Henry wept as he lay in his bed, the small sniffles echoing in the room. Whimpering, he clung to his pillow, hugging it tightly as the tears flowed.

He wanted to cry out, to scream, to let out all of his pain, but he didn't want to wake any of the members, he didn't want to explain why he was crying.

He wasn't ready.

 

Whimpering, he just lay on the bed, feeling the waves of sadness wash over him, and then felt a hand touch his shoulder.

"Henry? Henry, don't cry. Hug into me, I'll look after you."

But Henry didn't move. He shook his head and more tears fell onto the pillow. "I'm n-not ready to talk yet hyung.."

Donghae just rubbed soothing circles into his back. "You don't have to say anything, you can just cuddle with me. We'll hug close and you'll feel a bit better."

 

Nodding gently, Henry hugged into Donghae, and they snuggled into bed together. As they were lying there, Hae just Henry's hair and hugged him warmly. Cuddling together, Henry felt his pain ease a little. At least he didn't feel lonely.

 

He tried to forget about the bad news, about the short phonecall that had changed his life forever. Nuzzling into Donghae's chest, he just focused on the sweet scent of Hae, the softness of his pajamas, and the tender way that he was comforting him.

 

Donghae was softly Henry's hair with one hand, and holding Henry warmly to his chest with the other. Softly humming a sweet lullaby and gently pressing kisses to Henry's cheeks, he was doing everything to could to soothe the boy.

Henry felt himself relaxing a little, and he hugged tighter into Donghae, like a frightened child.

 

"Hae?.."

"Yes Henry?"

"C-can I ask you a personal question?"

Hae kissed his forehead gently. "Of course you can."

"When your appa was ill, did it feel like your heart was breaking?.."

Donghae hugged the boy closer. "Yes, every day I would cry, hoping that he would get better. But he didn't.." He looked at Henry. "But he still loves me, he still watches over me."

 

The younger boy just wept. "My umma phoned a few hours ago, and my appa is really ill.." He looked up at Donghae with wide teary eyes. "It's terminal..." Breaking down into sobs, he felt his heart being ripped out of his chest.

Hae just held him close, knowing the pain that Henry was in. "Do you want to scream?"

"Y-yes, but I don't want anyone to wake up."

 

Donghae hugged him tightly, before holding his hand and leading him to the car. Driving to an abandoned spot, Hae took Henry into the backseat and held him close.

"Scream all you want Henry. Let the pain out."

His heart broke at the tearful wails and screams, as Henry just sobbed loudly and cried out in pain. Donghae supported him, gently soothing his hair. 

 

Eventually, Henry stopped screaming, his body exhausted from the sobbing. He looked at Hae with tearful eyes, and nuzzled further into his chest. Cuddling up tightly, he felt the strength of Hae's arms, and the warm support of his chest.

 

Although Henry was the youngest in the group, everyone considered Donghae as the baby. He was innocent and childish, with a soft naivety that the others had lost. He was like a five-year-old. But he was one of the strongest people Henry knew.

 

He had managed to deal with the sickening pain of losing his father, and had had to face multiple interviews about it, repeating the incident over and over again. Henry could only imagine the pain of repeating it on television, having the whole world see him cry, see him mourn.

 

He knew that Hae was sweet and innocent, but he had lots of strength. He was stronger than most, and Henry knew that it had taken a lot of support and determination for Hae not to completely fall apart. Cuddling into Donghae as the boy gently soothed him, he knew that Hae would support him and care for him, helping him through the process. Until Henry was strong enough, Donghae would support him and help him. Donghae would be his strength.