hakyeon stayed with hongbin for another hour, doing anything he could to help his friend. anything at all. hongbin was thankful, but he worried. he knew taekwoon would kill him if word got out that hakyeon had visited, had stayed. so that's why he quickly made hakyeon leave, hoping that the sooner he left, the less the chance of taekwoon finding out. hakyeon begged him to let him stay, saying he'd stand up for him, but nothing worked. hakyeon left, leaving hongbin alone with his thoughts.

he thought a lot lately. he thought about what would have happened if he hadn't been blinded by taekwoon's charms. although the latter was quiet, he was mysterious and sweet to hongbin when they first met. taekwoon may have spoke very little, but when he did, hongbin was always interested. he found himself somehow attracted to the quiet man, and he supposed taekwoon liked him too.

he doubted that now.

someone who loved another wouldn't beat them up everynight in a fit of rage or drunkness. 

hongbin told himself that, but it made no difference. taekwoon still did what he did and hongbin still put up with it. he'd let taekwoon have his way with him, no matter what. if taekwoon came home late one night, telling hongbin he was "needy", hongbin wouldn't say anything. he'd just let him do what he wanted. he'd never complain and he'd only cry when taekwoon went to bed. as weak as he was, he couldn't break. or to be exact, he couldn't let anyone know he had broken. 

 

hakyeon stood at the front door of hongbin's house for a while before actually returning to his car, where he sat for even longer. many thoughts went through his head, but the most persistant one was how? how did he not see the signs? how did he not notice the smiles that left hongbin's face after a while? wasn't it obvious? or was hakyeon so oblivious it was almost like these signs didn't exsist? these cries for help.

now that he thought about it, they were everywhere. in ever little thing hongbin said. if hakyeon asked how he was doing, only "okay." came out of his mouth, accompanied by a sad look that grew by the day. hakyeon knew taekwoon was no good. it seemed like he was the only one, though. most of the class mates that knew of taekwoon seemed to love him.

"he's really cute and mysterious." was the most common thing said about hongbin's boyfriend. hakyeon remembered that a few people were a bit jealous when they found out hongbin had landed the "quiet, yet strong" type man. hakyeon was not one of them.

in a sense though, he was. he was jealous that taekwoon got hongbin, but that is a story for another time.

hakyeon needed to save hongbin, but he had no clue how. he knew there was someway, and he would get to it... somehow.

 

it was a friday morning. hakyeon was waiting for hongbin like usual by the front of the building leading to their morning classes. the sun was out and many kids were walking in, chatting and laughing. hakyeon didn't see any of this. hongbin wasn't showing up. hakyeon's heart stopped when the first bell had rung and hongbin wasn't there. he prayed in his mind that the younger was just running late, just late. please, just late! another student asked him if he was going in, but hakyeon shook his head.

"waiting for hongbin." hakyeon replied, his eyes scanning the campus for any signs of his friend. there was none. suddenly, hakyeon found himself running, down the steps, across the grass, into the street, in the direction of hongbin's house. his breath grew heavier by the second, his heart beating quicker than before. he could feel the adrenaline rush through his body. he swore if taekwoon did anything to hongbin--

his knocks were continuous. his shouts were loud and scared. he was screaming now, screaming for hongbin. his hands were shaking but he kept knocking anyway. tears found their way into hakyeon's eyes. his vision grew blurry and his words began to slur. 

"hongbin! open up, please! dammit, hongbin," hakyeon sunk to the ground, crying harder. there had to be some way in. the door was locked and so were the windows, which were also impossible to see into due to the blinds. suddenly, a small squeak caught hakyeon's attention. there, standing in the doorway was hongbin, his face tear stained and his body shaking. hakyeon ran to him, hugging him tightly, earning a loud groan in pain. he pulled away and wiped his own tears.

"hongbin, are you okay?" the elder asked, scanning hongbin all over. the latter pulled his best friend into his house then broke down. he started blubbering and hakyeon could hardly make out what hongbin was saying. all he could hear was that taekwoon had beat hongbin up, done something worse than he usually did, not that was he was doing wasn't bad already. 

once again, hakyeon found himself trying to make hongbin feel better. he didn't mind though, but at this point, he was fed up with taekwoon. 

after hongbin had taken a long, hot bath and hakyeon had made him some tea, the two settled on the couch again. 

"when is taekwoon due home?" hakyeon asked. hongbin looked down at his hands and began to play with them. he was embarrassed hakyeon had to see him like this--so broken, so unfixable.

"he said he's coming home early tonight. around six maybe." hongbin replied, his voice small and hurt. hakyeon rubbed his back, muttering to him he'd stay, not leave him alone with taekwoon this time. hongbin begged him not to, knowing that would be the worst idea, but hakyeon wouldn't listen. hakyeon wouldn't let the one who slipped through his fingers get hurt anymore. never again.

 

"hongbin, i'm home." taekwoon's voice echoed through the house, waking hakyeon and hongbin, who had fallen asleep together. hakyeon's arms were tightly around hongbin, protecting him from the man who had just entered the house. hakyeon's head lifted and he pulled away, readying himself for whatever was about to come. hongbin already sat up, his eyes shimmering with sleep.

"who...?" he muttered out before his eyes widened in realization. he looked at hakyeon then stood up, almost. his movements were shaky and unsteady. he wobbled to the door, opening it. hakyeon followed him. "stay here." hongbin instructed, but hakyeon said no. he was coming with hongbin, no matter what. the two left the bedroom. taekwoon was still calling for hongbin by the doorway.

"i'm here," hongbin said, meekly, looking at his boyfriend. by the looks of it, the latter was drunk. he was swaying from side to side and his eyes had a distant look. hongbin wasn't surprised. this was normal for taekwoon. hakyeon stood a little ways behind, waiting for something to happen. taekwoon hadn't noticed the uninvited guest just yet.

"aw, my sweet hongbin," taekwoon cooed, taking hongbin into his arms and petting his hair softly. hongbin froze, unsure how to respond. he wanted so badly to hug him back. he loved taekwoon, more than he should. all he ever wanted from him was to be treated nicely, but he was scared. scared that the wrong move could set him off. suddenly, taekwoon pulled away. he had seen hakyeon. "what the is he doing here?" he spat in hakyeon's direction. hongbin shrunk.

"h-he's here to help me on a project." hongbin lied, earning a look from hakyeon. taekwoon scoffed and stumbled over to hakyeon. the tan boy stood tall, not caring that taekwoon was an inch or two taller and much scarier. 

"get the out." taekwoon cursed but hakyeon shook his head.

"no." hakyeon said confidently. hongbin immediately regretted letting hakyeon stay. he rushed over to taekwoon's side, pulling on his arm like a child would to their mother when they wanted to hurry along.

"hyung, leave him alone. i'm sorry." hongbin pleaded. taekwoon just smacked hongbin away, letting the younger one fall to the ground. hakyeon rushed past taekwoon and to hongbin, glaring up at the taller of the three.

"who do you think you are? what gives you the right to go and beat him up like this?" if looks could kill, hakyeon's glare would've knocked taekwoon out. but the latter was also sending looks just as fierce. taekwoon's hands balled into fists and he stared down at hakyeon. hongbin clung to hakyeon's arm, hoping and praying nothing would become of this, but knowing them both, that was a lost cause.

"i'm his boyfriend. i can do whatever i want with him." taekwoon shouted. this was the loudest hongbin had ever heard him be. he was more frightened than ever before, even with hakyeon by his side.

he started crying.

 

sunday rolled around quicker than expected. that weekend had been quite a ride. the final battle between hakyeon and taekwoon had ended in quite a different outcome than hongbin had expected. hakyeon got the upperhand and someone knocked taekwoon out cold. he told hongbin to live with him until he healed and then, if hongbin wanted, they would find a nice apartment for him.

hakyeon's house was nice and it smelled like a house should. it didn't smell like alcohol and tears like taekwoon's did. 

that saturday, hongbin had gotten never ending messages from taekwoon. most of them were threathening, telling him to come back right then and there or else. hongbin's reply was typed by hakyeon, said by hongbin.

"we're breaking up, taekwoon."

 

hakyeon's kisses were much softer than taekwoon's. hakyeon's touches were much sweeter than taekwoon's. hakyeon was everything taekwoon was not. when hakyeon said "i love you", hongbin could feel he actually meant it. and when hongbin said "i love you" back, he knew his heart was being protected. 

he was on his way.

the broken boy was slowly healing, slowly being fixed, put back together again.