Stay ~ A Stray Kids Fanfic

Changbin

Changbin's POV
6:00 pm

What to do now? No one knew. The slithering silence around us was enough to give me chills. I lie on the sofa, my phone in hand while Jisung miraculously attempts to hide his urge to rock back and forth. The kid shivers like it's winter, and his skin is flushed white.

I sit up and make my way over to him. "There's no need to be afraid," I start, idly taking the spot beside him. He dares a glance and hugs his arms. With a hesitant sigh, I ask, "when did this start?"

He freezes then, his whole body seizing up in almost fear. Without any questioning, he simply says, "I've always had it." And when I had nothing else to add, he goes on. "There was an incident, when I was only seven. I was wrongfully tampered with by someone I thought I could trust. Someone who told me to promise them my silence, and that if I didn't, my mother and younger sister would be dead the next day."

Now it was my turn to seize up, to dare move a muscle as if he were a wild cat. I say nothing but look forward. He leans back now, those round, globe-like eyes shadowing something dark as he looks to me. With the quaintest lift of his mouth, my chest shatters at such an expression. Without the information from before, I would be quick to assume he was somewhat happy, that his mood wasn't what it was.

But this...this faulty of a smile was enough to see his cracked mirror, his reason for the lies. I don't want to ask, but I have to know. "Who was it?"

His small grin is almost psychotic as he looks down, those fidgety fingers tugging at whatever could keep his mind at bay. With a big, quivering inhale, he says, "my dad."

The world's heartbeat stops, it's revolution hesitating to keep spinning. My own chest caves in at such a thought. The thought of my own father doing such a thing to me.

"He sought after me because he knew it was wrong, that it was disgusting in the eyes of our country," he starts back up. A doctor and patient walk back, the girl in the hospital gown shooting us a glance as she wheels her IV bag across the hospital. He stares at her, only removing his eyes to play with a silver band around his pinkie. "It was like I was at his disposal. I wasn't his son...I was his toy, his plaything." He scoffs, but surprisingly no tears come to his solemn eyes. I, on the other hand, fight to not cry as he continues. "Mom only divorced him because he was cheating on her with someone else later on. Even now, I have to pick a fight with her when it comes to sharing custody. My sister's only nine. How can I let her be around that man?"

"Does he? I mean, does he have custody of you?"

He flicks an eyebrow up and looks down. "Yes. He deemed we were his children, something of him that he wants to keep despite my mothers wrath." He stops to finally look at me, and now I see the swelling of tears. "She doesn't know. No one knows except you now."

"I'm so sorry, Jisung." I don't know if it's enough, if it can even satisfy his anxiety over the secret staying the way he wants it to. But I pull an arm around him anyways, slowly and gently, until we're in a side-hug. It's short-lived, though, as he twists his torso more to full on embrace me. "Hey, hey, it's okay," I whisper.

With a stifled sob, he murmurs back, "that's why it's hard with Minho," and it's all I need to tightly hug him back. My eyes seal shut, the tears gathering on the collar of his uniform jacket. I tossed mine off ages ago.

Without another word, the hug commences and we're left looking at one another with whatever hope we have left to show. "Maybe you should tell someone," I start, risking the bond we just created. His lips fold in on command. "Not one of us, per say, but maybe a qualified adult. Y'know, who works with people who've gone through what you did."