Deeper into Darkness | ChanHoMin

14

a week.

they left him there for a week.

in that week they fed him only three times but only in cruel and degrading ways, they didn't let him drink water, the only time he got to drink was by catching whatever he could in his mouth when they blasted him with freezing water from the hose. he got several beatings and no compassion at all. they purposely avoided hitting his face so his body was littered with bruises and scrapes and worst of all, they had taken a liking to using seungmin as an ash tray.

after being whipped across his thighs with a belt, chan grabbed his wrist, putting out his cigarette on his skin, seungmin screamed and struggled, the intense burning making him squirm hard. he couldn't bring himself to speak or cry anymore, he tried as hard as he could to just take it.

"please!" he screamed "no more! please!"

chan let go of his wrist and tossed the cigarette butt aside, he got up and untied seungmin's arms, moving his damp hair off his face.

"your punishment is over, that's a good boy." he whispered, moving his hand to take seungmin's hand.

he pulled seungmin up, lifting him into his arms and starting to carry him up the stairs.

seungmin leaned against chan's chest, rubbing his cheek against it as he drifted in and out of consciousness. he could only hope that hell was over, that they would show him some compassion. to his relief, there was a warm bath waiting for him. minho helped get his clothes off and lifted him into the bath. they started to wash him of the dirt and filth on his body, chan started to wash his hair too, sighing as seungmin tried to drink the water they were washing him with.

"you know we had no choice but to do that, right baby?"

seungmin looked up at him weakly, unable to respond to him.

"if you told them anything bad, they'd take us away from you, you hated the hospital, you'd be put in one, a hospital for crazy people because nobody would believe you, sungho wouldn't take care of you like we do, we're the only ones who truly care about you, we only want to protect you puppy."

seungmin just looked at him as tears ran down his cheeks. he gave a small nod as he closed his eyes, leaning into their touch.

"are you sorry?"

he gave a weak nod immediately.

they finished bathing him and wrapped him in a towel, dressing him in clean clothes and taking him to bed, they put him in chan's bed while minho went to get something for him to eat and a bottle of water. they helped him eat, making sure he ate as much as he could and drank enough water before holding him, letting him rest against them, minho treated the burns and whip marks on his skin as chan held him, comforting him as he cried from the pain.

"good boy, almost done." minho whispered, wrapping up the small cluster of circular burns on his wrist.

"if anyone asks you, you burnt yourself trying to cook with us, understand darling?"

seungmin just nodded obediently, burying his face in chan's chest, wanting the pain to stop.

he moved his arms around chan's neck, his face completely blank save a few tears running down his cheeks, he couldn't explain what he felt, so much guilt and anxiety, he never ever wanted to see that basement door again, he never wanted to go down there and he never wanted to be away from them. chan lay down, letting seungmin lay on his chest, smirking at seungmin's sad expression.

"did you learn your lesson?" minho asked as he put away the first aid kit.

seungmin nodded immediately, he didn't even need to think, he never wanted to be punished like that ever again.

"i can't believe you would try to betray us like that."

he looked up as chan spoke, his eyes filling with tears much to chan's amusement.

"we've always taken care of you, what would've happened if we never saved you? where would you be without us? you disobey us and cry even though we do so much for you, but we still got you a stuffed toy and a dvd player and we let you stay with us, is none of that good enough?"

seungmin was crying into chan's chest, shaking his head.

"i...i'm so sorry." he sobbed.

"you're sorry? that's not enough." minho spoke up, getting into bed too.

seungmin looked up at him with teary eyes, holding onto chan's arm.

"please forgive me, please i'm sorry, i'll be good i swear." he whispered between cries.

"shh, come here."

chan pulled seungmin to lie down as minho got out seungmin's stuffed bear, putting it in his arms. he watched as seungmin hugged it hard, burying his face in it. he had missed his bear so much.

"we're the only ones who would forgive you after doing something like this, that's why you need us."

seungmin nodded and wiped his eyes, holding his bear tightly.

"m' a bad person." he whispered.

"yet we still take care of you."

"you're so good to me, i-i don't deserve you, i deserved to be punished." he sobbed, covering his face.

"shh, don't think like that, just be thankful we take such good care of you."

seungmin nodded and cuddled close to both of them, he felt so overwhelmed with feelings, from guilt to gratefulness. he saw at that point more than ever how ungrateful he was.

he closed his eyes as he lay in between them, his head on chan's chest and his hand locked with minho's, he felt relaxation wash over him as he closed his eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep in their arms, somehow feeling nothing but safety after what they did to him.

minho nodded and looked down at seungmin's peaceful face, running his thumb over the faint scar on his cheek, sighing softly, he looked so skinny and pale, his hair was long and uneven from being cut by minho and chan constantly, his skin had a scar on his cheek and a scar on his eyebrow as well as the very faint bruise on his forehead where he was hit during his time in the basement.

"poor baby, it must hurt so much." chan whispered, touching the burn dressing.

he smiled as seungmin winced, moving a little in his sleep.

"why're you punishing yourself darling?"

he pressed one of seungmin's bruises, chuckling softly when he winced again, shrinking away from the pain.

minho smirked and watched how seungmin reacted to each pain shooting through his skin each time chan tormented him, taking enjoyment in hurting him. he was so sleep deprived that he couldn't even wake up and react to the pain.

"be good and we wouldn't need to hurt you love." chan whispered.

minho smiled and lifted seungmin's chin, kissing his relaxed lips softly, smirking to himself as seungmin was too deep into his sleep to even stir. he kissed him again as chan ran his fingers over a harsh purple bruise on seungmin's upper arm.

when minho let him go, he lay limply against the mattress, soft breaths leaving his lips as he slept.

when the two men were satisfied with seungmin, they lay back in the bed and started to try to fall asleep, leaving seungmin to continue resting.

=♡=