His chest hurt.

Jisoo opened his eyes, disoriented by the darkness engulfing him. For a horrible second, Soonyoung's bright smile hovered above him before the remnants of his dream dispersed - but the unease remained, simmering in his chest.

With a quiet groan, he reached for Chan, his hand finding the sleeping male next to him, and he curled closer against his back.

He closed his eyes to focus and traced the discomfort back to his bonds. While ten of his eleven bonds only transmitted vague feelings of content, the eleventh one was churning in his chest, fear and despair running through it like a call for help.

Jisoo's sat up at once, his eyes wide in panic and hand already wrapped around his phone, but Chan's quiet groan at the sudden motion caused him to stop. The younger had been exhausted after studying for an upcoming exam and Jisoo really didn't want to wake him.

Slowly, he climbed out of his bed, careful not to move the mattress too much, and sneaked out of the bedroom. He released his breath when the door closed behind him.

It only took seconds to scroll through the contacts on his phone. With shaking fingers, he pressed Hansol's icon, a goofy picture of them that Seungkwan had taken a few weeks prior.

Only voicemail answered. Another small pang of panic burst in Jisoo's chest.

What now?

He eyed Jun's name for a moment but he could feel that the other was still deeply asleep.

The Wielder stood in front of his sofa, torn between waking his Forcebearers or making his way over to Jeonghan's flat to check what was going on when something changed in Hansol's bond: The fear subsided slightly and warmth seeped through it. Jisoo had the strong suspicion that the Warrior had noticed his concern and was trying to calm him down - which only strengthened his resolve to help the other with whatever hardship he was currently facing.

It took him six and a half minutes to brush his teeth and get dressed.

Jisoo was nibbling on his lower lip, fingers nervously twirling a thread of his worn-out parka, while the taxi driver hummed a quiet melody next to him. To the Wielder's relief, the elderly man hadn't asked any questions after confirming the destination and they had spent several minutes in silence while street lights flashed past the windows.

It was by sheer luck that Jisoo recognized Hansol's new, bright green jacket in the lights of a convenience store, only a few streets down the apartment building.

"Please stop the car!"

The driver looked unamused but slowed down while Jisoo peered out of the window, trying to confirm if it really was his Warrior. The hair colour looked similar enough so he apologized and paid before he stumbled out of the taxi. Eyes fixated on the familiar back, he hurried down the almost empty street.

"Hansol?" he called, slightly worried that he would make a fool out of himself in front of a stranger, but to his relief, the figure turned at the sound of his voice. Surprise rushed through their bond, almost burying the darker feelings.

"Jisoo? Why are you here?" Concern almost immediately joined surprise. "It's dangerous!"

Jisoo studied the face of his Bonded, noting the way his eyes seemed to have lost their usually lively sparkle. "You're one to talk," he retorted and a small smile flickered over Hansol's face. "I was worried. What's wrong, mh?"

"I just didn't sleep well," the younger mumbled as he looked down, unable to meet his eyes, and the Wielder raised an eyebrow. "Want something from the store? I'm paying."

Although the change of topic couldn't have been more obvious, Jisoo didn't pry. Making his Bonded uncomfortable was the last thing he wanted, so he nodded and smiled at Hansol's thumbs up. His cheeks flushed when the Warrior grabbed his hand to pull him into the shop.

"Did you finally get used to your boss?" Jisoo asked before taking another sip of his strawberry milk.

Hansol, huddled up against him on the park bench, grimaced. "He's still a . No clue how Minghao survives working for him. The pay is nice though, not gonna lie. I can