Eyes wide and full of amazement, Chan-woo walked into the huge warehouse beside Yoongi and Hoseok. He looked around in wonder at the impressive space. There were hand built sets with colourful backdrops, racks of costumes, lights of all sizes, interesting looking props and people dressed in all black running around like headless chooks. He heard a small chuckle and turned his head to the right to look at Yoongi.

"Cool right?" Yoongi asked with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

"Y-Yeah," he answered as he gulped nervously and looked down at their intertwined hands.

Hoseok and Yoongi shared an amused look between each other before they guided the shy Chan-woo over to one of the rooms off to the side of the main floor in the warehouse. As they entered, Chan-woo finally looked up. He looked around quickly to find seven different small hair and makeup stations. The other five boys were already seated and had two people working on them at the same time. There were two couches at the back and a table in the corner filled with small snack foods and bottled water.

He was guided over to the couch by Yoongi while Hoseok sat in one of the two remaining chairs at the hair and makeup stations. As he took a deep breath in, he sat down on the comfortable leather couch and tried to let go of the older's hand. He looked up in confusion when Yoongi didn't let go with his head tilted in silent question. The other squatted down in front of him and rested his other hand on his knee while he smiled kindly at him.

"We will have group photos first, so you will be on your own for a little. But when we move into the smaller groups and individual photo shoots, Hoseok and I will stay with you. Okay?" he said in a calm and reassuring tone.

"I'll be fine Hyung," he whispered with a smile of his own.

"I know you will," Yoongi laughed softly. "But after this morning, I just want you to know you won't be a burden for us. Come to us if you need anything at all."

"Thank you, Yoongi Hyung," Chan-woo nodded in understanding before he pulled his hand away. "Now go get ready so you don't hold them up."

With a soft chuckle, Yoongi stood up and walked away, a smile on his face. Chan-woo's own smile stayed firm as he watched the older get fussed over by the two females in charge of his hair and makeup. His heartbeat slowly calmed down after the kindness that had been shown to him, thinking of how truly lucky he was to have Yoongi and Hoseok there for him.

He sighed in content and settled back into the couch as he looked around the room to take it all in. The room was bustling with movement as the stylists, mainly females, got the idols ready. He thought about how one day soon this would be him. He wondered what it would be like to wear makeup or have his hair done professionally. This was one of the few aspects of becoming a K-Pop idol that he had been nervous about. His father and mother had instilled a fear in him regarding males wearing makeup.

A shiver ran down his spine as his eyes glazed over. His mind far away from this place, transported back in time. Chan-woo realised he was caught up in one of his traumatic memories when he subconsciously flinched at the loud voice in his head. He closed his eyes and breathed in and out deeply to ground himself in the present. He tapped his foot on the ground and ran his hand over the smooth leather couch. He focused his ears on the surrounding sounds before slowly he opened his eyes again.

Seeing he was back in the present moment and no longer thinking back on those memories, Chan-woo smiled in relief. His smile only lasted a mere second as he realised he had unknowingly stared at one of the members while he grounded himself. Eyes locked on the glare he was currently receiving from Namjoon, he gulped and he shrunk in his spot.

Chan-woo looked down at his hands as he begun to fidget nervously. He didn't mean to anger the leader, nor stare at him, but of course he had. He immediately felt out of place as he continued to sit on the couch by himself. A few minutes had passed and he chanced a look up again. His eyes landed on Namjoon whispering to his left to Jungkook, their eyes locked once more. He gestured his head towards him and the maknae of the group turned around with his own glare on his face.

He could feel his face grow hot in embarrassment as he looked back down at his lap. His heart begun to race. Tears welled in his downcast eyes. In that moment, Chan-woo wished he wasn't so weak. He wished he was stronger. But there was nothing he could do in as he felt a tear fall down his face. He quickly wiped it away and squeezed his eyes shut as he focused on simply breathing.

>_<     >_<     >_<

Watching the group photo shoots had been an interesting experience for Chan-woo. He had stood off to the side in the shadows and keenly observed as the boys posed in different positions for the camera with different props. The main floor of the warehouse had been bustling with noise in between each shot as the staff members rushed to fix the positioning of the set or the stylists rushed in to fix the hair, makeup or costuming.

The entire time he stood there watching, he had been wrapped up in a trance at the pure talent he witnessed. Each member knew exactly how to work the camera and they listened perfectly to the director to make it even better. He was amazed at how the chemistry on set translated through to the still images and wondered if he would ever reach their level.

"Group photos are done, we will break into pairings now," the loud voice of the director boomed across the warehouse. "Namjoon and Jungkook over to the next set please."

Chan-woo smiled widely as he saw Hoseok and Yoongi break away from the group and make a beeline to him. Before he could say a word to them, Yoongi had grabbed his hand and roughly pulled him as he kept walking in the same direction. Chan-woo gasped at the sudden jolt, he stumbled slightly before he fell into step behind the older. He looked behind him to find Hoseok following them with an amused smile.

"Ah, Yoongi Hyung?" he turned back around and asked the eldest in confusion. "Where are we going?"

"Rest," Yoongi said simply as he walked over to the couch on the opposite side of the warehouse.

"You can let go, you know?" chuckled Chan-woo.

"He can't," Hoseok laughed loudly from behind them.

"I see that," Chan-woo responded in amusement as he smiled happily at the back in front of him.

Having made their way over to the pair of unoccupied couches, Yoongi turned around and sat down with a loud and heavy sigh. Chan-woo stared down at the older with amusement before his eyes flew open wide in shock. Yoongi had swiftly turned him around and pulled him down onto his lap. Before he could react, two arms held him firmly in place around his waist and a head was rested on the top of his back.

Chan-woo looked at Hoseok for help as he felt his cheeks grow red. But the other male simply laughed at the predicament the youngest had found himself in before he took a seat next to the pair. He tried to get up so he could sit next to Yoongi, but the other had a tight grip on him. He gave up with a small huff and looked at Hoseok with annoyance.

"Looks like you'll just have to give up," Hoseok chuckled as he relaxed back into couch.

As he hummed in response, Chan-woo placed his hands on the arms around his waist and rubbed the soft skin. He couldn't entirely complain about being held, it was oddly relaxing. Although his heart still raced even after he accepted his fate. In the past, he had never been in such an intimate position with anyone before, let alone in a public place. He would have rather been killed than seen like this in his past. He shuddered thinking of the type of 'punishment' he would have received for this from his parents.

"Have you ever had your makeup professional done before?" Hoseok asked while he tilted his head.

"Never," he smiled shyly as he turned his head back towards him.

"If they have time, you should get it done," Hoseok said with a big smile on his face.

"I bet you'll look even cuter with your hair and makeup done," Yoongi mused quietly, only causing Chan-woo to blush more and Hoseok to nod in agreement.

"Ah," Chan-woo patted the arms around him before he went back to rubbing them. "Thank you Hyung."

"So cute," cooed Hoseok with a giant smile on his face.

"Anyway," he said while he blushed furiously. "Do you do photoshoots often?"

"Surprisingly yes, we do," answered Hoseok. "You wouldn't imagine outside of comebacks that we do them that often. But companies want us to promote their products or clothing or other things for them quite frequently. And part of our fan service is giving our fans new content which is always well received."

"Cool," he nodded in fascination with a soft smile, his tone shifted to annoyance as he continued speaking. "And I am well aware of how it is received, my twitter always gets flooded with retweets of you all when you release new content."

"You sound a little annoyed about that," Yoongi whispered from behind him suspiciously as he lifted his head up.

"Well try living with the people that hate you more than anything in the world and then seeing them all over your social media when you are just trying to unwind from a hard day at training," he shrugged as if it was nothing and saw Hoseok cringe at the thought and felt Yoongi tighten his grip on him.

"That must have been hard," Hoseok said quietly as he looked down at his lap in shame.

"Still is," he admitted before he sighed softly and looked at him with a small smile. "But it is easier now that I have you two by my side."

"Well, soon your timeline will be blowing up with your own photoshoots," Hoseok chuckled.

"Yes, well, we will see about that," he looked down at his lap sadly.

"Why? You don't think Army will like you?" Hoseok asked, he had caught on to what the younger meant.

"Mmmm," he hummed, still avoiding eye contact. "I mean, look at the way you guys treated me after you learnt that I was joining you. Now imagine that but times the reaction by a few million."

Before either Hoseok or Yoongi could respond to that comment, their attention was drawn away to the happy looking Jimin that approached them. Upon seeing the other approach, Chan-woo looked at his lap and shifted uncomfortably. He felt Yoongi immediately tighten his hold on him which warmed his heart in the moment, but it didn't help how anxious he suddenly became.

"Chan-woo," Jimin said much to the surprise of all three men. "Can you go away. I want to make a V-Live with Hyungs."

With a nod of his head in sadness, and glad he didn't get his hopes up, Chan-woo went to stand up only to find he couldn't. He frowned as Yoongi held him firmly on his lap. He twisted his upper half, pausing momentarily from the pain in his ribs, only to see the eldest had a glare on his face that was directed towards Jimin. He sighed as he felt bad that he was at the centre of this entire situation and causing the members to turn on each other.

"It's okay Yoongi Hyung," Chan-woo whispered as he rubbed the arms gently. "I'll be in the makeup room when you are done. Say hi to Army. It's part of your fan service."

"No," said Hoseok with a hint of anger which made Jimin and Chan-woo to look at him with shock. "Go film with the others. We will join later."

"But Hoseokie Hyung," whined Jimin as he looked at him with pleading eyes. "We need you to make the V-Live brighter with your happiness."

"I said no Jimin. Now go," he said firmly while he crossed his arms across his chest.

Jimin looked between Yoongi and Hoseok with a shocked expression, not truly believing he was really being turned away for the free loader. He stared at Chan-woo as he felt his anger building. With a huff, he turned on his heels and walked away to sit next to Jin and Taehyung on the other side of the building. He couldn't wrap his head around why Hoseok and Yoongi were spending time with the leech, nor why they seemed to be friendly with him.

A heavy sigh left Chan-woo's lips as he watched Jimin continue to glare at him from across the room. He looked down at his lap in shame as he hated the fact he had been the cause of this entire mess. If he wasn't here, Hoseok would have agreed to do the V-Live, meaning he wouldn't have been angry at Jimin. Why did he have to be here to cause this? Why did he get put in this position? He wondered if Hoseok and Yoongi had never learnt about his background, would they be sitting with him right now?

"Hey, Channie-ah," Hoseok said as he reached over and placed a hand on the youngest's shoulder. "Don't go blaming yourself for anything. You here me?"

"Yes Hyung," he whispered, not looking up, afraid to be caught lying.

"Jung Hoseok over here please!" the director's loud voice yelled.

"I'll be back later," he said as he ruffled the soft hair, stood up and walked away.

"Time to rest finally," Yoongi whispered instantly.

As Yoongi leant back on the couch, he pulled Chan-woo's upper half back with him as one of his arm's moved a little higher to rest around his stomach. The younger let out a tiny gasp of surprise as he was forced to lean back. His heart accelerated as he felt Yoongi rest his chin on his left shoulder and the breath that left his nostrils brush against his neck. Chan-woo's entire body felt tense as they silently sat still together.

His heart raced as he slowly moved each of his hands over to Yoongi's He hesitated before he intertwined them. Yoongi chuckled as he adjusted his grip to hold onto his hands properly. The sound that was so close to his ears sent shivers down his spine. He felt like he could finally relax a little as the older held him tighter against him. A small sigh left Chan-woo's lips as he tilted his head to the left and rested it gently on Yoongi's head, secretly loving being held like this.

Time went by slowly as he continued to watch the photo shoot from a distance. It was rather intriguing to watch how it all worked. Neither him nor Yoongi spoke a single word. Chan-woo eventually had to wonder if the other was still awake as his breathing had evened out long ago and his grip around him became looser. Carefully and slowly, he pulled his head away. He then turned his head to look at Yoongi only to find his mouth slightly open and a peaceful expression on his face.

A small smile settled upon Chan-woo's face as he repositioned himself back into the previous comfortable position. His mind became preoccupied with the image he had just witnessed as he relaxed once more. It blew his mind how someone could fall asleep so quickly and surrounded by such a noisy environment. But he did remember the older hadn't slept much overnight since he had been working on a song. So he could understand considering he had fallen asleep on the floor of the noisy living room many times since he had arrived.

>_<     >_<     >_<

Chan-woo had his phone in his lap as he sat cross-legged on the couch by himself. He had been keeping himself preoccupied by scrolling through his twitter timeline absentmindedly. A while ago, Yoongi had been called to do his solo shoot. He had seen Hoseok disappear into the makeup room with a change of clothes in his hands, but the other still hadn't come out. He didn't mind being by himself, he knew it was eventually going to happen again.

Suddenly someone sat down next to him on his left. As he locked his phone and looked up, he saw a nervous Taehyung beside him. Chan-woo gulped as he straightened up, heart immediately accelerated as he has an idea why the other was there. He looked down at his hands that were fidgeting with his phone as he waited. The silence stretched on as neither boy said a word to each other.

"I just wanted to apologise for what happened this morning," whispered Taehyung after an uncomfortable minute of silence. "And to tell you that I won't tell anyone else. I'd rather not get yelled at again by Yoongi Hyung."

"It's okay," Chan-woo whispered back and looked over to see the other boy with a sad expression.

"Uh, I wanted to ask how you got that really giant bruise," he said quietly as he looked Chan-woo up and down. "Only if you are comfortable sharing though."

"My father," he responded in a whisper, gulped and looked down at his lap once more.

Chan-woo could feel the tears start to form as he heard the older quietly gasp in shock. The air between the pair grew heavy in tension. He was sure that his heartbeat was audible as the silence continued on. Fingers tapped his phone as he tried to focus on anything but the memories of his father. He didn't particularly feel like reliving it in the presence of Taehyung.

"And the other scars and bruises?" asked Taehyung quietly with sadness in his voice.

"N-Not comfortable telling you," said Chan-woo as he shook his head and clenched his eyes closed tightly.

A wave of nausea overcame him the longer he sat next to Taehyung in the tense silence. He tried so hard to fight away the memories that wanted to resurface as well as the strong emotions and anxieties that were flowing throughout his body. Chan-woo took a shaky breath in and held it for four seconds before he released it slowly. A hand was tentatively placed upon his knee which caused him to flinch and look over at Taehyung with tear filled eyes.

"You okay?" he asked with a frown.

"N-No," he replied with a grimace.

"Can I do something to help?" asked Taehyung with concern.

"Tell Hoseok or Yoongi I'll be outside for a little. I need some fresh air," he said as he stood up with shaky legs.

"Of course," he replied quietly, also standing up. "I'm really sorry."

Chan-woo nodded his head as he looked into his eyes that held a mixture of sadness and concern. He watched as Taehyung left without another word, glad to have some distance finally from the overwhelming situation. He checked he had his phone on him before he walked over to the entrance of the warehouse. The further away he was from Taehyung, the easier it became to breathe and calm himself down.

As he closed the door behind him, Chan-woo squinted while his eyes adjusted to the harsh sunlight that beamed down upon him. He walked to his left and leant against the outside of the building. He took a calming breath in and out, closed his eyes and grounded himself in the present. He felt the heat from the sun on his skin, the sounds of the cars that passed by, the soothing scent from the park across the road. Satisfied he was no longer plagued by the panic attack, he unlocked his phone and opened his texts.

Chan-woo:
Hey Daniel Hyung! Have you got a spare minute to talk? I haven't had a good morning so far.

Chan-woo locked his phone knowing he wouldn't get an immediate response. He looked around as he felt his body gradually relax after being tense for so long. His shoulders loosened up, his chest felt lighter, and a small smile graced his face. He felt his phone vibrate as he received a message. He looked down at the screen to find a response from Daniel.

Danny:
Channie-ah! I'm sorry, I've got a busy schedule at work. I can call you once I finish this afternoon though?

His heart dropped as he read the message. He did feel slightly disappointed he couldn't speak with Daniel until later. Nonetheless, his smile didn't waver as he reminded himself that at least the other still offered to be there for him when he had the time. It was more than he had had in the past.

Chan-woo:
Of course. Thank you :)

After he put his phone in his pocket, Chan-woo took one more minute just to bathe in the calmness he felt outside. He knew that the moment he walked back inside that his mind and body would start to be consumed by anxiety. Let alone if one of the other boys set him off again. He was rather surprised how calmed and relaxed he was not being in the vicinity of the boys. It told him just how much stress he was under being surrounded by people that hated him.

Chan-woo pushed himself off of the wall and walked back inside the warehouse. The moment the door had closed behind him, he made eye contact with Jimin and Jungkook who were both sitting on the couch he had occupied early. The pair glared at him before they whispered to each other without taking their eyes off him.

With a nervous gulp, he looked around the rest of the space to find that Hoseok, Yoongi and Namjoon were currently doing a rapline photo shoot. He sighed as he realised he'd still be on his own for a while until one or both of them were done. From where he stood, Chan-woo could see Jin in the makeup room getting some touch ups. But he didn't know where Taehyung had gone since he had left.

He tried to ignore the stares and whispers from the pair on the couch as he walked into the makeup room nervously. Chan-woo didn't dare look in Jin's direction as he passed him and went over to the small table. He grabbed himself a bottle of water before he sat down on one of the couches. His stomach growled in defiance but he refused to eat any of the food. He didn't want any of the hardworking boys to miss out on eating because he felt selfish.

Chan-woo took his phone out of his pocket and tried to distract himself as he waited for Hoseok and Yoongi. He sipped on the water he had grabbed while scrolling through his Instagram feed. His attention often drawn to the different Korean Idols he followed. Part of him wondered what his experience would have been like if he had been placed in a different group. Would everyone still have hated him? Or would he have been accepted? Was it him? Or the boys?

Chan-woo shook his head slightly as he realised he had zoned out, consumed by those vicious thoughts that circled round and round again in a constant cycle. He couldn't think like that; thinking of the 'what if's'. He was here now and there was nothing he could do about his current situation except for waiting it out. Perhaps one day he won't live in such an unstable environment. Perhaps one day he'll be loved by the group and the fanbase. Perhaps.

>_<     >_<     >_<

The soothing rocking of the car almost sent Chan-woo to sleep as he sat in between Yoongi and Hoseok in the back row. He held both of their hands tightly and rested his head upon Hoseok's shoulder. It had been a rather exhausting day for him emotionally and mentally, even though he hadn't participated in the photo shoot. His thoughts had drained him the more he saw glares from the four boys that still hated and the pitiful looks from Taehyung.

Luckily he had the two currently beside him to distract him for most of the afternoon. Chan-woo smiled as he thought back on the time he had spent with them, well, mostly Hoseok since Yoongi had rested in between his shoots. But even having the older beside him as he rested was more than enough to distract him from his poisonous thoughts.

Chan-woo jumped slightly as his phone vibrated in his pocket, Hoseok looked at him in concern as he didn't know why the younger had jumped. With a sheepish smile on his face, he managed to wiggle his right hand free from Yoongi's grasp and pull out his phone. A huge smile grew on his face as he saw Daniel was calling him. He quickly answered the call and held the phone up to his ear.

"Hello, Hyung," he said as he rested his head back on Hoseok's shoulder.

"Channie-ah! I'm sorry I couldn't call any earlier. What happened? Are you okay? You aren't sick again?" the concerned voice begun asking him immediately.

"No Hyung," he chuckled, grateful for the concern. "I am fine. Well, as fine as I can be after what happened."

"What happened?" Daniel asked in confusion.

"It's kind of hard to tell you right now. We are all in the van heading home from a photo shoot," he said, trying to be quiet when he saw Taehyung turn around in his seat and throw him a sad look.

"Ah, you can't say with them all around, right?" he asked in understanding.

"Exactly," Chan-woo breathed out a big sigh.

"But you are okay?" asked Daniel.

"Not really. I mean right now, yes. But it hasn't been an easy day," he sighed quietly before he felt Yoongi shift in his seat and his hand rest on his thigh.

"I want to hear about what happened," he said before he paused for a few seconds. "Do you have any plans for dinner?"

"Uh, I was just going to cook some steak for myself. Why's that?" asked Chan-woo in confusion, his heart accelerated.

"How about I bring around some steak and vegetables from my favourite shop for us to share," Daniel suggested which caused Chan-woo's mind to go blank completely at the kind gesture.

"No, it's okay. You don't have to!" he sat up a little straighter in his seat and looked at his lap as he felt his cheeks burn.

"It's fine, Channie-ah! No need to worry about cooking yourself dinner tonight. You just need to relax and then you can tell me all about your day. The shop is on the way from work to your place anyway, so it's not like I'm going out of my way," said Daniel with a small chuckle. "I'll be there around 6:30pm, okay?"

"O-Okay," he whispered.

"Alright, take care until I see you. Bye Channie-ah!" happily said Daniel before the phone hung up without him even getting the chance to reply.

A sigh left his lips as he put his phone away in his pocket. He couldn't believe Daniel was really going to get him dinner and bring it over. It all felt like too much for simply having a bad day. He wondered if he was even allowed someone over, his heart raced as he became nervous. He didn't want to anger the boys anymore than he had today.

"Who was that?" tiredly asked Yoongi while he moved to grab the now free hand.

"Oh, that was Daniel Hyung," he whispered, head still hung low, cheeks hot with an angry blush. "He is going to bring some dinner around for him and I to share."

As Chan-woo had his head faced down, he missed the look that Hoseok and Yoongi shared between one another. Hoseok smiled as he tried to look at the younger's face. He let go of Chan-woo's hand and slipped his hand under his chin, before he forced him to look at him. Hoseok's smile only grew wider as he saw the evident blush on the younger's cheeks.

"Why are you blushing, Channie-ah?" asked Hoseok before he softly laughed.

Chan-woo turned his head away and looked down at his lap once more. He frowned as he felt Yoongi slowly take his hand out of their hold and lean away. He didn't want to look over at Yoongi in case there was disgust or any angry emotions showing on his face. His heart dropped from the sudden distance between them, wondering why it always had to be him being hurt in the end.

"Don't I always blush, Hoseok Hyung?" he tried to ask in a whisper, afraid that if any emotions entered his voice he would be exposed.

"Does someone have a crush?" teased Hoseok quietly while he reached forward and pinched Chan-woo's cheek.

"I do not have a crush!" he said a little too loudly as he fearfully looked up at Hoseok. He completely missed the annoyed looks thrown back at him from the other members in the car as he panicked. "I do not! Hyung he is a boy!  I don't have crushes on boys! That... That is just wrong!"

Hoseok and Yoongi looked at each other as they observed the strong reaction. They both sighed as they knew exactly why he had reacted that way. His parents had probably instilled in him that liking the same sex was wrong. Hoseok pulled him into an awkward hug thanks to their positioning in the car and begun to soothe him by rubbing his arms and back. Yoongi tentatively reached forward and softly caressed his thigh in an up and down motion.

"It's okay, shhhh," whispered Hoseok while simultaneously glaring at the others to turn around and mind their own business. "Channie-ah, it's okay if you do. There is nothing wrong with liking the same gender."

"B-But they have always told me otherwise," he whispered as he buried his head into Hoseok's chest.

"You'll be safe here if you do, Channie-ah," Yoongi said quietly. "They can't hurt you anymore for that. And you wouldn't be the only one if you do, okay? It's alright. Everything is okay."

His body became tense as he realised what Yoongi had said. He wouldn't be the only one? Meaning there was another member that liked the same gender in the band? He took a deep breath in as he calmed himself down. He took comfort knowing he wouldn't be physically hurt if they found out he truly did like the same gender. He slowly sat up straight, Hoseok grabbed his hand for comfort while Yoongi continued to gently rub his thigh.

Never before had he met someone else that was gay, well at least openly gay. He had probably passed by someone that was in university, at work or in high school. But never had he knowingly interacted with another gay man. Chan-woo slowly looked around the van as the three settled back into their seats now he had calmed down. He wondered who, out of the seven, was the gay boy Yoongi had mentioned. He had no clue, because he had never been allowed to express himself, so he didn't know what to look out for.

>_<     >_<     >_<

There was a loud knock at the door which instantly drew everyone's attention to it. Chan-woo smiled and stood up. His heart beating loudly in his ears the closer he got. He swung the door open to reveal Daniel standing there with a bag full of food. The instant their eyes locked onto each other, their smiles grew wider and Chan-woo blush returned to his cheeks.

"Come in, Hyung," he bowed as he stepped aside, arm out to the side in invitation.

"Thank you, Channie-ah," said Daniel as he stepped inside and looked around the room. He bowed as he saw all of the seven sets of eyes on him. "Good evening. I won't be staying long, sorry to impose on you all."

"It's okay," spoke up Hoseok, the only one that looked even remotely happy to have his presence there.

"Come this way," Chan-woo said as he walked into the kitchen.

He reached up on his tippy toes, opened the overhead cupboard and barely managed to grab two of his plates from the top shelf. He also pulled down two sets of brand new knives and forks. He turned around and placed them on the counter top before he turned back and closed the cupboard. The sound of talking and noise from the TV floated between the silent pair as Daniel started to unpack the plastic bag he had carried in and dish the food onto each plate.

"Thank you for this, it was a nice surprise," Chan-woo smiled as he watched the older.

"Of course, it was the least I could do," he said with a smile on his face, his eyes never left the task at hand. "Ready to tell me what happened yet?"

"Y-Yeah," he whispered as he looked over to the group on the couch and made sure no one was paying attention to them.

"Something happened with one of them?" Daniel asked, also looking over at the group.

"Yes," he nodded with a sigh. "I was changing in the bathroom and I had forgotten to lock the door. One of them came in and saw all of my bruises and cuts on my upper half."

"Had you told this person anything from your past yet?" he asked quietly with concern as he packed the now empty containers away.

"Not this person, no," he looked down at his hands. "I've only told two of them what has happened to me. But not like the full extent of it. Just little bits."

"So what happened when this person saw you?" Daniel asked as he reached out and grabbed his hands in support.

"Well, he yelled in shock which caused the two people that knew to come over to the bathroom. Those two looked at me in shock, they hadn't seen anything other than the bruise on my neck. Anyway, they came in and hugged me while I cried," his face grew red in embarrassment while he still looked down at his and Daniel's hands in shame.

"Did that other guy tell anyone else?" he asked after Chan-woo grew silent.

"No, I don't think so," he said with a nervous gulp. "One of the guys that knew kind of yelled  and threatened him before he assured me he wouldn't tell anyone."

"Good because that is your story to tell, not theirs," he said with a hint of anger.

"Yeah," he sighed and finally looked back up at Daniel with a small smile. "The one that had walked in on me came up to me later during the day, just before I texted you actually, and he apologised. I told him the big bruise was from my father and ever since then he has been looking at me with pity. I hate it, Danny Hyung."

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he walked around the corner of the bench top and gently engulfed him in a hug. "You didn't deserve your story to be revealed like that. And I'm sorry I wasn't able to be there for you earlier in the day."

"Don't be sorry," Chan-woo whispered. He breathed in the beautiful scent of some type of cologne while he wrapped his arms around the older's firm torso. His head rested on the firm chest in front of him, glad the other couldn't hear or feel his current heart rate. "It's okay."

"I feel honoured you reached out to me to talk about all of this," whispered Daniel as he rested his chin upon Chan-woo's head. "I'm glad I could be there for you."

"I'm glad too," he chuckled and relaxed into the embrace.

"Shall we eat?" he asked before he slowly pulled away, hands held onto the younger's arms as he observed the shy and flushed face.

Chan-woo nodded as they each grabbed their own plate and cutlery. As he turned around to walk over to the kitchen table, he saw both Yoongi and Hoseok staring at Daniel, both with a slight glint of anger in their eyes. He quickly looked away as he made his way over to the table, afraid for them to know he had seen the looks they had given Daniel.

For the first time in a while, Chan-woo sat down and enjoyed talking with Daniel about anything and everything while they ate their dinner. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced in a while, being so carefree about the topics and not being afraid to show his emotions. The entire time he was with Daniel, he had forgotten about his troubles and worries, even though many of them were sitting a few metres away.

The pair had accidentally lost track of time as they continued talking well after finishing their dinner. By the time Daniel realised how late it had gotten, all of the other boys had gone off to their rooms for the night. Chan-woo walked the older to the door and bid him a goodnight with a hug. His heart pounded loudly as they separated and Daniel disappeared down the hallway. Once the front door had closed before him, the unusual silence of the living room drew his attention.

He frowned to himself as he grabbed his phone out, wondering what time it was. His eyebrows rose in surprise as he saw it was almost 8:30pm. They had been talking at the table for over two hours. Although what surprised him the most was how not a single person was left in the living room. Normally a few, if not all of them, were still unwinding on the couches at this time of night for another hour at least.

Shrugging the unusual behaviour off, Chan-woo walked over to his duffle bag and grabbed out a set of clean clothes to change into for the night. As he sorted through the clothes, he noticed a strong odour wafting from his underarms. He realised then and there he hadn't showered earlier that morning because Taehyung had walked in on him before he could. He sighed as he set aside his towel and toiletries before he continued to find some comfortable clothes.

As Chan-woo walked over to the bathroom with his arms full, he realised that each room had lights on and noise emitted from each one of them. He frowned again as he stood in the hallway. Had they all gone to their rooms early because of him? Had they been annoyed at him for having company over? Hoseok and Yoongi had warned them before they had gotten home, and no one had said anything. But it was very unusual for not a single one of them to be out in the lounge room right now.

He shook his head free from overthinking things as he knocked on the bathroom door and paused as he waited. No sounds came from within. Chan-woo walked in, closed the door behind him and he made sure he double checked he had locked the door this time. After he had turned the shower taps on and waited for it to warm up, he looked in the mirror and noticed the dark bags that were still forming under his eyes. He sighed at the sad man that stared back at him before he went about getting ready for bed.