"Beom... I-" Yeonjun attempts to pull away from the younger's tight hold. His arms not budging from Yeonjun's waist.

Beomgyu whimpers when he feels the older's slipping away. Another soft cry comes and he knows his tears are soaking the older's jacket.

But he doesn't care, not even a little bit.

"C-can't we s-stay like t-this hyung?" Yeonjun hears Beomgyu as he hiccups softly. "J-just f-for a few m-minutes?..."

Yeonjun's heart pulls at that, never having heard Beomgyu so fragile. He always assumed Beomgyu is okay, because he was.

Laughing, teasing them. Smiling even when everything seemed to have gone to shit. Beomgyu was always... well, Beomgyu.

Their sunshine.

Now said sunshine was crying in his arms, and Yeonjun can't do anything to make his pain stop.

If he could. He'd take every last drop of sadness from the little boy. He'd do anything, to make the boy's tears stop.

His hand goes through Beomgyu silky hair, going back to embrace him even harder.

"Beomie...." Yeonjun says, and his voice carries so much care, for the precious boy he had met 5 years ago. And he wants to cry.

Cry because Beomgyu never deserved any of this.

Beomgyu deserved to have a family. A real one. Not their broken kind.

Such a young, kind soul. Should have never felt fear like Beomgyu did.

Their beomie bear deserved a life.

And Yeonjun can only curse the disease that killed the younger's parents when he was only a damn child. A 14 year old kid.

In a way, he wishes he had never known Beomgyu. He wishes the younger would have never met them.

Because then, maybe, he would have a chance for a fear-free life.

And Yeonjun wonders, how life managed to fuck up this bad. No, scratch that. How the universe managed to fuck up this bad that it would ever let the younger get held such shitty cards.

"I'm right here Beomie...." Yeonjun whispers calmly, a contrast to his fast beating heart that can never seem to catch a break.

"H-hyung..." the younger's cries quietly, moving his arms to rest on Yeonjun's torso. His head lays comfortable under the older's chin.

He listens to his Hyung's steady breaths. The way his heart's beating at speed.

And the dammed citrus scent.

It's all too overwhelming.

For the first time, Beomgyu finally understands what Taehyun's been talking about.

They're running out of time.

And Beomgyu can feel the clock turning around, threatening to tick off any second.

"Hyungie... let's s-stay together, o-okay?" He says as his cries calm down.

Yeonjun holds Beomgyu head up, watching as the younger reveals his puffy, damp eyes and snotty nose.

Without a sound, a wipes the remaining tears away, an act that feels a little foreign to Beomgyu, but he accepts it anyways. Leaning towards his Hyung's hands.

Yeonjun looks away awkwardly, that might be the first time he had to comfort Beomgyu, and not the other way around.

"Hyung..." Beomgyu says stubbornly, looking straight into Yeonjun's eyes with his glossy chocolate ones. Making it completely impossible for Yeonjun not to obey. "P-promise me".

"I promise Beomie.... we all stay together"

For As long as I can help it.

..............

Soobin throws himself onto the ground, no regard for his own safety as he maneuvers Taehyun away from the loud crash.

They've barely make it out as the building lowers into itself, and then disappears into the ground, as if was never here in the first place. And Soobin can only watch as its taking all of their stuff with it.

The building swallows their money, food, clothes. along with the last bit of hope he had left.

Soobin sees red.

"No... no, no, no.." he ran to where the building was, falling to his knees. he started digging almost maniacally into the hard ground. Hurting his hands in the process.

He digs and digs, and when it does nothing but break his skin, a bangs his fists on the ground holding frustration tears in his eyes.

"Hyung.." Taehyun half crawled to reach Soobin. "Snap out of it Hyung..." he begged, pulling at Soobin's shoulders. Trying to break the trance he was in.

"No... fuck, FUCK!.." Soobin fell on his bottom when his hands slipped off the ground. With a silent cry, he brings his hands to hit his head.

"My-my fault... Fuck.. No- it's.. this can't be happening" he chants to himself, looking up in hopes that he has just dreamed the previous scene, and the motel was still there.

But all welcomes him are trees, mocking him with their sick overwhelming green color.

"Hyung..." Taehyun cries along with Soobin, taking the older's hands in his to stop him from harming himself. "Hyung please stop" he pleads and begs for Soobin to come back.

This wasn't the first time Soobin had went into a destructive mindset, but Taehyun had never seen it upclose.
The last time it happened was over two years ago. each time it did, Yeonjun would lock himself and Soobin in a room, not letting anyone see the leader until he was asleep and over his episode.

"Hyung, please... please" Taehyun prys Soobin's hands away from his body, engulfing the older's into a hug I'm hopes that it'll stop him from trembling.

"Hmm..." Soobin's shakes his head rapidly, and closes his eyes tightly, trashing away from Taehyun's hold. He chokes down a sob.

As difficult as it is seeing his Hyung get hurt, injured and bloodied for the last couple of years. The pain doesn't compare seeing Soobin in pain, because of himself.

And Taehyun understands why Yeonjun has never let them see soobin when he was in that state.

Because Taehyun's heart can't help but break at the sight of Soobin go from the strong guy he knows, boiled down to a person who would hurt himself so mercilessly.

The gap between their size wins and Soobin manages to get Taehyun off him. Even in his sensitive mindset, careful to not actually hurt the younger as he pushes him off.

"Hyung.." Taehyun tries getting closer but what happens next shocks him to the core that he momentarily forgets how to move.

"SHUT UP!" soobin yells, pulling on his hair before slapping himself across the face. Tears running his cheeks as one of them gets red.

Taehyun looks at Soobin's hollow eyes with an expression of terror.

The older looks into the distance as his hand rises again, preparing for another hit.

"Soobin!" Taehyun hears a familiar yell from behind them. "Soobin! No!"

Taehyun looks back to see Yeonjun sprinting at them, Beomgyu right behind him.

The older crashes into Soobin, takes both the younger's hands and pins them above Soobin's head.

"Love..." he says, staring into Soobin's blank eyes as the latter tries to pull himself away.

"Worthless" Soobin spits, but his eyes aren't focused on anyone. He whimpers, his hand tries to reach his body, but Yeonjun's holding his arms in place. Not giving up on Soobin even for a bit.

"I love you Choi Soobin" the older says with a tremor in his voice, not even a drop of hesitance.

Saying the words as if he was born to do just that. Love soobin with his whole body.

"You hear that binnie?" He says more softly this time "I love you, ya!? Look at me when I'm talking to you!" he tries catching a glimpse of Soobin's eyes. The younger's familiar eyes. Filled with warmth and safety.

Soobin's eyes shine for a second, as if registering the older's words. They fixate on Yeonjun's set of fox-like eyes, melting into their familiarity.

Yeonjun's takes that as a sign to keep going.

"Do you hear me love?.." he asks tenderly, waiting anxiously for a response. The younger stopped moving beneath Yeonjun, simply drowning himself in Yeonjun's eyes.

Soobin nods, his head not completely there, but close enough for Yeonjun to sigh in relief.

Yeonjun releases the his hold on Soobin, slowly, to see if the younger could stay still.

When Soobin lays there drained of energy, Yeonjun pulls him closer with one hand on his back, and another supporting his head.

"Hey love.." Yeonjun hugs the younger gently, and pulls back to see Soobin's pretty face up close. "You're with me?" He asks, kissing the tears off the younger's cheeks.

Yeonjun eyes the younger's red cheek, bringing the back of his hand to caress it and sooth the pain.

Soobin nods to the older's question, and falls forward onto Yeonjun, letting his body weight go as he leans into his Hyung's arms.

"I got you... Hyung's got you"

............

Author here.

Tyunning content next chapter I promise! Don't miss them too much.