Twilight | ATEEZ

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Wooyoung is shaking with Pita in his arms, begging for the cat to stay still and stay calm even though Pita wants to jump out of his arms so badly.

"It's going to be okay soon, Pita, I p-promise," Wooyoung whispers into his cat's fur, "Jongie is coming for us," He plants a few kisses all over Pita's head, "He's on his way right now..."

Pita rubs his scared little head up against Wooyoung's face and won't stop loving on him, "Pita, I'm okay, sweetie, I'm okay... Wounds heal, my little baby."

Wooyoung is startled when a big truck pulls up in front of him, but he would recognize that white pickup anywhere. He opens the door and climbs in quickly, trying not to let the wince on his face that is present with each movement be shown to Jongho, "Go, please," Wooyoung says before Jongho can say anything or even look at him, not in a demanding tone, but it does make Jongho shift back into drive and start taking them back home.

Once the truck starts moving, Pita jumps down onto the floorboards and curls around Wooyoung's legs, in fear of the vehicle. Light flickers into the truck as they pass under streetlights and Wooyoung appreciates the quiet and how Jongho was there for him with almost no questions asked. The silence does, however, cause Wooyoung to think about the events that just occurred.

He starts to sob.

Jongho looks over at Wooyoung for a second when he hears his doll crying and he almost swerves the truck when he sees the tears atop of his beaten face, "W-Wooyoung? Wooyoung, oh my god, what happened?" Jongho's voice goes higher the more worried he gets. He's now glad he told San to get the guest room ready while he was gone since San heard Jongho on the phone, the two of them having been talking with one another right before the call from Wooyoung.

"C-Can I," Wooyoung sniffles and another sob breaks free from his unwilling lips, "Please t-tell you when we get b-back to your house...?" He wipes his eye, it still blurred from god-knows-what.

"Yes, yes, of course, Doll," Jongho says, trying to be calmer when he speaks. He knows that if he freaks out too, that it won't help Wooyoung at all -- that it might even make it worse for him.

"Th-Thank you," Wooyoung whimpers and folds in on himself in the seat, his hands shaking as he wraps his arms around his torso in some attempt to protect himself from his father who's not even there anymore. He's gone, Wooyoung tells himself, Jongho is here to protect you, everything is going to be just fine.

Wooyoung doesn't even realize the truck is stopped until Jongho opens his passenger door and looks up at him, seeing that he has no idea what to do with his hands or what to do.

"Do you... need help, Wooyoung?" Jongho asks, in the calmest tone he can manage when he sees the perfect boy he's been crushing on so hard look so broken and hurt. His face looks battered and is streaked with blood, some of that blood even invading one of his eyes, blurring the whites into a crimson.

Wooyoung nods and holds out his arms to Jongho, who helps him out of the truck with ease. Wooyoung turns back around and pets Pita, "Come on, little one, let's go inside, okay?" Pita takes a few moments but eventually lets Wooyoung take him in his arms.

San pops his head out of the door with a smile, "Ah, I'm so excited that you're here, Wooyoung! This loser has been talking about you nonst-" He pauses as he gets closer to them and can see Wooyoung's bloody, tearstained and puffed up face, "O-Oh fuck-" San's nursing mind starts turning and he assesses his injuries quickly, "I'll be right back, okay? Jongho, get him into the dining room, I'm going to get some of the medical supplies, okay?" San's tone turns unusually professional and void of any vulgarity as he runs back into the house.