Trigger Warning — Depictions of SA
If you still want to know how the plot progresses, skip down to the +×+ page break and read on from there.

Soobin felt a chill rip down his spine, an ill feeling reverberating in his core when he heard a loud and harsh thud almost out of earshot.

Beomgyu!

Some switch flipped in his head, and now the only thing that consumed his mind was the fragile boy he'd essentially picked up off the street. He dropped what he was doing—a few forks and a scrubbing brush—and went quickly to where he'd left Beomgyu.

Beomgyu wasn't in the dining room.

He wasn't in the lounge either.

"Is everything alright?" His mother asked, seeing the worried expression upon her son's face.

"Where's Beomgyu?" Soobin blurted out, eyes still darting about looking for the said male.

Soobin's mother looked taken aback. "He's in the bathroom," she simply said.

Along with Beomgyu being unaccounted for was Songmin. This worried Soobin more. "Where's Songmin?!"

"He showed him where the bathroom was," Hyejin's forehead creased, "why? What's going on?"

Soobin didn't wait around to answer.

Beomgyu felt his windpipes close. The hand shoved against his mouth was sending him into a panic, all the air escaping his lungs as he struggled to regulate his breathing. He pleaded incoherently. A series of mumbled begs and cries hurriedly spewing from his lips as the oxygen vanished by the millisecond.

Songmin scowled.

Another rough and powerful shove slammed Beomgyu harder against the wall. This time, aiming for the webbing on his torso. The sound of Beomgyu's agony echoed through the massive tiled space. He tried his hardest, kicked his hardest, and cried his hardest trying to get the prying man away from him. Out of his peripheral vision, Beomgyu saw a glass ceramic soap dispenser atop a stone sink counter. If he could reach it, he could crack it across his attacker's head.

Songmin seemed somewhat distracted. His hold softened just barely as his callused and cruel hand slipped beneath Beomgyu's shirt, feeling up the boy's slim, scarred, and fractured torso.

Beomgyu forced back more tears, trying to focus on escaping. As the counter became clearer, he reached his arm out, fingers stretching as far as they could, fighting to grab the soap dispenser.

The sickly hand working its way across his abdomen climbed up to his chest, small groans falling from Songmin's lips. It made the latter scream, nausea overtaking him. He tried to block it out, yelling at his consciousness that it was just Soobin tending to wounds again, that this wasn't harming him, but as he strained his arm more, the soap dispenser only seemed to be getting further away.

He felt his feet slipping out from beneath him, his body felt helpless. Barely breathing as panic surged, and body ceasing as fingers pried.

A taunt yank hauled him back up again. Expecting to be met with another elbow against his throat, he writhed in the latter's hold. Instead, a rough pair of lips made haste against his neck. Strong hands gripped his shirt, snagging at the collar, leaving exposed and vulnerable skin behind. Songmin planted his lips along Beomgyu's collarbone, only stopping to ask "Aren't you enjoying this, Beom?"

Beomgyu gagged, the sound of Soobin's nickname for him coming from the lips of the freak kissing him made him vomit a little. A trail of rifts followed his lips and every touch. Everywhere he went, his skin broke a little more, not to mention the black blood seeping from the wound Songmin had made on his gut.

Having been reminded of Soobin, Beomgyu willed himself to try one more time. So, sucking in what breath he could, he screamed. It was weak and hoarse, cutting out towards the end when he ran out of air. Pitiful and empty, but enough to make Songmin fume. 

Both hands were now wrapped around Beomgyu's throat, pressing tighter and tighter. He coughed and gasped, grasping onto any fleeting breath of air. "H...elp," his hands clawed at Songmin's wrists, trying to get him to let go. 

"I fucking warned you," Songmin spat through gritted teeth as he watched the life drain out of the latter's eyes. "You're not even human so it doesn't matter."

Beomgyu felt his consciousness slipping away with ever strained gasp. His head lolled and eyelids drooped. Eventually, his fighting hands fell away too. Just as his vision darkened, a sudden loud crash reverberated through the room. Songmin's grip faltered as he turned to see the source of the noise. The door had been kicked open, and a figure stood in the doorway, familiar to them both.

"Get your hands off him!" Soobin yelled, rushing forward. Songmin barely had time to react before he was tackled to the ground. The force of the impact made him release Beomgyu, who crumpled to the floor, chest heaving as he desperately drew in breath after breath. 

Beomgyu's vision slowly returned, blurry and unfocused. Through the haze, he heard a struggle, the sound of fists hitting flesh, grunts of pain, and the furious shouts of Songmin. "Get off me, you bastard!" Songmin's voice was desperate and enraged, but it was followed by a sharp cry of pain and then silence. 

It was only a matter of moments before Soobin was by Beomgyu's side, his concerned face hovering above him. "Beom, can you hear me? Stay with me, okay?" 

He tried to respond, but his throat burned, and no sound came out. Instead, he gave a weak nod, evidently relieved to see Soobin. He knelt beside him, hands gentle but firm as he checked Beomgyu for injuries. Breakage was everywhere and black was oozing from multiple spots on his body. Soobin felt ill.

"You're safe now. Just breathe."

The blonde helped him sit up, supporting his weight. After cleaning up what he could of what he could only deem 'black blood', he took off his hoodie and helped Beomgyu put it on. Hopefully, it would keep his porcelain skin hidden. "There we go. We need to get you out of here," he said, glancing back at Songmin, who was scrambling to his feet, hand clutched against his bruised face. "Can you stand?"

The pair watched him run out the door, and no more than ten seconds later did a horrified shriek meet their ears. 

+×+

"I know you have your grudges, Choi Soobin," Hyejin's small lips drew into a thin line, "but this is too far!"

Soobin had barely stepped foot in the lounge, and he already had three sets of angry eyes planted on him. It would've been four if Taehyun's hadn't been fixed on his phone screen. 

Beomgyu opened his mouth to come to the older's defense, but Soobin placed a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him backward. "Stay out of this, Beom."

"I didn't touch him," Soobin deadpanned.

Songmin and Euntae crossed their arms. Hyejin just stared warily at her son. 

"So how did he get that split lip and bruised cheek?" Euntae snapped. 

"Well, I did," Soobin backtracked, "but he fucking attacked Beomgyu."

"Really?" Hyejin raised an eyebrow, "'Cause I don't see any scuffs on him."

Soobin's mouth fell open. His mother was believing a mutt like Songmin over her son—her own flesh and blood. 

Euntae started tapping his foot pretentiously, waiting for the boy's answer. 

"Yes," Soobin looked Euntae dead in the eye, "he did. And if you don't mind, me and Beomgyu will be leaving now."

Soobin and Beomgyu had barely taken a few steps towards the door when Hyejin's voice cut through the air, sharp and commanding. "You're not going anywhere until we sort this out."

Soobin paused, his back still to his mother. He tightened his grip on Beomgyu's hand, feeling the tension in the air like a physical weight. "Go get into the car," he whispered, shooing the boy outside. Slowly, Soobin turned around, his eyes meeting his mother's with a mix of defiance and hurt.

"Sort what out, eomma?" he asked, his voice steady but edged with frustration. "The fact that you don't trust me? That you think I would hurt someone without a reason?"

Hyejin's expression softened, but she held her ground. "I just want to understand, Soobin. I need to know the truth."

"The truth?" Soobin repeated, his voice rising. "The truth is that Songmin attacked Beomgyu, and I stepped in to stop him. That's the truth."

"Then why does it look like you were the aggressor?" Euntae interjected, his tone dripping with skepticism.

"Because I defended my boyfriend for shits sake," Soobin snapped back. "You think I was about to leave him there? Huh? With Songmin over there, forcing himself on Beomgyu?"

Songmin, still clutching his bruised face, scoffed. "You're just making excuses, Soobin. You're still hung up on our break up."

"C'mon eomma," Soobin's voice shook, "don't you believe me?"

Hyejin's shifted from his face to Euntae's.

"Soobin..."

"Well?"

"I think it's best you leave now," Hyejin said nonchalantly. "You've disappointed us both."

"I think it would've been best I left when Dad did," Soobin spat, before spinning on his heels and walking out the door.