Trustworthy *chapter four*
Pairing: HimDae
Rated: PG13
Length: 4.5K
“W-What do you want?” Even though he was terrified, he was pretty proud to see that Himchan had done a number on his face. His nose was swollen and he had a pretty messy looking black eye.
Kyung released one of his shoulders and rested his arm on the wall behind them, bringing his body closer to Daehyun’s. “I think I’m owed a little payback, don’t you? After what happened to me yesterday.”
He pushed Daehyun down onto the ground and climbed over top of him. Daehyun opened his mouth and tried to scream, but Kyung slapped a hand over his lips to quiet him.
“Haven’t we been through this already?” He asked, exasperated. “You know I’m bigger than you. And there’s no hero coming to save you this time.” His face lowered till it was only centimeters away from Daehyun’s. “This time, Jung? You’re mine.”
Daehyun fought as hard as he could, but Kyung was so much larger than him that it didn’t do any good. He finally managed to bite down on his palm, the other boy hissing and jerking his hand away.
“Help!” Daehyun screamed, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Someone help me!”
Kyung growled, fist slamming into Daehyun’s face, his glasses breaking apart and sliding into pieces to the ground. “Shut up!” He kept raining blows down on the smaller boy until he had finally given up, his body curling into a ball as he submitted to the abuse.
Sighing, Kyung rolled him back onto his back, his lips curling up into a smile at the blood streaked across the tan skin. “Daehyun, Daehyun, Daehyun,” He tsked, running his thumb against the seam of his lips. “There’s a good boy.”
He didn’t understand why this was happening to him. All he ever did was mind his own business, stay to himself, Jongup the only person in school he ever talked to. Why was he being hurt for it? The pain was making his face heat up, Daehyun felt like he was on fire. When he had rolled up into himself, Kyung had resorted to punching whatever he could reach and now his ribs were aching with every breath he took.
“What do you want?” He croaked out through swollen lips. Licking them, he realized the bottom one was split open, his mouth tasting of the coppery blood spilling out through it. “Just do it and get it over with.”
Kyung grinned, his body coming back down to cover his tiny frame. “You know what I want, Jung. But I’m a gentleman. I’m not going to take it in the middle of a dirty alley.” His eyes flashed black. “Still... I’m not nice enough to leave you without a parting gift.”
Before Daehyun could think about his words, he felt Kyung’s lips on his, the bigger boy not giving him any time to adjust before he forced his mouth open, sweeping his tongue everywhere it could reach.
He let out a muffled yell, his hands trying to push the other boy off of him, but he was so weak with pain that he could barely lift his arms.
When Kyung felt him try and clench his mouth shut, he pulled back and bit down hard on his split lip, making Daehyun cry out, tears overflowing out of his eyes again.
“S-Stop!” He pleaded, his sore lip throbbing on his face. He turned his head to the side, letting his face smash into the dirty ground. He didn’t care anymore, he just wanted to go home. Kyung’s tongue was now sliding down his jaw and across his fluttering pulse point, biting down roughly on the thin skin above his collar bone.
“Don’t even try to act like you don’t like this, Jung.” He hissed into his ear, fingers curling into his jeans. “Everyone knows. Even your best friend, Jongup, knows. Why do you think he looks so embarrassed to be around you all the time? He doesn’t want to be compared to you.”
Daehyun knew he was just saying things to hurt his heart as well as his body, but he was already so broken, so pathetic that all his words did was make him sob even more against the ground.
“J-Jongup loves me.” He said it to convince himself just as much as the other boy.
Kyung hummed a reply, his thumb tracing around his navel. “Maybe he’s just waiting to fuck you.” He murmured, sucking his skin into his mouth. “I bet the second you spread your legs for him he’d never speak to you again.”
He shook his head, brain not working at shutting out the buzzing noises all around him. “He’s my b-best friend.” He hiccupped, fingers clawing at the concrete under him when he felt a warm palm cover the front of his jeans. “Please leave me alone.” He begged pitifully. “Pl-Please!”
“Hey!” An angry voice shouted, footsteps running towards them. “What are you doing to that kid?”
Kyung jumped to his feet, not waiting around to see who it was, already halfway down the block before the person made it to where they were.
“Are you alright?” The concern obvious in his voice. “Jesus kid.” He whistled, his hand turning Daehyun’s messy face to the side. “He sure did a number on you.” Pulling his backpack off his shoulders, he reached inside and grabbed a t-shirt and a bottle of water. “Name’s Yongguk.” He said gruffly, pouring the water over the cloth. “This might sting a little.”
Daehyun stayed quiet, just observing the elder boy, his eyes still brimming over with tears. He took the time to peer curiously at the man, wondering why he bothered to help when he was obviously a resident of this rough neighborhood. His mother always told him to stay away from here, that all of the people who lived on this side of town were trouble.
But this stranger had scared away his tormenter and was taking the time to clean him up. His torn tank top and faded blue jeans only accentuated the lean muscles rippling under his skin. Blonde hair falling over his forehead as he carefully cleaned his face of blood and bits of rock and dirt.
Daehyun realized he must have some sort of hero fetish because now this man was joining the Godlike status of Himchan in his mind. But it wasn’t a crush like he had on his hyung. This was more akin to awe, wanting to kiss the older boy’s feet and pledge himself to him.
He flinched when the cloth ran over his lips. The memory of Kyung’s tongue in his mouth hurting him more than the injuries ever could.
The bully had taken away something that was special to him, that he had been dreaming about for years.
His first kiss.
“Are you alright?” The deep voice asked, the man concerned over the silent boy. “Do you need me to call someone for you?”
Daehyun shook his head, the sudden movement making him cry out. “N-No.” He finally whispered. “I just want to get out of here.”
Yongguk nodded, slipping the bloodied shirt back into his bag. “Come on.” He said, holding out a hand to pull him up. “Let’s go get you something to eat and then I’ll walk you home.”
His first instinct was to eye the hand with distrust, but the sincerity in Yongguk’s eyes and the sweet way he had taken care of him changed his mind. He frowned down at his broken glasses and figured they were a lost cause so he just left them.
“Okay.” He muttered, letting the larger boy help him gingerly to his feet.
“What’s your name, kid?” He asked, wrapping an arm around his waist to help hold him up as they walked.
“Jung Daehyun.”
“How old are you?”
He bit his cheek. “Thirteen.”
The other boy nodded. “Thought you were younger than that.” He pointed to himself. “Seventeen.”
Daehyun gave him a small smile. “Thank you for saving me, Yongguk-hyung.”
Yongguk puffed his chest out, the pride obvious in his expression. “Yeah well, I have a little brother a couple years younger than you.” A low growl came through his throat. “And if I saw someone messing with Junhong like that… I’d kill ‘em.”
He led them to a ramshackle apartment building, the door on the front barely holding up. Even though Daehyun was scared to be this deep into the neighborhood, he felt safe curled up against Yongguk’s side.
“I live on the third floor.” He sounded sorry as he opened the staircase door. “And the elevator stopped working years ago. I know you hurt, but we’re gonna have to walk it.”
Waving him off, Daehyun bit back the grimace and tried to be as strong and brave as his new hyung was.
The relief on his face was evident though when they made it to his apartment.
Yongguk opened the door and was immediately attacked by a tiny wisp of a boy who threw himself into Yongguk’s arms and opened his mouth, chattering all about his day.
Laughing, Yongguk pried him away and ruffled his hair. “Calm down, Junhonggie.” He motioned towards the shy boy behind him. “This is Daehyun.”
“A hyung?” The curly headed boy shot him a big, dimpled smile. “Hi Daehyun-hyung! I’m Junhong and I’m ten. Do you want to play ninja with me?”
“Why don’t we let Daehyun sit down for a little bit, okay?” Yongguk guided him towards the couch and told him to sit. “I’ll go get you a clean shirt and the first aid kit.”
Junhong sat beside him, still bouncing in his seat. “What happened to your face? Did you get in a fight? My hyung gets into fights all the time. He says people don’t know when to quit. Did you win the fight? You look really small, but so am I and I already know I could win every fight I was in.” He boasted. “Where do you live? Your clothes look really nice. I wish I had tennis shoes that looked like th-“
“Junhong.” Yongguk’s serious voice spoke up from the bathroom doorway. “Why don’t you go get started on your homework in the bedroom. Let me take care of Daehyun.”
Slumping his shoulders, the younger boy knew better than to backtalk his hyung. “Are you staying for supper? Yongguk-hyung is a great cook and he promised to make me something tonight before he left for work.”
Daehyun opened his mouth to apologize, but he would have to be heading home, before the other boy answered for him. “Of course he’s staying. What do you think we are, a bunch of rude animals?”
Clapping happily, Junhong ran to his room, thankfully shutting the door behind him.
Rubbing a hand over his tired eyes, Yongguk slouched a little, letting the other boy see behind the façade he was putting up for his younger brother.
“Come here.” He ordered, beckoning Daehyun into the tiny bathroom. He picked him up by his hips and lifted him onto the counter, peering intently over his wounds. “That lip of yours looks the worst. I don’t think it needs stitches, but it’s going to sure hurt for a few days.” He softly gripped his chin and pulled his head to the side. “Your eye is going to be black tomorrow, that’s for sure.” Grabbing a tube of ointment, he pasted it over the worst cuts and bandaged a small one on his cheekbone.
He held up a clean t-shirt. “Alright, let’s see the rest.”
Daehyun shook his head, his hands grabbing the hem of his shirt and holding it down.
“Come on, kid.” He insisted. “I just want to make sure you don’t have any broken bones.”
Still refusing, Daehyun pulled his body away. Even though he liked the older boy and was starting to trust him, he still didn’t know him well enough to want to reveal his body to him.
Yongguk sighed and shook his head. “Alright, but if you wake up tomorrow with a punctured lung then I don’t want to hear about it.” He tossed the shirt at him and left the room.
It took work for him to work the bloody and torn t-shirt over his head, his ribs aching with every movement, but he finally got it off. He winced when he took a look at himself in the cracked mirror over the sink. Even if his eyesight was impaired without his glasses, he could still see that his chest was littered with small red bruises already and he knew they would be deep and purple in a few hours.
There was a bite mark on the top of his chest, teeth imprints visible over the skin. He ran his finger over it and felt his eyes well up again.
He hated Kyung.
He had never hated anyone in his entire life. Not even the kids who bullied him. He had always figured they were just doing it to fit in at school.
But this was out of school grounds. This happened behind closed doors. Kyung and Jaesang honestly were torturing him because they enjoyed it.
And he hated them.
By the time he got the new shirt on and had washed his torn fingertips in the sink, Yongguk was already at the stove, stirring around a large pot of noodles.
“Better?” He asked, not turning from his job.
Daehyun gave him a quiet reply, sitting at the table and wringing his hands together.
“What happened to your fingers?” Yongguk asked, setting a glass of water in front of him.
“I was pulling at the ground. Trying to get away.”
The elder boy tensed, his hand coming up to grip the skinny boy’s shoulder. “He’s gone now, kid.” His voice was thick and Daehyun knew he was imagining his brother in this situation again. “And I’ll make sure you get home safely.”
Daehyun smiled at him in thanks, gladly welcoming the food when he placed it in front of him.
As if he had antenna on, Junhong’s door flew open and he ran out, jumping into his seat and inhaling deeply over his bowl.
“Oh thanks, hyung!” He chattered, lifting the bowl up to his lips and slurping some of it down. “I haven’t ate since breakfast and I’m so hungry and the school only served nasty stuff for lunch and man was I hungry!”
By the time he had finished talking, he had already finished half of his bowl, Daehyun staring at him in amazement.
Yongguk chuckled at his little brother. “He likes to talk.” He informed Daehyun, picking up his chopsticks and eating with a little more manners than Junhong did. “There’s not a lot of kids that play with him at his school so he usually only has me to listen to him.”
Turning to the younger boy, Daehyun gave him a smile. “I don’t have a lot of friends either, Junhong-ssi. Maybe you and I could be friends?”
His noodles dropped out of his mouth and into his bowl as Junhong’s jaw dropped down in shock. “Do you mean it? Really?” He grinned at his brother. “Did you hear that, hyung? He wants to be my friend!”
Yongguk nodded, mouthing a thank you at the other boy, but Daehyun honestly meant his words. He though the little boy was adorable and obviously just wanted someone to play with.
“I’ll give you my mom’s cell phone number before I leave and you can call me sometime, okay?”
The dimpled boy was so excited that he could barely finish his supper, already naming off all of his favorite things that he would want to talk about. Yongguk barely got him back in his room so that they could leave.
“Aren’t you going to wait for you mom to get home to watch him?” Daehyun asked confusedly. “You can’t just leave him by himself.”
The mask came back up over the older boy’s eyes, his previous happy smile gone. “She’s not around.” He said angrily, slamming the door behind them and locking it. “It’s just us.”
Daehyun’s mouth formed into an oh, regretting his question. It was obviously a touchy subject.
They walked in silence most of the way, the only sounds were Daehyun’s instructions on where to go. He decided to continue his original plan of going to Jongup’s since they were only a few blocks away.
Yongguk stopped him a little ways away from the building, laying a hand on Daehyun’s arm. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.” He said softly. “I just… I just don’t like to talk about it.”
Daehyun shook his head. “It was none of my business. I’m sorry Yongguk-hyung.”
The hand on his arm squeezed in response, both of them feeling relieved at the apologies.
“Thank you.” Daehyun whispered as they stopped in front of Jongup’s house. “For saving me.” He toed at the ground under him. “If you hadn’t of showed up-“
“Don’t worry about it.” Yongguk shot him a big toothy smile. “If I wasn’t there then Junhong wouldn’t have made a new friend.” His eyes softened. “And neither would I.” He cleared his throat. “If you’re ever in trouble again, you know where we li-“
“Daehyun!” The door flew open and Himchan flew out, enveloping the shocked boy into his arms. “Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick! Your mother called and said you were coming over, but you never showed and mom and Jongup went to your apartment looking for you and fuck, Daehyun.” He cupped his tender cheeks in his palms. “What the hell happened to you? Where are your glasses?”
His eyes landed on the older boy next to them and his body grew rigid, pushing Daehyun behind him. “Who are you?” His tone was superior, as if Yongguk was beneath him and not worth his time. “Why are you coming home with Daehyun?”
“That’s Yongguk.” He supplied helpfully, popping his head up over Himchan’s shoulder. “He rescued me and cleaned me up before bringing me home. And my glasses got broken.”
Still not convinced the thuggish looking boy in front of him was pure at heart, Himchan merely nodded, his fingers entwining with Daehyun’s. “Well, thank you then.” He said stiffly. “But I can take care of Daehyunnie from here.” He tugged the blushing boy behind him towards the house, Daehyun’s head whipping around to smile happily at Yongguk’s before calling out another thanks to him.
Yongguk just shook his head, his lips quirking up into an amused tilt as he headed back home towards his baby brother.
---
Himchan pushed Daehyun into the chair by the kitchen counter and lowered his head, scoping out all of his injuries.
“Which one was it?” He finally asked, his voice tightly controlled.
Daehyun’s eyes lowered. “Kyung.” He whispered. As much as he hated it, his tear ducts started working overtime whenever that name left his lips.
Himchan sighed and slammed his hands on the counter making Daehyun jerk.
“This time I really am going to kill him.” He muttered, his hands gripping into his dark hair. “I told him if he touched you again that I was going to huntt him down and pull his insides out of his throat. He needs to learn a lesson.”
Daehyun reached a hand out and pulled his hands away before he pulled out all of his precious hair. “It’s okay, hyung.” He told him. “Yongguk-hyung found us and scared him away. He saved me.”
The slim boy’s body tightened up again. “I don’t want anyone else to save you.” His jaw clenched down tightly, his small black eyes meeting Daehyun’s large brown ones. “I’m the one that protects you.” He pouted, his eyebrows furrowing together. "You don't need anyone else."
Daehyun didn’t know what to say. Why was he so intent on being his hero?
“I-I’m sorry, hyung.” He finally said. He bit his lip in embarrassment, gasping at the pain that went through his body when he forgot it was torn.
“Yah!” Himchan ran to the freezer and grabbed an icepack, pressing it against his mouth. “Don’t do that, you’ll make the wound worse.” He gulped when the water in the younger boy’s eyes slipped out and ran down his ruddy cheeks. “Why are you crying, Daehyun-ah?” His voice was soft as he reached up to run his fingers gently through his brown hair.
His voice refusing to co-operate, Daehyun just cried harder, hating himself for breaking down in front of somebody as strong as Himchan.
His body was pulled up and into Himchan’s embrace, his arms wrapping tightly around his waist. Daehyun hissed and pulled away, his ribs screaming at the touch.
“What’s wrong with your side?” Himchan reached towards his shirt, ignoring the hands that were batting him away. “Let me see.” He demanded, wrenching the shirt up over his shoulders.
When he saw the bruises peppering his smooth skin, Himchan backed away, a rumble sounding low in his chest.
He turned his face away from the battered boy, eyes not wanting to look upon his pathetic frame. Himchan was honestly afraid he would grab a knife from the butcher block and go after that boy himself if he looked at Daehyun for too long.
The sounds of muffled sobs behind him were what made him finally turn back around, his heart breaking at the sight of his cheeks streaked with tear tracks, his fist digging painfully against his sore lips.
“Hey, don’t do that.” Himchan told him softly, pulling his hand away and running his thumb across the cut. “You’ll make it bleed again.”
Daehyun choked back another cry, his hands gripping onto Himchan’s school uniform to keep him upright. “He took it.” His face was smashed against the taller boy’s shoulder as Himchan tried to hold him without hurting his ribs. “He took it, hyung!”
“Took what?” Himchan asked, his lips running soothingly through his hair.
“My first kiss. He took it from me.” He was so busy feeling sorry for himself that he didn’t even feel Himchan squeeze tightly onto his hips.
“He kissed you?” The voice coming from his lips was familiar, but the pure malice was something he had never heard before. The thought of Kyung kissing him made him almost as angry as walking in on Jaesang touching him yesterday.
Nodding, Daehyun swallowed and pulled his face away. “It was supposed to be special.” He whispered. “I’ve been looking forward to it my whole life.”
Himchan forced himself to relax, not wanting his reactions to frighten the boy in his arms. “You’ll have other kisses, Daehyun-ah.” He said gently. “Just pretend this one never even happened.”
He shook his head. “But I can still taste him.” He grimaced. “In my mouth, on my tongue, I can feel his lips on mine.” His sad eyes met Himchan’s. “I don’t want any part of him inside me.”
This was out of Himchan’s fifteen year old league. He considered himself mature and worldy, but a thirteen year old boy asking how to forget being touched against his will was something he had no experience in.
But he knew there was something he could do to at least take away one of his concerns. And even if he had no clue if it would work or just make things worse, he still had to try. Because Daehyun wasn’t just important to Jongup.
He was special to Himchan, too.
Himchan leaned forwards, his lips brushing across Daehyun’s, so soft that he could barely feel them. Daehyun’s eyes were still stuck wide open in shock at the other boy’s actions. All he could do was stay frozen in his arms.
Bumping his nose against his playfully, Himchan gripped his fingers into Daehyun’s hair and carefully tipped his head to the side. This time Daehyun could smell the bubblegum on his breath, feel the smoothness of his lips against his.
When his tongue slipped out to run across the suddenly tingling cut for just a moment, Daehyun’s eyes fluttered closed, a quiet breath leaving his mouth.
Himchan’s kiss was gentle, his body cradling Daehyun’s against him as if he was made of glass.
It was everything Daehyun had dreamed of in a first kiss.
The only thing missing was-
He moaned softly, his hands squeezing Himchan's arms. There it was.
The warm, soft tongue that was previously laving at his cut was now pushing its way inside of his mouth, licking and tasting every corner of Daehyun.
He forgot everything, forgot Kyung, forgot Yongguk and Junhong, forgot Jongup.
All he knew was that Himchan tasted like strawberry gum and his tongue was electrifying and the way it moved against Daehyun’s own was better than anything he could have imagined.
When he felt Himchan’s arms tightening to pull him tighter against his body and a raspy groan rumble against his chest, Daehyun snapped out of it, realizing what was happening.
He pushed the glassy eyed boy away, licking his lips as he stuttered an excuse.
“D-Daehyun?” Himchan reached out for him, but he was too slow, the other boy already escaping to the safety of Jongup’s bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind him.
A series of rapping on the door had him covering his ears and curling up on the floor.
“Daehyun-ah?” His voice sounded devastated, something that gave the younger boy a feeling of guilt about. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. You just, you said that you wanted to get him out and I thought if I could replace that kiss with a good memory it would help. Please come out and talk to me.” He pleaded through the door. “Please don’t hate me, Daehyun.” This time he sounded close to tears, stumbling over his words. “I’m sorry.” After waiting for a few moments, he gave up, Daehyun listening to the sound of his footsteps trailing away.
He covered his eyes, not sure if he should giggle or cry over what had just happened.
At least Himchan had stayed true to his promise, he had taken out Kyung’s taste in his mouth. Now all he could feel inside him was Himchan’s tongue still crawling it’s way over his teeth and across his palate, marking every inch of him, claiming him.
But that was the problem, Daehyun thought to himself.
He didn’t know which was worse. Having Kyung, the boy he loathed more than anyone else in the world stuck inside of his taste buds.
Or Himchan, the boy who he had known for years and trusted with his life, and who might be the only person he’s ever had a crush on, imbedded deep inside of his heart.
Both options just made him ache.
(five)
Rated: PG13
Length: 4.5K
“W-What do you want?” Even though he was terrified, he was pretty proud to see that Himchan had done a number on his face. His nose was swollen and he had a pretty messy looking black eye.
Kyung released one of his shoulders and rested his arm on the wall behind them, bringing his body closer to Daehyun’s. “I think I’m owed a little payback, don’t you? After what happened to me yesterday.”
He pushed Daehyun down onto the ground and climbed over top of him. Daehyun opened his mouth and tried to scream, but Kyung slapped a hand over his lips to quiet him.
“Haven’t we been through this already?” He asked, exasperated. “You know I’m bigger than you. And there’s no hero coming to save you this time.” His face lowered till it was only centimeters away from Daehyun’s. “This time, Jung? You’re mine.”
Daehyun fought as hard as he could, but Kyung was so much larger than him that it didn’t do any good. He finally managed to bite down on his palm, the other boy hissing and jerking his hand away.
“Help!” Daehyun screamed, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Someone help me!”
Kyung growled, fist slamming into Daehyun’s face, his glasses breaking apart and sliding into pieces to the ground. “Shut up!” He kept raining blows down on the smaller boy until he had finally given up, his body curling into a ball as he submitted to the abuse.
Sighing, Kyung rolled him back onto his back, his lips curling up into a smile at the blood streaked across the tan skin. “Daehyun, Daehyun, Daehyun,” He tsked, running his thumb against the seam of his lips. “There’s a good boy.”
He didn’t understand why this was happening to him. All he ever did was mind his own business, stay to himself, Jongup the only person in school he ever talked to. Why was he being hurt for it? The pain was making his face heat up, Daehyun felt like he was on fire. When he had rolled up into himself, Kyung had resorted to punching whatever he could reach and now his ribs were aching with every breath he took.
“What do you want?” He croaked out through swollen lips. Licking them, he realized the bottom one was split open, his mouth tasting of the coppery blood spilling out through it. “Just do it and get it over with.”
Kyung grinned, his body coming back down to cover his tiny frame. “You know what I want, Jung. But I’m a gentleman. I’m not going to take it in the middle of a dirty alley.” His eyes flashed black. “Still... I’m not nice enough to leave you without a parting gift.”
Before Daehyun could think about his words, he felt Kyung’s lips on his, the bigger boy not giving him any time to adjust before he forced his mouth open, sweeping his tongue everywhere it could reach.
He let out a muffled yell, his hands trying to push the other boy off of him, but he was so weak with pain that he could barely lift his arms.
When Kyung felt him try and clench his mouth shut, he pulled back and bit down hard on his split lip, making Daehyun cry out, tears overflowing out of his eyes again.
“S-Stop!” He pleaded, his sore lip throbbing on his face. He turned his head to the side, letting his face smash into the dirty ground. He didn’t care anymore, he just wanted to go home. Kyung’s tongue was now sliding down his jaw and across his fluttering pulse point, biting down roughly on the thin skin above his collar bone.
“Don’t even try to act like you don’t like this, Jung.” He hissed into his ear, fingers curling into his jeans. “Everyone knows. Even your best friend, Jongup, knows. Why do you think he looks so embarrassed to be around you all the time? He doesn’t want to be compared to you.”
Daehyun knew he was just saying things to hurt his heart as well as his body, but he was already so broken, so pathetic that all his words did was make him sob even more against the ground.
“J-Jongup loves me.” He said it to convince himself just as much as the other boy.
Kyung hummed a reply, his thumb tracing around his navel. “Maybe he’s just waiting to fuck you.” He murmured, sucking his skin into his mouth. “I bet the second you spread your legs for him he’d never speak to you again.”
He shook his head, brain not working at shutting out the buzzing noises all around him. “He’s my b-best friend.” He hiccupped, fingers clawing at the concrete under him when he felt a warm palm cover the front of his jeans. “Please leave me alone.” He begged pitifully. “Pl-Please!”
“Hey!” An angry voice shouted, footsteps running towards them. “What are you doing to that kid?”
Kyung jumped to his feet, not waiting around to see who it was, already halfway down the block before the person made it to where they were.
“Are you alright?” The concern obvious in his voice. “Jesus kid.” He whistled, his hand turning Daehyun’s messy face to the side. “He sure did a number on you.” Pulling his backpack off his shoulders, he reached inside and grabbed a t-shirt and a bottle of water. “Name’s Yongguk.” He said gruffly, pouring the water over the cloth. “This might sting a little.”
Daehyun stayed quiet, just observing the elder boy, his eyes still brimming over with tears. He took the time to peer curiously at the man, wondering why he bothered to help when he was obviously a resident of this rough neighborhood. His mother always told him to stay away from here, that all of the people who lived on this side of town were trouble.
But this stranger had scared away his tormenter and was taking the time to clean him up. His torn tank top and faded blue jeans only accentuated the lean muscles rippling under his skin. Blonde hair falling over his forehead as he carefully cleaned his face of blood and bits of rock and dirt.
Daehyun realized he must have some sort of hero fetish because now this man was joining the Godlike status of Himchan in his mind. But it wasn’t a crush like he had on his hyung. This was more akin to awe, wanting to kiss the older boy’s feet and pledge himself to him.
He flinched when the cloth ran over his lips. The memory of Kyung’s tongue in his mouth hurting him more than the injuries ever could.
The bully had taken away something that was special to him, that he had been dreaming about for years.
His first kiss.
“Are you alright?” The deep voice asked, the man concerned over the silent boy. “Do you need me to call someone for you?”
Daehyun shook his head, the sudden movement making him cry out. “N-No.” He finally whispered. “I just want to get out of here.”
Yongguk nodded, slipping the bloodied shirt back into his bag. “Come on.” He said, holding out a hand to pull him up. “Let’s go get you something to eat and then I’ll walk you home.”
His first instinct was to eye the hand with distrust, but the sincerity in Yongguk’s eyes and the sweet way he had taken care of him changed his mind. He frowned down at his broken glasses and figured they were a lost cause so he just left them.
“Okay.” He muttered, letting the larger boy help him gingerly to his feet.
“What’s your name, kid?” He asked, wrapping an arm around his waist to help hold him up as they walked.
“Jung Daehyun.”
“How old are you?”
He bit his cheek. “Thirteen.”
The other boy nodded. “Thought you were younger than that.” He pointed to himself. “Seventeen.”
Daehyun gave him a small smile. “Thank you for saving me, Yongguk-hyung.”
Yongguk puffed his chest out, the pride obvious in his expression. “Yeah well, I have a little brother a couple years younger than you.” A low growl came through his throat. “And if I saw someone messing with Junhong like that… I’d kill ‘em.”
He led them to a ramshackle apartment building, the door on the front barely holding up. Even though Daehyun was scared to be this deep into the neighborhood, he felt safe curled up against Yongguk’s side.
“I live on the third floor.” He sounded sorry as he opened the staircase door. “And the elevator stopped working years ago. I know you hurt, but we’re gonna have to walk it.”
Waving him off, Daehyun bit back the grimace and tried to be as strong and brave as his new hyung was.
The relief on his face was evident though when they made it to his apartment.
Yongguk opened the door and was immediately attacked by a tiny wisp of a boy who threw himself into Yongguk’s arms and opened his mouth, chattering all about his day.
Laughing, Yongguk pried him away and ruffled his hair. “Calm down, Junhonggie.” He motioned towards the shy boy behind him. “This is Daehyun.”
“A hyung?” The curly headed boy shot him a big, dimpled smile. “Hi Daehyun-hyung! I’m Junhong and I’m ten. Do you want to play ninja with me?”
“Why don’t we let Daehyun sit down for a little bit, okay?” Yongguk guided him towards the couch and told him to sit. “I’ll go get you a clean shirt and the first aid kit.”
Junhong sat beside him, still bouncing in his seat. “What happened to your face? Did you get in a fight? My hyung gets into fights all the time. He says people don’t know when to quit. Did you win the fight? You look really small, but so am I and I already know I could win every fight I was in.” He boasted. “Where do you live? Your clothes look really nice. I wish I had tennis shoes that looked like th-“
“Junhong.” Yongguk’s serious voice spoke up from the bathroom doorway. “Why don’t you go get started on your homework in the bedroom. Let me take care of Daehyun.”
Slumping his shoulders, the younger boy knew better than to backtalk his hyung. “Are you staying for supper? Yongguk-hyung is a great cook and he promised to make me something tonight before he left for work.”
Daehyun opened his mouth to apologize, but he would have to be heading home, before the other boy answered for him. “Of course he’s staying. What do you think we are, a bunch of rude animals?”
Clapping happily, Junhong ran to his room, thankfully shutting the door behind him.
Rubbing a hand over his tired eyes, Yongguk slouched a little, letting the other boy see behind the façade he was putting up for his younger brother.
“Come here.” He ordered, beckoning Daehyun into the tiny bathroom. He picked him up by his hips and lifted him onto the counter, peering intently over his wounds. “That lip of yours looks the worst. I don’t think it needs stitches, but it’s going to sure hurt for a few days.” He softly gripped his chin and pulled his head to the side. “Your eye is going to be black tomorrow, that’s for sure.” Grabbing a tube of ointment, he pasted it over the worst cuts and bandaged a small one on his cheekbone.
He held up a clean t-shirt. “Alright, let’s see the rest.”
Daehyun shook his head, his hands grabbing the hem of his shirt and holding it down.
“Come on, kid.” He insisted. “I just want to make sure you don’t have any broken bones.”
Still refusing, Daehyun pulled his body away. Even though he liked the older boy and was starting to trust him, he still didn’t know him well enough to want to reveal his body to him.
Yongguk sighed and shook his head. “Alright, but if you wake up tomorrow with a punctured lung then I don’t want to hear about it.” He tossed the shirt at him and left the room.
It took work for him to work the bloody and torn t-shirt over his head, his ribs aching with every movement, but he finally got it off. He winced when he took a look at himself in the cracked mirror over the sink. Even if his eyesight was impaired without his glasses, he could still see that his chest was littered with small red bruises already and he knew they would be deep and purple in a few hours.
There was a bite mark on the top of his chest, teeth imprints visible over the skin. He ran his finger over it and felt his eyes well up again.
He hated Kyung.
He had never hated anyone in his entire life. Not even the kids who bullied him. He had always figured they were just doing it to fit in at school.
But this was out of school grounds. This happened behind closed doors. Kyung and Jaesang honestly were torturing him because they enjoyed it.
And he hated them.
By the time he got the new shirt on and had washed his torn fingertips in the sink, Yongguk was already at the stove, stirring around a large pot of noodles.
“Better?” He asked, not turning from his job.
Daehyun gave him a quiet reply, sitting at the table and wringing his hands together.
“What happened to your fingers?” Yongguk asked, setting a glass of water in front of him.
“I was pulling at the ground. Trying to get away.”
The elder boy tensed, his hand coming up to grip the skinny boy’s shoulder. “He’s gone now, kid.” His voice was thick and Daehyun knew he was imagining his brother in this situation again. “And I’ll make sure you get home safely.”
Daehyun smiled at him in thanks, gladly welcoming the food when he placed it in front of him.
As if he had antenna on, Junhong’s door flew open and he ran out, jumping into his seat and inhaling deeply over his bowl.
“Oh thanks, hyung!” He chattered, lifting the bowl up to his lips and slurping some of it down. “I haven’t ate since breakfast and I’m so hungry and the school only served nasty stuff for lunch and man was I hungry!”
By the time he had finished talking, he had already finished half of his bowl, Daehyun staring at him in amazement.
Yongguk chuckled at his little brother. “He likes to talk.” He informed Daehyun, picking up his chopsticks and eating with a little more manners than Junhong did. “There’s not a lot of kids that play with him at his school so he usually only has me to listen to him.”
Turning to the younger boy, Daehyun gave him a smile. “I don’t have a lot of friends either, Junhong-ssi. Maybe you and I could be friends?”
His noodles dropped out of his mouth and into his bowl as Junhong’s jaw dropped down in shock. “Do you mean it? Really?” He grinned at his brother. “Did you hear that, hyung? He wants to be my friend!”
Yongguk nodded, mouthing a thank you at the other boy, but Daehyun honestly meant his words. He though the little boy was adorable and obviously just wanted someone to play with.
“I’ll give you my mom’s cell phone number before I leave and you can call me sometime, okay?”
The dimpled boy was so excited that he could barely finish his supper, already naming off all of his favorite things that he would want to talk about. Yongguk barely got him back in his room so that they could leave.
“Aren’t you going to wait for you mom to get home to watch him?” Daehyun asked confusedly. “You can’t just leave him by himself.”
The mask came back up over the older boy’s eyes, his previous happy smile gone. “She’s not around.” He said angrily, slamming the door behind them and locking it. “It’s just us.”
Daehyun’s mouth formed into an oh, regretting his question. It was obviously a touchy subject.
They walked in silence most of the way, the only sounds were Daehyun’s instructions on where to go. He decided to continue his original plan of going to Jongup’s since they were only a few blocks away.
Yongguk stopped him a little ways away from the building, laying a hand on Daehyun’s arm. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.” He said softly. “I just… I just don’t like to talk about it.”
Daehyun shook his head. “It was none of my business. I’m sorry Yongguk-hyung.”
The hand on his arm squeezed in response, both of them feeling relieved at the apologies.
“Thank you.” Daehyun whispered as they stopped in front of Jongup’s house. “For saving me.” He toed at the ground under him. “If you hadn’t of showed up-“
“Don’t worry about it.” Yongguk shot him a big toothy smile. “If I wasn’t there then Junhong wouldn’t have made a new friend.” His eyes softened. “And neither would I.” He cleared his throat. “If you’re ever in trouble again, you know where we li-“
“Daehyun!” The door flew open and Himchan flew out, enveloping the shocked boy into his arms. “Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick! Your mother called and said you were coming over, but you never showed and mom and Jongup went to your apartment looking for you and fuck, Daehyun.” He cupped his tender cheeks in his palms. “What the hell happened to you? Where are your glasses?”
His eyes landed on the older boy next to them and his body grew rigid, pushing Daehyun behind him. “Who are you?” His tone was superior, as if Yongguk was beneath him and not worth his time. “Why are you coming home with Daehyun?”
“That’s Yongguk.” He supplied helpfully, popping his head up over Himchan’s shoulder. “He rescued me and cleaned me up before bringing me home. And my glasses got broken.”
Still not convinced the thuggish looking boy in front of him was pure at heart, Himchan merely nodded, his fingers entwining with Daehyun’s. “Well, thank you then.” He said stiffly. “But I can take care of Daehyunnie from here.” He tugged the blushing boy behind him towards the house, Daehyun’s head whipping around to smile happily at Yongguk’s before calling out another thanks to him.
Yongguk just shook his head, his lips quirking up into an amused tilt as he headed back home towards his baby brother.
---
Himchan pushed Daehyun into the chair by the kitchen counter and lowered his head, scoping out all of his injuries.
“Which one was it?” He finally asked, his voice tightly controlled.
Daehyun’s eyes lowered. “Kyung.” He whispered. As much as he hated it, his tear ducts started working overtime whenever that name left his lips.
Himchan sighed and slammed his hands on the counter making Daehyun jerk.
“This time I really am going to kill him.” He muttered, his hands gripping into his dark hair. “I told him if he touched you again that I was going to huntt him down and pull his insides out of his throat. He needs to learn a lesson.”
Daehyun reached a hand out and pulled his hands away before he pulled out all of his precious hair. “It’s okay, hyung.” He told him. “Yongguk-hyung found us and scared him away. He saved me.”
The slim boy’s body tightened up again. “I don’t want anyone else to save you.” His jaw clenched down tightly, his small black eyes meeting Daehyun’s large brown ones. “I’m the one that protects you.” He pouted, his eyebrows furrowing together. "You don't need anyone else."
Daehyun didn’t know what to say. Why was he so intent on being his hero?
“I-I’m sorry, hyung.” He finally said. He bit his lip in embarrassment, gasping at the pain that went through his body when he forgot it was torn.
“Yah!” Himchan ran to the freezer and grabbed an icepack, pressing it against his mouth. “Don’t do that, you’ll make the wound worse.” He gulped when the water in the younger boy’s eyes slipped out and ran down his ruddy cheeks. “Why are you crying, Daehyun-ah?” His voice was soft as he reached up to run his fingers gently through his brown hair.
His voice refusing to co-operate, Daehyun just cried harder, hating himself for breaking down in front of somebody as strong as Himchan.
His body was pulled up and into Himchan’s embrace, his arms wrapping tightly around his waist. Daehyun hissed and pulled away, his ribs screaming at the touch.
“What’s wrong with your side?” Himchan reached towards his shirt, ignoring the hands that were batting him away. “Let me see.” He demanded, wrenching the shirt up over his shoulders.
When he saw the bruises peppering his smooth skin, Himchan backed away, a rumble sounding low in his chest.
He turned his face away from the battered boy, eyes not wanting to look upon his pathetic frame. Himchan was honestly afraid he would grab a knife from the butcher block and go after that boy himself if he looked at Daehyun for too long.
The sounds of muffled sobs behind him were what made him finally turn back around, his heart breaking at the sight of his cheeks streaked with tear tracks, his fist digging painfully against his sore lips.
“Hey, don’t do that.” Himchan told him softly, pulling his hand away and running his thumb across the cut. “You’ll make it bleed again.”
Daehyun choked back another cry, his hands gripping onto Himchan’s school uniform to keep him upright. “He took it.” His face was smashed against the taller boy’s shoulder as Himchan tried to hold him without hurting his ribs. “He took it, hyung!”
“Took what?” Himchan asked, his lips running soothingly through his hair.
“My first kiss. He took it from me.” He was so busy feeling sorry for himself that he didn’t even feel Himchan squeeze tightly onto his hips.
“He kissed you?” The voice coming from his lips was familiar, but the pure malice was something he had never heard before. The thought of Kyung kissing him made him almost as angry as walking in on Jaesang touching him yesterday.
Nodding, Daehyun swallowed and pulled his face away. “It was supposed to be special.” He whispered. “I’ve been looking forward to it my whole life.”
Himchan forced himself to relax, not wanting his reactions to frighten the boy in his arms. “You’ll have other kisses, Daehyun-ah.” He said gently. “Just pretend this one never even happened.”
He shook his head. “But I can still taste him.” He grimaced. “In my mouth, on my tongue, I can feel his lips on mine.” His sad eyes met Himchan’s. “I don’t want any part of him inside me.”
This was out of Himchan’s fifteen year old league. He considered himself mature and worldy, but a thirteen year old boy asking how to forget being touched against his will was something he had no experience in.
But he knew there was something he could do to at least take away one of his concerns. And even if he had no clue if it would work or just make things worse, he still had to try. Because Daehyun wasn’t just important to Jongup.
He was special to Himchan, too.
Himchan leaned forwards, his lips brushing across Daehyun’s, so soft that he could barely feel them. Daehyun’s eyes were still stuck wide open in shock at the other boy’s actions. All he could do was stay frozen in his arms.
Bumping his nose against his playfully, Himchan gripped his fingers into Daehyun’s hair and carefully tipped his head to the side. This time Daehyun could smell the bubblegum on his breath, feel the smoothness of his lips against his.
When his tongue slipped out to run across the suddenly tingling cut for just a moment, Daehyun’s eyes fluttered closed, a quiet breath leaving his mouth.
Himchan’s kiss was gentle, his body cradling Daehyun’s against him as if he was made of glass.
It was everything Daehyun had dreamed of in a first kiss.
The only thing missing was-
He moaned softly, his hands squeezing Himchan's arms. There it was.
The warm, soft tongue that was previously laving at his cut was now pushing its way inside of his mouth, licking and tasting every corner of Daehyun.
He forgot everything, forgot Kyung, forgot Yongguk and Junhong, forgot Jongup.
All he knew was that Himchan tasted like strawberry gum and his tongue was electrifying and the way it moved against Daehyun’s own was better than anything he could have imagined.
When he felt Himchan’s arms tightening to pull him tighter against his body and a raspy groan rumble against his chest, Daehyun snapped out of it, realizing what was happening.
He pushed the glassy eyed boy away, licking his lips as he stuttered an excuse.
“D-Daehyun?” Himchan reached out for him, but he was too slow, the other boy already escaping to the safety of Jongup’s bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind him.
A series of rapping on the door had him covering his ears and curling up on the floor.
“Daehyun-ah?” His voice sounded devastated, something that gave the younger boy a feeling of guilt about. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. You just, you said that you wanted to get him out and I thought if I could replace that kiss with a good memory it would help. Please come out and talk to me.” He pleaded through the door. “Please don’t hate me, Daehyun.” This time he sounded close to tears, stumbling over his words. “I’m sorry.” After waiting for a few moments, he gave up, Daehyun listening to the sound of his footsteps trailing away.
He covered his eyes, not sure if he should giggle or cry over what had just happened.
At least Himchan had stayed true to his promise, he had taken out Kyung’s taste in his mouth. Now all he could feel inside him was Himchan’s tongue still crawling it’s way over his teeth and across his palate, marking every inch of him, claiming him.
But that was the problem, Daehyun thought to himself.
He didn’t know which was worse. Having Kyung, the boy he loathed more than anyone else in the world stuck inside of his taste buds.
Or Himchan, the boy who he had known for years and trusted with his life, and who might be the only person he’s ever had a crush on, imbedded deep inside of his heart.
Both options just made him ache.
(five)