They needed groceries again, but Zelo refused to let Himchan go, and the maknae refused to go himself, because he claimed that he needed to watch over Himchan.  Jongup was going to volunteer to go, but Yongguk stopped him.  The leader didn’t want the dancer to go out by himself, and when he thought about going with Jongup, flashes of what happened that night attacked his mind and he lost the will to volunteer; so instead he just kept Jongup from volunteering.  Jongup wouldn’t have wanted to go if Yongguk would have been the one to go with him anyway.  He had already promised himself not to get into a situation that would bring harm to the rapper.

 

“I guess we’re going then,” Daehyun said to Youngjae, sighing.

 

“Oh no, the last time you went to the store, you ate half the stuff before you got back home, and all that you bought anyway was just the junk that you like,” Youngjae replied, huffing.

 

Daehyun smirked and pinched Youngjae’s cheek.  “That’s why you’re coming with me.”

 

Youngjae slapped Daehyun’s hand away from his cheek before complying.  “Araso.  Kaja before it gets too dark.”

 

Daehyun just smiled and winked at everyone else before he followed Youngjae out of the dorm.

 

Zelo looked nervously at his remaining three hyungs.  “Maybe we should all go,” he mumbled.

 

Himchan patted his leg and sarcastically replied, “I can’t go, remember?  My leg.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Zelo mumbled.  “You can’t go, so I can’t go because I have to watch over hyung.”

 

“Tch!  I’m not an invalid,” Himchan huffed.  “Besides I can walk just fine.”

 

Zelo pouted before turning to Yongguk.  “Hyung, tell Himchannie-hyung not to walk on his leg,” he whined.  Yongguk just smiled, and tried not to laugh at the weird relationship that had started to form between the ulzzang and the maknae.

 

“Ya!  Don’t bring Yongguk into this!” Himchan shouted.  “It’s not like you can carry me, so I need to walk around anyway!”  Zelo just kept pouting.

 

Jongup looked to be contemplating something before he finally said, “I’ll go with…”

 

“Daehyun and Youngjae are probably already at the store by now,” Yongguk said, interrupting Jongup.  “They’ll be fine on their own, araso?”  Yongguk was talking to Zelo, but he glanced at Jongup, sending a silent message.

 

“Ne,” Zelo replied, sitting back down on the sofa.

 

Himchan, who was already sitting on the sofa, thanks to Zelo, got up to get the TV remote.  Zelo gasped and quickly pulled his hyung back down.

 

“Ya, Zelo!  I just want to get the remote!” Himchan shouted.

 

“But hyung~” the maknae whined.

 

Yongguk just shook his head at the two and mumbled about going to take a shower.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shower~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After Yongguk finished showering, he left the bathroom only wearing a pair of loose fitting grey pants.  Going into the bedroom to pick out a shirt, he stopped when he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror.  He sighed and stepped closer.

 

He was healing up nicely, but you could still see bruises here and there all over his abdomen.  He had scars from where the men had slashed at him with their knives… three, to be exact… one from each man.

 

He eyed the smallest scar that he had.  It was right above his left hip bone.  His pants had hitched up a bit in the struggle, which was a good thing because the pants made it harder for the knife to reach his skin.  That was why that scar was so little.

 

The scar on his chest was different.  It was a glaring pink compared to the pale scar that was on his hip.  He brought his hand up and touched the long pink line that stretched from his right collarbone, across his right pectoral, to his ribs.  That cut had stung really badly, but the worse one was on his back.  He couldn’t even bring himself to try to look at it.  Whereas the cut on his chest stung, the one on his back burned.  The pain was unimaginable.  It was like they were trying to rip open his back… like he was struck by lightning and fiery pain spread all over his body, but the hottest burn was along that jagged cut.

 

Yongguk sighed and looked down at his feet.  He didn’t want to see the scars.  He didn’t want to remember the pain.  He just had to block it out, but it was hard to do so because it was like the scar on his back was alive.  It was pulsating and running back and forth; yet somehow it was calming instead of painful.

 

Yongguk scrunched up his face in confusion before he recognized what he was feeling was actually someone touching him.  He jumped and quickly spun around, ready to yell at whomever was touching him.

 

“Mianhe,” Jongup said, taking a step back.  “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

 

Yongguk growled.  “Jongup…” he sighed out.

 

“I know, I know,” Jongup responded, interrupting Yongguk.  “You told me not to apologize.  Mian… I mean, I won’t anymore.”

 

Yongguk smirked at the younger before he went over to the closet to pick out that shirt that he was meaning to put on.

 

Jongup sighed when he watched the older walk over to the closet, giving Jongup a good and long view of the leader’s back- and that horrible looking scar.  Jongup gulped when he saw the large red scar that crossed Yongguk’s back.  It reached from Yongguk’s right shoulder blade all the way down to the leader’s waistline, right above his left buttock.

 

Jongup got teary eyed looking at the scar.  His hyung had to endure something like this.  It only reminded Jongup of when he saw Yongguk lying there, bloody and battered, not moving, not saying anything.

 

Yongguk was looking through his shirts, trying to choose which one to wear when a sniffle drew his attention.  He looked behind him to see Jongup furiously wiping at his eyes.  He panicked. Was Jongup about to start blaming himself again?

 

“Jongupp,” Yongguk said, walking towards the younger.  “What’s wrong?”

 

Jongup looked at Yongguk and noticed the other scar across the leader’s chest.  It didn’t look nearly as bad as the one on his chest, but it was still hard for the younger to look at, so Jongup looked down, and that’s when he noticed the small scar on Yongguk’s hip.  Jongup whimpered and turned around.

 

“How many?” he asked.

 

Yongguk tilted his head in confusion and lightly grabbed Jongup’s shoulder.  “How many what?” he asked.

 

“Sc- scars,” Jongup choked out.  “How m- many scars do you… have?”

 

Yongguk let go of Jongup and mumbled, “Only three.”

 

“Hyung!” Jongup cried out, spinning around.  He caught a glimpse of a dark look from Yongguk, before the older steeled his expression and tried to smile, though it was obvious to the dancer that it was forced.

 

“It’s fine now,” Yongguk said, turning to go back to the closet.  “It’s over.”

 

Jongup stopped Yongguk from walking away and back hugged the older.  “You told me not to bottle things up.  Maybe you should take your own advice.”

 

Yongguk was going to lie and say that he wasn’t bottling anything up, but Jongup continued.

 

“You were there for me,” Jongup whispered, “let me be there for you.”

 

Yongguk sighed and turned around.  “I don’t like to think about what happened.”  Jongup nodded, understanding the feeling.  “But these scars… they serve as reminders.  Sometimes it’s like I’m right back down that alley, getting cut up and beat up all over again,” Yongguk said, looking down.  “It would be fine if it was just a memory, but they hurt.  My scars hurt!  It’s like I’m being cut all over again.”

 

Yongguk was beginning to get teary eyed.  He stood there, silently crying, and it kind of scared Jongup how Yongguk, someone who was so strong, could look so broken, kind of like him.

 

“Jongup, it’s like… it’s like they’re on fire.  My scars are on fire,” Yongguk said, pulling Jongup flush up against him and holding on to the younger like his life depended on it.

 

“It’s okay, hyung,” Jongup said, rubbing soothing circles on the older’s back.  “It’s just in your head.”

 

“You can help me,” Yongguk said, pulling back from Jongup and quickly wiping the tears from his face.  “Earlier, when you were touching the scar on my back, it… it felt better.  Can you… can you do it again?”

 

Jongup just stared at Yongguk, hesitating.

 

“Please?” Yongguk asked, turning around.

 

Jongup saw the large scar on Yongguk’s back and felt like tearing up again himself, but he shook his head and stared at the scar, determined.  He reached forward and lightly touched the scar with his fingertips.

 

Yongguk slightly jumped and dryly chuckled before mumbling, “Cold.”

 

Jongup smiled before turning serious again.  He slowly, unsurely, began to trace the length of Yongguk’s scar.  When the older sighed out and relaxed his tense body, Jongup rubbed the scar more confidently.  It was odd.  The scar was such a bright fierce color, looking as if it would be as rough as the jagged edges it had along the pretty much straight line it made on the rapper’s back, yet it was soft to the touch.  It was as smooth as a baby’s bottom.

 

“Maybe I could rub something… an ointment, maybe… into the scar,” Jongup suggested.

 

Yongguk sighed again before turning around, stopping Jongup from rubbing his back.  He nodded and replied, “Yeah, maybe.”  He took Jongup’s hand and led the younger to his bed.  They sat down facing each other, and Yongguk brought Jongup’s hand up to his chest.  “But we can do that later.  Right now, I just want to feel your hands on me.”

 

Jongup blushed and looked away from the older.  Yongguk began to slowly move Jongup’s hand up and down over his scar on his chest, before the younger took over and began to slide just his fingertips over the slightly raised scar.

 

Jongup stared at the pink line on his hyung’s chest before he looked up and locked gazes with Yongguk.  He was still unconsciously rubbing the older’s scar as he stared into Yongguk’s eyes.  It was like a magnetic pull was locking their eyes together.  Neither could look away.

 

“Hyungs!” Zelo said, bursting into the room and causing Yongguk and Jongup to jump apart.

 

“What is it, Zelo?” Yongguk asked as he quickly went back to the closet to put his shirt on.

 

“Oh… um… am I interrupting something?” Zelo asked, nervously.

 

“Ani,” Yongguk and Jongup said simultaneously.  They both looked at the other before quickly looking away.  Jongup started to blush again.

 

Zelo scratched the back of his head.  He sensed a weird atmosphere, but decided to ignore it.  “Shouldn’t Daehyunnie-hyung and Youngjae-hyung be back by now?” he asked.

 

After putting a shirt on and facing the maknae, Yongguk frowned, thinking of how much time had passed by since the two vocalists left.  He shrugged and responded, “It hasn’t been that long.  Just give them a few more minutes, and if they aren’t back by then, we can go look for them, araso?”

 

Zelo slowly nodded.

 

“Where’s Himchan-hyung?” Jongup asked.

 

Zelo smiled.  “He fell asleep,” he answered.  “I think I like him best when he’s asleep.  He can’t nag and yell at me then.”

 

Yongguk chuckled.  “He only does that because you’re babying him.”

 

“But, hyung, his leg…”

 

“Will be fine,” Yongguk finished for the maknae.

 

Jongup smiled and playfully poked Zelo.  “Himchan already had his stitches taken out.  You’re just being overprotective.”

 

Zelo just pouted and folded his arms over his chest.  “Are you sure Daehyun-hyung and Youngjae-hyung shouldn’t be back already?” he asked, changing the subject.

 

Yongguk sighed.  “Come on,” he said, gesturing for Jongup and Zelo to follow.  “Let’s go see what’s taking them so long so that Zelo can stop worrying.”

 

“Ne,” Jongup replied happily, his mood uplifted for some reason.

 

As they walked into the living room, they saw Himchan stretched out on the sofa, sleeping peacefully.

 

“He practically pushed me off the sofa just so he could sleep,” Zelo said, sticking his tongue out at Himchan.  Yongguk and Jongup quietly laughed.  They could imagine Himchan doing just that.

 

“Do you think we should wake him up?” Jongup asked.

 

Zelo shook his head furiously.  “He won’t be able to come with us anyway… because of his leg,” he said, getting raised eyebrows and stares from Yongguk and Jongup.  Zelo frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.  He stomped his foot and responded, “I am not overprotective.”

 

Yongguk chuckled again before saying, “Kaja.”  Yongguk headed out of the dorm, followed closely by Jongup and Zelo, all going to go see what was keeping Daehyun and Youngjae.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Asleep… Alone~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Himchan stirred and slowly opened his eyes.  He tiredly rubbed at his eyes and yawned.  Trying to shake the sleep off, he sat up and stretched.  He was getting ready to chastise the maknae for letting him fall asleep when he realized that Zelo wasn’t even in the room.

 

“Zelo?” Himchan whispered before he got louder and called out, “Zelo?!”

 

When the maknae didn’t respond, he started to get nervous.  “Jonguppie?!  Yongguk?!” he called out, even louder.  Himchan was just sitting there on the sofa, panicking and wondering where everyone was.

 

After realizing that he could actually get up to go check the other rooms, Himchan rolled his eyes, blaming Zelo for his dependency, and stood up.  “Jonguppie?!  Yongguk?!  Zelo?!” Himchan called out again as he began to look in each room for the others.

 

No one was in the kitchen.  No one was in the bedroom.  No one was in the bathroom.  Himchan was freaking out now.

 

“This isn’t funny!” Himchan shouted.  “Junhong!  Junhongie, where are you?!”  Himchan was running around now, checking the same rooms over and over again, looking underneath the kitchen table, the beds in the bedroom, looking behind the shower curtain, and checking the closets.

 

“Where is everyone?!” Himchan cried out.  “Don’t… don’t leave me alone!”  Himchan sat down and tried to calm himself down.  He brought his hands up to his face and pressed his cheeks.  “Junhong, where are you?” he whispered.  “Why’d you leave me?”  He actually felt like crying, but right as a tear was about to fall, the door opened and in walked Yongguk, Daehyun, Youngjae, Jongup, and Zelo, all chatting happily.

 

Himchan ran over to them and shouted, “Where were you!  You just left me here all alone!”  They all took a step back when they saw how upset Himchan was.

 

“Zelo was worried about Daehyun and Youngjae, so we just went to go check on them,” Yongguk said, eyeing Himchan warily.

 

“Wha- what about me?!” Himchan asked frantically.

 

Zelo stepped forward and said, “But hyung, you were sleeping.”

 

“You could have woke me up,” Himchan said.  He wasn’t shouting anymore, but he was still loud and still looked a bit crazed.

 

Zelo didn’t really know what to say to Himchan.  None of them did.  It seemed as if Himchan was overreacting, but it could very well have something to do with the ‘incident.’  He might have suffered psychologically without anyone realizing.

 

“Mianhe, hyung,” Zelo eventually said.

 

Himchan pulled Zelo into a tight hug and whispered, “Just don’t leave me again- not by myself.  Jebal.”

 

“Araso, hyung,” Zelo responded softly, rubbing Himchan’s back.  “I won’t leave you.”

 

Yongguk and Jongup worriedly glanced at each other before they helped Daehyun and Youngjae bring the groceries to the kitchen and put everything up.  Yongguk sighed as he was putting away some of the things.  Those men caused more damaged than they realized, and he hated it.

 

______________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N:  Okay, so... Jongup blames himself for what happened (although he's getting passed that, thanks to Yongguk), Yongguk's scars serve as painful reminders (literally), and Himchan is afraid to be left alone.

 

Obviously Jongup is the answer to Yongguk's problem (and vice versa), and Zelo is the answer to Himchan's problem.  It's cute, but then again realizing that they do in fact have problems, it's more bittersweet.

 

Once again, Daehyun and Youngjae weren't in this much.  Sorry.  I'm thinking that's just how it's going to be, because this is mostly about Yongguk's, Himchan's, and Jongup's struggle and how they deal.

 

Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter :)  Have a nice weekend everyone!