Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Hello everyone and welcome back to our channel! Now, for those of you who watch us regularly, I’m sure you’re a little confused about where we’re filming today.” Wooyoung clasped his hands together as he looked directly into the camera. “Well, surprise! We’re filming at home today!” He spread his arms wide with excitement, almost smacking Yunho in the face.

He chuckled when Yunho took his hand and kissed over his knuckles. It was out of genuine affection, but it was the type of thing that would make people go crazy in the comments. He pinched his chin with a scrunch of his nose before he continued.

“I don’t mean our house, I mean we’re back in Seoul after our month in Europe and we’re so incredibly excited to do this adventure.”

Yunho leaned on his elbow to keep the conversation a little more casual. “We’ve never gone to this location because a lot of other people have documented it, so we kinda felt like ‘what’s the point?’. However, there’s rumors going around that there’s some negotiations in progress and we know we’d regret it if we didn’t go.”

Wooyoung nodded in agreement. “We’ve had a lot of requests to do some exploration at night since it’s been a long time since we’ve done one, so that’s what we’re going to do. We’ve scouted the area a little bit, just to see what security is like, but other than that, this will be our first time going in. So, we really hope you enjoy it!”

He paused for a moment so he would have a little wiggle room when he edited it, but then Yunho leaned forward to hit the stop button on the camera.

“Good job,” Yunho said with a gentle kiss to his head.

“Thanks, I am a professional, you know,” Wooyoung preened.

“We wouldn’t be what we are without you, love.”

That wasn’t true, but Wooyoung knew when to take the compliment. Yunho wasn’t a vlogger before him so when Yunho started exploring with him, he was the one who had to take charge of it all. Of course Yunho learned the editing process, but Wooyoung was a bit of a control freak about it so he tended to not do as much. Instead, he handled their socials, travel arrangements, and other mundane things so that some of the burden was taken off of Wooyoung. They had a good thing going for them. It wasn’t making their parents proud but that’s why they kept them at a distance.

“We should get some rest,” Yunho said as he scooped up his phone from the table.

“Or we need to stay up because our sleep schedule is going to be thrown off.” Wooyoung rotated in his chair to follow Yunho into their tiny kitchen. It looked like he was about to start doing the dishes, but he stopped and turned back to Wooyoung.

“Why, Mr. Jung, are you trying to seduce me?” Yunho smirked.

He wasn’t, but if his ratty sweatpants and baggy hoodie worked, then he wasn’t going to complain. “What if I am?”

Yunho strolled back over to him and placed his hands on the arms of his chair, caging him in. “Then, I think you came up with the best plan to keep us awake a little longer.”

“Let’s waste time then.” Their noses brushed together as Yunho leaned down to tease his lips.

“With you,” his breath was hot against his skin as he spoke, “it’s never a waste.”

If he had anything else to say, it would have to wait. Wooyoung kissed him and stole every word right out of his mouth.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

Sneaking into the building wasn’t as hard as they thought it would be. They had scoped it out plenty before they even thought of attempting it, but they found the lack of security both a blessing and a red flag. No security meant they wouldn’t have to dodge them all night but that also meant anyone could be hiding around one of the many corners in the hospital.

But, they weren’t going to turn down the opportunity. Some risk always came with urban exploring and it was what kept them going.

“Let’s do a quick intro here,” Yunho said as he stopped on the hill looking down at the abandoned hospital. He took off his bag and set it down on the ground so he could unpack his camera from it.

Wooyoung blew air between his lips to warm up his mouth before he started speaking. He went over the rough script he had in his head, since most of it would be put in as a voiceover during post-production, but a little here and there helped them build up the atmosphere for not only their viewers but for them as well.

“Ready?” Yunho asked as Wooyoung turned back to him.

“Ready.”

Yunho held up his fingers and counted down from three, then the red recording light signaled it was okay to start. Wooyoung waited a few seconds before he began.

“Hi, everyone. We’re here at our location today.” He stepped aside so he could show it off. “Now you know we don’t share exact location details for the safety of the building, but we still want to share its history. If you recognize the location, we ask you to keep it to yourself, and if you visit please be respectful.”

He paused and looked to Yunho who gave him the thumbs up to keep going.

“The hospital was built in 1972 and stayed open until 2001 when it shut its doors due to poor facility maintenance. Despite such an ordinary reason to close, rumors spread of the possible hauntings because of the tortured souls left behind. It also once housed the largest women’s ward in the country, but unfortunately, most of that side of the building has collapsed,” he took a deep breath. “Also, tragically a few years ago, some local kids wandered into the building and unfortunately one fell through one of the rotting floors and passed away before they could receive medical attention.

There have been numerous accounts of ghost sightings, objects moving on their own, shadow people, voices; the whole works. You know how we’re both pretty skeptical about that kind of thing, but we're going in with open minds! I hope you guys can too!”

“And… cut.” Yunho stopped the camera and smiled at him. “God, you’re so good at this.” He stepped over his backpack so he could pull Wooyoung in for a kiss.

Wooyoung laughed into the kiss. “You act like I haven’t been doing this for five years.”

“Can’t I keep the romance alive by gushing over you?” Yunho playfully rolled his eyes. “What if you get possessed by a demon in there and this is my last chance to tell you I love you, huh?”

“One, you need to stop watching so many horror movies. And two, you’re Catholic, I'm sure you have an exorcist on speed dial.”

“Ex-Catholic, thank you.” Yunho gently nipped at his ear, and the click of his teeth sent shivers down Wooyoung’s spine. “You know, thinking of it, if a demon possessed you, it’d hop back out because you’re worse than whatever it is.”

“Dick.” But he still said it with a smile.

They made their way down the hill as carefully as they could. Their boots and thick canvas pants made it harder to hurt themselves, but not impossible and it would be incredibly disappointing for something as small as getting stabbed by a stick to take them out this early.

The front door of the hospital had been boarded up and made it useless to even try. It was evident that at some point there had been an attempt to seal the building off, but gave up after a while. They found a side door that had been completely knocked off its hinges and while it was a shame there was vandalism, they also were going to count their blessings. They turned the lights attached to their cameras on and hit the record button as they slowly made their way in.

They pulled their face masks up over their noses as they entered the building. Their respirators were in their backpacks just in case they came across any moldy walls. In the early days, they had a few complaints about being able to hear them breathe over the audio of the entire video and how it was grating on the ear. So, if they were able to help it, they chose not to assault peoples’ ears, but they also weren’t about to sacrifice their lungs any more than they already had.

An unknown mold allergy and constant exposure had left Wooyoung with some respiratory issues from when he was young and dumb. Nothing severe, but if he worked himself up enough, it could cause him to have an attack. Wooyoung kept an inhaler stashed in his pack at all times, just in case.

“Wow, look at this place.” Yunho whistled and it echoed off the decrepit walls.

The whole hallway looked like it used to be painted a pastel mint, but it was peeling to reveal the gray concrete beneath it. The melted paint hung like streamers over their heads, but it did nothing to make the environment cheery.

Wheelchairs were abandoned along the walls. Some looked usable while others were bent and rusted beyond repair. The first room they ducked into looked like an admin room, filled with rusted file cabinets and water-damaged stacks of papers. There had been an attempt to remove patient files by the looks of it, but it seemed they had given up on that as well.

It always left something heavy in Wooyoung’s heart as he looked through the pages left behind. They were real people, with real struggles. Where did they go when the hospital shut down? Were they safe? Loved? Taken care of? Hospitals took on voices of their own. Were its inhabitants really abused? Or were they not? If no one was around to decide for it, it could be whatever it wanted to be.

That feeling stayed with him as they found their way into patient rooms. They were far emptier than the other rooms they had explored so far. A few had beds in them still, most were rusted and rotted with time as they tried to melt into the floor. Empty picture frames lay shattered on the floor while graffiti took their place as decorations on the walls.

Occasionally they’d run into boxes that had been packed but never claimed. Photos that Wooyoung knew he’d have to blur in editing, dirty stuffed animals and crosses that probably used to bring comfort.

He should be used to it. But his heart still ached.

Yunho startled him with a hand on his back as he passed by. A comforting reminder that he wasn’t alone, that he didn’t have to carry the burden of feeling too much by himself. It was a promise that was made at the beginning of their relationship, and even if it went unsaid most of the time, it was always there.

Wooyoung smiled as he passed by, even though it was hidden under his mask.

They wandered through a few more rooms before they came across a split hallway. One end led to more rooms and hallways, while the other had been completely cut off.

“I think this is supposed to be the children’s ward.” Wooyoung raised his camera to show the directory sign above them. It had been partially rusted off, or knocked off by annoying teenagers.

However, the hallway had been blocked off. It was hard to tell if it was intentional or not, but the ceiling from above had collapsed into the entryway. Typically, they got lucky with things like that when there were rooms next door. Normally holes had been knocked into walls so they could crawl through, but every door near it was locked or boarded up. It really felt like they weren’t supposed to get into it.

“Maybe there’s more entrances up above.” Yunho was already heading back down the hall.

Wooyoung wasn’t as convinced, but there were always secrets to be found in abandoned buildings.

Normally, they tended to do the top floors first then work their way back down, but they decided to go with the flow and if they found something, they’d investigate right away. Wooyoung pulled on a door and shined his flashlight in, only to find a set of stairs.

“I think I found the way to the basement floor.”

“Hell yeah.” Yunho whipped around and quickly followed him. “I read somewhere that there are tunnels down here too.”

“Hopefully nothing down here is flooded.” Wooyoung made a mental note to do a voiceover in post-editing to explain why flooding was dangerous to come across. He found that it didn’t matter how many times they had explained things in past videos, someone always would ask. He prided himself on being a good introductory channel for newbies who were just starting to explore. He wanted to become the guide that he never got to have.

Wooyoung was incredibly thankful to find that the floor was incredibly dry. Filthy, but dry. Just like the floor above, the hall was littered with old equipment. But instead of wheelchairs, it was old-school gurneys. Cold, metal slabs on wheels that he was sure squeaked if he tried moving them.

A morgue was always a good find, no matter how morbid it seemed. Especially one as intact as they found. No graffiti, intact drainage tables and lights. If it wasn’t for the paint peeling off the wall, Wooyoung would have thought he had traveled back in time. It was well taken care of, respected even. It was wonderful, but still left this unsettled feeling weighing down in his gut. Everything was coated in a brown layer of dust, which told them it had been undisturbed for quite some time.

Yunho took his time passing his camera over every detail he could find. He pointed out every glass bottle that was still filled with liquid, but didn’t touch. He did sort through a stack of papers he had found, but it looked like an instruction manual of some kind. Not they could make much of it out since it had faded so much.

“I think this is one of the best-kept morgues we’ve seen.” He pointed out as he looked back at Wooyoung. “It’s like no one has ever bothered to come down here. I wonder why?”

“Maybe the ghosts kept people out,” Wooyoung chuckled.

“Ha ha.” Yunho faked as he rolled his eyes. “I think I’m just used to western abandoned buildings where nothing seems sacred.”

Wooyoung hummed. “Should we explore the other rooms?”

“I can’t believe this place has such a huge morgue in it. It’s like they were preparing for a lot of people to die.” Yunho followed him out and went to the room next door.

It was another autopsy room with another perfect table and intact lighting. The room after that was the same, then the one after that. They finally came across the mortuary cabinets, which took up two rooms. One was metal, a relic from the modern age. The other was wooden, which had rotted with age.

Wooyoung watched from the doorway as Yunho stepped up to the metal cooler and tested one of the latches. It opened easily, and of course there was nothing inside it. There was always that tiny spike of adrenaline of “what if” when they opened the door. Rats were a surprise enough, they never wanted to see anything worse than that.

The wooden cabinet they didn’t bother to try to open simply because they didn’t want to risk damaging it any more than it already was. The top of it had collapsed in, which didn’t allow for the top doors to close. One of the drawers had been pulled out ever so slightly, but was pinned under the broken debris. It was still beautiful in its own right.

They came across more locked doors and trashed gurneys that blocked off hallways, but once they came across a collapsed ceiling, they gave up.

“Should we go back up and explore the top levels?” Yunho offered.

“Probably yeah.” Wooyoung nodded. “I didn’t expect the basement to be so hard to get through.”

“Normally if the basement is collapsing there’s not much hope for the top floors.” Yunho led them back down the hallway but stopped suddenly. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Wooyoung turned back around to point his light back down the hall.

They went completely silent as they listened. Yunho stared intently down the hall, brows slightly furrowed as he concentrated. Wooyoung let out the breath he was holding when he couldn’t hear anything.

“Walk ahead of me.” Yunho held his hand out for Wooyoung.

He took his hand and squeezed. Wooyoung was more than capable of handling himself if they ran into someone, he had enough encounters with it that he had learned a few things, not that he ever wanted to use his knowledge. But Yunho was selfless like that.

They climbed the stairs back up to the main floor and debated on which way to go for a brief moment before they decided to take the staircase near the entrance. Luckily they were still intact, even if the banister was a little banged up. Which was a shame because the details carved into the wood were incredibly beautiful, it made him want to come back during the day so they could try to capture them in the light they deserved. Every step they took was spaced out just in case they stepped on a weak spot. The stairwell had a chain link fence lined along the banisters all the way up. Wooyoung figured that it was because they were in more common patient areas and it was put up for safety reasons.

Yunho had gone in front of him as they walked through the door on the second floor. He held his hand out to stop Wooyoung as he poked his head through the doorway for a quick investigation before he let him come through.

“Looks like more patient rooms.” Wooyoung walked as he looked through the camera. His feet shuffled on the floor, sifting through the dirt and debris as he carefully tested the floor. The walls were painted a minty green and were in a little better shape than on the first floor.

“These are empty.” Yunho pointed out as they checked their third barren room.

“I wonder why they stopped gutting it,” Wooyoung pondered as he rounded the corner, only to come to a dead stop. “Oh, shit.”

“What is it?” Yunho quickly followed him but stopped with his camera over his shoulder.

“It’s gone,” Wooyoung said in awe.

The floor had completely collapsed into the floor below, taking with it beds, wheelchairs, and desks left behind. White lines of ripped up concrete and plaster outlined the brick that acted like a skeleton of where the rooms once were.

“Well, makes sense why we couldn’t get into the children’s ward then.” Yunho raised his camera to illuminate what should have been the other side of the hallway. “Damn, it’s like that the whole way through.”

Wooyoung looked up and was surprised to even find a hole punched through. “Do you think they started demolitions and stopped those too?”

“Maybe. This should be the back of the building, and this looks old from what I can see.”

“We need to be careful. There could be weak spots.” Most people thought the danger of exploring was security or running into squatters. But in reality, the most dangerous thing was the building itself.

“Aye, aye, captain.” Yunho winked at him.

They discovered more patient rooms, however, they didn’t venture into a lot of them simply because even in the dark, they were able to see the black mold growing on most of the walls. It could have been because there were mattresses that had been stored there, which had soaked up any moisture that managed to sneak through the walls. For the rest of the floor, they decided to wear their respirators, just in case.

A breeze kicked up outside and it made the building creak. As they got up to the third floor, Wooyoung took a moment to look out the barred window to gaze out at the forest. It was almost completely black, but the sparkling city created a halo behind it.

The third floor seemed like more patient rooms, except there was something incredibly different about them. Thick metal doors were posted at the entrance to every room, which were no larger than a closet. Each door had a little sliding door right at eye level, and only the outside of them had doorknobs.

Yunho stepped into one of them, and then muttered a small, “oh, shit.”

“What is it?” Wooyoung followed him in, only to realize what it was. “Padded rooms.”

“I bet these were for violent patients.” Yunho stepped back so he could slowly pan his camera down the blackened walls. He didn’t dare reach out to touch it to see how the padding felt, as tempting as it was.

They backed out of the room and continued down the hall. The deeper they got, the more disturbing the rooms got. Chairs with restraints, beds with leather belts that lay broken on the floor. One of the rooms that wasn’t padded had nail marks cut into the walls, lines etched in concrete to count down days.

Wooyoung recalled that he had seen some of it on the blog posts he had read when preparing for their visit. They weren’t the first to discover it, but seeing it in person certainly gave a different tone to the poor-quality photos on the internet. He slowly panned his camera over the markings with as steady of hands as he could manage.

The fact that there seemed to be over a hundred scratches made him sick.

Other rooms were in the same state, if not worse. Some had beds, but it was hard to tell if they had always been there or moved during the facility’s shutdown. Even though they had respirators on, the stench of the wet rot still tickled the back of his nose. Maybe it was using past memories to play a trick on his senses.

He shuffled from room to room until the collapsed ceilings became too much of an obstacle.

“I think we should go back down. I know there are some surgery rooms that we could –”

Something dropped behind them, and Wooyoung whipped around to point his flashlight in the direction. It wasn’t uncommon to come across wild animals in abandoned places, which wasn’t always a bad thing unless it was dangerous. Wooyoung would much rather run into a rabid squirrel than a squatter. But in an abandoned building in a secluded area, it still scared the shit out of him.

They both stayed completely frozen as they waited to see if it happened again. Whatever it was remained just as still, or maybe it had wandered away. Maybe it was nothing and it was just poor timing for something to give out.

“Yeah… let’s go downstairs.”

If they ran every time they heard some creaking, they wouldn’t have a career. The building still had lots to offer and they couldn’t give up on it yet. Even if there were entire sections that had fallen, they needed to enjoy what they could. But it was a very large reminder of why Wooyoung liked to explore during the day. The adrenaline was fun, but he felt it took the focus away from the main point of the video, and that was to catalog the history. But, their fans were loyal and they deserved something nice.

They traveled back down to the first floor and made their way through a few rooms before they managed to make it to the other side of the hospital. The surgery rooms were in various states of disrepair. The lights had been taken out, which was pretty standard for them to run into. They took a brief moment to change back into their regular face masks since the surgery rooms had miraculously avoided the mold infestations that most of the hospital had.

After the third room, Yunho stopped. “Don’t you think it’s odd?”

“What’s that?” Wooyoung wiggled his nose under his face mask as he tried to readjust to it.

“Why does an asylum have so many surgery rooms?”

Wooyoung blinked as he thought. “Maybe it functioned as an actual hospital at some point? That could also explain why they had such a big morgue.” He’d have to look into that later.

Yunho gave a pensive hum before he looked down the hall like an alert dog.

“You okay?”

It took a moment, but Yunho nodded. “Yeah, I think I’m just paranoid.”

“That happens after hearing some shit.” Wooyoung chuckled as he tried to keep the mood light, as if he wasn’t thinking the exact thing. As he walked out of the room, he reached out and squeezed Yunho’s hand in reassurance. He could feel the tension in his palm and the stiffness in his knuckles. “We’re okay.”

Yunho looked at him and nodded. In the darkness, it was hard to see if he was even breathing. His camera was pointed down and probably hadn’t recorded anything of value for some time. Wooyoung encouraged them to step out of the surgery room to start wandering down the hall to see what else they could find.

They lasted only a few more minutes before Yunho spoke up once more.

“Wooyoung.”

He turned and looked back at Yunho but kept his camera and his light facing forward. “What’s up?”

“I think we should go.”

A chill ran down his spine. “What’s wrong?”

“I keep hearing footsteps,” he whispered. “I just have this feeling.”

They had survived by relying on that feeling, so Wooyoung didn’t fight it. “Okay.”

The crash came suddenly, and it boomed down the hallway as if the walls were coming down. Wooyoung grabbed Yunho by the hand and ran. He kept his camera up the best he could as they sped down the stairs, caring less about the footage and more about the light that could help him see. The halls tried their best to confuse them with so many corridors and corners, but Wooyoung let his instincts guide him until they found a door, any door. Hell, he’d even take a broken window.

“This way.” Yunho yanked on him and pulled him in a different direction. He trusted him, and before he knew it, they were met with the cool night air.

It wasn’t the door they came in at, and they had no idea which direction they had come from, but they knew they came from over the hill so with what little breath they had, they ran up the hill for the safety of the treeline.

They ran until the hospital was no longer in their view. Wooyoung threw himself against a tree and yanked his mask down under his chin as he tried to breathe. His lungs felt tight and his throat was drier than a desert. He closed his eyes as he tried to focus on keeping himself calm.

“I don’t think we’re being followed,” Yunho said, nearly as breathless as him. “Let me just check my phone to see where we’re at and –” he stopped abruptly and then Wooyoung felt his hands on his face. His eyes shot open, causing him to choke on air.

“Easy, easy,” Yunho coached. “Let me get your inhaler.”

Wooyoung nodded and stepped away from the tree so Yunho could get into his bag. He was beginning to feel light-headed and shaky, but that could have been the adrenaline.

Yunho set his camera down on the ground and quickly rummaged through the first pocket of his backpack. Once he found it, he turned Wooyoung back around. He uncapped it and reached up to cup Wooyoung’s head. It was excessive, but Yunho fretted over him, so it was just easier to let him do it. His fingers had grown too cold, and it would have been difficult for him to grip it, anyway.

Wooyoung placed his mouth over it and Yunho pressed down. He felt the crisp air hit the back of his throat as he inhaled, and held it for a moment before slowly exhaling. He gave Yunho a tiny nod, and Yunho repeated it one more time before Wooyoung felt okay.

“I’m okay,” he rasped.

Yunho nodded. “Let’s get out of here.”

ཐི༏ཋྀ

Initial footage review wasn’t Wooyoung’s favorite. At the start, he was always excited, but after about an hour, the novelty of it began to wear off. He liked to do it in chunks so he didn’t burn himself out. But like any livelihood, he still had to put the hours in. Yunho reviewed his own footage just for the sake of Wooyoung’s sanity, but then would come with the parts he thought were good so they could blend them together and compare notes. Then, he’d take Wooyoung’s cues for voiceovers and record them so Wooyoung could edit them in. It was all incredibly tedious, but it was better than working a nine-to-five.

He was on day two of editing and he was thankful that he was almost done. Yunho had stayed pretty close to him, which he normally did after Wooyoung suffered an asthma attack, even if Wooyoung was completely fine. He couldn’t complain, he enjoyed the attention he got and would never deny it. It was sweet that Yunho worried as much as he did.

The notepad he had taken notes in already had several pages. Time stamps of where to cut, of where a voiceover was needed, if there was something that needed to be reviewed again. He liked to keep their videos as unedited as possible. With long cuts and no background music. He wanted the footage and their findings to speak for themselves.

It was just about time for a coffee refill when he noticed something flicker on the screen. He dropped his legs down and pushed his blue-light glasses back up his nose. The footage showed them walking through a series of offices, the light of their cameras reflecting off frosted glass windows that separated them like little cubicles. Their boots crunched on stiffened, water-damaged papers and books, and at one point, Wooyoung had slipped.

The footage blurred with movement for a moment before Yunho helped him regain his footing. It didn’t catch Yunho asking if Wooyoung was okay, but it did capture Wooyoung’s tiny, “I’m fine.” As Wooyoung sorted himself out, the camera was pointed at an angle into the main lobby. The moment the light shined through a glass panel, a shadow moved on the other side of it. It was hardly even a second long, and if Wooyoung had blinked at the wrong moment, he would have missed it.

It quickly ducked out of view and nothing else passed in front of the camera. Apparently, they had no idea that something was even there, because they walked right out into the lobby without hesitation.

Wooyoung rewound the footage and watched it again.

Then again.

And again.

By his fifth time watching it, he knew he wasn’t making shit up. The shadow looked human.

“Hey, Yun? C’mere.” He twisted his arm back to wave his boyfriend over.

“What’s up?” Yunho said over a mouth of fried rice.

“Look at this.” Wooyoung tapped the arrow button until the video wound back thirty seconds. “Just watch for me, okay?”

He waited to hit play until he saw Yunho swallow so he knew he’d have his full attention. Yunho placed a hand on the back of Wooyoung’s chair and leaned forward to place his other hand on the desk.

Wooyoung changed his output volume to his laptop speakers so Yunho could hear it as well. The video started and Wooyoung didn’t know if he should watch the screen or Yunho’s face. He felt crazy and he needed some form of validation that perhaps he wasn’t.

He watched Yunho’s face as he watched, tracking his eyes as they bounced over the screen as they tried to catch anything out of the ordinary. Wooyoung knew the sounds of the clip by heart. He counted every step out, waiting for the moment for Yunho to notice.

“Oh.” Yunho reached out and backed the clip up again, watched it, rewound it, and watched it again. He hit pause and pulled away to cross his arms over his chest. “So, someone was there watching us.”

“That was about fifteen minutes before that crash.”

“The first little one, or the big second one?”

“The second one.”

Yunho hummed as he replayed it again at a slower frame rate. “Why does it look like there’s something behind them? Like an umbrella or something.”

Wooyoung shrugged. “Dunno. That’s the only thing I've noticed so far.” He groaned as he pulled his glasses off and set them on his desk. “I could rewatch everything to see if I notice anything else, but that would put me behind.”

“Hey.” Yunho slid between Wooyoung and his desk, blocking his view of the monitor. “This seems to be really stressing you out. Why don’t you take a break?”

“We need to get this done if we’re going to put it out this weekend. I still have a lot of footage to go through.” Wooyoung leaned back and felt the ache in his spine release.

“I have a fun way to relax you though.” Yunho reached out and cupped Wooyoung’s face. His fingers felt like heaven when they ran through his hair, and when his thumbs rubbed at his throbbing temples.

“Oh?” Wooyoung’s eyes already threatened to roll back. “What’s that?”

“Let me show you.” His hands disappeared and he sank to his knees between Wooyoung’s legs.

Wooyoung lifted his hips so Yunho could tug his pants down to his thighs. The material of his chair irritates his skin but he forgets it when he feels the warmth of Yunho’s mouth around him. He took his time at the tip, soft passes of tongue over it over and over until Wooyoung hardened completely. Once he was, he let out a satisfied hum and began to sink further down.

When his nose reached his groin, he took a moment to breathe him in. His nose nuzzled into the shortened curls and let Wooyoung’s scent flood his body. Wooyoung once found it odd that Yunho liked to smell him as much as he did. But he secretly grew to adore the way that Yunho obsessed over him in the smallest of ways. Yunho loved him, down to the smallest molecules that made up his being. If he thought too hard about it, it made him feel like he was drowning.

A choked moan pushed past his lips when he hit the back of Yunho’s throat and his fingers found his hair. Beautiful ebony hair with streaks of chestnut, soft and silky as Wooyoung wrapped it around his fingers and tugged. He willed his eyes open so he could see the sweaty expanse of his forehead.

Yunho’s large hands held him but the hips, thumbs digging into the puffy flesh along the bone. It made him feel gorgeous and his hips stuttered. A startled moan vibrated in Yunho’s throat and Wooyoung couldn't help but mimic it. His hips moved on their own, fucking up into Yunho’s willing mouth. A hand disappeared from his hip and Wooyoung knew it was going straight between Yunho’s legs. If the mood had been right, he might have pressed his foot against Yunho’s crotch and made him beg for it.

But his orgasm snuck up on him faster than he anticipated and he had little time to think of anything else except his own selfish pleasure. “Yun –”

He shook like a skyscraper in an earthquake as the first wave of his orgasm hit and there was nothing he could do to stop it coming. Yunho drew up on his cock, allowing enough room in his mouth to take all of Wooyoung’s release. His hand hit Wooyoung’s ankle over and over in rhythmless strokes as he chased his own end.

Yunho whimpered and his brows had heavy creases between them, and that’s all Wooyoung needs to know that he’s coming as well.

“Good boy,” he whispered as he continued to pet Yunho’s hair. Breathing was difficult, but watching Yunho shake as he dirtied the floor. He suckled the tip of his cock like he was trying to suck the remaining bit of his drink through a straw. It was almost too much, but Yunho took pity on him and let it fall out of his mouth.

His eyelashes fluttered as he tried to recompose himself and his eyes landed on the still open monitor. He panted heavily as he found the dark figure he had paused on. Yunho’s cheek was warm where it pressed against his thigh, his eyes closed as he tried to regain his breath. Wooyoung stroked his hair, but he didn’t look away from the screen.

ཐི༏ཋྀ󠀮

“Hey, have you guys been to the Seoul Psychiatric Hospital?” Wooyoung looked across the café table at San and Mingi, their best friends and fellow urban explorers. Since their return from Europe, they hadn’t had a chance to see them due to Mingi and San’s trip somewhere down south. While it was still an exploration trip for their own YouTube channel, they had decided to take a few days to kick back in a resort and relax.

“New or old?” Mingi asked without hesitation.

“Old. The abandoned one.” Wooyoung rolled his eyes.

“Ah.” Mingi chewed on his smoothie straw. “Way back in the day when I had first started exploring. You guys just went, right?”

“Yeah. Last weekend.”

“I hear it’s a mess now. I’m surprised it hasn’t been torn down. Especially after that kid died. How’d it go?” San asked before he took a bite out of his sandwich.

“It went well. Except for…” Wooyoung hesitated for a moment. “I think we were being watched.”

“No shit?” Mingi sat up, much more interested than he was a moment ago. “Did you capture any of it?”

“Yeah.” Yunho pulled out his phone and tapped on the screen rapidly. “There was a big crash that made us run out, but Wooyoung found this.”

He turned over his phone and Mingi took it eagerly to hold for both him and San. The screenshot was the first thing they were shown before Yunho reached over and slid over to the video of the crash. Mingi flipped between the two pieces of evidence a few times before he handed the phone back.

“Do you think this guy caused the crash?” San settled back into his seat.

Yunho shrugged. “It’s hard to say. The place is one gust of wind away from collapsing. But we heard things almost the entire night.”

“That’s a pretty far out location for people to be hanging out in, but it’s not impossible.” Mingi sat back and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “But you know, I do remember when I was there it did feel like I was being watched the whole time. I kinda thought it was paranoia because of all the ghost stories that come outta there.”

“You are a chicken shit,” Wooyoung said before taking a sip of his coffee.

Mingi flipped him off, which Wooyoung snickered at. For someone so big and intimidating, Mingi had the softest soul. Urban exploring was not something Wooyoung would have picked out for him as a hobby, but he was thankful they met because of it. The two of them created an odd duo since they both got spooked by their own shadow on most days, but it made their videos more entertaining.

“Well, that will definitely get you views. People live for that kind of thing,” San said with a confident smirk.

“Have you heard about this happening to anyone else?”

“I mean, I’ve heard a lot of stories. It’s hard to tell what’s true or not.” Mingi knew everyone in the community. While he wasn’t as much of a dedicated vlogger like Yunho and Wooyoung, he was still a well-known name amongst explorers in South Korea and even abroad. Everyone knew if they needed information on an abandoned site, Mingi was the one to go to.

“I know a couple of years ago someone actually managed to get into the children’s ward. It’s always been blocked off, but they managed to find a way in. They said it was like entering a totally different universe. It was clean, like someone was there taking care of it,” Mingi recalled. “They said that this thing jumped them. Of course it was at night so they couldn’t really see, but they said it was human, but it moved too fast for one.”

“Did they get pics of it?”

Mingi shook his head. “They had a camera, but apparently they lost it in the struggle. They blacked out, and when they woke up, they were in the forest and it was morning. They gave up exploring after that.”

“Do you believe them?”

Mingi tapped his fingers on his cup as he thought. “I do. Theirs is one of the believable ones. There are too many people who say they found satanic rituals and demons there just for attention. This guy though… He wasn’t that type.”

Wooyoung felt the stones in his belly shift, letting the stream of hope trickle through him. He wasn’t crazy, that’s the only validation he needed.

“Do you think it’s haunted?” Yunho asked as if he was able to read Wooyoung’s thoughts.

Mingi clicked his tongue. “I mean… You know me. I don’t deny the existence of anything, but there always seems to be a logical explanation for things. Especially in a place like that.” He looked between the two of them. “What do you believe?”

Yunho shrugged. “I’m the same way. I don’t think it was a ghost or anything like that. Especially since we got them on camera.” He looked at Wooyoung expectedly.

Wooyoung squirmed a bit in his seat. He had already shredded his straw's wrapper to pieces on the table as they talked. “I don’t know. That place just felt… weird. Heavy. I’ve felt that way with places before so it’s not a new feeling.”

Yunho placed a hand on his thigh under the table. Wooyoung tangled their fingers together and squeezed.

“No matter what, there’s always that weirdness that needs to be brushed off after an encounter, yeah?” San offered, trying to lighten the mood again. “You have evidence, but it’s not concrete so I bet it’s just your mind racing.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Wooyoung sighed. “I think Europe spoiled us a bit. Nothing really crazy happened so I got used to it.”

“Come with us to America next time,” Mingi laughed. “You’ll be so paranoid you’ll never sleep again.”

“I like living, thank you very much.” Yunho shook his head. “Just because you two are the world’s weirdest adrenaline junkies –”

“That’s not true! It’s not like we want to do skydiving or anything!” San whined.

“There are many different ways to get adrenaline rushes!” Yunho tapped the table with his finger like he was a lawyer making his case. “Look at drag racers or deep sea cave divers or storm chasers! All different kinds!”

Wooyoung drifted out of the argument and looked down at Yunho’s phone on the table. With a sneaky hand, he pulled it into his lap and unlocked it with a quick swipe of his passcode. He opened the screenshot of the mysterious shadow that had been watching them and stared.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

“I have a proposal.” Wooyoung stopped in the doorway from the bathroom and set his hands on his hips.

Yunho looked up from his phone over the rim of his glasses. “Like, a plan or marriage?”

“A plan.”

“Damn. I better return that wedding dress then.” Yunho set his phone aside and smiled. “What’s your proposal?”

“I want to go back to the psychiatric hospital.” He could tell Yunho wasn’t thrilled at the idea from the simple way he raised an eyebrow. At first, Yunho had been a little hard to read because his mannerisms were so subtle. But once Wooyoung learned them, he was as easy to read as a picture book.

“Why?” Yunho cautiously dragged out the end of the question.

“It’s just this feeling.” Wooyoung crawled across the bed on his hands and knees. Was he using his sexual prowess against his adoring boyfriend? Maybe. Yunho normally gave in to what he wanted so he didn’t really need to lay it on so thick, but, it was fun to watch Yunho’s face turn bright red.

Yunho licked his lips and made a dry smack of his mouth as he tried to compose himself. “E-even after everything?”

Wooyoung crawled into his lap and let his shorts ride up his thighs. He reached up for Yunho’s glasses and carefully slid them off. “We can go during the day this time.”

Yunho’s hands fell to the dip in his waist. He rubbed at the squishy flesh between his hips and his ribs and Wooyoung sighed happily. “And what if whoever lives there is dangerous?”

“If that was true, I think they would have hurt us the first time.” Wooyoung rolled his hips in a gentle wave, small enough that it could easily be passed off as him trying to get comfortable.

But Yunho was too smart for that. He squeezed tighter on his waist to stop him, the tight press of his fingers stinging ever so slightly. “You’re not going to stop thinking about it, are you?”

Wooyoung shook his head and their noses brushed. “Just a few hours.” He felt the heavy sigh against his lips, and he knew he had won.

“Fine… Only a few hours. We can get some daytime b-roll footage while we’re there.”

“You’re so smart.” Wooyoung chuckled before he kissed him.

“I’m so hard.” Yunho punctuated it with a roll of his hips.

“Lemme take care of it, then.”

He had gotten what he wanted, of course he would give Yunho what he wanted, too.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

“Hello!” Wooyoung cupped his hands around his mouth and called out. “We’re not here to hurt you!”

Silence was the only thing that answered them in the “empty” hospital. He didn’t dare look at Yunho in case he had the I told you so look on his face. They had just gotten there and he wasn’t ready to admit defeat yet.

“Let’s go up to the third floor,” he suggested.

It was much easier to retrace their steps in the daytime and Wooyoung had to remind himself they were there on a mission when he realized that he was hesitating to try and spot details that he had missed last time. He figured that where they had heard their first crash was a good place to start. But once they walked out of the stairwell and into the hall, they came to a complete stop.

“Oh, fuck.” Wooyoung was almost too shocked to lift his camera to record.

“That’s where all the padded rooms were, right?” Yunho asked in shock.

“Yeah, yeah it was.”

Where they had been standing only a week ago, was gone. The rooms themselves seemed to be holding on the best they could, but the hall outside of them had caved into the floor below.

“I wonder if that’s what we heard crash that night?” Yunho took a step forward, but Wooyoung reached out and grabbed him by the shirt. Yunho looked down, then up at him with a smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not going over to it, just trying to get a better angle.”

Reluctantly, Wooyoung let go, but he kept a close eye on his curious boyfriend. It was hard to believe that if it did fall through that night, they had been incredibly close to falling in with it. Fate didn’t need to be tempted any more than it already had been.

“Okay, well, that idea was a bust.” Wooyoung sighed.

“Maybe down below?” Yunho said over his shoulder.

“In the morgue?”

“Mmhmm.” Yunho stepped back into the stairwell with him. “That would be a good place for someone to hide in.”

“A dark hallway with lots of rooms?” Wooyoung snorted. “Nothing could go wrong there.”

“Don’t worry, I brought something to help.” Yunho sounded a little too cheerful about it, but he loved his toys and there was no denying that.

Once they got back into the basement, Yunho began to unpack his backpack on the dirty ground. Wooyoung sat back and watched as he set up the tripod with practiced ease.

“We can set up the activated light here. If anything follows us, we’ll know.” Yunho pointed it behind them. If it went off, they’d be able to see it down the dark hall. There was a small camera attached to it, which didn’t record in the greatest quality, but it was better than nothing. He plugged it into a heavy-duty battery pack that he had brought just for the occasion.

“Smart.” Wooyoung waved his hand in front of the camera and watched the light snap on. He didn’t expect it to be as bright as it was and he quickly stepped back from it so it didn’t burn his eyes. “Shall we start searching?”

“Be my guest.” Yunho slung his backpack onto his shoulders before he motioned for Wooyoung to take the lead.

He had expected the morgue to be creepier than the first time, but, with the expectation that someone could pop out at any moment. Every corner made him flinch and every crunch of debris under their boots made the hair on his arms stand. It didn’t matter that it was daylight just above their heads, they were too far in for it to reach.

The building seemed much more alive than last time. Every step made the walls shudder like Wooyoung was whispering into someone’s ear. It made him aware of every movement he made. Every drag of his foot, every time his hip accidentally bumped into something, he stopped and listened to see if the building responded.

But it didn’t.

At least, not until they got further down the hall.

The motion-activated light went off, and a high-pitched squeal echoed down the hall. There was a clatter of broken furniture and Wooyoung went zipping around the corner with his camera raised.

For a moment, Wooyoung was ecstatic. They were being watched! There was another human in the hospital! That was, until he really took a long look at him.

Hiding behind a desk was a person, but it wasn’t at the same time. The stranger had black and white hair while dirt covered his pointy nose. He was almost pretty enough that it distracted Wooyoung from the strangest thing about him.

Wings.

Black and white polka dot wings that were tucked neatly against his back in fear. From what Wooyoung could see, they looked soft and feathery, almost like a moth.

He held up his shaking hands as if he was preparing to be struck. “I-I’m sorry. Please don’t hurt me…”

“We’re not.” Wooyoung stopped recording on his camera as he knelt down. He placed it on the ground before he pulled his backpack off. “Unless you try to hurt us first.”

He shook his head. “No, I won’t.” His eyes stayed on Wooyoung’s backpack, until Yunho moved and suddenly he seemed to remember there were two of them. He tried to scramble back but Yunho quickly kneeled down as well.

Yunho placed his powered-off camera on the ground next to Wooyoung’s and held his hands up. “What’re you doing down here?”

“Making sure you’re safe. You almost got hurt last time.” He seemed to relax some, then suddenly, two fluffy antennae sat up straight on his head.

“Safe from what?” Yunho asked, softly.

“The floor was going to fall in. You would’ve gotten hurt.”

“Did you make that noise so we’d go back downstairs?” Wooyoung watched him give a sheepish nod. “What would you have done if we didn’t?”

“I would have made more noise. Most people leave when I make too much noise. You two seem smarter than most of the others I’ve seen.”

“What’s your name?” Wooyoung could hear the smile in Yunho’s voice.

The little moth shifted forward onto his knees. His wings untucked, and while they didn’t fully open, it let them see them a little better. There was a hint of yellow somewhere at the base, hidden underneath the deep black. He watched Wooyoung closely as he opened up his backpack and pulled a granola bar out. When Wooyoung offered it to him, he hesitated for just a moment before he snatched it. His nails were caked in dirt and grime, but otherwise, he had cute little fingers.

“Hongjoong.” He tore the wrapper open with his teeth and tossed it aside before he started to devour the chocolate and granola.

“My name is Wooyoung, and this is my boyfriend, Yunho.”

Hongjoong’s eyes moved between them. Chocolate was smeared over his lips, which he quickly licked off. “Why did you come here?”

“We’re explorers. We like to visit old buildings.” Wooyoung offered him a water bottle next.

“This is a good place for that. Except, it’s dangerous.” Hongjoong took the bottle and twisted the cap off. He chugged half of it impressively fast.

“What are you doing here, then? If it’s dangerous.” Yunho asked.

“I live here,” Hongjoong said as if it was obvious.

“How did you end up here, though?” It was secluded enough so it was probably much safer than anywhere in the city for someone like him.

Hongjoong stopped drinking and looked at them for a long moment.

“I was born here.”

ཐི༏ཋྀ

Chapter Text

“You were born here?” Wooyoung sputtered as he struggled to try and conceptualize what that kind of life would look like. Or how it landed them in the position they were in.

“My mother started living here when she was pregnant with me.” Hongjoong recapped the water and looked at their bags expectedly. “Do you have any more of these?”

“Here.” Wooyoung grabbed one of the other bars from his bag and held it out. Hongjoong didn’t hesitate to crawl closer to them. The knees of his pants were covered in a thick layer of dirt and the hems were heavily frayed.

“How have you managed to live up here this whole time?” Yunho asked as he settled to sit on his butt. The ground was filthy, but it seemed they might be there for a while.

“There was a nurse who used to take care of me and my mom when I was little. After the hospital closed, she would come up and bring me things. Food, water, clothes, things like that. She’d cut my hair and brought me books to read. She started coming less and less over the past couple of years. Then, about six months ago, she stopped coming. I hope she’s okay, she was getting old.”

“Why didn’t she take you with her?”

“Because she had a family. It was too risky. She told her husband that she was spending time at an orphanage, and she was donating things.” Hongjoong dropped the empty wrapper next to the other one. Wooyoung wondered how much of the trash left behind was actually from Hongjoong and not irresponsible explorers.

”And… What about your mom?”

Hongjoong stopped with a mouthful of granola puffing out his cheek. He chewed slowly before he swallowed it, the lump making his Adam’s apple bob. “She died.”

“Oh… I’m sorry,” Wooyoung said softly.

Hongjoong looked up at them through his bangs. “Why did you come back?”

“I saw you in a video we took.” When Hongjoong’s eyes widened, Wooyoung quickly tried to adjust what he said. “I mean, I didn’t really see what you looked like. So we didn’t know it was you but…I don’t know. Something told me I needed to come back.”

Hongjoong’s wings twitched and the little gusts of air stirred the dirt on the ground. Yunho coughed, but quickly reached up to cover Wooyoung’s nose and mouth before it hit him. When it settled, Wooyoung took his hand and brought it down to his lap with a smile. It was a rookie mistake to forget their masks, but in their defense, they weren’t planning on discovering anything. Boy, were they wrong.

“Is something wrong?” There was genuine concern in Hongjoong’s voice as he leaned in to check on Wooyoung.

“He has asthma. Do you know what that is?” Yunho looked at Hongjoong.

“I do. A lot of kids here had it.” Hongjoong hesitated a moment before he stood up. “Come, let's go up where the air is fresher.”

Yunho stood next and offered his hands to help Wooyoung off the floor. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” There was a dry tightness in the back of his throat, but it wasn’t bad enough to set his body into panic mode just yet. If a little dirt bothered him, he wouldn’t be able to do the job he had.

“What is this?”

They looked over to see Hongjoong’s face directly in front of the light of the motion activated camera.

“Hey, careful.” Yunho let go of Wooyoung and quickly went to shut the light off. “You’ll hurt your eyes.”

Hongjoong looked up at him and blinked rapidly. “I see spots dancing in the air.”

“That’s what you get for shoving your face in it.” Yunho laughed. “It’s a camera that turns on when it detects motion. We figured you’d follow us down here and so we wanted to get footage of you.”

“Me?” Hongjoong’s antennae stood straight on his head with surprise.

“I thought I was crazy thinking something was following us.” Wooyoung stepped up to them as Yunho began to break down the tripod. “I wanted to get proof of it.”

“Does that happen often?” Hongjoong’s head bobbed up and down as he followed Yunho’s movements. He was a curious little thing, trusting in a way that made Wooyoung both thankful and worried.

“Not often,” Wooyoung said. “But it has happened.”

When Yunho was finished, Hongjoong led them back up the stairs and out to the main foyer. They were about to walk out the door when Hongjoong clicked at them.

“Not that way. I’ll take you somewhere better.”

Somewhere better turned out to be a balcony that was hidden in a room that had been blocked off by cabinets that had been randomly thrown in the hallway. Hongjoong opened one of the cabinets and showed off that he had cut out the back of it. It felt like walking into Narnia.

The room was a pretty yellow with white molding. The paint was peeling but somehow managed to keep a certain charm. Hongjoong walked across the room to where discolored curtains were failing to block the sunlight coming in.

“Cover your mouth, just in case,” he instructed.

Wooyoung used his sleeve to cover his face right as Hongjoong pulled back the curtains. It shook the dust loose and it lingered in the beams of sunlight like specks of glitter.

“Come.” Hongjoong motioned for them to follow him out.

Maybe they were the ones who were too trusting, because they followed him out without a cautionary thought that he could have ill intentions. If Hongjoong was going to hurt them, he would have done it in the darkness of the morgues.

Wooyoung pulled his hand away from his face and let the fresh air fill his lungs. The crispness of the nearby forest was a fresh change from the dirty must of the decaying building.

“It’s beautiful,” Yunho exhaled. His eyes closed as he allowed himself to enjoy the moment for a brief second. Then, like a true explorer, he pulled his camera out and snapped a few photos of the horizon. “I imagine the stars out here are beautiful, there seems to be very little light pollution.”

“Too bad we couldn’t enjoy it the other night.” Wooyoung leaned on the railing.

“The moon is my favorite to watch at night.” Hongjoong came to stand next to him.

“Well, that doesn’t surprise me.” Wooyoung smirked as he looked at him. “Seeing how you’re a…. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to offend but… what are you?”

Hongjoong’s wings fluttered as a pale pink blush spread over his cheeks. “My mother called me a moth…”

Wooyoung hadn’t really paid moths too much attention. There was a brief moment when he was young where he had an irrational fear that moths would swoop in and eat his clothes right off his body, but since he had gotten over it, they were just little creatures that existed around lamps at night. Looking at Hongjoong made him regret not appreciating them more, but would any of them be as beautiful as him?

The thought had him clearing his throat. Yunho paused from taking photos and rubbed his back. Wooyoung gave him a reassuring smile and that was enough to make him return to his photos.

“That explains why you were so attracted to the light then,” Yunho said as he looked through his viewfinder.

If Hongjoong really had grown up in the hospital, and had been maintaining it since its abandonment, then he had been living in the persistent darkness since. It wasn’t just the light he was attracted to. The warmth of curiosity drew him in to something he wasn’t familiar with, but if he wasn’t careful, he could easily end up singeing his wings.

“So, this place is pretty big.” Wooyoung cleared his throat as he shifted the conversation. “What part do you stay in?”

“The children’s ward.”

Wooyoung’s eyes widened. “What? But the hallway was caved in.”

“There are plenty of ways to get in.” Hongjoong chuckled like Wooyoung was the silliest person he had ever met. “But you are right, I’ve closed most of them off for safety. Would you like to see?”

Yunho whipped around. “Really? You would show us?”

Hongjoong’s lips scrunched. It looked like a moment of regret before he nodded. “Yes.”

“You trust us?” Wooyoung asked, ignoring Yunho’s scrutinizing glare.

“Should I not?”

Wooyoung smiled. “Of course you can.”

“Good, then come.”

Hongjoong led them through a series of hallways and stairwells that weren’t on any of the maps or blueprints they had studied before coming. It made Wooyoung feel a bit amateurish for not finding them the first time they were there, but they had been a tad distracted.

The children’s ward was much brighter than the rest of the hospital, even though the windows were filthy and covered in vines. Pastel yellow walls with fantasy murals painted in what looked like the common room. There wasn’t as much junk that looked like it had been tossed and forgotten about either. Everything seemed to be organized and cleaned, as much as something could be cleaned in an abandoned hospital.

They took a few photos of the area, but in the back of Wooyoung's mind, he wondered if it would be safe to post them. Even if they don’t give location names out, this one would be easy to figure out due to the history of it. Posting pictures of pristine areas would be like a beacon to not only other explorers but to vandals. Of course people loved a challenge, it was why urban exploring was such a rush, so it wouldn’t stop them from attempting to get into the children’s ward regardless. But at least he could tell himself he was doing what he could to keep Hongjoong safe and not invite more danger than necessary.

“This area is really pretty. You’ve done a good job maintaining it,” Yunho said as he looked through some of the photos he took.

“Thank you.” Hongjoong puffed up proudly. “It took me a long time since it’s such a large area, but I managed.”

“Why just this area?” Wooyoung asked as he turned back around to face them.

“Power shut off a few years after the hospital shut down.” Hongjoong scuffed his shoe on the ground. “They collapsed the women’s ward around the same time. At that point, I was living in the tunnels underneath the hospital because it was the safest place to be.”

A million questions flew through Wooyoung’s head like the opening credits in a Star Wars movie. “Wait, so they did try to demolish this place?”

Hongjoong shrugged half-heartedly. “That was the only time they did it. I don’t know why the women’s ward was targeted, but once the hospital was gutted of anything of value, they knocked holes in the structure walls and within days it collapsed. I was down below when it happened. It felt like an earthquake. Now everything is collapsing.”

Wooyoung took a breath to keep himself focused. “And there are tunnels under this place?”

“There were.” Hongjoong nodded. “But they flooded a few years back. I suspect a sewer line broke somewhere and they never fixed it. I used to be able to get to them through the morgue; it’s how they got the dead bodies in and out without the other patients seeing.”

“Was there a lot of patients who died? That morgue was bigger than the ones we’re used to seeing in places like this.” Yunho let his camera hang from the strap around his neck.

“I wasn’t allowed near it until after I was on my own,” Hongjoong explained. “The director… My mother said he wasn’t a good man, and that if he ever got someone down into the basement, they never came back.”

Wooyoung shared a glance with Yunho. Maybe the rumors of dark secrets held a little more validity to them than they initially thought. Of course, perspectives mattered when it came to finding respectable sources. Hongjoong lived there, not as a patient, but as a ghost in the walls.

“Did they bury patients here on the grounds?” Wooyoung asked.

“Not that I’ve ever seen.” Hongjoong shook his head.

If they were trying to keep something a secret, it wouldn’t be smart to keep the evidence, even if it was under their own supervision. Wooyoung was glad that Hongjoong had managed to escape whatever unfortunate fate befell some of the other patients. Including his own mother.

Hongjoong took Wooyoung’s hand, interlocking their fingers before he pulled him toward a door on the other side of the main room. He seemed over the dark topic they had stumbled into. “I want to show you something.”

“Where are you taking us?” Wooyoung laughed as he followed him, having to trot a bit in order to keep up with his excitement.

“You’ll see.”

Wooyoung looked over his shoulder at Yunho, who seemed just as excited at the idea of seeing something new. The area hadn’t been photographed since the days it was still a “functioning” hospital. But even then, the children’s ward had been scarcely documented beyond the common areas and a few patient rooms. They wanted to only show the good sides of the hospital, and children’s wards may have been good to win the sympathy of wealthy donors, but beyond that, there wasn’t much else.

He pulled them through holes in the walls, down long hallways that could easily get them lost if they didn’t have a guide. Wooyoung made sure to memorize markers as they passed. Paint chipped off the wall that looked like a hat, a stain on the floor that looked questionable, graffiti of some word he couldn’t make out.

“There’s a hole in the roof that I can fly up to, so normally I do that to get inside.” Hongjoong’s wings were spread wide, which Wooyoung took to mean that he was happy since they were normally tucked away with shyness. “But, you two obviously can’t do that.”

“You can fly? Really?” Yunho stepped a little faster to keep up with Hongjoong.

“Of course I can. What, do you think my wings are just for looks?” Hongjoong giggled.

“I don’t know, I’ve never met anyone with wings before.”

“Besides myself, neither have I.”

“Your mother wasn’t like you?” Wooyoung asked.

“No, but apparently my father was.”

“Where is he?” There was a pang in Wooyoung's chest.

Hongjoong hesitated for a long moment, his petal lips pursing. “I don’t know. I’ve never met him.”

“Know the feeling,” Yunho said it like he was telling them the weather.

“You never met your father?” Hongjoong stopped and looked at him with curious eyes.

“My mother. She left right after I was born.” It was a fact of his life that he accepted. He had a stepmom who was kind and loving, so that was all he needed. There were no photos of him and his birth mother, and his father never spoke of her. It was like she never existed.

“Oh…” Hongjoong deflated. “There were a lot of children here who didn’t know their parents. Or who didn’t remember them because they had been separated for so long.”

Yunho smiled. It was easy to read in between the lines of Hongjoong’s words. It was meant to comfort him, to offer solace in the idea that he wasn’t alone in his sorrows. “I can’t miss what I never had, right?”

“I suppose so.” Hongjoong turned away to start leading them once again.

He tugged on Wooyoung’s hand until they reached a set of heavy wooden doors. The handles on them were dark brass with ornate leaf designs around the plates. They had escaped some of the modernization that had happened throughout the rest of the hospital and Wooyoung couldn’t help but drool a little. Hongjoong dropped his hand so he could reach inside his shirt. Around his neck was a cord with a couple of skeleton keys hanging on the end. Wooyoung expected them to be rusty, but with Hongjoong keeping them so close to his person, they had been spared the test of time.

After turning the lock, he gave one of the doors a hard shove and dug his feet into the ground as he pushed it. It didn’t open very wide, just enough to allow them to slide through the gap. Yunho went after Hongjoong, and Wooyoung thought he had cleared it, but the second he stepped through he smacked into Yunho’s shoulder.

“Hey, what the hell?” He pushed his boyfriend out of the way but froze once he realized what he was staring at. “Holy shit.”

He didn’t know where to look. Sunlight came through the large window on the domed ceiling and shined down on what was left of the blue walls. The floor was covered in dirt, but otherwise, the tiles remained mostly intact. The circular room felt larger than life, was that the point of having it in the children’s ward? To give them a space large enough for their dreams to grow?

“Yunho.” Wooyoung grinned.

“Yeah?”

“Christmas decorations.” Wooyoung pointed to the lights that Hongjoong had strung through his room. Different strands of Christmas lights mixed in with strands with large, round bulbs. There was no power, so it seemed a little pointless, but it was cute to look at.

Yunho snorted. “Every time.”

“Is that weird?” Hongjoong tilted his head and one of his antennas flopped to the side.

“No, no,” Wooyoung quickly tried to reassure him. “It’s kinda a joke among explorers. It’s almost a guarantee to find Christmas decorations in an abandoned place, no matter what the building used to be.”

“Your decorations are very pretty, Hongjoong-ssi.” Yunho smiled back at him, and Hongjoong’s wings fluttered.

“I wanted to decorate the windows too, but I was told it was safer to keep them boarded up.” Hongjoong pointed to the rectangle windows that had large pieces of boards nailed up. It wasn’t impossible for someone to break in through, but it seemed no one had ever bothered.

“What would you have decorated the windows with?”

“These!” Hongjoong trotted over to one of his many treasure piles and rummaged through until he pulled out an old manila folder. He unwound the string clasp before he held it out for one of them to take.

Yunho took it first and peeked inside. “Oh, no way!” He slid out the first slide, showing off a perfect X-ray of someone’s head. “Wow, would you look at that.”

He held it up to the light coming in through the ceiling and Wooyoung tipped his head up so they could look together.

“Look at that crack in his skull.” Wooyoung pointed out the white line at the front.

“I remember him.” Hongjoong came up behind them. “They ran out of his medications, so he started hearing voices again. He couldn’t stand it and smashed his head against the wall.”

“Holy shit. Did he die?”

Hongjoong shook his head. “No, but it got him out of here, and from what I heard, that was what he wanted.”

Wooyoung wondered if he was still alive. He memorized the name at the bottom of the slide so he could check obituaries later.

“Isn’t it a little morbid to decorate windows with these? Wouldn’t it make you sad?” Yunho slid the X-ray sheet back into the folder.

Hongjoong’s lips scrunched as he thought, his antennae twitching back and forth. “I don’t know. Maybe. In my mind, it’s the closest thing I have to hanging up photos of my family.” He took the folder from Yunho and dug through it before he pulled a slide out of a ribcage. “This one belongs to a woman who knit me a special sweater that could fit over my wings every year for my birthday. She died of pneumonia.” He let it fall back into the folder before he pulled out one of what looked like a broken femur. “This guy was only a teenager when he came here, closest thing I had to a big brother before his family took him to go live on family land in the middle of nowhere.”

Wooyoung smiled at him. He was so passionate about the smallest thing, but that’s all he’s had over the years. Photos of broken bones and cloudy organs had been his only friends. “Point taken.”

“Hongjoong-ssi, do you mind if I take a few photos? I won’t include anything personal of yours.” Yunho motioned to the camera that was tucked away in his backpack.

Hongjoong’s mouth pinched as he thought, but then he gave a gentle nod.

Wooyoung said a silent prayer as he sat on a rickety chair in what looked like a tiny makeshift seating area. There were multiple chairs, a love seat and perhaps a chaise lounge, but two of the feet had been broken off and leaned at an angle. In the center was a firepit, pieced together with objects that Wooyoung couldn’t differentiate, probably items that Hongjoong had found in the surgical units no doubt. It looked ready for guests if he ever had them.

Hongjoong’s wings fluttered as he settled onto the lounge next to Wooyoung, stretching his legs out lazily. He leaned his head back and asked, “Are you not going to take pictures as well?”

“I love photography, it comes with the job. But Yunho has such a unique eye for it. My real love is videography, though. So, while both of us can do it, he does more still photography so we don’t overwhelm each other, you know?”

Hongjoong’s rapid blinks told Wooyoung that no, he didn’t understand. But he nodded like he did. “How did you two meet?”

Wooyoung continued to watch Yunho on the other side of the large room with a soft smile. “We ran into each other while exploring. Quite literally.” He chuckled as he thought about it. “It was in an abandoned shopping mall, and we heard each other on different floors. We thought the other was a squatter or a security guard, and as we were trying to find a way out, we turned a corner and smacked directly into each other.”

Hongjoong laughed. “Did you scare each other?”

“Oh, we were terrified! He didn’t even check to see who he ran into before he reached for a pipe.” The noise must have caught his attention, as Yunho looked over at them and smiled. “But then he saw the camera and immediately lit up. Hey! You’re an explorer too! My name is Jeong Yunho, wanna see the cool storage room I found? I could have been a murderer and he would have been none the wiser.”

“He’s very kind, from what I can tell.” Hongjoong waved his fingers at Yunho. It was sweet and flirty, and Wooyoung wondered if he even knew he was doing it.

“He is.”

Yunho was the type to share his lunch with any stray cat that came across his path, the kind to dance with older women in Barcelona because their husbands wouldn’t, and the type to rescue some kids’ frisbee in New York from a tree because he was tall enough.

He was the kindest person Wooyoung had ever met, up until Hongjoong. Despite being met with nothing but cruelty his entire life, he was trusting them and allowing them into his world.

“And why did you start exploring buildings?”

Wooyoung shifted. It no longer brought him discomfort when he talked about it, talking to strangers online had quelled some of the anxiety of sounding crazy. People in their community understood it, but to anyone on the outside, it was a little harder. Hongjoong lived in an abandoned building though, so maybe it wouldn’t be that hard for him to understand.

“Once, my family and I drove out to my aunt’s house in the country but our car broke down on the way there. So while my dad waited for the tow truck, me and my mom wandered around the village that was close by. It was filled with old abandoned houses tucked in between newer ones. I crawled into one and I just… felt at home.” There was always an itch under his skin that made him wiggle and twitch. At eleven years old, sitting inside a house left to decay, he felt at peace in his body for the first time.

“When I got a little older, I started to sneak out to find buildings to crawl into. Kinda dumb now that I think about it. My dad almost beat my ass when he found out I was doing it, and I really tried to stop but I couldn’t stay away.”

Hongjoong’s wings fluttered as he laughed.

The rapid fire click of a shutter went off and Wooyoung’s head snapped up like a dog who heard a squeaky toy.

“What are you two giggling about over there?” Yunho smiled from behind his camera.

“Wooyoung-ssi is very funny.” Hongjoong’s antennae stood straight up but then leaned forward as Yunho got closer. They must have had some function other than to look cute like puppy ears.

“That he is. It’s one of the reasons I love him so much.” Yunho leaned over and lifted Wooyoung’s head up by his chin.

The kiss caught him off guard. Wooyoung loved surprise kisses, but it felt odd to do it in front of Hongjoong. It didn’t feel the same as the ones Yunho gave him when he was feeling possessive, even though he was still in heavy denial that it was a habit of his. Instead, it was soft and sweet.

When he pulled away, Wooyoung quickly glanced at Hongjoong to see if they had made him uncomfortable. Instead, he found Hongjoong’s little mouth agape in awe and his eyes were shiny with something Wooyoung couldn’t put a name to. His antennae were still up on his head and his wings were open wide, so obviously he wasn’t upset by it.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Hongjoong showing them his different collections that he had gathered in his room. It seemed anything he found that was still intact was worth keeping to him. Keys that had no doors, medical supplies that served no purpose, puzzle pieces that had no place to fit in. Some of the things he had would have made the most serious of oddities collectors red with jealousy. Hell, even Wooyoung was jealous of a few of the random trinkets.

“It’s going to get dark soon.” Yunho was looking out one of the windows. The sky had turned into a pastel orange with the beginning of the setting sun.

Wooyoung hadn’t realized how long they had been there. The hospital was in its own little bubble where time moved differently, which didn’t make any sense. Time was time, it didn’t adhere to man-made constructs, it moved the same for everyone. However, no matter how it moved in the void of the hospital, they’d have to return to reality eventually. He just thought it wouldn’t be so soon.

Running through the forest again while it was dark wasn’t an experience that Wooyoung wanted to have again. Even if they wouldn’t be running for their lives, there were still so many other risks they could run into. Plus, he was hungry and it would be nice to find somewhere to eat before they all closed, even if it was a rest stop.

“I have some candles I can light,” Hongjoong eagerly suggested.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Yunho smiled sadly. “I meant it’s probably time for us to go home.”

Hongjoong’s wings and antennae wilted. “Oh. Okay. You’ll…you’ll come back to see me, right?”

“Yeah, of course. As often as we can,” Wooyoung promised. They had a car, they had freedom in their jobs, it would be easy to make it work somehow. “We’ll bring snacks and stuff for you, okay? Come up with a list of things you like and we’ll bring them.”

Hongjoong smiled, but nothing truly perked up on him. “I like sweet things.”

“Deal. We'll get an assortment.” Yunho agreed so easily and it made Wooyoung’s heart warm.

“Let me walk you out, since you got lost last time.”

“Hey, we thought we were running for our lives,” Yunho quipped.

The chuckle Hongjoong let out was polite, not quite forced, but it lacked his normal energy.

It was easier to get out of the hospital with a guide, but it still didn’t feel good. A heaviness followed them to the door, one that made Wooyoung turn around just as they got outside.

“You’ll be careful, right?” His hands itched to take the hand that Hongjoong had resting on the door. “If anyone else shows up, you gotta hide, okay?”

Hongjoong blinked, but then a wide smile spread across his face. “I’ve been living like this for quite some time. Don’t worry about me.”

That wasn’t going to stop Wooyoung from worrying about the little moth, but he did have a point.

“We’ll come back soon, just like we promised.” Yunho set a gentle hand on Wooyoung’s shoulder as he tried to reassure them both. Hell, he was more than likely trying to reassure himself, as well.

Wooyoung wanted to rattle off all the ‘what if’s’ that could happen while they were gone, and what to do if any of them happened. His fear of the unknown was getting larger and harder to manage.

As if he could read Wooyoung’s mind, Hongjoong reached out with his free hand, and took one of Wooyoung’s. “I will be here when you return.”

Wooyoung didn’t hesitate to squeeze his hand back. This whole time he had been asking if Hongjoong trusted them, but it was his turn to learn how to trust Hongjoong. A long inhale dragged its way into his lungs before he let go of Hongjoong’s hand. “We’ll see you soon.”

As they walked away, he was tempted to look back over his shoulder to see if Hongjoong was watching them. Instead, he took Yunho’s hand to keep his focus on the trail in front of them. Yunho didn’t say anything as they walked.

Sometimes when Wooyoung envisioned them growing old together, it was something close to that. Walking in silence in a pretty place, still taking photos of nature or buildings they came across. Would that change now? It was too early to tell, but their new secret was weighing heavily on his mind in the overwhelming silence.

They made it back to the car just as the sun dropped behind the mountains. The sky clung to the last few minutes of the sunset glow, but it would disappear in a matter of seconds, just like Hongjoong’s smile.

Wooyoung slumped into his seat. He smelled like dust and mildew, his stomach growled and his feet ached. Yet, he wanted nothing more than to turn around and hike back to the decrepit hospital.

“I hate this,” he whispered.

A hand squeezed his thigh and he looked down. There was dirt under Yunho’s nails and there were scrapes over his knuckles.

“He’s gonna be okay.”

“Of course he will. He survived without us, it’s not going to change.” Wooyoung rubbed his face, it felt gritty and oily. “He just looked so sad…”

“Guess that means we’ll have to come back soon then.” Yunho removed his hand and started the car.

They needed a hot shower, a hot meal and some time to think.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

Leaving was the hardest thing in the world, but coming back was the easiest. On their days off they trekked through the forest to the old hospital. They’d spend the day with Hongjoong until the sun was about to set. Hongjoong begged them to stay every time, and it was getting harder to say no to his pouty lip.

A deal was made that on occasion, they would stay the night with him. They brought their heavy sleeping bags because even though Hongjoong offered to pull beds up for them, there was no way in hell they would feel comfortable sleeping in old hospital beds.

In Hongjoong’s room, they created a small space that looked similar to when they went camping. Yunho worked part-time in an outdoor activity store and got discounts on pretty much everything. He put in just enough hours to help supplement a few bills, and the discounts helped with the gear they used on all of their explorations. Despite being surprisingly extroverted, Wooyoung hated having to fill his time with people he didn’t care about. But Yunho loved to exchange stories, so it made him extremely good at it. His manager begged him to be more involved, but Yunho’s love for exploring always took precedence.

There were a few occasions where Yunho had picked up a few shifts so it left Wooyoung to drive up to the hospital by himself. On those days, he followed Hongjoong around for his daily chores, which surprisingly he had a lot of. He chopped firewood and collected buckets of water from the nearby river. By mid-morning, his energy would deplete and needed to sleep for a few hours. If it wasn’t too cold, Wooyoung would wander the hospital. It was much more enjoyable when he knew he wasn’t being hunted down. Other times, he sat in Hongjoong’s room with his laptop and edited videos.

They had posted that their anticipated video had been delayed due to some life circumstances. Most of their fans were understanding, even though there were a few comments that expressed their disappointment. Wooyoung made sure to reassure them that it was going to be worth the wait.

Though, if he kept watching Hongjoong sleep, it was going to delay them even further.

He couldn’t help it. Everything Hongjoong did captured Wooyoung’s attention like a drug.

Yunho had wanted to take some photos of one of the rooms that was growing moss on the floors and wall. Hongjoong made them wait until evening when he promised the light would be just right. While Yunho was busy, Wooyoung watched Hongjoong in the hall while he waited for them to finish.

The orange light reflected off the white walls, illuminating everything in a burnt glow. Hongjoong danced through the crepuscular rays, lifting up onto the balls of his feet as he spun. His wings opened wide and kept him balanced as he weaved around the debris as if he were skating on ice. The light blended in with the orange accents of his spotted wings and turned the rest of him into gold.

Wooyoung lifted his camera and snapped a picture. It would only be for them. If the world saw how beautiful he was, they would surely take him.

On the nights they were home, Wooyoung cuddled up to Yunho either on the couch or in bed as he did his best to read up on moths. When he found the first picture of an Aglaomorpha Histrio moth, he gasped and held his tablet up so Yunho could see as well.

The next time they went, Wooyoung showed Hongjoong the photo and smiled. “Look, it’s you.”

Hongjoong’s wings spread open, like a flower blooming with excitement. “That’s me…” He tried to stroke the screen, but accidentally swiped the photo away. He let out a displeased whine and tried tapping the screen again.

“Here, I got it.” Wooyoung opened the photo again and Hongjoong’s distress melted away.

He didn’t say much after. He returned to munching on the candy bar that they had brought him, smearing chocolate over his lips. At some point, he had wiggled closer to Wooyoung, tucking his wings back to make room so he could lean his head on his shoulder. Wooyoung turned into a statue the moment he realized what was happening. He looked up at Yunho to confirm if it was real, and with how he was smiling fondly at them, it said that yes, it was real. Hongjoong smelled earthy, like something fresh and alive.

Wooyoung felt like he was eleven again, sitting in his first abandoned building. He felt like he did when he followed Yunho through an abandoned mall.

He felt like he belonged.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

“Hey, did you hear about the old Seoul Psychiatric?”

“No?” Wooyoung looked at Yunho, who tilted his head at him. He set his phone on the counter and put it on speaker.

“They finally got the order to demolish it. They’re going to start knocking it down this weekend. You guys had perfect timing.”

Their heads snapped up to look at each other, eyes wide. Wooyoung knew Yunho was thinking the same thing, they had to get Hongjoong out.

“Guys?” Mingi repeated, catching Wooyoung’s attention again.

“Y-yeah sorry, just shocked. We rarely have that good of timing.” He swallowed thickly.

“You guys will probably be the last ones to explore it. I heard they’re already going in to start gutting it today.”

Yunho snatched the phone off the table. “Hey, Min, we gotta go, we’ll call you later okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, sure. Is everything okay?”

Wooyoung shot up when Yunho did, making a mad dash to the front. “We’re good! Just remembered we gotta go do something now. Like, right now!” He slid his jacket on and nearly tripped over Yunho as he sat on the floor to pull his boots on.

“Oh! Sorry! Talk to you later, then!”

Yunho hung up the phone and tossed it to Wooyoung. They swapped places, and once they were both ready, Yunho snatched the keys off the hook. “Do we have a plan?”

“We gotta get him out.” Wooyoung rushed out the door, barely waiting for Yunho before he started to make his way to the stairs.

“I know that! But what about after? Are we bringing him here?”

“Of course we are! We’re not going to just dump him in some other abandoned building!”

They didn’t have space. They barely had the income. Would they be able to travel if they took him in? Would they have to finally settle in and get real jobs when the only thing they’ve ever known was urban exploring?

Yunho stopped a few steps above Wooyoung, who stopped on the small platform between the different flights of stairs. His mouth opened, but nothing came out. He wasn’t the type to hold back what he thought.

Wooyoung climbed the few steps between them but stopped on the one right below Yunho. “You know what will happen to him if they find him.”

“I do.” Yunho nodded and held his hand out. Wooyoung glanced at it before placing his hand on top. Yunho’s fingers curled around his and squeezed. “And that’s what scares me. Because if we fuck this up and he’s found, we’ve just put him in more danger.”

Wooyoung smiled up at him. “We better not fuck up then.”

ཐི༏ཋྀ

Just as Mingi said, there were already trucks on the grounds. They didn’t seem to be doing anything except making their lives more difficult. Normally, they’d be able to walk right in, but they had to sneak in through one of the broken windows in the back. Luckily there was no glass left in the window pane and they were able to crawl in without the worry of bleeding to death.

Without knowing who was in the building, they weren’t able to call out like they normally would have. A thorned anxiety wrapped around Wooyoung’s stomach and squeezed. He hated this. What if they already had Hongjoong and they had no idea? What if they never saw him again? Or, what if the next time he saw him it was behind glass walls like he was some zoo exhibit?

If Hongjoong knew the trucks were there, there was only one place he could be.

“We have to get to his room,” Wooyoung whispered. They had to move quickly, but they had to be careful with how they stepped. There was no telling if workers were already in the building and the last thing they needed was to get cornered by any of them.

“If we can’t get through the normal way, we’ll try the roof.” Yunho signaled for him to start walking. They didn’t have the time to try multiple routes, but they would do what they had to.

They moved quickly down the halls, ducking down under windows just in case. When they got to higher floors, they could hear voices beneath them which only spurred them on more. Hongjoong recalled each turn and hole in the wall to crawl through, all of which luckily hadn’t been touched yet.

The double doors were locked, and when Wooyoung tried to jiggle them, they refused to move, as if something heavy was supporting them. The next entrance they tried was a hole in the wall through a supply closet, only to find that covered as well.

“He probably barricaded himself in,” Yunho sighed when he saw the wardrobe blocking the hole. He walked over and banged on it. “Hongjoong, it’s us! We’re going to push the cabinet open!”

A moment of silence went by before he decided they couldn’t wait any longer. He put his shoulder against it and dug his boots into the ground. The wooden legs of the cabinet scratched against the concrete floor, resisting every inch of the way. Yunho watched behind them just in case the noise attracted anyone to the other side of the blocked-off hallway.

He couldn't imagine what hidden strength Hongjoong had if he had managed to move all of that heavy furniture by himself. Wooyoung wasn’t weak by any means, but when he finally got the damn thing to move, he definitely felt winded.

“Hongjoong-ssi!” Wooyoung called out the second he came through.

“Wooyoung-ssi?!” Poor thing sounded terrified, and it only made Wooyoung shimmy through the crevice faster. The second he popped out, Hongjoong slammed into him. “Thank God it’s you two. Who are these people here?! What are they doing?!”

“We have to get you out.” Wooyoung wrapped his arms around him, but carefully stepped them over so Yunho could safely crawl through as well.

“What?” Hongjoong looked up at him. “No, this is my home!”

“They’re going to destroy it,” Yunho quickly said. “They’re going to start gutting the place.”

“No! Why?! They can’t!” Hongjoong’s antennas laid flat against his head. His voice echoed sadly off the dome above their heads. The sun still came through the beautiful glass, but it no longer brought them any warmth.

“Because people think it’s an eyesore, and that it’s dangerous.”

“But you two get around just fine!”

“I know, but remember that boy who—”

“That wasn’t my fault.”

“I know it wasn’t, but they think if this place wasn’t here, then maybe he’d be okay.”

“I saved him!”

“What?”

“The boy! He fell through the floor and his friends just let him! I got him outside so when help arrived they could get to him immediately.” He pulled away and all the color had drained from his beautiful face. “Did… Did he not make it?”

Wooyoung shook his head. He wanted to reach up and push back Hongjoong’s hair, to hug him tighter so he didn’t break. “No, I’m sorry. He didn’t. His brain was bleeding and they couldn’t stop it.”

“Oh…” He looked lost, like they had thrown him out to sea without a life jacket. “I…I tried. I promise.”

“We know you did.” They were racing against time, but Wooyoung knew that if he used too heavy of a hand, it wouldn’t get them out any quicker. “But right now, we need to get you out.”

“There’s nothing we can do…? I…I live here, that has to mean something, right?”

“Hongjoong…” Yunho stepped forward and shared a heartbroken look with Wooyoung. How could they explain that he technically didn’t exist? Because if he did, he wouldn't be living in the hospital. He wouldn’t have access to money or rights… The hospital would be in the same state, just without a caretaker and with a little less light.

“Hongjoong, please. You have to trust us.”

He looked away from them to gaze upon his room. In a matter of days, hell, maybe even hours, his blue domed ceiling would be gone. The place he was born in would be nothing more than rubble on a patch of dirt that would become an unmarked grave. What was a prison for most, was a playground for him. What they were asking him to do was to give up his freedom in order to stay alive.

His hands rubbed together like a cricket’s legs, but no soft chirping came from them. “Okay. I’ll go with you.”

Wooyoung let out a breath of relief. “Let’s pack some of your things, okay?”

They had a few bags from the clothes and supplies they had brought for him, so they scrambled to fit as much in them as possible. He packed the folder of X-rays and a few random trinkets. Anything that belonged to his mother went in its own bag. Unfortunately, so many years spent there meant he had quite the collection of sentimental items. Clothes could be replaced, but the things that brought him comfort in moments of loneliness could not.

“Wear this.” Yunho shrugged his coat off his shoulders and quickly moved to wrap it around Hongjoong. “I know it will be uncomfortable with your wings, but if we’re caught, this will be better.”

Hongjoong flattened his wings against his back so he could slide the jacket over his arms. He grimaced as the rough material settled over them, but he grit his teeth and nodded.

Wooyoung pulled one of the backpacks over his shoulders. “Let's go.”

Yunho grabbed the other backpack so that Hongjoong’s wings weren’t agitated even more, while Hongjoong grabbed the duffle. Wooyoung was the first to get out, while Yunho took Hongjoong by the hand behind him.

They moved as quickly as they could, briefly checking corners and windows before they crossed them. The debris on the floor rattled and the walls shuttered. It had already begun. Hongjoong didn’t bother leading them out, they knew their way around well enough at that point. They followed the same path they did on the night they had run out in fear. The demolition wasn’t too far from them, but they had a clear path into the trees.

It seemed typical that they would start in the front. Some symbolic bullshit about getting rid of such a menacing building. It was like sucker punching it directly in the face. But, it allowed them to slip out unnoticed, so they’d have to take small blessings where they could, no matter how much they hated it.

From the safety of the forest, Hongjoong let go of Yunho’s hand and stopped.

Yunho skidded against the soft ground. He was out of breath, but he still managed to get out, “Hongjoong-ssi?”

Wooyoung whipped around to see Hongjoong’s back was facing them. Just beyond the tree line, a bulldozer’s arm smashed into the side of the hospital. Brick and dust crumbled to the ground as the wall fell to pieces. Hongjoong’s shoulders shook and his tiny whimpers were louder than the destruction. Just as he was about to fall, Wooyoung reached out and caught him. He sat them down on the forest floor and held him as he fell apart.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

Hongjoong had told them once how he had always been interested in riding in a car and what it would be like. They had offered a few times, but never had managed to do it. As it turned out, that had been a huge mistake. Hongjoong was not fond of it whatsoever. Getting a seat belt on him nearly sent him into a panic, so he spent the whole ride curled up on the floor behind the driver seat, clutching his necklace of keys like a rosary. Yunho made sure to go incredibly slow on every turn and drive the speed limit the entire way so there was less chance of them getting pulled over. Wooyoung reached a hand back, which Hongjoong took immediately. After fifteen minutes, his shoulder began to ache, but he didn’t dare take it back.

When they arrived in the city, Hongjoong peeked out the window to watch all the buildings pass by. He seemed more relaxed than he had been, but it might have been the neon lights that started to pop on as the sun started to fall.

They parked in their assigned spot in their apartment’s underground parking garage, but didn’t move to get out just yet.

Hongjoong pushed up onto the seat and cocked his head. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah it’s okay.” Yunho smiled at him in the rearview mirror.

Wooyoung glanced over at him and noticed the tired look in his eyes. It mirrored how he felt since their adrenaline had started to crash. They were in the home stretch, only a little further to go.

“We gotta go upstairs to the street, okay?” Yunho informed him. “I have a hat back there, will your antennae be okay if you tuck them in for a minute?”

Hongjoong glanced over at the baseball cap that was on the seat. He made a face, but he nodded. When he placed it on his head, he shivered. All the tiny filaments protested the rough and dirty material of the cap, but he tried his best to be brave.

Wooyoung gave him a tired smile before he made the first move to get out of the car. They gathered his belongings and helped him out of the back seat. He looked too overdressed for the season, but there was no helping it. He took Wooyoung’s hand, so Yunho took the initiative to walk a few paces ahead of them to make sure it was safe for them.

Once on the street, Hongjoong covered his ears and grimaced. “Everything is so loud here.” His antennae gave an agitated twitch. “Why does it smell so bad?”

“You’re used to all the trees.” Yunho chuckled. “Air isn’t as fresh here.”

“No wonder Wooyoung-ssi has asthma,” Hongjoong grumbled.

“That’s actually from exploring broken down buildings.” Yunho pointed out as he checked around the corner to make sure no one was coming. Their apartment was normally pretty quiet and everyone minded their business, which, as a young gay couple, they found surprising. They seemed to have timed it just right where they had missed the rush of people coming home from work.

When they got to their apartment, they allowed Hongjoong to enter first since he was their guest. They had to smush together since there wasn’t much space in their entryway, but they didn’t want to rush him.

“Welcome home.”

Hongjoong stood awkwardly as he glanced around the small apartment. It wasn’t much to look at, and it was practically all in front of him. The bathroom was to his left, the two tiny bedrooms on the right. The kitchen and living room were in the same shared space, so it left little to the imagination.

“Everything is…very white,” Hongjoong finally said.

Wooyoung snorted as he stepped around him. “Yeah, unfortunately they do that to make it universally appealing. But at least our cabinets are gray, breaks up the monotony of it.”

In reality, the apartment was too small for the three of them. But at least they had an extra bedroom. They had an air mattress for when they had a friend stay over—which was rare—or if they had a fight and needed to stay in a separate room—even more rare. They often took it when they went exploring just in case it turned into an impromptu camping trip.

But Hongjoong had brought up a good point. Everything was very white, and he was very dirty.

“Why don’t we get you cleaned up a bit, yeah?” Wooyoung offered. “While you do that, we can wash some of your clothes so you have something comfy to wear.”

Hongjoong’s antennae sat up in interest at the mention of something comfy. “T-that sounds really nice.”

“Dig out all your clothes from your bags and we’ll wash them, okay?” They were lucky that their apartment came with a stacked washer and dryer on their tiny little balcony-slash-sun-room. The dryer was on its last limb, and their requests to have it serviced had gone unanswered by maintenance. But they could manage. “And take your shoes off by the door, I’ll wash them too.” Though, in the state they were in, he wondered if they’d even survive.

Hongjoong dumped everything out onto the floor, wincing when dirt spilled out onto the white tile. He looked up in a silent apology, and Wooyoung tried to reassure him with a smile.

“Okay, you shower and—wait.” Yunho stopped and looked at him. “You know how to shower, right?”

“My mother used to have to help me. Because the hydrobaths hurt my wings.” Hongjoong’s bottom lip turned out into a small pout.

If Wooyoung didn’t know better, he’d say that Hongjoong had learned to use that plump little lip to his advantage. “I have some swim trunks that’ll fit him. We can show you how it works until it comes to…you know.” He used his hand to vaguely gesture at his lower half before he disappeared into the bedroom.

“Wait, can moths even get wet?” Wooyoung asked.

“My wings don’t do well in water.” His wings twitched as if they knew they were talking about them. “But, they can handle a little bit.”

“Good thing we have a detachable showerhead.” Wooyoung gestured for Hongjoong to follow him into the spare room. “It’s not ready yet, but this will be your room.” He stopped himself from adding for however long that may be. It hadn’t even been an hour, but he hoped it wouldn’t be something temporary.

Hongjoong looked over the desk, eyeing the computer monitors intensely. “Is this where you make your videos?”

“Sometimes. I like to use my laptop because I sit in different places in the house, but this we use for big projects. And for video games.”

“Will you show me sometime?”

Wooyoung didn’t know if he meant their footage or video games, but it didn’t matter, because he’d show Hongjoong the world if he asked. “Yeah, I can do that.”

“One pair of swim trunks hot and ready!” Yunho stepped into the room with the trunks above his head like a victory flag. It made Hongjoong laugh, even if it was small.

“Hot and ready?” Hongjoong tilted his head.

“Like food when it’s ready. So you know, like… You know what, never mind. It was funnier in my head.” Yunho handed the trunks over to Hongjoong. He had changed into shorts himself to prepare to help however Hongjoong needed it.

“Just holler if you need anything okay?” Wooyoung gave him a reassuring smile before he shut the door to allow him some privacy to get changed. He went back out to help Yunho load the laundry but found he had already scooped most of it up.

“A lot of this could use a good soak,” Yunho commented as he looked through the dirty pile of clothes.

“Just do small loads for right now to make sure everything gets special treatment.” Wooyoung squeezed his shoulder. “RIP our water bill.”

“Nah, it’ll be fine.” Yunho poured a cup of laundry detergent and dumped it in before he shut the door.

The office door opened and Hongjoong stepped out slowly. His arms were crossed over his chest with his hands tucked under his armpits. A soft rosy hue colored his cheeks and he curled his toes as he stood there.

“Ah, sorry.” Yunho pushed himself up. “I thought of grabbing you a robe but didn’t think you could fit it over your wings.”

“He could have worn it backwards.” Wooyoung pointed out.

“And this is why you’re the brains of this operation.” Yunho winked playfully before he kissed Wooyoung’s temple. “C’mon, this way.”

Hongjoong followed after Yunho, walking on his toes like it would save him from the cold tile. Wooyoung trailed a few steps behind to make sure that Hongjoong didn’t feel trapped. Tufts of fur surrounded the area where his wings came out from his shoulders, and Wooyoung desperately wanted to see how soft it was.

“It’s very small in here,” Hongjoong said as he glanced around the room with curious eyes.

“It’s actually big for an apartment,” Wooyoung chuckled as he rolled up his pants to his knees. “You’re just used to big open spaces.”

Hongjoong opened his mouth to reply but let out a frightened hiss when Yunho turned on the water.

“Sorry, sorry.” Yunho showed the showerhead to Hongjoong, letting him get used to the sight before he reached out to touch it.

“Oh!” Hongjoong yanked his hands away from it. “It’s cold.”

“It’ll warm up in a second,” Wooyoung promised.

Yunho kept it pointed down with his palm underneath it as he waited for the temperature to change. “Try this.” He held his hand out for Hongjoong, who fully trusted him by placing his smaller hand against Yunho’s palm. He turned the shower head onto their hands and Hongjoong shivered.

“That feels nice.”

“Perfect. I’ll use it on your hair first, okay?”

Hongjoong took his hand back and settled onto the stool. Yunho stood behind him and placed his hand on the back of his head, encouraging him to lean back. Wooyoung watched as the skin stretched over his sternum, showcasing just how skinny he actually was. It hurt his heart, but it made him more solidified in his resolve to bring him home.

Sure, Hongjoong had been more than capable of surviving all those years. But he deserved more than surviving. Wooyoung looked from his laughing face to the dirt that swirled down the drain.

Yunho was careful of his antennae as he combed his fingers through his two-toned hair. Hongjoong seemed more than comfortable as his eyes fluttered closed and leaned back into Yunho’s hand. When he swayed, Yunho laughed and lowered the shower head. “Hyung, are you falling asleep?”

“It feels nice,” Hongjoong drawled.

To stop himself from laughing, Yunho tucked his lips in, and avoided eye contact with Wooyoung. God, he was adorable. But after everything, Hongjoong deserved a lot of pampering.

Hongjoong let Yunho move him like a rag doll as he scrubbed two rinses of shampoo through his hair. Wooyoung tried to not be creepy, but he couldn’t help but soak in as many details as he could. Like how Hongjoong’s leg hair was darker near his ankles and practically nonexistent above his knees. He was thin, but his belly still pinched in cute little rolls when he leaned forward. There was a pale scar that curled around his left calf and one on his right foot. After living in a place like the hospital, Wooyoung was surprised that he didn’t have more.

Yunho was careful as he gently massaged shampoo into the fur around his wings. His cheeks were tinged pink from the steam and the tip of his tongue poked out at the corner of his lips while he concentrated. Love swelled in Wooyoung’s chest. Yunho could have disregarded him that day and never followed Wooyoung back to the hospital. He could have said no to bringing Hongjoong back. But Yunho always indulged him when no one else would.

When his exhaustion got to be too much, Hongjoong nearly slipped off the stool and with Yunho’s other hand preoccupied with the shower head, there wasn’t enough time for him to catch him. Wooyoung dove forward to help, but Hongjoong’s senses were sharper than they anticipated, even in his sleepy state.

His wings flapped to keep him upright, not accounting that Wooyoung had entered his space. It was like getting hit with a cinderblock. One smack from the wing was enough to knock Wooyoung back against Yunho, who was not expecting another body to be flung at him. It was enough to knock Yunho on his ass while Wooyoung flopped on him like a limp fish.

The shower head tilted up and the spray of water hit the ceiling, raining down on all of them. Hongjoong yelped and tried his best to get out of the way while Yunho tried to correct himself. He pointed the shower head down as Wooyoung scrambled to get to the knob to turn it off.

“Are you okay?!” The puddles of water plopped under Hongjoong’s feet as he hurried over to them.

“Well, certain activities will be out for me for a bit,” Yunho groaned.

Wooyoung rolled his eyes and slid off his lap. “I don’t think that’s what he meant.”

“No, no! What will it keep you from?! I will work hard in your place if I need to!” Hongjoong was on the verge of panicking so it didn’t give them enough time to laugh at the missed implication he was offering.

“Hey, hey, I’m okay.” Yunho reached out and gently stroked some of Hongjoong’s hair back from his eyes. “I’ll be a little sore for the next day or two, but I’m okay.”

His antennae were flattened against his head and his little lip was pushed into a pout. But he nodded reluctantly.

“Why don’t you finish up in here while we slip into some dry clothes, yeah?”

Hongjoong looked up and gave him a guilty smile. “Okay.”

They tried to not trail water through the apartment as they made their way to their bedroom, but their floors were a mess already, so it seemed somewhat pointless. They changed into baggy shirts and sweatpants, and found a pair that would fit Hongjoong. Finding a shirt proved to be a bit more difficult, but luckily Wooyoung had a deep neck cardigan that had a few buttons on it so they could try and rig it together when the time came. He found a new pair of underwear in a pack that he had bought when he was traveling and the airline lost his luggage, only to find it waiting for him when he returned to the hotel after shopping for new clothes.

He folded them into a neat pile and set them in front of the bathroom door. “Hongjoong-ssi, here’s some clothes for when you’re done! You can use any of the towels that are in there too.”

“Thank you!” Hongjoong called out right as the water shut off.

Yunho disappeared into the office to start pumping the air mattress.

Wooyoung grabbed his travel hairdryer and a few hair products on the coffee table

Wooyoung’s pants fit him length wise, but they hung low on his skinny hips. He hoped that once they started getting some proper food in him they would fit him a little better. He had the cardigan on, but he had to hold it so it wouldn’t fall open since he couldn’t reach the buttons in the back.

“Come here, let me do your hair.” Wooyoung waved him over, and once again, Hongjoong walked on his toes to get to him.

He plopped on the floor in front of Wooyoung and tucked his wings in so they didn’t have another incident. First, Wooyoung massaged some oil into his hair, then a small dollop of mousse. Even if it had been messy, Hongjoong still deserved to have a good first spa day.

Hongjoong winced at the hair dryer’s volume, but once he felt the warm stream of air, he didn’t seem to mind as much. His antennae flapped around his head with the force of the air and Wooyoung couldn’t help the snort that came out of his nose. His hair shined in the white light and it swayed with a clean freshness. Wooyoung turned the hairdryer onto the gentlest setting before he dried the fur around his wings, which made Hongjoong’s back arch like a cat. It looked soft like a Pomeranian. He wanted to run his fingers through it, but Hongjoong wasn’t a pet to touch and tug at. The only indulgence he allowed was to make sure it was dry before he moved to help Hongjoong with the cardigan.

“Sorry that I don’t really know what to do for a shirt. We weren’t really prepared for this,” Wooyoung said as he buttoned it up. Hongjoong rolled his shoulders and Wooyoung could almost count all the little notches of his spine. There were a few scars that he could see now that he was up close, nothing too deep but scars nonetheless.

“It’s okay. You said you can wash my clothes?” Hongjoong looked back at him over his shoulder. His eyes looked like they were having a hard time staying open.

“Yeah, we already started. Do you feel okay?”

“I’m sorry, I’m really tired. Can I rest for a bit?” Hongjoong rubbed his eyes. It was sweet and it made Wooyoung smile.

“Of course you can. Yunho should be done pumping the air mattress for you. We’ll figure out something more comfortable for you soon, okay?” He got up to go check, but stopped when he felt Hongjoong’s hand wrap around his.

He looked down at their hands and counted the differences. Hongjoong’s nail beds were longer, but his fingers were softer and carried fewer ridges than his own. They were in desperate need of a manicure, but that could wait until later.

“Come on.” Wooyoung shook his hand in encouragement to get him to follow.

It seemed to take all of Hongjoong’s strength to get to his feet. The bottom of his pants dragged on the floor as they shuffled into the office to check on Yunho’s progress.

The mattress was nice and plump as Yunho finished off the last few pumps. His cheeks were red, and the firing of his hair stuck to the dampness on his forehead.

“Oh, hey!” He smiled and stood up straight. Wooyoung could tell he was trying to play off the effort it took to pump the mattress and it made him smile. “This is ready. I just need to get some blankets.”

“He’s gonna sleep a bit,” Wooyoung said.

“You look tired.” Yunho stepped up to them and brushed back some of Hongjoong’s blond hair from his sleepy eyes. "Think you can hold off for one more minute while I get you a pillow and some blankets?”

Hongjoong hummed. “Only one minute.”

Yunho chuckled. “Deal. Young-ah, can you plug the mattress for me?”

“You got it.” As Yunho stepped out, Wooyoung kneeled next to the mattress. When he went to pull his hand away, Hongjoong’s grip tightened. He looked up. “I need my hand.”

For a moment, Hongjoong looked like he was about to argue, but he reluctantly let go. The plug slipped between Wooyoung’s fingers as he tried to push it in, and after an embarrassing struggle, he finally got it in. He pressed his hand on the soft top of the mattress to check its firmness and was happy to see Yunho had done a good job of filling it.

“Try it out.” Wooyoung waved Hongjoong over.

Hongjoong tentatively reached out and patted the top of it. He didn’t seem to trust that it would hold him, but once he felt it was okay, he applied more of his weight until he was crawling on top of it.

“Will this be okay?” Wooyoung watched how the mattress wobbled under his weight, swaying him back and forth until he settled.

“I think this is the nicest bed I’ve ever been on.”

Wooyoung’s heart sank. He deserved better than what he’d had, deserved more than an air mattress in a crowded office. Thinking back to Hongjoong’s room in the hospital made it worse. He had tried so hard to make it comforting while making peace with the fact that he would always be alone. Wooyoung didn’t see them as saviors, but was he any different from an abandoned cat or dog? Left to fend for themselves and survive off the kindness of others? He was different, but he was still a person.

“Here we go.” Yunho walked in with an armful of blankets. “I didn’t know how hot you run, so I grabbed a bunch of them.” He dropped them in Hongjoong’s lap.

“Thank you, they’re soft.” Hongjoong ran his hands over a few of them. “I really get to use all of them if I want?”

“Of course. Don’t worry about us, we have plenty.” Yunho leaned against the doorframe and smiled. “Plus, Wooyoung says I run hot like a furnace, so we’ll be fine.”

Hongjoong glanced over at Wooyoung, checking to see if he was telling the truth. Wooyoung gave him a gentle nod, and only then did he pull his feet under the large pile of blankets. His wings tucked against his back as he burrowed underneath them. His antennae poked out from the top, twitching as they examined the blankets.

He peeled the blankets away from his face and looked between the two of them. “Will you stay until I’m asleep?”

“Of course.” Wooyoung adjusted himself on the floor so he was more comfortable. Yunho came to sit next to him on the floor. There was hardly any room for his long legs, but they made it work. Yunho took his hand and rested them on the ground between them.

They had work to do, but Wooyoung wasn’t able to think of any of it. His brain was filled with the image of Hongjoong’s eyes fighting to stay open above the blankets while his antennae wilted like flowers that had been overwatered.

Yunho rubbed his thumb over Wooyoung’s knuckles and slid down so he could rest his head on his shoulder. His toes touched the mattress and it jostled it lightly, but not enough to keep Hongjoong from falling asleep. His lashes fanned over his cheeks, feathery, just like his antennae.

Within minutes, Hongjoong fell asleep. They stayed with him for an hour after, their own eyes growing heavy with much needed rest. It was tempting to stay and allow themselves to sleep in the comfort of their new addition, but things needed to be done. Yunho winced when he stood, but he bit his lip so he didn’t make a sound. They carefully snuck out and flipped the light switch off. The door stayed ajar, just to give him some privacy but also so they could hear him when he got up. Who knew how he’d react to waking up in a new place.

Occasionally, they’d peek in to watch him. He was so incredibly still that even the gentle rise and fall of his chest seemed concerning. He didn’t toss or turn, his body stayed limp and heavy as he slept.

Seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours, hours turned to days.

While Hongjoong slept, Wooyoung had never been more restless.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

Chapter Text

The first day Hongjoong slept, Wooyoung didn’t worry. He had gone through a life altering change, Wooyoung would have probably slept through the first twenty-fours hours of his new life as well.

By the second day, he started to worry. Hongjoong hadn’t moved from his spot on the air mattress at all. From the gentle sway of his shoulders, Wooyoung could tell he was breathing, and Yunho said he had seen his wings twitching a little bit at one point.

“It might be a moth thing,” Yunho said as he scrolled on his phone. He tried to be blasé about it, but Wooyoung had caught him glancing at the office every time there was the slightest sound. It didn’t matter that it was wind against the window or the footsteps of their upstairs neighbors.

“Do moths sleep this long?” Wooyoung was pacing. On a good day he had a hard time staying still, but not knowing what was going on made it even worse.

“Uhhh, according to this random website, it’s theorized that moths go into a resting state and shut down parts of their brain to regain energy.” Yunho seemed content with that, but Wooyoung was far from satisfied.

“But he’s also part human. Is that safe for his brain?”

“Sorry, Young-ah. But there really isn’t any information out there on moth-human hybrids. Plus, we’ve seen him sleep before, this isn’t really new. It could be a depression sleep for all we know.”

Wooyoung sighed. He hated how anxiety made him bite out his words, especially at Yunho who was just as concerned and just trying to help.

He plopped next to him on the couch, and instinctively, Yunho wrapped his arms around him. They didn’t say anything for a while. Wooyoung closed his eyes and let his back sink against Yunho’s chest. Every breath Yunho took helped Wooyoung remember how to breathe without so much pressure. Their heartbeats fell in line with one another and the world made a little more sense again.

“What are you thinking?” Yunho whispered against Wooyoung’s hair.

“What if taking him out of that place killed him?” Wooyoung’s voice shook as he spoke.

“It hasn’t killed him.” Yunho shifted so they could look each other in the eye. Wooyoung wanted to pull away, but knowing how uncomfortable intense gazes made him feel, Yunho only did it when he wanted Wooyoung’s undivided attention. “If we left him, who knows what would have happened. He’s different than us, so we need to trust that his body knows what to do in order to protect him.”

Wooyoung reached up and cupped Yunho’s face. He ran his thumb over the two little dots under his eye before he let it stroke the swell of his cheek. “I love you.”

“I know.” Yunho’s bow-shaped lips curled into a smile, honest and unteasing despite his choice of words. To most, it would be a teasing way to respond, which, most of the time, was how Yunho meant it. But not in the moments where Wooyoung needed to hear it most. I know meant that Wooyoung’s anxiety had not won over his adoration, that Yunho knew that Wooyoung’s sharp tongue and bared teeth weren’t how he truly felt. I know you love me because that’s the only truth they knew to be absolute in the world.

“Want to watch some TV? To try to take your mind off it?” Yunho kissed at his thumbs as he stroked his face. He made each smack of his lips obnoxious to keep Wooyoung grounded in the moment the best he could.

“Sure.” Wooyoung rolled around so his back was pressed against Yunho’s chest again. “Put whatever you want on.” No matter what Yunho chose, it wouldn’t turn his brain off completely. But maybe it would numb it just enough to quiet everything down.

“How about YouTube?”

Wooyoung gave a small grunt of approval. It probably meant an old stream of a competition or a new play through, something that could easily put Wooyoung to sleep. While Yunho fiddled with his phone to find the right video to cast, Wooyoung got comfortable. He pulled up a blanket and tucked a pillow under his head, ready for anything.

“Let’s talk about moths!”

Wooyoung’s eyes snapped up to the TV. On the screen was a beautiful girl with dark curly hair and tanned skin. In the middle of her face was a bright green lunar moth, who didn’t seem to mind that her breath ruffled its wings every time she spoke. She spoke in English, but Yunho turned on the subtitles He sat back up, eyes fixated on the words that travelled along the bottom of the screen. A comforting hand drifted across his back but he didn’t look away. It was the smallest reminder that they were going to get through it together.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

Wooyoung felt bad going through Hongjoong’s things. But seeing the dirty pile of items in the corner of the room had really started to eat at him. Hongjoong deserved better than his things shoved into whatever nasty bag they could find at the time.

The second Wooyoung pulled out the folder and saw the name scribbled on the tab, he knew should have stopped. It was none of his business, but Hongjoong had deemed it good enough to save.

“What’s that?” Yunho asked as he came up behind him. The second his eyes fell on the folder, a look of pained understanding flashed over his face.

“I should put it back,” Wooyoung answered.

“You should.” Yunho folded the dish towel in his hands and set it to the side as he sat across from him. “But I know you. You’re not going to stop thinking about it.”

It wasn’t a blessing by any means. But it was enough understanding that made Wooyoung hope Hongjoong would feel the same. He flipped the folder open with one finger, oxygen catching in his lungs. The words on the pages blurred together as he struggled to get his eyes to focus.

On the front page was an old polaroid of her from the shoulders up. She had Hongjoong’s sharp nose and fairy shaped eyes. Her dark hair was pulled back from her face, though her bangs hung just above her eyebrows. It was luscious and thick, and even in the black and white photo, Wooyoung noticed the shine. She wasn’t smiling in her photo, but she was still beautiful. It was easy to tell who he took after despite not knowing a thing about his father.

The first few pages had nothing interesting. Lists of medications, family history, simple demographics. She was reduced to nothing more than a medical record number and a catalogue of mental illnesses on crinkled, yellow paper.

Wooyoung’s teeth ground together as he flipped through the pages until he reached a daily report log. Luckily, it looked like it had been done on a typewriter or some old computer because it wasn’t hand written. The squared letters were starting to fade, but still legible. He licked his lips before he started to read out loud.

“Patient Kim Hayeun, admitted for psychiatric help due to having delusions of having several sexual encounters with a man with wings in the forest. She believed she was pregnant with this man’s child, even showed pregnancy symptoms such as swollen belly and hormonal changes, but no child was born. Patient fell into a manic state and refused to believe her child didn’t exist, and insisted that it was living there with her in the facility…” Wooyoung’s mouth felt like a thick glue was in his mouth, trying to seal it shut with every word he took. “We’ve given her dolls and have even allowed her to help in the children’s ward to see if that would help relieve her stress. She continuously asks for the child, who she has named Hongjoong. We believe the best course of action is electroshock therapy…”

“Damn…” Yunho exhaled.

Wooyoung flipped to the last page and flinched when he saw another polaroid of her. Except this one was of her on one of the morgue slabs. She looked different from her admission photo. The quality of course made things worse, but she was pale, her hair looked like straw and her lips were cracked. It was like looking at a doll version of her.

“Patient was in an agitated state when Dr. Yang came to assess her. She lashed out when she believed Dr. Yang was a threat to her make-believe child. She managed to scratch his face as she attempted to gouge out his eyes, but failed due to security subduing her. She was sedated and sent to the restricted ward for further treatment.

The patient went in for her weekly round of electric shock therapy, but unfortunately went into cardiac arrest and passed away after attempts to resuscitate her were made. She was pronounced dead at 10:53 am. The family was contacted and the body was sent to the family’s funeral home of choice. Any belongings that were not collected were incinerated.”

He snapped the folder shut. It was all Hongjoong had left of his mother.

“I need to distract myself now,” he said as he pushed away from the table.

“Is going to watch him sleep really a distraction?”

Wooyoung kissed Yunho’s forehead instead of answering. Yunho knew him too well, and the smirk on his face told him that he knew it. Little shit.

Because no, it wasn’t really a distraction when all it made Wooyoung do was spiral more. But he still went into Hongjoong’s room and laid down facing him. Hongjoong’s lips were parted as he breathed and they were beginning to chap. Yunho was bad at that too, so he was sure they had plenty of extra chapsticks lying around that he could use.

Hongjoong’s pretty lashes fluttered as his eyes moved behind his eyelids. Wooyoung wondered what he was dreaming about. Was it about happier days with his mother? Maybe in a world where they could have lived safely in a home of their own? He seemed too peaceful to have nightmares, but then again, if that’s all he ever experienced, then were they really nightmares?

Wooyoung took a deep breath and let his eyes close. Hongjoong still smelled like freshly tilled earth and cut grass. It was faded, masked by powdery body wash and coconut hair oil. He made a silent promise to protect that part of Hongjoong, to create a space where not only can he remember and honor where he came from, but to heal from it if he wanted. He would dedicate himself to making sure Hongjoong could be his true self at all times.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

Most days they kept the door open so they could easily see Hongjoong from the couch. Too much hovering drove Wooyoung insane, but not being able to see him stressed him out, too. Life continued while he slept, but in an odd “the apartment feels haunted” kind of way. They’d stop whatever they were doing when they thought they heard a sound coming from his room. It wasn’t uncommon for him to sigh or shift in his sleep. The first time he did it, Wooyoung nearly lost his mind. But when nothing came of it, the magic of the tiniest of movements was lost.

Still, Wooyoung enjoyed sitting in the office the best he could with the air mattress taking up most of the space. He wore his headset so he could listen to music, but kept one of the ears pulled off just in case.

The tiny rumble was nearly missed the first time. He thought he had made it up at first since he looked down at Hongjoong and found that he hadn’t moved at all. Slowly, he turned back to finish up the description of the video so they could finally post it.

Then, it happened again. Only this time, it was the tiniest exhale of his name.

Wooyoung tore his headset off and flew off his office chair, leaving it spinning. He poked his head out of the door, “Yunho! C’mere!” He shouted before he ran back to Hongjoong on the mattress.

“What’s wrong!?” Yunho ran in, his fluffy dog-shaped headband still pushed up onto his forehead.

“He said my name.” Wooyoung counted each breath Hongjoong took.

“What? He hasn’t said anything this whole time, there’s no way that—”

“Wooyoung…”

They both froze as they looked down at him. Hongjoong’s brows scrunched up and he shifted underneath the covers. Wooyoung kneeled next to the air mattress and lowered his face flat against it. The little puffs of air that escaped Hongjoong’s lips were a little harsher, a little quicker, than normal.

“Hongjoong-ssi,” he whispered. “We’re here.” He was afraid of touching him, like he would disrupt whatever process Hongjoong’s body was going through and they’d have to start all over again.

Yunho kneeled next to him. He had peeled his headband off, but the hair around his hairline stuck up in what looked like an oncoming wave. He caught Wooyoung staring at it and he quickly reached up to run his fingers through it. Wooyoung smiled at him, but was pulled away when he heard Hongjoong inhale.

Hongjoong’s shoulders curled up to his ears as his face scrunched again until he let out the breath he took in. His shoulders released, and then suddenly, his eyes slowly started to peel open. Tears stung Wooyoung’s eyes as he watched Hongjoong’s lashes flutter as he rapidly blinked. The tips of his fingers twitched, but his limbs appeared too heavy to move.

“Where…?”

“You’re at our apartment.” Wooyoung used shaky fingers to brush Hongjoong’s hair back from his face. “Do you remember that?”

Hongjoong’s chest expanded with a deep breath. “The hospital… It was going to be torn down.” Every inhale brought him a little more control of his body. His fingers curled into a fist then flexed straight out. “You brought me here. I showered then… I took a nap?”

Yunho chuckled. “It was a bit more than a nap, buddy.”

“Huh?” Hongjoong rolled his head to look up at Yunho.

“You were out for about a week. I guess moving really took it out of you.”

“I’m sorry.” Hongjoong trailed off into a yawn, which he quickly tried to cover with his hands.

“Don’t be sorry.” Wooyoung couldn’t believe how happy he felt. “Just feel sorry for your pillow. You drooled a lot.”

“I did?!” Hongjoong made a disgusted face and quickly reached to wipe it from his face.

Yunho laughed hard enough it made him hiccup. “Don’t worry, we wiped it up. Otherwise you would have flooded the house.”

Hongjoong’s wings gave an annoyed flicker. It was sluggish and they stayed tucked in against him. Wooyoung’s fingers hadn’t left his hair since the first gentle stroke. They dropped down behind his ear, caressing the soft bump of his skull. Hongjoong let out a soft purr, but immediately stopped himself when he realized what he was doing.

“Want to try to get up?”

“Please.” Hongjoong pushed up to his elbows and Wooyoung’s hand slipped away.

When he sat up, the blond side of his hair stuck up like the tiny petals of a dandelion. He squinted as he looked around the room, his lips smacking as he tried to gather moisture against his tongue. Wooyoung was about to ask him if he wanted water when a large grumble echoed in the room.

They all looked down to Hongjoong’s stomach, surprised that something so little could make such a loud sound. He blushed and pulled the blankets up to cover it.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s been a week since you last ate, I would have a growling stomach too.” Yunho stood up. “Young-ah, wanna whip something up for us?”

“Me?” Wooyoung grumbled. He didn’t want to let Hongjoong out of his sight now that he was awake.

“You’re a much better cook than I am, don’t even pretend.”

“That’s true. If it wasn’t for me you’d still be living off take-out and protein shakes.”

“Anyway,” Yunho grumbled. “What did you used to eat when the hospital was still in operation?”

“Whatever they made that day.” Hongjoong shrugged. “It was rarely any good. Except on holidays, sometimes they’d make good food then.”

“Gotta turn on some mukbang videos so we can see what kind of stuff strikes your fancy.” Wooyoung chuckled and got up. He held his hands out for Hongjoong, who shook his head.

Before he even tried to get out of the bed, he shoved the covers down to his feet and rolled onto his knees. He stretched his arms out and arched his back like a cat, his butt high in the air. Air puffed out his cheeks and he clenched his eyes shut as tight as he could. Small clicks popped as his spine released its tension.

When exhaled, his wings vibrated and his antennae twitched like they were caught in a bad wind. Wooyoung had to put his hands up to save his eyes from the gusts his wings created. The fur on his shoulders puffed up, and the feathery bits on his antennae bristled out after being smooshed for so long. He let out a satisfied grunt when he stopped and fell back onto his ass.

“We’re going to need air traffic control in here if you plan on stretching like that every time.” Yunho teased. “Thought you were going to shoot off into space after that.”

Hongjoong let out a twinkling giggle. His rosy cheeks rounded as he smiled wide enough to show all his pretty teeth, and Wooyoung wanted to chew on him.

Yunho offered Hongjoong his hands like a gentleman. “Can you feel your toes yet?”

“Maybe,” Hongjoong said with a teasing raise of his eyebrows, but he still gave his toes a little wiggle just in case. He took Yunho’s hands and with a little bit of teamwork, was pulled onto his feet. “I feel heavy.”

“Thought that stretch would have knocked some of the sleep out of you.” Yunho didn’t let go of his hands and instead, shook his arms. “Move a bit! Get that stiffness out.”

Hongjoong swayed as he tried to balance on the bouncy air mattress. He gave Yunho a look of uncertainty, but Yunho’s smile couldn’t be denied. His knees bent just a fraction, then popped back up with enough force it rocked both him and Yunho.

“There you go!”

With newfound encouragement, Hongjoong rocked until he was bouncing. Even with the excited flap of his wings, it was hardly enough to knock Yunho off balance, but it was enough to get him up into the air. He laughed as Yunho adjusted his posture to keep up with his messy jumps, turning them round and round in a circle. He laughed deep in his chest, his sharp nose scrunched that his eyes nearly disappeared into little crescents.

“You’re going to pop it!” Wooyoung laughed despite it. If they popped it, oh well. Patches existed for a reason.

Hongjoong’s wings fluttered and before they knew it, he lifted off the mattress. He continued to hold hands with Yunho as he hovered in the air. The gusts from his wings made the air feel dry, but it made Wooyoung smile regardless.

“Show off!”

He didn’t have the strength to keep himself up for long. The second his wings started to falter, Yunho reached out and caught him by the waist before he fell to the ground. He twirled them around and stepped off the air mattress.

“So we don’t get scolded again.” Yunho smirked and Hongjoong snickered.

They made their way out of the room slowly. Hongjoong wasn’t feeble, but it did take him a second to remember how to balance himself. At first, he didn’t want to hold one of their hands so he could prove his independence, but then the simple fact that he just wanted to took over. He caught Yunho by the hand and didn’t let go until they got him into the bathroom so he could help him clean up.

“Alright, let's see what we got.” Wooyoung popped open the fridge and looked at the semi-empty shelves. With Hongjoong sleeping, they hadn’t wanted to be away from the apartment longer than needed. So they had resorted to take out and had forgotten all about grocery shopping. The idea of leaving him still made Wooyoung’s stomach roll with anxiety, but at least he was awake.

Yunho walked Hongjoong back out of the bathroom, his skin bright and dewy from the simple skincare. His hair was still a mess, but that could be fixed later. The bags under his eyes were still dark and puffy, but it didn’t look as bad as before. He plopped down on the couch and immediately brought his feet up so they couldn’t be on the cold tile anymore.

Wooyoung spotted the juice box at the back of the fridge. It had been left behind after his family had visited and his baby brother forgot to pack it for the long drive home. He checked that the expiration date was still good before he punched the straw through the little silver circle before he walked it over to Hongjoong. “I know you just brushed your teeth, but try this. It’s grape.”

The second Hongjoong took his first sip, his eyes lit up with stars and his antennae shot up straight on his head. His wings fluttered happily; they even knocked some nearby papers off the table. He quickly stilled them and looked up at Wooyoung sheepishly.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Does it taste good?”

“Very.” He took another sip and his wings gave an involuntary twitch.

“Good.” Wooyoung stood up and ruffled Hongjoong’s hair. It was so soft and silky that it immediately fell back into place.

His rosy cheeks puffed up as he sucked up the juice as quickly as he could. He’d need more than just juice, but for now, it made Wooyoung’s heart happy seeing how something so simple could excite him.

Wooyoung returned to the kitchen and found that they had some potatoes left. They were on the edge of starting to look questionable, but they weren’t growing anything and they were still decently firm so he took it as a good sign.

“Gonna make gamjajeon.” He called over his shoulder. It would be simple since he didn’t really have anything else to serve with it, but simple probably wasn’t a bad thing. A home cooked meal could go a long way, especially one had together.

“Do you need help?” Yunho came up behind him and kissed his shoulder, his hands resting on his waist.

“No, I’m okay. But thanks.” Wooyoung smiled back at him. “Entertain him?”

“I can do that.” Yunho hovered for a moment longer. He ran his nose up Wooyoung’s neck to his ear, nuzzling the silver studs in his ears. “I missed you.”

“Huh?” Wooyoung didn’t want to pull away, but he wanted to look at him. “What are you talking about?”

“You weren’t yourself. All you could do was worry about him while he slept, so it’s just nice to see you smiling again.” Yunho loosened his hold on him so he could turn around. “I love your smile, it’s one of my favorite things in the whole world.”

“Even more than that abandoned castle we explored in Sicily?” Wooyoung smirked at him.

“Oh, see, now that’s a hard comparison.” Yunho smirked back. “Yes, even more than that castle and every other castle we find.”

Wooyoung’s smug smile turned into one of fondness.

He worked quickly to throw their meal together. Hongjoong’s laughter filled the apartment over the sizzling oil. It felt right.

Once everything was done, he loaded the plates on his arms like he was in a restaurant and carried them over to the coffee table. They let Hongjoong have the first bite in celebration of being their new roommate. His antennae popped up on his head and he let out a happy hum as he chewed.

Wooyoung took it as a good thing.

Chopsticks looked huge in his tiny hands but he was quick with them. Wooyoung and Yunho really only got a few bites in, but they didn’t mind that their hungry moth devoured everything in sight. They gave him another juice box, but only after convincing him to drink a glass of water first. The oil made Hongjoong’s lips shiny and Wooyoung couldn’t help but stare the whole time.

They were going to be okay.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

It turned out that overalls were the easiest thing for Hongjoong to wear. They were easy to hook around his wings and it was something that was relatively easy for him to do on his own. It was easy to find them in secondhand stores in different colors and styles, and Hongjoong was far from picky about what he wore after years of torn and dirty clothing. They did discover that he had a preference for pants that had a flare leg. When he walked in them, his hips swayed with a little more sass.

They hadn’t figured out shirts just yet. He had a few that managed to survive the washing machine that he’d wear, or a backwards cardigan if he got cold. But more often than not, he opted to go shirtless.

To put it lightly, it was torture.

Wooyoung had to fight with his eyes to keep them from wandering below Hongjoong’s neck. It’s not like it was anything new after the shower incident. But it felt even more wrong outside of the bathroom.

He hated socks after slipping in them. For someone who lived in a decrepit building for so long, he was incredibly clumsy. Yunho said it was a sign he was feeling comfortable enough that he wasn’t having to live in survival mode and they were seeing a whole new side of him. Wooyoung debated if that was really true after watching Hongjoong trip for the millionth time.

And nothing seemed safe from his wings. He smacked them in the face more times than he could count, but they were getting good at learning how to dodge them. The same couldn’t be said for any poor knickknack that wasn’t bolted down or heavy enough to withstand the strong flaps of his wings.

They had refrained from talking about anything too heavy while Hongjoong adjusted to his new life. Not that they thought he couldn’t handle it, but for the first time, he shouldn’t have to shoulder the weight of his struggles. Wooyoung could tell when Hongjoong would catch a piece of information to store away. His antennae would twitch and his face would turn stony as his brain categorized his findings.

It unnerved Wooyoung a bit. He couldn’t tell if Hongjoong didn’t speak up because he didn’t feel safe, or was it for something a little more sinister? He didn’t believe Hongjoong was a manipulative person, but he had grown up in a place where information could have very easily been used against him. Hongjoong lived off instinct and that was something they couldn’t take offense to.

Hongjoong was inquisitive about everything. He wanted to watch everything they did, like a cat who would tangle themselves in between their legs at the wrong moment. Yunho found it incredibly endearing, but Wooyoung nearly had a heart attack every time they bumped into each other.

It didn’t leave a lot of time for just Yunho and Wooyoung. There was no pretending that they were touch starved, but they were keenly aware of Hongjoong’s sharp senses. It left them with muffled hand jobs with the shower running or dry humping like teenagers afraid to get caught in the dead of night. If Hongjoong ever heard them, he never told them.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

Wooyoung had been mindlessly scrolling Instagram reels when a video piqued his interest. Of course he had heard of cryptids. They were a pretty common interest amongst urban explorers since so many of cryptid legends went hand in hand with exploring.

“Hey, Yun-ah!” Wooyoung called out, making Hongjoong jump behind him.

“Yeah?” Yunho’s head popped in the doorway.

“Have you ever read the Mothman comics?”

“No, I don’t think so.” Yunho stepped further into the room so he could lean against Wooyoung’s desk.

Hongjoong sat up on his knees. “There are comics about me?”

“Well, not about you, per say.” Wooyoung gave him a guilty smile. “It’s a character named Mothman.”

“Can I read them?”

“Can you read?” Hongjoong turned and glared at Yunho, who just put his hands up in defense. “Sorry, didn’t know how the education system worked in old mental hospitals.”

“The nurses would teach us. Not all the kids were able to, but those of us who could would have little lessons every day. Writing is…a little hard.” Hongjoong’s wings deflated with embarrassment as his gaze fell to the floor.

“Why?”

“We weren’t allowed pencils or pens. They let us write with crayons, or if we were really good we could write on the small chalkboard they had,” Hongjoong recalled. “But the hospital had so little money that if a crayon broke or we ran out, it wouldn’t get replaced. And some kids…they just destroyed everything. They had fits and tantrums and…”

His eyes glazed over and Wooyoung reached out to lightly touch his shoulder. Hongjoong’s antennae raised first, then his head. He tried to smile, but it was stiff.

“Well, if you want to read the comics I’m sure we can hunt some down.” Wooyoung glared at Yunho between Hongjoong’s wilted antennae. “Hopefully they have some in Korean.”

“But speaking of Mothman, don’t you think that’s a good place to start looking for other moth people?” Yunho asked while doing his best to skirt around the awkward situation he had just created.

“You called him a character, why would that be helpful?” Hongjoong perked up with interest once again.

“He’s an American cryptid, so people have claimed to see him flying around and stuff.”

“So according to this,” Wooyoung said, spinning around in his chair as he read off his phone. “Mothman is seven feet tall, has red eyes, and is slender and muscular.”

“That doesn’t sound like me at all.” Hongjoong frowned.

“You’re also not American.” Yunho winked.

“Ooh, but he has hypnotic eyes.” Wooyoung stopped spinning by reaching a foot out and hooking it around Yunho’s calf. It almost made him buckle under the sudden pull, but he managed to catch himself on the back of his chair.

“My eyes aren’t hypnotic.”

“Well, not to you.” Wooyoung rolled his eyes.

“You had Wooyoung pretty mesmerized the first time he saw you,” Yunho snickered.

Hongjoong’s cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink and even though he tried to hide it, his twitchy antennae gave him away.

“Do you remember anything about your dad?”

Wooyoung looked up at Yunho with a warning glare. It was something they were curious about, but after reading what his mother had gone through, they had avoided it. But, if they wanted to solve the mystery of Hongjoong’s existence, they needed to know.

Hongjoong’s antennas laid flat against his head. “I never met him. My mother met him in the forest near the farm she lived on with her family. He was hurt, but he refused to come with her, so she snuck out every night to go help him. I guess they fell in love and she got pregnant.” Hongjoong brought his feet up and hugged his knees to his chest. “They hunted for him in the forest but never found him. He left her when she needed him the most…”

“They would have killed him,” Yunho said. “Or they would have tried to experiment on him.”

“Like they did her?” Hongjoong snapped. “If he had been there with her, then they would have believed her. They wouldn’t have…” His voice hitched with a wet hiccup. “She didn’t even know who I was at the end… They took her away under a white sheet and I never saw her again…”

Yunho pushed away from Wooyoung and sat on the air mattress. He opened his arms, but waited for Hongjoong to make the first move. Hongjoong took the invitation and curled into him, his damp face buried into his chest and he let out a shaky exhale.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Yunho whispered into his hair. He rubbed his back gently, careful to not hit his wings.

“I don’t mean to get so emotional all the time.” Hongjoong wiped his eyes with the heel of his hand. “I never cry like this.”

“Maybe that’s why you’re crying now.” Wooyoung crawled off his chair and onto the mattress, making the two of them bounce. “Kinda like a flood, you know? It keeps flowing until there’s nothing left. Just gotta let it happen.”

Hongjoong nodded and inhaled a shaky breath. “I want to be strong.”

“You are strong.” Yunho squeezed him.

The tears stopped running down his cheeks, but his eyes remained glossy. “No one has ever truly listened to me about these things before.”

“What about the nurse who took care of you?”

Hongjoong shook his head. “She said that the less she knew about things the better. But, I think she struggled, too. My mother was her friend, after all.”

“I think that in a place like that it would be hard not to take it home with you, regardless if you’re close to someone in there or not,” Yunho mused aloud.

Wooyoung thought about the testimonial he had seen. In documentaries and in books from hospitals all over the world, all containing the stories that haunted them in the dead of night. Recollections of how they were powerless to do anything, that they thought if they stayed they could undo the wrongdoings of a system they ended up contributing to; if they could have done something if they had been brave enough.

A part of Wooyoung never truly believed them. Perhaps he was just jaded. Putting one’s self in the line of fire and disrupting the status quo was not in everyone’s blood, especially for those society deemed "undesirable." It was easy to see the conditions of work back then and say “you did your best” some forty odd years later to help alleviate the guilt. It didn’t change anything then, and most would argue it didn’t change anything now.

Still. He was glad there was at least one person who did try within their means to make sure that Hongjoong saw adulthood.

“Let’s put a pin in this for now, yeah?” Yunho pulled away and glanced down at Hongjoong. “Should we go watch a movie or something? Just to distract ourselves.”

“Can we watch something scary?” Hongjoong’s antennae perked up.

“I don’t see how that’s relaxing, but alright.” Yunho crawled to the edge of the bed before pushing himself onto his feet. “You know, there is that horror movie based on one of the other hospitals.”

“I thought we were supposed to distract ourselves from hospitals?” Wooyoung raised a skeptical brow. He offered a hand out to Hongjoong which he used to push himself up.

“What about that one in the Paris catacombs?”

“Oh! I’ve heard of them! Yes please!”

Wooyoung chuckled as he watched Hongjoong skip out of the room on Yunho’s heels. He was going to be fine.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

Hongjoong had been scrolling through YouTube, trying to find something for them to watch when he suddenly grew quiet.

“Wooyoung-ssi.”

“Hm?” Wooyoung looked at him, then the TV. Sandwiched between the thumbnails of videos on animals and ancient castles was the thumbnail for their video of the hospital. They had released it after Hongjoong woke up with an adjusted caption to confirm that the building had been destroyed. The comments were filled with gratitude for recording the hospital’s final moments and disdain for people’s disregard for historic buildings. It was steadily growing to be one of their more popular videos, especially because there was the added element of suspense on the first night.

Hongjoong was staring blankly ahead at the TV screen. All the fascination he had in his eyes was replaced with something heavier. His little fingers dug into his pants leg, pulling the fabric up enough that it rose above his ankles.

“My home… What does it look like now? Has anyone shared pictures of it?”

Wooyoung had only looked once. It was when he had been doubting that they had actually saved Hongjoong from real danger, despite seeing the building collapse minutes after getting out. But he needed to see the destruction, to remind himself that it could have easily taken Hongjoong down with it.

“There were a few photos,” Wooyoung confessed. “A few days after we brought you home. Only half of the building was still standing. And even then, it was just a skeleton.”

“Can… Can I see it?”

“Are you sure you want to?”

Hongjoong’s shoulders rose and fell with each breath he took. He contemplated for a long moment before giving the smallest nod of his head. “Can I… Can I be close to you, though?”

“Sure.” Wooyoung adjusted himself so he was pressed into the corner of the couch. He didn’t know what Hongjoong meant, but it was the right decision. Hongjoong crawled over him, pressing close to his side while he placed his legs over his lap, caging him in at the waist. He pressed his forehead to the underside of Wooyoung’s jaw as he watched Wooyoung unlock his phone.

A quick search pulled up the news article on it, but it seemed that news of it had hit the urban exploring community. On the front page were more photos at different angles of the hospital, but they all told the same story.

It was gone.

Reduced to piles of bricks and fractured wood, the only thing left standing was the front door and the steps leading up to it. Broken furniture poked out of the rubble, smashed wardrobes, bent IV poles jutted out like bones through flesh.

Hongjoong let out a shuddering breath. He was trying to hold on, but then hot tears dampened the collar on Wooyoung’s shirt. Tiny whimpers were choked down, like a child who was afraid of making a ruckus.

“I’m sorry.” Wooyoung snaked an arm around him and placed a hand on his back between his wings. “I’m so sorry.”

Hongjoong wiped his tears and inhaled deeply through his nose. Death wasn’t a stranger to him, but that didn’t mean it was a friend either. He sat up straighter and clenched his jaw.

“Can we watch it…?”

“Watch what?” Wooyoung looked back at the TV. “Our video?”

“Yes… I want to see it through your eyes.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Though, I may cry again, if that’s alright.”

Wooyoung smiled. “Like we said before, cry as much as you need. Let me get you some water, though. Just in case.”

“Can I have juice?”

“Water first.”

Hongjoong made a face but he relented when Wooyoung set the glass in front of him. He chugged it all in one go, storing the water in his cheeks like a chipmunk as he set the glass down defiantly in front of Wooyoung.

They settled in to watch with a plate of snacks between them. Hongjoong was relatively calm as they watched the hour long video. His antennae twitched when something caught his interest. Sometimes, he’d tell Wooyoung a story from his youth when something came across the screen that jogged his memory. Sometimes, it was a story that Wooyoung already knew, but he didn’t mind listening to it again. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever grow tired of listening to Hongjoong’s stories.

At the end of it, Hongjoong was still as stone. His breathing was so light that Wooyoung wasn’t even sure if he really was breathing. The skin on his back stretched over his spine when he finally looked back at him.

“Are there other videos like yours out there?”

“I’m sure there are.” Wooyoung leaned forward to grab the remote. “Let’s find out, shall we?”

There were plenty of other videos like theirs. Most weren’t as good. Shaky cams that rattled with every movement, people screaming when a pigeon jumped out at them. Nothing about the other videos were incredibly interesting besides seeing the hospital in different stages of decay.

None of the other videos caught any obvious sign of Hongjoong, yet he remembered almost every single one. He told exclusive behind the scene stories: the ones he messed with during their ghost hunting trip, or the ones who were able to break windows out before Hongjoong could get there to stop them.

Wooyoung knew Hongjoong well enough at this point that he recognized when he had been in certain places. Wrappers from granola bars or his messy foot print left behind in the dirt. Little signs of life that were only visible to those who knew him.

Hongjoong didn’t shed any more tears while they watched.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

“I want to go to the roof.”

Wooyoung looked up at Hongjoong with sore eyes. He had been staring at his laptop for so long that he hadn’t realized that the sun had set a while ago. “The roof?”

Hongjoong nodded. “I watched the weather on the news earlier. They said there’s going to be a full moon tonight, so I would like to see it.”

“Can you not see it from the laundry room?” Yunho asked as he cut veggies up for their dinner.

“I can. But…” Hongjoong chewed on his lip. “I miss the outside air. I know it’s risky, but I miss the outside…”

Wooyoung knew he had a point. It was like asking a wild animal to suddenly be domesticated. No matter how human he was, he was still raised as a child of the forest, free of society’s rules and restrictions for a good portion of his life.

“Okay, we can do that.” Wooyoung looked at Yunho. “There’s the communal space on the roof. We can scope it out.”

“Probably should go later, too. Just in case.” Yunho tossed the veggies into the hot pan and let them sizzle. “I don’t work tomorrow, so we can try tonight.” He looked at Wooyoung to confirm.

“I don’t mind that.” Wooyoung pushed away from his laptop and stretched his arms over his head. His body could use a break, and some fresh air would be good for him. When he had large projects, he often forgot there was an outside world beyond his apartment.

“Thank you!” Hongjoong clapped and jumped into the air. His wings spun him around in a circle before he touched back down.

The air from his wings lifted Yunho’s hair from his sweaty forehead. “If you want time to go by faster, help me with dinner then.”

Hongjoong always got a big burst of energy right as the sun started to set and right when it started to rise. In the early morning, he had been pretty good about harnessing his enthusiasm in ways that didn’t wake the two humans at the crack of dawn. He learned how to use the coffee machine so they could wake to the delicious smell of it every day. However, in the evening, he had yet to figure out what to do.

He helped cook with too much vigor for such a small space. Yunho should have known better, but he didn’t seem to mind getting a wing to the face every couple of minutes. They ate around the coffee table like usual, some tv show playing in the background to fill the space between their slurps and chewing.

Every few seconds, Hongjoong’s eyes would drift to the open windows on the other side of the room as if he could catch the exact moment the sun started to set.

“It’s not going to go down any faster if you keep glaring at it,” Wooyoung said before blowing on a steamy spoonful of soup.

“You don’t know that.” Hongjoong sat up in defiance. “What if I have secret sun and moon powers?”

“Then we really should have given you over to the government.” Yunho sucked in a mouthful of noodles with a wet slurp.

“They would have given him back.” Wooyoung’s nose scrunched up as he smirked. “Too sassy.”

Hongjoong gave him the tiniest hiss through his teeth. It was harmless and it reminded him of the throaty hisses that ducks did. It was adorable.

He stopped eating with so much urgency, but it was easy to see the excitement was still buzzing under his skin with the way he wiggled around.

It was fun to tease him for a bit. Hongjoong had decent manners despite living alone most of his life. But it reminded Wooyoung of his little brother in the way that it took everything in him to stay seated while everyone else picked away at their food. However, after a while, it just felt mean. They had pretty much finished, anyway.

“Go get dressed.” Wooyoung rolled to his knees and started stacking dishes like he was a restaurant busser. “I’ll do the dishes.”

Hongjoong didn’t need to be told twice. He jumped up and levitated through the air until he reached his door. He shut the door with a little too much enthusiasm, rattling the walls and everything on them.

“I think he’s excited,” Yunho teased as he helped carry some of the dishes to the kitchen.

“What gave you that impression?” Wooyoung carefully dumped his pile of dishes into the sink before grabbing Yunho’s. He flicked the faucet on with his forearm so it could start warming up.

They still had plenty of time before they could travel up to the roof. But it was better if they found something Hongjoong could spend his energy on.

“I’m going to do a quick scope of the roof if that’s okay?” Yunho came up behind him and kissed his shoulder.

“Shirking dishes I see.” Wooyoung looked over his shoulder and smirked.

Yunho responded with a kiss to his cheek, his nose bumping into Wooyoung’s eye. “You already offered!”

He trotted away before Wooyoung could rope him back into helping with the kitchen. It wasn’t bad, but Hongjoong was like a mad scientist when he was in the kitchen and no counter space was safe. Wooyoung chalked it up to Hongjoong finally having the ability to get creative with his food. He wasn’t exactly good, but he had only burned things a few times. His ideas were good, but execution needed a little work. But food was food, and if it was edible, neither he or Yunho cared much.

There was once the expectation that Wooyoung would become a chef when he grew up. He loved helping his mother in the kitchen when he was a child, and that alone spurred the conversations of what culinary programs he could join while in high school, and which culinary schools would be best for him when it came time for college. Instead, he never went to college and did online courses for video editing and spent his time in abandoned buildings with his boyfriend.

When he was done, he grabbed a dollop of lotion from the bathroom to rub into his wrinkly fingers before he knocked on Hongjoong’s door. “How’s it going, hyung?”

The door popped open and Wooyoung was eye to eye with a very serious Hongjoong.

“I want your opinion.”

“Alright?” Wooyoung followed him into the room with cautious steps.

“I was having a hard time picking a sweater out, but I think I like this one the most.”

They found that oversized sweaters were baggy enough to hide his wings if needed since they stopped just below his butt. It allowed him to have enough movement that the restriction didn’t give him anxiety, especially for such a short trip upstairs. Regardless of whose it was, Hongjoong would bring the collar of the sweater to his nose and inhale until his antennae inflated like a balloon full of helium.

The idea of Hongjoong in a poncho crossed Wooyoung’s mind, then suddenly, heat spread across his cheeks. He wasn’t a doll to dress up, and yet he was determined to hunt down a poncho.

“Does it look okay?” Hongjoong turned to show off his back. “Are they covered?”

There were definite lumps under the knitted sweater, like Hongjoong was wearing a baggy shirt underneath and it got bunched up when he was putting it on. It wasn’t the prettiest, but Hongjoong was so cute that it didn’t matter.

“Looks good, hyung.” It was one of his that he had bought back in the day when they were wandering around Gangnam and found a cute clothing store that may or may not have been a tourist trap. It had been super busy with tourists and locals alike, but whatever it was, Wooyoung had found several pieces that had become staples in his everyday wardrobe.

Behind Hongjoong, Wooyoung could see that several sweaters that had previously been hanging on his rack, had been tossed onto his mattress. Had he tried that many on? They were just going up stairs so there wasn’t much of a need to get all dressed up.

He watched Hongjoong stand in front of the bathroom mirror, smoothing out the front of the sweater before he reached up and started fluffing the fur on his antennae. It was exciting, sure, but was it that exciting to treat it like it was something bigger, like a date or an interview?

Wooyoung’s adventurous nature only applied to urban exploring and stopped when it came to doing mundane tasks. Something like going grocery shopping or going to the bank was something he dragged his feet on. Then again, he had the choice of leaving. Hongjoong didn’t.

Technically.

He wasn’t held hostage, but Wooyoung was thankful that he understood the implication of leaving.

The front door opened and Hongjoong tore out of the bathroom like a rodeo horse breaking out at the bell.

“Well?!”

Yunho hadn’t even taken both his shoes off before Hongjoong had all but pounced on him, not that Yunho seemed to mind at all. Wooyoung stood a few steps behind Hongjoong and watched how his wings shook with anticipation under his sweater.

“It’s pretty quiet in the halls right now, so I think we should be safe.” Yunho leaned his shoulder against the wall to keep his balance as he untied his shoe. “The door doesn’t have a lock on it from what I could tell, and it opened for me so we don’t have to worry about that.”

Hongjoong clapped excitedly.

“Mrs. Moon at the end of the hall is pretty nosy, but she takes her hearing aids out around nine, so we won’t have to worry about her either.” Yunho stepped out of his shoes and joined Hongjoong in the entry way.

“How do you know that?” Wooyoung tilted his head.

“I help her carry her groceries sometimes.” Yunho shrugged. “Old ladies love me.”

“Everyone loves you.” It was his polite nature and eagerness to make everyone smile. Wooyoung had yet to meet someone that disliked him besides annoyed property owners and security guards. Even then, the few times they had been caught, Yunho had managed to persuade them to look the other way.

“I can’t blame them. Yunho is lovely.” Hongjoong beamed up at him.

Yunho tried to keep his cool but his beet-red ears gave him away. He was normally quick on his feet with witty comebacks, but nothing could prepare him for a little moth who wore his heart on his sleeve. He cleared his throat.

“When I was up there, I searched what time the moon would be fully set and it looks like anywhere between eleven and one?”

“We could do 11:30 then?” Wooyoung suggested.

Hongjoong looked back at him and nodded. “It will be in a good place by then.”

“I probably should have just asked you, huh?” Yunho ruffled Hongjoong’s hair, his big hand slotting perfectly between his antennae.

A shiver ran through Hongjoong as he pushed up into Yunho’s hand like a cat craving attention.

“We should probably cover these up too.” Yunho sounded sad at the thought. “Wil it hurt if you wear a beanie?”

“I don’t think so. As long as it’s not too tight.”

Poor thing. He had worked so hard on primping them just to get messed up by a hat. Even if he didn’t seem upset by it, Wooyoung still reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll find something comfortable for you, alright?”

Luckily Wooyoung had an affinity for liking all things baggy. He had an old beanie that must have been from when he was in high school. Time and washings had stretched the fabric and practically killed the elastic in it. It didn’t match the aesthetic Hongjoong had tried to achieve with his sweater, but it would have to do.

Hongjoong shed his coverings while they waited. He originally wanted to see how long he could last while being bundled up, an experiment that could hopefully prove useful for future outings, but he only lasted about ten minutes before he was wiggling out of his confines.

Wooyoung passed the time trying to get a little bit of work done while Yunho showed Hongjoong the ropes in one of his favorite games. Hongjoong did horribly, but he laughed the entire time so he didn’t seem too hurt over the fact that he had lost more times in a single hour than Yunho had in his years of playing the game.

They managed to make it to 11:15 before Hongjoong was at the door, redressed and ready to go. He was like a puppy holding his leash to tell them it was time to go for a walk.

It felt odd sneaking around their own apartment building like they were in an abandoned one. Old habits died hard. Wooyoung checked the corners for cameras as Yunho walked a few paces ahead of them. Only they weren’t met with complete silence or the whistle of wind through broken windows. A few apartments had their TVs on still, a few voices that were muffled by closed doors. It gave a whole new level of unease.

They entered the stairwell unbothered and made the relatively short climb up to the roof. If they were traversing a rotten staircase, Yunho took two steps at a time. Hongjoong also took two steps at a time, though there was a bit more of a hop since his legs weren’t as long.

When they got to the top, Yunho held his hand out to signal for them to wait while he made sure it was safe.

He slowly opened the door before he poked his head through for the initial check, then stepped out into the open. The chilled air was silent except for the echo of traffic below. “Okay, I think we’re safe.” He stepped aside and held the door open for them.

“Let's get this off then.” Wooyoung helped Hongjoong tug the sweater off over his head even though he could hardly hold still. The beanie went with it and fell onto the ground, but before Wooyoung could even bend down and grab it, Hongjoong had burst past them.

Hongjoong gasped when he saw the small communal space. A fence wrapped around the edge for safety, and potted plants lined the fence on one side. In the middle was a picnic table and several chairs that had seen better days. There were several layers of paint from past attempts at restoration that were chipping away from either sun damage or use.

“Why didn’t you tell me this was here?!” Hongjoong skipped around the roof with his wings spread at full attention. “It’s beautiful!”

He hopped over to the flowers on the far end and kneeled so he could inhale. His chest expanded and his antennae gave a happy twitch. Apparently he couldn’t keep himself away from pleasant smells. Wooyoung wondered if he’d enjoy candles or incense. Could their apartment handle flowers? In the living room, perhaps. They could rearrange a few things if he wanted to explore the idea of it.

A small grunt broke him out of his thoughts.

Hongjoong arched his back like a cat and his wings beat the air as they warmed up. The scaly dust from his wings was flung into the air, forming little, shiny clouds above his head. His feet stayed rooted to the ground for only a moment before he took off into the sky.

Wooyoung’s heart leapt into his throat and he stepped forward, his mouth opening to remind him to be careful, until he felt a hand pull him back. He looked over his shoulder at Yunho, who shook his head gently. His hair was soft and airy as it moved on his forehead.

“Let him have fun.”

He wanted to, but he couldn’t let go that in modern society, there were eyes everywhere. Cameras and nosy neighbors were around every corner and he had no idea which ones would catch sight of him as he flitted about in the air.

“I know. I’m just paranoid.” Wooyoung sank his hands into his hoodie pocket. He swirled his thumbs around each other to try to distract himself from picking at his cuticles.

“You’re cautious, and that’s okay.” Yunho gently encouraged him to step back into his arms.

Wooyoung went willingly. Yunho’s chest was solid and warm against his back. They were at the perfect height for Wooyoung’s head to drop back against his shoulder, which meant he was at the optimal angle to watch Hongjoong floating through the air.

“Maybe we should consider getting a house in the country,” he mused out loud. “I’d miss the convenience of the city, but at least he could roam around.”

“We could buy one of those old ones that’s super cheap because it’s falling apart. Fix it up, call it ours.” Yunho nuzzled under Wooyoung’s ear. “You could have a bigger office, so you could edit comfortably. Maybe get that third monitor you’ve always talked about.”

It wasn’t surprising that Yunho went along so easily with his daydream. He often encouraged it, but it was more than picking up a new hobby or planning a spontaneous vacation. It was uprooting their lives, possibly straining themselves financially so traveling would be more strenuous. But for Hongjoong, it felt worth it.

“Would you do it?” Wooyoung closed his eyes and imagined it for a moment. Luscious sunlight through modern windows, but warm breezes through traditional doors. They could spend evenings in the backyard by a small fire while Hongjoong enjoyed the night sky.

“If we could afford it, then yes.” Yunho’s shoulders were broad. They could handle the weight of both Wooyoung and Hongjoong if he tried.

“I better take some more jobs then,” Wooyoung chuckled. “Or I need to find a real one.”

“Yuck.” Yunho made a fake sick sound. “You sound like your father. Stop it.”

“No, I’d sound like him if I said that with some layer of guilt attached to it.”

“I grew up Catholic, everything has guilt in it if you try hard enough.”

Wooyoung snorted hard enough that Hongjoong twirled around to look at them.

He darted toward them and then dropped to his feet once he got close enough. “I didn’t realize how sore my back had become.”

“Should put weights on your wings. Train you like you’re in Rocky.” Yunho pumped his fists in the air next to Wooyoung’s head like he was taking jabs at a punching bag. His soft hands had never punched anyone.

Hongjoong let out a laugh that was full and round, and sat deep in his belly.

“C’mon, hyung. Show me that fighting spirit.” Yunho put his hands up, palms facing out.

Hongjoong gave a devilish smirk and with his little hands, he punched Yunho’s hands. None of the hits had any weight to them but they had just enough oomph that they made a fleshy slap against Yunho’s palms.

“Float like a moth, sting like a bee!” Yunho snorted shamelessly at his own joke. It went straight over Hongjoong’s head, but Wooyoung rolled his eyes despite smiling endearingly.

Hongjoong floated in the air and held his palms out in the same way Yunho had, switching to the defensive. Yunho was tall enough that it didn’t take much for him to reach Hongjoong’s palms, but his head craned back so he had a good view. He hopped on his toes while pushing out exaggerated breaths like he was doing something actually physically straining. They play-sparred for a moment before their energy died down. It was the middle of the night, so they could only get so rowdy.

Hongjoong dropped back to his feet and came to sit next to them, grabbing his sweater off the table. He didn’t bother pulling it over his head, just cocooned his arms inside of it and held them close to his belly.

“Are you done already?” Wooyoung asked.

“Just wanted to stare at the moon for a sec.” He craned his head back and smiled “My mother used to read stories to me about how the moon was a beautiful goddess. I thought maybe that’s why I liked it so much.”

“That’s a pretty common belief. There are people all over the world that believe that.” Yunho stepped closer, but didn’t invade his personal space.

“I wonder what my people believe in.” Hongjoong’s wings twitched before he turned to look at them. His normally dark eyes glowed a soft golden color, matching the light from the moon.

Wooyoung nervously licked his lips before he came to sit next to Hongjoong on the picnic table. He brought one leg up, tucking his ankle into the bend of his other leg. “I read the folder you have on your mother,” he confessed. “I shouldn’t have. I was organizing some of your things while you were sleeping and I found it. I was hoping it could help me find some answers for you but all it did was…”

He didn’t know what it made him feel. Sad? Perhaps, but that didn’t quite encompass the anger that filled his heart when it came to the injustices of Hongjoong’s life.

“I don’t want pity.”

Wooyoung’s head snapped up to Hongjoong’s statuesque face. “I’m not…”

“You are. You may not realize it, but you are. It’s how they used to look at me in the hospital. They pitied me because I was born differently which they reminded me of every single day. My struggles were not so different than the other children I grew up with.” Hongjoong’s voice held steady, but the wobble of his bottom lip gave his emotions away. “I know I’ve cried a lot, but before coming here, you hadn’t treated me any differently. Don’t start now.”

Without thinking much of it, Wooyoung reached out for him and pulled him close. Hongjoong came willingly, scooching as close as he could so he could comfortably press his face into the side of Wooyoung’s neck.

“I’m sorry,” Wooyoung whispered against his hair. If he spoke any louder, his voice would have cracked.

Hongjoong had needed help, but that didn’t mean he needed to be rescued. Cherishing something didn’t mean smothering it. He should have known better. In the early stages of their relationship, Yunho needed to fix things immediately. He was afraid that if things were left unsolved, they would remain that way. But Wooyoung needed time to process, to organize his thoughts without feeling like he was being buried alive. Yunho hadn’t realized that even if it was done with love, Wooyoung didn’t need rescuing from himself.

Just like Hongjoong didn’t need to be coddled.

Hongjoong had lived a sad life, that much was true. But that didn’t make him fragile. His childlike wonder and love for juice boxes didn’t make him naïve. It made him, him.

“This is a big adjustment for us.” Hongjoong lifted his head so he could look up at Yunho as he came closer to them. “We’ll keep trying our best.”

Wooyoung pulled back so he could see his face, and his heart melted when he saw the soft smile stretching Hongjoong’s lips.

“I’m lucky you were the ones who found me.”

Words caught in Wooyoung’s throat, threatening to choke him if he tried to force them out. Hongjoong must have sensed it. A gentle smile graced his lips as he reached up to carefully stroke Wooyoung’s cheeks. It felt like something a mother would do when her child was crying.

Wooyoung was frozen under his hands, but he felt warmth blossoming in his chest.

It only lasted a moment before he released him, pushing away from the table so he could stand.

“Do you want to go back inside?” Yunho asked, something rattling in his voice despite how temperate it was. Wooyoung didn’t feel like he was in trouble, but something didn’t feel right.

Hongjoong stretched his arms above his head. “Let me fly a little more.”

“Alright.”

Yunho and Wooyoung sat in silence as they watched Hongjoong float in the air like a leaf. His wings sounded like little propellers with every fast-paced beat. Wooyoung’s heart tried to speed up to keep up, beating so hard and fast he felt it in his throat and his ears.

They didn’t stay out for much longer. The chilled air started defeating the weak defense of their thin jackets. With the promise to come back soon, Hongjoong followed them back inside. His cheeks and nose were bright pink. Once the sweater was back over his head, he burrowed into the collar and pulled the sleeves over his cold hands. Yunho helped slip the beanie back on his head, though he didn’t pull it down as tight since they doubted they’d run into anyone.

When they were back in the apartment, they kicked their shoes off and left them in an unorganized heap in the walk way. It was like they were young and coming home from a late night out.

Hongjoong was the first to make his way across the apartment, stopping once he crossed the threshold of his room. “Goodnight, Wooyoung-ssi, Yunho-ssi. Thank you for taking me up.”

“Of course.” Wooyoung smiled. “We’ll make it a regular thing from now on.”

The little moth gave them a bashful bow of his head before stepping further into his room and shutting the door behind him. He would probably be awake for a little while longer. No matter how hard he tried, it was a struggle to fight his natural instincts to sleep during the night.

Wooyoung looked back at Yunho who was casually standing with his hands in his pockets. “Shall we go to bed, too?” He reached a hand out, which Yunho took without hesitation.

Yunho was uncharacteristically quiet as they washed up, but Wooyoung figured it was just the exhaustion of staying up late. Wooyoung was used to pulling all-nighters when he was desperately trying to finish a project before a rapidly approaching deadline. But Yunho often had morning shifts at his job and didn’t indulge in late nights unless it had to do with exploring.

They were in their room changing when Yunho finally spoke.

“He’s very fond of you.”

Static ran up Wooyoung’s spine, making him drop his shirt on the ground. Yunho’s low voice masked something deeper. Yunho wasn’t jealous per say. He didn’t care when Wooyoung was flirted with or gawked at, because who could blame them for trying? Possessive was not the way he’d describe Yunho, not in the traditional sense. If someone touched him, Yunho would kiss the same spot until his lips were swollen. If someone called him handsome, Yunho would fuck him in front of a mirror and would call him beautiful.

They had received too many DMs asking if they were open to a threesome, or if one of them would be willing to cheat. Unsolicited dick pics weren’t uncommon, but they learned long ago to never open photo attachments from people they don’t know.

Yunho’s tone was different from his normal envious whisper. It wasn’t tantalizing or teasing, but it also didn’t seem hurt. Wooyoung turned around and saw Yunho’s gentle gaze. He was still fully clothed, like the anxiety of speaking up had stopped him from moving.

“Well, yeah. I guess.” Wooyoung shrugged. “But it’s probably nothing more than just circumstance. We did sorta save him.”

“I don’t know if it’s just that.” Yunho took him by the waist and pulled him in.

On instinct, Wooyoung raised onto his toes so he could wrap his arms around his neck. Their stomachs pressed together, sharing every push and pull of their shared breaths. “Does that upset you?”

“No.”

Even without any explanation, Wooyoung believed him.

He kissed him slowly. Their lips were dry from the night air, a shame since Yunho’s had finally stopped flaking. They softened as Wooyoung’s tongue slid between them, pointless moisture that would only worsen them with time.

His lungs seized as they grew desperate for air. He pulled away but had to tug on Yunho’s hair to keep him from chasing his lips.

“I’m still yours,” Wooyoung whispered as he softened his grip on his hair. Instead, he used his fingers to gently massage at the base of his skull.

“I know,” Yunho whispered back. “But you’re yours, too.”

They had never been open, they had always been each other’s. But they were still free. If Wooyoung squinted, he could see the permission that Yunho vaguely gave him. It was tentative, a toe dipped into a lake to find that it was tepid instead of freezing. Yunho always understood him, but did he feel the same way?

He didn’t get to ask. Yunho’s mouth took his, locking them in a deep kiss.

Sometimes, Yunho was too selfless. Wooyoung wished he spoke his mind more often, wished that he would stop being so afraid of being anything less than the perfect boyfriend so he could be honest.

Yunho licked over his teeth, trying his best to taste even the smallest parts of him.

Wooyoung’s eyes slid toward the open door. The apartment was dark and quiet, but Hongjoong’s senses were stronger than theirs. He should have pulled away to close it, but his brain filled with white noise as Yunho gripped his ass in one of his large hands. Unconsciously, his leg lifted and hooked around Yunho’s waist.

It took little effort for Yunho to lift him off the ground, spinning him around to carry him to their bed. Is this what Hongjoong felt when he used his wings? Floaty and effortless?

His back hit the mattress and forced a shocked gasp out of his lungs. Yunho stood above him, his glossy eyes eying the strip of flesh exposed where Wooyoung’s shirt had ridden up. It made him feel itchy, but not in an unpleasant way. His fingers flexed before they gripped the sheets so he didn’t immediately reach for his cock.

Yunho got the hint and he peeled his shirt off, then quickly popped the button open on his pants. His jeans left small indents in the soft flesh of his belly, pretty pink lines under his bellybutton. He let them fall to the ground, and Yunho stepped out of them to join Wooyoung on the bed.

Wooyoung spread his legs to invite him in, but instead, Yunho knocked his knees together and flattened his legs as he crawled over him.

“Want you.”

Wooyoung can hear it in Yunho’s voice, that sweet desperation of needing to be close after being separated for too long. Only, neither had gone out of town, gone days without seeing each other. They spent every night in bed together, breathing each other in but still barely missing each other. Yunho isn’t jealous, but he wants.

He ground his ass back against Wooyoung’s cock, trapped under the thick material of his sweatpants. It made Wooyoung’s hips kick and a pleasured hiccup catch in his throat. Thank God it only lasted a moment before Yunho peeled away so he could kick his boxers off then help yank the rest of Wooyoung’s clothes off.

“Lube,” Wooyoung said before Yunho crawled back over him. Once their skin touched, it would be nearly impossible to peel away from each other so it was better to be prepared beforehand.

Yunho started to roll his eyes but blinked to stop himself. He leaned over and pulled the drawer on their nightside table open and grabbed the clear bottle. When he shut the drawer, he used more force than necessary and it snapped shit with a rattle.

“Impatient.” Wooyoung chuckled and Yunho made his way back to him.

“You’re bossy.” Yunho popped open the lube and poured it onto Wooyoung’s fingers when offered.

“Sorry that one of us still has their wits to remember that spit as lube sucks.” Wooyoung rubbed his fingers together. “Now lay down so I can finger you.”

“Want to be close.” Yunho slid back into his lap.

“We’re about to be as close as we can get, and we can do it sooner if you let me open you up properly.”

“You’re the one who always loves a challenge.” Yunho smirked.

Wooyoung huffed but still slid his hand between Yunho’s legs. He teased his balls for a moment as payback for being cheeky. Yunho gasped and his hips shuttered. He held onto Wooyoung’s shoulders and lifted himself so he could reach.

Not being able to see made Wooyoung fumble a bit, but he managed to slip a finger in. Yunho let out a satisfied hum as he rested his cheek on the top of Wooyoung’s head. His cock ground against Wooyoung’s belly, leaving a translucent trail of precum along the folds of his skin.

After a few minutes, he pushed a second finger in. He couldn’t reach his prostate, so instead he focused on scissoring his fingers back and forth. The tendons in Wooyoung’s wrist strained at the sharp angle it was bent at. Too many long hours on the computer had made his hands stiff and he kicked himself internally. He’d be damned if he let anything get in the way of him and fingering his boyfriend open.

“Yun-ah, sit up more.” He encouraged with a pat on Yunho’s thigh. “Let me adjust my hand.”

“No more.” Yunho lifted his hips so he pulled off Wooyoung’s fingers. “Want you.”

“You’re still pretty tight.”

“Don’t care.” Yunho didn’t give him much time to come up with a rebuttal, not that his lust-filled brain could have come up with one.

He squirted a messy dollop of lube on the tip of Wooyoung’s cock and gave it one messy stroke to spread it before straddling his hips. His face scrunched up with discomfort as he pushed Wooyoung inside of him. Wooyoung wasn’t huge, but he was thicker than he was long, and it took a bit of effort on Yunho’s end to slow down so he didn’t impale himself.

When Yunho’s desires took over his rational thought, there was no telling him what to do. His blind determination was one of the things Wooyoung loved about him most. Even when it felt like his hole was going to suffocate him.

Wooyoung stayed still until Yunho showed that he was ready with little circles of his hips. His flesh shifted over the bone, his ribs opening like wings with every dreamy inhale. With a deep moan, his eyes fluttered closed as his head rolled to the side.

“I love you,” Wooyoung said up to him, which elicited another happy moan.

“I love you, too.” Yunho started to move. Each teasing little rise and fall sent tingles through Wooyoung’s body.

At first, he went slow. He spread his knees out further so he could enjoy how deep Wooyoung could reach inside him. His hands fluttered about, unsure where to go. They went from Wooyoung’s thighs, to his chest, then back again. Wooyoung held out his hands, palms up so Yunho could lace their fingers together while using him for balance.

“Oh,” he moaned like it was slowly being pulled out of him.

Yunho was beautiful. His peachy skin flushed red, sweat glittering like sugar across his chest. His plum blossom lips parted as he panted and hiccupped every time Wooyoung’s cock slid against his prostate. The small amount of weight in his chest made it bounce every time he dropped down and Wooyoung couldn’t help but be mesmerized by it.

His rhythm started to falter and Wooyoung knew he was starting to get tired. If he asked, Yunho would deny it. So, Wooyoung didn’t ask.

He dropped their hands and Yunho let out a confused whine when it made him drop forward, losing the position he had. Instead, Wooyoung lifted him by the waist and his cock slipped out with a wet pop.

“On your knees, baby.”

Yunho rolled over and lifted his ass in the air. His hole clenched around nothing and Wooyoung took a moment to appreciate the pinkness of it. He leaned in and swiped his tongue across it, not caring that it tasted like lube. The sound Yunho let out was worth it.

While he could eat him out all day, that wasn’t what he was there for. He thrust in without warning and Yunho yelped.

“Shh, gotta stay quiet.” Wooyoung placed a kiss on his shoulder.

“Your fault,” Yunho retorted.

“You’re right.” He took him by the waist so he could drag him back onto his cock.

Yunho moaned regardless of the warning. They were muffled, so he was either biting his lip to try and stop it, or he was burying his face in his arm. Whatever he was doing, it only made him sound more desperate and it spurred Wooyoung on.

At the risk of being hypocritical, Wooyoung found it hard to keep his voice down as he rocked into Yunho, perfectly gliding over his prostate with every thrust. The buildup was slow, but it was quickly becoming too much for him. His thighs burned as he tried to keep the speed that made Yunho tremble underneath him.

Something moved in the corner of his eye, which he was surprised he was coherent enough to catch. In the dark it was hard to tell at first, but the golden glow of his eyes gave him away. Wooyoung’s hips kicked and Yunho yelped into the bed sheets.

When Yunho tried to push himself up, Wooyoung encouraged him back down with a gentle hand on the back of his neck. The arch of his spine was gorgeous, the most beautiful valley that he had ever laid eyes on. The galaxy of freckles that spread across his milky skin made Wooyoung’s mouth water without fail every time he saw them.

Wooyoung tried to use every lovely detail he could find to keep himself from looking up at the golden eyes looking in through the door. He couldn’t see it from the angle they were at, but he could feel Yunho’s thighs bounce when their bodies collided, punctuated with a needy moan deep in Yunho’s chest. His beautiful hands pulled at the sheets, the veins bulged under the skin.

A gentle rustling by the door disrupted his focus momentarily, but he kept his eyes on Yunho in fear of what he’d find if he looked up. Yunho bit down on the blanket and drooled around it. His whole body was stiffening under Wooyoung’s hands; a sign that he was close to finishing.

Wooyoung picked up the pace and Yunho whined. He dug his fingers into the soft flesh on his hip harder, knowing it would likely leave pink marks behind. The rustling beyond their room tried to match his speed, but Yunho’s moans were trying to drown it out. But to Wooyoung, it was as if it was happening right next to his ear. He closed his eyes and chased his orgasm until it had him spilling into Yunho with a choked off gasp.

Yunho tensed underneath him, his hole clenching so hard that it made it impossible for even the smallest of twitches from Wooyoung’s hips. He spilled onto the sheets below and only when the pleasure had finished pulsing through him, did he release Wooyoung.

They collapsed together on the dirty sheets, not caring that they were laying in a nasty mixture of fluids. Yunho rolled so he could shove his face into the curve of Wooyoung’s neck, his breath making the sweat on Wooyoung’s skin send chilly shivers down his sensitive body.

Wooyoung took a moment to collect himself before he opened his eyes again. The space beyond the door was dark again.

Perhaps his horny brain had conjured the whole thing.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

Chapter Text

Wooyoung was wary of Hongjoong the next day.

For at least an hour, he laid awake while staring at the ceiling. Yunho was still peacefully asleep next to him, face-down with his chestnut hair fanned over his pillow, which muffled his open-mouthed breathing. How he hadn’t suffocated himself yet was a miracle. The blankets hadn’t been kicked off, which meant he hadn’t been tossing and turning all night in his sleep. A good orgasm the night before normally knocked him out for the night.

Wooyoung wished it had worked for him. He knew he slept, knew his body went through the cycle of it, but he hardly felt rested. Beyond their door scared him. All he could think of were those glowing eyes and soft sounds that were buried under Yunho’s. They would sound so beautiful together.

After a while, it began to feel like torture, so he threw the covers off and crawled out of bed. The movement jostled Yunho awake, but it didn’t spur him out of bed just yet. He stretched his long arms above his head until they hit the headboard, his back arching until a random pain from the night before stopped him. Wooyoung placed a gentle kiss on his head before leaving him to finish waking up. Or to fall back asleep. Whichever came first.

He crept out of the bedroom on his toes like the Grinch stealing Christmas from unsuspecting victims. The sun had risen a while ago, so it was barely past the time for Hongjoong to be buzzing about. Still, it didn’t feel great to be greeted by a silent apartment.

Yunho walked out like nothing had happened, and for him, nothing had. Wooyoung hadn’t explained what he thought he saw in fear of being judged that he let it continue. It felt wrong. Yunho wasn’t a pawn in his sexual and emotional frustration. He was being an awful boyfriend, and an inconsiderate…

Host?

Roommate?

What was he to Hongjoong?

Had it been long enough to become friends?

The movement must have alerted Hongjoong that they were awake since the door slowly pulled open not long after. His little face poked out, just as shy and uncertain as the day they had met him.

“Good morning,” he said gently.

"Good morning," Wooyoung mimicked. "Did you sleep well?"

Hongjoong took it as a sign to step out of his room. His wings expanded and vibrated as they pumped blood back into them. The pants he wore were a little too big on him, so they pooled on the floor over his feet. He scrunched his toes as he walked across the cold tile and it took everything in Wooyoung to stop himself from finding the nearest pair of socks or slippers for him. As an adult, he could make his own decisions, and that included his hatred for socks despite being cold. But then, Wooyoung caught the pink flush that spread across Hongjoong's cheeks.

"Y-yes," he answered without looking him in the eye.

"You slept in late, were you up with jitters?" Yunho teased from the kitchen as he set water to boil for their coffee.

"That must have been it." Hongjoong forced a smile, but it was stretched thin. "Please, let me do that." He quickly made his way to Yunho, reaching for the tools in Yunho's large hands. "Don't worry, I got this." Yunho paused when Hongjoong set his hands on his wrists. His antennae twitched toward Yunho’s face as if there were magnets on the ends of them. Yunho let him explore with the fondest expression on his tired face.

Eventually, Yunho finally relented, allowing Hongjoong to help in the kitchen after the mugs of hot coffee were passed out. Hongjoong had claimed a favorite mug, even though it was just plain black. He liked the glossy coating and the roundness of it, claiming it reminded him of a witch’s cauldron. His coffee often contained more milk than coffee, and his wings flapped happily when Yunho topped it with caramel sauce.

They made western pancakes with chopped fruit and whipped cream from a can. It was old, so it came out flat and runny, but it still tasted good so it didn’t matter much. They sat crowded around their little table, knees bumping together as they tried to make it work. Hongjoong pulled his legs up and folded them underneath himself after too many failed tries. Wooyoung looked at him when he did, but Hongjoong avoided his eye.

“Ah, you have cream on your mouth.”

But before Wooyoung could wipe it away, Yunho leaned on his elbow and pressed their lips together. His velvety tongue prodded at his lips. Let me in. Let me spill into every part of you. As if he hadn’t seeped into every golden crack in Wooyoung’s being. The warm, sappy adoration always stuck to him the day after their shared intimacy. Like toffee stuck on teeth, it was only annoying until the sugar ignited the synapses that signaled joy.

When Yunho pulled away, Wooyoung found Hongjoong staring directly at them, stone faced. Yunho didn’t seem to notice as he went back to his breakfast without a second thought. Between the two of them, Wooyoung was the first to break eye contact. He could feel the weight of Hongjoong’s eyes on him, but he tried to busy himself with shoveling food into his mouth.

He made sure to keep the corners of his mouth clean.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

Wooyoung hadn’t left the apartment much. He didn’t find a reason to. If they weren’t exploring, he tended to be a homebody, so he didn’t find his routine that odd. Yunho would ask whenever he went shopping, but Wooyoung only went with him about half of the time. More often than not, Yunho had started to use his large puppy eyes to plead with him, which normally won Wooyoung over.

Whether it was groceries or just aimlessly walking around a shopping center, it made Wooyoung itch. He loved spending time with Yunho, but he found himself checking his watch constantly for how long they had been out. Yunho must have caught on because he always reached for the hand that had his watch just above it.

Sneaky.

However, it did make Wooyoung appreciate coming home more. Especially after Hongjoong developed a new habit. At first, he was hesitant, and both Yunho and Wooyoung noticed how he’d stand at the entry way, rocking on the balls of his feet while his antennae seemed to stretch toward them. He kept his distance for the most part, until one day he got brave and stepped down from the entryway step. As he leaned in to help take a bag out of Wooyoung’s hand, one of his antennae gently caressed his cheek. It spooked Wooyoung a bit, thinking a bug had landed on his face. Well, technically yes, a bug had touched his face, but Hongjoong was gone before he could really react.

He tried the same thing with Yunho a few times, which seemed easier because of their height difference. The tips of his antennae ghosted over his jaw and they both shivered from how it tickled them. Yunho left more than Wooyoung, which gave Hongjoong plenty of opportunity to try… whatever it was he was doing.

Finally, he decided to be done with his formalities when they had come home from the grocery store. Yunho had dragged Wooyoung with him because they needed a new bag of rice and insisted that he needed help carrying it home. Wooyoung ended up slinging it over his shoulder while Yunho carried their other groceries, pouting that he wasn’t able to hold Wooyoung’s hand.

When they walked in, Hongjoong was already waiting for them. Wooyoung hadn’t asked how he always knew when they were going to be home only because he was afraid that if he pointed it out, it would make Hongjoong feel awkward and he’d stop.

Wooyoung set the bag of rice down on the ground with a heavy thud. He silently prayed their downstairs neighbors weren’t home to hear everything rattle.

“Hey, hyung,” Yunho greeted as they kicked their shoes off.

Hongjoong stepped down into the entry way, bee lining for Wooyoung first. By the time Wooyoung realized what was happening, Hongjoong’s antennae were already sweeping over his face like little feather dusters. He did his best to stay still despite how much it tickled him. When he couldn’t bear it any longer, Wooyoung blew out a puff of air like he was blowing a strand of hair away from his face. Hongjoong shivered at the contact and flattened his feet to lean away from him.

“Welcome home.” He smiled brightly

“Do I get one, too?” Yunho leaned down with a cheeky smirk.

Hongjoong flushed but easily went to him, his hands reaching to rest on his shoulders. Yunho closed his eyes as Hongjoong’s antennae swept across his face. He shivered and let out a hissed giggle through his teeth. Hongjoong stepped back with a smile that scrunched up his nose.

“Let me take those.” Hongjoong took the grocery bags from Yunho’s arms and trotted toward the kitchen, his wings bobbing up and down.

“It’s like a welcome home kiss.”

Wooyoung sputtered and looked back at Yunho with wide, scandalized eyes. “Yunho!”

“What?! It is!”

ཐི༏ཋྀ

Wooyoung had gone up to the roof with Hongjoong to try the new lens he had preordered ages ago and then subsequently forgotten about until it arrived on their doorstep that morning. It was better for night time shooting, so what better subject to test it on than Hongjoong? He sat on the picnic table and played with the new settings, not really trying to take a decent photo, but still managed to capture some beautiful shots. His wings blurred with movement while his face stayed in focus, illuminated from the street lights below. There were too many clouds to capture any stars, which would have made the photos perfect.

He was adjusting some settings when Hongjoong touched down in front of him.

“Wooyoung-ssi, I have a question.”

“Yes?” He saved a preset before looking up at him.

Hongjoong stared down at the ground where his toes pointed inward. “Do you think that if we had met in different circumstances, would you and Yunho-ssi still like me?”

“Different circumstances? Like, as if we were patients at the hospital with you or…?”

“If I was…a normal human. If we met on the street, or maybe in an abandoned building.”

“We did meet in an abandoned building.” Wooyoung side-stepped the obvious concern that Hongjoong was having.

He didn’t miss the way Hongjoong rolled his eyes, though it was obvious he tried to hide it from him. “Like you and Yunho did. Just running into each other by chance.”

He powered off his camera and set it aside on the table. “What’s on your mind?”

Hongjoong’s wings drooped and he sat on the bench beside him. “If I was human, then would it be easier?”

“Would what be easier?”

Hongjoong continued to stare at the ground, a wrinkle between his brows. “Would you? Still like me?”

“I think so,” Wooyoung reassured. “It’s hard to imagine what you would be like without being… you. But I wouldn’t want you to change.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“I mean, I hate that you’ve been through what you have. But, you’re you. And I like you.”

He liked him when he accidentally broke frames with his wings. He liked him when he forgot to open the glass door to the laundry room and smacked into it so hard that the oils on his face left an impression. He liked him when he dozed off on the couch, and without realizing, curled up into Yunho’s side.

Hongjoong’s wings twitched and Wooyoung smiled. There were different kinds of twitches, but that one was for when Hongjoong pretended to be calmer about the happiness that washed through him, but still had to release the energy somewhere. Wooyoung could distinguish it by the way he looked away to avoid letting anyone see the possible flush on his cheeks.

“I want to become someone who makes it easy for you.”

“Makes what easy?” Hongjoong kept using that word, but Wooyoung still couldn’t figure out why.

“This?” Hongjoong may not even know what he truly meant. If Wooyoung didn’t know what to call their situation, it made sense that Hongjoong wouldn’t either.

“You know, I was called difficult when I was young. A lot.”

“Why?”

“‘Cause I was. I was sneaking out all the time, I talked back, I was angry. My parents didn’t know what to do with me. It’s probably why we don’t talk a whole lot now. Not that we hate each other or anything, we’re just fundamentally different people so it’s sometimes easier to just accept that.” His mother’s disappointed face dropped into her hands at the kitchen table was a memory permanently burned into his mind.

“That sounds lonely.” Hongjoong wilted like a forgotten flower.

“Ah, no. That’s not what I’m trying to convey here.” Wooyoung shook his head and waved his hands in the air. “What I’m saying is, it’s okay to be difficult. You’re worth the extra effort we have to put in.”

Hongjoong held onto the frustrated tension in his forehead. “I don’t understand.”

Wooyoung took a deep breath as he thought of how to rephrase what he had just said, but Hongjoong cut him off.

“You’re not difficult.”

Wooyoung’s insides rolled. He was too stunned to say anything at first, unsure whether to plead his case more or for Hongjoong to plead his.

Hongjoong’s antennae flicked up and his head snapped to the side, looking out over the roof top. “Yunho-ssi is home.”

“How do you know?” Wooyoung blinked. The sudden change of topic made him a tad dizzy.

“I can sense it.” Hongjoong pointed to his antennae and smiled. “Bug sense.”

“Should make a superhero out of you.” Wooyoung chuckled as he stood. Out of the corner of Wooyoung’s eye, he could see Hongjoong leaving the bench but he was too preoccupied in making sure the lens cap was on his camera correctly.

“I don’t even know how to ride the train, how am I supposed to save mankind?”

“That’s the best part. Heroes come when you don’t even realize you need one.” When he turned, Hongjoong was directly in front of him. He liked to stare with too much intensity. It made Wooyoung feel translucent and vulnerable. His eyes drifted down to Hongjoong’s hands. His knuckles were red, but the tips were starting to turn white.

“We should get you a pair of gloves,” he commented as he reached out and took his hands. The weather had taken a cold turn over the past week, which Wooyoung was dreading. He hated the cold. But he also hated the heat, so he wanted to be as far away from the summer as possible. However, it didn’t seem cold enough to cause Hongjoong’s fingers to react so dramatically. Maybe up in the air it was colder?

“That would be nice.” Hongjoong smiled as he looked down at their hands. His fingers stayed curled up like he had just been holding something. Wooyoung massaged his palm up to the base of his fingers. The tips of his fingers twitched with the stimulation but didn’t unlock.

“Do they hurt?”

Hongjoong shook his head. “No.” He rocked forward on the balls of his feet, but Wooyoung didn’t step back. He let Hongjoong’s antennae sweep across his face.

“Why do you do that?” he asked, softly.

As if he were in trouble, Hongjoong froze. “Does it bother you?”

“No. You just always do it when we come home.” He thought back to how Yunho described it and heat filled his cheeks.

“Oh, I can smell you with them.” His antennae twitched like they knew they were talking about them.

Wooyoung’s eyes widened. “Can you not smell through your nose?”

“I can but it’s… different. I don’t know how to describe it. But it’s like getting a taste of the outside when you come back. And you smell nice.”

“What do I smell like?”

“Like Yunho.”

“And what does Yunho smell like?”

“Like you.”

Wooyoung’s words caught in his throat.

“Come on, Yunho-ssi will be inside soon.” Hongjoong slipped out of his hands, and back into his poncho. “He likes his welcome home kisses.”

When Wooyoung looked up at him, he was already slipping into the stairwell.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

“I want to go grocery shopping with you.”

Wooyoung heard it from the couch, so he turned to see where Hongjoong was standing with Yunho in the kitchen. His arms were crossed and his chin tilted in confidence. Wooyoung knew that face. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

Yunho glanced over at Wooyoung, seeking backup, but Wooyoung shook his head. He didn’t understand why Yunho was seeking it out in the first place. He was going to say yes, just like Wooyoung would.

“Okay, I’m sure you have a good argument prepared, lemme hear it.” Yunho leaned back against the kitchen counter.

A smirk curled Hongjoong’s lips and his wings twitched. “One, the sweaters and ponchos work well for me, so it will be easy to disguise myself without looking too out of place.” He held up one finger, followed by another when he moved on to his second point. “Two, it gets me out of the house more often.”

Yunho hummed to show he was listening. “Fair points.”

“And three,” he said with a raise in his voice to show he wasn’t done. “I would like eventually for it to be a task I can do on my own.”

“Why’s that?” Wooyoung had gotten up from the couch and had wandered over to join in on the conversation.

“You both work hard to provide a space for me here, I just want to contribute something. Going grocery shopping is something I can easily do during the day so when Yunho gets home from work or when you’re done editing, it’s not something you have to worry about.” His pose relaxed once he realized the fight wasn’t going to be as hard as he thought. “But also, it would give you guys some time alone…”

The color that spread across Hongjoong’s face made Wooyoung’s stomach drop. So he had heard.

“I don’t see an issue with it.” The implication flew over Yunho’s head. Or, he simply didn’t want to give it any attention. “We can get you your own card that you can use and we can make a list during the week, give you a budget and all that.”

“I would really appreciate that, thank you.” Hongjoong smiled up at him.

“I want to try it all together, first.” Wooyoung’s voice threatened to crack from nerves. “Just because the city can be overwhelming.”

“Trial runs?” Yunho tilted his head toward him and Wooyoung nodded. “That’s a good idea; it feels mean to just send him out on his own without any help.”

Anxiety sat heavy in Wooyoung’s stomach. Even Hongjoong’s excitement did little to ease the discomfort that churned like a whirlpool inside him. Yunho gave him a pointed look, one that told him to not ruin the moment.

Wooyoung bit the inside of his cheek and smiled.

ཐི༏ཋྀ

The day had come for Hongjoong to go shopping with them.

It made Wooyoung want to throw up.

Hongjoong had been jittery all day long, filled with energy like he had just chugged a twelve pack of energy drinks. He picked out his favorite overalls because he thought they went well with the pretty knitted poncho that Yunho and Wooyoung had found on sale while on one of their little outings. It reached his knees, so his overalls wouldn’t really show, but that didn’t matter to him. He asked Wooyoung to help put little waves in his hair using a straightener, though sitting still had been difficult for him.

When Yunho got home, Hongjoong was ready with their reusable shopping bags on his shoulders and his favorite second-hand loafers on his feet. Of course he had been asked to work some over time and it had put them behind schedule by a few hours. The sun had just started to disappear below the horizon, taking Hongjoong’s patience with it.

“What, no welcome home?” Yunho teased.

Hongjoong smacked him in the face with his antennae and demanded they leave immediately. Yunho made him practice patience by making him wait while he washed his hands and changed out of his work clothes. Only when Hongjoong was ready to combust did Yunho grant him any mercy.

They walked on either side of Hongjoong like bookends. Occasionally his pace would slow, so they would as well. Yunho’s gait was a little faster than most, anyway, so he was more conscious of when Hongjoong’s head would suddenly disappear from his peripheral vision. He’d slow down and smile before he asked, "It's cool, huh?” When he noticed Hongjoong admiring the tall buildings.

What was normally a five minute walk turned into fifteen with how frequently they stopped. Hongjoong wanted to appreciate every food stall and manhole cover. The uneven sidewalks had become something so mundane to Wooyoung that he never would have thought how marvelous they were.

When they finally arrived, Hongjoong froze in the doorway of the supermarket. People gave them narrow-eyed glares as they made their way around him, but Wooyoung glared right back. He wasn’t going to allow them to ruin his first trip to a store.

Yunho trotted in behind them with a cart that had a wobbly wheel. He stretched out an arm and pointed in a random direction. “Onward!”

Yunho had a routine designed for efficiency. He knew when the sales were happening and had the schedule for merchandise stocking memorized, he could see the pathways that involved running into fewer people burned into the back of his skull. If competitive grocery store shopping was a sport, Yunho would surely win gold.

Hongjoong matched Yunho’s enthusiasm with sparkly eyes and a fiery concentration. Wooyoung took over driving the cart after the pair of them walked away from it for the fourth time. He stayed back and watched as Yunho buttered up the little aunties restocking the veggie stands so they’d give him the best produce. They cooed over Hongjoong’s politeness and pinched his cheeks. It left them red and blotchy, but he seemed all too happy over the attention.

Their cart steadily filled with the essentials for the week. Hongjoong seemed all too eager to try anything he could get his little hands on. Except for vegetables. He seemed a little hesitant over the ones he declared “bitter,” which seemed to be most of them. Fruit, he was more than happy to reach for, and they didn’t have the heart to tell him no even though they knew it was going to hurt at checkout. To compensate, they went without a few of their normal snacks and decided they could have a few meatless dinners. Yunho’s smart shopping could only get them so far with Hongjoong’s champagne taste.

The teenager that checked them out barely paid Hongjoong any mind as he ‘ooh’ed and ‘ahh’ed at the register. His head followed every item she scanned over the red light and excited gasps left his lips when she brought out the hand-held scanner when a barcode was being difficult. Yunho stood at the end and stored everything in their reusable bags like he was playing Tetris. Wooyoung showed Hongjoong how to pay using the app he had on his phone, and once they got a beep of approval, he lit up like a star on the top of a Christmas tree.

Hongjoong insisted on helping carry at least one bag, which battled with Yunho’s chivalrous nature. In the end, Hongjoong’s large doe eyes won out. His bent fingers adjusted the bag over his shoulder proudly before stomping toward the exit.

When they stepped out of the store, they almost lost their noses as people whipped past them. The sun had finally set, and a crowd had begun to gather in front of a walkway a few feet away from them. It was hard to see what was going on due to how many people were in the way, but the one thing they could see was the lights that raised above their heads. White spotlights that stood next to tall speakers. There was some kind of colorful banner but it was hard to make out.

“Some idol promotion?” Wooyoung questioned, looking to his tall boyfriend for clarification.

“I think so? Or a busking event?” Yunho blinked as he watched all the young women scramble around them. “How long were we in there for?”

Cheers erupted so that must have meant the main event had arrived. Wooyoung couldn’t tell who it was because of the noise, but also, their speakers were so shot it sounded like they were filled with rocks. No one seemed to care, however. The acoustic guitar was covered by excited shouts and happy cries.

Wooyoung was only able to focus on all of the phones that suddenly appeared in everyone’s hands. None of them were pointed toward them, but it would be incredibly easy to turn and adjust the focus. Hongjoong seemed either unaware of the danger, or didn’t care about it. His shoulders wiggled with the beat of the music as he raised up onto his toes so he could try to see over the crowd.

“We should probably go around the back way,” Wooyoung suggested.

Hongjoong was too enraptured by the commotion that he didn’t hear him. Yunho rebalanced the bag on his arm and reached out to grab his attention. When Hongjoong faced them, his pupils were blown wide and his eyes were glossy.

“Hyung,” Yunho called a little louder.

A twitch came from under Hongjoong’s beanie as his antennae tried to stand at attention. His head snapped toward them, eyes wide. Yunho smiled and held his hand out. “Let’s go.”

“Can we watch for just a few minutes?” Hongjoong pleaded.

Wooyoung wanted to say no right away. They needed to get him back to the safety of their apartment, but Yunho beat him to it.

“Just for a bit. We have some stuff that needs to get into the fridge, okay?” His outstretched hand shifted direction and grabbed Wooyoung by the elbow. It was the silent way to tell him to think before he spoke.

Hongjoong’s face brightened as he turned back to the event.

Yunho pulled Wooyoung back a few steps but still kept Hongjoong in their sights. “Stop it.”

“Stop what?” Wooyoung hissed back.

“We promised him we wouldn’t treat him like a child.” Yunho let go of his arm. He wouldn’t make him a prisoner while they spoke.

“I’m not treating him like a child. I just want him to be safe!”

“He’s right in front of us! And he’s an adult!”

An adult who had grown away from people, who was too trusting and eager to please. His instincts were built for the quiet forest, where he could hear every twig snap and every bird call. In time, he’d get used to the busy city. Every out of place brick would lose its magic and he’d be able to hear the car horns and angry footsteps of those around him.

“It’s his first day out! Excuse me if I’m a little paranoid!” Wooyoung stepped out of the way of someone rushing by him.

“You know this was just as much for you as it was him.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“You hardly leave the apartment anymore! If you do it’s for short bursts and the whole time you’re anxious to get back! We can’t isolate ourselves because of this!”

“I’m not isolating myself! I’ve been busy with editing! I have a job too, you know! I don’t just lay around all day!”

“I’m not saying you do but—” The crowd let out a collective yell and they both whipped around.

“Where’s Hongjoong?” The argument had taken a sudden backstep now that Wooyoung couldn’t see their little moth in the crowd. When did it get bigger?

Yunho strained his neck to try to see above everyone’s heads. Normally that wasn’t a problem since he towered over a good majority of people, but the way the crowd was moving and swaying to the music made it harder to tell the difference between each individual.

Wooyoung didn’t wait any longer. He made his way to the crowd and called out the moth’s name. A few people turned to look at him, annoyed that he was disrupting their good time. Eventually, when he made eye contact with a girl who seemed more concerned than disgruntled, he decided to ask.

“I’m sorry, but have you seen a guy around here about my height, wearing a beanie and a poncho, blond and black hair?”

“Oh, yeah, he was standing here earlier. He headed that way.” She pointed in the direction of the street nearby.

“Thank you,” he said before rushing off.

He caught Yunho’s eyes, and with a frantic flick of his head, signaled where he was going.

The street was busy with traffic, just as it always had been. People gathered at the crosswalk as they waited for the signal that it was safe. At the front was Hongjoong. His back was facing them, and even though they called his name, he didn’t turn around. Cars sped past in slow motion, the colors of their tail lights leaving trails behind them until it seemed like there were none left. Suddenly, a spotlight came flooding from a delivery truck.

Hongjoong stepped off the curb, his head haloed by the light.

Wooyoung’s feet felt melted to the pavement.

“Hongjoong!”

Yunho dashed past him in a blur. Wooyoung hadn’t had the chance to react. People’s gasps were drowned out by a loud horn, then, they were gone.

The last twenty minutes played on repeat in his head at Mach speed. Yunho’s frustrated voice that strained his throat and made his veins rise to the surface, his pinched brow and disappointed frown. Hongjoong’s supplicant eyes and the guilty joy that followed.

He didn’t get a chance to tell them he loved them.

The truck horn was the loudest thing Wooyoung had ever heard. It rang in his ears and pounded against his brain hard enough it felt like it would scar. He searched for any sign of them underneath the wheels, but the truck didn’t stop and soon enough, the crosswalk was clear.

His heart nearly stopped when he saw Yunho over Hongjoong on the ground.

The signal chimed just as he jumped off the curb. Yunho was pulling Hongjoong’s beanie back onto his head in such a rush that he yanked it over his eyes. Wooyoung was barely in earshot when the apologies started to spill out.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” It wasn’t. Wooyoung’s heart felt like it was going to explode. “Let’s get you guys out of the road, c’mon.”

Their groceries had spilled but luckily people had been kind enough to help settle them back into the bags. Wooyoung thanked them profusely while Yunho got Hongjoong up and out of the way. Even the noise of the city wasn’t enough to drown out the harsh whispers that brushed by him like a breeze.

“What’s wrong with them?”

“Do you think they’re on drugs?”

“Is he…you know.”

Wooyoung bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to taste blood. If he hadn’t been so focused on making sure Yunho and Hongjoong were okay, he might have snapped back. Hongjoong had his face buried in Yunho’s chest while Yunho had one hand on his back. The other hand was raised out of the way, but Wooyoung could still see the damage to his skin. It wasn’t bad, he wasn’t bleeding, but the skin flaked around the wet, glimmering edges where the asphalt had scraped him up.

Yunho caught the face he was making before Wooyoung even realized he was making it. “I’m okay.” He wasn’t only trying to reassure him, but Hongjoong, who was beside himself with guilt.

“Let’s get you home so we can clean that up.” Wooyoung rubbed Hongjoong’s back to try and get him to ease up on his hold so they could start walking. They needed to check if he was hurt as well, but it was probably safer to do that in the safety of their own home.

Wooyoung gathered all the bags of groceries despite Yunho saying he was okay enough to carry some. Not that he had the arm space, anyway. Hongjoong clung to Yunho’s injured arm the whole way home. It made it hard for them to walk, but anytime they drifted even a few inches apart, Hongjoong would yank his arm back against his chest. The tears stopped, but his eyelashes stayed dewy and his cheeks kept the blotches of pink. Hongjoong kept his face turned away from the lights, away from the temptation.

Without any distractions, they arrived home in no time. Hongjoong forced the grocery bags off their arms and disappeared into the kitchen without a word. Wooyoung barely let them get their shoes off before he was pulling Yunho into the bathroom. While he washed his hands, Wooyoung fished out their first aid kit. Thankfully it was still well-stocked, since they’d replaced it after giving their old one to Hongjoong while he lived in the hospital. It was probably swept up with all the rubble by now.

Once he dried his hands the best he could, Yunho sat on the toilet with his hand out. His elbow rested on his knee and his back arched into a lazy hump. While Wooyoung cleaned his scrapes, he flinched but other than that he kept silent, which Wooyoung appreciated in the moment.

He was hardly holding on.

His hands shook with every bloody wipe of Yunho’s shredded skin. There was a ringing in his ears and his vision blurred. He wasn’t even the one that almost got hit by a truck, yet it felt like it.

“Young-ah.”

Yunho’s voice felt so far away, buried in a tunnel with dripping water.

“Wooyoung.”

The sharper tone made him look up. It wasn’t scolding, but it still made old wounds swell in his heart. It reminded him too much of when he messed up, of when he reminded those around him that he had failed expectations, no matter how unachievable they were.

Yunho wasn’t like that. But it still made Wooyoung choke on his own breath.

“I can do it on my own.” His voice softened. However, getting hit by a sack of feathers, no matter how light, can still be jarring when unprepared.

“I’m fine, I can help,” Wooyoung insisted as he reached for a bandage.

“You’re hardly breathing,” Yunho pointed out as his eyes tracked every movement.

The air was too thick. He could barely push the air down to his desperate and aching lungs. It was enough to keep him alive, enough to keep him from losing his mind. In all honesty, he wasn’t sure how much he had been able to breathe since bringing Hongjoong home. It sounded worse than he meant it because it wasn’t always in a bad way. He was being suffocated and at first, it had been the kind that made him feel high. He hadn’t been prepared for the moment it turned into something more serious.

“I’m fine.” He placed a piece of gauze over the wound before he started to unroll the adhesive bandage to wrap around his palm.

“I’m sorry.”

Wooyoung stopped mid-wrap, his hand holding the bandage roll in the air. “For what?”

“We don’t argue.”

At that, Wooyoung looked up at him. “That’s not true. We used to argue a lot.”

Yunho snorted. “That’s ‘cause you’re stubborn.”

“And you like to be right.”

“Only sometimes.”

“Sometimes, because you don’t like telling me no.” Wooyoung finished wrapping the bandage around the gauze and ripped it at the end. It wasn’t his best work, but Yunho wouldn’t need to keep it on for long.

“That’s true.” Yunho flexed his fingers as he tested how the bandage felt on his skin. “Still, I’m sorry.”

“I am, too. I know I was being…over the top.”

“And yet it seemed you were right.”

“I wish I wasn’t… Because look what happened.” Wooyoung would take the fear of nearly getting arrested over witnessing what he thought was the end of his life any day.

“We didn’t know.”

A shuffle by the door made them look up. Hongjoong was peeking around the wall, only halfway visible through the door. A habit he seemed to be making. Yunho sat up straighter and motioned for him to come in.

Hongjoong had already changed into something soft and comforting, his little toes poking out from under his baggy pajama pants. “Are you okay?” he asked in a hushed whisper.

“I’m okay.” Yunho smiled up at him. “Just some scrapes, nothing I can’t handle.”

Hongjoong’s eyes fell onto his bandaged hands. “I think I need a bandaid too…”

“Wooyoung can help,” Yunho stood up before Wooyoung could protest. Not like he would have, anyway. “I want to change.”

He leaned down and kissed Wooyoung’s forehead, then, on his way out, squeezed Hongjoong’s shoulder without putting pressure on his bandages.

“Can you show me where you’re hurt?” Wooyoung hated the awkward air left behind, he didn’t want to sit in it any longer.

Hongjoong moved to sit where Yunho had been, but then he turned his back toward him. Wooyoung had to scooch back in order to make room as he stretched one of his wings out. He didn’t understand what he was doing until he noticed the edge of Hongjoong’s hind wing. It wasn’t bleeding, but the delicate scales had been scraped away, looking like the edge of a torn piece of paper.

“Does it hurt?” Wooyoung didn’t touch it, but his hand hovered under the tattered edge. It wasn’t kinked or bent, which hopefully meant that nothing was broken.

Hongjoong shook his head.

“Will it heal? I don’t think I should put a bandage on it.” He was afraid that the adhesive would pull off more of the delicate scales and cause further damage.

“It should. I’ve hurt them before and the patches have always grown back with time.”

Maybe it was lucky that he had his wings tucked away, otherwise the damage might have been much worse. Wooyoung was too afraid to touch it, as if it would crumble like a sandcastle under a strong wave.

“I don’t know what to do,” Wooyoung confessed.

Hongjoong turned to look at him. His wings tucked against his back as close as he could without falling off his seat. “You don’t need to do anything.” He didn’t sound convincing, but even if he had, it wouldn’t have worked. Cautiously, he raised his hands to Wooyoung’s face. His palms cupped pressed against his cheeks, and Wooyoung closed his eyes.

His heart raced like it did when he was caught sneaking into a building for the first time at fifteen. He had tried to shove himself into a cabinet, but ended up making too much noise and got caught immediately. Sometimes he could still see the flashlights passing over his face as he tried to pretend that if he kept his eyes closed, they’d leave him alone.

If he stayed still under Hongjoong’s hands, maybe the truck horn would finally silence.

“What happened?” he finally asked, opening his eyes to look at him.

“I didn’t mean to.” The words spilled out of Hongjoong’s mouth as if he had been holding them on the tip of his tongue the entire time. “It’s blurry. I remember watching the show and I looked back at you and Yunho-ssi, I could tell you were arguing but…” His forehead pinched between his brows as he thought. “The cars’ headlights kept flashing behind you and before I knew it my legs were moving and I wasn’t in control of myself. When you called my name was when I realized what was going on…”

Neon signs littered their neighborhood, advertising restaurants, skin care clinics, karaoke bars; everything the heart could want, there was a sign lit up to point you in the right direction. Hongjoong had looked up at them with awe the whole way to the supermarket, and while he kept stopping to look at them, the only dangerous thing they made him do was accidently stop in front of a cyclist on a late night delivery run. However, the sun had been up just enough to cast the sky in an orange glow, so the lights hadn’t been at full power yet.

When they went to the roof, their apartment was just far enough from the main street that the signs cast halos between the other buildings. Apparently that wasn’t strong enough to pull Hongjoong’s full attention like it had earlier.

Hongjoong’s hands slipped from his face and back to his lap. “I let you down.”

It pulled Wooyoung out of his thoughts. Hongjoong’s jaw was clenched tight, the veins in his neck more apparent. Everything about him seemed so much sharper, opposite of the person Wooyoung had known an hour before.

“Hyung, you didn’t let us down. You didn’t know.”

“But now you’ll be afraid again.”

“I just want you to be safe.” He had hated that excuse when his parents had told him that when he brought up his job. They meant it, they didn’t want him to get hurt, but they also wanted him to be a safe person. Someone who didn’t push the boundaries or stand out. Wooyoung didn’t mean it like that.

Hongjoong had escaped a cage, and yet his wings had to stay clipped. But who said that meant he couldn’t run?

Run where?

Into oncoming traffic?

He wondered what freedom could even look like for Hongjoong. Kim Hongjoong didn’t exist in the eyes of the government, he didn’t have an ID with his name or a family registry to fall back on. He was at the mercy of Yunho and Wooyoung. They could make him whatever they wanted and yet the idea of that made Wooyoung nauseous. It felt too close to God for comfort.

But to release him felt cruel. He was ill-prepared for the world, and the world was ill-prepared for him. Or maybe… Wooyoung was ill-prepared.

For some reason, Wooyoung thought about EDM festivals and dark clubs where people passed colorful pills between freshly glossed lips and drank until they forgot their problems. Would the girls there see Hongjoong with his pretty wings and think he was one of them? Dressed up to pretend he was something he wasn’t; a mythical creature that transformed when the clock struck midnight? He wouldn’t need the drugs to enjoy the effects of the lights, so he’d fit in as they’d sway to the heart-pounding music. Men would call him a pretty doll and try to push him against bathroom stalls while saying he was the fairy of their dreams.

Did he belong there instead of dilapidated apartments and cramped office buildings? He’d be loved, but not in the same way. They’d look at him like something to be devoured, not something to be adored; something to appease their fantasy for a night.

Wooyoung had never been this kind of person, one who was afraid of the world and shrank away from it. He broke laws for a living, had spent a night in a holding cell as he prayed to not be charged for trespassing.

He reached out and took Hongjoong’s hands. His fingers were still bent in a half-hearted fist, stiffened from the stress of the night. Wooyoung tried to massage them out but the stubborn joints refused to loosen.

“We’ll try again.”

It was as much of a declaration as it was a promise. If he said it out loud, then it was real. They could try again because they’d find the strength to.

“We’ll be more prepared next time, yeah? Maybe go during the day.”

Hongjoong still looked sullen. His antennae were wilted on his head, his wings tucked against his back in an attempt to make himself smaller. It was still too fresh in his mind to not beat himself up over it.

“Can…can we sleep together tonight?”

None of their beds were large enough to fit all three of them, but it didn’t matter.

“Of course we can.”

They went out holding hands and informed Yunho of the plan, who seemed just as happy at the idea. They moved the coffee table out of the way and dragged Hongjoong’s air mattress out into the middle of the room. They filled the space between it and the couch by pulling the couch cushions onto the ground next to it. It wasn’t quite even, but it would have to do. They piled pillows around the edges and covered it in a few blankets before they finally settled down into their little nest.

As much as they wanted to keep Hongjoong in between them, he needed space for his wings, so he stayed on the edge of the cushions and let them hang off. Yunho pressed behind Wooyoung, an arm draped over his ribs as he reached for Hongjoong. At first, Hongjoong seemed hesitant, but eventually, he inched forward until Yunho’s hand rested somewhere on his hip.

Hongjoong’s nose brushed against Wooyoung’s. It was still cold, but with the three of them sharing heat, it was certain to warm up soon. They laid in silence for a long time, breathing in each other’s air as they tried to drift to sleep. Yunho’s arm had gone limp and weighed heavy against Wooyoung’s body. Safe. We’re safe.

“I’m sorry.”

Wooyoung opened his eyes to catch Hongjoong staring directly at him. “Don’t be,” he whispered back.

“I don’t want you to keep saving me.” In the dark, Hongjoong’s eyes held a soft, golden halo. A week ago, it would have unsettled Wooyoung, but now, he was just happy to see them up close.

“It seems like close calls are our specialty.” Wooyoung huffed a small laugh through his nose.

“When you were arguing with Yunho-ssi, was it about me?”

Wooyoung hesitated as he tried to guess if Yunho was actually asleep or not. It didn’t matter if he was, Wooyoung would answer the same regardless. “Not directly, no. He was frustrated with me. And he was right.”

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to him about it yet…”

“That’s okay. You can talk tomorrow. He won’t be upset about it.”

Hongjoong blinked slowly, like a cat on the verge of giving in to an afternoon nap. “When you’re sad, where do you go?”

It was a question Wooyoung had never been asked before, it was one he hadn’t even thought of. It was the type of question he expected to be asked in therapy while laying on a brown leather chaise lounge. Hongjoong had asked so earnestly, there was no room to think that he was teasing.

Wooyoung closed his eyes as he tried to imagine it. On the first inhale, the damp scent of exposed wood hit his nostrils, followed by earthy mold that threatened to grow fungus in his lungs. He heard the shutter of a camera lens and the gentle flapping of wings. A gentle breeze disturbed the dust and tickled his nose.

Home.

He smiled and opened his eyes, but before he could share his answer, he noticed Hongjoong’s eyes had closed. Tiny breaths escaped his parted lips, his chest filling with every inhale. Behind Wooyoung, Yunho’s nose whistled as his exhales were on the verge of turning into mellow snores. Wooyoung sank into his warmth and decided to try to follow them.

Hongjoong fell asleep facing him, his hand tangled idly in Wooyoung’s hair.

ཐི༏ཋྀ