𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆

𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝑽𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒆

𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝑽𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒆—-𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒙𝒕𝒚-𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏

Playing Everyone dies in their nightmares by XXXTENTACION

Scars don't heal any better being hidden away.

And the scars you don't see are the hardest to heal.

To say that some had guessed that this was Changbin secret would be right. But knowing the extent of what he went through...

A few of them had already guessed what Changbin's secret entailed, but they could never have guessed the extent of what he went through. Everything was revealed so matter of factly, as if Changbin wasn't at all phased by the trauma he grew up with. If they were a little dumber, perhaps they would have believed it.

His terrible excuse of a father, the gang violence he was subjected to . . . The knowledge that he had to leave his mother behind and mourn someone who wasn't even dead yet lived as if they were a ghost.

That was something that even the emotionally strongest of the group couldn't stomach.

How could they respond? How could they help?

Changbin had always been someone who acted like he didn't need anyone. Like he didn't need anyone's support or comfort.

But despite that, it felt right when Chan took Changbin's hands. The group all leaned in and took in the sight of the faint, white lines that patterned his skin.

Changbin watched silently as he allowed them to look at his scars. His heart was squeezing in his chest but he didn't show it.

A part of him . . . wanted them to see his scars.

Why?

Was it the idea of receiving validation for what he went through? Would he really feel that way despite the shame?

He wasn't sure, but as their eyes trailed up his exposed arms and towards his torso with a mix of curiosity and slight dread, he understood the silent request. He gave in, and as he removed his shirt, years worth of scars he had previously hidden were now on display.

As he looked among them, bracing himself for their response, all he was met with was a silent and unanimous understanding. He had expected gasps of horror or disgust over his disfigurement, the layers and layers of scar tissue surely not a very pretty sight, but they didn't. Instead they simply stared with mixed looks of empathy.

Changbin sighed quietly, and he let them take in the sight of his scars.

The hard and deep lashes on his back and chest. The white lines along his arms and across his knuckles.

If anyone had noticed them before now they hadn't said anything, not until he was ready to bring up the topic himself.

"You're still you. This doesn't change how we see you." Jisung mumbled finally. He looked hesitant to say it but he did. Hyunjin nodded in agreement, his movements jerky as he held back tears, pressing his lips together into a wobbly smile.

"You aren't...a bad person or anything like your dad." His voice was shaky as he kept his eyes on a particularly deep scar on Changbin's chest.

It was silent for a few seconds again. Changbin didn't say a word. He felt his limit on words in this current moment. But the others didn't seem to waver at it.

"No judgement here. no pity here either.." Minho said quietly, eyes low as if he was nervous to even say anything.

Changbin nodded in acknowledgement. And that was it.