"Stop panicking. Why're you the one panicking? Shouldn't Wooyoung be the one panicking, or San." Wooyoung perked up at the sound of his name. He sat up from where he was laying on top of San on the couch, glancing over at where his best friend was pacing back and fourth near the kitchen.

"What happens if they get ambushed or something? What if it's a trap," Yeosang asked worriedly.

"That's what I'm there for, strength in numbers remember. San and I can tackle anything they throw at us," Jongho said from where he was sitting on the kitchen bench.

"Woo lay back down, I was comfy," San mumbled.

"Shh, I'm listening," Wooyoung whispered quickly.

"But still, what if there's like 10 people," Yeosang asked.

"You'll be fine, we aren't even going," Hongjoong sad, trying to calm Yeosang down.

"But Wooyoung is. Wooyoung is my best friend, basically my brother. He's my world and I don't want him hurt," Yeosang rambled quickly.

"Oh my god, you said it," Wooyoung said, bouncing happily and making San groan. Yeosang stopped walking and turned to him in confusion.

"I'm your world," Wooyoung said with a smug grin. He felt San sit up and slip an arm around his waist, resting his weight on him from behind.

"Oh, well, yeah. You say that all the time, why is it suddenly a big deal that I'm saying it," Yeosang asked.

"Because you never say it. This is great," Wooyoung said happily.

"Whatever. I'm having a crisis here Jung Wooyoung," Yeosang said with a huff.

"Well I agree with Hongjoong. San will be with me and Jongho is coming along as well, just in case they try something," Wooyoung said.

"But that doesn't guarantee that you three will be ok," Yeosang said.

"We'll be ok Yeosang. I'll have Wooyoung back to you in one piece in a couple of hours, I promise," San said.

"Why did you guys have to agree to meet up at midnight? Do you know how dodgy that is," Yeosang whined.

"Wooyoung will be safe. I won't let anything happen to him," San said firmly.

"Yeah Yeosang, we'll be fine. Can't let your investments go to waste," Jongho said with a grin as he jumped down from the bench and wrapped his arm around the panicking boys shoulder. Yeosang immediately flushed bright red, his eyes going wide and Wooyoung almost cackled at the sight. Since Wooyoung told Hongjoong, San and Jongho to come over a couple of hours ago, Yeosang had been trying not to panic in the presence of Bear.

"Yeah Yeosang, listen to Jongho," Wooyoung said.

"I um, yeah, uh, ok," Yeosang stammered out.

"Where's your room in this lovely penthouse by the way," Jongho asked.

"My room," Yeosang squeaked.

"Yeah. You wanna give me a proper tour of this place," Jongho asked.

"Uh, sure," Yeosang replied quickly. As they walked off, Jongho glanced back and sent a wink to Wooyoung.

"That's one way to get him to shut up and stop panicking," Wooyoung giggled. San chuckled lightly and dropped his chin down to rest on Wooyoung's shoulder.

"I'm pretty worried as well but I know you're in good hands. That sleepyhead behind you will stop at nothing to keep you safe," Hongjoong said. San gave a sleepy hum of agreement as his eyes slipped closed.

"We'll be ok. We'll come back here to you and Sangie and then go to sleep and when we wake up, all of our problems will be solved," Wooyoung said.

"I mean, not all of them but yeah, hopefully San won't have people wanting him dead," Hongjoong said with a nod. Wooyoung nodded before glancing at the head resting on his shoulder as he felt San deflate against his back.

"He's asleep," Hongjoong informed him.

"I thought so. Can you help me put him in a more comfortable position? We still have an hour until we need to leave so I'll let him rest a bit longer," Wooyoung said. Hongjoong nodded and came over to the two of them gently moving San until he was resting along the couch, his head on a pillow with another in his arms. San didn't wake the entire time, which was a testament to how tired he was. Wooyoung sat down on the arm of the couch ad let his hand drop down to run through San's hair gently. San sighed in his sleep and cuddled closer to the pillow in his arms.

"It's still a bit of a shock to me to see how comfortable he is with you. It used to take him so long to fall asleep, especially when there were other people around. Now here he is, just falling asleep against your back without a care in the world," Hongjoong said with a fond sigh.

"I'm happy he's comfortable with me. I love him so much," Wooyoung said, lightly brushing a strand of hair away from San's forehead.

"I can tell. It warms my heart to see that he has found someone he can open up his heart to," Hongjoong said with a soft smile.

"I just hope everything tonight goes smoothly or else he's going to beat himself up over it," Wooyoung said quietly.

"It's going to be ok Wooyoung, I trust those two."

~~~~~

"This is not ok. I agree with Yeosang, why would you guys say yes to midnight of all times," Hongjoong whined.

"See, I told you. Everyone was saying I was overreacting," Yeosang said as he latched on to Wooyoung.

"No. No, we're past this. We already decided everything would be fine right? Don't start panicking again now because we need to go," Jongho said quickly.

"Don't berate us for being worried," Hongjoong said with a huff.

"Listen both of you. We're going to be ok. If anything starts to feel off, we will leave immediately," San promised.

"But what if you don't come back? How will we know if something has happened," Yeosang asked worriedly.

"Please don't stress Yeosang. I'm going to be safe with those two," Wooyoung said softly as he hugged Yeosang back tightly. Yeosang snuggled in his arms, clutching tightly to the back of his hoodie.

"You're going to give me grey hairs, you know that right," Yeosang said quietly.

"You'll be my old man best friend," Wooyoung joked, making Yeosang chuckle lightly.

"I'll see you soon ok. I love you," Wooyoung said, placing a kiss to Yeosang's cheek.

"I love you too. Please stay safe," Yeosang replied quietly.

"I will," Wooyoung promised. Yeosang sighed before pulling away and stepping back.

"We'll see you two soon," San said before grabbing Wooyoung's hand and tugging him out the door, Jongho following quickly.

"I feel bad making them worry," Wooyoung said with a pout as they walked to the elevator.

"They're just being worrywarts. This needs to be done," Jongho said.

"I know," Wooyoung said with a sigh.

"Don't stress about it right now. For now I want you to focus on what's happening with us in this moment. You need to be aware of your surroundings just in case," San said softly. Wooyoung glanced up and nodded quickly. He tightened his hold on San's hand and the fighter kissed the side of his head gently.

"Love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," Wooyoung replied quietly.

~~~~~

The three of them walked into the agreed upon park together, San and Jongho on either side of Wooyoung just in case it was a trap. San's eyes were constantly scanning their surroundings, on high alert for any sort of movement.

"Do you think they're actually going to come," Jongho asked after a few minutes of waiting.

"He'll come late to try and rattle us, act like he has the upper hand," San replied.

"Ah, he's one of those people," Jongho said with a nod.

"Yeah, so just keep an eye out and Woo stay close to us. Start using Bear and Lynx if you want our attention as well," San said. Wooyoung nodded and quickly moved his hand away from where it was lightly touching San's back.

"If you want comfort, I'm here ok but I want you to do your best to seem unfazed and confident," San said softly as he stepped closer to Wooyoung.

"I can do that, I'll be ok," Wooyoung said with a nod despite feeling nervous.

"Remember both parts of what I just said. If it gets too much and you need the comfort, I will give it to you," San said seriously.

"Guys," Jongho said quietly. The two others glanced up to see five men walking towards them.

"We've got this," Wooyoung said as Jongho took a small step closer to him.

"You'll be ok," he said quietly.

"My, my, my, what do we have here," Jay said with a smirk as they stopped a few meters back.

"Jay," San said tersely, his posture stiff.

"I assume you're here to beg for my forgiveness after that ridiculous stunt you pulled last fight. I could have made you hundreds of dollars after the fight if you had finished it properly. Instead you lost me thousands," Jay said angrily. Wooyoung's eyes flicked up to look at San, noticing how unsure he was looking from where he was standing. San has always been the confident, hot-headed, protective one. San has been the one to protect and defend Wooyoung, over and over again. Any time Wooyoung has seen San with Jay, the fighter has always looked smaller. Wooyoung was quite nervous, scared but San needs him to be strong. He's stepping into the role of San's manager which means he needs to be able to help him in times of need.

"You realise that doesn't even make sense right? You place money on bets and if you lose, you lose that money but if you win then you make more money. How is it that you lost thousands when Lynx would have only made a couple hundred. The math doesn't add up," Wooyoung said.

"And who are you," Jay asked, looking him up and down.

"I'm Lynx's new manager. Someone who will treat him properly and not steal most of his money," Wooyoung said angrily. Two men went to step closer but Jongho instantly stepped in front of Wooyoung with a growl.

"Back off," he said.

"Lynx's new manager? I'm his manager," Jay said with a frown.

"That's why we're here, we have a proposal for you," Jongho said.

"A proposal? And what might that be," Jay asked, his eyes shifting to San. They trailed up and down his body, hunger reflecting in them. Wooyoung frowned angrily and quickly stepped in front of San who was still frozen, blocking him from Jay's line of sight.

"I have an offer for you. I will transfer 1 million dollars to you in order for you to drop your manager position and leave Lynx alone for good," Wooyoung said. Jay's eyes widened at that as he took in the amount Wooyoung said.

"It's definitely an inviting proposal. However, I have one other condition if I'm going to accept the proposal," Jay said with a sly smirk. Wooyoung frowned, not liking the look on his face.

"And what's that condition," he asked.

"I get to spend the night with Lynx-."

"Fuck no. You can shove that proposal up you arse," Wooyoung spat angrily, stepping closer to San but keeping him behind his back.

"Excuse me? You don't get to make demands. Either he sleeps with me or we don't have a deal," Jay said.

"Then you don't have a deal," Wooyoung said angrily.

"He stabbed me in the back and messed me around far too much. He should be thankful this is the deal he is getting," Jay said. Wooyoung felt a body press against his back and shaky hands clutching his shirt. He was shocked but he remembered San's words from earlier. San needs the comfort, he needs the protection, so Wooyoung is going to give it to him.

"You are never getting your filthy hands near his body, not in a million years. My last offer is 2 million. Take it or leave it because you aren't going anywhere near Lynx. And before you give a stupid answer, my name is Jung Wooyoung and I am the next in line to run Jung Hotel Enterprises which means I have influence and power. You have no idea what lengths I would go to in order to keep him safe," Wooyoung spat angrily. Jay seemed to hesitate at that, his eyes going slightly wide.

"2 million," he questioned.

"Final offer. So hurry up and decide," Wooyoung said. Jay thought about it for a few more seconds before a grin split his face.

"I accept your offer. Stupid idiot couldn't even rake in better money from investors anyway," Jay said. Wooyoung clenched his jaw in anger at that but remained silent, knowing it wasn't worth it.

"Very well. From now on, you are no longer Lynx's manager and you have nothing to do with him," Wooyoung said.

"If you do choose to come near him, there will be consequences that you will not enjoy," Jongho growled.

"Fair enough. Have a good night boys. I expect to find the money in my account before the end of the day or the deal is off and I'll have my fun," Jay said before he and the others turned and walked off. Wooyoung was angry but he remained silent, not wanting to say anything now that the deal was accepted. The three of them waited a few minutes until the others had definitely gone before collectively letting out a breath.

"I almost peed my pants then," Wooyoung said with a giggle as Jongho chuckled.

"You did really well. Here we were thinking we'd have to speak for you but you had it handled," Jongho said, holding up his hand. Wooyoung high-fived it happily.

"Did you see me Sannie," Wooyoung asked, spinning around to face the fighter. He stopped suddenly and his face dropped when he saw that San was slumped slightly, his head turned down to look at the floor.

"Hey, are you ok," he asked softly, placing a comforting hand on his arm.

"I'm fine," San muttered quietly, shrugging his hand off. Wooyoung frowned at that, knowing that San was definitely not ok. That much was very obvious. He remembered how San acted when he saw Jay and he worried that it was still bothering him.

"Hey, talk to me, what's going on," he asked gently, slipping his hand into the olders.

"I said I'm fine," San snapped, yanking his hand away. Wooyoung flinched in surprise at that but Jongho quickly grabbed his other hand and dragged him back.

"Let's head home before the others get too worried," Jongho said, squeezing Wooyoung's hand lightly. Wooyoung appreciated the comfort coming from the young fighter, especially because they've never been that close. San was worrying him but he didn't want to push so he remained silent for the walk home.

~~~~~

As soon as they opened the door to the apartment, Yeosang and Hongjoong were rushing over.

"How'd it go? Is everyone ok," Yeosang asked. Wooyoung went to reply but stopped as he watched San shoulder his way between the two in front of him before walking down the hall and slipping into Wooyoung's room. Jongho sighed before ushering everyone inside and closing the door.

"What's wrong? Did it not go well," Hongjoong asked worriedly.

"No it went great, it's all been handled. Wooyoung did really well but it might be best if you check up on San," Jongho said.

"What happened," Hongjoong asked quietly.

"He froze, badly. Wooyoung stepped in front of him and took over but San's going to be beating himself up over it," Jongho said.

"Why? I was more than happy to take over. He always protects me so it's about time that I step up and help him instead," Wooyoung said with a frown.

"Well that's just it, isn't it. He always protects you, he wants to always protect you. He'll see that as letting you down. That's why he was so cold earlier, because he feels bad," Jongho explained.

"Oh," Wooyoung said quietly.

"Don't worry, I'll go and talk to him," Hongjoong said before hurrying off.

"You ok," Yeosang asked Wooyoung worriedly, noticing the younger was slightly distressed.

"I'm ok, just worried about San," Wooyoung said quietly.

"He'll be fine, he just cares about you a lot," Jongho said.

"Are you sure he'll be alright," Wooyoung asked nervously, receiving a nod in reply.

"I'm sure. Hongjoong will help him sort things out," Jongho said. Wooyoung was still worried but he let out a breath and nodded.

"You should probably stay the night, there isn't much point going home," he said.

"Are you sure," Jongho asked.

"Yeah I'm sure. You might have to sleep next to Yeosang though because we only have one comfortable couch," Wooyoung lied. All of their couches are comfortable but Wooyoung wants to stay out and wait for San. If San doesn't come out then he'll just sleep on the couch himself. Plus it will be fun to torture Yeosang.

"I'm ok with that as long as Yeosang is comfortable with," Jongho said, glancing over at the other boy.

"I um, yeah, yeah that's ok with me," Yeosang said, nodding quickly.

"Great. You two go get ready for bed and I'll wait out here for the other two to finish," Wooyoung said. Jongho nodded and gently guided Yeosang away, leaving Wooyoung alone. Wooyoung sighed and walked over to the fireplace, dimming the heat slightly but still keeping the fire going for warmth. He glanced at the time on his phone, finding it was already 1:30am. He was pretty tired but he wanted to try and stay awake in case San came out so he kicked off his shoes and leant back against the couch as he scrolled through his phone.

~~~~~

"Hey baby. Can you wake up for me Precious?" Wooyoung hummed and slipped his eyes opened, not realising he had closed them. They landed on San knelt down in front of him, a soft smile on his face that was lit up by the glow of the fire from the background.

"Sannie," Wooyoung mumbled, his voice a little hoarse. He didn't even realise he had fallen asleep but it was very obvious he had.

"What's the time," he asked.

"It's almost 4. Hongjoong and I fell asleep but I was worried about where you were sleeping so I came out here to double check everything was ok," San said softly.

"Oh m'okay. I was just waiting out here in case you came out but I might have fallen asleep by accident sorry," Wooyoung said.

"No, don't be sorry. I would've let you sleep but it didn't look very comfortable," San said.

"I dunno, I was asleep," Wooyoung said with a shrug.

"You were still holding your phone. Why don't you lay down properly and get comfortable while I tuck a blanket over you or I can take you back to your bedroom," San asked.

"Are you still annoyed at me," Wooyoung asked.

"Wh-What," San stuttered in confusion.

"Well, I'm not sure if you were annoyed at me or annoyed at what happened," Wooyoung said.

"Oh. Oh, no. No, I wasn't annoyed at you at all Wooyoung. I'm sorry for how I acted with you after all that, I was just disappointed in myself. Here I was telling you to come to me for comfort when I was the one that froze up," San scoffed, looking down sadly. Wooyoung quickly cupped his chin and tilted his head back up.

"None of that. If I'm allowed to seek help when it gets too much, then you are too," Wooyoung said firmly.

"I just, I'm sorry for being so we-"

"You aren't weak San, not at all. You are the strongest person I know and I was more than happy to be the one helping you this time. I was quite proud of how I managed to handle that," Wooyoung said.

"Oh, of course. You were amazing Woo. You made me so proud, even if I didn't show it at the time. You were so brave and so firm, it was amazing," San praised him quickly. He grabbed the youngers hand and placed a soft kiss to it, making Wooyoung blush.

"I was kind of freaking out on the inside but the way he talked about you just made me so angry so I went off that," Wooyoung said. San hummed before sighing.

"I'm sorry I'm costing you that much. It's absurd that you'd be willing to pay 1 million, let alone the 2 million you now have to pay," San said quietly.

"Money means nothing to me when it comes to you San. I would pay him everything I have if it meant you would be safe from his vile clutches," Wooyoung said honestly. San's eyes got slightly watery but he quickly moved up to the couch and hugged Wooyoung tightly. Wooyoung was quick to reciprocate, hugging him back just as tightly.

"I love you so much Jung Wooyoung," San said, kissing the side of his head.

"I love you too," Wooyoung replied quickly. San pressed another kiss to Wooyoung's cheek before pulling away to look at him.

"My beautiful, strong boyfriend," he whispered, tucking a strand of hair before the youngers ear and making him blush.

"You make me blush," Wooyoung whispered with a giggle.

"Good. You look just as pretty then," San said with a smile.

"So is that it now? You're free from being mistreated," Wooyoung asked hopefully.

"Yeah. Yeah I am," San said with a nod, watching Wooyoung. Wooyoung smiled happily at that and San's heart soared.

"What did I do to deserve you," he whispered.

"San," Wooyoung whined, blushing harder.

"No seriously, what on earth did I do to deserve you? Since I've met you, life has seemed so much better, I've been so much happier. Just seeing you or hearing your voice is enough to brighten my day. You're so special to me," San said, pressing a soft kiss to Wooyoung's lips. Wooyoung kissed back for a few seconds before they pulled away.

"I'm glad I've improved your life. I'll be sure to let Hongjoong know," Wooyoung said, making San snort out a life.

"You're an idiot," he chuckled.

"But you love me," Wooyoung said.

"That I do. Very much so," San said with a nod.

"Now it's past 4am so it's bedtime for you," San added.

"Only if you come cuddle with me," Wooyoung said as he laid down and held out his arms. San grinned and gently laid down on top of Wooyoung, hugging him softly. He leant down and kissed Wooyoung gently, the youngers eyes slipping closed in satisfaction.

"My beautiful boyfriend," San whispered as they pulled apart slightly.

"San," Wooyoung whined in embarrassment.

"What? It's true," San said with a shrug.

"I hate you," Wooyoung mumbled as he cuddled closer.

"Get some sleep my Precious. I have a feeling that things are looking up for us," San whispered. The two held each other close, drifting off to sleep together with their breathing in synch, ready for whatever challenges life would throw at them next.

A/N

Here is Chapter 18 everyone, I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading.

Let me know your thoughts on this chapter and your favourite parts.

The last chapter for this will be the epilogue and should be out in a couple of days so make sure to keep an eye out :)