Jooheon finds himself… oddly glad that he’s come out tonight. The full moon is shining and casting its unearthly aura across the city, and everyone seems to be in a good mood because of it. Their friend, Hoseok, bartends at their favorite club that night, and they get their drinks half off. The music is particularly well-picked, earning even a nod of approval from Hyungwon, their resident DJ-extraordinaire.

The thumping EDM and grinding bodies on the dancefloor have proven to be quite the inspirational atmosphere, just the thing he needed to get his gears going again to stay on-schedule for his next mixtape.

Basically, after a few drinks and even getting a cute guy’s number, he’s leaving the club feeling as if he’s on Cloud Nine. He whistles as he walks, a certain jaunt to his step as he spins his keys. The moonlight reflects in the little silver objects, reminding him of the stars themselves.

He’s a bit distracted as he walks, not really paying attention to his surroundings. If he was, maybe he’d have been able to see it coming. Maybe he’d have heard it coming. Maybe, if he’d have taken his friends up on their offer to walk him back to his place, they’d have been able to save him…

Sadly, hindsight is 20/20, and Jooheon would have possibly done all those things looking back on it. But, that night, his brain buzzed on booze and euphoria, he made all those mistakes, instead, and was completely oblivious to the large, furry creature bounding towards him.

He only takes notice when the thing has run into him, sending him flying against the chain-link fence. Before he knows what’s hit him, the underground rapper is howling out in pain, his vision blinking in and out from the piercing burn as his throat is torn into. Hot, thick blood pours out of the now-open veins, making his breaths wet and difficult to take.

Jooheon blinks once, then twice, his voice dying in his chest. He stares up at the moon, trying to think anything good to say for his final moments, for surely it’s come.

He sees no light at the end of the tunnel, no insanely poetic thing comes to mind for anyone that could possibly find him in time to jot down… He just succumbs to the black shadows overtaking his vision, passing out on the sidewalk.

“I can’t believe this…”

“Ki, don’t at him right now. Just let him be.”

“I just wish he’d have let us walk him home…”

“What would we have done??? Screamed for help?”

“It’s just lucky that guy found him in time…”

“C’mon, Heonney, just wake up…”

Jooheon isn’t sure of where he is, really. He hears vaguely familiar voices around him all throughout the day (or night?), saying the same things over and over. How they can’t believe this has happened, how they wish they had been there for him when he’d needed it. Only, he can’t think of what’s happened.

He also doesn’t know for how long he’s swimming here in this unending night, the physical world just at his fingertips but still somehow unattainable. He just knows that when he opens his eyes finally, it feels as if they’re sealed shut with cement. His entire body is drenched in molasses, making his minute movements nearly unbearable in their sluggishness. He looks around with a groan, a muted beep his only answer. He weakly looks around, his neck feeling oddly stiff.

“You’re awake.”

Jooheon looks slowly to the other side, his eyes widening at seeing not his friends there, but the man who’s just moved in across the hall. He flops his mouth open and closed to speak despite not knowing what it is he should say.

Luckily, he’s saved from blabbering like an idiot when a door on the far wall creaks open hesitantly. Minhyuk pops his head in, his worn expression shifting to that of a delighted child instantly.

“Heon!!” he cries out, launching himself across the room and landing in Jooheon’s arms. Jooheon catches him with a strained grunt, and Minhyuk pulls away with a small chuckle, sounding a bit sheepish.

“Sorry… I’m just so glad you’re finally awake!” His smile is brighter than the sun, and Jooheon has to blink repeatedly against the light. He finally thinks of something to say, though he has to clear his throat twice to speak it.

“What happened?” He grips painfully at his neck, surprised to feel a bandage there. “Wh… What’s this?”

Minhyuk’s brow furrows in concern, and he crosses his arms over his chest.

“You don’t remember…?” Jooheon shakes his head no in response, and Minhyuk sighs heavily as he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. He looks over to Jooheon’s neighbor… Hyunwoo, was his name?

“You were there, you wanna tell him?”

The bulky man shifts in his seat, nodding solemnly.

“You were attacked by… a dog,” Hyunwoo says softly, not meeting Jooheon’s eyes. “I chased it off and brought you here. You’ve been unconscious for three days.”

“Th-Three days?!” Jooheon stammers out, wincing at the pain shooting through his neck. “I… It can’t be three days! I had a deadline! I—”

“It’s fine, we told your company already and they understood,” Minhyuk interrupts, allowing the stranger in the room to fall back into a silence. Jooheon shakes his head as fast as he can manage without forcing that pain back, keeping a hand set against the wound he just hopes is healing properly.

“I’ll go get the doctor,” Minhyuk says suddenly, striding back the way he’d just come. “He hasn’t really been telling us anything about your progress, so now at least we’ll know what the hell is going on with you…” Jooheon huffs out a sigh as he watches his friend leave without another word, leaving him with the virtual stranger.

“Thank you…” he says, feeling somewhat awkward with the silence that follows Minhyuk’s exit. Hyunwoo gives another nod, unblinking.

“I’m glad I found you.”

He offers a smile then, the expression somewhat surprising on his stoic face. Jooheon returns the expression easily, thinking that the least he can do for the man who’d possibly just saved his life…