A sound from a doorbell rung through the house, and SeungHyun left his couch to go on and check who it was. The rain was pouring outside, which caused him to reconsider who it could be. After all, who would walk through that, just to get to the door? SeungHyun opened the door, almost losing his sanity when he saw the completely soaked DaeSung in the door. His lower lip was bleeding, and the nose, plus a few bruises here and there. The worst was the black and blue eye, which someone had indeed had hit hard to make it look that bad.

“What happened?” SeungHyun asked after gathering his senses and let the poor boy inside. He helped him off his coat and noticed that DaeSung limped a little. Softly he put a hand on his shoulder, just to comfort him, but instead he flinched from what could have been pain.

“Those guys… Again…” DaeSung muttered and SeungHyun took him with him to his room, helping him to strip from his wet clothes and gave him a bathrobe to cover him instead, so his clothes could get dry. He had received some kicks and hits around on his body that had started bruising up, and tomorrow it would definitely not look good.

“And you still don’t want me to do anything?” SeungHyun asked after a while and they both sat on the bed, with SeungHyun cleaning his wounds and putting a bandage around his sprained angle. DaeSung slowly shook his head, not saying a single word to that matter. He knew very well that he perhaps needed help with them, but he couldn’t ask SeungHyun to help him. It would be wrong, or in his head he thought it was wrong.

“You know, I can always ask JiYong to help me?” SeungHyun said, smiling slightly, but the smile disappeared when DaeSung shook his head again. Softly SeungHyun touched his neck to see if there were any damages to his throat that caused him to not speak. He just had to make sure, even though he knew DaeSung wasn’t saying much anyway.

“Maybe TaeYang and SeungRi will help me too?” SeungHyun suggested, hoping DaeSung would break at some point and let him beat those guys to hell. But DaeSung slowly shook his head again, with his eyes fixed on the bandage around his angle. Not even daring to look at SeungHyun. He had always turned to him ever since they met, and SeungHyun had never complained about it. Actually, he had always seemed so sweet and nice towards him, but on the outside he had always been really tough. The three above mentioned was his friends, and DaeSung had met them a few times, but he was still afraid of them, so he didn’t really dare again.

“Dae, I want to help you. Let me, please?” SeungHyun asked and softly lifted DaeSung’s head with a finger underneath his chin, causing him to look into his eyes, but they quickly looked away again.

“Don’t.” DaeSung answered, and SeungHyun sighed deeply, pulling back his hand. He put down his hand on his thigh instead, just resting it there, nothing more in it than that. DaeSung looked down at his hand and wondered so many things. Why SeungHyun was so friendly to him, when everyone else was in deep hatred to him. It just felt like something was wrong, like an ambush or something, but he knew SeungHyun too well to believe he would suddenly turn against him. They had something special, something DaeSung couldn’t point out, but it was just special, and indeed nice.

“I want to help, and Dae, just let me do that, because if not, then you won’t ever get away from them. Transfer to my school or something?” SeungHyun suggested, but DaeSung shook his head again.

“I won’t run away.” DaeSung answered, causing a new deep sigh from SeungHyun when he could feel a defeat run over him. With a few gentle on his thigh he took away his hand and got up.

“If you won’t let me help you with that, at least let me give you something to eat?” SeungHyun said and smiled brightly, unlike DaeSung, he still felt a little happy, mostly that he was seeing him right now.

“Okay.” DaeSung just answered, not sure if he was even hungry, but maybe food could keep him from thinking too much. SeungHyun softly pulled him up from the bed and helped him into the kitchen.

“What about your parents?” DaeSung asked and slowly let go of SeungHyun’s shoulder as he sat down on the chair in the kitchen, close to the stove. SeungHyun shrugged.

“They aren’t home until late tonight.” He answered, and DaeSung just nodded. SeungHyun’s parents were pretty good to him and his elder sister, but they weren’t home much. But DaeSung was always afraid to meet them, mostly because he always looked hideous when he came here, with all his wounds and being beat up.

“Do you want to watch a movie after dinner? I just bought a new bunch and I haven’t seen any of them yet.” SeungHyun suggested and DaeSung just slowly nodded. SeungHyun was sure that he saw a faint smile on DaeSung’s lips, but he didn’t believe it. DaeSung didn’t smile much, so he was never sure when he did.

“Great! Let’s eat and then watch a movie.” SeungHyun stated and after finishing up the food, they ate in silence. DaeSung wasn’t hungry and only ate a little, while SeungHyun stuffed himself with the delicious food. When he was done he smiled wide at DaeSung and got up. He placed the different used objects on the table by the sink and went to DaeSung to get him up too.

“I’m not sure what you like, so look through them and choose one.” SeungHyun said as he placed DaeSung in the couch and put at least 20 new DVD’s in front of him to pick from. Without saying anything he picked a DVD from the bunch, not really looking at it, and just tried his luck. “I Love You Philip Morris” was the title. DaeSung blushed a little from the pick of a gay movie. It was quite inappropriate, so he let it drop again and found another. Though, he wondered why SeungHyun had bought a movie like that. Maybe he just liked the movie…

“Here…” DaeSung mumbled when he found another from the bunch of movies. “The Holiday”, a romantic comedy, which DaeSung had always liked, though he knew it was weird to put on a romantic film with SeungHyun, but he hated action and thrillers, and most of all he hated horrors. Luckily SeungHyun just took it and popped it in the player before he sat down beside DaeSung.

“You should lie down Dae. Your foot has to be kept high, so you can have your head on me and have your foot on the armrest?” SeungHyun suggested, though with no seconds thoughts about it. DaeSung slowly nodded, but wasn’t sure how good idea that was, but instead of complaining and rejecting, he just lay down with his head on SeungHyun’s lap, with his foot held high on the armrest. After about five minutes into the film, SeungHyun softly caressed his hair and with two minutes of that, DaeSung fell asleep. The best sleep he had had in many weeks. When the movie was over, SeungHyun carried DaeSung to his bedroom and put him on the bed. He figured that DaeSung could keep the bathrobe on while sleeping, so he shouldn’t strip him from it. That would be a little awkward anyway. SeungHyun noticed that he was light as a feather when he had carried him, but he was a skinny tiny guy after all. Maybe if he grew himself some muscles, he could knock those guys out himself, but how could he suggest that without sounding like an idiot? SeungHyun went back to the other rooms where he cleaned up everything, also getting DaeSung’s clothes, before he went to his room again and stripped, putting on his pajamas pants and a t-shirt with a hoodie over.  Then he lay down beside DaeSung, but he didn’t sleep yet. Instead he looked at the guy next to him, looked at all his features and the way he looked so peaceful. All the damages in his face didn’t cover up for the slight handsomeness he found in his looks. After a while, he slowly let himself surrender to the sleep he felt growing in his body, and with a last glance on DaeSung, he fell asleep with a smile on his lips.

***

DaeSung woke up with a start as his whole body was hurting like an insane. He made a few painful noises and then noticed he was still at SeungHyun’s. Still in his room, and when he turned his head he could have jumped in surprise when he saw that SeungHyun was lying beside him. Slowly he tried to get out of the bed, but it didn’t go too well, and with his small sounds of pain made SeungHyun wake up.

“Are you trying to sneak away?” He said with a chuckle and DaeSung looked at him with huge eyes. Quickly he shook his head to refuse the fact that he was exactly about to do that said thing. With a swift, but stupid, move with his hand to lift the bathrobe up on his shoulder again, a pain shot through his left hand. He tried to ignore it, but SeungHyun had noticed from his facial expression.

“You are hurt so bad this time…” SeungHyun whispered, more or less to himself, but it hurt to see him like that. A soft knock was heard on his door, and they both shared quick and halfway scared glances.

“Just a minute Mom!” SeungHyun yelled to get his mother away from his room. They both heard her steps walking away again. SeungHyun had figured that she had made breakfast, and another thing that hit his mind, was that he had to leave for school, but what to do with DaeSung? He had to go to school too? But he couldn’t go in a condition like that!

“I have to go to school, but can’t I drop you off at your place? You can’t go to school like that, I beg you to stay home.” SeungHyun said as he got up and went around the bed to DaeSung’s side. DaeSung shook his head as he refused to stay home.

“You have to stay home Dae. For my sake? So I don’t have to worry that you are getting beaten up again?” SeungHyun asked and helped DaeSung up from the bed. DaeSung supported his weight against SeungHyun, making them to be very close.

“I want to go.” DaeSung softly muttered, while SeungHyun helped him into the now dry clothes. It caused DaeSung to blush, even though it didn’t seem to touch SeungHyun the least with helping him a bit.

“I won’t allow you then.” SeungHyun just answered, now getting a little stern in his voice, hoping that would help a little. Though he figured it probably wouldn’t be at much help. DaeSung sighed and sat down on the bed again after getting finished with his dressing. SeungHyun got up from the floor where he helped him with getting a sock on the other foot, than the sprained one, because it was still in bandage. He knew it wasn’t good for it to be on when he slept, but he hadn’t wanted to wake him up last night.

“Hyung… I want to go.” DaeSung softly mumbled as SeungHyun sat down beside him, softly letting a hand rest on his arm. He caressed his arm slowly and DaeSung just followed his hand with his eyes, feeling every single touch that sent shivers all over his body.

“You are not going, if I have to lock you up in my closet. You are not going there.” SeungHyun stated and helped him up to stand again. He sighed hard and DaeSung looked at him with a pitiful glance, but was soon about to break and let him win. But he was also the only person in the world that DaeSung would give in to.

“You don’t have a key to your closet.” DaeSung just mumbled, and SeungHyun laughed hard from that fact. He was again sure that he saw a slight smile spread on DaeSung’s lips, but he didn’t dare to comment on it.

“Oh you are so cute sometimes!” SeungHyun said with a laugh and it caused DaeSung to blush hard. SeungHyun slowly made him follow him to the door and opened it. He could feel the awkward silence between them after his small outburst, so he chose just to take him home now, before he said more stupid things that could go on and get embarrassing.

“I will go and distract my mom then I will get you and take you home okay?” SeungHyun asked and DaeSung sighed in defeat, but only with a small amount of air and out of his nose instead of those deep sighs through the mouth. Then he just nodded and SeungHyun smiled wide. He went out of the door, letting DaeSung stand leaning against the doorframe. After a minute SeungHyun came back and smiled.

“She’s gone for now. Let me get you home.” He said and took his school bag, before he helped DaeSung out in his car. DaeSung didn’t say much. He felt bad for not attending school, just because SeungHyun said so. Maybe he should just go when SeungHyun had left again, but he didn’t want to get in more trouble, and especially not with his only friend.

“Be careful.” SeungHyun mumbled to him as he got him into his car. He threw his school bag in the back and sat in at the driver’s seat then he started the car and drove. DaeSung just looked out of the window in his side and with his back half turned against SeungHyun.

“I thought that after 2 years with me, you would start to warm up. Why is it that you are always so… Stuffy?” SeungHyun slowly asked, not sure if he was crossing any boundaries for DaeSung. They had talked a little, a few times, but he had never gotten the whole story about this guy. He knew his father was in jail. That his mother had left him shortly after to not get involved with it, and that he now lived in a rooftop house in the middle of the city. It was really small, especially compared to his villa, where he lived with both of his parents.

“I don’t like to talk.” DaeSung just answered. SeungHyun raised a brow and nodded to himself, because that thing he had already learned.  With a swift move he turned right and drove slower between the small streets.

“Tell me something. Why did your father actually go to jail?” SeungHyun asked and he was met with a death glare from DaeSung. He knew that his parents were a taboo, but he wanted to know, and the only way he could know was if he asked, but that was pretty hard sometimes. Because DaeSung never said anything about it, and he probably never would.

“Not important.” DaeSung just answered and looked out of the window again, wishing upon the stars to soon get home. SeungHyun sighed, dying to know what had happened.

“But if it’s not important you could just tell.” SeungHyun fished, but DaeSung shook his head. He was in no interest of telling, and SeungHyun knew that very well.

“Is it really bad? Did he kill a person or what? Was he a mafia or something?” SeungHyun asked and DaeSung just sat turned to the window, not answering him. A frail tear travelled down his cheeks with all the thoughts about his parents. SeungHyun parked the car to the right on the street, getting out with a smooth movement. DaeSung unbuckled and SeungHyun got around the car to help him out.

“Do you want to tell me someday?” SeungHyun asked when he helped him out. DaeSung had just gotten the tears away when SeungHyun had left the car for the two seconds. Instead of answering he looked to the ground and just let SeungHyun help him upstairs to his home.

“You know… I really care about you. Will you please start talking to me?” SeungHyun begged, and opened the door, helping DaeSung inside. DaeSung didn’t answer him again. SeungHyun sat him down on the couch and carefully caressed his hair a single time.

“Fine, I will leave now. And don’t even consider going to school. I will go here by lunch and get you something. If you are not here, I will meet up at your school and find you.” SeungHyun stated, causing a flinch from DaeSung by the thought of having SeungHyun running the school around to find him and stuff like that. It was like a nervous thread had been cut inside of him. Now he couldn’t leave, and SeungHyun had known that very well.

“See you later. And be careful with whatever you want to do.” SeungHyun said and caressed his hair again before he walked towards the door. DaeSung just nodded and SeungHyun left with a sigh.

***

By lunchtime, SeungHyun was knocking on DaeSung’s door, and just entered, after all, he knew he couldn’t open it right now. So he just went inside and saw DaeSung asleep on the couch, resting his foot high up. SeungHyun smiled from the sight, and he was happy that DaeSung took a little care of himself.

“Hyung?” DaeSung softly whispered as he slightly opened his eyes. SeungHyun smiled when he noticed that DaeSung had woken up. He walked towards him and placed the food in the bag in front of him.

“Slept well?” SeungHyun asked and caressed his hair softly as he sat down beside him and lifted his head to lie on his lap. DaeSung looked away, afraid to meet his eyes. He just nodded shyly and SeungHyun took out the food that smelled delicious and the smell filled the room. Normally SeungHyun wasn’t that much around DaeSung, but he knew he would always be there, especially if he asked him to.

“I lied to you.” DaeSung softly whispered and SeungHyun frowned as he looked down at him. Slowly with lots of noises in pain, DaeSung got up in a sitting position.

“My mother didn’t leave me. My father killed her, after a large fight and I ended here because of the government. I just couldn’t tell you before. That’s why they bully me. They know what he did and they hate me because I’m an orphan.” DaeSung said, not much louder than a whisper, and SeungHyun’s heart beat even harder. He had never heard so many words from DaeSung before, and to be honest, he had never though he would. Normally if it was about 6 words, then it was unbelievable.

“I’m sorry Dae.” SeungHyun mumbled, not having the slightest clue of what to say to that. He was in shock, but he understood the guy for not telling him those details before. They were pretty hard to take in. He was worried for him now, even more than before. Not just because of the bullies, but everything. He wanted to help him, but he didn’t know how.

“I’ve learned to live with it.” DaeSung answered as he shrugged. A new tear trailed down his cheek, but SeungHyun didn’t notice. Not until it fell down on DaeSung’s own hand and left a wet area. SeungHyun softly held a hand around his shoulder and pulled him closer. Finally, after 2 years he had gotten the story that DaeSung had held on to for so long. There was so much more to it, he knew, but he wasn’t sure of how to get to it, maybe he should just give DaeSung the time to find out how to tell it himself, and hopefully there wouldn’t be another 2 years.

“I never thought anything like that had happened to you. But you shall know I’m there for you, no matter what. You can always lean on me. I’m here.” SeungHyun said assuring and put the other arm around him, giving him a weak hug because he wanted to be careful.

“It’s okay.” DaeSung whispered, but the way he said it, cleared it out that he was lying to make SeungHyun feel better.

“But why do you tell me now?” SeungHyun asked in wonder, not sure what the intensions about that had been. It was weird that he had suddenly slung it out like that. DaeSung shrugged slightly, not really sure why, but he had an idea.

“Perhaps… I just like you enough to tell you. Before I was afraid that you would treat me like the others if I told you, but I guess I’m not afraid anymore.” DaeSung said and smiled very weak. Though it was a bigger smile that SeungHyun was used to see.

“I would never, ever, in the whole world, treat you like them! Actually I can’t see why they aren’t aware of how beautiful you are on the inside! On the outside too. I really like you Dae. Really much.” SeungHyun burst out and DaeSung looked half smiling and half surprised at him.

“That’s why. I like you too much to keep you in the dark.” DaeSung slowly mumbled. SeungHyun smiled and caressed his cheek. He let go of him, just to hold on to him again, but this time just with his face towards his. DaeSung looked down, but then a pair of soft lips was placed upon his, making him melt under the touch of his hands around his waist and on his back.

“I think love came across my feelings.” DaeSung whispered after the kiss ended, earning yet another sweet taste of those lips that had just been away for a brief moment. SeungHyun softly caressed his side and held him close. They ended the kiss again, not deepening it because of DaeSung’s hurt lip.

“I think love came across everything.” SeungHyun answered, smiling and with small explosions in his stomach from the pure sensation of kissing him. He had always liked the tiny guy, but never admitted it to him. Mostly because he was afraid he would leave him.

“Maybe you are right.” DaeSung answered. He couldn’t remember the last time he had talked this much, nor had those good feelings inside of him. It felt like a small part of him was actually happy, but the rest tried to mock that part to not be so glad. SeungHyun kissed him again for a brief second, then he let go again and looked into those eyes he never had the permission to look into.

“You are so wonderful…” SeungHyun whispered, mostly it was words he wanted to keep to himself, but they somehow just wandered out of his mouth, causing DaeSung to blush completely. SeungHyun smiled and a thumb on his cheek, still looking into his eyes. He didn’t want to let go again. Actually he never wanted to leave this place, those eyes and those lips, never leave this moment. He wanted to stay like this forever, even though it was impossible. DaeSung leaned a little closer and kissed him, this time it was him who kissed, and a new sensation filled SeungHyun from the inside. Making this completely perfect.