《stray together》

Captured

⚠️ TW: Detailed descriptions of CSAM, detailed mentions of past child abuse/CSA/SA, mentions of past genital mutilation ⚠️

A bitter taste lingered in Chan's mouth, his throat burning from vomiting. The tears hadn't stopped since it hit him. There was a crushing weight on his soul that he only felt once in his life, when he lost his mom, and now it was no longer an imagination of what Lino had gone through, he had a visual. Every breath he inhaled felt like fire was charring his airways, every exhale felt like he was under water.

It was only the first photo. In a zip file of 894 images. Chan gulped as he stared through tears at the number on the screen. He didn't dare click to see any further, but he could already guess that the whole zip file was photos of Lino, based on every other folder he had searched already.

It was unmistakable, probably months- maybe a year, before Stray Kids first met Lino. The same mole on his nose. And worst of all, that faded look in his eyes. The same one Chan saw when he slapped him.

Chan couldn't look at Lino anymore without feeling puke crawl up his throat again. So instead, he looked at the background. The windowless room, the beddingless mattress- stained with blood in multiple places, the handprints and scratch marks next to the handcuffs drilled into the wall by a chain.

He couldn't form a complete thought, his mind was tumbling as he tried to think about how he should tell Lino. If he should tell Lino. He should tell Lino, right? Lino deserved to know. But, could Lino handle the information? Would it be in Lino's best interest to tell him? Did he have the right to make that decision? Should he call Changbin and get his opinion? Would he have to explain everything to Changbin? Would Lino be upset the more people that knew?

Thankfully, Suhyeon didn't press Chan for any information as to why he was so distraught leaving.

Chan-hyung

Can you come meet me out front?
Just you.
11:18pm

uhh okay
Read

Han couldn't help that his mind tried to predict why he was being personally summoned by their leader. He wasn't ever sent on solo missions, so he didn't think it could be that. He didn't think Chan had any particular reason to be upset with him, he had been good about not letting his continued use of cocaine disrupt anything, and he cleaned up after himself... for the most part. And he didn't think Chan knew about his and Lino's... shift. But every step down the hall leading outside just caused more anxiety.

As he approached Chan's new vehicle, a Hummer, he felt his palms get clammy, and his heart pick up in speed even more. The idea of confrontation made him uneasy. When he pulled the passenger door open, Chan wasn't even looking at him. Instead, the leader was staring out the driver side window. Han was certain he must be furious- if he didn't even want to see him. The sound of the door shutting was deafening in the uncomfortable silence.

Gulping, Han asked, "You wanted to talk?" The nervousness in his voice undeniable.

"It's about Lino." Chan's own voice shook in such a way that Han wasn't sure what was coming next- it sounded like the beginning of breaking bad news. "I don't know what to do." The change in pitch and sudden rush to get the words out indicated that Chan was on the verge of crying.

There was a sinking feeling in Han's chest, "About what?" He wondered if Chan was upset because Lino wasn't exactly the same person he used to be, that he had changed too much since Han joined the group. He started to worry if he was about to be kicked out of Stray Kids, for ruining everything.

"I–" Chan's words got stuck in his throat. He swallowed, hoping it would help. It didn't. So, he changed how he would start. "Moon Sua's group has been investigating Jung Son's cloud. Any new files they can see who sent it, track their IP addresses, easy to catch kind of people. But anything before they hacked in, there isn't a lot of information to go by, so they've been looking through the... images... for clues. They've caught a few that way. Saved some girls."