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The Mars group house was unusually quiet for an afternoon with everyone home.
Jun sat at one end of the sofa, phone resting loosely in his hand, thumb scrolling without much attention. Dylan was stretched across him, head pillowed on Jun's lap, one arm draped lazily over Jun's thigh. Jun's fingers moved through Dylan's hair in slow, unconscious circles, massaging, combing, pressing gently at his scalp as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
He never once looked down.
Dylan, eyes half-lidded, noticed everything anyway.
On the floor, Pepper and Khem were tangled together on a thick rug, Khem's head on Pepper's chest while Pepper absently traced shapes on her arm. Nano sat cross-legged on the opposite sofa, phone held upright, earbuds dangling unused around his neck. Near the wall, Thame lay inside a sleeping bag, arms crossed behind his head, staring at the ceiling with a faint smile, clearly waiting for his boyfriend to come back and join him.
It felt domestic. Lived-in. Safe.
The front door clicked open.
"Guys," Po's voice echoed as he stepped inside, shoes kicked off carelessly. "You're all ignoring your manager again."
Pepper groaned. Nano looked up. Thame rolled onto his side. Jun finally glanced away from his phone.
Dylan stayed where he was.
Po clapped his hands once, drawing their attention. "We got an event offer."
That did it.
"What kind?" Pepper asked immediately, Khem lifting her head with interest.
"A social event," Po said. "An orphanage performance. Singing, interaction with kids, small workshop kind of thing. Media will be there, but nothing overwhelming. There's a small appearance fee too."
The word landed softly.
Too softly.
Dylan felt it before he saw it, Jun's body tightening beneath him, muscles going rigid for just half a second. Jun's hand faltered in Dylan's hair, pressure going uneven, then resumed as if nothing had happened.
No one else noticed.
"That's nice," Nano said. "Good exposure too."
Thame nodded. "Kids love you guys. Especially Jun."
Jun smiled faintly at his screen.
"Sounds good," Pepper added. "When?"
Po continued talking, explaining dates and logistics, but Dylan's focus had narrowed completely. Jun's shoulders were stiff now, posture too upright, breath just a little too controlled.
Dylan didn't say anything.
Not yet.
~~~~
By evening, the house settled into silence again as everyone retreated to their rooms.
Jun and Dylan's bedroom was dim, only the bedside lamp on. Dylan sat cross-legged on the bed, scrolling aimlessly. The bathroom door had been closed for over an hour.
The sound of running water hadn't stopped.
Dylan knew Jun well enough to recognize the difference between a long shower and avoidance. The water wasn't changing rhythm. No movement. Just a steady stream, loud enough to fill the space, to drown out thoughts.
Dylan waited.
When the door finally opened, Jun stepped out, hair dry, clothes unchanged. He smiled immediately, easy and familiar.
"You waited?" Jun teased. "What, can't sleep without me now?"
Dylan didn't smile back.
Jun faltered.
Before Jun could say anything else, Dylan reached out, took Jun's wrist gently, and guided him to sit on the bed. Dylan shifted closer, knees touching, and then took both of Jun's hands in his.
"Jun," he said softly. "Are you okay?"
Jun blinked, then laughed lightly. "Yeah. Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
Dylan didn't let go.
Jun tried again. "I was just—thinking. You know me."
Dylan searched his face, eyes steady, worried in a way Jun couldn't ignore. Slowly, Jun's shoulders slumped. The fight drained out of him all at once.
He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Dylan, burying his face against Dylan's shoulder.
"I'm scared," Jun whispered.
Dylan's arms came around him immediately, firm and grounding. He didn't rush Jun. Didn't interrupt.
Jun spoke into the fabric of Dylan's shirt, voice uneven.
"My mom left me at an orphanage when I was five," he said. "She told me to wait. She never came back."
Dylan already knew. Still, he listened like it was the first time.
"It wasn't... a good place," Jun continued. "We didn't get enough food. They made us work. Cleaning, carrying things, whatever they needed. If someone complained, they'd get beaten. Or locked in rooms. You learned quickly to stay quiet."
Jun's grip tightened.
"When I turned eighteen, I left and never went back. I promised myself I wouldn't. I avoided anything that reminded me of it."
He pulled back just enough to look at Dylan, eyes glassy but determined.
"This event... I can't avoid it."
Dylan brushed his thumb over Jun's knuckles. "We can skip it," he said immediately. "I'll talk to Po. The others will understand. We'll figure something out."
Jun shook his head.
"No." He took a breath. "I thought about it. A lot."
Dylan stilled, letting him continue.
"I know I'm not there anymore," Jun said quietly. "I'm not in that cage. I'm here. This is my home. You're here." His voice softened. "I don't want to keep running forever. I want to go there and tell myself that I survived. That I'm safe now."
Dylan looked at him for a long moment, then pulled him back into a hug, pressing a kiss into Jun's hair.
"Okay," Dylan said. "But promise me something."
Jun nodded against his chest.
"If you feel anxious... at any point... you tell me. Immediately," Dylan said. "I don't care about the press. Or sponsors. Or image. If you're uncomfortable, we leave. No explanations."
Jun exhaled, tension easing out of him inch by inch.
"I promise," he murmured.
They stayed like that for a while, breathing together, until Jun finally pulled back with a small smile.
"You know," Jun said lightly, "even if I didn't tell you, you'd know eventually. You've been watching me too closely lately."
Dylan huffed a quiet laugh. "Lately? I've always had my attention on you."
Jun blinked, then laughed, soft and genuine this time.
"Idiot," he said fondly.
Dylan smiled, resting his forehead against Jun's.
Home didn't always erase fear.
Sometimes, it just gave you a place to face it—held, loved, and no longer alone.
~~~~
The orphanage auditorium smelled faintly of dust and floor cleaner.
Jun stood behind the makeshift stage curtain, fingers curled tightly around the hem of his jacket. The chatter of children bled through the fabric... high, excited voices, laughter bouncing off concrete walls. It should have been comforting.
Instead, his chest felt tight.
The space was different. Brighter. Cleaner.
But his body didn't know that.
His breathing turned shallow, shoulders drawing in as if bracing for something unseen. For a split second, the noise blurred... too loud, too close. His mind betrayed him with memories he hadn't invited: cold floors, empty plates, hands that were never gentle.
"Jun."
Dylan's voice cut through it instantly.
Jun felt Dylan's hand slide into his, fingers threading together with quiet certainty. Dylan squeezed... once, twice... slow and deliberate.
"I'm here," Dylan murmured, close enough that only Jun could hear. "You're not alone."
Jun looked down at their joined hands. Dylan's thumb brushed over his knuckle, grounding, steady. The pressure reminded him where he was. Who he was with.
Jun took a breath.
Then another.
The curtain shifted.
Po peeked in, smiling. "Ready?"
Jun hesitated for half a heartbeat... then nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "I am."
They stepped onto the stage together.
~~~~
The performance went smoothly. Better than smoothly.
The kids clapped off-beat, sang along when they remembered the lyrics, laughed too loud at Pepper's jokes. Nano crouched to their level when speaking. Thame let a child tug at his sleeve the entire time without complaint.
Jun found himself smiling.
Not the polite kind. The real one.
When a little boy in the front row waved at him, Jun waved back without thinking. The knot in his chest loosened slightly with every passing minute. The stage lights felt warm... not blinding.
This place wasn't his past.
It was just a place.
When it ended, applause filled the room... messy, sincere, beautiful. Jun bowed alongside the others, heart racing, not with fear this time, but something lighter.
Pride, maybe.
Backstage buzzed with movement as staff packed up and Po called for them to get ready to leave. Jun was sipping water when small footsteps approached hesitantly.
"Phi?"
Jun turned.
A little boy stood a few feet away, clutching something behind his back. He couldn't have been more than eight. His hair was unevenly cut, bangs falling into curious eyes.
"Yes?" Jun asked gently, crouching down.
The boy stepped closer and held out a folded piece of colored paper. It was creased, clearly handmade, crayons bleeding through the thin surface.
"This is for you," the boy said. "I like you the most."
Jun froze.
"For me?" he asked quietly.
The boy nodded enthusiastically. "You smiled a lot. I want to be like you when I grow up."
Something cracked open in Jun's chest.
He took the card with trembling hands. Inside was a messy drawing... stick figures on a stage, one taller than the rest, holding a microphone. Above it, in uneven letters, were the words: 'I want to be strong like Phi Jun.'
Jun swallowed.
"Thank you," he managed. "That means a lot."
The boy grinned, satisfied, then ran off to join the others.
Jun stayed crouched there, staring at the card.
Dylan knelt beside him without a word, arm brushing Jun's shoulder.
Jun exhaled shakily, then laughed under his breath.
"I didn't know," Jun whispered. "I didn't know I could come back to a place like this and... not feel small."
Dylan leaned closer. "You were never small," he said. "You just survived something that tried to make you believe you were."
Jun straightened, standing up slowly. The walls no longer felt like they were closing in. The noise didn't scare him.
He wasn't in the cage anymore.
He was someone a child looked up to.
Jun slipped his fingers into Dylan's hand again, squeezing back this time.
"Let's go home," Jun said.
Dylan smiled. "Yeah. Let's."
And as they walked out together, Jun realized something quietly profound...
He hadn't just faced his fear.
He had outgrown it.