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Riki had stayed at the company after hours for the nth time in a row. Sweat had collected on his back, his mind foggy when he even thought of walking home. The moon had shined high when he gave into the thoughts of going. He took a big gulp of water, resting for five minutes and packing up to leave. His legs sore and bruised and only wishing for a hot bath and sleep.
He opened the doors to outside, looking at the well lit road. He’d made this walk alone plenty of times before, but this time felt different, he had a gut feeling but in his tired and weak state, he ignored it only thinking of home. He dragged his feet along the pavement, eyes opening and closing. He thought he heard footsteps from behind him but when he moved to check, it was just his shadow. He must be going crazy.
He heard footsteps once more and just to be safer, he took out his phone, sending a message to Jake, ‘I think someone’s following me’
‘Help’
Riki had just sent the last text when the phone in his hand got slapped, it cracked on the floor. His eyes shook as he looked up. A man was there in place. He shoved Riki to the brick wall, head colliding to the wall. He inhaled from the pain, scrunching his face up, his eyes blinked away tears. He was thrown onto the ground, his cheek getting scraped.
“I don’t want any trouble, just give me your money.” The man had a knife, it shook from fear. Riki tried to get away, but he was pushed back down, a searing pain had stung through his back, he fell back down, coughing as tears fell down on the rough ground. He wheezed in a breath that echoed through the alleyway beside them.
“Just don’t give me anymore trouble,” the stranger said, feeling him up to find a wallet.
He didn’t have any money on him besides coins, his cards were there, “What’s the pin,” he demanded, but Riki’s hearing had started to muffle, black spots entering his vision.
The weight was lifted off of him, a release of a pained breath, someone helped him. He tried to look to see who it was, the dots in his sight had made his saviour unclear.
The person had lifted his head, “Oh shit, Riki-ah, you’re bleeding,” it was Sunghoon. He hummed, Sunghoon had put pressure on the stab wound. Riki knew that any breath could be his last. That if he went out, he’d rather expose his secrets so the others won’t feel bad.
“Hyung, I love you guys,” Riki started, “please don’t think this is your fault.”
“No,” Sunghoon whimpered, “don’t speak like that, Jake is calling an ambulance, just hold on, at least for a little bit.”
Riki felt wetness from his hazy state, was Sunghoon crying or was he. He felt out for The elders cheek, his hand shook, Sunghoon grabbed it, placing it on his cheek. It was him who was crying.
“Hyung, don’t cry, it’ll be alright,” Riki said. A muffle of a siren came into range.
“I should be saying that to you, the ambulance is here, please stay with me.” Riki couldn’t, his hand had fallen as well as his eyelids.
Sunghoon watched him go lifeless, eyes closing, he was breathing but that didn’t stop Sunghoon from worrying. How he wished he could go back and be a good hyung for once and pick him up at the building. He watched Riki go to the ambulance, Jake mentioned that he should stay home, worried that he’d go into shock. Sunghoon didn’t like the idea but he didn’t have it in him to argue.
He went home, the other members crowded him, asking if Riki was okay, where he was. Sunghoon told, “Hospital,” and that was it.
It was radio silence for a week, Jake had gone home, “he’s okay,” he’d say but anything else was unheard of.
Soon, the company called them, “they’re taking visitors now.”
Sunghoon stayed outside of the door where Riki stayed. He was nervous, he couldn’t help him, he just sat there as he laid dying. He was useless in the situation. Jake was the one who called them, who Riki messaged, Sunghoon just came along.
“Go in, he asked for you,” Sunoo told, “I know you’re scared, but he’s truly okay, it’s not a trick.” Sunoo tried, he put on a warm smile, watching Sunghoon open the door, the other members left, not wanting to intrude. They still remember when Sunghoon came home, dried blood painting his clothes and hands, they knew they needed alone time.
“Hyung,” Riki greeted, he grinned at seeing him. Sunghoon sat down, smiling as well, he was okay.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Sunghoon admitted, holding his hand once more, it was warmer and so soft, “I was so scared that we lost you.”
“To be honest,” Riki confessed, “I don’t remember a lot of that night, all I know is I woke up and here I was, but I do remember one thing,” he raised his head to look straight at Sunghoon, the elder was listening, “you were there, I remember being scared and when I heard you, I was no longer scared.”
Sunghoon squeezed Riki’s hand, “I’m so sorry that you had to go through that, someone should’ve been there, I should’ve been there.” Riki looked at him,
“It’s not your fault some jerk tried to hurt me.”
Sunghoon frowned, changing the topic, “The doctors say you can go home in a few days.”
Riki nodded, “Yes, I’m so excited, it’s been so boring these past few days, I wish someone kept me company, but they don’t like visitors if there were surgeries involved.”
Sunghoon asked, “Did you get stitches?” Riki confirmed, pulling up his shirt to see his flesh sewn together. Sunghoon hissed as if he could feel the pain, “Does it hurt?”
“A little, but it’s not that bad.”
“I wish I could take you home now,” Sunghoon confessed, “when you get back, sleep with me?”
Riki’s head fell to the side in confusion, he hasn’t slept with Sunghoon ever, it usually drifted between Sunoo, Heeseung and Jay, but he agreed nonetheless anyways, chalking it up to Sunghoon was deeply worried.
“I’ll hold you to it.”
After a few days, Riki was ok his way home, he looked at Sunghoon when he entered the dorm, he was on his phone. It was almost night anyways, so most of the boys were asleep.
“Riki-ah, everyone else is asleep, are you?” Sunghoon asked, he sat up, Riki nodded,
“They kept putting me on drugs because they had to undo the stitching.”
Riki yawned, falling beside Sunghoon, “I didn’t mean sleep here.” Sunghoon chuckled, getting Riki to his bed. He was thrown on the bed, “Be careful, Hyung,” Riki whined, he said it in a joking manner, making Sunghoon know he wasn’t actually hurt.
“Yeah yeah, aren’t you supposed to be drugged up, you druggy.”
Riki pouted, welcoming Sunghoon in on his bed, “I missed you when I was in the hospital, it was so lonely.” Sunghoon listened quietly, wondering how much Riki could feel, if it was just the drugs getting him to open up without a filter.
His hand on the youngers hair, trying to give him a sort of comfort, “I won’t let you be lonely ever again, okay?”
So, when Riki would stay late, Sunghoon would follow, practicing with him or just going on his phone, he’d rather sacrifice his sleep than watch Riki go through that again.