lonely st.

-eighteen-

"Lixie. Lixie. Lixie. Lixie." MinHo continuously chants under his breath, his chest tight and his eyes filled to the brim with tears that can't help but fall.

"We'll get home soon, Min. I promise. Lixie is waiting for you—I just know it." SeungMin reassures him quietly, while HyunJin frantically leads the way back.

He'd lost track of time. He hadn't thought it all through. If he brought MinHo—he should've brought Felix, too. But neither boy spoke up. They didn't know how far the prison was though—they didn't know how long any of it would take—so how would they know to speak up?

MinHo's hand falls from SeungMin's as he stops in his tracks. All hope fading from his gaze as he just gives in and falls to the ground in defeat. Tears pour down his cheeks as he feels everything he's ever known slowly slipping from his fingertips.

His best friend. His lover. His soul mate. It's all going to be taken away from him—and he'll be left with what? Nothing? An empty heart that'll never feel full again? Hatred? Regret?

"Minnie—it's just up there—you can see the lights—you just gotta get up." SeungMin attempts to pull him up onto his feet, but it's pointless. MinHo gave up. He's done.

"Leave me alone." MinHo sniffles, pushing SeungMin away.

"Lee MinHo!" Felix's voice calls out for the older, his hurried steps uncoordinated and fueled by fear.

"Lixie?" MinHo perks up just a bit at the sound of the all too familiar voice.

"Get your ass up and come kiss me." Felix demands, his figure finally coming into MinHo's view.

MinHo rubs at his eyes, shaking his head. Unable to stand with his legs being too weak to hold him up. "Can't—can't get up."

"I'm coming. Stay there. It's okay." Felix reassures him, his own steps becoming worryingly unsteady.

Felix brushes passed JongHo and YunHo to fall to his knees in front of MinHo. He wraps his arms around him tightly before pulling back to take his face in his hands. He roughly presses his lips to the older's, drowning in his need for him.

"ChangBin is home." HyunJin mumbles softly as his eyes settle on the dark silhouette near the castle entrance.

"He's not gonna be mad at you." SeungMin reassures him, intertwining their fingers.

——————————

"Binnie?" HyunJin's soft voice penetrates the silence in the dark room.

"Hm?" ChangBin hums groggily, slowly adjusting Arys' position on him so he can sit up.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I was stupid. I shouldn't have taken MinHo without Felix. I just—I wanted to do something that would make you proud—but I fucked up." The words fall from HyunJin's lips in a slurred panic. Tears pour down his exhausted face.

"HyunJin—" ChangBin groans. "Right now? Really? If I was pissed I would've said something to you before climbing in bed and going to sleep. You know better than anyone—I don't sleep when I'm pissed."

"Sorry—it's just—" HyunJin shakes his head, unable to voice everything he's feeling. Every regret. Every fear. Every little thing swirling around in his foggy head.

"Felix and MinHo—they're okay, right?" ChangBin slowly gets to his feet, not wanting to wake Arys.

"I mean—for the most part." HyunJin mumbles, trying to grasp what ChangBin is trying to get at.

"Lixie and Min are gonna be okay. JongHo is home. Did you go about it in the most efficient way? No. You know that. But—it ended up okay. JongHo has some injuries, but he's gonna make it. Lix and Min are rekindling. You have nothing to worry about. You need to go to sleep. You're exhausted." ChangBin places his hands on HyunJin's shoulders, squeezing reassuringly.