protecting you no matter what - seungchan (stray kids)

6.

Chan came back to the dining table with two bowls of warm soup.

Seungmin sat at the dining table, ridden with guilt, mainly because he was being a burden AND he exposed himself. This has to be the worst day of him life.

"Minnie, come on, eat. You need it," Chan said, concerned taking a spoonful of Seungmin's soup and holding it in front of his mouth.

"Open your mouth," Chan instructed as Seungmin hesitatedly opened his mouth a little, letting Chan feed him the soup that he made.

Needless to say, the soup was actually really good.

"Th-Thank...you..." Seungmin managed to stammer out.

They finished their dinner quickly. Chan brought Seungmin to his room, asking him to change into some spare shorts he had.

"Sit here," Chan said as he went out of the room to presumably fetch something.

Seungmin waited, fiddling with his fingers, as Chan came back in a few minutes with a tube of what Seungmin assumed was antiseptic.

Seungmin obediently took off his shirt and let Chan apply the medicine. Seungmin flinched and winced as Chan touched his bruises with the cold but burning medicine, his cheeks tinting a shade of pink, failing to notice the faint blush on Chan's cheeks too.

The shorts rode up Seungmin's thighs, exposing the deep cuts on it. Yet, his skin looked so smooth and feminine even after all the damage, and looking at it made Chan's ears red.

Chan finished applying the medicine on his torso, and moved on to put it on his thighs. Before he could even touch it, Seungmin reached a shaking hand towards Chan's wrist to stop him.

"Please...I'll do it myself..." Seungmin pleaded, on the verge of tearing up again. Chan sighed and squeezed some medicine onto Seungmin's hand.

With shaking hands, Seungmin's hands made its way towards his thighs, dabbing his hand at one of the scars. His thigh immediately jerked at that because of the pain, and Seungmin clutched his thigh in agony.

Chan mumbled a swear in English, Seungmin couldn't tell what it was. Chan immediately held down on Seungmin's thigh with one hand, grabbing his back with the other.

Chan rubbed Seungmin's back slowly, moving his way up to his hair as he applied the medicine. It was extremely painful, sure, but Chan made it ten times better. Hopefully, he didn't realise Seungmin's entire face turning red.

After he finished, Chan gave Seungmin his old hoodie, which was still too big on Seungmin. It came up until his thighs, overlapping the shorts Chan gave him.

"Do you have any classes tomorrow?" Chan asked sitting down on the bed. "Yes, from 9am," Seungmin replied, as Chan set the alarm clock that was on his bedside table.

Seungmin didn't want to be more of a burden than he actually was ( even though Chan refused, he knew it was actually true), so Seungmin decided to ask Chan if he could sleep on the couch.

"Absolutely not. I don't want you to do anything you're gonna regret later..."

Seungmin knew what he meant.

"...and I don't want you to hurt your wounds on the couch, it's better if you sleep on a bed with me, sorry. I'm sleeping here because I want to check up on you, not for any other reason... " a red tint creeped it's way to Chan's face. "If you feel uncomfortable just tell me, okay?"

Seungmin nodded, honestly he was kind of comforted by Chan's presence. I mean, it was the same with all his friends, except when he was with Chan his heart beat faster and he felt light-headed and he felt tingling in his stomach.

Chan smiled, dimples forming and eyes crinkling into crescents. Seungmin looked at it and wanted to smile back. His lips twitched. Chan's eyes widened.

He doesn't trust you.

He pities you.

You are a burden.

Seungmin's lips went back to its original position, Chan's eyes saddening. Chan brushed it off and proceeded to remove his shirt-

"Chan-" Seungmin said in an attempt to stop him, but Chan had already removed his shirt.

Seungmin already knew his arms were extremely toned to perfection, but seeing his entire torso made his entire face light up like a lighthouse. His chiseled abs and perfectly toned body was-

"Oh, sorry," Chan said as he ruffled his blonde hair and looked at Seungmin. "I didn't tell you. Oops," Chan grinned.

Seungmin shakes his head to stop staring and nodded, quickly crawling under the duvet. Chan did the same.

As soon as both of them were under the covers, Chan wrapped his arms around Seungmin's waist, immediately retreating when Seungmin flinched a little violently.

"Sorry," Seungmin apologetically answered. "It's alright, I understand," Chan smiled. "But I'm always here for you, yeah?" Seungmin nodded, curling up into a ball and closing his eyes. Chan chuckled at the younger's behaviour and closed his eyes as well.

<><><><><><>

The man clapped the belt against his hand, glaring at a scared boy who was curled up against the floor, brutally injured and bone-thin.

"Are you worried for your punishment, brat?"

"..."

"ANSWER ME WHEN I TALK TO YOU!"

"Yes, sir,"

"Why?"

"Because I deserve it, sir,"

"Good,"

The man went forward, towards the curled up boy.

"Say it after me..."

The man grabbed the collar of the boy's school uniform.

"You're nothing, and you'll always be nothing,"

Between sobs, the boy said, "I'm nothing, and I'll always be nothing,"

The man kicked the boy down to his feet and slapped his back repeatedly with the leather belt. "Because youre useless, and you mean nothing to anyone,"

"Because I'm useless and i-Ah- mean nothing to anyone,"

The boy stopped counting after 30. Once he was covered in blood, the man grabbed him and put him on his lap, kissing his cheek. "Dad knows best, hm?" he said reaching down to the curve of the boy's a**. "You were just asking for it,"

The man threw the boy off his lap and walked away, leaving the boy alone in a puddle of his own blood.

<><><><><><><><><>

"Seungmin! Minnie, wake up!"

"Huh...?" Seungmin fluttered his eyes open to see Chan worriedly standing above him. "You were having a nightmare. You okay?" Seungmin nodded, eyebrows furrowing.

Chan dragged Seungmin a little closer and tucked him into his chest. It was comforting to Seungmin, no one had ever ACTUALLY hugged him before. Seungmin nuzzled further into Chan's neck, placing his palms flat on Chan's chest.

"You promise you'll tell me when you're ready?"

"I promise,"