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The next few days, even though all of them noticed, neither could come up with the courage to speak of it.
They saw the way Felix had resorted to smiling only when it was absolutely necessary, a smile that didn't reach his eyes, and that brought them to think just how long he would wear the mask.
On some days when either of them would visit the boy, they'd see it before he'd see them, the way he sat by the window, by the couch, lying down or simply rubbing at Pixie's ears, lost in thoughts, a blank canvas with his eyes so dark that they almost seemed dead.
They couldn't make out what was happening and just what he was thinking, except they knew he was torturing himself internally.
Jisung knew how it felt, anxious to the point where things blurred out and all you saw was a hopeless darkness, a room with no exit. He had had his moments but back then, the others had been there for him, holding him in silence when words didn't seem to work and gradually he'd come around, knowing their presence and later resorting to their words.
He decided to use something similar, visiting Felix, hugging the boy or simply lying down beside him in silence, just so, that if Felix were to break down, then they'd be here.
Seo-na, was broken too, having had to face her husband when the cops called her to give the testimony and later hearing of the court hearing that was to take place in a month.
During that time, the man was to stay behind bars and whilst her best friend, Shin-nari had remained by her side, calling her own lawyers, Seo-na simply continued to hurt, having seen the way the things had affected her son.
She wished she had changed methods back then, left when she still had the chance, left when she clearly knew how much of an emotionally unavailable father her ex-husband would have been to her kid, left when she'd seen just how angry and ruthless he could get with her little sunshine, left when...when she'd seen the way her sunshine dulled whenever he came in front of the man's eyes.
And yet, knowing she hadn't done so and knowing the past wasn't something to think about, it took a while for her.
Hurt continued to remain there until one night over drinks, she cried her heart out to Nari, who held her, coaxed her, and spoke of taking therapy for a week, right before she could take care of Felix because as much as the mother would want to take care of her hurting son, she had to be in the right mindset, having the right emotional control.
And so, Seo-na agreed with the therapy. The boys took it to themselves to make sure Felix wasn't alone.
The days would begin with Shin-nari coaxing the omega with soft caresses like Seo-na would, she saw the boy as her own son, a second son she could never have.
