DAMIR
I followed Eli up the stairs, my heart pounding in a rhythm that didn't know peace. His silence was heavier than any scream could've been. He didn't look back once. Not when his shoulders trembled. Not when I called his name. I stayed behind him anyway, a quiet shadow of guilt and helplessness.
When we reached his room, he pushed the door open and walked in without a word. I paused at the threshold, uncertain. Then I stepped inside.
He climbed onto his bed, curled into himself without saying anything. His small hands held the sheets like he was trying to protect himself from the world. Or from me. I sat gently at the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb his space. The silence between us stretched, aching, almost unbearable.
I didn't know what to say.
Then….soft footsteps.
Juseon.
I heard him pause outside the door, knock once.
"Can I come in?"
Eli didn't answer.
"Eli," Juseon said quietly. "Please. Just a moment."
Still silence. Then, finally, Eli lifted his head, his voice dry and cracked. "I need space."
I looked toward the door, torn.
But Juseon… he didn't force it. I heard him exhale, low and rough. Then his footsteps retreated.
I sat with Eli. Minutes passed. He didn't speak. I didn't either. I only reached out and stroked his back gently, letting him know I was still here. His muscles trembled beneath my touch, like he was holding everything in just to stop from falling apart again.
Eventually, I leaned forward and kissed the back of his neck. Soft. Just enough.
And he let out a little whimper. A broken sound.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
He didn't answer.
Time passed. The clock ticked like it was mocking us.
Then, another knock.
This time, Juseon didn't wait. He opened the door slowly, as if afraid it might break.
"Eli," he said, voice strained. "I couldn't sleep."
Eli turned away.
"Please," Juseon added, stepping closer. "I just… I need to say something."
Eli didn't say no. So he walked in.
"I was shocked," Juseon began. "I didn't expect to find out about your…relationship like that. He's my best friend. It… it was a lot."
Eli's fingers tightened in the bedsheets. I could feel his breath shaking.
"But that's no excuse," Juseon continued. "None. And it's not about Damir. It's about you. It's about how I've treated you."
He sat slowly on the other side of the bed, opposite me. Eli was between us, staring down.
"I judged you," Juseon admitted. "I tried to control who you were. I tried to make you tougher, but it just made you hurt. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't the kind of father you needed."
Eli's lip trembled. "Then why did you say all those things?"
"Because I was scared."
Eli turned his face toward him, eyes glossy. "Of me?"
"No. For you."
Juseon reached out, hesitated, then touched Eli's hand.
"You're my son," he said. "And I love you. I've always loved you, even when I didn't know how to show it. Even when I was too proud or too angry or too stupid to say it right."
I leaned forward too. "Eli… he's right. We shouldn't have let things go the way they did either. We should've protected you better, even from this pain."
Eli looked between the both of us, sniffling. "Then why did it feel like I was all alone?"
Juseon looked devastated. "I failed you. And I'll spend the rest of my life making up for that if you'll let me."
Eli was silent.
I pulled him gently into my arms, rubbing his back as he whimpered. "He means it," I said softly. "And so do I."
"I'm tired," Eli whispered. "I'm just… tired of being scared of my dad."
"You don't have to be anymore," Juseon said. "Not of me. Not of anything."
"I still hate how you looked at me," Eli mumbled. "Like I was something shameful."
"I'll never look at you that way again."
Slowly, Eli leaned into both of us. His tears soaked my shirt. But he was finally letting us hold him.
We stayed like that. Just breathing.
Eventually, he muttered, "Fine. I forgive you."
I kissed the top of his head.
"Thank you," Juseon said, voice breaking.
"Don't make me regret it," Eli said with a pout.
We all laughed, even through the tears.
Later, we went downstairs to get water and just sit in the living room. Something quiet. Normal. Needed.
Then….
"Finally!"
We all turned.
Lian.
Wearing some oversized hoodie that probably wasn't his, hair messy, eyes sleepy but still sharp with sarcasm.
"No one told me there was a family reunion happening without me," he said, raising a brow.
"Where were you even sleeping?" Eli asked, confused.
"Don't worry about it," Lian smirked, plopping on the couch like he owned the place. "I'm like a cat. I appear when I want, vanish when I'm bored."
He eyed us, then rolled his eyes dramatically. "Aw, is this the post-trauma bonding session? Look at you all, were hugging and crying. How adorable."
Eli threw a pillow at him. "Shut up."
Lian dodged with a grin. "I'm just saying. Don't go getting all soft on me now. You two already broke a bed. What's next? Group therapy?"
We groaned in unison.