Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Attempted Kidnapping, Panic Attack-ish stuff, Dissociation(? Maybe? Not sure tbh, but like better safe than sorry)

The Dreamies had just made it through a particularly tough day of schedules, and each member immediately retreated into their rooms upon arriving at the dorm, eager to have some time alone. Every member except Chenle, that is. In fact, Chenle had gone to the dorm rather than his apartment specifically because he didn’t want to be alone. He just felt… off. But he understood his groupmates’ need for space, so he tried to give them some. He figured one of them would come over to him after a while anyway.

He sat on the living room couch for a while. He got some food and ate at the kitchen table. He went back to the living room couch and sat there for a little while longer. He took a hot shower. He went back to the living room couch and sat there again.

“This sucks,” he muttered petulantly as he finally realized that no one was going to come talk to him.

Ignoring the small, irrational pang of hurt in his chest, he decided to take matters into his own hands. Poking his head in the doorway of Jeno and Jaemin’s room, Chenle found Jeno dozing off in one bed while Jaemin sat on the other, scrolling through Twitter on his phone. Not wanting to disturb Jeno, as the older boy clearly needed his sleep, Chenle crept quietly over to Jaemin and tucked himself against his hyung’s side. Jaemin initially let him rest there without protest, silence reigning in the room. But after a few minutes, Jaemin shifted away.

“I’m sorry Lele, but I could really use some alone time right now,” his voice was tense but genuinely apologetic, “Maybe try Jisung or Renjun?”

“Oh ok, sorry hyung,” Chenle’s voice was understanding, even as his chest constricted slightly with another pang of hurt.

Jaemin gave him a sheepish smile and ruffled his hair as an apology, to which Chenle just smiled back at him and slipped out of the room. He padded quietly down the hall to Renjun and Jisung’s room, where Renjun was lying in his bed and Jisung was playing Overwatch.

He headed over to Renjun’s bed, intending to lie down next to his fellow Chinese member, but he was stopped abruptly as a hand flew out to barr his access.

“Please don’t,” Renjun groaned in irritation, “I’m seriously not in the mood.”

“Ah, sorry hyung,” Chenle apologized quickly. 

Apparently he and Jaemin weren't the only ones feeling out of sorts.

Trying his best to shrug off the latest rejection, Chenle crossed the room to join Jisung at his computer. Surely his best friend would make some time for him. Sitting down to watch the maknae play, he cheered as Jisung made kills, chattered excitedly between matches, and even tried to instigate debates about which heroes were the best. But all he got in return for his efforts were half-hearted shrugs and clipped, indifferent responses.

Defeated, he returned to the living room. As loneliness tightened his chest in a way that he couldn’t explain, he found himself wishing for Haechan or Mark. But they were at the 127 dorm. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to go bother them there, especially with all of the other hyungs around. 

Shrugging slightly, he decided that he would take a walk and then go back to his apartment. Maybe the fresh air would clear his head. Grabbing his jacket and stepping out the door, he shouted a farewell. No one bothered to respond.

--

Chenle strolled leisurely down the darkened streets of Seoul. Night had fallen, and the city lights bathed the pavement in a familiar, yellowish hue. His identity was concealed safely beneath his mask and bucket hat, and he felt the tight hurt in his chest loosening as he breathed in the cool air.

Crossing over into a park, he smiled gently as he meandered down a dirt path. Trees towered over him, the mysteries of the small city forest lost in the darkness behind them. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves. The world was quiet.

SNAP! 

Chenle jumped as a loud cracking sound rang through the air. Whirling around, he stared into the darkness of the treeline on either side of him, his eyes searching desperately for a form to fix onto. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up straight, his skin prickling with the distinct feeling that someone was watching him. Someone that was very, very close, but still invisible, completely cloaked under the oppressive darkness. 

Suddenly, a figure launched from the shadows. A hand wrapped around his waist, another fixing itself across his mouth. Chenle thrashed violently as he was dragged toward the woods, screaming into the fingers that cut his lips against his teeth with the crushing force of their grip. Chenle kicked outward with all of his strength, landing a powerful strike to his attacker’s knee as he bit at the man’s fingers. In the brief moment that pain loosened the man’s grip, Chenle tore free.

He sprinted down the dirt path, fear pumping blood through his body as his feet flew over the uneven trail. The trees seemed to close in on him, choking his vision. The pounding of his heart thundered in his ears, its volume making his eardrums throb.

Bursting out of the forest and onto the asphalt road that cut through the heart of the park, Chenle bolted for the front gate. He launched out onto the sidewalk with a violent speed, and, dodging around the couple he had startled, ducked into a convenience store at the corner of the block. Darting down the aisles, the Chinese boy fled to the back corner of the store and hunkered down into a ball in the corner. 

His breath came in shaky gasps as his eyes darted between the aisles with lightning speed, his body primed to run the moment his attacker appeared underneath the harsh fluorescent lights. His body trembled with a cold shock that contrasted harshly with the warm blood that seeped sluggishly from his sliced lips. He crouched there, paralyzed with terror, for what felt like hours before he could convince himself that the man hadn’t followed him inside. Hands shaking violently as he suddenly jolted himself back into motion, Chenle fumbled for his phone. He had to call someone, he had to get out of here.

Ringggg... Ringggg... Ringg-

--

Felix groaned as his phone buzzed obnoxiously next to his head. Who the fuck was calling him in the middle of the night? He squinted at the screen, flinching as the bright light seared his retinas, before recoiling in surprise when he saw Chenle’s name. He had been friends with Chenle for a while now, and Chenle never called him unless it was something serious. Without hesitating, he picked up the call and brought the phone to his ear.

“Chenle? Are you ok?” his voice was rough with sleep.

“Hyung I-” the sharp terror in the answering tone had Felix sitting up straight in his bed/

“Chenle?” Felix questioned nervously, “What’s wrong?”

“Hyung-” Chenle whimpered, “Hyung, someone just attacked me.” 

The Chinese boy’s harsh breaths filtered through the phone speakers in scratchy puffs.

“Fuck, ok, um, are you ok? Where are you?”

“Um, I’m fine, um, I’m at a convenience store, uh, near a park?” Chenle’s voice was dangerously unsteady.

Well that didn’t clear up much of anything.

“How about you just send me your location, ok?”

A weak “ok” sounded through the phone speakers, and a few moments later a notification popped up on Felix’s phone.

“Do you want me to call one of your members?”

There was a pause.

“Could you come get me instead?”

Startled, Felix blinked in incomprehension.

“Wait, what?”

A choked, almost hysterical laugh made its way into Felix’s ear, and the Aussie felt his heart sink at the sound.

“Yeah. I don’t know either. Just please?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course I’ll come get you.” 

Felix locked eyes with his roommate, Jeongin, who had been awoken by Felix’s voice and was now listening intently. Felix jerked his head toward the door in the hopes that the maknae would go find Chan. To his immense relief, Jeongin understood immediately and headed straight for the hallway.

“Jeongin’s going to find Chan-hyung. We’ll get there as fast as we can, just stay on the phone, ok?”

He got a shaky “ok” in response. Felix threw off his blankets, put the phone on speaker, and placed it on the night table before pulling on some clothes as quickly as he could.

Just as he finished dressing, Jeongin barged back into the room, dragging a disheveled Chan with him. The pair was followed by a bewildered Changbin. 

“Hyung, I need you to drive me to a convenience store near Chenle’s dorm. Someone just attacked him, and he’s hiding in there.” 

Chan’s eyes widened as he registered the words. 

“Holy shit.” 

His eyes fell on Felix’s phone, where the call was still live.

“Chenle?” He called out tentatively.

“Chan-hyung?” came the jittery reply.

“Yeah, it’s me kid. Can I ask you a question? About your attacker?”

There was a small silence before an affirmative was murmured through the phone.

“Alright. Do you think it was a stalker? Or were you just in the wrong place at the wrong time?”

“Um, wrong place at the wrong time. I think. I don’t know. I think he was trying to take me somewhere.”

Felix’s eyes widened as he registered the implications of the last sentence, and he locked eyes with Changbin, hoping against hope that he wasn’t right in thinking that Chenle had almost been kidnapped. He received no comfort from the regretful grimace that was returned to him.

“Alright, we’re gonna come get you, ok?” Chan’s eyes had hardened with a combination of fear and determination.

“Ok.” 

Chan grabbed Changbin by the arm and leaned in next to his ear, talking quietly so that the phone wouldn’t pick up his words, “Ask security to get a car out to the same location. Tell them not to get out of the car unless there is a problem, but have them be ready. Even though Chenle says the man wasn’t a stalker, it's still possible that he’s being targeted specifically. Especially since it was an attempted kidnapping instead of a mugging or something.”

Felix felt a sinking feeling in his gut as he listened to Chan, and he swallowed hard. As Changbin left the room to make the call, Jeongin wrapped Felix in a back hug and nuzzled his face into the crook of the older member’s neck. 

A few minutes later, Felix was descending the stairs alongside Changbin. Chan was waiting for them at the door.

“We’re gonna be there soon Lele. Just hold on a little longer.”

--

When Changbin’s gaze first fell on Chenle, who was still curled up in the corner of the convenience store, he couldn’t help but let out an audible gasp. The kid looked terrible. His hairline was beaded with sweat, and his pale face contrasted starkly with the smears of crimson blood around his mouth. His hands were shaking, and his eyes glassy as they stared up into his. The SKZ member knelt down on the floor beside the NCT maknae liner, resting a careful hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“You with me?” Changbin spoke to Chenle as one would speak to a frightened animal.

Chenle nodded an affirmative, fidgeting agitatedly with the sleeves of his sweatshirt. 

“Can you stand? We need to get you to the car,” Changbin didn’t want to pressure him, but the last thing Chenle needed was for pictures of this to surface and cause a scandal.

“Yeah,” Chenle’s voice was shaky, but he seemed to understand that he was on borrowed time. 

Putting his mask back on and tipping his hat down to cover his eyes, Chenle pressed himself up into a standing position, stumbling slightly as Changbin guided him out of the brightly lit store and over to the dark SUV that contained Chan and Felix.

Handing Chenle off to Felix so that the youngest Australian could help his friend into the vehicle, Changbin walked around to the other door and climbed inside. Chan was watching him with nervous eyes, and Changbin saw the leader’s face crumble at the grave expression on his face.

“Oh my god, Chenle!” Felix’s exclamation of horror had both of the older members turning immediately, only for Changbin to wince the moment he saw the scene. 

Chenle had taken off his mask, revealing the blood that stained his skin, and the sight was still disturbing the second time around. He couldn’t imagine how startling it was for Felix to see his friend like that.

“Hyungs-” Chenle’s voice stuck in his throat for a moment, “I don’t feel good.”

Changbin could only thread a hand through the Dream member’s hair as the kid’s whole body started to shake. Felix had responded immediately to his friend’s fearful tone, gathering Chenle tightly against his body. He had tucked Chenle’s head under his chin and was whispering words of comfort as Chenle clutched the older boy’s shirt with what could only be described as desperate fear.

“Should we take him back to the Dream dorm?” Chan had twisted around in the driver’s seat in order to face them, and the sheer uncertainty in his expression made the situation all the more frightening.

“No, we need to go to the 127 dorm. That’s where Mark-sunbaenim and Haechan-sunbaenim are,” Felix’s voice was surprisingly steady as he met Chan’s eyes, and Changbin felt a small surge of pride as he realized that Felix had managed to wrestle down his own fear and take charge of the situation in order to help his friend. Their kid was growing up.

“Changbin-hyung, I need you to call Mark-sunbaenim. Tell him what happened, and let him know when we’ll be arriving,” Felix’s next command was aimed at him, and he took the proffered phone immediately. After taking a deep breath to steady himself for the conversation he was about to face, he pressed the call button.

Ringggg… Ringggg… Ringggg…

--

The moment that Chenle was guided into the living room of the 127 dorm by the SKZ members, Mark felt like he had been punched in the gut. Sure, he was aware that his friend had been attacked, and he even knew that the boy was hurt. But there was something different about actually seeing it. Taking in his friend’s shaking form and bloodied face, Mark could only stand in frozen shock as Haechan and the hyungs rushed forward and swiftly directed Felix to settle the Chinese boy down on the couch.

“How badly is he hurt?”

Doyoung was already questioning Changbin and Chan, trying to assess the seriousness of the situation.

“I don’t know, he didn’t tell us. We were more concerned with getting him the hell out of there before someone caught us on camera. He seems really shaken up though,” Chan offered apologetically. 

It didn’t matter either way, as Haechan had soon pried enough knowledge out of Chenle for them to start tending to his injuries.

“Taeyong-hyungie, check his ankle. He thinks he did something to it,” Haechan called out over his shoulder as he went in search of some ice.

Almost instantly, Doyoung was setting a pillow on the coffee table and Taeyong was moving Chenle’s injured ankle to rest on it, elevating the limb. The leader’s long, thin fingers probed gently at the joint as he investigated the swelling caused by a tweak during Chenle’s frenzied escape.

Haechan reappeared with two ice packs, holding one against Chenle’s jaw, which ached after being gripped with such violent force, and passing the other one off to Doyoung, who secured it against the Chinese boy’s ankle after Taeyong finished his examination.

Taeil had taken up residence next to Chenle on the couch as he carefully wiped the blood off of the dreamie’s face and cleaned the wounds on his lips, whispering a steady stream of apologies every time the younger boy flinched in pain. 

And, through all of this, through all of the time when he should have been there for his dongsaeng, soothing the boy’s pain and helping heal his injuries, Mark stood frozen in the entrance to the room. His muscles seemed to have locked up even as his mind screamed at him to go be useful, to go be a real  leader hyung.

“Mark?”

The voice startled his body into action as he jumped in surprise at its close proximity.

“Woah kid, take it easy.”

Wait, that was English.

“Are you alright?”

Jaehyun was peering down at him with concern in his eyes.

“Ah, um, yeah dude I’m fine, sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you-” Mark stammered out.

“You’re not kidding anyone, ya know,” Yuta’s voice butted in behind him, causing Mark to swivel sharply as his heart rate jumped again, eyes snapping to where his Japanese hyung was leaning against the wall of the hallway. 

“Christ! Are you two trying to give me a heart attack?!” Mark exclaimed with a forced   

laugh, switching back to Korean as he smoothed his features into an amused and exasperated expression with practiced ease.

“What do you think you’re doing, giving us a press front?” Yuta tugged Mark’s ear scoldingly as a small glare crossed his face, “You’re scared as hell, just admit it.”

“I’m fine though?” His protest was professionally clean, his expression a perfect replica of genuine innocence and confusion.

“No, you’re not,” Jaehyun persisted, switching back to English, “You’re shocked and scared because one of your best friends almost got kidnapped, and now you’re starting to feel guilty because you haven’t done anything to help him even though the hyungs and Haechannie clearly have that covered already.”

Well fuck.

“Sometimes I think you forget that you’re a maknae as well as a leader, Markie,” Yuta’s voice was concerned, “Besides, this is a freaking terrifying situation. No one can say how they’re going to react to it until it happens, and you’re no different.”

Yuta looked like he wanted to say something else, but a loud sob broke through the room that had Mark whirling around in an instant, his eyes fixed on Chenle.

--

The NCT and SKZ members had crowded around Chenle the moment he started to cry, trying desperately to comfort him, but he could only curl into Felix’s familiar side until one particular voice broke through the din.

“Chenle, it’s ok. I promise, it’s ok.”

A hand was cupping protectively around the nape of his neck.

It was Mark.

Chenle pressed his hand tightly over his mouth in an attempt to stifle his sobs, ignoring the pain from his cut lips. 

“Hey, no, no, no, don’t cry! It’s ok!”

Mark pulled him out of Felix’s hold and into a tight, protective hug, one arm looped around his waist and the other around his shoulders as he guided his younger group member up to his room. Hiding his face in the crook of his leader’s neck, Chenle pressed as close to the older boy as possible, craving the security of Mark’s steady presence. 

“Aigoo, my aegi. Don’t cry aegi~”

The voice, coupled with a light touch that smoothed soothingly across his back, left no doubt in Chenle’s mind as to who had joined them in Mark’s room.

“Haechan-hyung,” he practically sobbed.

“Yes, aegi.”

Haechan pressed a kiss onto the top of his head before continuing to stroke gentle touches down his spine.

They found their way onto the bed, where Mark sat propped against the wall as Chenle cried into his neck. They stayed like that for a long while while Haechan cooed at them in his distinctly Haechan-y way, rubbing Chenle’s back.

“Do you want me to get Johnny-hyung?”

That was an… interesting idea. Chenle didn’t really know Johnny very well, but the Chicagoan had an undeniably strong and protective presence. So he nodded.

“Alright aegi, I’m going to go get him. I’ll be back in a moment.”

The hand left his back after one more soothing circle, and he felt the bed shift as Haechan’s weight left the mattress. He shivered at the loss of contact, and Mark splayed his hand comfortingly across the small of Chenle’s back.

 Haechan’s footsteps returned to the room mere minutes later, and this time he was accompanied by a heavier tread. The scent of Johnny’s cologne filled Chenle’s nose as the older member came closer, and Chenle felt his shoulders relax involuntarily as the powerful rapper’s hand came to rest on the back of his neck. His cries soon turned to sniffles, and he felt some of the tension start to bleed out of him.

“How ya doing there, kid?” Johnny’s velvety voice filled his ears.

“Better now,” he mumbled into Mark’s neck, almost cracking a smile when he felt Mark tense up uncomfortably as Chenle’s breath tickled his skin. Harrassing this hyung, even unintentionally, would never get old.

“Good, good. Do you want to tell us what happened?”

Johnny exuded a steady confidence as he rubbed Chenle’s neck soothingly, but even that comfort couldn’t stave off the swoop of dread that the question caused.

“I didn't feel well when I got back to the dorm,” Chenle started despite his discomfort, “The other dreamies wanted to rest by themselves, but, like, I wanted to be with someone. That's why I went back to the dorms in the first place. But no one wanted me around.”

Hearing Haechan’s disapproving exhale, Chenle rushed to defend the other dreamies.

“I don’t blame them! They were tired, I totally understand it. They don’t have the same personal space that I have with my apartment. But then I thought I would walk around a little and clear my head before I went back to my apartment. I went in the park and was walking down a path in the woods and someone-” his voice hitched slightly as his heart rate started to pick up again, “someone grabbed me. He started dragging me into the woods, he grabbed my face and covered my mouth so I couldn’t scream-”

Johnny shushed him gently and Mark’s hold on him tightened. 

“It’s ok, you don’t need to tell us any more,” Johnny’s tone was soothing, “We get the idea.”

Mark’s countenance had turned to stone, an unfamiliar expression that lessened only when Haechan leveled a warning glare in his direction, which Chenle was almost grateful for. That was, quite frankly, the most terrifying look Chenle had ever seen on Mark’s face. 

They didn’t press any more, just let Chenle cling to Mark’s shoulders as a wave of pure fatigue crashed over him. Telling the story had been the last straw, and, with his injuries now tended to, he felt his strength wane rapidly. He fell asleep to the steady sound of his leader’s heartbeat, completely exhausted.

Chapter Text

Mark felt cold. His face was blank as he cradled his dongsaeng close to his chest, fingers gripping the boy’s shirt tightly. How could he have let this happen? Chenle was one of his kids, and he was responsible for the boy’s safety. How did he fuck up this badly?

“Mark?” Johnny’s worried voice cut into his thoughts, startling him.

He turned to find his hyung’s warm eyes burning into his, reading his distress before he could even think to mask it.

“Yuta!” Johnny called quietly as he kept his gaze fixed on Mark.

Mark watched blankly as his Japanese hyung poked his head through the door a moment later and seemed to scan the room, evaluating the situation in seconds.

“Yuta, go get Jungwoo, Jaehyun, and Taeyong for me, would you?”

“Of course, no problem.”

Mark felt Yuta’s piercing gaze fall on him one more time before the older boy turned and left the room. Mark quickly dropped his eyes to the blankets that covered his bed, studiously avoiding any eye contact with his remaining hyung. 

Moments later, Yuta returned with what seemed like a small army. Doyoung and Taeil had tagged along with the others that Johnny requested, unwilling to be left behind. The entirety of 127, minus WinWin who was with WayV, had crammed themselves into Mark’s small room. 

“Mark?”

Silence.

“Markie?”

Still silence.

“Mark, look at me.”

Mark just curled around Chenle’s body protectively, eyes fixed on the blankets beneath him.

Suddenly, someone was trying, gently but insistently, to pry his arms off of Chenle.

“N-no! Hyung, stop!” Mark yelped out desperately, tightening his hold. 

“Hey, hey, woah there. Relax kid. You can let him go.” Jaehyun had taken up residence beside him and was threading a hand soothingly through his hair.

Mark shook his head viciously at the suggestion, feeling anxiety bubble in his stomach. He was rapidly getting overwhelmed, and he needed to keep Chenle with him in order to feel like he had some semblance of control over the situation.

“Mark, if you keep up like this then he’s going to wake up. Seeing you like this will freak him out even more. So let him go, now. We’ll take care of him.”

Taeyong’s voice was hard and unyielding, and Mark knew then and there that he had lost this fight. His fingers slowly released their vice-like grip on Chenle’s shirt, his arms reluctantly unwinding from around the boy’s waist. Instantly, Taeil and Doyoung swept in, lifting Chenle carefully into their arms and carrying him out of the room, but not before promising Mark in quiet tones that they would look after the Dream member. 

The room was quiet for a moment. Mark’s gaze had returned to the duvet cover as he tilted his head downward, hair falling over his eyes and fingers at twisting the soft fabric beneath him. He knew that he was being subjected to numerous searching gazes, and he had never felt more like a maknae as he used the cover of his hair to stave them off. Being the leader of Dream, he had quickly crafted a quiet stability that never wavered, never left him feeling vulnerable or insecure, never left him desperate for support from others. He needed to be strong for the younger members. But Chenle’s near kidnapping had taken him completely off guard, and the shock had tilted his emotional center dangerously off-kilter. His gut was urging him to find a solitary place to recover, where he could regain his calm in private before returning as unflappable as always, but he had a feeling that wouldn’t happen. 

“Mark-hyung~” Haechan’s fear-tinged whine cut off Mark's musings, the young leader’s head lifting reflexively and his eyes instantly flicking across his best friends’ face in concern.

But the little devil’s lips were curved into a mischievous smirk.

“Got you.”

At first, Mark was confused. Then he realized that Haechan had gotten him to look up before he even registered the movement. And the moment he looked up, his face became perfectly visible to everyone. And if his face was perfectly visible, then everyone had seen his vulnerability. Damn.

He dropped his head back down, but it was too late and they all knew it. Jaehyun’s arm had already slung itself across his shoulders, the weight of the older boy’s brotherly grip grounding the young leader.

Yuta crouched down in front of him, trying to see his eyes, “Looks like Markie finally hit his leader breakdown. About time, really.”

Mark at him with confusion, head tilted to the side.

“Yongie and Kun both had ‘leader breakdowns’ when they got hit by particularly high levels of stress,” Johnny piped up from where he was hugging Haechan, “You adapted to your role frighteningly well, and it makes sense that you didn’t crumble from company pressure since you’re pretty used to that by now. But tonight brought a different kind of stress, didn’t it?”

Mark stared at Johnny, distress and embarrassment mingling together in his gaze. Mark had never been particularly good at talking, and all he could get out in that moment was a tense “Dude I-” before breaking off into a groan of pure agitated frustration as he dropped his head and rubbed harshly at the back of his neck.

Yuta’s hand cupped Mark’s face as the Japanese boy invaded his space with practiced familiarity. Mark felt his chin being lifted, and soon he was gazing directly into Yuta’s cool yet fiery gaze. The young leader tried to shift out of the grip, but Yuta just raised another hand to the side of his head, halting his evasive motion.

“No,” Yuta’s eyes were piercing as they fixed him in place, “You don’t get to run away. Not this time.”

“I don’t run away!” Mark squawked indignantly. 

“You do, actually. All the time,” Jungwoo countered, “Every time you have a problem, you run away and hide in a corner until you’ve dealt with it yourself.”

“Ok, um, well-”

“Stop, Markie. Just stop,” Yuta commanded as he drew Mark’s body flush against his, “Accept our help.”

“How?” Mark mumbled sheepishly into Yuta’s shoulder, resisting the urge to nuzzle into the soft fabric against his cheek.

“Just mimic Haechan,” Jaehyun’s voice held the lilt of a repressed laugh, prompting Mark to peek up over Yuta’s shoulder. 

He was greeted with the sight of Haechan going full koala mode on Johnny on the other side of the room. Taeyong was sitting next to them, carding his fingers through the maknae’s hair. He met Johnny’s eyes and was rewarded with a smile so tenderly encouraging that it made Mark want to hide his face in Yuta’s shoulder again. God, he really was bad at this “feelings” thing.

“How about I tell you what you need to hear? Because we already know,” Jaehyun suggested from beside him.

“I mean- yeah- sure I guess,” Mark acquiesced, his shoulders tightening nervously. 

Jaehyun’s hands instantly found Mark’s shoulders, his fingers deftly massaging away the tension in his muscles. Mark couldn’t help but groan and slump forward at the touch, ignoring Yuta’s fond huff of amusement as the Japanese boy adjusted to support the added weight.

“Alright kiddo, time to listen,” Jaehyun started, maintaining his ministrations after seeing how Mark had reacted, “You could not have prevented what happened today. You don’t need to feel guilty for your lack of action. You stepped up to the plate when Chenle needed you. You did everything you needed to do. You did your job as a leader and a hyung. And now, you need to let us do our jobs as your hyungs.”

Mark was visibly floored, his eyes widened and mouth opened slightly. He turned to face Jaehyun, stuttering in pure confusion.

“How- What- But-”

“We know you, Mark,” Jaehyun cut him off with that gentle smile that makes girls swoon (and almost made Mark swoon too), “So there’s no point in trying to hide.”

Mark sat silently, his mouth opening and closing uselessly as his brain tried, and failed to procure some kind of response to all of the words that had just been thrown at him. Jaehyun’s assertions had just hit too close to home, and Mark suddenly felt his throat close up as tears started to surface. 

“Sorry,” Mark croaked out as he swiped at his eyes, cheeks turning pink with embarrassment. 

Yuta seized his wrist with one hand and guided Mark’s face down to his shoulder with the other.

“Let them fall, little one.”

And Mark cried.

--

In the living room, Felix wasn’t faring much better. After Chenle was swept away during his breakdown, Felix had been left in the living room as the NCT members moved like the wind, cleaning up the first aid supplies and whispering among themselves in worried voices. Chan had sat next to him and placed a hand on his knee in an attempt at a soothing touch, but the other Australian’s unusually pensive expression only brought Felix more stress as he attempted to block out the sound of Chenle’s sobs from upstairs.

And then everything had gone quiet as the remaining 127 members swept upstairs to take care of the aftermath. The three SKZ members sat in the living room uneasily. They hadn’t been dismissed, but they hadn’t exactly been welcomed to stay, either. Felix shifted nervously, his worry for Chenle warring with the awkwardness of sitting in NCT’s living room. Felix felt Chan’s hand rub soothingly across his leg, and he looked up to meet his leader’s eyes.

“We’ll wait to hear some news on Chenle, then we’ll go home,” Chan’s voice retained its uniquely soothing strength even in the most stressful of times, and Felix felt himself settle at its assertiveness.

They sat in silence until light footsteps pattered down the stairs, Doyoung’s elegant form coming into view moments later.

“Thank you guys so much for getting him,” Doyoung’s voice was laden with gratefulness as he addressed the SKZ members.

“Of course, we wouldn’t just leave him after getting that call.” 

Felix could see Chan’s stress bleeding into the air even as he humbly deflected the thanks being offered, and Felix found himself just having to ask

“Doyoung-sunbaenim?” Felix implored cautiously, looking up at the intimidatingly striking man.

“Yes? And just hyung, no need to worry about that,” came the calm reply.

“Is Chenle ok?” he heard his voice crack slightly as his throat tightened unexpectedly when the words left his lips, his anxiety finally leaking out into his body.

He could see his two hyungs turn to him in concern and felt Chan’s hand move from his knee to re-settle at the nape of his neck.

Doyoung peered down at him with a kind, unmasked concern before crouching down to meet his eyes.

“Lele’s sleeping now, we’ve got everything taken care of. He’ll be ok. You did a good job keeping yourself together and helping him.”

Felix pressed his lips together tightly and nodded, closing his eyes against the sudden sting of tears.

“Oh Lixie,” he heard Changbin sigh sadly, “It’s alright, everything is getting sorted out.”

He nodded tightly in acknowledgement, cursing himself as a tear escaped his tightly closed eyes and fell down his cheek. He heard a sad noise before slender arms wrapped around him, a willowy but strong body pulling him close. Neither of his hyungs felt like that, so that meant…

“Doyoung-sunbaenim?” his voice jumped slightly in surprise, embarrassment coloring his cheeks lightly.

“I already told you, it’s hyung,” the older boy’s gentle but knowing smile was audible in his voice.

“Oh,” was all Felix could get out, shocked embarrassment still choking his words.

“Relax kid,” came the mildly amused reply, and Felix felt fingers start to trail soothing strokes down his spine, “You’ve done a good job.”

Felix felt his tense muscles begin to soften involuntarily beneath the gentle touches, and his body soon became relaxed and pliant under his newest hyung’s ministrations. 

“That’s more like it,” Doyoung hummed after some time as Felix’s head lolled tiredly on the NCT member’s shoulder.

“Sorry,” Felix whispered, occasional pangs of embarrassment still running through him.

“No, no, it’s fine,” the older boy soothed instantly, “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes,” Felix admitted, resisting the urge to hide his face in Doyoung’s shoulder. Now THAT would be embarrassing.

“I’m glad.”

Felix could almost feel Doyoung’s smile, and his cheeks heated up again. Hearing a muffled snigger, he glanced up and met Changbin’s mirthful gaze. He was never going to hear the end of this.

“Chan, you should probably take him back to your dorm,” Doyoung spoke again, “Here, put your number in my phone. I’ll keep you guys updated on Chenle.”

Felix heard Chan thank the older singer repeatedly, pausing only as he typed his number into the phone. The younger Australian rolled his eyes fondly. Chan had always been ridiculously polite. It was quite endearing, really.

“Come on Lix,” Chan’s hand rested on his arm, “Let’s get back home. It’s almost 1 AM, and we have schedules tomorrow.”

Felix reluctantly extracted himself from Doyoung’s embrace, refusing to meet the singer’s gaze. He heard Doyoung laugh fondly as a slender hand ruffled his hair.

“Kid, you just latched onto me like a koala for like 20 minutes. Don’t get shy now.”

Felix felt his cheeks flare even brighter.

“Sorry hyung,” he squeaked out.

“No, no, I’m glad I could help,” his senior’s voice had softened into something affectionate and almost tender, “Now get going. Can't have you falling asleep at your schedules tomorrow, can we?”

Chapter Text

Jisung shifted nervously on the couch, watching the door agitatedly. Chenle was just a few minutes from walking over the threshold, and Jisung’s stomach churned with a sickening combination of nervousness and guilt.

The rest of the dreamies were scattered around the room, each engaging in their own nervous fidgeting. Renjun’s foot tapped incessantly against the floor. Jaemin twisted the edge of his shirt between his fingers. Jeno kept running his hands through his hair. Plastered across each face was a similar despondent, stressed expression. The room felt suspended in limbo, as if awaiting a dreaded future that would never arrive.

Except it did. The quiet sounds of shifting and hushed conversation were drowned out by the opening of the door. And each dream member’s head snapped to face the people walking in.

Chenle was flanked by Mark and Haechan, one of Haechan’s arms slung around his shoulder. Jisung’s lips tightened in a frown as he took in his best friend’s cut lips and swollen ankle. 

“It’s okay guys, it wasn’t your fault,” Chenle started immediately, eyes fixed on Jaemin. 

Jisung glanced back to see his loving hyung’s face crumpled with guilt so intense that Jisung reached out to place a hand on the man’s shoulder. 

“Really!” Chenle insisted, shaking off Haechan’s arm to go kneel in front of Jaemin, “You didn’t do this to me, hyung.” He looked up at the other dreamies, “None of you did. The person who did this to me was the asshole who tried to take me. This isn’t your fault.”

Jisung stared at his friend in shock. He had been prepared for rage, for fear, for bitterness. He hadn’t been prepared for this.

“It isn’t,” Chenle pushed more insistently, “Seriously-”

Jisung threw his arms around his best friend, kneeling on the ground beside the smaller boy. He rested his forehead on Chenle’s shoulder, closing his eyes against cotton fabric. His words were caught in his throat, unable to escape. But he felt a hand come up to pat his head, and he knew that Chenle understood, just like always. His apology was accepted.

--

A few hours later found them all sitting together in the kitchen, curled over their respective bowls of galbi. Haechan and Mark had taken off for practice, leaving only the ones who had been in the dorm the night before.

Chenle pressed his palms against the sides of the bowl, feeling the warmth seep into his skin as he savored the smell of the food in front of him. The room was oddly quiet. Chenle looked up to see four despondent faces, heads turned down toward their bowls as they ate their meals quietly. 
 
He sighed, blinking in surprise as the four faces turned toward him in concern. Chenle waved off their worry exasperatedly, blowing a tuft of hair out of his eyes. His acceptance of their apologies obviously hadn’t sunk in, and he narrowed his eyes at them as they turned nervously back to their bowls.

“I forgave you guys already,” he sniped irritatedly, unable to help himself, “So could you stop tiptoeing around me like that?”

He had their attention, that was for sure. But what came out of Jaemin’s mouth was the opposite of what he expected to hear.

“We know you forgive us. But that doesn’t mean we’ll feel better right away.”

Chenle blinked.

“But I forgave you? So that means it’s all good?”

Jaemin shook his head.

“No, that means you don’t feel upset with us. But it doesn’t mean we can’t feel upset about the situation ourselves.” Jaemin leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the countertop. “You almost got kidnapped, and while we can’t blame the situation on ourselves, we can feel bad about the distress and danger we inadvertently caused. That will fade at a different pace for each of us, but our emotions will run their course.”

Chenle tilted his head, letting out a deep breath as he considered the reply.

“That makes sense, I guess. Thanks, hyung. I never thought of it that way.”

Jaemin flipped a little grin at him.

“Of course. Now eat up, or your food will get cold.”

--

Chenle sat on his bed, phone in his hand as it rang. After a few seconds, the call went through.

“Chenle! How are you?”

Felix’s deep timbre filled the room through the scratchy phone speaker as his face appeared on the screen.

“I’m good, Lixie-hyung. Thanks for helping me.”

A relieved smile broke across Felix’s face.

“Of course, I mean what else was I supposed to do? Leave you there?”

Chenle shrugged, cheeks reddening.

“I mean- I don’t know! It’s just a nice thing to say!”

Felix laughed before sobering again.

“How did your group members take it?”

Chenle shrugged, “Jaemin said that they would need some time to come to terms with their own guilt even after I accepted their apologies. They’re despondent, and it’s weird, but I respect their need to think.”

Felix nodded thoughtfully, “It makes sense, I mean. I hope everything returns to normal again soon though, it sucks when group dynamics are off.”

Chenle groaned, flopping back on his bed dramatically, “Practice is going to be HELL.”

Felix’s laughter chimed through the phone, bringing a smile to Chenle’s face as he stared up at the ceiling. He’d wait for the others to get their bearings. But for now, he’d just have to talk to a freckled sunshine demon. There were worse things in the world.