Three AM found young Ren curled up in bed but wide awake, unable to sleep without his best friend, his protector beside him.

 

Baekho had been MIA for nearly three days now after failing to return from his night guard duties. Jinah, also known as Nana and the girl that shared a room with the two youngest boys, had been with Baekho at the time. She had been missing for thirty-six hours before finally showing up in hysterics because she and Baekho had been separated amidst a fight with who-knows-what. Ren, surprisingly, hadn't freaked out much at all, knowing that his best friend would come back, because he always came back. 

 

But another day went by and their crew had heard nothing from the fifteen-year-old weather master, not even so much as a sign that he was okay. Ren put on a mask, figuratively, to hide the fact that he was being torn apart inside thinking about the possibility that Baekho was-- No. No, he wasn't dead. He was alive, and he would come back. 

 

Ren shifted under the covers, again, pulling them over his head to block out the dark, quiet world around him, to hide the tears that were rolling down his cheeks even though he knew no one would see them. He tried to keep his sobs as silent as he could, but it was difficult when a million different scenarios, each worse than the previous, were running through his mind; and he shouldn't have been surprised when he felt the side of his bed dip down. 

 

"Ren..." It was Nana, his-- their roommate. "Sweetie, what's wrong?" 

 

Holding still, the younger blonde tried to make it seem like he was sleeping, but there would be no fooling Nana. She was smart, observant, and probably knew his habits better than he did. After a long moment, Ren turned over onto his back and pulled the covers down to reveal is tear stained cheeks. 

 

"What-- What if he doesn't come back?" 

 

Nana reached over and ran her fingers over Ren's forehead, brushing away several strands of hair. "He'll come back, he always comes back."

 

Over the years, that line had become their motto, something they said to each other when they feared losing one of their own, because they always had to have hope that the lost would find their way home. 

 

Ren nodded and wiped the tears from his face with the end of his comforter before speaking. "Nana, sleep with me?" 

 

Both he and Nana knew that the question was harmless, completely unual, something they had often asked each other -- Baekho included -- should any of them be out for night guard duties. With a reassuring smile, she nodded and slid under the covers next to Ren. She placed a kiss against his forehead before wrapping her arms around the young boy and pulling him close to her. 

 

"Sleep, Ren." For the few hours we have left of the night, sleep.

 

~*~*~

 

"." Their leader, Seongwoong -- whom everyone knew as Tablo -- cursed as he slammed the TV remote down on the living room coffee table. 

 

In a matter a seconds, he was on his feet and making his way down the hall where the younger members of his group roomed. The first door on the right was where Changsun, or Joon, as he was known, roomed with Jaehyo and Youngmin, and while the two younger ones were already out and making rounds, Joon was still sleeping. Though, no one could blame him; he'd been on guard last night and hadn't gotten in until after four; but that didn't stop Tablo from charging in and noisily rousing the boy from his sleep. 

 

", hyung," the younger of the two hissed as he walked -- or, rather, was dragged out of his room by his hair. "What the hell did I do?"

 

Tablo stopped and pointed towards the television where pictures of a burning oil reserve flickered across the screen. "That is what you did, you reckless idiot. If you don't learn to control yourself better, so help me, Lee Joon, I will scatter pieces of you across this planet faster than you can blink."

 

Joon's gaze darted from the television to Tablo and back to the television before he looked at his leader once again and finally spoke. "That wasn't me, hyung." The tone in his voice held truth and innocent, right along side the expression on his face and the look in his eyes, but Tablo wasn't buying it.

 

"Bull, it wasn't. You were on duty last night-"

 

"No--" Joon cut him off; not a smart move on his part, but he wasn't going to take the blame for what he didn't do. "I mean, yes, I was on duty, but that's on the other side of the river, hyung. Look." 

 

Tablo's attention turned towards the TV just in time to see the tail end of the news report, a video with an aerial view of the scene. There were no subtitles, no labels saying where this was taking place, but it was obvious to him that it wasn't his territory, that this wasn't Joon's doing. 

 

On the south side of the river, the Nothern Guard -- Tablo's crew of nine, all of whom he jokingly called his misfits -- was to remain neutral. They weren't to cause trouble or fight, no matter what situation arose; the south side was for the Southern Guard to keep track of and protect. Those rules are what the leaders of both groups had long since established, before the current leaders took their place. Tablo's juniors knew these rules and knew that breaking them would result in less than pleasant consequences. 

 

Without saying anything to Joon, no reply or apology, Tablo released him and trudged off in the direction of the kitchen where he found his second in command, Geunee -- known to them as Aoora -- in the middle of his usual morning routine of making breakfast. It smelled amazing, as usual, but this time Tablo knew he wouldn't be able to stick around and enjoy it. 

 

"I'm going to go out and see what I can find out about the explosion," he told the younger male as he snatched a piece of toast and some bacon off plates on the counter. "You think you can handle being in charge and sending Joon and Nana out for rounds after lunch?" 

 

Tablo knew he would be able to count on Aoora, it's why he'd picked the boy as his second in command. The boy was kind, gentle -- and, damn, he was a good cook -- but he knew how to crack a whip and lay down the rules when necessary. 

 

"Of course, hyung," Aoora replied without hesitation as he worked on scrambling eggs. "Be careful, okay? Call if you need help or if you're going to be out late."

 

The elder chuckled and gave the other a pat on the back. "Arasso," he said, grabbing another piece of toast before heading back out. 

 

From his spot at the stove, Aoora could hear their leader yelling something, most likely strict instructions, at Joon, and then it was silent. It was these brief moments of quiet that Aoora reveled in, because they were always short lived and very rare to come by. If they weren't out fighting whatever bastard that had decided to wreak havoc on their territory, then there was some war going on between the members in their apartment; neighbors had complained more than once and they'd been on the verge of being kicked out a little over a year ago. But, Tablo, being the talker he was, had used words to convince the landlord that they wouldn't do it again. 

 

Aoora had been musing over random thoughts for a good five minutes when he heard feet shuffling against the tile floor of the kitchen. Looking up, he saw their youngest member, Ren, making his way to the kitchen table, seeming more exhausted than normal. He knew the boy hadn't been sleeping well, not with his roommate and childhood friend missing, and he couldn't blame him for being worried; they all were, but some could hide it better than others. 

 

Ren looked at Aoora, hopeful, thinking that someone would have heard from Baekho this morning, but the elder male only gave him a half hearted smile and shook his head. Aoora wished he’d had good news for the blonde, but the truth, in the end, was always better than telling someone what they wanted to hear. After scooping some eggs, bacon, sausage, and a couple pancakes onto a plate, he walked over to the table and set the food in front of Ren with intentions of making him eat whether he wanted to or not. 

 

"It'll be okay, sweetie," Aoora said quietly as he ducked down and kissed the top of the younger's blonde head. "He'll come back, he always comes back."

 

Ren let out a quiet sigh. "You all say that, but I'm finding it harder and har-"

 

Just then, the front door opened and closed again. The younger boy looked up at Aoora, panic evident in both their expressions as they quickly processed scenarios, fighting tacticts, and escape routes. This is what they had been trained to do when anything out of the ordinary occurred: act fast and think even faster. 

 

No one was expecting anyone to come home at this time. Tablo had just left to go inspect the damage of the oil reserve, Jaehyo and Youngmin were out making rounds and weren't supposed to be back before lunch, and everyone else was already home. Who else could-

 

Ren's eyes went wide and he turned in his chair, but froze before he could even stand up. There, in the doorway to the kitchen, stood a roughed up, worn down, exhausted-looking Baekho. His clothes were torn up in several places, his skin was covered with a layer or two of sweat and dirt and grime, and it looked as though there was a burn on the inside of his left forearm. But Ren wasn't thinking about any of those things, all that mattered to him then was that Baekho was here, alive, and not dead. 

 

"Hyung." The word was merely air as Ren bolted from his chair and flew into the older boy's arms, hitting him with such a force that he had to stumble back a few steps to keep from completely toppling over. "God, hyung, you're back."

 

Baekho was quiet for the longest moment as he wrapped his arms tightly around Ren, hugging the boy tight against his chest. "I'm sorry, Ren. I'm sorry for being gone so long, but I couldn't come home. I was being tracked."

 

Was. Both Ren and Aoora knew that it meant that Baekho had somehow gotten rid of the tracker and was able to come back. He wasn't the first to have that problem. It had happened several times before and they knew better than to come home, to their safe place, when they were being tracked by something that was potentially lethal. It was better to run forever than to come home and risk the lives of everyone else. Not everyone always agreed with this, but it was what they had to deal with. 

 

"Welcome back." Aoora's greeting was simple, but it came with a sincere smile as he went back to the stove to dish out another plate of food. "You look like hell, and I'm sure you're starving. You should join us for breakfast."

 

Baekho shook his head at the offer as he tried and failed to peel himself away from Ren's grip on him. “I’d like to shower and then sleep for a while before I have to make rounds tonight.” 

 

Aoora nodded and set the plate aside, understanding that sleep was probably the better choice for the younger male for the moment. Baekho mumbled a quiet thanks before turning his attention to the blonde with the death grip around his torso, the blonde who was looking up at him with relief and -- , Baekho could see the exhaustion in his eyes, as well. 

 

"Did you sleep at all while I was gone?" Ren shook his head at the question; again, the truth was always better than telling someone what they wanted to hear. Besides, if he said no, he knew Baekho would make him sleep, which meant curling up safely in the older boy's arms like he always did. 

 

"Can I sleep with you, hyung?"

 

"Of course."