bloodied crown - hyungwonho

13: Comfort

There was something animalistic in the other's expression, scared and hasty. The attack on him wasn't planned out and was clearly just a means of some defense, no matter how bad. And it was so unlike Hyungwon.

The cold-toned light from the bathroom now shone upon the younger's features, casting deep shadows on his face and their surroundings. The panicked, bloodshot eyes relaxed a little, stance easing up as the younger recognized him but there was a wariness still present as he stared back at him. Wonho simply took the knife from the boney fingers, tossing it aside keeping eye contact the whole time.

"H.." before Wonho could even start with any snappy one-liners, the other leader leaned into him carefully. The action drove Wonho into silence and before he could regain his thoughts, Hyungwon's head slumped onto his shoulder. The older's hands hovered awkwardly near the taller's back not quite sure what to do.

"Hyungwon?" He softly repeated the younger's name, feeling that if he spoke any louder it would break whatever this moment was. Even so, he received no response at first but then he felt another tremble running through the other man before a small whimper sounded near his ear followed by a small sniffle and then a choked exhale.

Is...
Is he crying?

The older wasn't quite sure what he should do. He'd only comforted the other once and that was years ago at this point. That had been the only time Hyungwon had expressed any sort of emotion other than anger right in front of him. To be fair had this been Minhyuk or Kihyun, he still wouldn't have known what to do. They weren't very affectionate, at least physically.

In a blink of an eye, Hyungwon suddenly pulled away from him, immediately turning around with a mumble that seemed to resemble an apology mixed with a choked cry and a pathetic laugh. Interesting combination. It felt very bizarre to watch the other wipe his face from tears, to say the least.

Wonho's first thought had been that Hyungwon had been drinking but when they had been face to face catching their breaths, the younger didn't smell like alcohol, still just the room. And the smell remained.

Despite how bizarre, he felt the need to do something. Anything. He couldn't just let the other stay alone now that he'd witnessed this. Even if that was something Hyungwon might want. He wasn't a completely heartless prick; Hyungwon had a knife and a cabinet full of medication that was probably lethal when taken in large amounts and seeing how distressed he was, he wouldn't be risking anything.

Without thinking about it much more Wonho reached for the other's upper arm, calmly turning him back around and pulling him back close, now wrapping his arms around the thinner frame firmly. It was a little awkward, he wasn't going to deny that, but he ignored the feeling, placing his chin on the other's shoulder, running his hand along the clothed back. "It's okay. Just let it out." He whispered, this clearly being enough for Hyungwon to be sent over the edge. 

With no hesitation, the younger then leaned further into his hold, hiding his face on Wonho's shoulder before letting out a sob that was muffled by the fabric of his suit jacket. He felt the other's arms curl around him tightly, hands desperately trying to grab onto something. Next, Wonho just eased them both down onto the floor, knowing it would likely have been a matter of seconds before they'd crash anyway considering how the other was shaking like a leaf.

Hyungwon leaned down a little, head slumping against the older's chest. He could feel nails pressing against his back through the few layers of clothes and could just hope the younger wasn't going to rip them. Though would he really care at this point?

Wonho felt like he should've asked what happened or what was wrong but he couldn't say anything eluding to previous events. This really wasn't the moment and whatever it was, Hyungwon probably couldn't even say it straight. So he just pulled the wailing man closer, bringing one hand to pet his hair carefully. He could feel his phone vibrating in the pocket of his pants but he would just have to ignore it for now; Jooheon would understand.