Man - y.kh

seventy-two.

Leaving Benji with Minhyuk was proving harder than it was supposed to be. "No, no, no!" He cried, dropping to the pavement of the driveway. Hyungwon and I had tried to leave before he woke up from his nap, but he woke up when Minhyuk knocked on the door.

"Bubba," Hyungwon sighed softly. "I'm not leaving you. We just have to go do something and you can't come with."

Benji shook his head, tears falling fast. "Mama left me. No leave me." He had been repeating this for about fifteen minutes now.

Before Hyungwon could try to calm him again. "No, wait..." I mumbled, crouching down to Benji's height. "Did Mama leave you with Yun like this?" He didn't want to answer, which gave me what I needed to know. "What if you rode with us, but Minhyuk would sit in the car with you? That way we aren't leaving you like Mama did." He nodded softly, climbing into my arms.

Hyungwon sighed a bit, feeling like an asshole for a bit. But I could also see is rage bubbling up. That means Changkyun was a fucking dick to him when Akira let him watch Benji. "Minhyuk, come ride with us." Hyungwon sighed softly, holding his hands out for Benji. "Come here, Bubba."

I pulled Benji out of my arms. "You wanna go to Daddy?" He nodded, walking over to Hyungwon.

He kissed his small head softly. "I love you, Bubba. I'm never leaving you." When Minhyuk came out, he put Benji in the car, and Hyungwon pulled me back into the house.

"What's going on?" I asked, putting my hand out for his.

He looked down, taking my hand. "I feel it and I don't want him to s-see." I nodded, holding him close to me.

I sighed a bit. "Hey Siri, text Min-Butt 'Turn on the car and play Benji's favorite music'." After my text sent and I heard the car start, I led Hyungwon to the couch. "What's going through your mind?"

Hyungwon sighed softly, tears falling. "He's scared...  and I can't help him because I don't catch it like you do." He felt like he was failing.

I shook my head. "I catch it because I know. I know how it feels to be like him. But I didn't want to tell you because you know my life and you're already worried. I don't want you to think anything worse than what you're already thinking." Hyungwon started to hyperventilate. "No, no, honey." I held his face in one hand, helping him breathe with the other.

"I-I," he whimpered. "I cou-could kill him, Ki. If Akira was alive, I'd kill her too. I swear to God I wanna kill him."

I shook my head. "You just promised Benji you would never leave him." Hearing that, Hyungwon began to calm down slowly.

It took him a little while to calm down, but he eventually got there and we headed out to the car again.

I sat in the back with Benji while Hyungwon drove. "Daddy mad," Benji sighed. "Me?"

I shook my head. "Absolutely not, kiddo." I ran my fingers through his hair to ease his anxiety. I whispered to him, reminding him how much everyone in this car loved him.

By the time we got to the jailhouse, Benji was asleep. "Okay, Minhyuk." Hyungwon reached into his middle console. "If he wakes up, try to get him back to sleep, or call me if you need to." He nodded as we both got out of the car. I hated how visiting this jailhouse became routine.

Such a routine, that he was already sitting in the common area. As we walked in, Shownu was walking out. He stalled for a second, recognizing that we were coming to see him too. They both looked awful. Stressed out. I'd talk to Shownu later. "I have nothing to say to you, Kihyun. Guard," Changkyun called out. "Take me back to my cell please. That one does nothing but cause me more distress than I'm already in. You all know I'm at risk."