Saviors

32

   It took a while for Jihoon to stop crying, but eventually he stopped shaking and the members released him from the massive group hug. Tears still slipped silently down his cheeks but he paid them no mind.

   "O-okay, I c-can answer questions now. About... a-anything." The rest of Seventeen thought for a bit.

   "Why... why didn't you tell us all this earlier?" Seungcheol asked. Jihoon was silent before he answered.

   "If I told you guys one thing, then, you all would want to know the rest of the story. And some parts... I worried about what you guys would think."

"But did you really have to distance yourself from us?" Jun asked. Jihoon was silent.

"Since... since I'm g-gay, I didn't want to get too close... and... start liking one of you." He mumbled, his cheeks tinged pink. The members closest to him also blushed a little, but the ones farther away didn't hear.

"What did you say Jihoon?" Seungcheol. Jihoon buried his face in his hands.

"I don't want to repeat myself Hyung." His voice was muffled but Seungcheol heard. "I... didn't want to get to close and then accidentally start liking someone. Are you guys really okay with me being g-g... not n-necessarily straight?" He said after removing his hands from his face. Seungcheol nodded.

"To be honest, I have a feeling that a couple more people here are not straight as well..." Jeonghan said, laughing. Jihoon widened his eyes.

"You think so?" Jeonghan nodded. "Well that makes me feel a bit better."

"Are you not going to ask who I think are also gay or bisexual?"

"Well, it's none of my business." Jihoon said innocently. The members laughed at his cuteness. "So... is that all you guys want to know?" He asked shyly.

"Oh, can you describe Minhyuk to me, Jihoon? I want to know what he looks like so I can beat him up if he ever comes near you again." Soonyoung said seriously. Seungcheol and a couple of others nodded. Jihoon blushed. Get a hold of yourself Jihoon, it's just a friend helping a friend.

   "Well... he's tall. Taller than Mingyu. He's physically fit and has curly dark brown hair. Um, his eyes are lighter than the normal Korean's and they're a bit big like Seungcheol Hyung's. He's kind of tan... that's all I can remember." Soonyoung looked thoughtful, like he was building a mental picture.

   "Any noticeable quirks?"

    "He... has this thing with chapstick. So, he is always reapplying and never has chapped lips." Jihoon made a sour expression, the image of Minhyuk smashing his lips into Jihoon's suddenly filling his mind. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Why are you guys doing this?"

   "The guy obviously wants you back, as much as it sickens me to say. Or else, he wouldn't have said what he did once your dad died, even though it was a long time ago. It's to much to hope for that he forgot about you. We want to know what he looks like so we can protect you from him." Seungcheol explained. Jihoon nodded. Even still, it seems unnecessary to go this far. Seungkwan suddenly sat up straighter. Jihoon could practically see the lightbulb over his head flashing.

"Hyung! Before we debuted you said that you would miss the privacy right?" Jihoon nodded. Where is Seungkwan going with this? "Now that you're an idol, it would be pretty easy to track you down!" Jihoon's eyes widened.

"It would..." he mumbled. "Oh God, what if he finds me?"

"We won't let that happen. That's why we asked you so many questions about him." Soonyoung told him. Jihoon nodded but drew up his knees to his chest, a worried expression on his face.

"Jihoon, you have to be the strongest member here. I don't think I could go through what you went through and become an idol on top of it. Thank you for telling us all this." Seungcheol leaned forward to pat Jihoon on the knee, but couldn't reach and ended up patting him on the shin. Jihoon smiled gently.

"I'm glad too, it's a big weight off my chest." Soonyoung hugged him tightly again, surprising Jihoon.

"I just can't believe it!" He said into Jihoon's shoulder. Jihoon tensed up and awkwardly patted Soonyoung's head, which was the only thing he could reach because Soonyoung was squeezing Jihoon's arms to his sides. Why is Soonyoung Hyung doing this to me? I told them why I tried not to get too close to any of the members. Is he not worried?

"Does this mean you'll stop forcing yourself to get up so early in the morning in order to shower by yourself because now we know about your scars?" Jeonghan asked. Jihoon laughed awkwardly.

"Um... yeah no. I'm still not very used to all... that..." he said, poking Soonyoung, who still hadn't let go. Jeonghan nodded and shrugged. Soonyoung finally took the hint and let go. He mumbled sorry into Jihoon's ear.

That night after dinner, Soonyoung approached Jihoon alone.

"Um, about the... kiss. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I just wanted to-"

"It's okay Hyung, you already explained why you kissed me last night, remember?"

   "Well, that was before I knew-"

   "Knew I was gay? Why are you asking me if it made me uncomfortable? Wouldn't it have made you uncomfortable?" Jihoon didn't know why he was being so hostile towards Soonyoung. I thought that after I told them everything, they would want to keep their distance from me. Why isn't Soonyoung leaving me alone? Jihoon felt the strange and overwhelming urge to break down and cry. Soonyoung looked at him, shocked.

   "That... that's not what I meant..." Jihoon left. He walked into the room they shared and knew that Soonyoung would come in after him. Whether it be because he's going to bed, or coming after Jihoon. Jihoon didn't want to sleep in the room anyways. He changed in the dark then passed Jeonghan on his way out of the room.

   "Where are you going Jihoon? You should go to bed. You must be tired."

   "I... need some space. I'm not quite used to people yet. I'm going to sleep in the living room." Jeonghan looked worried but nodded.

   "Good night."

   "Good night."

   Jun and Minghao were conversing in Chinese when Jihoon sat down on the couch. They greeted him but sensed he wanted to be alone and soon left. Minghao gave Jihoon a light hug as he walked out of the room. Jihoon sat on the couch, unmoving as lights in rooms were switched off and 'good nights' were called. He sat in the darkness, staring straight ahead for a moment before curling up and pulling a blanket over himself. Why did he yell at Soonyoung? Why was Soonyoung acting like that? Why did it suddenly feel so hard to keep his distance? Even after all this... why couldn't he trust them?

   Hours passed as Jihoon tried to fall asleep, but it was all in vain. He shut his eyes tight and repeated two words over and over in his mind. Distance yourself. Distance yourself. Distance yourself. With these words echoing in his mind, he fell asleep.

----------------------------------------------------
Why Jihoon, why?😭 Sorry for taking so long, I was out of the state for my aunts wedding😁. Thank you for reading! I really appreciate all the likes and comments. ♥