The rest of the walk back home is silent. Seohyun trudges quietly behind Myungsoo, who is a step ahead of her. She frowns slightly, for he never walks in front of her when they are together. He usually takes her hand, or wraps his arms around her waist. But she knows that their encounter with the boys at the park entrance has left him shaken, and she doesn’t know if it is right to run up to him and slip her hand through his.

Finally, the silence is too heavy, and Seohyun wets her lips.

“Myungsoo,” she whispers.

He turns around, and she is hit by the amount of guilt that he sees in his eyes. She reaches out a hand, calling out to him. But he doesn’t take it, instead turning his body slightly away from her. Her heart constricts.

“Myung-“

“Do you hate me now?”

She is stunned for a moment, trying to process his question.

“No,” she says, incredulously. “No, I don’t, Myungsoo. Why would you think that?”

She closes the small distance between them, this time not hesitating to take his hand in hers. She winds their fingers together so that they interlock— it is his favourite way of holding hands.

“You-“ he hesitates. “You’re not mad?” His body is still angled away from her.

She shakes her head, confused. Reaching out, she turns his face so that she can look him in the eye.

“No.” The one word is firm, adamant, certain.

“Were you frightened?”

She hesitates before nodding.

“But you don’t hate me?”

She shakes her head again. He falls silent. She can hear his soft breathing, and feel the beat of his heart. He looks fallen, fragile, and she wants to make him feel better. So she cups his face in her hand and stands on her tip toes to place a kiss on his cheek. He responds to her touches, finally turning so that he faces her, letting go of her hand so that he can wrap his arms around her small frame. She presses her cheek against his thin cotton shirt, inhaling his comforting scent. He smells like barbeque, and she is sure that she does, too, but Seohyun breathes in all the same, closing her eyes to savour the feel of his arms around her.

“Are you hurt?” He murmurs, lips pressed into her hair. She shakes her head. He pulls back slightly, arms still locked around her, to look her in the eye, staring at her as if to check for himself if she had been harmed. She stares back at him, lost in his brown eyes, her fingers tugging at his shirt as she returns his hug as tightly as she can.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “For scaring you.”

She shakes her head no. Swallowing hard, she presses her cheek against his chest again, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “It’s not your fault.” Her fingers begin patting his back rhythmically, and Myungsoo seems to relax from her touch. “It’s not your fault, Myungsoo,” she repeats.

Few words are exchanged between the two of them as they stand on the sidewalk, seeking comfort in each other’s arms. Myungsoo is bent down slightly, and his face is turned such that his lips are pressed into her hair.

They stand there until Myungsoo realises that it is late. He has to get Seohyun back before her mom comes home.

“Let’s go,” he whispers into her ear, pulling away to intertwine his fingers with hers. He places a soft kiss on her lips, before the two of them set off on the journey home.

--

Myungsoo sighs slightly as he hoists the grocery bags over his shoulder. It is late, and he is far from home. His mentors have sent him out on a late night grocery trip, and Myungsoo has had to walk even further than usual, for the grocery store that he frequents has closed down temporarily due to renovation. He doesn’t really mind running the errand, but the night is warm and humid, and he is sweaty all over. His shirt clings to his skin.

He tries not to groan as he thinks about the long walk home, and suddenly remembers a short cut that he can take. Happy at the prospect, he starts on his journey, cutting through a back alley that is connected to a few pubs in the area. His ear buds are stuck into his ears, and the bags are held in one hand while he texts Seohyun with the other. He doesn’t notice the band of people coming out from the other side of the alley until it is too late.

He stops short, fingers hovering over the send button, as he feels the temperature drop several degrees. Staying as calm as possible, he sends the text to Seohyun, locks his phone, and looks up with what he hopes is his trademark stoic expression.

“Well, well, well,” a voice drawls. “What do we have here?”

“The pretty boy of Infinite!” Another cackles. “All alone!” A few laughs are heard.

Myungsoo curses his luck even before the men step out of the shadows. There are six of them, well-built and all dressed in red and black leather. Myungsoo catches a whiff of alcohol as they approach.

“Teen Top.”

“Good to see you Myungsoo,” Byunghun smirks. “How are you doing?”

“Fine,” he answers tersely. The bags of groceries in his hand suddenly seem very out of place.

“Running errands for the gang?” Someone else asks, and Myungsoo turns to see Chunji giving him an amused look. Myungsoo doesn’t understand why nobody seems to have gotten the memo. He isn’t part of Infinite anymore.

“No,” is all Myungsoo says. “If you’ll excuse me-“

“Of course we won’t,” CAP interrupts. He walks closer to Myungsoo, an unspoken threat in his eyes. “We still haven’t gotten back at you for injuring our youngest back during the war.” CAP gestures to Chanjo. “He can’t hit very well nowadays, did you know? Almost cost him his life a few times.”

Myungsoo remains silent. It is true that he was the one who delivered a death blow to Chanjo. He was caught up in a rage during the war, and he has done things that he regrets up to this very day.

CAP drags his empty glass bottle against the wall nearby, the sound ragged and loud in the dead of the night. Myungsoo can feel his fingers growing numb from the heavy grocery bags. He doesn’t feel very nervous; perhaps it is because Seohyun isn’t here and is not in danger.

“And as you know,” CAP continues, as the other Teen Top members begin circling around the two of them, “Apologising is not going to make a of a difference.”

The leader of Teen Top raises his hand and brings the bottle down upon the concrete wall. The glass smashes, and small shards rain down on the two of them. Myungsoo can feel some in his hair, but he doesn’t move. CAP stares at his broken bottle, admiring his handiwork.

“Now,” he says, more to s than to Myungsoo. “Shall we begin?”

And there is a blur of movement. Myungsoo shoves his groceries aside as CAP lunges at him with the broken bottle. He grabs onto CAP’s torso and pushes, hooking his leg around the leader’s and pulling hard. CAP stumbles, and it is enough to disorientate him for a moment. Myungsoo turns his attention to Chunji, just in time to catch a punch to his jaw. He winces as his body spins from the contact. Myungsoo hasn’t fought in ages, and while he used to be good, he is now a little rusty.

The ache in his jaw sends the adrenaline rushing into his veins. Myungsoo can feel the blood pumping through his ears, and his senses seem to sharpen. His eyes darken in bloodlust. He launches a roundhouse kick at Chunji, whipping around to jab his elbow into Niel’s gut. CAP has recovered and advances towards him, broken bottle raised high, and Myungsoo immediately grabs the smallest member—Ricky—and shoves him in the leader’s way.

CAP growls and Ricky immediately disentangles himself from the leader, moving with lighting speed to sock Myungsoo in the abdomen. Myungsoo’s body screams in protest, but he can barely hear it. His mind is on overdrive, and he immediately snarls, throwing a punch in someone’s face, and then tripping another with a hook around the leg. He doesn’t know what he is doing, his mind is on autopilot. His blood sings at the feeling of power, at the rush of adrenaline, and everything is numb yet crystal clear at the same time. Myungsoo grins slightly as Changjo smashes his fist into his face. Blood spurts from his nose, dripping down his neck and onto his shirt. He almost welcomes the pain.

This was why he joined Infinite, because he loved the feeling of absolute power when he fought, loved the feeling of submission from his opponents. The crude, animalistic side of him thirsted for blood.

Myungsoo smiles drunkedly as he feels himself being overpowered. Of course he would lose, he is one man against six. But he continues throwing punches and kicks. Continues shoving and jabbing and twisting until the face of an angel floats into his mind. His angel.

Seohyun.

Myungsoo stops short. What in the world is he doing? He has forsaken this life for a better one. He should not be engaging in gang wars any longer. He is supposed to be a better person, he promised himself that much when he stepped into the boys’ Home. He promised himself that much when he decided that he would be a man that Seohyun could be proud of. This is not something that she could be proud of.

A wave of guilt engulfs Myungsoo, before the rest of Teen Top are on him, kicking and scratching and punching. Myungsoo lets them, because the pain from having disappointed Seohyun is miles worse that the pain they are inflicting on his body.

“What’s the matter?” Byunghun growls. “Have you given up?”

“Let me go,” Myungsoo gasps, finally registering the pain in his chest. His face is bloody from his broken nose, his leg burning as Neil stomps his boot on it. The back of his head throbs persistently. There is a round of laughter at his feeble request.

“Let me go,” he says again. “I’m not in Infinite anymore.”

There is a moment of silence as his former rivals absorb the news, trying to figure out if he is joking. After all, it is rare that someone leaves a gang.

“I’m not in Infinite anymore,” Myungsoo repeats. He groans at the pain and at the sickly smell of blood.

CAP scoffs.

“It doesn’t really matter,” he says, motioning to Ricky to pick up Myungsoo’s fallen phone. The leader unlocks it and takes a few pictures of Myungsoo’s broken, bloody body.

“Let’s see,” he grins, squatting down so that he is directly above Myungsoo. CAP scrolls through Myungsoo’s phone with one hand, trailing the broken glass bottle along Myungsoo’s shoulder with the other. Beads of blood spring from the area above his collarbones.

“Aha,” CAP says in triumph, pressing the tip of the broken bottle into Myungsoo’s skin as he opens his contacts list. The skin breaks and a steady stream of blood flows from the wound. The leader of Teen Top twists the bottle into the gash, and Myungsoo grits his teeth.

“Not in Infinite, eh? Let’s see who helps you out of this mess, then.” CAP creates a group message, and sends the pictures of Myungsoo lying on the floor to his entire contacts list. Myungsoo groans. He doesn’t have many numbers saved in his phone, but he knows that his mentors and brothers at the Home would be in panic trying to find him. And Seohyun- Myungsoo’s eyes widen a fraction as he realises that she will receive those pictures too. His hearts thuds in his chest. He has to see her.

CAP throws his phone onto the ground beside Myungsoo as the message is sent, placing a kick to Myungsoo’s side.

“Let’s go,” CAP says, giving Myungsoo a drunk, lopsided grin.

Byunghun bends down and grabs Myungsoo’s face harshly, his lips curled in a feral smile. “See you around, pretty boy.” Byunghun picks up the broken glass bottle, and s it into the wound on Myungsoo’s shoulder. The boy lets out a strangled cry, and the members of Teen Top laugh as they leave him alone, panting on the ground.

Myungsoo grits his teeth, reaching up to grip the shard of glass embedded in his shoulder, tearing it out with one swift movement. He gives a gasp, trying his best to ignore the pain, and tries to sit up. His jaw is clenched so tightly that his muscles ache. But it is the least of his worries. He grabs his phone from the ground and stumbles up, leaning against the wall as he tries to steady his spinning head. His shirt is soaked with sweat and blood. Glancing at his phone, he gives a groan as he finds a huge crack across the surface. The screen lights up, and he realises that it is Seohyun. He is about to slide the screen to answer the call when his phone blinks and turns dark. His battery is flat and he curses his bad luck.

He groans as he realises that Teen Top has trashed his groceries. Myungsoo’s heart pounds in his chest, and he tries to concentrate on his breathing. He stumbles out of the alleyway, his mind in a haze. His feet lead him on, without thinking of where he is going. Soon, he finds himself on Seohyun’s street.

The lights on the houses are off—it must have been at least midnight. Still, he limps on, and reaches Seohyun’s house at the end of the lane. He lets out a breath when he realises where his feet have taken him. What is he supposed to do now? He knows that she is worried, that she would want to see him as soon as possible—he wants to see her, too.

But what could he do? Should he be cliché and throw some rocks at her window? Glancing at the third floor of the house, where Seohyun’s room is, he realises that there is no light coming from within. He frowns slightly. Is she asleep?

He slumps against the gate, and the cold metal burns into the wound on his leg. He jumps away from the gate with a hiss. He is at a loss of what to do, and is about to turn back when the front door opens with a small snick.

“Myungsoo?” Seohyun whispers from inside, opening the door and hurrying out. Panic is laced in her voice.

“Hey,” he attempts weakly.

“You-“

She doesn’t know what to say, for her hearts hurts immensely from seeing him bruised and bloody. He supports himself on one leg, slightly bent over as he tries not to show how much pain he is in.

Seohyun unlocks the gate, her eyes frantic. She reaches out to pull him in, but stops because she doesn’t know if she will hurt him.

“Come in,” she says softly, lifting her hand to brush it against his cheek tentatively. Even in the dim light, she can see the blooming of a bruise under his eye.

He doesn’t question her, just limps after her and takes her hand. She glances back at him, worry in her eyes, and he tries to smile back to tell her that everything is fine.

____________________________________

Updating in class because I am a badass who doesn't listen even though it's an important class for A levels.

Huzzah.

Plot's going to darken now ^^ I can't wait.

Also, it's November ;~; I want to write Nanowrimo :( Especially after my failed second attempt at it last year xD Hahahahaha. I'll probably do a Denowrimo or something, since my exams end on the 29th of November.

I've started a Kai/ Jongin fic (right in the middle of my exams. Go figure), but I really don't know if I should continue it. Should I? The story can be found here:

http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/571271/abandon-angst-exo-exok-kai-jongin-kimjongin

Thanks for reading guys :)