Donghae was terrified. He found himeself in a dark room with no way of escape. He suddenly felt chills down his spine, as if feeling another presence in the room with him. At the moment, he heard a careless whisper, calling for his name. His blood chilled, recognising the voice. Kibum. As he slowly turned towards the voice, he was afraid of what Kibum would do to him. Kibum had a smirk on his face, as he strolled towards Donghae, . With each step Kibum took, Donghae would take a step back. Until Donghae felt his back hit the wall that appeared out of nowhere. Donghae let out a whimper as Kibum stood nose to nose with him. As Kibum reached out to touch Donghae, Donghae felt another presence in the room. This presence made him feel safe. Kibum's hand stopped midair as he turned around to see who had interrupted him. Donghae took the opportunity to sneak a peak at his saviour. He gasped in surprise.Hyukjae.

"Hae...Hae...You're all right. You're going to be fine. Trust me. I love you!" Hyukjae said as he took big steps, pushing the Kibum away and tugged Donghae to him, making Donghae feel safe...

"Hae! Hae, wake up! You're alright! You're safe. Kibum isn't here. He's not going to hurt you. I...promise. Just don't give up on me and wake up!" Hyukjae pleaded as Donghae started to thrash around on the bed and whimpered at the same time, nearly ripping off the tube that connected to his arm. Hyukjae had to restrain Donghae to prevent any further damage to him.

Noticing Donghae regaining consciousness, Hyukjae released Donghae. Trying to reassure the traumatised already lover of his, Hyukjae clasped his hand in Donghae's swaety one. Hyukjae was wary of his actions, afraid of frightnening Donghae more.

Donghae slowly opened his eyes, terrified that he was stil in the hands of his captors. Yet what greeted him was a pair of brown eyes, filled with concern and worry.

"Hyukkie?" Donghae tried to ask, but the question came out in a hoarsed whisper.

 Hyukjae gave a sigh of relief. He had been so afraid of Donghae fearing him. He wanted to give Donghae a big, wet kiss on his lips but were hesitant. Instead, he gave faint kisses on Donghae's knuckles. However, Donghae mistook his hesitancy for disgust. When Hyukjae stood up to pour a glass of water for Donghae's parched throat, Donghae thought that Hyukjae could not stand being with him and felt tears b his eyes. He started to sob. Hyukjae noticed this and started panicing. Did he do something wrong? Did he forget something? These thoughts passed through Hyukjae's mind. However, what Donghae said next made his heart ache and tears formed in his eyes.

"You...You don't want me...anymore, do you? You don't lo...love me anymore because I'm dirt...dirty. I understand ...I wouldn't want myself either if I were in your place. I'm sorry for not being strong enough. I -" Donghae was cut off from what he wanted to say when he felt a soft pair of lips capture his in a gentle yet urgent way. Donghae closed his eyes, trying to savour the moment for fear that this would be the last kiss he would get from Hyukjae. Donghae gave a slight whimper when he felt Hyukjae withdrawing from the kiss. Donghae dared not open his eyes as he feared the look he would see on Hyukjae. However, what Hyukjae said next stunned him into looking into Hyukjae's eyes, which shone not anger nor disgust, but love.

"Donghae. Hae. I love you. You're not dirty. Not to me. Damnit! Don't give up on yourself, on us. Trust me! Trust me...to protect you better next time. God! I'm so...sorry. If it were'nt for me, you wouldn't be here, scarred. I love you. Please. I need you." Hyukjae broke down in tears. He felt so horrible, so guilty for Donghae's predictment. Donghae saw the tears streaming down his lover's face and weakly reached out to wipe those strya tears away. Donghae wondered what he had done to deserve someone as good as Hyukjae.

Hyukjae noticed Donghae's action and couldn't help but give him a hug. Donghae flinched from the sudden action but relaxed after a while. Hyukjae felt Donghae's flinch but chose to ignore it. He knew Donghae was traumatised and needed time to recover, to heal but he was willing to wait.

"Don't worry, Donghae. I would never leave you. I will stay with you, protect you, wait for you to heal. I'll be here for you, every step of the way. I promise. I won't leave you because...I love you."