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Coughs filled the house as Byunghun grasped his chest, leaning over and closing his eyes to keep himself from getting dizzy. He had only been getting worse ever since he moved to the countryside. The city had been bad on his health, with all the pollution and the busy lifestyle, but the country wasn't any better. Although it didn't have nearly as much pollution as the big city, it wasn't helping Byunghun at all, it seemed.

Byunghun sighed after he finally caught his breath, slowly standing up straighter. He blinked a few times, glancing around. He lived alone, his house was always empty. It was rather lonely to wake up alone and go to bed alone, but Byunghun was starting to get used to it. He didn't need anyone, anyway. He was fine by himself, even though that was a lie. He told himself that every single day, that he was happier by himself, but he really wasn't. To try and stay happy, Byunghun just wore a smile and went with the flow of things, but he was really hurting inside.

He was away from his family, whom he loved dearly. Without them in his life, things were sad. They kept him going when things were rough, so with them not there, Byunghun could just feel himself slowly losing the battle.

Byunghun was a bit of a hermit, he only stayed inside unless he had to go outside. He didn't have a job, his parents sent him money every month to pay for everything. Friends? Nope, Byunghun didn't have any either. Being stuck inside the house all day was difficult, especially when there was so much happening outside it's walls.

Byunghun walked down the quiet and dark hallway to his room, having just climbed up the stairs. He opened his door, which squeaked on it's hinges as it slowly swung. Byunghun's house was old, it made a lot of weird noises at times. It squeaked a lot, the old wood. 

Byunghun crouched down and sat on his bed, reaching up to rub his eyes. He was tired even though he literally did nothing productive that day. His bones were achy, he wanted to just sleep and never wake up. 

Slowly, he moved to rest on his back, staring up at the ceiling. It usually took him a while until he fell asleep, despite how tired he often was. It wasn't uncommon for him to just lay awake, staring at the ceiling as he got lost in thought. Living the life he did, there honestly wasn't much to think about, since everything was so dull and boring, but Byunghun had a bright mind. He was always thinking, thinking was what kept him alive and what tore him down. It was a dangerous place to get stuck in, but Byunghun always tried to keep it open so he wouldn't fall down the dark hole that would be extremely hard to climb out of.

Byunghun could feel his eyes gradually starting to close as his body relaxed, but he then saw something bright shoot through the sky out of his window. He opened his eyes fully and quickly sat up, looking straight out the window. He rose an eyebrow. What was that? It looked like a shooting star.

With a newly found excitement, Byunghun quickly got up and hurried to the window, peering out, staring at the dark sky. The sky actually wasn't as dark as it normally was. Lighting it up was the bright thing he saw, streaking through the blackness. He stared.

Byunghun's eyes widened as he then watched the white line disappear behind the trees. He watched with anticipation, wondering where it went. He tried looking through the trees, but he couldn't, they hid the shooting star perfectly. That was odd, where did it go? 

Byunghun continued to stay at his window for a few more minutes, still trying to watch outside as if he expected something else to happen.

And then, it happened.

Byunghun was surprised to feel the house shake for a moment or two, it caught him completely off guard. He grabbed onto the wall to keep from falling, startled from the sudden shaking. What was that? It wasn't an earthquake, Byunghun knew that, but what else could it be? Quickly, he glanced out the window, seeing glimmers of red and yellow through the trees. Byunghun squinted his eyes, not quite sure what he was seeing until it finally clicked. Fire, that was fire!

Byunghun turned and left his room, going as fast as he could down the stairs. Once downstairs, he slipped his shoes on and then opened the door, running out of the house. If there was a fire, he had to investigate! Someone could've gotten hurt with the impact! Had the shooting star crash landed? What would it look like? Byunghun had never seen a shooting star before, nevertheless, one up close!

Byunghun ran through the tall grass, navigating his way through the nearly pitch black world. He could see that there was a small fire ahead and he really wanted to see what had happened. Would the shooting star be in pieces or would it be fully intact? From the impact, which sounded hard, Byunghun had a feeling there wouldn't be any remains of the object.

Moving swiftly past trees and dashing through bushes, Byunghun felt alive. He hadn't moved so fast in a while, this was the first time in a long time that he had been so excited about something.

When he finally got to the site, Byunghun stopped running, glancing around. There were little fires scattered around in clumps of grass. Luckily, they weren't huge and they looked like they were going to die out anyway, so it wasn't much of a concern. The area was illuminated by the small fires though, which allowed Byunghun to see something that he didn't expect to find. 

Byunghun gasped and stopped dead in his tracks, unable to believe what he had just found. His heart started pounding in his chest, his hands instantly felt clammy, his mind began to race. 

He had found a boy in the rubble, covered in rocks and his own blood. He was unclothed, fully . The boy appeared unconscious, as he wasn't moving, but it was quite possible that he could've been dead too. 

Byunghun slowly approached, unsure of what to do. This male had long brown hair, pale skin, and full lips. He looked so peaceful laying there, but Byunghun knew that he had to do something. He couldn't just leave him there! Dead or not, Byunghun had to help!

Byunghun dropped to his knees and reached out, checking for a pulse. At first, he couldn't feel one, as his hands were shaking, causing him to nearly panic. After checking again however, he was able to feel a faint pulse. He was alive! Relief washed over Byunghun. Great! But now what?

Byunghun glanced around. All was quiet, it was just him and the unconscious boy in the middle of nowhere. He poked the boy's cheek, hoping he'd wake up, but nothing. He didn't even stir. 

What was he supposed to do!?

Byunghun moved and grabbed a hold of the boy's wrists, standing and trying to bring him up as well. Byunghun was too weak to drag him back to his house, and if the guy woke up, would he be happy about a random stranger dragging him somewhere? Probably not.

Byunghun paused. He didn't know what to do. He gazed down at the guy after letting go of him. He limply plopped back to the ground. Byunghun nodded to himself before he put his arms under his body, deciding to try and carry him. Maybe he would be able to muster up enough strength to bring the boy home? Byunghun wasn't very strong, but the stranger seemed to be very light, so carrying him was surprisingly easier than he thought!

Byunghun held him close to his chest once he picked him up fully, being careful not to drop him. His eyes widened. He was actually carrying someone! Now he just had to bring him back home without dropping him too many times. He had to be cleaned, he was cut up and hurt. Byunghun didn't know where he came from, but it was entirely possible that the shooting star hit him and knocked him unconscious! Because where else would he have come from?

And then, Byunghun started the trek back to his house through the tall grass and brush, doing his very best to not drop him or lose strength. Carrying the boy was hard, but he was determined to make it back to his house! He couldn't just drop him and leave him there, what if he was hurt?

When Byunghun could see his house, it almost gave him extra strength, allowing him to carry the kid faster.

Byunghun burst through the door of his house and managed to shut it behind him before his arms gave out. Byunghun's eyes widened and he gasped as he accidentally let the boy drop from his arms. 

"Oops." 

Byunghun bit his lip and watched the boy, who had fallen to the floor with a smack. Hopefully he wouldn't be mad that he dropped him when he woke up. That was bound to hurt later. 

Well, Byunghun had brought a total stranger back to his house. Now what? For a few minutes, Byunghun stayed completely silent, standing there awkwardly.

And then, the boy twitched, uttering a soft noise of pain.

Startled, Byunghun jumped back, eyes widening. Oh no! He was waking up! What was he supposed to do!? Byunghun continued to ogle down at him, heart starting to race. Why did he think bringing someone to his house was a good idea? He was starting to regret it!

Byunghun ran out of the room and to the kitchen, grabbing a paper towel. Quickly, he wet it before hurrying back, dropping to his knees. He turned the boy over so that he was laying on his back, moving to gently dab at his face, which was slightly bloody. He was hot, it felt like he had a fever.

"Hello?" Byunghun spoke up, watching with worry as the guy started to come to. Lightly, Byunghun patted his cheeks, hoping to bring him back faster.

The boy groaned faintly, his eyes starting to flutter.

"Are you awake?" Byunghun asked again, watching carefully.

His eyes slowly fluttered opened, closing a few times, but after a moment or two, they stayed open. At first, his eyes just fixed blankly at the ceiling, but then they landed on Byunghun.

Byunghun slowly stood, moving away from the boy, not wanting to scare him.

"Are you okay?" he asked, watching on with curiosity. He saw the boy sit up, the look on his face appeared like he was in pain.

Byunghun rushed back over to him, gently pushing him back down to lay on his back.

"You're probably hurt, just relax and try not to move much." he said, nodding, watching him with concern.

The boy made another noise of pain when Byunghun pushed him back down. His hands slowly went to his bare side, gripping it. 

When he saw this, Byunghun rose an eyebrow. What was he doing? Was he hurting? What was wrong? He looked down to the hand that the boy put on his side and his eyes instantly widened, seeing blood. 

"You're bleeding!" 

Byunghun carefully reached down, pulling away his hand to see the bloody hole that had once been covered. How had he not have noticed that? A bleeding wound on the boy's side like that, wasn't it so obvious? Byunghun felt stupid for not even seeing it. 

Slowly, Byunghun looked down to the wound in his side. It was a hole, yes, but from what? It appeared to have burn marks around the edges of the hole, and something appeared to be lodged inside. Byunghun looked back to the boy's face when he heard him growl. He moved away with surprise, holding his hands up to show that he wouldn't hurt him.

"I don't want to hurt you, it's okay, I promise." Byunghun assured weakly, somewhat scared now. That growl had startled him badly. 

"What is your name? I'm Byunghun." hopefully the boy would trust him if he knew his name. Or, he'd at least feel better being near him now that he wasn't a complete stranger.

"Niel." came from the boy's lips in a low tone, almost like a pained whisper. "My name is Daniel."

At hearing this, Byunghun's eyes lit up with excitement. The boy could speak, and now he knew his name! Byunghun nodded some, offering a smile to get Daniel to trust him. 

"What happened? Do you remember?" Byunghun asked, slowly kneeling back down to Daniel's level. 

Daniel slowly shook his head, looking away from Byunghun. He stayed silent, not wanting to speak to him anymore. Silently, he moved to sit up, face expressing pain.

Upon noticing this, Byunghun felt a little bad, but how could he expect a stranger to talk to him? Byunghun looked over Daniel once more, looking for anymore injuries, but the main one was the wound in his side. 

Byunghun could feel his cheeks turning as he moved his eyes to look at Daniel's face. Byunghun had just realized that Daniel had been this whole time. If that wasn't awkward, Byunghun didn't know what was.

"Will you let me help you?" Byunghun asked softly, meeting Daniel's gaze. "You need to be cleaned up. Your wounds have to be disinfected and bandaged, you need to be clothed, and you should rest."

Daniel continued to remain silent, eyes glued to the floor as he moved his hand back to his bleeding wound, whimpering ever so slightly. Byunghun had a feeling that Daniel would refuse his help, until he noticed Daniel hesitantly nod. A small smile came to Byunghun's lips. Daniel was willing to let him help him? Byunghun couldn't be happier.

"Okay, just stay there, I'll be right back." Byunghun took a few steps back from Daniel as if to make sure he didn't get up and run off, before he turned and hurried from the room. 

Byunghun's heart was racing. Not only had he found a stranger, but now he was going to help him out? He felt really happy. He had never helped someone like this before, it was his first time, but he wanted to do his best.

Byunghun trotted into his bathroom, reaching down to get a few washcloths from under the sink. He grabbed a bucket and then turned the faucet on, filling it with water. When it was about halfway full, Byunghun nodded and then picked it up, starting to walk back out to where he had left Daniel.

Only, Daniel wasn't there. 

Byunghun's eyes darted around as he looked for Daniel. Where did he go?! There were smears of blood on the floor from where Daniel had once been. Byunghun looked up when he heard a noise. The door was open. Had Daniel left? 

After putting his bucket of water and washcloths on the floor, Byunghun ran to the door, hurrying out as he frantically looked around.

"Daniel!" he called, "Where are you?" 

Byunghun moved his head to the side, glancing around when he heard a grunt. Daniel, he was lying on the ground, grasping his side. 

"Are you okay?" Byunghun ran over to him, instantly crouching down.

Daniel looked at Byunghun, scooting away slightly.

"They're coming." Daniel said, almost inaudibly as he glanced up into the sky. "They'll be here soon." 

At hearing this, Byunghun's eyebrow rose. He wasn't quite sure what to think about Daniel's words. He was just confused, yes. Daniel had probably fallen and messed up his head or something. He was delusional right now. Hopefully he'd be better soon. For some reason, Daniel's words had sent chills down Byunghun's spine. He didn't like it.

"No one is coming, Daniel. It's okay." Byunghun reached out and was about to pat Daniel's head but when Daniel growled, Byunghun pulled back, intimidated.

"I promise I won't hurt you." Byunghun whispered, watching Daniel. 

The darkness cast an eerie shadow on Daniel's pale face. His eyes were so shiny and expressive in the light of the moon. 

"Can you stand?" Byunghun asked, standing as he looked down at Daniel. He watched as Daniel tried to stand, but he grunted and slumped back down. With a small smile, Byunghun reached down to help Daniel up. Once he was standing, he gently wrapped an arm around Daniel's slim body, helping him walk back to the house.

"Come on." and with that, Byunghun led Daniel back inside before he shut and locked the door.

Daniel squirmed out of Byunghun's arms and tried to quickly move away, but he weakly fell back onto the floor. With a worried gasp, Byunghun went over to him. 

"Just let me clean your wounds, okay? I'll leave you alone after." Byunghun said slowly, not wanting to upset Daniel. "Just stay still." 

Byunghun took one of the washcloths before dipping it in his bucket of water, soaking it for a moment. When it was wet, he lightly started to dab Daniel's side, making sure to be careful, as he didn't want to cause him any more damage.

Daniel grunted and clenched his teeth, moving away from Byunghun's touch. He turned his head, glaring at Byunghun, his lip raised in a snarl.

"This might hurt." Byunghun whispered, biting his lip softly as he moved the washcloth closer to the wound. 

Doing this caused Daniel to tense up, closing his eyes tightly. Byunghun could see the object lodged in Daniel's side, but taking it out would be a nightmare. If he was causing Daniel so much pain with just wiping the area, he couldn't imagine how painful it would be for him to try and remove it.

"Stop." Daniel murmured, inching away from Byunghun. "Please." 

Slowly, Byunghun nodded, removing his hands from Daniel's body. He looked at Daniel, seeing the hurt in his eyes. It made him feel even worse that he was subjecting Daniel to this, but he couldn't just let him leave! Byunghun didn't know what would happen to him if he let Daniel just wander off on his own. 

"I'm sorry." Byunghun gave Daniel a weak smile, standing. "I'll go get some bandages for you. Don't move this time." Byunghun then turned and left the room quickly, going to get bandages.

Daniel eyed Byunghun as he left before he glanced around the room. It was a medium sized room, kind of dark, but it was nighttime so Daniel expected as much. It appeared like the walls were wooden, much like the floor. The place seemed empty, there wasn't much furniture, but it appeared to be fairly clean. 

Daniel looked down at his side, hand moving back to hold it. The bleeding had stopped, but just a tiny bit. It wasn't dirty anymore, thanks to Byunghun's cleaning. Daniel in a breath when a wave of discomfort rushed through his body. He let go of his side, closing his eyes.  

Daniel was so focused on his pain that he didn't even notice Byunghun come back into the room until he was being touched. Daniel twitched, jumping slightly.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you." Byunghun weakly laughed, looking away from Daniel and to the bandages he had in his hands. "Can you sit up? I need to wrap your wound." 

With a small nod, Daniel sat up. It was hard to sit up, or even move for that matter, but it had to be done. Daniel kept his eyes on Byunghun instead of looking away, just watching as Byunghun got closer. 

Byunghun began to wrap the bandages around Daniel, making sure it was nice and snug. When he was finished putting the bandages on, Byunghun didn't know what to do next.

"It's late." Byunghun stated, glancing at Daniel. "Let's get some clothes on you, and then you need to rest." 

Standing, Byunghun reached down, offering his hand for Daniel to take. 

Unsure of the situation, Daniel ignored Byunghun's hand, standing on his own with a grunt. He looked to Byunghun, who was much shorter than he had realized. Daniel blinked, not saying a word.

Byunghun watched Daniel with curiosity as he stood. He was tall, Byunghun could see. He cleared his throat before smiling. 

"Follow me." Byunghun turned and started for the stairs, glancing back to see if Daniel was following him. He was. 

Once upstairs, Byunghun opened the door to his room before leading Daniel inside.

"Okay, well. You need clothing, so I'll let you wear something of mine." Byunghun said, reaching up to rub the back of his neck, laughing somewhat awkwardly. 

Byunghun glanced to Daniel, who was watching him with mild interest. Upon seeing this, Byunghun turned back around, going to his dresser to find some clothes suitable for Daniel to wear.

After pulling out a t-shirt, a pair of boxers, and some pants, Byunghun turned back to Daniel, holding them out for him.

"Here, put these on." Byunghun instructed, "And there is a bathroom down the hall if you need to go." 

Daniel watched as Byunghun moved and sat on his bed. He continued to stand there, eyes fixed on Byunghun. 

Slowly, Byunghun looked back over to Daniel, who hadn't moved from his spot. Byunghun peered back at Daniel, becoming confused as to why he was just standing there. 

"What is it?" Byunghun asked, tilting his head faintly, not knowing what Daniel was doing. 

Daniel looked down to the nicely folded clothes that Byunghun had given him before he looked back to Byunghun, his eyebrows furrowing in frustration.

"I don't know what to do with these." Daniel finally spoke, sounding a bit irritated before he dropped the folded clothes onto the floor.

Byunghun was surprised to see Daniel just dump the clothes on the floor, but he was surprised at what he said. What was that supposed to mean? He didn't know what to do? Hadn't he put clothes on before? Byunghun stood, moving over to Daniel. 

"Are you okay?" Byunghun asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did you hit your head on something?"

Daniel just focused on Byunghun, eyes narrowing slightly.

"I feel just fine, except for my side. It's quite possible that I hit my head on the way down though. I didn't think of that." 

On the way down?

Byunghun slowly nodded, laughing awkwardly as he bent down to pick up the clothes Daniel dropped.

"I can help you, if you want." Byunghun offered as he stood back up straight.

Daniel kept quiet, his dark brown eyes just staring at Byunghun. He took in Byunghun's face, examining his features. Byunghun had pale skin, light pink lips, and reddish-pink colored hair. Behind a pair of black glasses were two dark brown eyes that were filled with so much emotion. Daniel could almost get lost in them, they were that deep.

"Come on." 

Byunghun reached out and took Daniel's hand, lightly starting to lead him from the room, since it seemed like Daniel had gotten into some sort of trance earlier or something. So far, Daniel seemed like a weirdo. Byunghun didn't know what he was taking on, but it was already starting to seem like a lot of work to take care of him. Daniel seemed helpless and Byunghun didn't know why.

Byunghun led Daniel into the bathroom before turning, looking at him. How was he supposed to do this? He had never tried to dress a full grown boy before. He hadn't even dressed a baby before. This would prove to be difficult. 

Smoothly, Byunghun took the t-shirt before moving closer to Daniel, slipping it over his head. 

"Put your arms through the holes." Byunghun said, helping Daniel get his arms through the sleeves. Once that was done, Byunghun nodded some. Well, that was a lot easier than he thought it'd be. He was glad Daniel didn't struggle too much.

"And now, step into these." Byunghun awkwardly crouched down, holding out the boxers for Daniel to step into. When he did, Byunghun pulled them up, face turning red afterwards. That was weird. 

"It's the same thing with pants too, okay?" Byunghun held out the pants to Daniel. "You do it."

Unsure, Daniel stepped into the pants, pulling them slowly up, glancing to Byunghun to make sure he was doing it right. Byunghun nodded, chuckling lightly.

"Good job."

Daniel was much nicer to look at while fully clothed, honestly. Or at least, it was less weird. He had a fantastic body, Byunghun couldn't deny, but he'd rather look at him when he wasn't completely .

"Now what?" Daniel asked, adjusting his clothes slightly, fixing his shirt and pants. 

Daniel seemed uncomfortable in the clothes, Byunghun didn't know why. It was puzzling. He had given him comfortable clothes! What was the problem with them?

"Now, we rest. I'm sure you need it, I definitely need to sleep." Byunghun said, covering his mouth as a yawn slipped out. After he was finished yawning, Byunghun glanced to Daniel.

"You can sleep in my room." Byunghun nodded, starting to walk out of the bathroom. 

Daniel followed Byunghun, looking around as he did. The house was nice, it was small, but it felt quaint and calming. 

Byunghun entered his room before pointing to the bed on the floor.

"That's where you can sleep." he said. "I'll sleep in the other room."

Daniel went over to the bed before sitting down. Once he was down, he looked up at Byunghun, eyes widening when he saw Byunghun starting to leave the room. Daniel quickly got up and ran to the door, slipping in front of Byunghun, blocking the doorway.

"Hey!" Byunghun jumped back, startled. "What are you doing?" 

Daniel gazed down at Byunghun, shaking his head.

"It's not safe." Daniel quickly said, moving to close the door to Byunghun's room, locking them both inside. "Stay with me."

Byunghun was at a loss for words. What was Daniel on about? Was he crazy? Maybe he didn't want to be left alone? Honestly, Byunghun had no idea. He seemed odd, that was obvious.

"What are you talking about?" Byunghun watched Daniel with confusion.

Wow, Daniel must've been really messed up from whatever happened to him. What did happen to him, though? Byunghun assumed he had been hit by the shooting star, or maybe some debris from the flying object, but things weren't adding up. 

Nothing was making sense. Why would Daniel have such an injury in his side? What was causing him to act funny? How come he didn't have any clothes on before?

Daniel shook his head.

"It's not safe." he repeated, eyes burning into Byunghun's. "They're coming."

Byunghun didn't know what was going on, but it was starting to freak him out.

"You're scaring me." Byunghun admitted, eyes widening as he backed away from Daniel, wrapping his arms around himself. "What are you talking about?"

Daniel watched Byunghun, snorting softly as he noted the fear on Byunghun's face. He felt bad for making him scared, but he had to protect him. 

"You saved me, so I'm going to save you." Daniel said, taking a few steps towards Byunghun.

"Stay away from me." Byunghun squeaked out. "I don't know what's going on! I'm confused."

Daniel froze as soon as Byunghun told him to keep away. He slowly nodded, his eyes moving down to the floor as he remained silent. 

Byunghun made sure to keep away from Daniel, unnerved by the situation. 

"I won't hurt you."

Hearing this made Byunghun look up at Daniel, gazing at him with surprise and confusion. He was slightly mesmerized by his words. Those had been the same words that he had said to Daniel just a little while ago. Now Daniel was saying it to him? 

Byunghun laughed softly, his grip loosening around himself. It seemed like Daniel was telling the truth, he wasn't going to hurt him. The look on his face seemed honest and pure. Byunghun trusted him.

Just then, a bright light shot across the sky, making the house shake. Daniel looked out the window, eyes widening. He then quickly ran to Byunghun, tackling him to the floor.

Byunghun was completely startled by this, causing him to scream.

"What are you doing!?" 

Byunghun squirmed under Daniel, staring up at him with fear and shock. Daniel was laying right on top of him. It was kind of awkward being so close to him like that. Their faces were literally inches apart. He didn't even think Daniel noticed how close they were. Or if he did, he obviously didn't care.

Daniel stared down into Byunghun's eyes, mouth opening as he was about to speak, until Byunghun pushed him off. Daniel flopped on the floor once he was pushed off of Byunghun, whimpering as he moved his hand, grabbing his side, in pain.

"I don't know what you're doing, but it's freaking me out!" Byunghun piped up, eyeing Daniel as he pouted slightly. "Look, I'll stay in here since you want me to, but only if you stop scaring me!"

Daniel grunted through clenched teeth, moving his eyes to rest on Byunghun.

"Okay." he agreed. "But please just stay with me."
 

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