Wooyoung woke up warm and content, like he had gotten the world's greatest sleep. He stretched his arm out slightly, giving a small wince at the pain that flared up in his torso at the motion. He sighed and turned his head to the side, seeing the sun peaking in through the curtains. His eyes trailed down, landing on the sleeping beauty beside him. The few streams of light that were peaking through the curtain were cutting across his body, making his face visible. It looked peaceful, completely lax and unburdened, a soft dimple showing on his cheek. Wooyoung smiled softly and shifted closer before freezing as he felt him shift and something caress his side. He glanced down and saw that San's arm was slung over his waist, his hand having slipped under Wooyoung's shirt to rest on his hip. Wooyoung blushed red slightly as he felt San's hand unconsciously rubbing soothing circles into his hip. It was comforting and the scene felt slightly serene. He knew that San was only staying because he asked him to, to look after him but his heart couldn't help but to flutter at how close they were. He ran his eyes over the sleeping man's form for another second before deciding it was a bit creepy. He let out a soft sigh before rolling over and slowly slipped out of bed, making sure not to wake the sleeping male in the process. He walked slowly to the doorway, not wanting to jostle his muscles too much before slipping out and closing the door quietly behind him. He yawned slightly and brushed his fingers through his hair as he headed to the kitchen.

"Won't be having any guys over, my ass." Wooyoung yelped and spun around, wincing slightly at the pain before his eyes landed on a smug looking Yeosang sitting on the couch. Right, Yeosang was supposed to get back today.

"I went to check on you this morning and imagine my surprise when I saw you had a man in your bed. How scandalous," Yeosang said, wiggling his eyebrows. Wooyoung realised with a start what Yeosang was implying.

"It wasn't like that," he said quickly.

"Uh huh," Yeosang said with a nod, a Cheshire grin on his face.

"Woo? I thought I told you to stay in bed. You're going to be really sore so you need to rest." Yeosang's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as he looked behind Wooyoung. Wooyoung spun around quickly and his eyes landed on San who was standing there like a deer in headlights.

"You and Lynx are f-."

"NO, WE AREN'T," Wooyoung yelled out defensively.

"He was just looking after me," he added quickly. Yeosang's eyes drifted to his neck and he raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Uh huh, totally," he said. Wooyoung flushed red in embarrassment despite knowing there was nothing to be embarrassed about because Yeosang was getting it way wrong. He drew in a deep breath before glancing down at the floor, knowing this was going to be a hard conversation.

"I was um, I was attacked on Monday. I ended up in hospital for two days and came back home last night. S-Lynx just stayed with me to make sure I was ok," Wooyoung explained quietly. He waited with bated breath for a few seconds before glancing back up after receiving no reply from Yeosang. Yeosang was silent, his lips pulled into a thin line and an indescribable look in his eyes.

"Thank you Lynx, for looking after him. If it's ok with the both of you, I would appreciate it if you could head out for a bit," Yeosang said, his voice even and his face void of emotion.

"Yeah, sure. I'll just go get changed," San said hurriedly as he went back to Wooyoung's room. Wooyoung continued to watch Yeosang and noticed the shift in his expression as his eyes softened kindly. The situation came crashing down on Wooyoung once again and he realised just how much he had missed his best friend's presence. San was great but nothing could beat being in the arms of family, of his world. The tears started flowing without warning and Yeosang immediately held open his arms. Wooyoung let out a small sob, hurrying over and dropping beside Yeosang. He wrapped his arms around the older's neck and curled up, tucking his legs onto the couch, over Yeosang's lap. Yeosang slipped his arms around Wooyoung's waist and held him tightly. The waterworks flowed after that, harsh sobs escaping his lips as he tucked his head into Yeosang's neck and cuddled close. Yeosang just continued to hold him securely, rubbing his back comfortingly.

When San left the room, now dressed, his eyes immediately landed on Wooyoung curled up in the other boys arms. It broke his heart to hear the sobs coming from the small boy. He went through a lot, something he shouldn't have had to gone through. San wouldn't mind knowing who it was that attacked him, perhaps pay them a visit. He sighed quietly to himself before leaving, giving the other two privacy.

Yeosang continued to comfort Wooyoung, his eyes dropping down to his neck where that ugly purple bruise was.

"Shh, I'm here. Sangie's here," he whispered soothingly. Wooyoung continued to sob for a few minutes, letting it all out until he finally managed to calm down. Yeosang gently pushed him back a little, seeing his red and blotchy face with his sleeve.

"You ok," he asked softly.

"I'm ok," Wooyoung replied quietly. Yeosang moved his hands down to Wooyoung's hips, gently rubbing little circles into them with his thumbs to relax him more.

"Do you want to tell me what happened or is it too hard for you to talk about? It's ok if you don't want to talk about it, I'm not going to push," Yeosang said softly. Wooyoung was quiet for a few seconds, just gathering his thoughts before he drew in a deep breath.

"There was a guy I met about a month ago who was really struggling so I gave him my phone number and told him to call me if he ever needed help," Wooyoung began. Yeosang frowned at that but didn't say anything, letting Wooyoung continue and get everything out.

"He called me and said he needed help so I took the car downtown to a street nearby and walked to where he was. He couldn't afford this months rent and a couple of guys were hassling him for it so I paid it for him," Wooyoung explained. What happened right after that with San isn't really that important so Yeosang doesn't need to know.

"Once everything was ok and the guy left, I did as well. As I was walking home, I noticed people following me so I tried to contact Lynx but I didn't get the chance. They grabbed me, dragged me down an alley and beat me. You don't really need to know all the details after that but I passed out and woke up in hospital two days later," Wooyoung said. Yeosang's hand was clenched by his side, his jaw tight. He was frustrated that Wooyoung was so reckless as to walk around alone downtown at night but what happened to him was not his fault. It was stupid of him but it's just how he is, far too kind and helpful. He's in a fragile state right now so it's best to be gentle.

"You should have called me when you woke up, I would have come back early," he said softly, brushing his fingers through Wooyoung's hair lightly to soothe him.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't really think about it. Lynx was with me and I was having tests done, then we just went straight home," Wooyoung said quietly, looking down at their laps. Yeosang sighed and carressed Wooyoung' cheek softly.

"It's ok, you haven't done anything wrong," Yeosang assured him.

"It was scary," Wooyoung whispered. Yeosang hummed and placed his hand on the youngers thigh, squeezing gently.

"It would have been. You were very strong through, I just know that," Yeosang said gently.

"Hurt a lot but I'm going to be ok. I got surgery though and I have stitches in my stomach," Wooyoung said. Yeosang's eyes widened briefly before he relaxed his expression. He's not going to get emotional at all during this conversation. This is time to focus on Wooyoung and make sure he is doing ok.

"Can I see," he asked gently and Wooyoung gave him a quick, small nod. He unbuttoned his shirt before pulling it apart, allowing it to slide off his shoulders and pool around his waist. This time Yeosang couldn't stop the gasp that escaped his lips, nor the shocked expression that took over his face.

"Oh Youngie," he breathed out. His eyes trailed over the bruises cascading down Wooyoung's body. There were many and they were large and purply-black. He had about 6 stitches going up the side of his stomach.

"It um, it looks worse than it feel now," Wooyoung said quietly.

"Now," Yeosang questioned softly.

"Hurt more than it looks when it happened. They pinned my arms and punched my stomach and face. Pretty sure they stomped on me when I was on the ground but I was barely conscious at that point," Wooyoung whispered. Yeosang's heart broke for his brother and he pulled him in to another hug, careful not to push on any bruises. Wooyoung completely melted in his arms, throwing his leg over so he was sitting completely in Yeosang's arms, facing him. He dropped his head to his shoulder, snuggling in before sagging against him. Yeosang allowed the close cuddle, resting his arms around Wooyoung's waist loosely.

"I love you," Yeosang said softly, placing a kiss to Wooyoung's cheek. Wooyoung smiled and squirmed cutely in Yeosang's arms.

"Love you too," he replied. They sat like that for a few minutes before another thought crossed Yeosang's mind.

"How did Lynx find you," he asked.

"I had told him about me being there and he got worried so he went to look for me," Wooyoung replied.

"Thank god he did that. I have to thank him again," Yeosang said.

"Yeah," Wooyoung replied with a nod.

"If you get up, I can go grab the cream that will help the bruises heal quicker," Yeosang said.

"Can we stay like this for a bit longer please. I missed you," Wooyoung said quietly.

"Yeah, of course. Whatever you want to do, we can do. And I missed you too, a lot," Yeosang said. Wooyoung grinned at that and leaned back slightly so he could see Yeosang's face.

"How was your holiday though," he asked.

"Trust me, I would have rather been here, I wish I was here," Yeosang said with a sigh. Wooyoung smiled softly and leant forwards, placing a kiss to Yeosang's cheek softly.

"We really need to sheer up a bit," Wooyoung said with a small smile.

"How about I rub some cream on you and then we cuddle and watch some movies," Yeosang said.

"That sounds good. Can we maybe go to the ring tonight as well," Wooyoung asked hopefully.

"Are you sure you want to go there," Yeosang asked with a small frown.

"If you're ok with it. I've grown to quite enjoy going to watch the fights," Wooyoung explained.

"Ok, if you want to go then that's fine, I'm happy with that," Yeosang said with a nod.

"Thank you," Wooyoung said happily.

"All good. Come on, let's get those bruises fixed up," Yeosang said, tapping the back of Wooyoung's thighs. Wooyoung quickly slid off his lap so he could go and find the cream.

~~~~~

The two boys spent all afternoon on the couch, watching movies and nibbling on some snacks. By the time it hit 6pm, they were still sprawled out together on the couch.

"If we wanna make the last couple major fights, we should probably head off soon," Yeosang said. Wooyoung let out a groan but sat up, yawning slightly.

"Are you sure you want to go? We can stay here if you would prefer that," Yeosang said.

"No, I wanna go. I enjoy watching it and I could do with watching other people get beat up instead of me," Wooyoung said with a light chuckle, making Yeosang wince.

"Too early," Wooyoung asked.

"No. If you want to joke about your trauma to cope, that's fine by me," Yeosang said with a sigh. Wooyoung grinned and stood up.

"Come on, let's get ready," he said. Yeosang nodded and the two of them went to their rooms to get dressed. Once they were both dressed, they left the apartment and went down to the ground floor.

"I've contacted Anthony to come and drop us off near the ring," Yeosang said.

"What, why? Isn't it a bad idea to have him go so close to the ring considering it's illegal," Wooyoung asked.

"You're hurt and I'm not going to have you walk all the way there," Yeosang said. Wooyoung couldn't really argue with that and knew there would be no point as Yeosang wouldn't budge anyway so he just nodded and stayed silent. They left the building and went down to where the car was waiting, getting inside.

"Hey Anthony," Wooyoung said with a smile.

"Hello Sirs, where to," Anthony asked.

"Can you drop us off on Kode St please," Yeosang asked. Anthony nodded before driving on. They were there within 10 minutes and the two thanked Anthony before they got out. Yeosang held out his hand and Wooyoung quickly slipped his hand into it. They went down the usual alley and to the bouncer, giving the code and going inside. The two of them went straight up to the bar where Hongjoong was working. Hongjoong was cleaning some glasses but the minute their eyes met, he put them down and walked over.

"Are you ok? Hwa told me what happened," he said quickly. Wooyoung was surprised to find that Hongjoong knew Seonghwa.

"Yeah I'm alright, Lynx stayed with me and looked after me," Wooyoung replied.

"Yeah, he felt like shit after what happened. He felt so guilty for not protecting you. Can you try and keep an eye on him for the next week or so? I'm just worried he might do something stupid," Hongjoong said.

"Yeah, of course. It wasn't his fault anyway," Wooyoung said.

"I know. Anyway, you guys wanna know the fights for tonight I assume," Hongjoong said.

"That'd be great," Yeosang said with a nod.

"You've got Bear vs Havelok in about 30 minutes and then after that it's Lynx vs Logan," Hongjoong replied.

"Nice. Are you here all night," Yeosang asked while Wooyoung smiled. He was excited to see San fight again.

"Yeah, I'll probably be here when you guys leave," Hongjoong replied with a nod.

"Alright, well we're going to head out now," Yeosang said and Hongjoong nodded.

"Lynx is in his room as well Wooyoung, if you want to go check on him," Hongjoong said. Yeosang glanced over at Wooyoung, who just nodded in reply to Hongjoong. The two of them walked towards the door at the end of the room.

"Hey, I'll meet you out there, I'm just going to see Lynx and then I'll head out to you later," Wooyoung told Yeosang as they walked through the door.

"Ok," Yeosang said with a nod before walking off. Wooyoung quickly walked down the hall to the door to San's room, slipping inside. He froze the minute he turned around, his eyes landing on the two people in the room. San was sitting on a bench with Bear standing in front of him. That wasn't why he froze however. He froze because San's eyebrow was split, so was his lip and he had a cut on his cheek. Wooyoung gasped in shock, making the other two turn to him.

"Are you fucken kidding me Wooyoung? You were attacked a few days ago, I've told you not to walk around here alone you're supposed to be resting," San said, his voice raising in annoyance. He strode over to Wooyoung quickly, resting a hand on his waist as he scanned his boy for further injuries. Wooyoung was still in shock as he saw the injuries on San's face but he snapped out of it.

"Oh, uh, I came with Yeosang and we took a car to a street close by so I barely walked and I was safe," Wooyoung said quickly.

"That doesn't matter, you shouldn't be here Wooyoung," San said.

"What happened to your face," Wooyoung asked, finally addressing the actual issue. San's eyebrows furrowed and he shook his head.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that you stop being stupid and start keeping yourself safe," San said, gently bringing his free hand up to cup Wooyoung's cheek. Wooyoung's mouth snapped shut and he remained silent, his heart racing as he looked into San's eyes, seeing the seriousness in them.

"So I'm just gonna head out while you guys have your little moment here, don't let me interrupt." Wooyoung glanced behind San to see Bear walking over.

"Also FYI the boss wasn't happy he missed two fights. That's w-."

"Shut up and get lost now," San interrupted angrily, tugging Wooyoung close to his side, slipping his arm around his waist and half hugging him softly. Bear shrugged before leaving the room quickly.

Wooyoung thought about what Bear said and understood what he was implying. San got a beating because he took him away from the ring. It was his fault San got hurt.

"San I'm-."

"Don't, just don't. This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you. None of this is your fault ok Wooyoung. I am not hurt in any way, there is no chance he would have risked putting me out of commission any longer because he needs the money I pull in. This was just a warning ok," San cut him off softly.

"I'm still sorry," Wooyoung said quietly.

"It's ok, I'm ok. If it was repeated, I would have done everything the exact same way I did. Except maybe get to you before you get hurt but we can't exactly go back in time," San said softly as he drew Wooyoung into a proper hug. Wooyoung dropped his head onto San's chest, slipping his arms around his waist. San sighed and rested his head against Wooyoung's, rubbing his hand up and down his back.

"Back to what I was saying earlier though. You shouldn't have come today, you need to rest so you can recover. I'm glad that you came with Yeosang and drove here though," San said.

"I just wanted to watch some fights, it's just an added bonus that you're one of the people fighting," Wooyoung said, making San smile softly and pull him closer. He leant his head down and gently placed a kiss to the top of Wooyoung's head.

"Just make sure you're looking after yourself ok. I don't want you getting hurt again," he murmured softly.

"I'm ok," Wooyoung whispered. The two of them stood there embracing each other for a while before San spoke up.

"How did Yeosang end up taking what happened," he asked.

"He's fine, was just worried about me is all," Wooyoung replied quietly. San opened his mouth to say more but hesitated slightly, wondering if he should say what he was thinking. He thought about it for a few seconds before deciding to just go ahead and say it.

"I heard you crying today before I left. I didn't like it, made my heart break. I don't want you hurt, I don't like hearing y upset," he whispered, letting his eyes slip closed as he basked in Wooyoung's embrace. Wooyoung blushed at San's words, feeling his heart rate pick up slightly.

"Didn't like it when you cried either. It was odd seeing you like that when you're usually so fierce and put together. I'm glad you trust me enough to be vulnerable with me though," Wooyoung said quietly.

"I care about you and I trust you," San said.

"I care about you too Sannie," Wooyoung said. San drew in a deep breath before finally pulling away from the hug and stepping back.

"Are you going to come sit in the box during the match," San asked.

"Not tonight. I'm going to sit in the stands with Yeosang. He's already out there waiting for me," Wooyoung said.

"Ok. Well, I don't want you keeping him waiting too much, so I'll let you go. Don't stress too much about what goes on in the fight tonight alright," San said as he gently tucked a strand of hair behind Wooyoung's ear.

"Ok. I'll come and see you after the fight," Wooyoung promised.

"You don't need to tonight. I've got a few things I need to do afterwards," San said, stepping forwards and gently pressing his lips to Wooyoung's temple.

"Just enjoy the fight ok," he said before turning around and heading over to his bag. Wooyoung took that as his leave so he turned and left the room. He walked down the hall and up the stairs into the stands. It didn't take him long to find Yeosang so he went over and sat beside him. The match had already started meaning he was with San for a lot longer than he originally thought.

"You took your time," Yeosang said, not looking away from the fight but reaching his hand across to pat Wooyoung's thigh softly.

"Yeah, sorry. We had a few things to discuss but everything's all good. He just got worried because he though I had walked here alone," Wooyoung said, making Yeosang chuckle.

"I bet that would have gotten him all freaked out," Yeosang said.

"Yeah he was a bit annoyed," Wooyoung said with a wince.

"How's the fight going," he added, finally turning his attention to the fight.

"Good, Bear is smashing Havelok," Yeosang said with a grin. Wooyoung could see that Bear had Havelok pinned against the chains while he was punching him repeatedly in the torso. Wooyoung grinned, excited for the rest of the night's events.

~~~~~

Bear ended up winning the fight 10 minutes later," Havelok having been able to take quite the beating and held out for a while. Wooyoung had been practically wiggling in his seat for 30 minutes before it finally became time to announce the fighters.

"Ladies and Gentleman, introducing to you the first fighter, it's Logan." A guy came out, a bit short but buff with a bright red Mohawk on his head. Wooyoung chuckled to himself, knowing this Logan would have no chance against Lynx.

"And now introducing to you, the long awaited and much missed Lynx." San walked out into the ring, wearing his signature black leather pants and white tank top. This time however, he had a piece of fabric tied around his forehead to keep his hair held back. The fabric was a light purple and Wooyoung chuckled as he realised how similar it was to his hair. San walked around the ring, doing his usual bows to the crowd. While he was doing that, their eyes met and San sent him a soft smile for about second before slipping back into his serious demeanour. San went to his corner and begun doing his stretching routine. Wooyoung watched closely, his eyes never leaving the fighters form.

"God, you're so down bad." Wooyoung jolted at Yeosang's words and turned to face him.

"You're down bad. It is so obvious you've got a crush on him, at least try to make it slightly less glaringly obvious," Yeosang said. Wooyoung tried not to turn red but had a feeling he failed.

"I don't. I don't have a crush on him," he stuttered.

"And I don't love you," Yeosang said, rolling his eyes.

"You don't love me," Wooyoung said with a gasp and a pout.

"Shut up," Yeosang said, whacking the back of his head lightly.

"Ladies and Gentleman, one more minute before the fight will begin." San quickly moved to the middle of the ring, Logan doing the same. San stretched one last time before pressing two fingers to his lips, placing them against his headband fabric just as the bell rang.

Logan made the mistake most do by trying to strike first. San dodged the swing before immediately punching his left fist into Logan's ribs. Logan curled in on himself at the punch and San took that time to swing his right fist up, punching Logan under the chin. Logan tripped and fell back where San instantly dropped down and climbed on top of Logan, pinning him down to the ground. Logan could do little to protect himself as San's fists came pummelling down on his body. That happened for about a minute before San stopped and stood up, Logan remaining motionless, sprawled out on the ground. The bell sounded and Wooyoung's mouth dropped open. He knew San would win but that was the quickest fight he had ever seen, only a few minutes long.

"Shit that was fast. Lynx really is amazing," Yeosang said in wonder. The cheers and screams from the crowd were deafening, Wooyoung clapping happily.

"Our winner in what could be record breaking time. It's Lynx everyone." The screams got louder and Wooyoung expected San to leave straight away like he always does however that wasn't the case. San reached out and grabbed the microphone from the announcer. Everyone went silent at the action, eager to hear what the star, mysterious fighter had to say.

"I have an announcement to make everyone. This announcement is for one person in particular. Zeus, I hope you're listening," San called out as everyone started talking in hushed voices. Wooyoung remembered Zeus, he was the cocky one who lost to-.

"I'm going to teach him a lesson. He thinks he can beat me."

Wooyoung's throat closed up.

"You're a sore loser Zeus and an absolute piece of shit. Our audience wants a real fight, a proper fight. You fucked up Zeus so I've decided to settle it in the ring. I Lynx am challenging you to an old fashioned match. We settle it how those did in the early days," San said. At his words, there was an uproar from the audience, people standing and cheering loudly. Yeosang gasped beside Wooyoung but Wooyoung was confused, watching as San handed back the microphone and left the ring.

"Oh my god. Holy shit," Wooyoung turned and glanced over at Yeosang to see he had wide eyes.

"What's going on? What's an old fashioned fight," Wooyoung asked quickly.

"It's, shit, oh man. Woo, in the old days when this place first opened, they had zero rules for the fights. These days there isn't many but back then there were none and the fights were way more bloody. There were no tap outs either," Yeosang explained.

"Yikes. How did they end then," Wooyoung asked.

"They were death matches Wooyoung. They ended when someone died. Lynx just challenged Zeus to a death match," Yeosang said. Wooyoung's stomach dropped as he finally got the full picture.

It was Zeus in the alley, the one who attacked him. San knew and was challenging him as a death match, to try and protect him.  

A/N

Here is Chapter 8 everyone, I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading.

What were your favourite parts from this chapter?

What do you think might happen next?