A/N: I know I already wrote a runaway Jongup oneshot but I didn't realize until I was basically finished with this one ;_; but I'll still post this since they're not not that~ similar and...I like this ^^;;

JongUp had fallen asleep an hour ago but YongGuk still didn’t want to hang up. The sound of the younger boy’s soft, gentle breathing made YongGuk feel like he had accomplished something good for once in a while. It made him almost proud to think that it was because of him JongUp was no longer sniffling quietly but was now sound asleep.

JongUp had it rough at home. He was a timid, soft-spoken person at heart – the complete opposite of his parents who screamed at each other multiple times a day. He could only drown them out with music for so long until he had a splitting headache and needed to remove the earphones or lower the volume; then he had to hear his parents insulting each other and threatening to maim each other.

***

Late one night, when JongUp had felt tired of laying curled up crying in his bed listening to his parents, he had just left. He had crept past his parents’ bedroom, left the house then started running. He’d felt as though if he ran hard enough, fast enough, far enough, he could escape the turmoil inside him and his home.

He felt a sharp stitch in his side and gasped as tumbled to the floor, rolling over twice because he had been running so furiously. He lay on the sidewalk panting harshly and clutching his side. He sat up slowly and looked around him. He didn’t know where he was but honestly he didn’t care. He wasn’t home and that was what mattered. He sat for a couple more minutes to let his breathing slow down.

It was then that JongUp had looked up and seen the man standing not too far away, smoking under a tree in the front yard of a house. He was looking at JongUp intently which made JongUp wonder how long he had been looking. YongGuk had put out his cigarette then walked over to JongUp and that was the beginning of their friendship.

That night JongUp had been volatile and vulnerable – a dangerous but sometimes wonderful combination – and he had let YongGuk into his life.

YongGuk remembered taking one look at JongUp and inviting him inside to treat his scratches and a glass of water (if JongUp wanted). JongUp had not even hesitated and there was a look of abandon in his eyes, as though he was on his last legs and didn’t care if YongGuk decided to bludgeon him as soon as he stepped inside the house.

YongGuk had treated JongUp’s scrapes then fetched him a glass of not-too-cold water. When JongUp had finished the water YongGuk offered to take him home but JongUp just looked away and shook his head while muttering something about not having a home.

“Your parents must be worried,” YongGuk said, observing JongUp. He looked like a puppy; a sad, lost puppy. If JongUp was his son he knew he would surely be worried about him.

JongUp smiled at YongGuk’s words, a sad, hopeful smile and said, “Maybe they are, maybe…”

There was silence for a few moments then JongUp spoke.

“They fight.”

YongGuk understood. There was a reason he had become independent of his parents before he had even completed his senior year of high school. His home had been a turbulent one as well.

“Believe it or not,” YongGuk said, “that doesn’t mean they don’t love you. Sometimes our parents lose sight of things and they just need a wake-up call.”

“Like this?” JongUp asked. If his running away didn’t freak his parents out he didn’t know what would.

“Probably,” YongGuk said.

But he had been wrong.

JongUp had agreed to have YongGuk take him home and YongGuk gave him his number to make sure everything was ok the next day. JongUp had walked back into his house in the early hours of the morning to his father snoring on the couch.

As soon as he had stepped inside his father had jerked awake and stared at him with bloodshot eyes.

“Where the hell have you been?” Mr. Moon demanded, getting to his feet, “Do you have any idea how worried we’ve been?”

“Now you’re worried?” JongUp asked quietly. “You and mom have been screaming at each other for how many years and now you’re worried about me?”

Mr. Moon looked taken aback. He sat down even though he had just stood up and looked away from his son.

“JongUp-ah…I haven’t…”

He ran his hand through his hair and exhaled miserably.

“Look, things are more difficult than you think. I admit, your mother and I, we…overlooked you. Just try to bear with us for now. We’re trying to sort some things out.”

“So…I’m just supposed to endure this?” JongUp asked as politely as he could. “You two have been arguing for the past two years...it obviously isn’t helping…”

“Just stay out of it,” Mr. Moon said, “This is harder than you think. And don’t pull some stunt like running off in the middle of the night again. Your poor mother had to take sleeping pills just to calm herself down. You make sure you apologize to her in the morning.”

He exited the room leaving JongUp exasperated and confused. He was supposed to apologize to his mother? How about his dad tried that for once?

JongUp quietly went to his room and curled up underneath his sheets. He reached for his phone on his bedside table and dialled YongGuk’s number.

“JongUp! Is everything ok?” YongGuk asked quickly.

“No...hyung they don’t even care...”

“That can’t be,” YongGuk said, “what happened?”

“My dad just told me to get over it!” JongUp whispered as loudly as he could into the phone. “Why did I even come back here?”

“Maybe...maybe he’s just pissed you ran away, maybe he doesn’t mean it,” YongGuk reasoned.

***

He was mistaken once more but that was the very reason he was now lying in bed listening to JongUp’s soft breathing. His parents showed no sign of calming down anytime soon but according to JongUp that didn’t matter because he had YongGuk.

‘It’s sad that things are like this in my house right now but if this hadn’t happened I would never have met you,’ JongUp had said earlier that night, ‘so I’m happy, hyung. I’m happy because I met you.’

I'M SORRY I ABANDONED THIS FOR SO LONG. It seems that I have difficulty writing banglo and bangup at the same time :/ so when one flourishes the other suffers ;_; I'll try to balance them better so that I don't have these super long breaks ;_; Thank you guys so much for waiting and not unsubscribing!!!!!!! <3

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