Jaehwan, Hongbin, Hakyeon and Sanghyuk were more worried than they had ever been in the entire life. Not to mention tired, cranky and just about every other negative thing. Taekwoon felt horrendous for his band members, he felt awful and sad...but he also felt responsible

His nightmares had gotten worse, to the point that he now did not have a bedside table and he slept inside of a pillow fort. He started to become violent in his sleep, hence why the bedside table was moved. He would wake up with a bruised hand and red-raw knuckles because of his tendency to thrash around quite a bit. He also slept alone in his room that he once shared with young Sanghyuk. His choice, not the maknae's. 

Hyuk - like the kind-hearted and beautiful souled child he is - had tried to wake Taekwoon one night, when he heard his heart wrenching screams and frequent thrashing around. He just wanted to help his hyung, so he tip-toed his way over and knelt down near his hyung's sweaty head and whispered into his ear…

There was one trip to the hospital that night, although Sanghyuk said he was ok; Hakyeon wasn't having any of it and drove his baby to the hospital because he was convinced the young - and foolish in his words - boy had a broken nose. He was correct

Taekwoon felt horrendous - although not as horrendous as Hyuk's nose must have felt said Ken; to which Hyuk replied that he now knew how Ken felt every day, having such a big nose - for hurting the maknae. He often hits the members but he always does that in some sort of moderation and intentionally. Never once has he gotten too out of control and hurt his friends, the thought seems so out of place in his mind.

"I think it has something to do with his tail" Wonshik puts forward his thought, speaking voluntarily for the first time since Taekwoon left his room four days ago. The others had noticed the change, but didn't pry the rapper for answers. It must be his way with dealing with the whole situation, Sanghyuk wisely spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Wonshik scoffs at Hakyeon's soft reply, "It's obvious isn't it? How would you feel if you were Leo huh? You have cat ears and a freaking cat tail-"

"But hybrids aren't uncommon Wonshik-"

"Yes but how often do you see a cat boy with not even half a tail?"

That silenced the usually rowdy members as they thought. The rapper was right, they knew but they needed to find a way to prove their - his - suspicion. The boys harass their already overused minds for an answer, before being stopped short when the very cause of their discussion is heard

Gut-wrenching screeches are heard and the five boys jump, not expecting it. Taekwoon had told them to not let him nap during the day, fearing that if someone heard such sounds during the light of day people would be concerned. 

"Hyuk, stay" Hyuk didn't argue at Hakyeon's words and stayed seated as the other four boys rushed towards Taekwoon's room. They found the door locked. Hongbin went into panic mode, whimpering as they all banged their fists on the bedroom door.

Jaehwan took a step back and embraced poor Hongbin. Jaehwan rubbed his dongsaeng's back, whispered into his ear and kissed his head softly.

"You're ok Binnie"

"Calm down"

"Taekwoon-hyung will be perfectly fine"

Although he got scolded by Hakyeon for the last one. No-one knew if Taekwoon would be ok, hell they didn't even know what was wrong! All the members were worried. Although Wonshik's guilt was added onto his pile. If he hadn't let Taekwoon go the other night, if he had done what everyone else was doing and forced him to speak then maybe he'd be ok; maybe he wouldn't be in this painful slumber

"Can I try and talk to him?" Wonshik speaks up, trying to pry the panicked Hakyeon off the vocal's door. At this rate, poor stressed Hakyeon will try just about anything and stands back. Wonshik takes a deep breath and knocks softly on Taekwoon's door

"Hyung?"

The only sounds are of his hyung's shallow and weak breaths.

"Taekwoon hyung, if-if you're awake can you please say something? "

"Wonshik"

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief at the vocal's quiet and severely hoarse voice; from all the screaming. In Jaehwan's embrace, Hongbin's sigh is just that little bit louder. He loved his hyung, he loved all his hyungs and hated seeing any of them hurt. He had a theory that it hurt him more when Taekwoon was upset, because of how quiet the man he is. He doesn't argue, doesn't whinge so how is anyone supposed to know when things have gone too far inside the reserved man's mind?

"Hyung can you open the door? I want to talk to you about what happened the other night"

Jaehwan, Hongbin and Hakyeon all looked at each other with confusion written all over their faces. What had happened between the rapper and quiet vocal the other night? And more importantly why had neither of them spoke with Hakyeon about it? Had the events of the night been Taekwoon's trigger?

The soft click of the latch being unlocked brought everyone back to reality. He had done it! Wonshik got Taekwoon to open the door, a task each boy - Wonshik included - thought was impossible. Hakyeon basically shoved the rapper inside, taking the ball with two hands - so to speak.

Wonshik placed both hands on the door and took a deep breath. He could do this, all he had to do was ask his hyung what was wrong. Something troubled him though. The last time he asked such a thing, the vocal pushed him away and kept his distance for longer than ever before. Could Wonshik handle it? If it happened again?

"It happened when I was 15"

Wonshik turns around as he hears the soft words, telling himself that he was imagining things. Had Taekwoon voluntarily started to open up?

"What happened hyung?"

Wonshik took one, two, three cautious steps towards the quiet male. It sounded silly, but he didn’t want to frighten his hyung. He couldn’t do anything that would jeopardise  his chances of being told any sort of information.

"I was walking with one of my friends, we were going out for ice cream with his family" Jung Taekwoon starts off, his eyes seeming like he was off in a different time. "I wasn't worried about my added extras back then, it seems most people had a tail and ears. It was the norm"

Wonshik's legs felt like they were going to give out from under him; he couldn’t get his legs to move though. He  didn't want to interrupt his hyung's explanation. Taekwoon must have sense the rapper's pained expression and fidgeting legs - he was moving from his left foot to his right every two or three seconds.

Taekwoon only patted the spot next to him before speaking again.

"Just because it was the norm, it didn't necessarily mean people accepted it. People were known to be abused, verbally and physically all the time. The news never told you that though, it's something we'd find out in school. The couple of us at my school who had the extras, we clung to each other. We didn't necessarily have a reason why, it's just we were the only ones in the school. We all had a common factor. We all had a tail and ears. Our school catered for people - hybrids - like us. Our school accepted us for what we were, and tolerated nothing but equality when it come to us. It was real nice Wonshik" he chuckled softly at the memory. His body was there physically, but his mind was so far in the past it began to show in his eyes

"Making friends was a difficult task, even though people didn’t mind us. Our confidence got in the way you see, we were all paranoid to the point of no return that people were secretly plotting a plan to have us all taken to the pound"  he chuckled dryly once again, before furrowing his eyebrows and looking down at his twiddling thumbs

"There was a new boy, a foreigner. All the girls adored him, absolutely adored him. Maybe it was his accent, or maybe just because he was different - although a more normal different than the cat-children. He seemed infatuated with us, with me. He began to gain all our trust, and soon enough we were buying him cat ear headbands as a gag" Taekwoon chuckled once more, although his laugh sounded more forced than it did anything else.

"He and I grew very close, very quickly. We were each other's everything. The girls became hostile when they found out he liked boys. Some offered threats, others just gave disgusting glares as we walked the halls. Suddenly it was like he actually fit in with our group, not because of his extras but because he was different and the odd one"

He stopped speaking and turned to look at Wonshik for the first time in almost five days. The rapper felt slightly light-headed as his hyung gazed at him. Wonshik had never heard his hyung speak so much, with so much force and conviction. Wonshik was proud of Taekwoon; so very, very proud.

"His parents liked me, supported me when times were tough. I enjoyed staying over his house, I enjoyed him. He was my first everything Wonshik. He helped me come out of my shell, he'd coax out my smile with playful kisses and cute compliments. I was so sure I loved him, but who knew right? We were 15, we didn't know what love was. Hell we don't know what love is now"

Wonshik took a gamble and asked a simple question,

"Is that why you're unsure of your emotions now?"

Taekwoon only nods, before delving straight back into his story. His words were shaky has he started off, worrying the rapper that the of his story was getting closer. The being why the chic main vocal was the way he is; the way he hoped to not be anymore.

"His father offered to take us out for ice cream, deciding we had studied hard enough for the time being. It was such a hot day, the hottest it had been all year and we were supposed to be studying for our big science test; anyway as we were walking down to the closest set of shops, I was pulled into an alleyway that had always been blocked off with a locked gate...until then"

Wonshik found himself itching in anticipation, wringing his hands together as the nerves overtook his paralysed state. He felt anxious to know what had happened, a part had always been longing to know why his hyung was like he was; and another part dreaded to hear. He didn’t want to hear, because he knew he'd feel sorry and if there was one thing that Taekwoon hated more in the world - aside from Hakyeon's pushy side - it was people's pity.

"His father and he, they-they tied me down and-and they just started attacking me. Everything from verbal, to physical and...and….and se-" Taekwoon couldn’t bring himself to say the word. It was a word that he - even as a small boy - disliked the thought of.

"Shh it's ok" Wonshik oversteps his boundaries - although no thought was needed to tell him otherwise - and grips onto Taekwoon, pulling him in for a bone crushing hug. The hug lasted for  longer than any embrace Taekwoon had ever experienced before, let alone another male after what had happened to him all those years ago.

Moments upon moments had passed before both men pulled away. Taekwoon feeling more sure than ever before, and Wonshik feeling so much more understanding. It surprised Wonshik though, when Taekwoon began to speak again.

"It turned out they were infatuated with us, with me because to them we were disgusting. They wanted us gone, destroyed, finished. They had started with my tail, and skinned it to the bone". Wonshik felt the goose bumps raise every hair on his body and he felt bile rise in his stomach.

"It hurt so much Wonshik, so much. I screamed and thrashed around, begging with all my might for them to stop. There was so much blood, it smelt so bad...so so bad" Taekwoon winced at his own words, the vision appearing as if it had happened yesterday. Sometimes when he was really emotional, Taekwoon could feel what was left of his tail tingling. It felt like pins and needles.

"Someone must have heard me screaming and before I knew it I was at the hospital with my mother running down the hall beside my hospital bed. I don't remember much, except a lot of tears and more than one operation. They had to cut my tail off most of my tail, because it skinned so there was only bone, and I guess that's how I got this little stump"

No words were really needed, as long as Taekwoon knew that Wonshik was there for him that was all the mattered. The pair sat there for a while, not realising how long it had been until Hyuk's small and frightened voice was heard through the door

"H-Hyungs? Hakyeon hyung said that d-dinner is ready"

Wonshik went to open his mouth when Hyuk's voice was heard again, "I love you both". The pair heard footsteps disappearing and Taekwoon waited to speak again. "I've caused Hyukkie a lot of heartache". Wonshik said nothing. Taekwoon had caused all the members a lot of heartache, but now was not the time to say such a thing. Only If you were heartless and cruel

"I guess I should go out and stop the pain" Taekwoon mumbled, standing up but not moving yet. "No" Wonshik stops his hyung, making him (Taekwoon) look down at the rapper with confusion. "You're not doing it alone" the rapper states standing up also and taking hold of the vocal's hand

"We'll do it together"

AN: Part Two is done and dusted! I hope you enjyed ths two shot guys, I really enjoyed writing it :)

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