| Antidote | Poison 2nd Book |

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟚𝟚

Light flooded into the room, causing his eyes to sting from the harsh adjustment of his pupils. He squinted his eyes and looked over toward the door, seeing a smaller figure walking into the room with something in their hands.

His body ached from being beaten so badly, wrists bloodied from being tied behind his back with a coarse strip of rope, jaw dislocated and eyes were swollen black. 

The automatic lights in the room flickered on, his vision slowly coming back into focus as he saw Hongjoong kneel before his feet. He looked better than he had when he came home from the hospital, the look of emptiness and fear absent from his face. It was odd that he seemed to have gotten over it that quickly.

"Oh, Yohan..." His soft voice soothed, setting a bowl of cold water at his side and dropping a cloth into it. "You don't deserve this." 

Yohan didn't say anything, seeing the pity on the smaller male's face didn't bring him comfort.

"This will hurt, I'm sorry." Hongjoong placed his hands on either side of Yohan's jaw, and with one sharp movement, he had shoved Yohan's jaw back into place with a sickening snap.

Yohan ripped his face away and cried out with pain, growling under his breath soon after.

"Why are you here? Wouldn't Seonghwa-"

"Seonghwa won't do shit. When I found out what he was doing to you, I nearly killed him." Hongjoong grabbed the rag from the water, squeezing it out before he began to dab Yohan's face tenderly. "I know you've been down here for a couple of days."

A slight look of confusion washed over Yohan's face. "You don't blame me?"

"I wasn't held captive as long as you, but I know exactly what they're capable of. You're not to blame, you were a victim just like I was, a pawn in a game you didn't want to play. They used you for their benefit, I saw the video, and if they had to beat the information into you, it just shows you weren't deliberately trying to cause harm. It's not your fault, Yohan." Hongjoong put on a gentle smile, keeping eye contact with Yohan as he cleaned him up.

"I'm so sorry..."

"I've been through worse. I'm married to fucking Park Seonghwa, for God's sake. I've sustained enough trauma to last me five lifetimes." Hongjoong dropped the rag back into the water, then reached into the pocket of his jeans to pull out a pocket knife.

"Surely, you must be carrying it around with you..." Yohan looked toward the ground as Hongjoong cut his wrists free. "I don't know how you live with it." Yohan brought his hands to his lap, tenderly rubbing the raw skin around his wrists.

"Seonghwa isn't perfect, that's no secret. He's problematic and temperamental, but I love him. He keeps me grounded, and I do my best to do the same to him. We're not good for each other, but we're also nothing without the other. I tried to stay away from him at one time but... I couldn't." Hongjoong sighed out and placed his hands on his hips. "Yes, I do struggle with the demons every day, fighting a war against myself, but I can't change the past. What's done is done, and one day I'll be free of it."

"Where is he anyway?" Yohan looked up at Hongjoong, a weary look upon his face.

"He's upstairs in the parlor. I called our personal doctor, he's waiting upstairs as well in the foyer. It looks like most of the damage is in your face so you should be fine, but I just wanted to make sure, so I called him to come check you out. But... Please stay away from Seonghwa for a while. He's already upset with me because I raised hell over how he's treating you." Hongjoong squatted down and picked up the bowl from the floor. "I'll handle him for now."

Yohan watched Hongjoong flash another smile, then turn on his heels before he walked up the stairs. 

Yohan dreaded the thought of going upstairs and potentially running into his brother. He understood his brother's anger, but he would forever remember the intense look in his eyes with every blow he landed on his face.