Things were tense now that Yeosang had given himself a time limit. There would be no sleep for him tonight, not with how much he needed to get done.

He was already working on another headband for San. The last one was thrown together so quickly it wasn't going to last very long. Yeosang wanted to make one that would fit comfortably to his head and be light enough that it wouldn't interfere with anything. That would make things easier for San in the long run.

Next to that was his laptop, which he had hooked up to started running diagnostics on the signal coming from Hongjoong's shop. Yeosang's gut told him there was some kind of secret to it. He already knew that it was being broadcast over an old radio frequency, one that no one would think to check unless they knew where to look for it.

Yeosang chewed on the inside of his cheek, then turned to his third project he had going on. For a couple of hours now he had been sifting through layouts of the city trying to find a new place for them to go.

Jongho was still downstairs sulking, but Yeosang knew he would come up as soon as accepted that this was for the best. They were going to do everything they could to protect this place, but every second they stayed here put them at risk.

Mercer had to know by now that San was compromised. They had to be prepared for an attack any time now.

A staticky sound drew Yeosang's attention and he leaned over to pick up the walkie-talkie. He pressed a button on the side and held it close to his lips, "Yunho?"

"Yeah, can you hear me ok?"

"Yes. Is everything ok?" Yeosang spun around in his chair and saw Mingi sitting up from where he had been laying down on the couch. The taller looked drained...

"Everything seems clear. San and I have done a couple of laps and taken some side roads, I don't notice anything out of the ordinary or signs of anyone following us."

It was the small piece of comfort that Yeosang had desperately needed right now. He sighed in relief and leaned back in his chair. "Good. I'm glad to hear that. Come back for now and we will come up with a game plan. How is San?"

"I'm ok." The younger answered.

"Any headaches?"

"Not yet, unless I start trying to piece everything together." A small giggle accompanied San's words and it brought a smile to Yeosang's face.

"I hear you there. Alright, come back. Then we can get ready to leave."

"Copy that." Yunho said.

Yeosang took that as a dismissal and set the walkie-talkie down. As soon as he did, the door opened and Jongho came inside looking hopelessly lost. He walked right by Yeosang and into the room they shared.

For a moment the hacker hesitated and glanced at Mingi, who just shook his head and came over to watch the screens.

Yeosang slipped out of his chair and ducked into his room and closed the door softly behind him.

Jongho was standing in the middle of the room looking around as if he was trying to memorize every corner of it.

"We are going to come back." Yeosang whispered. He walked up behind his boyfriend and looped both arms around his stomach, then let one hand slip up under Jongho's shirt to gently rub his chest. "It's going to be ok."

The younger started to tremble slightly but he stayed facing away from Yeosang. "Is it?"

"Of course, as long as we have each other, we will always be ok." Yeosang pressed his lips gently to Jongho's neck. "You know that, right?"

It took another moment or two, but Jongho finally turned around and pulled Yeosang into a crushing hug. He pressed his nose to Yeosang's neck and fought to contain the sobs threatening to break free.

"I wish they had never come here." The fighter said, squeezing Yeosang even tighter. "They've ruined everything."

Yeosang bit his lip and brought a hand up to cup the back to Jongho's head. "Hey, hey, it's ok." He whispered.

"No it's not, Sangie!" Jongho pulled away and moved his hands to Yeosang's shoulders. "Does this place mean nothing to you? Everything we've been through together? All the hard work put into building a place where we both finally feel safe?" His voice got slowly louder as he spoke. Yeosang hissed and looked at the door, hoping that Mingi couldn't hear them right now.

"Jongho, keep your voice down!"

Hurt and betrayal flashed in Jongho's eyes and he stepped back. "Sangie..."

"I just don't want Mingi to hear. He's been through enough right now." The older was quick to pull Jongho to their bed so they could both sit down. "You know our life together is all I've ever wanted, but... he needs us."

Jongho ground his teeth together and looked away. "Even with your test... I..."

"Believe what you want, my love, but I can't turn my back on him now. There have been too many coincidences for me to think that this isn't real. You didn't turn your back on me when you found me, now I want to return the favor for him." Yeosang let his fingers drift back and forth over the back of Jongho's hand and let out a long breath. "Do you trust me?"

"With my life." Jongho answered immediately.

"Then trust me now. The sooner we can leave, the safer this place will be. And if something does happen to it, then we will find some place even better." Yeosang lifted Jongho's head up and cupped his chin. "My home is wherever you are. Let's help them get a home too."

Their lips pressed together almost before Yeosang was even done speaking. JOngho's neediness came through immediately when he let out a little whine and pulled Yeosang closer to him by fisting his shirt.

The older could feel tears against his cheeks and knew that Jongho was unable to contain his pain and fear any longer, but he knew that Jongho would be ok. As long as they stayed together, they would always be ok.

After Jongho dismissed himself to go shower, Yeosang stepped back out to the main area to check on his progress.

He paused when he noticed Mingi sitting in his chair with on leg pulled up to his chest. His eyes were empty while staring at the computer screens.

"Mingi?"

The taller moved his head slightly, barely enough for anyone to register, to show he had heard Yeosang.

"Mingi, what's on your mind?" Yeosang asked gently while walking forward to kneel on the ground next to him.

"Nothing... and everything." Mingi's voice was hoarse and it sounded like he had to force the words out. "I don't know what to do Sangie." The nickname came so naturally from Mingi, making Yeosang blush a little and shift in place.

"We will figure it out together. I pro-" Yeosang started to say, but then his computer beeped at him.

Both men straightened up and watched as the screen decoding Hongjoong's signal started spelling out words on the screen.

"It's a password." Yeosang gasped. "It's a coded password. If we give this to him then he would have to talk with us!"

Mingi covered his mouth with his hand and shook his head. "Y-You think?"

"Yes. Once Yunho and San get back I will fit San with the new headband and we will leave. Help me pack a few things and let's get ready to go."

.

.

.

.

Every inch of his body ached when Wooyoung stated to regain consciousness. It hurt so much that he found himself almost begging to fall asleep again. But that was now impossible.

A sharp cry of pain left him when his body seized up and Seonghwa immediately sat up behind him. "What's wrong?" The older asked with a panicked voice.

"H-Hwa..." Wooyoung squeezed his eyes so hard he saw red.

"Hang on." Seonghwa slipped from the bed and Wooyoung could heard him scrambling across the room and yanking the door open. He was back much quicker than Wooyoung expected and accompanied by the sound of a bottle of pills. "Open."

Wooyoung obeyed the order and opened his mouth while Seonghwa helped him sit up. Three pills were placed on his tongue and then Seonghwa slowly tipped a bottle of water for Wooyoung to drink from.

He guzzled it greedily, the liquid soothing his throat and helping to calm him down.

"Better?" Seonghwa asked gently. He raked his noble fingers through Wooyoung's blonde hair in an attempt to help him relax.

It worked.

Wooyoung hummed and nodded while leaning into Seonghwa's chest. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

The older tensed a little, then shook his head. "It's ok. You just need to rest until your body heals. Come on, I'll help you to the showers, I bet that will feel good. And while you do that I'll see if I can figure out what's going on here."

Wooyoung allowed Seonghwa to help him out of bed and down the hall to where the showers were.

Once alone, Wooyoung slowly slipped out of his clothes and stepped into the hot stream of water. It was instantly soothing. The stream wasn't too harsh, but still had enough pressure to feel like it was massaging Wooyoung's aching muscles.

He tried not to think about how he was trapped underground again. Or the fact that Seonghwa had yet to really address his feelings.

Wooyoung sighed and scolded himself for worrying about that now, but with little else to do, he couldn't help but let his mind wander. And in its wandering, Wooyoung found very mixed signals coming from Seonghwa.

But he knew better than to get his hopes up. With how complicated everything was now, Wooyoung knew he needed to protect himself.

Nothing was going to get in between him and his freedom.

When he was finished in the shower, Wooyoung carefully dried himself off and slipped back into the clothes Hongjoong had provided for him.

He started to exit the shower when he found his path was blocked by none other than Hongjoong himself.

"Oh!" Wooyoung paused and took a step back.

"What happened to you?" Hongjoong asked. He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.

Wooyoung hesitated and felt his mouth open a little.

Hongjoong's eyes narrowed and he pushed off the wall to advance on the boy, forcing him backward until he was pressed against the far wall. "Don't make me repeat myself."

The shower walls seemed to close in on Wooyoung and his heart began to race. The intimidating aura that Hongjoong gave off was something that terrified him and he wanted no part of it.

And he instantly wanted to run to Seonghwa for protection. How pathetic...

"What happened to you?" Hongjoong asked again, his voice low and dangerous. When he still didn't get an answer, a small smirk crossed his face and he lifted a hand up to grab Wooyoung's chin. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

Wooyoung made a sound that was awfully close to a squeak and tried to pull his head away, but Hongjoong just tightened his grip.

"You're cute when you're flustered." Hongjoong leaned in a little closer. "Now, I just want to help you. What happened to you?" His voice dropped lower and he quirked an eyebrow. "Come now, little Wooyoung, tell me what happened to you."

When Hongjoong leaned even closer, Wooyoung whimpered and started to shake his head.

"Get away from him!"

Suddenly Hongjoong was pulled away and Wooyoung was staring at Seonghwa's broad shoulders. The instant relief that washed over him had Wooyoung wrapping his arms around Seonghwa's stomach and burying his face into the older's back.

"Relax." Hongjoong drew out the 'a' and started to laugh. "I just wanted to get to know your little friend here, and why he seems to have you wrapped around his finger. I think it's only fair since I'm offering you protection."

Wooyoung peaked around Seonghwa's shoulder to see a crazed look cross Hongjoong's face. His eyes flicked to meet Wooyoung and he jerked his eyebrow up twice, which made Wooyoung tighten his grip on Seonghwa.

"It's none of your business." Seonghwa placed a hand over where Wooyoung's where clasped in front of his naval.

"Let's get one thing straight." Hongjoong snapped. "You are under my roof, so you will play by my rules. If I ask you a question, you are going to answer it. If I want you to do something for me, you are going to do it. And if I receive any push back, you will either find yourselves on the street or locked up. Got it?"

Seonghwa tilted his head back a little and stood firm, which Wooyoung was grateful for because he could feel himself fighting the urge to shake at Hongjoong's harsh tone.

It felt like they had gone from one prison to another, and he wasn't sure what to do about it.

Hongjoong looked at him once more and smirked before he spun around and left the bathroom.

Seonghwa immediately turned and looked Wooyoung over. "What did he do to you?"

"N-Nothing." Wooyoung wrapped his arms around himself and closed his eyes. "Nothing. He just scared me."

"He's a coward for cornering you when you're vulnerable. Come on, let's get back to our room. I'm not leaving you alone ever again." Seonghwa grabbed his hand and pulled him from the room.

Even though Wooyoung knew he didn't mean it that way, he couldn't help but smile at what Seonghwa had said. The idea of never being a part from Seonghwa was a dream come true. Then he rolled his eyes and shook his head. How pathetic was he?

One minute he was scared for his life and the next he was a giddy boy with a silly crush.

It was time to harden up.

"Seonghwa?"

They stopped in the hallway and the older turned to look at him.

"Will you teach me how to fight?"

The older cocked and eyebrow and a smile tugged at his lips. "Yeah, yeah I can do that. But only once you are healed, deal?"

"Deal." Wooyoung stepped a little closer. "Thank you for protecting me."

Seonghwa shook his head and started to pull Wooyoung to their room again, not saying anything. But the action was answer enough for Wooyoung.

Before stepping into their room, he noticed Hongjoong watching them from the end of the hallway. Their mysterious host looked him up and down before quickly disappearing, leaving an uneasy in the pit of his stomach.

No matter what, Wooyoung knew he needed to watch his back, and he would make sure to keep an eye on Seonghwa as well.