(A/N: Another really long chapter that killed my brain, yay. Have fun *goes into hiding*)

“Hyunwoo… Hyunwoo…”, Kihyun's anxious voice slowly seeped through the dizziness in his head. Ever so slowly he opened his eyes and looked up at the younger boy's worried face.

“What happened? How long was I out?” His lips took an awfully long time to form the words.

“Only a couple of seconds, but Hoseok and Minhyuk are already pretty close to killing each other”, Kihyun answered, pulling at Hyunwoo's shirt to help him sit back up. Behind him Hoseok was throwing punches at Minhyuk, while Changkyun and Hyungwon were trying to hold them back.

“Guys, stop. Please”, Hyunwoo said as he stood up with Kihyun's help. Minhyuk landed another punch on Hoseok's jaw, making the other growl with anger. Changkyun grabbed Hoseok's arm but just got pushed to the ground as the older one punched Minhyuk in the stomach.

“STOP IT!”, Hyunwoo shouted and Kihyun took a cautious step back. His voice echoed in the room and surprisingly enough Hoseok dropped his fist and Minhyuk let go of the boy's collar.

“Look at me”, the oldest hissed at them but they just stood there, eyes filled with hatred and still fixed on each other, breathing heavily.

“Hoseok! Minhyuk!”, Hyunwoo bellowed, “I swear if you don't look at me right now, I will make you two regret your entire existence.”

Almost in slow motion their heads turned, breaking eye contact with each other only at the last moment and looked at Hyunwoo instead. The oldest didn't say anything, just locked eyes with Hoseok until the boy threw his hands over his mouth and sank to his knees with a shocked expression.

“It happened again. No no no, it happened again. I'm so sorry”, he kept mumbling apologies as his gaze drifted to the floor, too ashamed to look at anyone else.

Hyunwoo ignored him and stared down Minhyuk instead.

“What? I… what?”, he just stuttered, looking around in confusion. He saw Kihyun pulling Changkyun off the ground, Hoseok's crouching figure next to the couch and the expression of hurt on Hyungwon's face and he understood none of it.

“Hoseok!”

The boy interrupted his stream of apologies but didn't dare to look up. “Yes.”

“Go to my room, sit on the bed and wait for me. Do not move until I get there”, Hyunwoo ordered in a stern voice and Hoseok nodded.

“Yes”, he said and hurried off into the direction of the older one's room still not looking at anyone.

“Minhyuk!”

Hyunwoo turned around to the other boy.

“Yes?”

“Sit down”, he hissed but his anger started to fade away when he saw the scared expression on Minhyuk's face. He motioned for the others to leave the room.

“Can you wait in the kitchen? I want to talk to him alone.”

Without questioning him for a second they just nodded and left without saying another word although Hyungwon shot a concerned glance back at Minhyuk before disappearing into the hallway.

Once they were gone Hyunwoo let out a long sigh and sat down on the couch table in front of Minhyuk.

“Okay, what happened here exactly?”, he asked the younger boy who still wore the grimace of nervousness and confusion on his face.

“I don't know. I was really light-headed and I don't know. We got here and now I'm sitting here and… and… I don't know. I'm so confused. What happened? Hyunwoo…”

The older one brought a comforting smile onto his lips. “Calm down Minhyuk. Just breathe and then tell me what you can remember, okay? Let's start with the moment when you collapsed.”

Minhyuk nodded and rubbed his hands together. He did as Hyunwoo had told him and took a few deep breaths, trying to recollect his memories.

“Okay”, he said and began to tell Hyunwoo what he remembered, “So we were done with shopping and wanted to take the bus back home. I was looking at the arrival times and then suddenly I felt really light-headed and the world started spinning. And I couldn't breathe. It was so scary, hyung. I felt like I was being choked. Like no matter what I would do, how hard I would try to breathe there was no air coming through.”

He paused for a moment, shivering at the memory.

Hyunwoo nudged his arm, trying to get him back to the present. “What was choking you?”

“Nothing, I guess? I couldn't feel anything on my neck but when I looked at my hands they were covered in blood. Or at least that's what I thought but I out right after that. When I woke up we were on the bus and almost here already. I tried to ask them about the blood but Hyungwon said that there hadn't been any but I'm so sure that I saw it. It was all over my fingers and it was warm and and and…”

“Hey hey hey, calm down, Minhyuk. Don't panic. It's okay. You are not bleeding. Deep breaths, remember?”

Minhyuk nodded hastily.

“What happened then?”

“Uhm”, Minhyuk leaned his head to one side, “we got here. And we came into the living room. I was feeling awful, really awful, like I had just been overrun by a truck or something but the moment I saw Hoseok… I'm sorry.”

“Continue.”

Minhyuk looked at Hyunwoo for a second, contemplating on whether or not to tell him the truth. Maybe that was best.

“I saw Hoseok and I got angry. Really angry. Don't ask me why, please because I don't know, but when I saw him I just hated him so much and I wanted him gone. I felt like… like he was threatening me, my existence. So I just wanted him gone. And I was so angry.”

The older one nodded. “Do you remember what happened after that?”

“No”, Minhyuk answered truthfully and shook his head, “I have no idea.”

For a while they sat there in silence while Hyunwoo studied Minhyuk, trying to figure out if the other boy was hiding anything from him. In the end he just sighed again.

“Do you still feel angry?”, he asked and watched carefully when Minhyuk answered.

“No, I don't feel angry any more. I'm just exhausted and confused and I don't know… scared?”

Hyunwoo reached out, grabbed Minhyuk's hands and held them gently, feeling oddly reminded of how he had held Hoseok's hands earlier.

“It's going to be fine, okay? We'll figure out what is happening to the two of you. So don't worry”, he promised and pulled Minhyuk off the couch, “Let's go and join the others in the kitchen, what do you say?”

Minhyuk just nodded and followed Hyunwoo.

When they got to the kitchen Kihyun and Changkyun were in the middle of a discussion while Hyungwon just sat next to them with an unreadable face, staring at his fingers that were playing with a napkin. He was the first of them to look up when Hyunwoo gently pushed Minhyuk through the door and towards the table but he looked back at his fingers again just as quickly.

“Okay guys”, Hyunwoo announced, “as long as we don't know what is going on let's not blame each other, okay? Just be nice.”

Kihyun was the first to nod and Hyungwon the one who didn't nod at all.

“Oh oh”, Changkyun muttered while looking from Hyungwon to Minhyuk, earning him a warning gaze from Hyunwoo, “trouble in paradise.”

“Where is Jooheon?”, Hyunwoo asked and only got clueless shrugs in response.

“Have you not seen him since the fight started?”

Kihyun shook his head. “No. I remember he got pushed by… doesn't matter. He fell and I don't know where he went then.”

The oldest frowned and rubbed his forehead.

“Well, there is not really much we can do about it if he just left. Let's hope he's okay. Uhm, I will go and talk to Hoseok. If Jooheon comes back or you need anything, just knock but other than that I think I will go to sleep. So, good night.”

“Good night, hyung”, Changkyun and Kihyun said simultaneously, making them giggle like school girls and high five each other. A tired “Good night” from Minhyuk followed him as he left the kitchen and walked down the hallway. He stopped in front of his door for a moment before turning the knob, closing the door as soon as he had entered.

There wasn't much in his room. Just a closet, a shelf filled with some books and CDs to the left, a desk right in front of the quite big window and a bed on the right side but because of its size kind of in the middle of the room. Hoseok was sitting on it, his back turned to the door and stared out of the window in front of him. But Hyunwoo saw the small movements of his arms, back and forth, scratching his thighs and he probably had never moved this quickly before in his life. He rushed over to the bed and slung his arms around Hoseok's body from behind, immobilizing his arms.

“Hoseok, Hoseok, Hoseok”, he murmured into the boy's ear while quickly pecking his cheek, “Don't do this to yourself. Stop it.”

He laced his fingers through Hoseok's and was glad that he had put so many layers of bandages since the other hadn't managed to scratch through them yet. Hoseok looked down at their hands.

“I swear Hyunwoo, I didn't know I was doing this.”

The older one just pulled him onto his lap and hugged a little bit closer but Hoseok managed to turn around to him.

“Hyung, please believe me when I tell you this. I wouldn't do this to myself if I was in my right mind. I wouldn't be doing any of this but since we came back from the Magic World I feel so strange.”

Hyunwoo nodded slowly. “Let's think about this tomorrow. I have a headache so let's just go to sleep.”

“Hyung?”, Hoseok said, letting his hands wander over Hyunwoo's arms and looked at the older boy, “Did I hurt you? Do you have a headache because of something I did?”

“No, it's fine. It doesn't matter who pushed me so don't worry about it. What matters is that we find out why this is happening to you and Minhyuk.”

Hoseok agreed quietly, crawled off Hyunwoo's lap and slipped under the blanket, looking out of the window again. The older one laid down next to him and tugged lightly at his shirt. Reluctantly Hoseok turned around to face him.

“I love you”, Hyunwoo whispered and caressed Hoseok's cheek, “I love you so much.”

“Really? You still love me?”

In response Hyunwoo just pushed up his chin and pulled him a little bit closer, joining their lips in a sweet kiss. Hoseok's eyes fluttered shut.

“I love you too”, he mumbled when they broke away and cuddled into Hyunwoo's chest, enjoying the feeling of the other boy's protective arms around himself.

**

Jooheon woke up in a bed that was definitely not his own but not the mattress on the floor in Hyunwoo's living room either. The dim sunlight fell through the cracks of the dark curtains, creating playful patterns on the floor and the comfortable warmth of the blanket wrapped around him was already luring him back to sleep when he felt someone play with his hair. He considered turning around but felt to weak to actually do so. Instead he just settled for a quiet “Hm…”

“Are you awake?”

The faint whisper was much closer to him than he had expected it.

“No”, he groaned in response and cuddled deeper under the blanket. He heard a muffled chuckle behind himself, the sheets were ruffled and then he felt the hot breath on his skin as the other boy placed a delicate kiss on the side of his neck.

“You seem to be awake though.”

Jooheon just shook his head slightly, the movement reminding him instantly of the dull pain behind his forehead. “No…”

He felt the lips move against his skin as the other one pouted and began to speak.

“Really? I pretty much carried you here last night, helped you brush your teeth and let you sleep in my bed and this is how you thank me for it? By ignoring me?”

He felt his blanket being lifted, an arm snaking around his waist and a body snuggling up against his backside. It was a tempting thought to just go back to sleep like that but the other's lips leaving a trail of kisses on his clothed shoulder made clear that this was not an option. So he sighed and finally turned around instantly regretting the decision as his body protested against any kind of major movement. He felt a single finger brushing over his forehead, tucking some strands of hair behind his ears, and he opened his eyes. A warm smile greeted him as he looked into the most handsome face he had ever seen. Soft skin framed by messy blonde dyed hair, big double lidded eyes staring at him fondly, making him feel like he could get lost in their dark brown depths. And every time he looked at it, he found something new to admire about it.

“Good morning”, the other said and Jooheon got mesmerized by the way his plump pink lips moved. They looked so soft and so inviting. He just wanted to kiss them, feel them moving against his own.

“Do you feel any better?” It took a while until the rough but gentle voice had pulled him out of his thoughts and made its way to his brain. He nodded slightly and scooted closer to the other boy, wanting to feel his warmth.

“So what happened last night? You looked like you had drunk a little too much and got into a bar fight but you don't smell of alcohol. So I guess that's not what happened.”

Jooheon groaned. “I didn't drink”, he said and felt embarrassed by the way his voice cracked and broke off. He got handed a glass of water instantly, feeling the worried eyes of the other piercing his body as he gulped down the water.

“I kinda got into a fight with my friends”, he admitted truthfully and he didn't have to look at the other to know that he was frowning.

“What did they do?”, the boy growled, his grip on Jooheon's hip tightening slightly.

“I… nothing… it's fine. It doesn't matter”, Jooheon said defensively. How could he explain what happened without sounding either crazy or making his friends look like dangerous and evil men?

“Jooheon”, the other insisted and his voice let him know that he did expect a satisfying answer, “You were bleeding and you looked like crap. It definitely does matter.”

Another wave of embarrassment rushed through Jooheon's body. Why did the other have to see him like that? How he had been crying, emptying his stomach onto the street and trembling with weakness. Jooheon buried his face in the pillow and immediately he felt the others hand in his hair.

“Hey, it's okay. We all have moments where we don't look presentable. But you were still cute. You always are”, the boy reassured and Jooheon looked back up at him.

“Okay”, he sighted, “You can't tell anyone about this though.”

The other nodded reluctantly and pouted as the thought of not being able to do much about the situation didn't please him.

“We got into a fight in which Minhyuk hit me and my head hit against the wall. But he didn't mean to do that.”

“You shouldn't hang out with them any more”, the boy said and pulled Jooheon closer to his chest again.

“They are my friends”, Jooheon defended himself but the other didn't look satisfied with that.

“They hit you!”

“Minhyuk didn't mean it.”

A frustrated growl filled Jooheon's ears. “Whether he meant to hit you or not, there is absolutely no acceptable reason for hitting your friend”, he said and after a short moment he added, “Unless they are possessed by a demon or turning into a werewolf, I guess.”

A few days ago Jooheon would have laughed about the last sentence but now after everything he had experienced the thought scared him.

“Do you believe in that?”, he asked with an unsure voice.

“Believe in what? That a person shouldn't hit their friends? Yes, I absolutely do believe in that.”

Jooheon shook his head. “No, I mean uhm werewolves and demons and such. Maybe… ugh, never mind.”

The other looked at him for a moment as if he was thinking deeply about something but then he chuckled. “Maybe you hit your head harder than you had thought.”

“Yeah, that's probably it”, Jooheon said and nuzzled his blushing face into the other's chest, deeply inhaling his familiar scent and enjoying the feeling of the strong comforting arms around his body. For a while they laid like this in a tight embrace but then the other pulled away from Jooheon.

“So, do you want to eat breakfast now?”, he asked but Jooheon shook his head.

“No. I should go back to Hyunwoo's place as quickly as I can. I left in the middle of the fight because… I just couldn't stand it any longer. But I should go back there”, he said and after seeing the look on the other boy's face he added, “I know tha