It's You

Chapter 9

Screams echoed throughout the mansion, deafening and frightening in their tone; a single desperate noise that spoke of terror and fear that was known to only a few unlucky souls. Those that had lost and lost more and whose last light was murdered in front of their very eyes; helpless and forced to watch as they were left behind.

Sounds Yohan had heard in Elijah's childish voice as she cried for her parents that would never return.

Sounds that Yohan himself had uttered in that terrible dark cellar when he had thought that no one would ever hear him.

Sounds that had once again ripped from his lips when the greed and corruption of a few had taken his hyung, his sister-in-law and almost his niece.

Sounds he had never wanted to hear again from any of his precious ones and sounds that were now spreading through what was meant to be a home to Gaon.

The minute needed to reach the younger's bedroom felt too long - agonizing and angering in a way only few things had felt. And the moment Yohan stood in front of the door he ripped it open, not a single thought spared on the damage he could have left. Hastening inside he saw Gaon sitting up right, white fingers twisted into the covers that were meant to keep him warm, a mad gleam in his eyes.

His breath stuttered in his lungs as those eyes settled on him - dark pupils blown wide in freezing terror so much that they pushed out the soft dark brown Yohan had come accustomed to see - and then the screams suddenly stopped.

He had only the fraction of a second to prepare himself to catch Gaon when he suddenly had an armful of a trembling mess. A pained noise broke through the younger's lips as their bodies collided, paining Yohan almost physically, but then arms wound around his neck and Gaon's head was pressed against his chest, heart-wrenching sobs coming from the younger as a sudden wetness sunk through Yohan's shirt, leaving him caught off balance and with a flame sparking in his chest.

Gaon was crying.

Wailing like the world was ending and he had to watch it powerlessly.

It wasn't right.

"You're not dead."

The first heart-wrenching sob broke something inside of him he hadn't thought could break any further.

"You're not dead. You're not dead."

It was the only sound ringing between the sobs wrecking Gaon and Yohan felt powerless like he seldomly felt. The words left an uncomfortable taste behind, a small fear growing in his stomach as he considered what could have led to this. But first Gaon had to stop crying because Yohan couldn't... he couldn't listen to those sounds for even a second longer.

Carefully he put his arms around the younger, wondering if this was the right way to comfort one because he was so much out of his depth that not even Elijah would find it funny anymore. Without really thinking about it, his hand gently cradled the back of Gaon's head, slender fingers curled into the tousled locks of soft black.

Suddenly a second round of sobs shook the man in his arms and Yohan was unable to keep him from wailing, powerless to keep his demons away.

"Gaon-ah," he hushed, hoping that it would reach the younger through the daze of indiscernible hurt and bring him back to Yohan.

Those cries sounded eerily similar to the sounds Gaon had made when his childhood friend had died in his arms, and Yohan hated it. Despised the sounds with a burning passion previously unknown to him.

Oh, he had wanted to reach out to the younger back then, to hold him and promise the world and stars if only Gaon would for, the love of god, stop because it was driving Yohan mad with anger and fury, but back then they had been... Gaon had chosen to leave and Yohan had a character to play. However, now Gaon was here in his arms, only slumping further against him at the sound of his name as the arms around his neck tightened scarcely, Yohan's arms the only reason the man was still halfway standing.