qrieya, whiteyuki, and niyalaw, I dedicate this chapter to you guys! 

Seriously, the lack of comments from the last chapter was very alarming. I guess people start thinking the story's boring when things start calming down. I totally understand ^_^

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

The first night was the hardest for all of them.

Even though the two of them were safe in Kangta's house, it was no surprise that Changmin was still jumpy. He was a nervous wreck, terribly frightened over threats that, to Yunho and Kangta, weren't there. But they completely understood the maknae's behavior. While they couldn't miraculously get rid of the fear Changmin was always feeling, they still felt responsible to make sure that they gave him constant reminders that Changmin would never be alone, and that he'd always have someone watching over him.

Of course, even with all the precautions they were taking, it was true that they would be succeeding in slowly removing the physical threats in Changmin's life.

But removing all the danger that resided in Changmin's head was a different story.

For one thing, Changmin refused to go to sleep, despite how tired he became. Even when Yunho tried forcing Changmin to at least lay in bed and relax, it only aggravated the maknae, causing him to start yelling at Yunho, pushing him away every time the leader wanted to get close.

Yunho wanted Changmin to stop yelling. He could hear it in Changmin's voice that it hurt for him to talk, let alone yell. He didn't want Changmin to further damage his throat.

Changmin finally came to his senses when he pushed Yunho too hard, causing the older one to fall and hit the table in the living room.

"Hyung!" Changmin yelled in alarm, panicking as he noticed that it took Yunho a little longer to get up. "Hyung. I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

Yunho nodded waving his hand carelessly as he stood up. "It's okay, Min," he said gently, getting up and sitting next to Changmin on the couch. He slowly wrapped his arm around the younger one's shoulders. "I shouldn't have forced you. I'm sorry." He pulled Changmin into a hug. "I just want you to get some rest. You're not eating again, either. I just really want to help. At least eat something tonight, okay? Can you do that? For me?"

It took much longer than it should have, but finally, he felt Changmin nod.

"Perfect," a new voice said, breaking up their little moment.

The two of them looked up to the entrance of the living room, catching Kangta standing there with a big smile on his face. "I was seriously craving some food. I want to order some Chinese food. Are you guys up for it?"

Yuno gave him a confused look. "How long have you been standing there?" he asked in confusion.

"I rushed down here when I heard yelling," Kangta began to explain. "But then I came down and realized that you two were just fine, but I wanted to stay close just in case. So," he said, pulling out his phone and shaking it. "Chinese?"

It was relieving to watch Changmin eat, even just a little. As much as Yunho wanted to coax Changmin into having a little extra chicken, some more noodles, or a few more spoons of fried rice, he didn't want to make Changmin feel forced or uncomfortable. So in defeat, he minded his own business, finishing his own food.

Once they were finished, the three of them the television, Kangta flipped through a couple of channels before finding the right one.

Neither of them were really watching it, they just needed something on that would relax Changmin.

Their method seemed to be working, seeing that a few minutes later, Changmin's body continued to slacken, falling further onto Yunho's chest. 

Yunho noticed this immediately.

"Hey, Min," he whispered, bringing a hand to Changmin's hair and running his fingers through it. "Are you tired?" he asked, earning a slow nod from Changmin. "It's getting late," Yunho continued. "You should get some sleep." He hoped that if Changmin realized just how tired his body was, he would surrender to getting rest.

Changmin's body tensed immediately, his eyes widened as his breath started to pick up. His throat burned as he tried to speak but nothing comes out.

Seeing this, Yunho wished that he had kept his mouth shut.

And since Changmin has suddenly lost his voice, he couldn't do anything but shake his head in a panicked fashion.

"Okay, Changmin," Kangta cut in. He touched Changmin's shoulder, causing the maknae to stiffen even more. "We won't force you to sleep, okay?" 

"I'm so sorry, Min," Yunho said. "You just looked so tired." He held him tight, hoping to give Changmin a feel of some type of security. "It's okay. I'm here. If you don't want to sleep, I'll stay up with you and keep you company, okay?"

Changmin didn't say anything, but the way he held his hyung in a tight grip as his breathing started to slow down was an obvious answer. 

But Kangta really wanted Changmin to go to sleep. Exhaustion was written