Chapter Text
Donald and Gray disappeared not long at the start of Season 2, a few days after the Union executives meeting.
Both Gray Yeon and Donald Na had gone missing. Originally, most people thought that there was no connection and it had just been two separate kidnappings by two separate culprits. But investigations revealed that both of them had been kidnapped by the same group of people that had been dubbed Mad Dog Arena.
Kingsley Kwan had been devastated. He had loyally followed Donald and felt lost without him. He buried himself in focusing on maintaining the Union, believing that one day that Donald will be found and once he returned, he'd resume his role as the King of Yeongdeungpo. He just needed to keep the throne intact while Donald was gone.
Jake Ji assisted Kingsley. Although he hated the Union, while under Donald's reign he never once had lost control in a fight like he had done in the past. He also pitied the other teen. Jake had been horrified after discovering his brother's bloody and beaten state. He could only imagine how badly Donald's kidnappers were hurting Donald.
Ben Park, Alex Go, Gerard Jin, Teddy Jin, Rowan Im, and Eugene Gale were distraught when their friend had been kidnapped. They all joined the desperate search for him but it all ended with anger, regrets, and frustrations when they were unable to find him.
XXX
It had been an entire year. An entire year had passed since the two smartest people in the area had been kidnapped. Despite the two teens' lack of presence in the area, life still moved on for everyone else.
Teddy had noticed his cats were acting strange, more specifically Sprite. Although Teddy had adopted Sprite and brought him to his apartment, Sprite still preferred to be able to explore the outdoors. Most of the time Teddy fed Co and Sprite dry kibble, but once a week he'd also bring out the cans of wet cat food.
Co happily gobbled his can of wet cat food up while Sprite only took a few small bites before picking up the entire can and sprinting outside. At first Teddy brushed it off as Sprite not wanting Co to steal his food. But after Sprite began to lose a bit of weight, Teddy decided to follow him one day while also bringing some extra food with him.
To Teddy's confusion, Sprite traveled quite the distance to an abandoned building. Teddy was worried for Sprite's safety but it seemed like his cat had done with multiple times before. Teddy entered the building and saw as his cat rushed over to a pair of large figures in the shadows. A pair of blood red eyes was glaring right at Teddy.
"What the fuck is that!?" Teddy exclaimed.
Without warning, one of the figures lunged at Teddy and knocked him to the ground, pinning him with ease. Teddy panicked and tried to escape but he was no match for the creature's strength. Sprite quickly rushed to Teddy's age and hissed at the creature.
The creature glanced at Teddy before letting him go. Teddy backed away in fear but as much as he wanted to run away, he was not going to leave his cat alone with whatever the fuck this creature was.
Teddy managed to get a closer look at the creature now that it was in better lighting. The creature stood on two legs like a human, but its hands and feet were animal paws and it had a tail that swished back and forth behind it. Teddy caught sight of the creature's face and tattoed neck and was immediately able to recognize who the creature was.
"D-Donald Na!?"
Donald narrowed his eyes and continued to glare at Teddy. He sniffed the air a bit and pointed at the bag Teddy had brought with him. Teddy fearfully kicked the bag over to Donald who opened it and saw all of the cans of cat food. He walked over to the shadows where the other figure was and began opening the cans, also sliding one can over to Sprite.
'Wait, if that's Donald Na then...' Teddy quickly took out his phone and shone the flashlight at where the two were. "Gray!"
Compared to Donald who stood on two legs, Gray seemed to prefer to be on all fours like an actual cat. Gray, like Donald, also possessed feline paws for hands and feet and had a tail. Teddy recognized Donald's traits as those of a lion and Gray's traits as those of a snow leopard. As they both ate the cans of cat food, Teddy noticed that they also had sharp fangs for teeth.
Teddy shakily dialed Ben's number. "B-Big Ben...I-I found Gray and Donald,"
XXX
Ben, Alex, Gerard, Eugene, and Rowan arrived and they had also notified Kingsley of Donald being found. Jake had been with Kingsley at the time and had also tagged along. At Teddy's request, they had also brought some food. The blonde feared that they might get attacked if the two cat-human hybrids were still hungry after all those cans of cat food.
"Oh my god..." They were all horrified to see the missing boys' current state.
"Gray—"
Gray became terrified when Alex had begun to approach them and protectively hid behind Donald. Donald snarled and bared his fangs at them, daring them to get closer.
"Hey, we're not going to hurt him!" Alex argued. "He's our friend!"
"I don't think Gray can recognize us," Gerard said, placing a hand on Alex's shoulder. "He seems terrified of us,"
"Donald also seems to be pretty protective of Gray," Rowan commented.
"Donald?" Kingsley gently called and took a few steps towards him with Jake on standby to pull him away if necessary.
Donald's tail flicked with caution as Kingsley continued approaching him. His scarlet eyes were trained on the bespectacled teen but he made no move to attack. Kingsley stopped right in front of him and held his arms out for a hug.
"Donald...you must've been through a lot..." Kingsley didn't bother hiding his tears. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Donald,"
To everyone's shock, tears began to fall from Donald's eyes as he leaned into Kingsley's chest and hugged him back. Kingsley gently ran a hand through Donald's hair while comforting him.
Word Count: 1008
Mad Dog Arena is a concept I've used across other fandoms such as Detective Conan, One Piece, and Jurassic World. It's one of my favorite concepts to use because I love trauma bonding and recovery fics.
Chapter Text
Donald fell to his knees and Kingsley continued to hug him close. Gray was confused by Donald's behavior and meowed. Donald let out a quiet chuff to reassure Gray that they were safe and that these people were safe.
Although Gray trusted Donald, he still was reluctant to trust these new humans. Rather than approaching them or letting them near him, he decided to just play with Sprite instead. Sprite happily played with his friend.
"Why can Donald recognize Kingsley but Gray can't recognize us?" Rowan asked.
"Cub's mind...is broken..." Donald's voice was raspy and strained. "Cub...can't cope..."
"Cub?" Jake questioned.
"Cub..." Donald pointed at Gray. "My brother...mine to protect..."
"Brothers? You two aren't brother," Alex said.
Those words angered Donald and he roared at them. "Cub is my brother! Cub is mine to protect!"
"Okay, okay!" Ben protectively stood in front of Alex and tried to diffuse the situation. "Gray is your brother!"
"Do not take away my brother!" Donald snarled at them. "I kill to protect my brother!"
"We won't take Gray away," Ben quickly told him. "We won't take him away,"
Gray stomach growled loudly despite having eaten a few cans of cat food earlier. When Eugene tried to give him the bags of food, Donald growled at him. Kingsley took the bags from Eugene since Donald seemed to only trust him. He opened the bag to reveal the multitude of convenience store snacks that the Eungang had bought.
Gray grabbed a triangle gimbap and tried to bite through the plastic. Donald gently took it from him and opened it for his little brother to eat. Gray happily ate the gimbap and then asked for Donald to open another one. Donald did so and Gray quickly ate that one up too.
"You can eat some of the snacks too," Ben said, noticing that Donald wasn't eating.
"Cub eats first," Donald simply said as he opened a bag of chips and a boxed lunch for Gray.
After Gray devoured the chips and boxed lunch, he was finally full. Due to his belly being filled, he was also a bit sleepy. He curled up beside Donald like a house cat and began to sleep. Donald took out another boxed lunch but rather than shoving his face into it like Gray had done, he attempted to use the provided chopsticks to eat, although it proved quite difficult with his hands being lion paws so he opted to just eat with his paws instead.
"I brought some bread from your favorite bakery," Kingsley handed the loaf over to Donald. "I bought a loaf everyday because I knew you'd one day return,"
Donald split the loaf into two and handed half to Kingsley. The two boyfriends ate the bread together. Once Donald had finished the boxed lunch, Kingsley opened up a container of sushi from the bag and fed it to Donald. At first Donald hesitated because he thought he'd accidentally injure Kingsley with his fangs, but he slowly and gently ate the pieces of sushi.
"It's getting pretty dark," Teddy noted. "I gotta bring Sprite home,"
The other boys also needed to get home too but they were all reluctant to leave Gray and Donald alone in the abandoned building. "Donald, I'll come back," Kingsley told his boyfriend. "I'll grab us some blankets and pillows from my apartment but I'll come right back here, okay?"
Donald really didn't want Kingsley to leave but he nodded. "Okay..."
XXX
Rowan:
It's so weird hearing Donald say
he's Gray's brother and him
being protective of Gray
Gerard:
Yeah, what's that all about?
Kingsley:
I think Donald's mind convinced
itself that he is Gray's brother in
order to motivate him to survive
by giving him a purpose
Alex:
I don't completely trust Donald
after all the shit his Union has
done to us but I'm only letting
him stay around Gray because
Gray trusts him
Alex:
I don't completely trust Donald so
the moment he becomes hostile
towards Gray I'm ready to fight him
Ben:
I don't think Donald will ever hurt
Gray as long as he's convinced that
they're brothers
Jake:
What about when Donald recovers
enough to realize that he and Gray
aren't brothers but instead they're
enemies?
Ben:
Let's worry about that when the
day comes
Ben:
For now let's worry about trying
to get them comfortable with us
Eugene:
Shouldn't we take them to the
hospital?
Teddy:
Yeah
Teddy:
They were experimented on so
it's best they get medical
treatment as soon as possible
Kingsley:
I think we need to regain their
trust first. Donald recognizes me
but I can tell he still doesn't trust
me as much as he did before.
Kingsley:
They're most likely terrified of
hospitals and doctors.
Gerard:
They're terrified of everyone
XXX
Kingsley kept his word and returned to the abandoned building with multiple blankets and a few pillows. Donald placed a blanket over Gray first before settling down beside him. Donald still kept an eye on Kingsley as the latter also laid down beside Donald and threw a blanket over them to keep warm for the night.
"Is this enough?" Kingsley asked. "Or should I bring out more blankets?"
Donald glanced over at Gray who wasn't shivering at all. Even if it were a cold night, Gray would probably be able to handle colder temperatures due to the snow leopard DNA he had been infused with. "It's fine..."
Donald hugged Kingsley close but made sure to keep his claws retracted so as to not accidentally scratch him. Kingsley gently traced with his finger the area where the lion traits and human traits met at Donald's forearms. Fresh tears began to well up again, but he did his best to hold them back.
"How long?" Donald asked quietly. "How long...were we missing?"
"A year," Kingsley answered. "You and...your brother...were missing for a year," He did his best to keep his voice steady but it began to break near the end. "I searched for you, Donald...I even reported you missing to the police..." He took a deep breath. "But after the police found out you were kidnapped by Mad Dog Arena..."
Donald flinched upon hearing that place's name.
"They said that the chances of your being found alive were close to zero..." Kingsley shifted closer to Donald. "They said that Mad Dog Arena operates several bases around the entire world...and that all governments still struggle to deal with them..."
Donald carefully and gently wiped Kingsley's tears away.
"You must think I'm pathetic, right Donald?" Kingsley chuckled hollowly. "You're the one that suffered...yet I'm the one that's crying,"
Donald stayed silent and hugged Kingsley closer. He didn't think Kingsley was pathetic. In fact, he was still rather touched that someone was willing to cry for him.
Word Count: 1066
Chapter Text
Donald growled when he heard footsteps approaching but stopped once he saw that it was the Eungang and Jake approaching, although he did still glare at them to warn them to keep their distance. They brought a bag of more food and some drinks. Gray happily chugged down a carton of milk.
"I found out on the internet that this place is set to be demolished in a few days," Rowan spoke up.
Donald looked over to Kingsley. "Home?"
"I moved back in with my parents a few months after you disappeared," Kingsley shook his head. "I put all of your things in a storage unit. It was too painful to stay alone in that apartment,"
Most of them lived in an apartment with their parents so they didn't have any room to spare. "My house has a guest room," Alex spoke up. "But we'd probably need to sneak them inside so that my family won't notice," He didn't like the thought of Donald in his house but he would endure it for Gray's sake.
"Donald, is it alright if you and Gray move into Alex's house?" Kingsley gently asked his boyfriend.
Donald was upset. He wanted to go back home. He wanted to go back to his and Kingsley's shared apartment. Home was safe. Home was warm. He didn't want to move into a room in Alex's house. It'd feel like they'd be living in a cage. He knew that they wouldn't keep them locked up in the room like some prisoner, but they'd have to be extra careful so as to not be seen by Alex's family or any of the neighbors.
He tried to think of alternatives, like another abandoned building. But then he started thinking about the weather. If it rained hard or when it got extremely cold and snowed during winter, they most likely wouldn't be able to keep themselves adequately warm. He reluctantly agreed to the idea.
XXX
They managed to sneak Donald and Gray inside Alex's house and into the guest room while Alex's family was asleep. Gray was mesmerized by the softness of the bed and began to jump on top of it a bit. Donald grabbed one of the pillows and placed it on the floor next to the bed, intending to sleep on the floor while letting Gray take the bed.
"I have an air mattress you can use," Alex told him. "Or a sleeping bag if that's more comfortable for you,"
Donald was silent for a moment before he finally decided to use a sleeping bag, thinking that he might accidentally pop the air mattress with his claws in his sleep.
"I'll sneak in food for breakfast and dinner," Alex informed them. "I'll also make sure to give you guys a stash of snacks to munch on when I'm at school during lunchtime,"
"We'll drop by everyday after school," Ben said.
"Donald, I'm not abandoning you, okay?" Kingsley reassured his boyfriend. As much as he wanted to rent an apartment and live with Donald (and Gray) he lacked the funds since the Union's businesses haven't been as successful since Donald's disappearance. "I'll also visit you everyday,"
Donald leaned his head into Kingsley's hand and purred softly. He wanted Kingsley to stay with him but he was sane enough to understand that Kingsley couldn't exactly move into Alex's guest bedroom with them.
Alex reheated some leftover spaghetti for Donald and Gray's dinner. The group sat together and the Eungang tried to tell Gray about the times the hung out together to try to jog his memory and try to get him to recognize them, but it was to no avail. Gray still continued to act like an actual cat, although he wasn't as wary of them as he was in the beginning.
Donald and Kingsley hugged each other tightly when Kingsley had to leave. Once everyone else had left, Alex awkwardly stood in the room with the two hybrids. "Feel free to watch TV if you want," Alex said. "I'll be the room next door if you need anything,"
Once Alex also left, Donald settled down into the sleeping bag. Gray hopped off of the bed and curled up beside his big brother, but Donald placed him back on the bed so Gray would be more comfortable. Gray whined and Donald reluctantly got in the bed with him, protectively holding him close.
'If it weren't for my little brother, I would've gave up on surviving that hellhole a long time ago,' Donald thought as Gray fell asleep. 'I endured everything to stay with my little brother. I have to protect him at all costs,'
XXX
The next morning, Alex softly knocked on the guest bedroom door before opening it. "I brought breakfast," He slid two plates full of toast, bacon, sausages, and eggs over to them. "My mom cooks a lot for breakfast even if we aren't able to finish it all before my little sister and I need to head to school. Will this be enough or should I grab another plate?"
"It's enough," Donald said.
"Here are also some chips and cookies and two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch," Alex took the things out from his backpack that he had quickly stuffed with food. "I'll be back with the others in a couple hours," He hesitated before eventually leaving.
'I can't believe Donald Na is staying at my house right now while I go to school,' Alex thought as he made his way to Eunjang. 'I know he's protective of Gray right now, but I still can't trust him, not after everything the Union did to us in the past,'
Alex reached his classroom and plopped down at his desk. His friends were quick to approach him. "How are Gray and Donald?"
"They were both quiet when I gave them more food," Alex answered. "I reminded them that they could watch TV while I'm gone. I know Donald understand but since Gray's more catlike right now, I'm worried that he might accidentally make loud noises that'd attract my parents' attention,"
"Should we bring some cat toys to keep Gray distracted?" Teddy suggested.
"But Gray's not a cat," Eugene spoke up. "We need to try to help him regain his humanity so we should treat him like a human, not a cat,"
Word Count: 1028
Chapter Text
When school ended, they quickly all left together and met up with Kingsley and Jake who were already waiting for them. They made their way to Alex's house.
"Mom, I brought some friends over!" Alex called as they entered. "We're gonna hang in my room,"
"Hi Mrs. Go!" Ben greeted.
"Hi Ben, hi Alex's friends," Mom Go greeted. "I'm baking some treats for Ariel's tea party,"
"That looks like a lot of food," Alex commented. "Aren't Ariel's tea parties only with her stuffed animals?"
"She has two new friends now," Mom Go explained. "They're both very skinny and need to eat more,"
"Uh...sure..." Alex found it to be a bit strange but not too odd since his mother always cooked snacks for his sister's tea parties. "We're gonna head upstairs now,"
When they opened the guest bedroom, it was empty. "Gray?" Alex called as they entered. "Donald?"
Kingsley frantically shoved Alex aside. "Donald! Donald, where are you!?"
"Hey you're being too noisy," Teddy warned. "Alex's mom and sister might here you,"
"Who cares if I'm being loud!?" Kingsley snapped. "Donald's missing! I can't lose him, not again!"
"Is something wrong?" Mom Go asked as she brought up a tray of the baked treats to bring to Ariel's tea party.
"Did anyone go inside the guest room while I was gone?" Alex asked his mother.
"Oh, you must be looking for Donald and Gray," Mom Go realized, surprising everyone. "They're attending Ariel's tea party,"
"EH!?"
Alex swiftly slammed open the door to his little sister's room. Donald and Gray sat at the table alongside Ariel and her stuffed animals. The two hybrids were noticeably cleaner, their hair had been cut shorter, and their clothes were new. Their animal traits had also seemingly retracted a bit.
"Uh..." Alex didn't know how to respond to the scene.
"Alex, I am very disappointed in you," Mom Go scolded as she set the tray of food down on the table. "You didn't even offer to let them take a shower and change into clean clothes!"
"Donald!" Kingsley rushed over to his boyfriend's side and hugged him tightly. "Don't just disappear like that without telling me! I thought I had lost you again!"
"Sorry," Donald hugged him back.
"You cut your hair?" Kingsley inquired. "How did you hold the scissors?"
"Mrs. Go cut it," Donald answered as he grabbed a brownie and took a bite.
"You let her?" Kingsley questioned with confusion.
"She's nice," Donald shrugged, recalling her motherly warmth that reminded him of his own mother. "She made me and my brother new clothes,"
Gray ate some cookies. "Yummy!"
"Did Gray just talk!?" Gerard exclaimed.
"Is it surprising that he can talk?" Mom Go inquired. "Donald can talk,"
"Gray has been acting like an actual cat ever since we found him," Alex explained. "He never once spoke until now,"
Ariel was glaring at her older brother. "You and your friends are interrupting our tea party!" She started pouring some tea into teacups. "Here Mr. Kittypaws, here Mr. Fluffycat, have some tea,"
"Donald doesn't like black tea," Kingsley said.
"I'm not going to be picky about what food and drinks I'm given," Donald told him. "Anything...is better than...than what that hellhole gave us," His hands trembled slightly but he managed to regain composure.
"Donald," Kingsley gently asked. "What did they feed you in Mad Dog Arena?"
Donald suddenly sprinted out of Ariel's room and to the bathroom where he began throwing up into the toilet. "Others..."
"Donald?" Kingsley knelt down beside him and gently rubbed his back.
"They forced us to fight each other..." Donald revealed in a shaky tone. "The losers were fed to the winners..." He began throwing up some more. "Cub and I...we ate other people..."
XXX
"Both of them suffered so much in Mad Dog Arena," Eugene said while Donald and Gray were both resting before dinnertime.
"I'm surprised Donald also managed to keep his sanity instead of his mind breaking like Gray's," Teddy added. "They went through some seriously fucked up shit,"
"Is there really nothing we can do against Mad Dog Arena?" Ben clenched his fists tightly. "Can't we get revenge against them!?"
"Big Ben, they're a large organization, larger than the Union," Gerard reminded. "Even the government struggles to locate and arrest them. It's a miracle that Donald and Gray managed to escape in the first place,"
"It's so frustrating!" Ben said.
"Boys?" Mom Go knocked on Alex's bedroom door before opening it. "I understand your guys' reluctance to take them to the hospital, especially since it's evident that they were experimented on, but shouldn't you at least notify Donald and Gray's parents?"
"We could probably get Gray's mom's phone number from the school," Rowan suggested. "Kingsley, do you know Donald's parents' phone number?"
"Donald's mother died five years ago," Kingsley revealed. "Aside from me, he has no one,"
The Eungang and Jake felt some pity towards Donald. They each at least had one parent and Jake also had his big brother, but Donald had no family. They wondered if another reason Donald's mind convinced him that Gray was his brother stemmed from the desire to have a family.
"Do you think Gray's mother will react well to Gray's current condition?" Alex asked.
"We've never met her so we don't know what kind of person she is," Ben said. "But if she truly loves her son then she would accept him back in her life, even in his current state,"
XXX
The Eungang, Kingsley, and Jake all stayed for dinner. Alex's mom cooked a large amount of food for everyone to eat their fill. After he finished eating, Donald headed to the front door, much to everyone's confusion.
"Donald?" Kingsley asked. "Where are you going?"
"I want to visit Mom," Donald answered. Having experienced the motherly warmth from Alex's mom made him miss his own mother.
"The columbarium is still open for visitors but is it alright for you to go out?" Kingsley asked.
Donald took a deep breath and focused on his lion paws. His hands and feet both slowly began to shift. He winced with each movement. After a few agonizing minutes, his hands and feet were now more humanoid, but they were still a bit larger than they normally were and covered in lion fur and his nails were still sharp like claws.
Word Count: 1011
Chapter Text
Mom Go drove them to the columbarium since it was still quite the distance and they wanted to avoid being seen by other people. After ensuring that there were no other visitors, Kingsley led Donald over to the niche where his mother's urn was kept.
Donald held Gray's hand so that he could also accompany him. Gray struggled to walk only on his legs but Donald helped keep him steady. Gray, still with a mostly feline mind, couldn't retract some of his snow leopard features like Donald had done.
Donald stared at Sua Lee's photo and her urn for a couple of silent seconds. Finally, he spoke. "Hi Mom..." Tears began to well up in his eyes. "I'm sorry...I haven't been able to visit you..."
"Who's she?" Gray asked, managing to say the few words.
"My mother," Donald answered quietly. "Mom, this...this cub is my little brother," The tears began to fall. "I wish I had been able to visit you on your birthday..."
Gray, sensing his big brother's overwhelming sadness, hugged him.
"Mom...if you were alive...would you still love me...even though I look like this now?" Donald whispered in a broken voice. "Can I even be considered human anymore?"
"Donald," Kingsley gently told him. "You are still human. You're still a person,"
Alex waited with Ben, Jake, and his mom in the car. "I still can't believe that someone like Donald was reduced to such a broken mess," Alex mumbled. "I still don't forgive him for the troubles he caused us, but..."
"Donald is still a human just like everyone else," Ben said solemnly. "Everyone has a breaking point,"
"Do you think it was a coincidence that those two, the two smartest students in Yeongdeungpo, were both kidnapped?" Jake brought up.
"Are you saying that they were both specifically targeted by someone?" Alex questioned.
"It feels a bit too coincidental," Jake claimed. "But I can't think of anyone who's an enemy of both Donald and the White Mamba,"
"All of Gray's enemies here are in the Union since you guys were the ones who attacked us first," Alex reminded. "I can't think of anyone outside of the Union except maybe Phillip. But I doubt Phillip has connections to Mad Dog Arena to get them kidnapped,"
XXX
Donald and Gray continued to stay in the guest bedroom. The Eungang and Kingsley always visited after school. Mom Go and Ariel were very warm and welcoming to Donald and Gray. Mom Go always made sure to have a place for them set at the table.
Donald practiced focusing on retracting his lion paws. It hurt a lot each time he tried but he made great progress. Eventually he was able to completely retract his lion traits, including the tail, completely. Whenever Donald was greatly stressed out or angered, the lion paws and tail would come out again. Some nights he'd manage to go to sleep completely human only to end up waking up with paws and a tail due to a nightmare.
Donald didn't really enjoy going outside. It felt so open and freeing yet at the same time it also felt too open. He felt too vulnerable, as if he would be attacked by any and all directions. He preferred to stay holed up in the guest bedroom, an area he considered to be his territory now. The only reason he left the room at all was to stay by Gray's side because Gray liked to explore around the house.
Gray started to speak more words and eventually began to speak full sentences. He also started to stand on his two legs more often, although there were often times that he found it more comfortable to walk on all fours like an actual cat. He hadn't started practicing retracting his feline traits like Donald had yet.
XXX
It had been three months since Donald and Gray had been found. The Eungang finally decided to call Gray's mother. They informed her that they had found Gray and sent her Alex's address. Mom Yeon said she'd head there first thing tomorrow morning.
Morning came and Mom Yeon rang the doorbell. Mom Go answered it and let her into the living room. Gray sat on the couch and his snow leopard ears perked up when he heard him. He immediately stood up on high alert.
"Gray?" Mom Yeon called towards him.
Gray stared at her. "Are you...my mom?"
Mom Yeon got a better look at Gray. Her eyes scanned over him and she clearly saw his snow leopard traits. She took a step back, away from him. "Stay back,"
"He's not going to attack you," Ben spoke up.
"He's a freak," Mom Yeon wrinkled her nose in disgust. "That thing isn't my son,"
"Donald, don't," Kingsley held Donald back.
"Hey, he only looks like that because he was experimented on!" Rowan argued. "He's still your son!"
"I refuse to consider it to be my son!"
"How dare you!?" Mom Go slapped her. "What kind of mother are you!? Shouldn't you be relieved that your son is alive!?"
"All he has done is caused nothing but hardships for me lately!" Ms. Yeon snapped. "My husband left me because he didn't want a child! I still decided to raise Gray as a single mother. He was well-behaved and studious as a child. In his third year of middle school, he suddenly stopped attending school for two whole months. When he finally did return, he attacked the city representative's son! Do you know what kind of backlash my reputation faced because of him!?"
Gray whimpered from her yelling. He hid behind his big brother. Donald began to snarl at Ms. Yeon. Ben and Gerard noticed and helped Kingsley hold Donald back.
"We had to move to Yeongdeungpo because of him! I lost my job! I managed to find another job, but we had to move from a big house to an apartment! Then, when high school started, he also started getting into fights more often! And now? Now he went and got himself kidnapped and turned into a freak! I am done with him!"
"GET OUT!" Donald roared. The only reason he hadn't lunged at her was because Gray was clinging onto him while crying. "I SAID LEAVE! YOU UPSET CUB! YOU UPSET MY BROTHER!"
Ms. Yeon was startled by the roar and quickly fled without looking back.
Word Count: 1031
Ms. Yeon did genuinely love her son in the past but all that love is gone now.
Chapter Text
Donald held Gray as the smaller boy sobbed. Donald gently rubbed his brother's back and ran a hand through his hair while trying to soothe him. "You don't need her, Gray. You've survived hell without her,"
"I can't believe that bitch would just abandon her son so easily like that!" Mom Go cursed.
"No...home?" Gray whispered.
"Gray, I'm not going to kick you out," Mom Go gently told him. "Why would you think I'd do that?"
"My own mom...she hates me..." Gray said through hiccups. "Why would you...want me to stay?"
"If cub leaves, I'm leaving," Donald protectively hugged Gray tighter.
"Neither of you are leaving," Mom Go said. "Both of you are still staying here,"
"We don't have to leave?" Gray stared at her with teary eyes.
"Of course not," Mom Go gently placed a hand on Gray's shoulder. "You two are just children. Children shouldn't be forced to fend for themselves. If the two of you would like, you can permanently stay here,"
It was at that moment that Alex Go realized that his mother had adopted Donald and Gray as her sons. It wasn't official yet, but Alex saw how determined his mother was to ensure that the two had a safe place.
Alex didn't mind having Gray as a brother. It was Donald that Alex was reluctant to accept. He sympathized with Donald after learning of what horrific trauma he and Gray went through. But he had thought that Gray would move back in with his mother and Donald would follow. He had thought Donald's stay here would be temporary.
XXX
It was late at night when Donald left the house a week later. He had ensured that Gray was safe and asleep before he left and met with Kingsley a couple blocks down the road. "Donald...are you sure you're ready to return to managing the Union in-person?"
"Yeah," Donald nodded. "I need the income so that my brother and I can move out of Alex's house,"
"But didn't Alex's mom say you can stay permanently?" Kingsley asked.
"She did, but I don't want to constantly rely on her," Donald said. "I hate relying on others. I prefer to be able to support myself and my brother. Besides, I am the strongest person in the Union. I need to show people that I'm still alive so that we can get rid of any challengers who are a threat to the Union,"
They arrived at the Han River. Kingsley had called them all to gather for an assembly. Everyone thought that Kingsley would be the only one there giving announcements and orders, but they were all shocked to see Donald at the top of the stairs beside him.
"I'm sure that you're all aware that I was gone for a while," Donald's voice echoed throughout the Han River, just as powerful as it had been last time. "But I am now back. Kingsley has been managing the Union in my absence, but there are some changes to make in order to improve the Union,"
He went on to announce the changes that would be made to businesses and the system. He then addressed the Union's enemy. "I know that we've had conflict with Eunjang in the past. Yoosun attacked Eunjang after taking an individual commission and they lost. Hyeongshin was sent to deal with Eunjang but they lost too. However, Eunjang will be off limits from now on,"
The Union members started to murmur amongst themselves, wondering why since things with Eunjang hadn't been settled. It had been a year since the conflict, so they thought maybe Donald didn't want to deal with them and focused on dealing with current problems.
"Kingsley has told me that Manwol, now run by Myles Joo, has been causing problems for the Union during my absence," Donald said. "It seems that Myles still decided to go against Union. I've broken his leg last time so maybe I should make him permanently wheelchair bound so that he won't ever go against the Union ever again. Kingsley will inform you guys the time and location,"
"Also," Donald glared at everyone. "If any of you are doubting my strength and capabilities due to my prolonged absence, come and fight me now. I'll prove that I am still the ruler of Yeongdeungpo,"
No one dared to challenge him. Wolf thought about fighting him, but he felt that there was something a bit off about Donald. Although Donald hid it well, Wolf could tell that Donald was on higher alert than usual, as if he were on edge.
After a few minutes of tense silence, Donald dismissed everyone. Kingsley followed Donald back to Alex's house where Donald allowed himself to shift into his hybrid form. His instincts had been telling him that he was near dangerous people, even if the Union members were nowhere near as dangerous as Mad Dog Arena had been.
"It's okay now," Kingsley hugged Donald tightly. "You're safe. No one will ever hurt you again," He wished he had the strength and power to be able to destroy Mad Dog Arena to avenge Donald, but he knew he could do nothing if even the government couldn't stop them.
XXX
"You made a public return," Alex confronted Donald after having seen the numerous Shuttle Patch posts. "Isn't that dangerous and risky?" It wasn't that Alex cared about Donald, but he was ultimately concerned about Mad Dog Arena also finding out Gray's location and kidnapping him again. Alright, he was slightly worried about Donald's safety too but he wasn't going to admit it out loud.
"The Union is my only source of income," Donald told him. "And I don't intend to remain in the shadows forever. The Union has weakened significantly since my disappearance so I'm going to build it back up. I intend for my brother and I to eventually move out of your house,"
"The posts mentioned that you said Eunjang was off limits,"
"If cub does eventually return to school, I don't want him to get caught in the crossfire of Union conflicts," Donald said. "And...since you guys have helped so much, I'd rather the Union not bother you and your friends,"
Myles is going to regret becoming the new leader of Manwol.
Chapter Text
"What?" Donald blinked and stared at Ben.
"I said," Ben repeated. "We'll help fight Manwol,"
"Why?" Donald asked. "Did you finally decide to join the Union?"
"No," Ben declined. "But even if Myles himself hasn't directly attacked me and my friends, members of Manwol have been causing trouble for us,"
"Manwol attacked you guys?" Donald inquired.
"Eugene is an easy target and he got attacked once," Ben informed. "We beat up the ones who hurt him and made sure that Eugene is never alone when outside now. Manwol has also tried attacking the others too. None of them tried to directly go after me since I'm guessing Myles thinks his gang is no match against me. But I've heard that he's been recruiting more and more of the old Manwol and people who aren't affiliated with the Union. He also recruited some Union extras that left while you were gone,"
"Manwol thinks they're the top dog since I wasn't present in the Union for an entire year," Donald said. "This battle won't be the same as the ones you've fought. It's not only about winning, it's about making a statement. You already know the Union is full of bad guys so are you sure you're not going to regret fighting alongside us?"
"I just want Manwol to leave my friends alone," Ben told him. "Manwol needs to be taken down,"
"Did you even discuss this with the rest of your group?" Donald questioned. "They'll most likely be against it,"
"Actually we're all tired of dealing with Manwol," Alex spoke up. "You've already publicly declared that the Union can't mess with Eunjang so as much as I still don't like it, it's better to have the Union be the ruling gang instead of Manwol,"
XXX
It was finally D-Day, the day that Donald decided the Union would strike Manwol. He had instructed everyone to gather at the gymnasium where they had gathered before on the day they had attack Manwol previously.
"Good," Donald walked onto stage. "Everyone is here,"
The Eungang followed Donald onto stage. Eugene was not a fighter so he stayed back at Alex's house to keep Gray and Ariel company. The Union members were shocked to see Eunjang and began to murmur amongst themselves, wondering if Eunjang had finally decided to join their ranks.
"I know you're all confused as to why Eunjang is here," Donald announced. "They are going to be our temporary ally during this fight against Manwol. They have not joined the Union. We just share a common enemy,"
Jimmy Bae was envious. He wanted to be acknowledged by Donald Na. Yet for some reason, immediately after his return, Donald found Eunjang to be worthy enough to be considered an ally of the Union? Why didn't Donald just get rid of them like all of his other enemies? Jimmy didn't understand at all what Ben did to gain Donald's attention since Donald absolutely destroyed Ben during their fight back in middle school.
"Let's head over to Manwol's headquarters," Donald ordered.
By the way, the Mokha Duo were also still there but since they didn't really prove themselves in this timeline, they're just non-executive members who attend Yeo-Il. Dongha especially still had a pretty cruel reputation due to bullying other students but since they never beat Myles Joo like they did in the webtoon, they aren't really known outside of Yeo-Il.
XXX
Manwol was expecting them. Myles and Scorpion still kept up with the Shuttle Patch as well as kept an ear out for any useful information ever since Donald's public return. The gang was armed with metal bats, crowbars, and even knives.
"So you're alive after all," Myles smirked. "I'm gonna make you regret coming back. You should've just laid low after escaping from wherever the hell you were kept,"
Donald lunged at him, which surprised everyone. Usually he would give some sort of signal to start the fight. Donald's path to Myles was intercepted by some Manwol nobodies, but they were easily knocked out with a few punches or kicks.
Myles swung his bat at Donald's head. Donald ducked in time and uppercutted him. He didn't stop there and quickly followed with a punch to the exposed throat. All of the fights in that hellhole had made him stronger and faster, even without accessing his lion traits. He refused to give Myles an opening and delivered blow after blow.
One of Donald's kicks sent him flying a couple feet. The distance allowed Myles time to draw his two knives. He charged at Donald and had intended to cut him but he ended up stabbing one of his knives into Donald's shoulder.
"Fuck!" Myles cursed upon realizing how bad of a wound he had caused. He didn't want to kill Donald!
Everyone had noticed Donald had gotten stabbed and was beginning to freak out. "Myles you went too far!"
"Too far?" Donald seemed completely unfazed and unbothered by the knife in his shoulder and he walked towards Myles. "You fuckers are using knives. Someone is bound to get stabbed," He grabbed Myles by his throat and lifted him a few inches off the ground. "Do you want to know why this doesn't bother me at all?"
Myles began to struggled to breathe as Donald tightened his grip. "L-Let go..."
"The hellhole I've been trapped in was a million times worse!" Donald's grip got even tighter.
"Donald!" Kingsley ran over to him. "That's enough. Let him go or you'll kill him,"
"So what if I kill him?" Donald's question silenced the entire battlefield. His grip tightened even more.
"You don't have to go that far," Kingsley shook his head. "Let him go, Donald,"
"And then what!?" Donald snapped. "He'll just gather more people and attack the Union again! Look what happened when I let him go with just a broken leg! I should just end things once and for all!"
"The Union doesn't kill. We're not that type of gang," Kingsley told him. "We beat people up, but we don't kill them. Let him go, Donald,"
"Donald," Ben gently placed a hand on Donald's shoulder. "Come on, man. Let him go and then let's head back. Gray's waiting for you,"
"Cub..." Donald sighed before letting Myles go before the latter could pass out. "Myles, you're lucky that you're leaving alive. If you try anything again, they won't be able to stop me,"
"The battle is over!" Kingsley announced. "The Union has won!"
Everyone was too shocked by what had just transpired to cheer.
Donald's been stabbed and cut multiple times when fighting against other experiments.