Seungmin visibly let out a shaky breath, his hands trembling lightly despite the fact that he was wearing gloves, as the light snowfall obstructed his vision ever so slightly. He glanced around cautiously, adjusting his hat and facemask once more, a nervous habit he picked up years ago, before swiftly and soundlessly crossing the deserted street, slipping into the shadows of one of the many alleyways in this part of the city. Pulling out one of the stones in a seemingly normal wall, Seungmin typed in the secret code on the keypad that emerged, before placing the stone back, whilst a large, slightly rusted iron door, located in a hidden crevice of the dark alleyway, creaked open. The brunette quickly slipped through the gap, releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding, as the door closed behind him, leaving him alone in a dimly lit entranceway.

Punching in another code along with scanning his key card, a different door slid open, much quieter this time. The brunette entered the dark room, leaving his new coat, hat and mask on the coat hanger next to the door, and quietly made his way through the living room into the kitchen. ‘The others must be asleep’, Seungmin thought to himself as he grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it up with water, gulping the liquid down vigorously. Suddenly, he heard fast footsteps behind him, paired with the sound of a gun being cocked. He felt the cold end of the barrel touch the back of his head and slowly raised his now empty hands. “Identify yourself”, he heard a voice say, Seungmin immediately recognising the person to be Jeongin. Seungmin cleared his throat before clearly reciting Stray Kids’ secret code, ending his recital with his own name, exactly how the group had made it up years ago when they started their organisation, just in case an imposter was in their midst. He could feel the pressure from the end of the barrel leave his head as soon as his own name left his lips, the eerie quiet now replaced with sobs. Seungmin whirled around, engulfing the younger in a tight hug as he whispered calming words in the younger’s ear. “W-we thought you were dead”, the younger stammered. “I mean, you were gone for a little over a year”, Jeongin rambled on, his sobs slowly dying down. “A year?”, Seungmin whispered questioningly under his breath, his voice cracking as tears collected themselves in the corners of the brunettes eyes. “You didn’t know?”, Jeongin asked, looking up at Seungmin, his eyes filled with worry. “What happened to you?”, Jeongin continued, releasing himself from Seungmin’s hold, only to hold onto the elder’s sleeves tightly, trying to shake the brunette out of the little daze he had unconsciously slipped into. “What’s happening over here?”, a new voice spoke up, as the lights in the kitchen were finally switched on. “Seungmin?”, Chan questioned, a baffled expression on his face as he tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. “I can explain, I swear, but please can we go to the infirmary first”, Seungmin begged, a pained expression on his face as he clutched his side. “Holy , you’re bleeding”, Jeongin blurted out rather loudly, receiving a glare from the eldest in the room. “I’ll go get Woojin”, Chan announced, switching the lights off again before exiting the kitchen.

Jeongin and Seungmin quietly walked to the infirmary, which was luckily located the furthest away from the bedrooms where the others were hopefully still sound asleep. Seungmin sat down on one of the beds, before carefully taking off the thick, woollen sweater he was wearing, leaving him in only a thin white t-shirt, which was stained with his own blood in several places. Not long after the two youngest had settled down, the two oldest rushed into the room. “”, Woojin muttered upon seeing the state Seungmin was in. “Can you take your shirt off as well?”, Woojin asked whilst rummaging through the large medical cabinet next to the bed. ”You two should head back to bed and get some rest, or wait outside at least. Make sure no one else enters this room for the time being”, Woojin ordered. Chan and Jeongin nodded in response before leaving the room. The couple silently sat down in the hallway right outside the door, Chan pulling the younger in his lap so he’d be more comfortable as the two restlessly waited for further news.

Woojin carefully observed the brunette’s wounds, handing Seungmin a clean rag and ordering him to apply pressure to the huge gash on his left side for the time being. After checking all the other cabinets in the room as fast and thorough as possible, the eldest shot Seungmin a worried glance, opening the door once again to call Chan, who he knew was waiting outside, back inside. “What’s wrong?”, the blonde asked nervously, staring at the bloodied rag pressed against Seungmin’s side. “Well, as you might’ve noticed, he’s bleeding”, Woojin stated matter-of-factly. “This is not the time for jokes”, Chan retorted, gritting his teeth, causing Woojin to quickly apologise. “He has this huge cut on his side that I need to clean and stitch up,” Woojin explained, pausing to look at Seungmin’s pale face, “but we don’t have any anaesthetics or painkillers left, so he’s going to be in a lot of pain. Knowing Seungmin, he’ll probably scream, which might wake up the others”, Woojin added, carefully helping Seungmin, who was beginning to look a little frightened, lay down on his right side. “I need you to keep a close eye on him”, Woojin continued, putting all the materials he needed on a trolley, before wearing his rubber gloves and handing Seungmin a clean towel. “Keep this towel in your mouth to muffle the screams and breathe through your nose. Also, try not to squirm around ”, Woojin instructed.

Seungmin speechlessly nodded and did as Woojin told, fresh tears b the corners of his eyes. “Make sure his breathing stays even and that he stays conscious. Also try to calm him down as much as possible”, Woojin said, looking at their leader, before the two restrained Seungmin to the bed. After making sure Seungmin stayed put in the correct position, Chan squatted down to Seungmin’s level, reaching out his left hand for Seungmin to hold on to and squeeze, whilst his right hand found it’s place in the brunette’s hair, playing with the younger’s strands, something Chan had seen Hyunjin do in the past to calm the younger down, which luckily seemed to be working for the time being.

The following twenty minutes were filled with screams, hisses and apologetic looks, as many tears travelled down Seungmin’s pale cheeks and the tight grip he had on Chan’s hand became much weaker. After completely stitching him up, Woojin ordered Chan to carefully help Seungmin sit up ever so slightly, so he could finish bandaging him up, prompting a couple more screams and yelps from the brunette. All things considered, the operation went without a hitch and Seungmin was moved to a clean bed. “You can rest now, but if you don’t feel well, you have to tell me immediately”, Woojin told the drowsy boy, patting the younger’s head lovingly. “I’ll make sure there’s food for you when you wake up”, Chan added, as he gave the younger’s hand one last squeeze before letting go. Seungmin dazedly nodded, his eyes falling shut almost immediately as sleep overtook him. “I’ll watch over him until he wakes up again, make sure he doesn’t move too much or get a fever”, Woojin spoke, directing his gaze away from the sleeping boy as he swiftly cleaned everything up. “It’s already 5 am,” Chan noted, looking down at his wristwatch before looking back up again, “the others might wake up soon. Jeongin and I will prepare his and your breakfast and make sure no one enters this room for now. We’ll make a plan on how to tell the others of the current events after Seungmin has woken up again,” Chan stated, before slipping out of the room.

As soon as Jeongin saw his lover exit the room, he scrambled to his feet, rubbing his eyes sleepily. “Is Seungmin hyung alright?”, the younger asked worriedly, having heard some of Seungmin’s louder screams through the closed door. Chan nodded, before explaining their next order of business to Jeongin. “Alright”, the younger replied, the tone of his voice a lot lighter and happier. “Let’s go make the best breakfast we’ve ever made”, the younger softly cheered, a sweet smile on his face as he pumped his fist in the air in some kind of heroic position, before giddily grabbing the elder’s hand and dragging him along to the kitchen.

After preparing Seungmin and Woojin’s meals and delivering it to them, Chan and Jeongin began preparing breakfast for themselves and the rest of the team. One by one the other members filed into the kitchen. Minho, being the first to enter, helped Chan out with the last bits and pieces of the breakfast, whilst Jeongin kept himself busy with setting the table. Soon the kitchen was filled with laughter and screaming, mostly coming from Felix and Jisung. Hyunjin was last to enter the room, a dark aura surrounding the tallest member, as he took his seat next to Jeongin without muttering a single word, not in the mood to converse nor eat. “How are you feeling hyung?”, Jeongin asked cutely, only earning a shrug in response from Hyunjin, although the dark circles under his eyes gave away that he clearly hadn’t slept well nor much once again. Ever since Seungmin’s assumed death, Hyunjin had shut everyone out, barely talking to his friends and only answering questions or requests non-verbally or with as little words as possible. He ate a lot less than before and more often than not, the others could hear sobs coming from behind the locked door of Hyunjin and Seungmin’s room. Hyunjin had barely participated in any missions the past year and the team felt like they had lost two members, rather than one.

Where’s Woojin hyung? Wasn’t he the one who was so adamant about having a ‘team breakfast’, Hyunjin suddenly huffed out, his voice slightly hoarse as he used his fingers as air quotes, the loud chatter at the table dying down, the other members eyeing either Chan, Hyunjin or Woojin’s empty seat curiously. “He’s busy, but don’t worry, he has already eaten”, Chan bluffed, as Jeongin’s gaze shifted around the room nervously. “Busy with what?”, Hyunjin pressed, a feeling in his stomach telling him that there’s something odd happening and that their leader isn’t telling the complete truth. “A private mission”, Chan retorted, albeit a bit defensively, startling the rest of the members, as he cursed himself in his mind for not thinking of a cover-up story earlier. “I thought there wouldn’t be any missions this week”, Jisung spoke up, eyeing their leader, confusion etched on his face. “Something came up”, Chan replied, shrugging his shoulders, trying to get the others off his back. “Shouldn’t we help him then?”, Felix piped up, causing Hyunjin to smugly raise an eyebrow. “That’s a great idea Felix,” Hyunjin butted in, “as a matter of fact, I think I’ll go ask him if he needs a hand right now”, Hyunjin continued, already getting up from his seat. Jeongin sent Chan a panicked glance, yet the older sat still in his seat, dumbfounded by Hyunjin’s words. Grabbing onto the elder’s arm rather harshly, Jeongin forcefully pulled Hyunjin back in his seat. “You haven’t even eaten anything yet hyung”, the youngest pouted, using his natural aegyo to his advantage. Hyunjin sighed in response and quietly ate his breakfast, not being able to resist the maknae’s cuteness.

‘First he doesn’t talk for months and then he tries to disobey me and pull a stunt like this’, Chan thought to himself, anger boiling in his veins, though his outside demeanour stayed the same. “He’s just getting some more supplies for the infirmary, it’s not that big of a deal”, Chan sighed out, rubbing his temples. “During our assessment a couple days ago, we discovered that we’d run out of a couple items, like painkillers and stuff”, Chan added. The others nodded in acknowledgement, not having a reason to doubt their leader, and the topic was dropped after that, but Hyunjin continued to eye their leader suspiciously, the taller not missing the big, relieved sigh that left the elder’s lips after normal conversations ensued.

“Can we have a group movie day today?”, Jisung excitedly asked after almost everyone had finished eating. Murmurs of agreement were heard across the table and soon everyone was spread out on the living room couches, a bunch of snacks placed on the centre table. During the first movie, Chan had gotten a text from Woojin stating that Seungmin had finally woken up. Lifting Jeongin off of his lap, after giving his boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek, the blonde swiftly left the room. Hyunjin noticed their leader’s rushed escape and stealthily snuck out of the room, following Chan down the halls. He saw Chan slip into the infirmary and soundlessly neared the door, pressing his ear against the cold wood to listen in on his hyungs’ conversation.

“How are you feeling”, Chan asked Seungmin, who was slowly chewing away at his late breakfast. “It hurts a lot, but at least I’m alive”, Seungmin replied, voice scratchy from all the yelling he’s done. The younger pushed himself up a little, trying to sit up straighter, wincing and letting out a groan due to the movement. “We should go out and buy some strong painkillers as soon as possible”, Woojin said, walking closer to the bed. “I cleaned and bandaged up the rest of his smaller wounds when he was asleep, but I need to clean his big wound regularly, which is once again really going to hurt”, Woojin added, helping Seungmin sit up properly. “How has Hyunjin been? Can I see him?”, Seungmin suddenly asked, desperation clear in his voice, startling both the people inside the room as well as the one listening outside. Before either Chan or Woojin could answer, the door swung open with a rather loud bang. Both Hyunjin and Seungmin froze in their places as they took in each other’s appearance with tears in their eyes. Hyunjin was the first to move again, practically running over to Seungmin before carefully wrapping his boyfriend in a loving hug, the quiet room filling with sobs and sniffles. As the two started to calm down, Hyunjin distanced himself a little from Seungmin, placing his hands on either side of the brunette’s face, caressing his cheeks lovingly as he stared into his lover’s eyes, before closing the gap between them, kissing the younger with everything he had. After the two parted for air, Hyunjin wrapped his arms around Seungmin once again, the two getting lost in their own world.

Clearing his voice, Chan decided to break the silence, his head filled with questions that really needed answering. “I’ll go get some painkillers in a few, but first I need to know what happened to you. I mean, we thought you were dead”, Chan declared, looking at Seungmin. Hyunjin felt Seungmin’s body stiffen as the younger let out a shaky breath. Letting go of his boyfriend to give him some space, Hyunjin sat down on the chair next to bed, his eyes never leaving Seungmin. Seungmin took a big gulp of water and tightly grabbed his boyfriend’s hand before starting his story.

“Remember the mission with the renowned drugs cartel?”, Seungmin began, the other three males nodding in response, grim looks on their faces as memories of the only mission they’ve ever failed flashed through their minds; the mission where they had ‘lost’ Seungmin. “As you can probably guess, I managed to get out of the building before it exploded”, Seungmin continued, his gaze shifting between s, before lingering on Hyunjin. “After getting split up from the rest, I escaped through one of the side-entrances. Before I knew it though, a bunch of the cartel’s low rank minions had surrounded me. They knocked me out cold, put a bag on my head and took me to their other location, which is where I received most of these bruises and cuts. I was stuck in this plain, unfurnished room for god knows how long, when one day one of the new recruits forgot to lock the door properly. I took my chance and bolted out of the room. Luckily, the new building had a similar layout to their old building. I managed to find an old, unguarded fire-exit and ran into the city. At the time, I didn’t know where I was, so I tried to find the nearest police station, figuring that they were my best option to get back to you guys. What was left of the cartel however, had discovered my absence and were hot on my tail, so I hid out in one of the abandoned industrial buildings I found. After daybreak had arrived, I left my hide-out and ran to busiest street I could find, asking the people there for directions. This kind old lady noticed the state I was in and escorted me to where I needed to be, Busan police station. After telling the receptionist and a shortened version of what had happened to me, they took me in for questioning. After realising I was in fact telling the truth, through a DNA-test and a lie-detector, they privately transported me to the police station in Seoul, where our higher-ups were waiting for me. They returned my employee-card to me and gave me some clean clothes to change into, before ordering me to return to base. They also told me I was declared dead, so I should avoid public places as much as possible, until they’d fixed my files. They couldn’t inform you of my return, however, due to the systems crashing earlier that day, so they kind of just let me leave after that. I was only a couple blocks away, when I got jumped by a group of random muggers. I managed to fend them off, but one of those s stabbed me, which is where this one comes from”, Seungmin said, gesturing to his side. The base was the only place I could go, so I decided to wait till nightfall in case I was still being followed, before arriving here last night”, Seungmin ended his story, voice wavering and fresh tears leaking from his eyes, which he almost angrily tried to wipe away. “Gosh, I’m such a cry baby”, Seungmin muttered under his breath.

It was silent for a while, save from a few sounds Seungmin let out. “Crying is not a weakness. You did well”, Chan spoke up in a soft, caring tone. “We’re so happy you’re back, all you need to worry about right now is getting better. If you need anything, just ask any of us, although I’m relatively sure Hyunjin isn’t going to be leaving your side for a while, seeing how depressed he was without you”, Chan teased, causing Hyunjin’s face to flush red. “Woojin and I will inform the rest of your return and the current situation. We’ll also make sure you get some painkillers as soon as possible. You guys should catch up or something”, Chan added awkwardly before leaving the infirmary, Woojin hot on his tail.

“Are you comfortable? Do you need anything? Do I need to get you something to drink or something?”, Hyunjin almost frantically rambled, eyeing Seungmin’s empty glass, already springing to his feet, ready to get whatever Seungmin wanted. “Calm down Jinnie”, Seungmin giggled, taking his boyfriend’s hands in his, weaving their fingers together, a wide grin spreading on the taller’s face upon noticing the brunette’s happy expression. “God I missed you”, Hyunjin said breathlessly, bringing his hands to the younger’s cheeks once again to leave a lingering kiss on the younger’s forehead. “I want to cuddle”, Seungmin whined, letting out a pained groan as he tried to move over to make some space for the taller. Hyunjin immediately stopped him, concern written on his face as he helped Seungmin lay down properly. “As much as I would love that, I think it’s best for you to try and stay as still as possible sweetheart”, Hyunjin replied, rhythmically carding his hand through his boyfriend’s hair. The younger closed his eyes, his heart skipping a beat at the pet name, as he let out a satisfied hum at the feeling, before stifling a yawn. “You should get some rest sweetheart”, Hyunjin said, sitting back down next to the younger without stopping his other movements. The shorter reopened his eyes, a pout forming on his lips. “But I want to spend more time with you”, Seungmin whined, squeezing his boyfriend’s hand lovingly. “I really missed you too, you know”, Seungmin added. “We have all the time in the world, so you don’t have to worry about that, love. I’ll be right here when you wake up again and I promise you that I’ll give you lots of cuddles and take you on lots of dates when your wounds have healed”, Hyunjin responded fondly, placing a chaste kiss on the younger’s pouty lips, causing the younger’s face to turn bright red. Seungmin slowly started slipping into dreamland, letting out a bunch of, in Hyunjin’s opinion, cute yawns in the process, as a wide, satisfied smile was painted on his face.

Around an hour later, the door was quietly opened as the rest of the group entered the room. “We got the painkillers”, Chan whispered to Hyunjin, who nodded in response, taking the box from Chan’s hand and placing it beside him on the bedside table. Hyunjin tore his eyes away from his boyfriend’s sleeping figure, taking in his teammates happy expressions, before quietly apologising for his recent behaviour, blushing and scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. “It’s alright, we understand”, Minho replied for all of them and Hyunjin knew they were going to be alright. They were finally whole again.