Monster

42

"Fucking hell!" Mark slams the phone down, taking a few deep breaths to try and calm himself. He waited two weeks for this? "Hey, your phones a piece of shit"

The orderly glances up at him, unimpressed by the outburst. "That one doesn't work too well, should've used the other one"

"Well where is it?"

"Ask in another two weeks"

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

The orderly shrugs. Mark is milliseconds away from jumping behind the counter— knee jerk reaction to someone treating him this way, but he backs off, taking wobbly steps back to his room. He feels like he might cry.

He couldn't even tell Jaebum where he was.

"Mark, come here!" Hyunsuk calls from across the commons room, motioning him over to their usual spot. "Where the hell have you been, boy?"

"Trying to call my family" Mark collapses into the chair, exhausted.

"They gave you the bad phone, huh?"

"I waited a whole month for this, and-and they give me a phone that barely works? That's bullshit"

"It's to see how you handle the rejection"

"That's bullshit"

"Since you're here I assume you didn't attack anyone, you might be able to convince the Doctor to let you use the real phone in a week" Hyunsuk falls into a coughing fit, leaving his throat raw, and his original conversation dead.

"This is a prison" Mark mutters, taking his turn. The game is no longer a challenge and he hardly has to focus on it. Multiple games a day, for a month will do that.

His thoughts wander, eyes glazed over as he stares into space. He thinks about Jaebum's smile, a fantasy he is embarrassed to admit he has. One of him walking through the door to his home, Jinyoung in the kitchen cooking like he always is, and Jaebum at the table, pouring over papers his eyes crinkling up in greeting when he sees him, Jaebum's hug, warm and tight. Mark would never let go.

He tries to remember what Jinyoung's smile looks like and he can't. There are tears in his eyes he is barely keeping in check. How could this happen? He had everything, and now he has no job, no family and no love. To top it all of he is stuck in a horrible clinic with an old man he hates and an annoying bug—

"Hey," Mark feels like hes been smacked back into reality, his pulse quickening ever so slightly "have you seen Kai around?"

"Who?"

"That guy who was bugging me a couple days ago"

"No, actually" Hyunsuk looks around the game room, and although most people are here relaxing away from the chilly evening air, Kai is no where to be seen.

"Aw, shit" Mark leans back, realization dawning on him. He doesn't explain it though, there isn't a point, he has to pretend he never noticed.

"I think this could really work" Jinyoung marvels, his eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, because I came up with it" Jaebum smooths his hands over the blueprints.

"Yeah but I drew it, and it will work because I, an architect, said it will"

"You aren't an architect, you never graduated"

"I almost did" Jackson mutters, sticking out his bottom lip.

"It sounds expensive" Yugyeom puts in. Jaebum waves that off, its nothing to him.

"Will this be okay BamBam?" Jaebum asks, pulling him against his side. "You'll live here in the room next to Jinyoung's and across from Youngjaes, and Mark will live here, it's across the house and nothing but Yugyeoms room is over there so you never have to see him"

Yugyeom hits him in the arm.

"Yeah that's fine" BamBam whispers staring down at the plans.

"Really? Because if it isn't we can change it" Yugyeom says, still glaring at Jaebum.

"That's fine, really, my room is by Youngjae's so I'm happy" BamBam hugs him back, resting his head against his shoulder. He is happy he gets to stay with Youngjae but he's still depressed. He wants to see his parents, he misses them badly.

Jaebum kisses his head smiling slightly.

"Then I think we're ready" Jackson picks up his phone making a few calls to his trusted suppliers. He'll have to hire what help he can to get this done quickly, but most of it he'll do himself, because of course, the fewer people who know where they live, the better.

Youngjae smooths his hand over the plans, smiling in awe. He was a kid when his parents moved into their house, and didn't get a say in anything. His room was actually a storage room in the basement that they let him have and it wasn't very homey. But not only are they showing him their plans for the house, he got a say in where his room would be and what color it would be, the furniture and even the window style, something he never thought he could care about.

He smiles over at BamBam curled under Jaebum's arm, and imagines himself there. Amazingly, this is the most love hes felt in his life.

With Jackson on the phone and Jaebum asking him questions in intervals, Jinyoung and Yugyeom take Youngjae and BamBam down to the kitchen for lunch. As Jinyoung chops vegetables and Yugyeom puts on water to boil for pasta the boys sit at the counter chatting idly. They don't have much to talk about, but it doesn't bother them, they could sit for hours in silence and be comfortable.

Yugyeom and Jinyoung exchange a glance. With the decision made, Jinyoung smiles and clears his throat so the boys look at him.

"So, Bammie, JaeJae, we have something to share with you and would like your support and help—"

"We have to take you back to your families" Yugyeom finishes when Jinyoung doesn't seem like hes going to get there anytime soon. Youngjae and BamBam gasp.

"Yugyeom! I was getting to that" Jinyoung hits him on the chest. "Its not permanent! Not-not if you don't want it to be, we just—" frustrated, he stops talking and takes a breath. He rehearsed this so many times but its not coming out as smoothly as he wanted it to. "We want you stay with us, because we love you both, but we don't want to force you anymore, so we have to take you back but you are more than welcome to come live with us again, if that's what you want to do"

"But-but my parents tried to kill me, they'll—"

"Youngjae," Yugyeom kneels in front of him at the counter. "We wont let anything happen to you, ever, this is why we have to send you back, to get your parents arrested and Kris arrested and keep you and so many other people safe"

"We don't want to take you back, but for this to work, we have to" Jinyoung agrees, nervous suddenly that they might not want to stay with them.

"We can come back?" BamBam asks, carefully elated. He might see his parents soon again.

"Of course, and by then we'll have rooms for you, you're always welcome"

"You promise my parents will go to prison?"

"We're confident that this will work" Yugyeom assures.

Youngjae and BamBam exchange a look.

"Then we'll help you, but only if we really can come back, don't lie to us" BamBam jumps off his chair and hugs Yugyeom on the floor, a strange feeling settling in his stomach.