Junmyeon stays in his house, but so does everybody else. The perks of having eleven best friends, he finds, is usually there’s at least one of them available at all times. He’s hardly ever left alone, and while Junmyeon doesn’t actually mind, he suspects that this is action on the orders of one Luhan, who has decided that Junmyeon is his charge and therefore takes it upon himself to make sure that he’s never left alone.

“You have spent the last seven years of your life with one best friend and two almost-friends. We have a lot of time to make up for.”

Junmyeon had smiled and rolled his eyes and said something sarcastic, but it was useless because both he and Luhan know full well that it will be a long time before Junmyeon craves being alone. It’s not like he has any other way to pass his time, anyway.

Luhan made him quit his jobs. Junmyeon had looked to the others for help, but all he succeeded in doing was pulling ten people into an argument in which not one of them agreed with him.

Junmyeon wasn’t really sure what to do with himself in all his free time. Usually when Kyungsoo comes over he teaches Junmyeon how to really cook, which is great because Junmyeon’s found he’d really actually very good at it. He continues to tutor Sehun, and Jongin uses his TV to occupy himself because Sehun and Jongin usually show up together. Jongdae ends up dragging Junmyeon over to his house when they hang out, because he absolutely despises the thought of the things that have gone on in Junmyeon’s.

Tao has taken to teaching Junmyeon wushu, because he says he’s gone long enough without knowing how to protect himself. Junmyeon’s usually so worn out by the end of it that it takes both Yifan and Baekhyun to convince him to take a shower before he curls up on the couch for a nap. Meanwhile Chanyeol busies himself making popcorn and putting in a movie and gathering blankets so that all Junmyeon has to do when he gets out is pick someone to cuddle with and get comfy.

---

It’s only about a week after he’s released from the hospital that Tao cuddles him up on the couch and asks him for the full details about why his father left.

Yixing is quick to scold him, saying that it’s none of his business, but Tao quiets all of their complaints easy enough.

“He needs to talk about it to come to terms with it himself. Until he does that, he’s going to go to sleep every nigh afraid that his dad will be here when he wakes up the next morning.”

So Junmyeon curls into Tao’s arms and closes his eyes, and tells all of his friends about how his dad said he was sick of taking care of him. How he said that he had more than enough of his own money to pay for their dingy little run down house for long enough for Junmyeon to find a way to take care of it himself, as well as whatever new living commodities he found for his new job.

Junmyeon tells them about how his father straight out told him that he never wanted to see him again, and that he would call periodically to remind Junmyeon that telling anybody would cause him a lot more trouble than it’s worth. He tells them about how his father said he’s done with kids, hates them, hates Junmyeon, and not to worry about any little siblings turning up because even if he does knock some girl up he sure as hell isn’t taking care of the kid. About how he said he’ll send her money just like he’s sending Junmyeon money, and he never wants anything to do with it after that.

Junmyeon mutters his insecurities about it into Tao’s neck. About how he would like to know why his father is suddenly bored of hitting him around when he seems just fine with it until last week. About how he isn’t really sure what to do with his free time now that he doesn’t always have to be at home or working.

He makes sure his face is hidden when he apologizes, because he knows he’s still going to be afraid of sudden movement and angry yelling for a long time, and he knows he’s still going to have panic attacks and nightmares that wake him up screaming, and he knows it’s going to be an inconvenience on them.

He’s not sure quite what to think when they coax him out of his hiding spot and give him kisses on his forehead after Baekhyun flicks him for “being stupid.”

---

Minseok makes a point to come over near the end of the line, when most of the others have come and gone and the excitement that Junmyeon uses to keep himself distracted is over. He’s ridiculously good at comforting Junmyeon without saying anything. He’s also ridiculously good at knowing when Junmyeon’s starting to think bad of himself again, and is quick to mend it with his broad range of techniques. These usually include smacking Junmyeon (very, very lightly) on the back of the head, and then leaning over to kiss the spot he’d just smacked as a way of reaffirming his love. Junmyeon wonders how long it will be before the others realize that they could push him off a cliff and he wouldn’t doubt them.

Tonight Minseok comes over to a very tired Junmyeon shuffling around the kitchen, Yifan hovering over him ready to offer any assistance should Junmyeon need it. He won’t of course, and they all know it, because Junmyeon had been cooking for himself and his father for years and he’s only gotten better with Kyungsoo’s cooking lessons.

Yifan can’t seem to help himself though, the world’s largest mother hen, and personally Minseok thinks it’s pretty funny. He drops his stuff off on the couch and moves over to Junmyeon to wrap his arms around Junmyeon’s waist. “What are you making?”

“Just ramen. And rice. Kris said he was hungry and they’re the quickest to make.” Kris grumbles from off to the side and Minseok thinks that Kris had maybe mentioned going out to eat and Junmyeon had decided to cook instead.

He smiles. “Okay, how about after we eat we just watch a movie? We’re all worn out from midterms, it’ll be nice.”

Yifan sends him a look over Junmyeon’s shoulder, somewhere between relieved and thankful, but probably a little of both. Junmyeon nods and serves up the food.

They end up eating on the couch, all three of them squished together so they can share blankets. They’ve put Junmyeon in the middle, not like he’s surprised. The bowls end up forgotten on the coffee table, Junmyeon curled up, half in Minseok’s lap and half in Yifan’s, and falls asleep. Minseok and Yifan share a glance above him, both perfectly content.

When the house phone rings a while later, but Junmyeon’s cell phone remains silent, it is Minseok that answers, voice cold and unforgiving. When he hangs up, it is Yifan that pulls the cord from the socket.

Junmyeon’s father has no right to him anymore.

---

Besides Luhan, Yixing is over most often. He’s the one that shows up in the middle of the night, car keys and phone in hand and pajamas in place. Junmyeon doesn’t bring up Yixing’s nightmares, and Yixing doesn’t bring up Junmyeon’s. They just curl up together and go back to sleep, because they are together and they are safe and they are not alone. They don’t have to talk about it. They both know they dream about the same thing, anyways.

Tonight Yixing is extra clingy, and when they curl up together it’s Yixing curled into Junmyeon and holding on for dear life. Junmyeon does his best to be comforting, petting Yixing’s hair, humming softly, but Yixing still sniffles, still buries his face in Junmyeon’s chest and curls his fingers into Junmyeon’s shirt like that will keep him from drifting away.

And Junmyeon tries not to ask questions, because he knows that when it’s him he doesn’t want to talk about it, but he’s never seen Yixing like this, so sad and scared, and he’s really, really worried. So he asks, carefully, quietly, “What’s wrong, Xingxing?”

Yixing’s arms snake around him and pull him impossibly closer, and Junmyeon keeps his fingers moving on Yixing’s scalp as Yixing pulls back to look at him. “You were almost gone. You were almost gone, again, just like sophomore year. Someone was hurting you, and pushing you down and breaking you into pieces, and I didn’t notice.”

Junmyeon sighs and squirms down so he and Yixing are face to face. “What happened sophomore year was not your fault. And what my dad did was not your fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault.”

Yixing shudders as he breathes and moves to rest one hand on Junmyeon’s head, petting back his hair. “Please don’t call him that, Jun. Please don’t tell me that you think of him as your dad. That’s not what a dad is, Jun. He’s not…” Yixing squeezes his eyes closed and takes a deep breath. “He’s not anything. He’s a monster, and he’s everything that a father shouldn’t be. He didn’t protect you, didn’t take care of you, he didn’t make you stop working even though you were running yourself into the ground, I should’ve noticed, but he was no good. So please don’t call him that.”

Junmyeon smiles sadly. “This has really messed you up, hasn’t it?” Yixing doesn’t comment, just sniffles, and Junmyeon makes a decision. “I was already a really good actor by the time we met, you know? And I told you things on purpose, when we first met, so you would make the wrong connections. When I first passed on karaoke and told you I didn’t have much money, I meant for it to tell you that we were poor, that I needed those jobs to help support my family. Which is true, I never lied to you, but I implied that my- that, uh, he, he was working, too, to support us, but he wasn’t. I don’t know where his money goes, but it wasn’t ever towards me. But that’s a good thing, Xing, you know? Because now even though I still have to pay for all of this myself I don’t suddenly have to come up with extra money. He’s even paying for the house, which is weird, but I think he’s just trying to keep me quiet.”

Yixing shakes his head, though, not seeming appeased at all. “I still should have noticed. You always said you were clumsy, when you had bruises that you couldn’t hide, but I never saw any of it. You’re so steady on your feet, so why didn’t I question it? And you were always so sad, even though you tried to pretend you weren’t, and I thought it was because you were lonely, so I introduced you to Minseok, and then Tao came in and I thought he’d be a good friend for you, too.”

“They were.” Junmyeon promises. “You were. Yixing,” Junmyeon levels him with a stare, “I would’ve given up years ago without you. You always took care of me, always helped me even though you didn’t know what you were helping.” Junmyeon pauses and bites at his lip. “I was just a little kid, Yixing. The only other people I knew before you were my- him, Jongdae, and Jongdae’s parents. And he would tell me things, not Jongdae but, you know, him, he would tell me things and he made me feel so irrelevant, you know? I didn’t have any reason for being, except that he told me that I had to be there, and I just went through the motions. And I thought Jongdae’s family was so strange, because Jongdae was always running around and he wasn’t acting hurt, and I thought his family was the strange one. I thought the way we did things was normal.

“You came along and you showed me how I was supposed to be treated and that’s why I was sad, because I finally saw what I’d been missing, but you made everything so much better. I would have stopped trying so long ago without you, Yixing, please don’t blame yourself. I didn’t want you to know. I kept it a secret from you, so if it’s either of our faults it’s mine.”

Yixing had long since maneuvered them into a new position, with Junmyeon tucked into his side, head on Yixing’s chest, and curled himself around Junmyeon now. “None of this was your fault, Junnie. Please tell me you know that. Please don’t cry.” And Junmyeon hadn’t realized he was crying, but now the gates burst open and he’s sobbing.

Yixing holds him all night, and Junmyeon holds on to Yixing, and they cry together. Yixing hushes all of Junmyeon’s why wasn’t I good enough, what did I do?’s and Junmyeon quiet’s all of Yixing’s should’ve figured it out’s, and when they wake up in the morning they both have puffy eyes and sore throats, but Junmyeon has never felt more at peace, and Yixing smiles at him, and he hopes it’s the same for him.

---

Luhan hardly leaves. He goes to school, but of course Junmyeon attends the same school so it isn’t like they spend much of that time apart, and then Luhan goes to work (a real job, at Yifan’s dad’s corporation as an intern. He’s great at it, and he’s already managed to grab the attention of the higher ups. Yifan’s just glad the spotlight is off of him.) Junmyeon usually spends that time apart doing any chores he has to that require moving, because Luhan’s nerves twist when he’s not near Junmyeon.

The younger has brought up the topic of college, because Luhan obviously has to go, soon, and Junmyeon is a year behind him at school. Luhan agreed that would indeed be a problem, except he appealed to Yifan’s father and robbed the Chinese-Canadian-Whatever of his private tutor, which means Luhan is now registered to take online classes and any credits he needs outside of said classes will be taught by the tutor.

Junmyeon asked if that was legal. Luhan told him not to question it.

And Junmyeon is not fixed. He still has scars and nightmares. He still sometimes hears a little voice in the back of his head that tells him that he’s messing up. He’s still nervous when people pay for things for him and when anyone that isn’t a regular part of his group gets too close.

The difference is, Junmyeon doesn’t have to take care of it alone this time. He’s got friends, more like family, that are always there for him. And, if there is a chance that Junmyeon’s father will come back, although Junmyeon doubts very much that he will, he has Baekhyun on speed dial, who in turn shares a house with a police chief father and a lawyer for a mother, and Junmyeon thinks maybe things will actually be okay.