I know? Kyungsoo shrugged, and began to think about the story logically, thinking that, if animals could actually fall in love, the wolf would probably think the lion was very nice in deserting his kind to be with him. But then, maybe not. Maybe the wolf liked being alone, and the lion was just intruding on his life. But then he realized Jongin’s story, it’s significance. He was the wolf, and Jongin the lion. It was their story, and that was as far as it had gotten. And the story couldn’t move forward any more until the wolf made his decision.

It wasn’t Kyungsoo who wanted to know if the wolf loved the lion. Jongin was the one waiting for that answer.

I don’t know.

Did he?

“

Kyungsoo didn’t want to go home. He spent the rest of the day at Jongin’s house, safe with Jongin and not alone with himself. At home there wouldn’t be anyone. He couldn’t do it. But his parents weren’t fond of sleepovers on school nights, so he would have to sleep alone.

When Jongin’s mom drove them home, they sat in the back seat together, Kyungsoo lying with his head in Jongin’s lap; it hurt to sit. As the car pulled into Kyungsoo’s driveway, Kyungsoo whispered, “Please don’t make me go.” Jongin his hair.

Unable to walk without limping, Jongin suggested that Kyungsoo pretend to be asleep so he could carry him to his room without drawing attention to himself. Kyungsoo had told him he didn’t want to tell anyone – his parents included – about what had happened. So Jongin lifted Kyungsoo out of the car, holding him easily and taking him up to the front door, knocking and waiting for a response. When the door opened, Kyungsoo’s mother seemed shocked, asking if he was okay, but Jongin just said he was really tired and had fallen asleep on the ride over. She believed him, and he was allowed to take Kyungsoo upstairs and put him to bed.

When Kyungsoo was back on his own bed, Jongin gently removed his shoes for him, sitting on the edge of the bed. Kyungsoo grabbed his hand.

“Don’t go,” he whispered fearfully.

“Can I spend the night?”

Kyungsoo shook his head, eyes watering. “I’m sorry, hyung,” Jongin said sadly. “Nothing’s gonna happen though – you’re safe.” No I’m not. He wasn’t safe with his thoughts and memories. Usually he would be rational, but the intense fear was derailing his sensibility. Being left alone meant being left to relive it. He didn’t let go of Jongin.

“It’s alright, Kyungsoo,” Jongin said, and he pressed his lips to Kyungsoo’s forehead softly. “I’ll call you, okay? We’ll talk all night if you want to.” Kyungsoo nodded, knowing it wouldn’t be good enough but that it was still better than nothing. Jongin stood, and instinctively Kyungsoo’s grip tightened, but then he forced himself to let go. Jongin apologized again, but promised to call as soon as he got home. When he turned his back, Kyungsoo’s heart rate spiked, and at the door, he looked back and gave him a reassuring smile that did nothing because a second later Kyungsoo was alone.

He shuddered, trying to tell himself to be reasonable, that he was fine now and there was nothing to worry about, but he couldn’t control himself. He just… didn’t have control of himself, or anything. The boy had enforced that in his mind; he had taken over, made it so Kyungsoo was unable to do anything, and completely violated him. Now Kyungsoo was afraid of others taking advantage of him, or of himself being unable to manage his own life. Everything seemed like too much. Anything could happen now, he could do anything and it could end up consequential…

I did this. Holy . How had he overlooked that for so long? It had been him who had decided to go to that party, him who had decided to go off with that boy, him who had let the boy tie him up and screw him. Oh gosh, this is my fault – this is all my fault… He was so stupid, how could he have let this happen to himself? Why had he done that? How had he not realized…

When Jongin called, Kyungsoo was over the edge, angry and horrified with himself.  “It’s all my fault, Jongin!” He tried not to yell, because he didn’t want his parents hearing him, but he was so distressed and he felt like he needed to throw up again and everything was terrible because he had done this. No, he hadn’t been the one to himself, but he might as well have; he’d just been asking for it.

“Kyungsoo, what are you talking about?”

“It’s my fault this happened!”

“What?” Jongin didn’t understand. “Wait, you mean – no, no, Kyungsoo that wasn’t your fault! What are you even saying? You didn’t ask him to do that to you! ing hell, Kyungsoo, this – the blame is nowhere near you, hyung!”

“Yes it was!” Kyungsoo cried. “I let him take me to your room! I should’ve known – he locked the door, he pushed me on the bed! You’re the one who said bedrooms are used for ; I should’ve realized he would try something – I never should’ve gone with him!”

“No, no no no, Kyungsoo stop, it’s not your fault!” But Kyungsoo was almost hyperventilating now, overcome with shame because he had allowed himself to be . Jongin heard him. “Kyungsoo, please calm down and think rationally. Breathe. Hyung, just – you need to just breathe, okay?”

Kyungsoo threw the phone away from him, but he could still hear Jongin’s voice buzzing through the earpiece, and he buried his face in his pillow, covering his ears. He couldn’t scream; screaming wouldn’t help, it hadn’t helped yesterday and it wouldn’t now. He just lay there and shook, breathing shallow and heart racing. A few minutes later he picked up the phone again, going to hang it up, but there was no disconnected beeping emitting from the phone.

“Jongin?”

“Kyungsoo, Jesus ing Christ!” Kyungsoo flinched, cowering as Jongin almost screamed in his ear. “Don’t do that! Are you okay? Please tell me you didn’t hurt yourself!”

Hurt himself? “I didn’t,” Kyungsoo uttered.

Jongin said a string of curses under his breath. “You just – gosh, you started blaming yourself and then you just stopped talking and I thought… ing God, don’t do that to me, . Sorry, just – you scared the hell out of me.”

“I’m sorry…” Kyungsoo understood. Jongin thought he had… well, it didn’t matter, he hadn’t. But now he’d planted the seed in his mind, while also making him feel extremely horrible for worrying his friend so much. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Jongin.” I just keep messing things up.

“It’s okay, hyung, just don’t hurt yourself, okay? Please don’t hurt yourself. Promise me you won’t.”

“I’m already hurt enough…”

“I know,” said Jongin. “But that doesn’t mean… Just promise, okay?”

Kyungsoo swallowed thickly, nodding. “Okay. I promise.”

Jongin exhaled in relief. “Good.” He paused for a moment. “Hyung?”

“Yeah?”

Silence.

“Jongin?”

“Just…” He took an audibly deep breath. “I love you.”

“

Kyungsoo was laying in his seat on the bus. He had tried sitting for about five seconds, and the first time the bus went over a bump, he almost screamed. Giving up on that idea immediately, he lay down on his side, squeezing his eyes shut. He didn’t want to go to school today.

When Sehun arrived on the bus, he didn’t see Kyungsoo until he almost sat on him.

“Woah, hyung, what are you doing?”

Kyungsoo sat up, making room for Sehun to take a seat, and as soon as he did Kyungsoo rested his head on Sehun’s thigh. “I don’t want to talk,” he mumbled.

“Do you ever?” Sehun joked, but he patted Kyungsoo’s hair. “Tired? Long weekend with Jongin, huh?” Kyungsoo didn’t answer. He wished it had been that simple.

He had talked to Jongin most of the night, trying to keep himself awake. Well, Jongin mostly talked to him, really, especially after what Jongin had said…

He’d confessed that he loved him, and Kyungsoo hadn’t even known how to react. It was definitely more than he could deal with at the time, which he told Jongin, who backed off immediately.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to add more stress to your life! I shouldn’t have said it…” Kyungsoo had felt guilty because his reaction wasn’t what Jongin had wanted, no doubt. “I love you too” probably would have been a better response. But Kyungsoo couldn’t say that, because would he even mean it? He doubted it, and he didn’t want to lead Jongin on. Jongin was serious about him. I just don’t even want to think about it right now.

“Well, my weekend a lot,” Sehun was saying miserably. “I basically told Luhan to get out of my life, and now I feel like hell. I barely got any sleep the past two days…”

Neither had Kyungsoo. He’d spent his time toiling with nightmares, which Jongin would break him out of. He remembered, vaguely, Jongin’s voice breaking through his dreams and calming him, at least temporarily. When he’d been on the phone with him, he’d fallen asleep. Jongin said he knew when he was sleeping, because the line would be filled with Kyungsoo’s heavy, consistent breathing; meanwhile, when he started weakly, Jongin would tell him to relax or, if Kyungsoo started whining, he would just say Hyung, wake up! It was effective for chasing away the bad dreams, but it meant Kyungsoo was constantly being jerked out of sleep.

Sehun noticed Kyungsoo’s awkward limping when he got off the bus and they headed into the school, and questioned him. “Are you alright? What did you do with him this weekend?” But Kyungsoo’s face was scrunched up in pain, and Sehun threw his arm around Kyungsoo’s waist supportively, helping the boy hobble to his class.

First period was hell. Sitting in a classroom for 75 minutes, he wanted to cry. But second period was gym, and there was no way on earth he was going to make it through that.

He didn’t even want to change in front of everyone, with all the marks of evidence on his body. So he took his clothes into one of the stalls and changed there instead. But that was the least of his worries. As per usual, the class began with running ten laps around the gym, and then they would be going into a soccer match.

Kyungsoo didn’t make the first lap before he was returning to the bathroom stalls in the change room to throw up.

“

Outside in the gym, Jongin saw Kyungsoo hurrying to the change room during their laps, and his heart plummeted nervously. He ran up to the coach, asking if he could go check on Kyungsoo, to which the coach nodded. Kris, standing beside the man, gave Jongin a questioning look. “Anything to get out of running laps, man,” Jongin said with a fake grin.

“Genius,” Kris laughed. “You had me going for a second there, thought you were actually worried about that kid.” Jongin forced a laugh of his own before jogging to the change room.

As soon as the door closed behind him, he called out, “Kyungsoo?” and was answered with the sound of vomit splashing in a toilet. He ran to the stalls in the back of the room, knocking on the door of the only closed one. The sound of the lock unlatching clicked softly, and the door swung open, before Kyungsoo was throwing up again. Jongin dropped down beside him, rubbing his back until he was done.

“I can’t run,” Kyungsoo said through his tears. “I can barely even stand.”

“I know,” Jongin said. “I’ll talk to the coach, say you’re sick. He’ll understand, it’ll be okay.”

“Thanks. I think I’m gonna shower.”

He flushed the toilet, and Jongin helped him to the showers and to undress. Then Jongin left to explain how Kyungsoo wasn’t feeling well to their coach. A few minutes later, he came back, and Kyungsoo shut off the water, Jongin grabbing him a towel and helping him dry off before getting him dressed again. Jongin took him out into the gym, carrying his bag of clothes for him, and the coach suggested he take Kyungsoo somewhere away from the loud and potentially dangerous zone that was the gym. Jongin decided it would be safe in the cafeteria, and headed there. When they arrived, they saw Minseok sitting at a table alone. Spotting them, his eyes grew wide with concern.

“Jongin, Kyungsoo… What are you guys doing?” he asked when they reached his table, voice high with worry.

“We have gym class, but Kyungsoo’s sick,” Jongin explained. “Why are you here?”

“It’s my spare. I would be with Luhan, but he’s an idiot and overslept, so he won’t be here until next period.” Minseok rolled his eyes at his boyfriend’s senselessness. He spoke to Kyungsoo next. “Are you okay? What’s got you sick?”

“I just got… sick over the weekend,” Kyungsoo lied with a shrug. He began pulling chairs together and then laid down on them, but they dug into his side and it was only painful.

“That doesn’t seem comfortable,” Minseok noted. “Come lay on the floor, I’ll sit with you.” He got up and went over to the wall, pulling off his sweater and laying it out for Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo followed, Jongin supporting him. He lay down again, head resting on Minseok’s still-warm sweater.

“Is it okay if you stay here with Minseok?” Jongin asked him. Kyungsoo nodded. “Can he stay with you, then, hyung? It’s just that I have to go back to class.”

“Yeah, no problem Jongin!” Minseok said happily. “I can take care of him at least until lunch.”

“Thanks.” Jongin hesitated, seeming to debate whether to lean down and kiss Kyungsoo, before deciding against it, simply his hair and then going.

Minseok was really warm and caring, which was nice. Even though Kyungsoo wasn’t really his friend anymore; he found it difficult to blame him for what had happened between Sehun and Luhan, even if it was partially his fault. It was just very hard to be mad at someone like Minseok. And he didn’t mention Luhan again. He just asked Kyungsoo a few questions before realizing he didn’t want to talk, and then sat there comfortably with him in silence, petting his hair lightly.

When lunch began, Sehun was quick to find him, looking very displeased when he saw Kyungsoo with Minseok. Minseok said a quick goodbye to him, saying he could keep using his sweater as a pillow as long as he got it back to him sometime, and then Sehun took over, being the overprotective friend that Kyungsoo expected him to be.

“

Kyungsoo held on to Minseok’s sweater, using it to sit on during his last two classes, making his pain more manageable. However, during English his class was allowed to disperse around the room or in the hall, sitting with their seat partner and reading over an English skit. Jongin and Kyungsoo sat in the corner behind the teacher’s desk, and Kyungsoo folded Minseok’s sweater, lying on his back and bending his knees, his eyes closed so he didn’t have to be blinded by the fluorescent ceiling lights. He and Jongin didn’t do any work.

“Is there anything you want to do?” Jongin was lying on his stomach beside Kyungsoo, knees bent so his feet rested on his .

“Wake up and realize this was all a bad dream,” Kyungsoo muttered. Images flashed before his eyes, mostly the grin of that boy as he tortured him. He opened his eyes again, turning his head to look at Jongin. “You don’t even know what it’s like… It hurts now, but it was worse then. I didn’t think he would ever stop…”

“Kyungsoo, don’t,” Jongin whispered. “Don’t do that to yourself. He’s gone. And he won’t come back because I’ll kill him.”

Kyungsoo felt a brief flare of anger towards the guy, and then it was doused, fear renewing in it’s stead. Jongin must have noticed this, because he said, “I won’t let him get near you.”

Not entirely comforted, Kyungsoo just nodded.

“

That night Kyungsoo went to bed, his head immediately filling with his haunting dreams. He woke up around two feeling painfully numb before falling back into the horrible fantasies again. But the second time, they were interrupted by a lion, chasing the grinning boy out of Kyungsoo’s mind, and then he was a wolf, padding through a forest alone, trying to find the lion.

Come back! You aren’t intruding in my life.

Come back! I don’t want to be alone.