The air was quiet... too quiet. The "eye of the storm" if you will.
Not that you minded, for there was always a pleasant sensation that can be gained knowing that one is in the midst of tranquility. This time was no exception, but you knew that it wouldn't last – nothing can last forever. Therefore, you reveled in the tenderness of Hyungwon's warmth, dreading the second you would have to let go. You wished the moment of peace could stretch into an eternity.
Both of you sat silently in each other's embrace until the sun was hovering high in the sky, shining brightly through the window. You moved first, shaking a sleepy Hyungwon until he finally stirred and reluctantly removed his arms from around your waist and his face from your shoulder. Finally free, you gently pushed yourself away from him and stood up. You almost instantly collapsed when realizing that your legs were numb from sitting for so long.
"Hey," Hyungwon groaned, opening his tired eyes slightly to squint against the blinding sun. He offered you a concerned grimace when you staggered a bit and his muscles tensed ready to catch you should you need it. "What are you doing?"
His bruises were nearly completely gone and all the swelling in his cheeks had reduced considerably. Now that some of his outward wounds had healed, Hyungwon's appearance had practically returned to its usual state. You couldn't help but notice how the sun's rays illuminated his face, adding to the newfound energy dancing across his eyes. An energy that you hadn't seen in so long, finally rekindled after the unjust hell he had been put through. What an amazing picture, you realized, seeing the life returning to him as if it never left to begin with.
You cleared your throat with a harsh cough, averting your gaze. "I'm just going to see where Minhyuk is."
The words weren't a complete lie, but they were enough to distract you from continuing to ponder how perfect Hyungwon's face was under the light. You had no idea of where Minhyuk would be or if he was even within the vicinity, causing your chest to tighten in longing for your friend. You didn't know why he wasn't by your side when you awoke, like you expected him to be.
The raven-haired boy furrowed his brows as he recalled what he remembered about Minhyuk's whereabouts. "He's outside. Keeping watch."
You blinked in confusion. "What?"
Hyungwon looked at the ground sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "When I woke up you were unconscious so he told me to stay inside with you. He said that he was going to guard the house and make sure that no one comes in while you rest. I accidentally forgot he was out there. He's probably still out there actually – you know how he is. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but it just slipped my mind."
You let out a soft sigh and straightened up, placing a hand on his shoulder to show that you weren't bothered. "It's fine," you assured with a small smile. "I should go check on him and bring him inside. He probably wants to see me to make sure I'm-"
Suddenly the memories of what happened flooded into your mind with painful force, causing you to break off mid-sentence. You remembered everything up to the point of your passing out.
How he forcefully separated you from Hyungwon's side.
How he tried to comfort you.
How you shoved him away.
How you insisted he lost your trust.
How he held you despite all the hurt you both inflicted upon each other.
Needless to say, you felt disgusted with yourself for allowing such strong emotions overpower your rational, eventually ending in you throwing away your friendship and pinning all the blame on him when you knew that he wasn't really the only one at fault. He was only trying to protect you, keep you grounded instead of being swept away in their storm of problems that would surely end with the lot of them crashing and burning down from the reverie of their success.
"Minhyuk," you murmured, stressfully raking your fingers through your hair. You squeezed your eyes shut, cringing as you ran through your words from earlier in your head. "Oh my god, what a mess. How am I going to face him after all the terrible things I've said to him?"
If Hyungwon was confused, he didn't show it. Instead, he simply stood up and planted a hand on your shoulder – a reassuring gesture that promised support.
"I'll go with you," he offered in a helpful voice. Typical Hyungwon. You resisted a small chuckle and spared him a thankful glance. You figured he would never truly understand how painful everything had become between you and the person you've come to know as a brother, but Hyungwon's willingness to help even after all the trauma he's suffered from dealing with his own demons was honestly impressive. Your gratitude would never be enough to repay him.
Not knowing how else to respond and subconsciously eager to see Minhyuk if only to confirm that he was indeed safe, you started on your way out the door without waiting to see if Hyungwon was following behind and instead just assuming he would. You couldn't dwell on it for too long anyways as your mind was completely occupied with words and phrases, praying desperately that you'll be able to find something to say to Minhyuk when you finally see him.
As you left, you hadn't noticed the small blush that had blossomed over Hyungwon's cheeks when you smiled at him, nor the way his eyes glowed with an emotion you wouldn't have been able to recognize.
Nothing changed within the interior of the house from when you first entered. Every speck of dust, every random object was exactly how you remembered it to be, as still and silent as a lake undisturbed by even the smallest breeze. A breath of relief left your lips. Nothing happened. Everyone is safe. Although a lingering sensation of dread hovered in your mind, disturbing your thoughts and forcing you to sneak weary glances at the slightest noise, slightest movement.
The two of you hadn't even made it completely to the front door when you were greeted with a sight for sore eyes. You couldn't help to do anything except freeze in the middle of the dust-coated hallway, Hyungwon walking straight into your back and causing you both to stumble forward uncontrollably.
You fell face-first into Minhyuk's chest.
Nothing short of horror swept throughout your very being as you immediately pushed away from him, no doubt your face flushed in bright red. Slightly behind you, Hyungwon had recovered fairly easily, but couldn't help letting out an obnoxious snort of laughter when he saw your embarrassed reaction. Minhyuk broke into a slight chuckle as well, gently patting your arm to try and show that the mini accident didn't affect him at all.
Almost instantly, his expression transformed from a small, amused smile to a frown, his eyebrows laced together and his eyes appearing almost anxious as he gazed at you with even a tinge of fear mixed into his features.
For that short moment, you were confused. You had forgotten the original purpose towards your going to greet the blonde boy during your couple of seconds of momentary mishap: a truly formidable and unintentional distraction. However, finally remembering your intent caused you to self-consciously avert your eyes from his and instead focus on your grungy boots, then the wooden floorboards, then the deteriorating walls of the corridor; basically anything that wasn't Minhyuk.
You weren't expecting an apology - you knew you didn't deserve one. You weren't expecting him to forgive you either, yet your stubborn self also didn't want to be the first to apologize over the ordeal since he too made mistakes and kept secrets that rightfully provoked your rising frustration.
The musty air remained completely and utterly silent, the inhales and exhales of breathing were the only sounds resounding throughout the empty space surrounding the three of you. Hyungwon refused to make any noise to break the tension, instead choosing to watch the exchange with a strange gleam of uneasiness swimming behind his brown eyes.
A beat occurred where nothing could be heard at all – not even breathing. Then you finally summoned enough courage to meet Minhyuk's gaze, which you discovered was boring into your own like sharp daggers.
A wave of nausea swept through you, sending your stomach turning and writhing uncomfortably as you urged yourself not to look away. Even so, the heat that burned inside like a fire rushed up to greet you, and you found that you had trouble keeping yourself from fidgeting.
Do something; you challenged him through narrowed eyes. He didn't blink or move. Yell at me, curse at me. I'm ready for anything - and everything - you'll throw at me. I deserve it.
"I'm glad you're okay," he rasped, the largest grin you've ever seen dawn his features breaking through his mask of apprehension and illuminating his entire face. Your mind short-circuited in surprise and your jaw dropped slightly as your eyes widened. Out of any of the responses you would've expected, this was definitely not one of them. Before you could even properly subdue the emotions that suddenly flooded into your senses, tears stung at your eyes.
Seconds later, your hand flew to muffle the sobs escaping from your mouth. Your face was glistening, the sun reflecting from where it entered through the cracked doorway behind Minhyuk and you couldn't find a moment to catch your breath. You trembled, control over your body feigning as it completely ignored the poor attempts to calm down.
Overwhelmed with his undeserved kindness, you leaned forward and burrowed into his embrace, your head nestled in his shoulder as you continued to sob. He carefully cradled your back, making sure to sway slightly in a relaxing manner. All the while, circles were being messaged along your back, decreasing your heart-rate immensely as his fingers worked tirelessly to ease you into a peaceful state of mind and subtly proving that he had learned immensely from his last mistake.
"Hey, hey," he cooed softly into your hair followed by a shaky palm brushing away loose strands from your tear-stricken face. "Don't cry. Why are you crying? There's nothing to be upset about... I'm right here."
"Why aren't you upset?" You whispered hoarsely, voice threatening to crack any second. The tears never ceased their journey down your swollen cheeks. Your hands mindlessly reached up alongside your head that was still buried into his chest and gripped the loose fabric of his jacket tightly with angered fists. Not angry at him, however. Angry at yourself.
"I was such a terrible person to you," you whimpered like a broken puppy longing for consolation, the sound slightly muffled. "I'm not asking you to apologize because I know I don't deserve it."
You tapered off, letting the words sink into the silence that followed. Your head rose and fell to Minhyuk's chest as you could almost sense his unease while he processed what you had said to him. Beneath your hands, his heart thundered inside of him; a sound that slowly began to comfort you as the quiet atmosphere bled from seconds to minutes.
"I won't force you to apologize either." The sound of his voice was soft and gentle despite resounding harshly within your ears due to the sudden contrast of noise.
His muscles tensed as he tenderly grasped your shoulders and tugged you away so that he could look you in the eyes. By instinct, you lowered your head to hide your puffy cheeks and swollen eyes that were still brimming with threatening tears.
"No," he objected, wiping away the moisture gathered under your lower lashes with his thumbs. "Don't look away. You don't need to feel ashamed for only doing what is natural."
You nodded hesitantly and met his gaze once more.
"(Y/N), you're not the only one who made a mistake." Although you noticed the obvious bags under his eyes, they still shone with unspoken passion. "We all do and, trust me, compared to everything I've done and hid from you, your wrongs are hardly visible.
"I should have just told you about our plans from the beginning," he continued with a sigh of contempt, disgusted at his own words. "But I could only see you as someone who needed protecting and I thought that by not telling you, you'd be out of harm's way if we were ever caught."
You frowned, and Minhyuk shook his head. "It's unfair, I know, but I couldn't help it. Half of me wanted you to still be that girl who I found - someone in need of a light to shine for them through the darkness. I wanted to be that light. The other half of me knew that you possessed strength and determination beyond comparison... but I was ignorant."
You had completely melted at his confession, your mind struggling to gain control over your battling emotions. You were upset that he hadn't believed in you enough to trust that you could stay safe without his help, but you were also relieved that he had finally admitted his own thoughts and mistakes to you. No more secrets. You had stopped crying, and instead stared at Minhyuk with a small smile as he let a few tears of his own slide down his pale cheeks.
After a beat, your smile grew as you leaned forward to embrace him in a hug. After all the two of you had been through together, you couldn't bring yourself to be upset at him anymore. "No more secrets," you whispered with a breathy chuckle.
Minhyuk's arms curled around you in reciprocation and laughed tenderly. "Of course."
When you moved away and glanced back up at his face for a brief moment, his expression had already melted into a frown, his eyes serious. He gently nudged you away, but kept a firm grip on your shoulder as he started steering you with a destination in mind.
"You're right," he interrupted immediately as you opened your mouth to question him, your eyes flashing in confusion at his sudden change in attitude. Talk about a whiplash. "This reminds me that I have something I need to discuss with you. It's important-"
"What is it?" You demanded, your curiosity growing and excitement bubbling within your stomach. The pressure on your shoulder transitioned to your wrist as he moved to be in front of you and pulled you behind him.
"Hyungwon," Minhyuk swiftly glanced at the raven-haired boy on the other side of the corridor. "I need you for this too."
Hyungwon nodded slowly and straightened up when hearing his name after not being acknowledged for the entirety of the past conversation, but unbeknownst to his friend; his attention was instead focused on the way Minhyuk's fingers were curled around your hand.
Minhyuk turned back to you with a proud grin. You straightened attentively. "We made a plan to escape from this town. To leave." He didn't let you respond except with wide eyes and a gasp as he continued to lead you towards someplace more private to explain further.
As the two of you passed Hyungwon to go deeper into the house for more secrecy, Minhyuk failed to notice the glare aimed in his direction. Hyungwon stayed rooted to the wooden planks of the hallway, his eyes narrowed and brows furrowed as his icy gaze followed the blonde-haired boy until he disappeared through an open doorway.
"Hyungwon!" Your voice resounded, followed by your head peeking out from behind the corner. He instantly switched to a genuine smile when he saw your face glowing from sun shining on it through a window nearby. "Are you coming?"
"Of course," he grinned, his chocolate eyes gleaming, and made his way towards you and the conversation that would change everything he's ever known.
Okay so I've been gone for a while since I've last updated. I'm really sorry about that guys, I've just been really busy and, as per usual, I hit a writer's block that I couldn't get around for a while.
Well I think the last official story update was in... May? June? However long it was, it was too long. I really don't mean to take as long as I do, but I'm grateful you all stick around with me. 😊 And at the moment, my plan is to finish this story before the end of this year. Hopefully I can do it haha
I also want to say thank you to everyone who sent their love and support for the topic discussed in my last update. It seriously means a lot and every comment helped more than I can express.
I love you guys so much. You're honestly all so amazing and incredible. ❤️