"Yeah I'm fine" Soobin said when he finally got out of his small trance.
"I know how anxious you get when Beom Hyung isn't around, but they'll come back soon" Taehyun said, in hopes to reassure his Hyung.
"Yeonjun is right there with him, and you know they're capable of protecting themselves"
"I know...." it won't make me worry less
Taehyun approached his Hyung, wrapping his hands around his waist and pressing his face against Soobin's body.
It felt safe, Soobin always feels safe.
"He'll be alright Hyung, you have to stop worrying so much. I read an article that says it leads to balding."
Soobin laughed, unexpectedly at the younger's ridiculous comment.
"And as much as I think you'd look great bald.." Taehyun continued, his sentence followed by a small laugh.
"Okay, okay.." Soobin smiled widely "I get it..."
"Seriously Hyung.." Taehyun's voice turned soft again.
"Okay, thanks Hyunnie" he squeezed the life out of Taehyun, the younger lets a small yelp.
"Hyung! I can't... b-breathe"
Soobin chuckled, relaxing his hold.
"Hyung loves you a lot, you know that?" He asked, his voice gentle and deep.
"I know"
"Oh" a small voice was heard behind them. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to bother" he spoke quietly.
Soobin turned around, meeting Kai's hesitant eyes.
The first thing catching his attention, Kai face looked brighter, not nearly as pale as before.
A sense of pride spread in Soobin's heart.
The second thing he notices, Kai's cheeks are not as sunk in. Despite the physical injuries, he seems healthier than ever.
"Would you like to have a session with me later Kai?"
"A session...?" The younger questioned.
"You can say no if you don't want to"
Actually, Soobin hoped the younger would say yes.
Their first session was... interesting.
He never quite imagined the younger being a "fighter" sort of boy.
Soobin was clearly wrong, Kai had potential, maybe even bigger than he had.
Behind those innocent eyes, there was Fire waiting to be released.
Soobin was determined to be the one releasing it.
..............
"We're gonna go nice and slow, like before.. Okay?" Soobin reminded while wrapping the younger's hands with boxing bandages.
"Okay"
"Does it feel okay?" Soobin asked, checking the way Kai's hands fit in his boxing gloves.
" it's perfect. Thank you Hyung"
"Remember, if you need a break. Say so. I'll immediately stop. If you feel overwhelmed just know that this is simply practice"
"Okay"
Soobin sighed
"Can you say anything other than "okay"?"
"I understand?..." Kai said, a small smile blooming on his face.
Soobin laughed, feeling lighthearted for some reason.
"That works too" he ruffled the younger's hair, who in return smiled brightly.
"Come on, let's start"
............
"Jun Hyung!" Beomgyu skipped over, his hair bouncing as he does "look what I found!" He held a big white bear plushie, waving it directly in Yeonjun's face.
"Beom would you- Achoo!" The fur tickled his nose, stopping him mid sentence. He gripped the plushie away when the very excited boy.
"Would you stop?" He asked, wanting to sound stern but instead finding himself go soft over Beomgyu chocolate eyes.
The boy was truly something else.
"But look how soft it is" Beomgyu pestered.
"Beom... we're here for food not luxury. Soobin's gonna kill us"
"Not if someone else kills us first" Beomgyu joked, but the silence from his Hyung made his smile falter.
"Too real?"
"Say that in front of Soobin and he might kill you for real"
Beomgyu pouted, clinging onto his Hyung's arm.
"Can't we buy the plushie for Ning Ning? You saw how happy he was when you got him the penguin....."
Seeing the pondering look on Yeonjun's face, Beomgyu knew he hit the spot.
Yeonjun sighed.
"Fine.." he caved.
He does want to see the sparkle in Kai's eyes once again.
Beomgyu jumped up and down, skipping towards the car, not before giving Yeonjun a small hug.
"Thank you Hyung" he yelled, nearly ripping the older's ear off "You're the best!"
"I know!" Yeonjun yelled back, grinning in satisfaction. He took one last look at the shopping center before something caught his eyes.
Better yet, someone.
Yeonjun's breath picked up, and he cursed his goddamn luck.
He tried to look away, but he simply couldn't.
The man who destroyed Soobin, inside and out. Was just a couple of meters away from him.
His heart dropped as the figure locked eyes with him.
"Yeosang?"
.............
"Here" Soobin approached the panting boy with a cool bottle of water. "Let's take five"
Kai reached his hand, gripping the bottle and chugging half of it before responding.
"Thank you Hyung" he spoke.
"No problem kai-ah...." Soobin said warmly, taking a seat next to the younger. "Have I been going too hard on you?" He asked. Eyeing the small sweat beads on Kai forehead.
"I'm fine" Kai spoke.
"Are you really fine though?"
Kai looked at him dead in the eyes, expression changing cold.
"I don't know, Are you?"
"W-what?" Said the dumbfounded older.
Usually Soobin was good at reading people, great even.
Kai's off handed comment made hum realize at the second, the younger had more in him than he was letting on.
"You're sharp kai"
The younger stayed quiet, not saying a word. He scooted over, leaning his head on Soobin's firm shoulder.
"I'm not sharp... but I'm not blind either" he said. "Despite what my eyes look like" he added, smiling lightly.
He doesn't know what, maybe it's the genuine sadness exuding from the younger's tone, maybe it's because Kai is the only one who doesn't know what a horrible person he actually is.
Soobin started tearing up.
"You know Hyung..? I'm scared of you the most" Kai's said while closing his eyes, resting on the older's body.
Soobin said nothing in return, simply wiping the hot tears falling on his cheeks.
Surprised he was not. Soobin was trained to kill since he was 10.
People like him are left with no compassion he heard.
He tries.
God he tries.
First it was Beomgyu. A try at covering his sins.
"Hey little guy.." Soobin crouched in front of the 17 year old male.
The boy stopped what he was doing, dropping the half eaten food he dug out of the local trash bin.
"You hungry?" He asked tenderly, something about the boy's chocolate eyes screamed at him to provide the boy with anything he needs.
"You're tall" the boy said, poking at Soobin's dimples.
"I am pretty tall aren't I...?" Soobin replied, feeling a bit blindsided by the younger's comment. "Let's get you somewhere warm, a young boy like you shouldn't be out that late at night, it's cold isn't it?"
The boy's bottom lip quivered.
"It's cold" his voice broke.
Soobin never questioned why the boy was out alone so late, and why he was looking for food so desperately.
He didn't have to. Sometimes shit happens. He knows that better thank anyone.
All he cared about was getting him the care he needs.
"I promise I'm not a serial killer or something..." Soobin said, followed by a hollow laugh. "But I have a radiator at home and I can make a killer seaweed soup" he smiled.
"You're not a serial killer?" The boy questioned, eyeing him up and down.
"I'm not" Soobin said, not knowing whether it's a lie or not.
"Boring" the boy said, his voice still strained.
Soobin stared at the younger, trying to figure out whether he was joking or not. But the boy had straight poker face.
"You are one weird kid.... come on. Let's go"
And with that, he took the boy's small hand in his big one.
It felt like home
Than... came Taehyun.
.............
Author here.
The story is slowly developing and I realize this might be all over the place for people who don't know the full story like I do. But trust, it'll get easier to understand as we go