"What's he doing here?" Kyungsoo hissed, peering over the edge of the firm, wooden bench. He had been trying his best to enjoy the neighborhood park's dimly lit scenery when an all too familiar boy piqued his interest. Unconsciously, Kyungsoo rubbed the milky skin on his arms, and it wasn't from the chill of the evening air. Round eyes boring into a full head of poorly bleached locks, he tried his best to push back unwanted memories.

'Did he follow me here?'

Kyungsoo shook his head.

'No. Maybe I'm just overthinking things. For all I know, he could be visiting his family.'

Regardless of his rationalizations, Kyungsoo couldn't help but feel paranoid. Still staring openly at the rear profile of a lone man, whose identity was known exclusively to Kyungsoo for the moment, he could only watch as the tall, yet muscular, man began to turn. Centimeter by centimeter his face was revealed- high cheek bones, a strong jawline, an unnaturally protruding nose, bushy eyebrows, undeniably tanned skin. It was a face he'd come to know so well, a face he'd come to fear.

'Please. Don't turn any further. Don't look at me. Don't notice me. Please!' He screamed inwardly.

Despite Kyungsoo's silent pleas, the unknown man continued to turn, slanted eyes landing on the cowering boy. With his lips curling upwards in a devious smirk, he uttered two words that frightened the wide eyed boy more than anything-

"Hello, Kyungsoo."

-

Kyungsoo thrashed on his bed, the navy sheets cool against his feverish skin. His limbs were quaking and his parted lips released ragged, distressed breaths. His eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were shut tightly, as if they never wanted to open again.

"N-no please! It hurts..." He begged in his sleep, a thin sheen of sweat glazing his forehead. Kyungsoo's legs flailed as if to fight off an invisible force, tangling his linens into complex ropes around his limbs.

"Stop...please..." He pleaded, stray tears paving tracks down his flushed cheeks. He was scared, horrified even, of the haunting memories that he'd worked so hard to choke back flooding back to him in the form of nightmares.

'. I bet that's why your father abandoned you; he couldn't stand to live with his failure of a son.'

"I'm not a failure..."

'Whale coming through! Look how the crowd parts like the Red Sea; he's so fat!'

"I-I'm not fat..."

'Thought I might have the flu but then I remembered your ugly face makes me throw up.'

"No, I-"

'I bet your birth certificate is an apology letter from the factory; you're such a mistake.'

'Hit him again! Again! Geez, look at that pathetic expression. It could keep me entertained for weeks. Boys! I told you not to touch that face; we don't want the bruises showing, now do we? Go for the ribs!'

Laughter and abetments rang in his ears, refusing to cease even after it roused him from his sleep. Kyungsoo panted as he scanned his room, grateful that he was not in the hell known as school. He blinked a couple of times and rubbed at invisible bruises, still trying to separate his nightmare from reality. Tears welled up in his already irritated eyes as he recalled the events of his dream. 

"It's true..." He sobbed. "I'm worthless..."

-

"Jongin, clean your room quickly then leave the house for the day. Your uncle decided to pay a visit." His mother ordered, poking her head through his white door. Her voice was steady, but it was almost impossible ignore how her shoulders quivered slightly. Jongin nodded, and rushed to do as he was told without asking any questions.

"Thanks, sweetheart." She said, flashing him a clearly forced smile before slinking out of his room.

Jongin sighed, ruffling his hair as he slid out of his bed. Ignoring the pills that sat on his wooden side table like he usually did; he saw no point if he only had half a year to live. Hell, he might as well speed the process and make things easier on himself. Brushing the thoughts off temporarily, he made his way to his closet and got dressed. Kicking the clothes on his floor deftly into a pile, he tossed them in his laundry basket before hustling out of the house.

As soon as he set foot on the dirt stained side walk, he realized that he really didn't have anywhere to go.

"Ahh...." He muttered, shifting his weight to the left as he placed his hands on his hips. He tongued the inside of his cheek. Where could he go?

Then it hit him.

He marched up the stone pathway that led to Kyungsoo's house, knocking on the wooden door with a few sharp raps. He could hear shuffling behind the door and noticed the curtains of the porch window rustle slightly before falling back into place.

"Jongin?" A soft voice followed the door as it swung open. Jongin peered down at the shorter boy. He was wrapped from head to toe in a plush comforter and his hair was messy, as if he'd just woken up. He looked adorably disheveled with his mismatching bunny and bear slippers which had obviously been haphazardly thrown on moments before. However, what stood out the most was not his slightly swollen face nor the soft yawns that escaped from his plump, heart shaped lips, but the puffy redness that surrounded his beautiful, round eyes.

"Oh, hey, Kyungsoo. I just wanted to- have you been crying?" He asked, his crooked grin melting off his face as he noticed two bloodshot orbs staring into his.

"What? Oh, no... It's, uh, it's just allergies. Yeah." He denied, a sniffle accompanying his words. Jongin raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing him.

"What's wrong, Soo?" Jongin prodded with genuine concern. Kyungsoo sighed, not registering the nickname in his sleep deprived haziness.

"It's nothing important, I just didn't sleep well is all." He insisted. Jongin frowned; Kyungsoo's appearance matched his words, yes, but there was a certain underlying tone that told Jongin there was something more to the story. As much as he wanted to find out, he respected Kyungsoo's privacy and decided it was better not to prod.

"What-what did you want to ask me?" He questioned, scrunching his eyes to try to expunge his drowsiness.

"I was going to ask if you wanted a tour around town, but, given you didn't sleep well, I think it would be better for you to rest." He replied.

Kyungsoo knew Jongin was right, but his parents left early that morning for work and he didn't want to be left alone to the wrath of his nightmares. He wondered for a moment if staying with him for a while was something Jongin was willing to do, but then he remembered it was Jongin who was asking him out in the first place. Then again, would inviting a man you'd hardly gotten to know into your house while you're completely alone, and rather unalert, be too audacious? Kyungsoo's muddled brain couldn't even process any other way to go about the situation as he found himself parting his lips and inviting Jongin inside.

Kyungsoo wandered towards the nearby couch, bundling his comforter closer to his body and wavering dangerously from fatigue. Jongin reached the smaller's body with a few long legged strides, placing his hands on the sleepy eyed teen's shoulders to steady him and guide him gently to the couch. 

"Are you sure you're alright, Soo?" Jongin asked as he took a seat next to said teen. Kyungsoo noticed the nickname this time, but thought nothing of it.

"Yes, I'm... fine." He insisted, yawning in the middle of his denial. "Do you want to watch a movie? My mother finished setting up the home entertainment system yesterday."

"Sure. That sounds great. What movies do you have?"

"They're clustered around the television. I'll show you." Kyungsoo offered, fully intending to rise from where he was nestled in the plush cushions and pull out the DVDs one by one. Just as he made to get up, Jongin's arm shot out to ease him back down.

"It's fine; I'll check them out myself." He told the exhausted boy. Normally Kyungsoo would have protested and proceeded with his intentions, but with a foggy conscience and sluggish limbs, Kyungsoo could do nothing to intervene. Soon, Jongin picked a movie that caused him to fist pump and cheer rather uncharacteristically in comparison to his normal "woe is me" behavior. After repeating "this is my favorite movie" over and over again to the point where Kyungsoo was sure he would remember that minor detail for the rest of his life, Jongin popped the DVD into the Blu-ray player and returned to his spot next to Kyungsoo.

Feeling drained, and rather comforted, Kyungsoo unconsciously leaned into Jongin's warmth, falling asleep almost instantly. Jongin's excitement caused by the catchy "Pirates of the Caribbean" theme song abated slightly when he felt a weight on one of his his broad shoulders. He gazed softly at the sleeping boy, admiring the way the sunlight reflected off his pale skin. 

'Beautiful.' Jongin couldn't help but think. The movie was soon became an uninteresting drone in the background as he found Kyungsoo's delicate features far more intriguing. Unexpectedly, Kyungsoo whimpered softly and his eyebrows furrowed. Not knowing what came over him, Jongin drew the smaller into his arms, the sudden desire to protect the sleeping angel overwhelming his being. 

'Is it normal to feel this way about someone you just met?' He wondered, breathing in Kyungsoo's relaxing pine tree scent and suddenly feeling awfully drowsy himself. Sinfully comfortable, Jongin nodded off in Kyungsoo's company, failing to notice the pair of razor sharp eyes peering in through the window.

-

This was hella late; I apologize. I have so many ideas swirling around in my head and I have started several other fanfictions, only to tell myself that I need to finish at least one other before committing. Anyway, for those who read my other fanfic, I will try my best to update tomorrow since my first day of high school is Tuesday...yippie...

As always, thank you for reading and please, comment and vote!

-sereneBedlam