Chapter Text
“They should be back soon,” Changbin said to the remaining members of their group. He had just gotten off the phone with Woojin, who had given him a vague rundown of what happened. “Woojin hyung said it’s… kinda bad, so we can’t crowd Chris hyung. Don’t shout or yell or cry or touch him, okay? We need him to remember he’s safe here.”
“How bad could it be?” Seungmin asked, biting the inside of his lip nervously. “I mean, he was only gone for a day… right?”
“Hyung didn’t give me any details, but he said they should be home any minute,” Changbin swallowed thickly and smiled at the boys. With Woojin, Minho and Chris gone, he was the oldest now. He had to be strong for them. “It’ll be rough at first, but this is the first step to everything being normal again so be patient.”
“What if-?” Jisung’s question was cut off by the sound of a key jingling at the front door. Everyone froze as the door swung open and the three boys entered the apartment.
“I’m going to take a real shower,” Minho said before anyone else could open their mouths. “I can still feel the blood under my nails.”
“Take your time Min,” Woojin didn’t take his attention from Chris, who was tucked under his arm carefully. “It’ll take a while to explain everything.”
“Welcome home hyung,” Changbin said softly, directing the greeting at Chris, who continued to stare at the ground. Woojin had pulled the hood of the jacket, so only his bruised face was visible. “Are you hungry?”
Chris just continued to stare at the floor, his eyes glazed and unfocused. Woojin pulled him closer to his chest when he felt the hybrid swaying.
“Here, let’s sit down for a second, okay pup?” Woojin suggested, and Seungmin instantly jumped up from the armchair. Woojin helped Chris sit before kneeling in front of the smaller boy, taking Chris’ hands in his larger one. “Can you hear me Chris? Do you want to eat anything?”
After a moment, Chris shook his head. Woojin felt his gently tighten his grip on his hand.
“What happened?” Jeongin asked, sounding horrified.
“Well right now he’s probably in shock,” Woojin said as his thumb rubbed comforting circles into the back of Chris’ hand. “That, mixed with however much sedative he was given… it’s going to take a little while before he’s back with us.”
“He was drugged?” Hyunjin choked out.
“Drugged, beaten and…” Woojin couldn’t bear to think about it.
“And?” Changbin pressed, unsure if he should have just left it.
“That asshole he- he said he had Chris ‘fixed’ last night,” Bile rose in the back of Woojin’s throat. He could hear the gasps behind him. “I- I don’t know exactly what that means but.. Whatever it is, it can’t be good.”
“Jesus fuck-”
“Chris, are you in pain?” Woojin asked softly. “Do you want some advil-?” Chris started shaking his head frantically, his eyes widening in fear. Woojin held his hands tighter, realizing his mistake. “No more drugs pup, I promise. I’m not going to drug you.”
At that, Chris calmed down, going back to staring blankly at his hand being held oh so carefully by Woojin.
“Do you want some water hyung?” Changbin asked, kneeling next to Woojin. Chris stayed frozen, and Changbin almost thought he hadn’t heard the question, until he finally nodded gently. “Alright, I’ll be right back.”
“Are you cold pup?” Woojin could tell the hybrid was chilly from how he was holding his arms close to his body and how his tail was puffed up at his side, but he was hoping to get an answer. Chris hesitated again before nodding, just like he had with Changbin’s question. Woojin smiled and kissed the back of his hand softly before grabbing a blanket off the back of the couch and placing it over Chris’ lap, making sure to tuck it in under his thighs.
“Here hyung.” Changbin took Chris’ hand and put the cup in it, making sure the older boy had a solid grip on it before letting go.
“After you finish your water, do you want to go to bed?” Woojin asked, not wanting to overwhelm him anymore than he already was.
Chris nodded, and Woojin felt some of the pressure leave his chest. He was responding more quickly, and was drinking the water without spilling any of it which were good signs. That, and he trusted Woojin enough to be alone in the bedroom, which was another.
“We’re going to head home,” Seungmin stood, Jeongin close behind. “You’re probably exhausted and I want you guys to rest up.”
“Us too,” Changbin said, which caused Jisung to whine a little. “Well, just me I guess. Jisung’s been wanting to sleep over with Hyunjin and Felix for a while. If he causes any trouble just kick him out. He’ll find his way back to the shop eventually.”
“Thanks for everything you’ve done today guys.” Woojin smiled - it was a tired smile, but a genuine one as well.
“Changbin hyung is being mean again.” Jisung whined louder, draping himself over Felix, who laughed and scratched the base of the squirrel’s ears carefully.
“Is he wrong though?” Hyunjin asked, naturally falling back into the banter with his friends.
“Betrayed…” Jisung whispered, sounding hurt. “Betrayed by the ones I trusted… thrown to the cats like some sort of- of mouse.”
“Hey!” Minho walked in just in time for him and Felix to cry out at the same time. Jisung opened his mouth to say something else when the sound of faint laughter made them all freeze. They glanced over and saw Chris chuckling to himself, his face still mostly blank but his shoulders bouncing slightly.
“Alright, everyone who doesn’t live here except Sungie, out,” Woojin said, his heart lighter than it had been since the day before. “Come back later though.”
“Aye aye captain!” Seungmin saluted, running away just in time to avoid Woojin’s brotherly smack to the back of the head.
“Come on pup, let’s go to our room.” Woojin helped Chris stand as Minho saw the others out. Chris walked with him without a fight, which worried Woojin at first, until he saw a bit of focus in the golden eyes he loved so much. It wasn’t a lot, but he could tell Chris was aware of where they were, which meant the drugs were starting to wear off.
“Woojin…” Chris muttered once the door was closed behind them. The human jumped a little, not expecting to be addressed so suddenly.
“Yes pup? Did you need something?” Woojin was doing his best to keep the fear from his voice but it felt like an impossible task. So much had gone wrong in such a short period of time. Who was to say it wouldn’t happen again? That something even worse would happen?
“Sorry… for leaving,” Chris wouldn’t meet Woojin’s eye. “Don’t wanna fight.”
“No more fighting, ever,” Woojin pulled Chris into a hug. “We don’t have to worry about that asshole ever again, and I found your papers before we left. You don’t have to be afraid anymore baby. You’re safe here. I’ve got you.”
At those words. Chris burst into tears - loud, heaving sobs that were instantly muffled by Woojin’s shirt as the younger boy buried his face in his boyfriend’s shoulder. Woojin didn’t hesitate to hold Chris close, making sure Chris knew he was loved and that he was safe and that he was never going to be alone again.
“Wanna go to bed pup?” Woojin whispered after Chris had calmed down. Eyes puffy, Chris nodded slowly. Woojin smiled and kissed the top of his head before gently tucking the covers around Chris’ body. “Goodnight Chris. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
“How’s he doing?” Changbin asked. It had been a month since they brought Chris home, and neither he nor Woojin had been back to work at the shop. Changbin completely understood, and with Seungmin and Jeongin helping out, everything was running smoothly.
“So far so good,” Woojin sighed a little. Chris was napping in the bedroom, so he was taking the chance to catch up with Bin on the phone while he made them some lunch. “The doctors said he should be healing up fine after a few days. The infection was bad for a while but it’s finally cleared up and they were able to undo the vasectomy without complications. Now he’s just a little sore and emotionally drained.”
“God, I bet,” Changbin’s frown was heard in his voice. “When you first said that freak got him fixed I almost-”
“Me too…”
“I can’t even begin to try and comprehend how that- that monster thought he could do that to hyung.”
“I’m just glad he’s safe now.” Woojin smiled a little, the memory of him running shampoo through Chris’ barely there curls warming his chest.
“Did the paperwork go through yet?” Changbin asked, changing the subject a little.
“Not yet, but it should be approved soon,” Woojin started putting away the ingredients he didn’t need anymore. “All we had to do was lie a little about what happened and they were more than happy to switch Chris’ ownership to me legally.”
“Does he know yet?”
“No… but I’ll tell him soon,” Woojin felt a pit in his stomach. “I just… want to cover our bases, incase anything comes up again… I want to be able to protect him as much as I can, and this is just one part of that.”
“I’m sure he’ll understand,” Changbin said reassuringly. “He loves you, and knows you’d never hurt him.”
“Has he talked to you much?” Woojin asked suddenly, hoping to get an answer other than what he knew he was going to get.
“Not really,” Changbin said, to neither of their surprise. “He chats with me sometimes when we’re all together, and he’ll send laughing emoticons when I send him a meme or something, but it’s not like it used to be.”
“It’s going to be a long process, but it’ll be okay,” Woojin believed that if he said it enough, he could bring it into existence. “He got really fucked up that night… sometimes he still won’t let me touch him. He wakes up sobbing at least once a week. I’m starting to get bits and pieces as he starts to open up again and it’s… not great.”
“What- what happened?” Changbin knew most of what happened - the whole group did - but Woojin had been hesitant to divulge the more… personal details.
“Apparently on top of being beaten, drugged and ‘fixed’, that asshole tried to brainwash him,” Woojin felt anger growing in his chest as he talked. “Told him that I was trying to groom him to be a toy, and that I was going to get bored of him soon. Said I was going to start beating him and- and raping him-”
“Jesus fucking shit-” Changbin hissed. Woojin heard a muffled whack, and guessed the younger boy punched something nearby. “That’s so fucked.”
“We’ve been working through things though,” Woojin took a deep breath. “I’m telling him how much I love him as much as possible and talking him through panic attacks. I found a therapist that works with hybrids, and I was going to ask him if he wanted me to make an appointment soon. I think it’ll do him a lot of good to talk to a professional about what happened, you know?”
“Do you think we can get Lix in too?” Changbin asked softly, after a moment of silence.
“I can ask. Why?”
“He’s… I know he’s good at being all smiley and bright when he’s with everyone but he’s been getting really depressed recently and I’m worried,” Changbin sounded like he was biting at his lip. “He’s also been complaining that his stumps are hurting, which worries me.”
“I can give you the information if you want to talk to him about it,” Woojin offered, not wanting to make that decision for Felix, even if it was a good idea. “Honestly, I’ll talk to Minho too. I know it’s been a while since everything happened with him, but I get the feeling that I’m the only person he ever really confided in and I don’t want him to think he has to bottle everything up.”
“Honestly? We should all go see a therapist,” Changbin chuckled a little. “With all the shit we’ve been through? We deserve some peace of mind.”
“The place I was looking at for Chris was kinda small, and I doubt they’d let the same therapist see all nine of us, but I agree,” Woojin put some dirty dishes in the sink. “It’ll be like getting a fresh start.”
“When are the others getting home tonight?”
“I think Minho is the last one back, and he’s off at… five?” Woojin checked the little dry erase calendar on the fridge. Felix’ schedule was written in orange - he wanted the black marker but Woojin designated that one for non work related events. Hyunjin’s was written in red, Minho’s was written in light blue, Woojin’s was purple and Chris was pink. It helped them keep things organized slightly.
“Perfect, Sungie and I will come over with some food and movies.”
“Sounds good, I’ll let Seungmin and Jeongin know,” Woojin smiled. “Wouldn’t want them to feel left out and hold it over our heads for the rest of our lives.”
“They would too…” Changbin pouted a little. “Ah, I gotta get back to the shop. I’ll see you tonight hyung!”
“Have fun.” Woojin chuckled as he hung up. Just as he was grabbing the two bowls, Chris walked out of the bedroom. His sweatshirt covered his boxers, showing off his toned thighs that Woojin loved so much and his tail that Woojin adored even more.
“Morning Wooj.” Chris yawned, his canines showing before he clacked his mouth shut.
“Perfect timing pup,” Woojin grinned and placed Chris’ bowl down at his unofficial assigned seat. “I was just about to wake you for lunch.”
“Who was on the phone?” Chris lazily brought a bite to his mouth and chewed slowly, his eyes dropping from sleep.
“Changbin,” Woojin sat across from Chris, using one hand to hold his chopsticks and the other to reach across to hold Chris’ hand. “Him and Sungie are gonna come over once Minho gets back and we’re gonna have a movie night.”
“Good, I miss everyone.” Chris’ voice was gravelly and deep, and boy did it do things to Woojin.
Woojin smiled as he watched Chris eat. “I wanted to talk to you about something, actually.”
“What’s up?” Chris tensed. Woojin could feel Chris freeze under his fingers.
“Nothing bad,” Woojin clarified quickly. “I was wondering how you would feel about going to see a therapist once or twice about… well, everything.”
“A therapist?”
“Honestly, Changbin brought up a good point,” Woojin traced soft patterns into the back of Chris’ hand. “We should all go see someone for our own various traumas. I wouldn’t mind going myself… the anniversary of Moonbin’s death is coming up and I’ve been thinking a lot about my parents because of it and… well, talking to someone who’s like, licensed to help me with that sort of shit sounds kinda nice.”
Chris was silent for a moment before he laced his fingers through Woojin’s.
“Alright,” he smiled. “If you think it’ll help, I’ll go.”
“I can call tomorrow,” Woojin felt some of the pressure on his chest vanish. “But right now I wanna eat with my beautiful boyfriend and go cuddle and watch some anime.”
Chris just laughed, joy flashing in his eyes.
“I miss Seungmin…” Jeongin whined from the couch. The older boy had only gone off to college less than a week ago, and the hybrid had been lamenting the loss of his friend every second since then.
“Innie, he’s literally coming home on Friday,” Chris chuckled. The apartment vibe had been changing a lot recently, and even though it was so different, it was fun. Changbin finally took Woojin up on his offer to stay in the apartment with the others while renting out the one above the shop. He had been hesitant at first, but after he changed his mind he pulled Woojin aside and explained himself.
“I’m worried about Jisung,” he had said to the older boy. “I don’t want him to feel isolated or left out, you know? Everyone else lives here, and we’re all the way over by the shop. Besides, if he’s going to go through with taking a class or two, he and Jinnie can walk to campus together.”
Woojin completely understood, and honestly felt better having the two under the same roof. He’d prefer having all nine of them together, but he knew that wasn’t possible yet.
Even though Jeongin still technically lives at the main house, he’s started asking the driver to take him over to the apartment so he can complain about how quiet everything is without Seungmin’s cynical comments.
“When do Jisung hyung and Hyunjin hyung come home?” the youngest asked, laying upside down on the couch so his ears flopped onto the floor and his knees were over the back - Chris was ever impressed how the fox hybrid seemed to keep growing. At the moment, it was just the two of them in the apartment.
“It’s Wednesday, so their last class ends at 3:15.” Chris checked the schedule written on the fridge. He was grateful that Woojin insisted having everyone write their plans down. Helped make his life easier - instead of panicking when someone wasn’t home for dinner, he could check to see if they were supposed to be missing. So far, there hadn’t been any situations where he needed to panic when they weren’t supposed to be gone.
“I wanna go out and do something.” Jeongin said abruptly.
“Like what?”
“I dunno… go to the river? It’s going to start getting cooler out, and the park is really pretty in the fall.”
“What if we did dinner in the park?” Chris suggested, grinning as Jeongin tried to jump up, only to forget he was upside down and flipping onto to carpet, just barely missing the corner of the coffee table on his tumble down.
“Can we?” The boy’s eyes were sparkling so bright it almost blinded Chris. “Please?”
“I don’t see why not,” Chris laughed a little. “Everyone should be home by four other than Minho and I can text him to meet us there.”
“Fuck yeah!” Jeongin cheered, his tail swishing happily behind him.
“Ya, did I hear an explicit come from the mouth of our baby?” Felix came out of the bathroom, water still clinging to his bangs.
“Hyung, I’m like a head taller than you.” Jeongin deadpanned and Chris stifled a snicker. He and Seugmin really were two peas in a pod, huh?
“Let a guy live, damn…” Felix flushed and started drying his hair properly. Jeongin giggled and went over to wrap his arms around Felix. The older boy leaned into the embrace before yelping and scrambling away.
Jeongin had tickled his sides, the angelic smile on his face contrasting the absolute betrayal on Felix’s.
“Hyuuuuung,” Felix whined, hiding behind Chris. “I want a new maknae. This one’s mean to me.”
“We’re stuck with this one, sorry,” Chris laughed, giving Jeongin a sly thumbs up which caused the youngest to nod slightly, his fangs biting his lower lip to stop him from grinning at Felix’ expense again.
“Honey I’m home!” Woojin called as he unlocked the door. Even though it had been almost nine months since… the incident, Woojin insisted on Chris doing whatever he wanted. If he wanted to come into the shop he was allowed, but he didn’t want the world hybrid pushing himself in any aspect. In fact, Woojin had been pushing Chris to explore his own interests instead.
They didn’t have to work to survive anymore, which meant Chris had the opportunity to write music and possibly record some of it with Changbin and Jisung’s Frankenstiened equipment. Woojin could never forget the pure excitement on Chris’ face when he found out Jisung and Changbin rap together in their free time. In fact, the three of them had started working together, and were performing at the cafe’s open mic night later that week.
“Welcome back baby.” Chris abandoned Felix to Jeongin and rushed over to his boyfriend, who was just hanging up his jacket.
“How are you feeling today pup?” Woojin asked, holding his arms open. He did it subconsciously at this point.
At first, Chris would flinch at any touch, so Woojin quickly learned to let Chris come to him, not the other way around. Chris noticed this - how even nine months later Woojin still wouldn’t touch him first or without explicit permission - but he was almost… grateful for that because it wasn’t always so perfect.
Sometimes he still had nightmares. Sometimes he had flashbacks, or would zone out and forget where he was. Sometimes when he and Woojin were getting intimate, between his legs would ache and he would have to stop, and Woojin would kiss his tears away and offer to call a doctor even though it was just phantom pains at this point.
“Better now that you’re home.” Chris answered honestly, instantly hugging Woojin tight and hiding his face in the elder’s neck, letting his lips ghost against Woojin’s tanned skin.
“Did you want to do something special for dinner?” Woojin wrapped his arms around Chris’ waist, pulling the smaller boy closer and kissing the top of his head. His curls had grown in, and Woojin was surprised to see it was a soft silvery color to match the color of his ears. He hadn’t realized the blond when they first met had been added color since the brown made Chris’ roots seem darker when it was growing out.
“Innie wants to have a picnic in the park with everyone.” Chris pressed soft kisses to Woojin’s neck, enjoying how the human’s voice vibrated through both their chests.
“That sounds pretty special,” Woojin grinned. “Want to help me make some food then?”
“What about us?” Felix called over, knowing better than to interrupt Dad and Dad’s lovey dovey moments.
“You can help too,” Woojin laughed finally looking up from Chris. “It’s going to take a few extra hands to make enough for eight people.”
“I feel like we made too much.” Jeongin muttered as he carried one of the baskets. Woojin carried another in one hand while holding Chris’ hand in the other. Jisung and Hyunjin carried the third cooler together, chatting about something that happened on campus as they lagged behind a little. Felix and Changbin were in charge of carrying the blankets. Minho said he would meet them at their usual spot in ten minutes with drinks.
“I dunno, I think it looks like a good amount.” A voice called from under their tree - the one that they always sat under when the sun would beat down on them or when the rain cleaned the heat from the cement walkways.
“Seungmin!” Jeongin put the basket down and ran towards his friend, jumping into the human’s arms, wrapping his legs around the older boy’s waist.
“It’s only been a week Innie,” Seungmin laughed, hugging the hybrid tightly. “It’s not like I went overseas or anything.”
“I know I just…” Jeongin’s voice cracked a little. Seungmin set him down on his feet and wiped one of the tears running down the youngest’s cheek. “This is the longest we’ve been apart ever.
“What do you mean Innie?” Woojin asked as he placed down the second basket under the tree.
“Seungmin and his family adopted me four years ago and- and I’ve never been away from Seungmin for more than a night since then,” He sniffled, clinging to Seungmin as if the older boy would disappear. “This week sucked.”
“I’m sorry Innie,” Seungmin hugged his friend again. “I guess I didn’t realize how hard it would be for you.”
“I’m just glad you’re back early.” Jeongin grinned brightly.
“I’ll come home to visit as much as I can, I promise,” Seungmin stuck out his pinky for Jeongin to wrap his own finger around. “And if I can come home, I’ll see if you can come visit. It’s only an hour drive away.”
“I’m glad hyung texted me ahead of time and told me you were coming,” Minho said as he jogged down the hill towards them, several bags dangling from his fingers and a smile on his face. “Otherwise we wouldn’t have enough drinks.”
“Hey Minho hyung,” Seungmin waved to him, one arm still wrapped around Jeongin. “Long time no see.”
“I know, right?” Minho teased the younger, putting the drinks and ruffling his hair.
“Now that we’re all here, let’s set up and eat,” Jisung demanded. “I’m starving!”
“What happened to all the food we ate on campus?” Hyunjin laughed, taking half of one of the blankets to help lay it out.
“That was HOURS ago,” Jisung pouted. “I’m a growing boy. I need sustenance.”
“If Jisung grows anymore, I’ll eat my belt.” Minho scoffed as he handed out cold drinks.
“Sorry Sungie, but I’m not gonna bet against that,” Chris giggled. “I think you’ve about finished growing.”
“Nuh-uh!” Jisung pouted more somehow. “My professor said boys don’t stop growing till their mid twenties and I’m only twenty!”
“I mean, technically you’re nineteen.” Felix muttered. He had been very confused when he first heard of Korean ages. He had been excited that their birthdays were so close, but thought he was doing the math wrong when Jisung called himself twenty the first time.
“Even better because that means I have an extra year to grow taller than all of you!” Jisung declared through cheeks filled with rice.
“Godspeed, soldier.” Minho saluted lazily, causing Jisung to whine again.
Woojin watched his friends bicker with a small smile. Minho was opening up more than ever before. He was able to joke around and tease the others without a second thought.
When he and Woojin first met, Minho was so closed off it seemed like they would never be friends. Now, Minho seemed more comfortable with them than ever before. Sure, there was still a lot that he hid - a lot that only Woojin knew - but he was slowly opening up to his friends.
Felix was the same. He was being more open and happy. Sometimes he would knock on Woojin and Chris’ door in the middle of the night if he had a bad dream, or during a particularly bad storm when his ear and tail nubs hurt so badly he couldn’t sleep. When that happened, the two oldest let him sleep in between them on their large mattress, cuddling the smaller boy from both sides. Woojin was happy that he had Changbin. Sure, the older boy seemed a little prickly at first but they worked well together. Woojin was glad they had someone to rely on.
Hyunjin and his mother’s relationship was getting better. She even came over to the apartment for their weekly dinner a handful of times. The others were wary at first, but quickly warmed up to her when they realized how genuine she was in wanting to fix the relationship between her and Hyunjin. Woojin thought starting school again was good for Hyunjin too. Finally, he was doing something he wanted to do, with the support of his friends and mom. He seemed to smile even more than before, and those smiles seemed to glow even brighter than ever.
Changbin had been working harder, but at the same time seemed more relaxed than ever before. A few weeks before he moved in, he gifted Woojin and Chris with an art piece to hang on their wall - a large whale positioned to make it look like it was in the middle of swimming, made out of the old CDs that were too scratched to play. Woojin hung it up immediately, and now their living room was coated in rainbows every night when the sun set. Changbin still owned the music shop, but was renting the apartment above to some students that went to the same university a Jisung and Hyunjin.
Jisung was just as hyper as ever, chattering endlessly about class and school and life and the cute dog he saw on the way home. The moment he walked through the door of the apartment, it was like the air itself came alive. As much as he tried to hide it, Woojin knew moving was a hard transition for him. He was used to living with Changbin, with his own room. Now he shared a room with Changbin in an apartment with six other people. It was obvious the transition threw Jisung off a little, but the boy accepted the change easily and went with the flow of his new life.
Seungmin called when he could. Their group chat was still alive and active. They were constantly sending each other silly pictures they took of the others or memes they found online. Seungmin would update everyone on big events in his life, like when he was asked out for the first time. According to him, he panicked and quite literally ran away. Minho was the one to call him and give him some flirting advice.
Jeongin was always in and out of the apartment. He said it was because he was bored at the main house, but everyone knew it was because he was lonely and missed them - not that anyone minded. They all adored their youngest, and he loved them just as much. He was getting better at hiding his ears and tail, and would sometimes tag along with Jisung and Hyunjin to their school, sitting in the on campus cafe with his sketchbook while he waited for them to get out.
Chris was recovering in strides. Woojin was amazed everyday by the sheer amount of life and determination in his boyfriend’s eyes. He knew that Chris was still struggling - they were all still struggling with their own things - but therapy was helping. Chris would come home and recount each session to Woojin, who listened carefully to see if Chris said anything that the human could use to help his pup in the future. It broke Woojin’s heart to hear Chris cry, especially when his scars got too much to bear. He knew when Chris was feeling his scars hurt, Felix would be coming in soon. What hurt Woojin the most was seeing Chris wince when they made love. He would try to stop - hurting Chris was the one thing Woojin was afraid of the most - but Chris insisted that he was fine. Insisted that it was just sore from the botched surgery. Woojin made sure to be extra gentle those nights.
Woojin himself was… getting better too. He sometimes had nightmares of his friends getting hurt because he wasn’t there for them, or because he wasn’t good enough, but Chris was always there to comfort him after. Sometimes, when he got stressed, he would snap at them. They knew by now that it wasn’t because he was actually mad at them, but because he was overwhelmed and panicking. Chris went with him to visit Moonbin’s grave, about two months after the anniversary. Woojin had honestly been expecting to sneak out and get back before anyone noticed, so imagine his surprise when he saw Chris standing by the front door, waiting for him, flowers in hand.
Chris held his hand as Woojin cried. He told Chris that it was the first time he had visited Moonbin since he ran away, because he was afraid. Afraid and guilty.
“I don’t think he blamed you,” Chris had whispered as Woojin sobbed over the grass covering his first love. “He loved you, and he loved you until the end. He never blamed you, Woojin, so you can’t blame yourself.”
The wind had blown just then, kicking up some of the loose petals from the bouquet placed carefully on top of the headstone. One of the petals landed on top of Woojin’s head, resting softly in his brown locks.
“See?” Chris had said, kneeling next to Woojin. “He agrees.”
“Thank you for coming with me,” Woojin buried his face in Chris’ jacket. “Um, Bin? This… this is Chris. He’s my entire world. I- I love him more than anything… I loved you, and now I have someone I can love openly… I hope you found someone to love you too, wherever you are now.”
The wind blew again, another petal brushing against Woojin’s cheek before getting whipped away farther into the cemetery.
“It’s going to rain baby,” Chris tugged on Woojin’s sleeve after a little while. “We can come back another day, if you want.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Woojin wiped his face and stood, bowing once more towards the grace. “Did- did you want to get something to eat-”
Woojin froze, paling. Chris’ eyes followed the human’s and he felt his stomach drop. There was a fresh grave, a few plots away with a very familiar surname on it. Chris hoped it was just a coincidence, because even if Woojin and his father hated each other, it was hard losing a parent.
Woojin walked forward, leaving Chris by Bin’s grave and knelt by his father’s. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He felt like he should say something, but his mind was blank. He only opened his eyes when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced back at Chris and returned the soft smile before looking at the head stone.
“I’m sorry we never saw eye to eye,” He said softly. “I know if things had been different, we could have had a really great relationship. I…”
“Come on Woojin, it’s alright.” Chris said softly. Woojin nodded and stood, knowing he had nothing left to say to the man that was supposed to be his father.
“Thank you, for everything.” Woojin told Chris on the way back to the apartment.
“Of course,” Chris smiled brightly. “I’d do anything for you.”
“I love you.” Woojin took Chris’ hand and rested his head on the hybrid’s shoulder. The bus was almost completely empty, and Woojin felt the same way. Empty.
“I love you too.” Chris leaned down and kissed Woojin softly. Woojin hummed and let his eyes close.
“Let’s go home.”
“Yeah, home.” Chris kissed him again, keeping Woojin’s mind focused solely on the love being poured into him.