“Hyukkie,” Hongbin smiled at the younger boy sitting beside him, “aren’t you going to eat?”

“Huh?” Hyuk blinked in confusion before flashing a smile, “sorry, hyung. I was thinking about something else and wasn’t paying attention.”

“You’re doing that a lot lately,” Hongbin frowned, “are you alright?”

“I’m fine, hyung,” Hyuk assured the older before turning to his breakfast and practically inhaling it. The younger boy thanked Leo for making breakfast before putting his dishes in the sink and excusing himself from the room.

As fast as he could, Hyuk rushed to the bedroom he shared with Hongbin and Ravi. Shutting the door, he contemplated locking it. But if the door was locked and Hongbin tried to come in, that would just make the older more concerned. Hyuk couldn’t have that so he left the door unlocked and through himself onto his bed, burying himself under the blankets as if to hide himself away from the world.

He wished that the blankets could do just that.

Hyuk had a secret, one that could very well destroy his relationship with his hyungs. Every full moon, he changed into a wolf. For a few hours that night, he’d wonder around in his wolf form. Once his time was up, he changed back. That’s how it had been for the past couple of months and Hyuk didn’t think it was going to stop any time soon.

At first, he’d thought it was just a really crazy dream. He’d woken up feeling really hot, so he’d gone outside where it was cold. Something in him told him to keep walking, so he did. Out the backyard of the foster home and into the wooded area of the park. Then he changed. After changing back a few hours later, he’d rushed home and prayed that no one was up. He’d snuck into bed and quickly fallen asleep. No one was any the wiser and Hyuk managed to convince himself that it was just a dream.

The second time he knew that this was no dream. So the next day he’d done some research about turning into a wolf. It hadn’t taken him very long to find out that only one kind of creature turned into a wolf on the full moon; a werewolf. It had taken Hyuk a while before he believed that he could be a werewolf, but now he was convinced that he was. How else could he turn into a werewolf every full moon?

He knew he couldn’t tell anyone. Anyone he told would laugh at him or try putting him in a mental hospital. And if they found out that he wasn’t kidding around or crazy? The government would probably lock him up and maybe even run tests on him. So he couldn’t breathe a word of this to anyone. Not even Hongbin who he was closest to. Hyuk had already been abandoned by one family, he wouldn’t be able to handle another one leaving him.

So his secret would have to be kept hidden from everyone he loved.

--

“Hyukkie?” Hongbin called as he entered the bedroom.

Looking around, he didn’t see the younger boy. But he did see a lump on the boy’s bed. Hongbin smiled slightly before making his way over. Pulling the blankets away, he was greeted by Hyuk’s sleeping face. Hongbin frowned. Was it just him, or did Hyuk’s eyes look puffy like he’d been crying? The boy just looked so sad and it hurt Hongbin to see him like that. Hyuk was like his little brother and he never wanted to see him upset.

“What’s wrong?” Hongbin whispered, “What’s been bothering you lately, Hyukkie? I wish you’d tell me.”

Hongbin knew something was wrong. For the past couple of months, Hyuk seemed different. He was more distant then he normally was with people and this distance was starting to translate over to how he acted around Hongbin and their hyungs. When N or Ken started gushing over how cute the youngest was, Hyuk just smiled a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and did nothing. Normally, he would playfully fight against their hold, laughing when Ken tried to tickle him in retaliation.

Even the woman running their foster home had noticed a change. She didn’t even pay them much attention, but Hyuk’s change in behaviour was hard to miss.

“How is he?” N asked, peeking in before actually entering the room.

“I think he was crying,” Hongbin replied, brushing some of Hyuk’s hair from his face, “I just wish I knew what was wrong.”

“Don’t worry,” N smiled, trying to comfort the boy, “he’ll tell us in time. We just need to remind him that we’re here for him.”

“Yeah,” Hongbin nodded, but he had a feeling that Hyuk would never tell him what was wrong.

--

Three months later, Ravi found Hyuk being beaten up by a couple of classmates. Hyuk told the others that the boys had been bullying him for a few months. Hongbin asked him if that was what had caused his change in behaviour and Hyuk nodded in agreement, lying through his teeth. Thinking that the problem was over relieved his hyungs so much that he couldn’t say that it was something else causing his personality change. Hongbin had a feeling that there might be something else, but Hyuk seemed to return to his normal self so he let it drop.

A/N: myungieluvsinspirits requested a special chapter that focuses on Hyuk. I’d actually just started writing this a few hours before I saw the request and was like “awesome! Someone who thinks Hyukkie needs love just like me!” But poor Hyuk, having to hide everything for fear of being rejected. Fun fact about my werewolves, most don’t have their first change until age 11 or 12. But Hyuk was 9. Hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge.