Chapter Text
2 months later
Chan sighed tiredly as he walked through the door, shutting it softly behind him. It was nearly four in the morning and he was just getting home from work. He had managed to get a job as a convenience store clerk a few weeks ago. It wasn’t necessarily a hard job but he took too many double shifts and worked too much overtime. At least, that’s what Woojin said. It’s not like he didn’t do the same.
It hadn’t been easy when they first arrived in Seoul. The city was beautiful yes, but they had nothing, no money, no one here to help them, nothing. Only the clothes on their backs, a dark past, and each other. On that first night, they slept clinging to one another in the cold rain. Well, some of them slept.
Over time, it got better. They would try and find work, doing whatever they could find that would pay. They saved whatever they could and slept on the streets until they were able to rent this dingy, one bedroom apartment where they lived now. The walls were cracked and the lights only worked half the time but they had made it theirs. It was the best home they had ever had.
He poked his head into their shared room and smiled to himself. They didn’t have any beds, only a few blankets and each other. He could make out Seungmin and Minho curled against each other near the far wall, Hyunjin, Felix, and Jisung were laying so close together, they were nearly on top of one another, and Woojin had Jeongin tucked underneath his arm. The room was a bit warm but Chan supposed that was because of Hyunjin. They had been careful about using their powers since they escaped but they still manifested in small ways.
He frowned, eyes sweeping over the room again. Someone was missing. Leaning back out of the bedroom he could see Changbin laying against the wall of the main room, chin tucked into his chest, asleep. How Chan had missed him when he walked in, he wasn’t sure. He must’ve been trying to wait for him to get home but accidentally fell asleep. He shook his head; he had told him and the others numerous times to not wait up on him. Still shaking his head, he walked over and lifted the boy into his arms. Only after they escaped did Chan realize how small the other boy actually was. He and the others teased him for it a bit but he always played along. Chan did, however, make sure he and the rest were eating enough. They had been deprived of enough in their lives and he always wanted to make sure he could provide for them.
Ge was going to take Changbin to their bedroom but jumped slightly when he heard someone banging on the door. He was torn between putting his brother to bed or yelling at the person at the door to be quiet or else they would wake the others. He bit his tongue and started towards the bedroom again but the banging on the door resumed, louder this time.
“What the hell, it’s four in the morning.” He muttered to himself before stalking over and yanking the door open, Changbin still miraculously asleep in his arms despite the noise and jostling. He was cold, but then again, he always was.
It was one of his co-workers. He grinned and waved, a brown bottle swinging in the other hand, obviously drunk out of his mind. Chan wrinkled his nose; he reeked of alcohol.
“Hey,” he slurred, lurching forward drunkenly.
Chan to a step back, turning away slightly and clutching Changbin closer to his chest, “What do you want?” He asked, eyes glaring.
He didn’t seem to notice Chan’s ill concealed anger, “Hey man, if you could take my shift today, that would be totally great.” He smiled crookedly at Chan as if he was doing him a favor, not the other way around.
Still though, Chan considered it. An extra shift meant a little extra money in his pocket. It meant maybe he could buy a few extra things for the boys. It meant one more step to a better life.
“What time does your shift start?”
“At five.”
“This afternoon?”
“Nah, man, this morning.”
He spluttered, “This morning? So you mean your shift starts in an hour?”
“Yeah, yeah. Look, I would really appreciate it. I promise it won’t happen again, just bail me out this one time.” Another sloppy grin.
Chan wanted nothing more than to slam the door in his face, pack up his boys, and move as far away as possible. But he knew that wasn’t possible. So instead he swallowed his pride and anger and opened his mouth to say yes, promising himself to slam the door as soon as he did.
But a hand settled on his shoulder, stopping him, and then there was someone standing beside him. His dark hair was messy and he must have just woken up but he looked wide awake.
“No thanks, he can’t, sorry.” Woojin’s said, gaze cool. He began to close the door but Chan’s co-worker angrily shoved him in the chest, “What the hell, man? He was just about to say yes, right Channie-ah? Who the hell do you even think you are?”
That was it.
Chan roughly shoved Changbin into Woojin’s arm, catching him by surprise. He stumbled briefly to not drop the boy and he woke with a start. They heard the sound of glass shattering and swiveled their heads to see the shards of broken bottle on the ground.
Chan stood over his drunk co-worker, furious, “Don’t touch him,” he growled, “Don’t you dare touch any of my brothers, got it? Stay away from us. And I’m not taking your shift.” He added as he stepped back inside and slammed the door in his face. The earth rumbled underneath them menacingly. The walls shook, cracks spreading further up the walls, bits of paint chipping off. The floor groaned and trembled, threatening to give out underneath them.
“Hyung?”
He blinked slightly in surprise at the word, all his previous anger gone in an instant, and the earth stilled. Changbin was looking up at him with wide eyes from where Woojin was holding him close. He was starting to get used to the younger boys calling him ‘hyung’ but it still caught him off guard every now and then. There was still so much he had to learn.
Woojin set Changbin down and ruffled his hair, “Go to bed Binnie, you still have a few hours before you have to get up.” He hesitated though, glancing between the two eldest but Woojin gave him a gentle shove and he was gone.
Once they were alone, Woojin reached out and grabbed Chan’s hand. He led him to the wall where Changbin had been asleep just moments before. They didn’t say anything for a while, just waited and counted each other’s breaths.
Chan studied him for a moment, wondering what he wanted to say. It could be anything from the dark circles under his eyes, to the hours he worked, or the less and less they saw him. They had had this conversation, this argument, a thousand times before.
But all he said was, “We need to move. It isn’t safe here, not for the kids.”
Slowly, he nodded in agreement, “Soon hopefully. I wanna see if we can get them into school too. If they want to go, that is.” It was an idea he had brought up a few times but never pushed. He wouldn’t push it now, either. If they didn’t want to go, he wouldn’t make them. Everything had changed for them in such a short amount of time, it seemed like too much for them to take on right at this moment. Whenever you’re ready, he had said.
“Yeah.” He paused, “That doesn’t mean you need to work all day and night though.” He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, tracing patterns with his fingers against the top of his hand, “I’m worried about you.”
“I’m worried about you too.” Chan replied, “You left yesterday morning at three and didn’t get home until who knows when.” He had already gone to work by then himself.
“Eleven last night, almost twelve actually.” He murmured, eyes downcast, and Chan realized how tired Woojin was, how tired they both were, “It’s okay though, it’s for them.”
“For them.” Chan agreed, nodding.
Everything they did was so that they could give the others a better life than they had. They weren’t the only ones working hard though, Minho and Changbin were both working as well but Chan and Woojin wouldn’t let them work as many hours as they did. Maybe it was hypocritical of them but it was because they cared. They hadn’t let the others work yet, they were too young. However, every now and then, a bit of extra money would find its way into Chan’s pockets when he wasn’t looking. He had a feeling where it came from but he never truly questioned it. As long as it isn’t illegal, was all he said. Or more so, as long as they didn’t get caught.
“Channie-ah?”
He was startled out of his thoughts by Woojin’s voice, but his heart warmed at the nickname all the same; it always did. It was the same feeling he got when Jeongin smiled up at him, cheeks dimpled, eyes pulled into little crescent moons, and calling him his hyung. He squeezed the other boy’s hand, “Yeah, Woojinnie-ah?”
“Will we,” he paused before shaking his head, “Nevermind, forget I said anything.”
Chan frowned and closed his eyes. He had seen the worry painted on the other boy’s face, he was sure he looked the same. There was so much to do and so much that could go wrong, it was a little terrifying. But they had made it this far, they could keep going, as long as they had each other.
A moment later, he felt Woojin’s head on his shoulder; he had fallen asleep. He smiled softly to himself before giving his hand another gentle squeeze.
“We’ll be okay.” He whispered, closing his eyes.
There was always tomorrow.