The Black Fox & The White Tiger

Crying White

The king and the knight stood uneasily in front of the machine. How many days has it been? JR had kept track of it. Two days and today was the third. Yet there was still no sign of Baekho at all or even a message. They were getting worried since there was no way for them to use the portal without the bracelet. They had done multiple tests after that but still no positive results.

"Do you think he's still alive? Do you think they're still alive?" Aron asked the dreaded question. JR had no answer for the male that would satisfy him.

"I don't know," he replied instead.

"We shouldn't have let him go..."

"It's not like there's that many choices either. You can't go and Ren doesn't want me to go even though I would have been a better choice."

"I'm worried for both of them, JR. What if they never come back?"

"Then we can only hope that they have found each other and decided to live together in a different world rather than back here."

"And abandon all this that they've fought for together?"

"Maybe, Aron. Just maybe."

Except Baekho was currently trying to hold down a struggling Minhyun by his shoulders while biker Baekho held his legs. The other was crying for them to let go. He was panting heavily from withdrawal symptoms but neither male knew how to help him. Baekho didn't know how drugs work and biker him didn't know how to cure someone of drugs. Minhyun was weak though so he didn't put up much of an actual fight against two muscular males. He gradually stopped and relaxed in their hold.

"Please... let me.... take....," he wheezed painfully. Baekho couldn't understand what was happening to the other.

"We can't let him go," Biker Baekho said seriously. "He will just try to do something stupid again."

"Then what do we do? Just holding him down isn't going to help us," Baekho replied.

"Please....," Minhyun pleaded Baekho who accidentally looked at the other's teary eyes. He was weak to them and even weaker when he knew this Minhyun was particularly weaker than the rest. He didn't want him to suffer like this. He wanted to let go.

"No! Don't let go!" Biker Baekho snapped, making him exert force again. "Hold him down. I'll find something to constrict him with. Don't let go. No matter what." Baekho wanted to argue and switch places but the other had already left. He shut his eyes tightly. He can't look at the other.

"Why... why are you doing this? I... I don't even know you," Minhyun spoke, hands weakly clawing against Baekho's. "Let me... go..."

"I'm sorry. This is for your own good. You shouldn't kill yourself and you shouldn't be taking whatever that thing is that's destroying you. "

"They make me... happy... they make me feel... better. You won't understand... I have nothing... else to live for."

"Not true. Not true. That's not true! There should definitely be someone who cares about you and will be sad if you died."

"Who...? Everyone I love is dead," Minhyun croaked out, tears sliding down his cheeks. Baekho felt tears welling up in his eyes too, hearing and feeling how weak Minhyun was felt weird. It made him scared inside. He wasn't used to this Minhyun at all. He didn't know how to handle him. "No one... is... left alive. Only me. Why me?"

"That must mean... There's still someone... something that only you can do, right?" Baekho sniffed and held back his tears since it would make him want to rub them.

"Why are you crying? Who are you crying for?"

"He's crying for you," the other Baekho said as he came back with strings that he managed to salvage from a stack of old newspaper. He walked over to Minhyun who looked up at him weakly and bent down. "He's crying because seeing you like this is too sad for him."

"Would you cry... for me too?" Minhyun asked softly and biker Baekho took one of Minhyun's hands in his.

"If that's what would make you feel better, I would do it." Baekho was surprised by what the other said since he hadn't been the most cooperative earlier on. Minhyun's lips broke into a sad smile.

"Thank you." He closed his eyes and Baekho got scared that he was dying but the other reassured him that he just went back to sleep after checking his pulse. He carefully tied one of Minhyun's ankles to the couch leg and his wrists to the metal handrest.

"What do we do now?" Baekho asked, rubbing his tears away. Biker Baekho sighed and sat down on the floor. He looked around the house.

"I don't know. More importantly, is this really something you should be doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Doesn't travelling between worlds have their own rules or something?"

"Um.... I have no idea actually. I'm trying to find for Minhyun.... Oh no. I got so caught up helping this Minhyun. What do I do? I can't leave him alone."

"Who says he's alone?" Baekho looked at the other who offered a half smile. "If you have something more important to do, go on. I'll... figure something out here."

"I'm really sorry for putting this on you. I just..."

"Surely the person who looks like him means a lot to you. Or else I doubt any random stranger would ever help another random stranger. Or even shed tears like that."

"He's my lover.... and husband."

"Then you better not keep him waiting. Leave him to me. I'll try to help him get better."

"Thank you so much, Baekho." Baekho walked over to the other and hugged him without a second thought. He just really meant it. The other responded with an awkward pat on the back but it was more than enough to Baekho. "I'll come again someday to check on you two. I'm sorry but thank you, seriously. I know you didn't want to get involved with his life but I just know it'll be better for him."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get all sappy on me now. Don't forget your stuff from my room. Run along now." Baekho nodded and quickly got up. He waved to biker Baekho who waved back before leaving the house to get his stuff. He got his backpack and put it on together with his sword. He made sure he had everything before moving forward again.