Despite how nicely the night after Ryeowook came back from the hospital went, the effects of the event wouldn’t go away so easily. For weeks, Ryeowook would wake up screaming to the point where he had to take sleeping pills so he could get a full night’s rest. He got nervous when he was left alone, so Kyuhyun stuck to him like glue. Kyuhyun didn’t protest; he was reluctant to let the elder out of his sight for very long.

The worst thing was that Ryeowook never seemed to really smile anymore. Sungmin and Saeun came over often and never came empty handed, always bringing some sort of food or gift for them. One day Sungmin came with Ryeowook’s favorite bread from their cafe and he accepted it with a faint smile, but Sungmin’s heart sank when he saw how the smile never reached his eyes.

Everyone was devastated to see how Hyungsik’s sudden reappearance had affected the man, but they soon realized how much it had affected themselves. Hyukjae had become stricken with nightmares of when he had found Ryeowook bleeding out on the bathroom floor and had to constantly call Ryeowook to make sure that he was okay. Kangin was berating himself for not protecting him, so he sent out a regular patrol of his werewolf pack to make sure that Ryeowook was safe. Donghae’s songs had taken on a somber tone, and his lyrics were even sadder, but he dared not show them to Ryeowook like he usually did, for fear that he would feel guilty for making Donghae’s song like that.

Heechul was out of the country, and no one had the heart to call him in the middle of his important shoot to tell him the news. No doubt Heechul would go into a rage and catch the earliest flight back to Korea. No one wanted to tell Leeteuk either, as the half-pegasus had practically raised Ryeowook, but Henry accidentally let it slip, and now Kyuhyun and Ryeowook were waiting at the airport for their hyung to arrive.

Ryeowook’s hand was clasped firmly in Kyuhyun’s, and Kyuhyun’s eyes were darting everywhere for signs of danger. The human shivered, even though it was the middle of summer. Kyuhyun glanced at him and gently squeezed his hand. “You okay?” he murmured. Ryeowook shook his head slightly, not wanting to attract attention to himself.

“There’s too many people here.” Ryeowook muttered. “I know he’s not here, but I can’t help but think-!”

“Even if he was here, I wouldn’t let him get within a thousand feet of you.” Kyuhyun declared. The vampire leaned over and pressed his forehead against Ryeowook’s. “You’re safe now, I’ll protect you.”

Ryeowook sighed and dropped his head to lean it against Kyuhyun’s chest. “Thank you.” Kyuhyun chuckled and placed a kiss on the crown of Ryeowook’s head.

“Well, this is a nice sight!” A cheery voice made the two men whirl around, and Ryeowook made the closest thing to a real smile that Kyuhyun had seen since the accident.

“Teukie-hyung!” Leeteuk grinned and opened his arms wide invitingly. Ryeowook glanced at Kyuhyun with wide eyes. Leeteuk’s smile slipped off of his face as he watched the younger men exchange a silent conversation and only after Kyuhyun tightened his grip on Ryeowook’s hand did Ryeowook make his way over to Leeteuk. Leeteuk immediately gathered the human into his arms, holding him close and whispering quiet comforts in his ear.

Kyuhyun stood off at the side, awkwardly watching the two men. Leeteuk raised his head slightly and beckoned him closer. Kyuhyun hesitantly shuffled over and let out a yell of surprise as Leeteuk suddenly yanked him into their hug. Leeteuk’s pristine white wings wrapped around them, adding to the sense of security Ryeowook had when he was with the eldest hyung. The hybrid glanced at Kyuhyun and the vampire felt a chill run down his spine as Leeteuk's telepathic tendrils probed his mind.

Thank you. Leeteuk whispered into the depths of his being. Thank you for watching him when I couldn't.  

~~~
 

“Hyung, I’ll drive, you don’t have to!” Ryeowook protested. Kyuhyun immediately snatched the keys out of Ryeowook’s hands. Ryeowook’s driving was something that he’d rather not have to go through during rush hour. The human shot Kyuhyun a nasty glare, but the vampire didn’t budge.

Leeteuk smiled. “No, I only flew for a few hours, and besides, you two look much more tired than I do.” Ryeowook couldn’t argue with that, since it was true. He woke up from a nightmare at three in the morning and couldn’t go back to sleep, even with his pills. Kyuhyun stayed up with him after Ryeowook accidentally knocked over some plastic bowls when he tried to make cereal.

Kyuhyun handed the keys over to Leeteuk and gently led Ryeowook into the car. Leeteuk looked through the rear view mirror and smiled at the pair. "So when can I expect the wedding invitation?" Ryeowook shrieked and Kyuhyun let out a squawk of protest. Leeteuk quirked an eyebrow. "After that magazine shoot, I would've thought that you were at least engaged."

Leeteuk's eyes narrowed and he glared at them. "You're not together?"

"It's not that," Ryeowook stammered. "It's just that we don't like that that magazine was the way you found out about our relationship." Leeteuk raised an eyebrow at them, but shrugged.

“What’s your address, Ryeowook-ah?” Leeteuk asked. “Hyung wants to make sure you’re living all right.”

Ryeowook’s face suddenly turned dark and he stared at his hands in his lap. “...it’s the same as before.”

Leeteuk hissed and tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he carefully backed the car out of the parking lot. “I still don’t understand why you won’t let me help you move somewhere else.”

“I can’t do that, you have your own bills to pay.” Ryeowook said. “Besides, the government is giving me compensation money and that pays the rent, so I can focus all my efforts in paying off my hospital bills.”

“I get money from the government too!” Kyuhyun protested. “If you would let me help out with rent-!”

“Because we agreed to save your paychecks for emergencies only, Kyuhyun.” Ryeowook sighed. “Our apartment is fine the way it is, this isn’t an emergency.” Leeteuk frowned back at him, but didn’t say anything. The two non-humans exchanged a glance and silently agreed to continue the conversation later.

They passed the rest of the time with small talk, but they never breached the subject again. “Teukie-hyung, are you sure you don’t want to stay in a hotel?” Ryeowook asked as they walked through their apartment parking lot. "We can't really offer you more than a bed and a roof over your head."

Leeteuk smiled and rolled his luggage towards the doors. "I'm only here for the weekend, I want to see as much of your face as I can!" Ryeowook blushed a deep scarlet and turned his attention to his pocket, trying to retrieve his keys from the depths of the pocket.

"Please, hyung, my face isn’t worth the entire weekend.” he huffed and stopped in his tracks to focus on his hunt for his keys. "Oh, I thought they were in this pocket!" Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and tapped the human on the shoulder.

When Ryeowook looked up, Kyuhyun shoved one hand in his own pocket and pulled out the key ring. Ryeowook made a choked noise that could be likened to a dying animal and snatched the keys out of the vampire’s hands, muttering heatedly under his breath to himself. Kyuhyun smirked and took the suitcase Ryeowook was carrying while the smaller tried to find the right key.

The manticore doorman (even after living at that apartment for several years, Ryeowook was still not sure of his name) pressed the button for the automatic doors with a grunt, and the three men hurried in. “Well, Park Jungsoo, it’s been a while since I’ve seen your face around here!” Mrs. Im called. Leeteuk winced, he ne