"Wooyoung, where are you going," Yeosang asked.

"I need to go talk to him," Wooyoung rushed out as he hurried down the hall. Yeosang sighed and but let him go, deciding to wait for him by the bar. Wooyoung jogged down the hall, his mind racing as Yeosang's words played through his head. He got to the door and swung it open quickly, opening his mouth to talk but freezing when he realised San wasn't alone. There were two men with him, one of which he recognised from that day in this very room when he had gotten drunk. San's eyes were wide and panicked when they landed on Wooyoung and the younger didn't want to cause any more problems for the fighter.

"Well this ain't the toilets. I could probably take a shit here though," he said, slurring his words and giggling. One of the men strode over and grabbed his arm, tugging him back and shoving him out of the door before slamming it closed. His heart was racing but he just desperately hoped San would be ok. He went quickly down the halls and into the bar where Yeosang was talking to Hongjoong.

"Did you know he was going to do that," Wooyoung asked Hongjoong quickly.

"I have no idea what the hell he is doing. Last time he fought Zeus, he won but it was a close fight. With no rules, Zeus can fight dirty," Hongjoong said worriedly. Wooyoung felt panic build up in his chest.

"It's because of me. He's doing it because of me," he whispered guiltily. Hongjoong frowned in confusion before his eyes widened.

"Zeus is the one who attacked you," he asked quickly and Wooyoung nodded. Hongjoong chuckled at that and relaxed, confusing the other two.

"Yeah, Zeus is fucked," he said.

"What, it's suddenly different because now Wooyoung is involved," Yeosang asked with a frown.

"San is very protective, especially of Wooyoung. If Zeus hurt Wooyoung then San if going to stop at nothing to get revenge," Hongjoong said.

"San," Yeosang questioned in confusion, making Hongjoong tense and curse quietly.

"Lynx. San is his real name," he said quietly and Yeosang nodded.

"But there's a difference between illegal fighting and murder Hongjoong. If he, if he kills him then that's murder," Wooyoung said worriedly.

"I know and that's what worries me as well. I'll talk to him tonight but for now I think it's best that you two head home. I'd call someone to come and get you though because it would be really dangerous for you to walk home right now," Hongjoong said.

"Don't worry, I've contacted our driver," Yeosang said.

"And Wooyoung, I highly suggest-. No not even suggest, I'm telling you that you cannot come here alone. You need to be extra cautious ok. No walking at night even if you're with someone unless it's Lynx," Hongjoong said firmly.

"Ok," Wooyoung agreed quietly. He already knew he couldn't go out alone, not even just for his safety but also so that San wouldn't have any more issues because of him.

"Good. Get home safe you two," Hongjoong said before moving off to go serve someone who was waving him down.

"Come on, we should get home," Yeosang said, grabbing Wooyoung's hand and tugging him towards the door. They both left the building, Yeosang wrapping his arm around Wooyoung's waist protectively. He was nervous but made sure to keep an eye around the streets for any possible danger. They got to the car without any issues, both remaining quiet on the drive home. Wooyoung's thoughts were still racing in his head and he felt incredibly guilty for dragging San into his mess. No matter what happens in the fight, San will never be the same. He'll either become a killer or he'll be dead. The two boys thanked the driver before going into the hotel and going straight up to their room.

"Wooyoung, whatever is happening is not your fault," Yeosang said quickly as they walked inside and he closed the door. He knows Wooyoung well and he knew that he would be blaming himself. Wooyoung sighed and shook his head.

"He's doing this because of me Yeosang. If I had of just listened to what he told me then I wouldn't have gotten hurt and he wouldn't be retaliating. God I'm so stupid. I'm such an idiot," Wooyoung groaned, dropping down onto the couch and placing his head into his hands.

"Woo it's not your fault. He's a grown man, he can make decisions for himself," Yeosang assured him quickly. Wooyoung gripped his hair weakly and shook his head. Yeosang quickly went to go over to Wooyoung for comfort but stopped when his phone started ringing. Wooyoung glanced up as Yeosang answered the call, watching as the older frowned.

"Are you kidding me? Right now? I'm a bit busy at the moment, can't it wait," Yeosang said with a groan.

"Fine, I'll be there soon," Yeosang said with a resigned sigh. Wooyoung frowned, noting the annoyance in his best friends stance.

"Yeah, ok. Bye," Yeosang said before hanging up.

"I'm sorry Youngie, they need help at the company. Apparently they have designs that they need to submit by midnight and they need my help," Yeosang said with a sigh as he moved over and gently pat Wooyoung's head.

"Don't worry about me, go help," Wooyoung said quietly. Yeosang hesitated, not failing to notice that Wooyoung wasn't in the best state.

"Go Yeosang. I'm fine and you'll get in trouble if you don't go," Wooyoung said.

"I don't want to leave you alone though, not after everything that's been happening lately," Yeosang said worriedly.

"Yeosang go, I'm fine. I don't want to be the reason someone else I care about gets into trouble," Wooyoung said with a sigh. He's already getting San into trouble, he certainly doesn't want to get Yeosang into trouble as well.

"Ok, I'll go. Call me if anything happens though. I'm not sure what time I'll get back so just get a good sleep ok," Yeosang said softly. Wooyoung nodded and glanced up, giving Yeosang a weak smile. Yeosang sighed, giving Wooyoung one last head pat before leaving. Wooyoung deflated the second Yeosang left, letting out a long sigh. He sat up quickly and grabbed his phone, pulling up his messages to San. He was worried about him and he couldn't fight the urge to check in on him, desperately wanting to make sure he was ok.

Youngie: Hey, just wanted to check in because I'm really worried about you

Youngie: Please call me

Sannie ❤️: I can't call but I'm fine

Youngie: Please. I need to talk to you

Youngie: Sannie I'm really worried

Wooyoung waited 5 minutes but still received no reply and he started getting worked up. His breathing quickened and he felt his hands begin to shake. To make matters worse, there was the sound of thunder and rain started to pelt the windows.

Youngie: I'm so sorry.

Youngie: You're probably mad at me and you have every right to be

Youngie: I didn't mean to mess up your life so much

Youngie: Please forgive me

Wooyoung didn't realise he had started crying until he saw a drop of water hit his phone. He let out a sob and shakily put his phone down on the couch before curling up and bringing his knees to his chest. He wrapped his arms around his legs, hugging them to his knees. He continued to sob harshly, his worry and guilt overwhelming him until he heard a knock. He wasn't sure how much time had past but he knew it wasn't enough time for Yeosang to have returned.

He frowned and slowly stood up, trying to settle down his cries. It didn't work very well so he bit his sleeve to try and muffle his sobs a bit better. He went over to the door, tapping the control panel beside the door. He brought up the security footage to find out who was outside his door. The minute the footage came up, he moved his arm and let out a sob. He grabbed the door handle and yanked the door open.

"Sannie," he sobbed out as he was instantly engulfed by a firm embrace.

"I'm not mad Youngie, not at all. You've done nothing wrong so there's nothing for me to forgive you for and you sure as hell have not messed up my life at all. You've brightened my life so much since I first met you. I'm so glad I met you Wooyoung," San rushed out breathlessly. Wooyoung continued to sob but clung to San tightly and buried his head into his neck, relieved that he was there and ok.

"It's ok. I'm ok, you're ok, we're ok, everything's ok," San rambled, gently patting the back of Wooyoung's head. When San realised the younger wouldn't be moving any time soon, he gently guided them from the doorway and closed the door, fiddling for a second before he managed to lock it.

"I'm sorry I didn't answer your messages, my phone doesn't work properly sometimes," San said quickly. Wooyoung sniffled but nodded, slowly beginning to calm down. It was as he was finally calming down and no longer panicking that he took note of the state San was in.

"You're soaking wet," he said with a sniff as he pulled back to look at the other. He really was soaking wet, his hair plastered to his forehead and his clothes dripping onto the floor that was thankfully tiled.

"You're dripping onto my floor," Wooyoung said with a pout. San chuckled in relief that the other was relaxing, his eyes crinkling up and a dimple popping onto his cheek. Wooyoung has always loved San's dimples and found himself calming down more.

"I'm sorry for dripping onto your floor and getting you wet as well," San said apologetically.

"Why are you wet," Wooyoung asked with a frown.

"Um, because it's raining," San said slowly. It suddenly clicked to Wooyoung that San just ran in the rain to get to him and is soaking wet and probably freezing cold.

"Oh crap, right. You should probably have a shower to warm up, Wooyoung said quickly. He grabbed San's hand and dragged him over to his bedroom and through to his bathroom.

"I'll grab you a towel and a change of clothes. Just get the shower started and I'll be back in a few minutes," Wooyoung said before going back to his room. He quickly grabbed 2 towels, one being his favourite and fluffiest. He then grabbed a change of clothes for San and went back to the bathroom. He found San standing in the shower with his clothes on and the shower not running.

"I thought you were going to turn it on and let the water warm up," Wooyoung said with a frown.

"I um, I don't know how to turn it on," San said quietly. Wooyoung mentally facepalmed himself for being stupid and not realising San would have no idea how to turn on his shower.

"Come out, I'll turn it on for you and you can just get ready," Wooyoung said, grabbing San's wrist and gently tugging him out. He quickly stepped into the shower and tapped the tablet screen on the wall. He clicked the water on and turned the temperature up to the warmth he usually likes. He held his hand under the water for a few seconds until it warmed up before he then turned around to face San. He flushed furiously when he saw that the fighter had removed his hoodie and shirt, having his abs on full display. Wooyoung has seen him shirtless a few times but it still never fails to get him flustered.

"Um, you should check that this is a good temperature," Wooyoung said quickly, turning back to the water. San glanced up before moving over. He pressed up against Wooyoung's back, slipping his arm around his waist to keep them stabilised before leaning and reaching towards the water with his other hand. He flinched slightly when his hand hit the water, not expecting the warmth before he relaxed.

"That's really nice. How long can I have the water hot for," he asked, making Wooyoung furrow his eyebrows.

"What do you mean how long can you have the water hot for," Wooyoung asked in confusion.

"How long before the water goes cold again," San aske.

"Goes cold? The water won't go cold unless you want it to. You can take as long as you want with the hot water," Wooyoung said softly. Does San have a certain amount of time before his water goes cold usually? How long does he usually get hot water for? Wooyoung had zoned out for a few seconds but when he came back to focus he squeaked in embarrassment. San had stepped back and begun unzipping his pants. Wooyoung rushed towards the doorway, stumbling slightly in his haste, causing him to crash into the door.

"Woo-."

"I'm ok, I'm ok. Have a nice long shower," Wooyoung yelled out, slamming the door closed behind him. He let out a groan, leaning against the door and slowly sliding down until he hit the ground. He let out a breath and shook his head quickly to clear his thoughts. He was about to get up when he suddenly fell backwards with a yelp. His back hit the ground and he smiled sheepishly up at San who was looking down at him from where he had poked his head out around the door.

"Oh, hi. You good," San questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep, I'm fine. What's up," Wooyoung asked, standing up quickly and flushing red in embarrassment.

"Can I please use your soap," San asked.

"Yeah of course. You can use anything you want in there," Wooyoung replied.

"Ok thanks," San said quietly before closing the door. Wooyoung let out another breath before deciding he should probably get changed himself. He grabbed a change of clothes before peeling off the ones he was wearing and getting changed. He chucked his worn clothes into his washing basket before flopping onto his back onto the bed. He let out a deep sigh, gathering his thoughts once again. He and San need to talk but he wasn't sure if now was the best time. He needs to wait for the right moment.

~~~~~

The water shut off after about 15 minutes and 10 minutes after that, the door opened. Wooyoung sat up quickly to see San walking in looking relaxed and comfortable in Wooyoung's clothes. Wooyoung grinned before noticing San's hair was still soaking wet.

"Come here, you're gonna get a cold if you don't get that dried," Wooyoung said, beckoning San over as he grabbed a pillow. He paused as he noticed San's eyes were red.

"Hey, you ok? You look like you've been crying," he said softly.

"Oh, uh, I just got soap in my eyes," San said quietly.

"Ok. Well come sit down," Wooyoung said, putting the pillow at his feet. San followed obediently, sitting down on the cushion as Wooyoung grabbed the towel from his hand. Wooyoung placed his hands on San's shoulders and gently guided him back to rest against the bed between his legs.

"You just sit here, look pretty and relax," Wooyoung said as he placed the towel on San's head and started rubbing it in.

"You're the pretty one," San mumbled quietly. Wooyoung blushed at his words, but remained silent and continued rubbing the towel over his head. He drying San's head for a few minutes when he suddenly felt San's head lull to the side.

"San," he questioned quietly. San didn't reply so Wooyoung kept a gentle hold on his head and leaned over to see what was going on. San's eyes were closed and his face was lax, meaning he had fallen asleep. Wooyoung smiled softly and just continued to dry San's hair for another few minutes before he felt San's hair again and deemed it dry enough. He put the towel down before gently shaking San's shoulder with his left hand, allowing his head to still rest on his right. San jerked awake and looked around quickly before relaxing as he heard Wooyoung's giggle.

"Hey," he said softly as he tilted his head back to look up at the younger.

"Hello sleepyhead. Your hair drying services have been completed," Wooyoung said softly. San let out a small yawn before nodding and standing up.

"How're you feeling," San asked gently as he turned to face Wooyoung. Wooyoung hesitated in answering.

"Can you stay here tonight again please," he asked softly.

"If you want me to," San said with a nod.

"I want you to," Wooyoung replied quickly.

"Then I'll stay," San said with a firm nod, making Wooyoung's face light up happily.

"Come cuddle," he said quickly, grabbing San's wrist and tugging them both onto the bed. San followed easily, allowing Wooyoung to lay him down and cuddle up to his side. Wooyoung wrapped and arm around San's waist and placed his head onto his chest. It was quiet for a few minutes before Wooyoung found the courage to speak up again.

"We need to talk," he said.

"I know," San replied quietly. Wooyoung drew in a deep breath, buying some time to think of what to say.

"You can't kill him," he whispered shakily, feeling San tense beneath him.

"I've challenged him Woo, I can't just back out," San said with a sigh. Wooyoung shook his head and rolled onto his front so he could look at San who was frowning.

"You can Sannie. You can back out," he begged, his eyes getting slightly watery.

"Oh sweetheart, come here," San said softly. He wrapped his arms around Wooyoung and tugged the younger into a hug. Wooyoung burst into tears and crawled over so that he was laying on top of San.

"Shh, relax Youngie," San whispered, running his hand up and down Wooyoung's back to try and soothe him.

"I don't wan you to d-die but I don't want y-you to kill someone," Wooyoung sobbed out.

"I know. I'm sorry that I'm scaring you so much Wooyoung," San said.

"Y-You aren't scaring me. M'just worried. Pl-Please don't do it," Wooyoung whimpered as he lifted is head up. San sighed once again and gently directed Wooyoung's head back down to his chest, beginning to run his fingers through his hair.

"Even if I wanted to back out, I can't Wooyoung. I've challenged him publicly and my manager would never let me back out," San explained.

"M-Manager," Wooyoung questioned.

"That man you saw come into my room that day. That's my manager," San said.

"What does he do," Wooyoung asked.

"He helped get me into the ring when I first started. You have to put down a deposit first and I couldn't afford that. He manages my fights and does some other stuff.

"Takes most of my winnings as well," San said quietly. It was so quiet that Wooyoung almost didn't hear him, almost.

"Wait, why do you keep him around when he sounds like such a shit person," Wooyoung asked with a frown.

"Because I have to. I have to have a manager and he sometimes needs to make deposits for me because I don't have enough money and then I paying him back through my winnings," San explained with a sigh.

"But, wouldn't he want you to stay alive? What happens if you don't beat Zeus and he, well if he wins the fight," Wooyoung asked with a sniffle.

"I will. Even if it was someone that was better than me, I would win this fight because I have a much bigger incentive," San said firmly.

"I'm sorry I made you do this," Wooyoung said sadly, wiping his eyes.

"You didn't, I chose to do this," San said.

"I'm not mad at you, I would never be mad. I am however frustrated and upset that you felt the need to lie to me about what really happened," San added slowly. Wooyoung winced slightly and cuddled closer to San.

"I didn't want you to blame yourself," he admitted.

"I already blame myself Woo. I made you leave and I said hurtful shit I didn't mean. I made you walk alone and made you feel like you couldn't contact me for help. It was already my fault Wooyoung, no matter the reason they hurt you," San said.

"But it would have made you feel worse," Wooyoung said with a frown.

"You know what made me feel worse? What made me feel worse was finding out from someone else who it was that attacked you and that the reason they did was because they wanted to get back at me," San said in frustration. He drew in a deep breath to calm down, not wanting to get angry with Wooyoung.

"I care about you a lot Wooyoung. Too much I think considering what I do, but I can't help it. Hearing it from you would have probably softened the blow considerably," San said quietly. Wooyoung cuddled close to San, snuggling his head into the fighters neck.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his lips lightly brushing against San's neck. San shivered at the feeling, his eyes slipping closed as he tightened his arms around Wooyoung's waist.

"It's ok. Like I said, I'm not mad in any way," San said, kissing Wooyoung's head softly.

"San please don't do that fight. I know you said there's no way to get out of the fight but can't you at least try, for me," Wooyoung whispered.

"I would Woo, I really would but there's no getting out of it. It's already scheduled for two weeks," San said.

"Well at least, maybe you don't have to kill him. You can just beat him like you usually do," Wooyoung said.

"Woo-."

"No, please Sannie. Please show him mercy," Wooyoung begged. San tensed at that and sat up, bringing Wooyoung with him.

"Wooyoung, do you even wonder how I found out what happened? How I knew who hurt you and why," San asked with a frown.

"I assumed you asked around or something," Wooyoung said.

"That was my plan yes but I didn't even have to do that. Do you want to know why," San asked, an edge to his voice.

"Uh, yeah," Wooyoung said slowly. San was mad, Wooyoung could tell but he could also tell that the anger wasn't directed towards him.

"I found out because he was bragging about it. He was going around telling people about how he taught Lynx's lap dog a lesson. Like you're some kind of dog and not an innocent human being who did not deserve what he did to you," San said angrily.

"Oh," Wooyoung said quietly.

"Yeah, oh. You want me to show him mercy in the ring? I challenged him to this fight. I gave him time to prepare rather than me killing him right then and there for what he did to you. That was me showing him mercy," San said darkly. 

A/N

Whoopsie, I forgot my author note lol. Anyway, thank you for reading Chapter 9 and I hope you enjoyed it.

A couple small notes for anyone who might be curious or have picked up on these small things that I won't dive into at all.

No. No, Wooyoung and San did not clean up that water puddle in front of the door. And yes, Yeosang did indeed come home and have a nice little fall straight onto his bottom but don't worry, he wasn't harmed

As for a moment I'm not sure you guys picked up on but I know I won't mention it later on so I want to make you guys aware for some more insight. San didn't get any soap in his eyes, he was  overwhelmed from having a nice long hot shower with proper soap and conditioner for the first time in years

Also let me know what you guys think might happen next. I am eager to see your ideas