TW: anxiety attack, verbal abuse, gay slurs, slut shaming

I also wanted to make it clear that I do not believe that their managers behave negatively towards the members or their fans. I personally think Stray Kids have really lovely management that they are close with.

Chapter Text

Cleo jolted upright, panic at the sudden yelling clouding her mind. Chan was already out of bed, standing in his shorts between Cleo and the intruder. She pressed a hand to her chest in an attempt to calm her racing heart. She'd reacted well around yelling but after being on the receiving end of Jason's temper too many times unexpected anger could often trigger her into fight or flight. Blinking rapidly in an attempt to clear the sleep from her eyes, Chul was brought into focus.

He was gesticulating between Chan and the phone he'd thrown when his eyes narrowed on Cleo. In his anger he must not have immediately noticed it was her in bed and not Felix because as recognition flared his face cycled rapidly between pale, red, and landing on purple. Her appearance momentarily rendered him speechless. He opened and closed his mouth before landing on, "This is a new low, resorting to sleeping with your fans. If you were that desperate you should have said something".

Cleo felt tears prick her eyes as Chan glanced back at her before turning to face Chul.

"That's not what this is, and I will not ask you again to hold your tongue when it comes to Cleo".

Chul's sneer didn't waver as he scoffed, "Trust me Chan she's after your money or fame or both. Just look at what they're saying about Stray Kids online."

Chan didn't move for the phone, just crossed his arms as he continued to glare at Chul. Cleo however picked up the phone from the bed and turned it over. The headlines jumped out at her as she scrolled,

STRAY KIDS MYSTERY GIRL SCANDAL

EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT SKZ HAN'S MYSTERY RESCUER

WHAT ARE STRAY KIDS HIDING

STRAY KIDS MEMBER SECRETLY MARRIED TO AMERICAN

There were hundreds of similar articles, all speculating at her identity and why she was so close to the members while dressed in male clothing. Accompanying each article were photos taken from the incident, captured from seemingly every angle. Luckily her face was obscured in most of the photos, but she was worried those who knew her well might still be able recognize her. Most damning was a zoomed in shot of her wrist where one of her tattoos was clearly visible. Despite the pixilation people had already begun attempting to decipher the image and what it could be.

If the articles were bad, the comments were horrific. Inappropriate speculations regarding her relationship to Han coupled with death threats were littered under each post.

Cleo felt the panic rising in her chest. She looked to Chan, stricken. Chul continued on his tirade, "… you have no idea what a mess this is. I've been fielding phone calls all morning from the media and your fans online are livid that she was so close to both you and Han. They're convinced she's some staff member who overstepped and behaved inappropriately…"

Cleo could hardly hear him over the ringing in her ears.

"and YOU", he suddenly whirled on Cleo shoving a pointed finger in her direction. She flinched away.

"You are on the next plane out of here. I don't know why I agreed to let a whore like you come to Seoul. You've been nothing more than a distraction and a nuisance since you arrived." He slapped a hand to the wall as emphasis. This time Chan watched as Cleo recoiled from the violence.

Cleo felt each of his insults as if they were blows. Between his words and raised tone she couldn't think. It felt as if the world was closing in around her. Her vision was reducing down to small tunnels and her ears were filled with the sound of her blood rushing. Suddenly certain she was having a panic attack, she leapt from the bed. Not bothering to gather her things she ran from the room.

Chan called after her to stop as she flung herself through the door, nearly toppling over Felix and Han who'd been just outside.

"We heard yelling and came to see what was …", Felix cut off abruptly at the look on Cleo's face. Mumbling incoherent apologies, she pushed through the two of them and ran for her room.

As her door came into reach she heard footsteps running after her. A hand caught the door as she tried to close it. Cleo couldn't get out the words to tell whoever was there to go away. Instead she wedged herself into the corner between the bed and wall, covering her face with her hands as she tried to control her breathing. Whoever had followed her into the room did their best to wedge themselves in next to her. They didn't speak. After a few moments she felt a hand in her hair. Peering through her fingers she saw Han. He gave her a sad smile, "I'm here. You're safe."

Back at Chan's room Felix entered, ready to confront Chan over why Cleo would be running from their room in tears. Instead he was met by Chan toe to toe with their manager Chul. Both men were red in the face, but Chan wasn't yelling. He was speaking low and quiet, in the way that Felix recognized he only used when furious. Chul had prominent vein popping out across his forehead, "…don't care who you are. Either get rid of her or I will", he was snapping at Chan.

Chul noticed Felix first. Stepping away from Chan he took a deep breath, "I expect this to be handled by the end of the day or you may find yourself taking an extended break". Giving no other indication that he knew Felix was there, Chul left the room; slamming the door on his way out. Dumbfounded Felix stared at Chan, "What the hell happened?".

"I need to go check on Cleo", Chan started to push past Felix.

"No", Felix caught his arm, "what you need to do is tell me what the hell is going on in here!"

"Felix, did you see her face? I need to make sure she's okay"

"Han is with her, he's got this", he pulled Chan back to the bed by the arm, "What was that all about?"

Chan gave in, allowing himself to sink onto the bed, his head braced in his hands. Wordlessly he passed Felix his phone. Felix's eyes widened. The longer he scrolled the paler he seemed to get. "I know internet trolls overreact, but this is crazy… The things they're saying about her? And because she helped Han?"

"Trust me, I know. And we're used to this- I can't imagine how she feels."

They stared at each other, at a loss for words. The silence was abruptly interrupted by an incessant buzzing noise. Checking their phones, they looked around. Neither of them had a missed call. The buzzing picked back up. Chan tossed the blankets and pillows around until he pulled a phone from the bed. He glanced at Felix, "It's Cleo's". They waited for the buzzing to stop. As soon is the call ended Chan started, "We should prob-".

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ

Chan looked bemusedly at the phone before shrugging to Felix and answering.

"Hel-"

"WHO THE FUCK IS THIS"

From a few feet away Felix looked startled, the voice on the line was loud enough he could hear every word. Chan had removed the phone from his ear and was staring at it. He quickly tapped the screen until it was on speaker.

"I'm sorry, who am I speaking with?"

"Oh, now I see, she runs halfway around the world to whore herself out to some gay ass boyband and suddenly she's too good to answer her own phone. Right, well you tell that bitch that she's got another thing coming if she thinks she can embarrass me like this."

Chan and Felix stared at the phone, dumbfounded at the threats coming from it.

"Nothing to say you faggot prick? Coward. This is why Cleo belongs to me. I know how to take care of her, like a real man. I'm not some idiot who prances around in makeup and a costume on stage."

"Who-", but the voice on the phone didn't seem interested in listening to what Chan had to say because he continued on as though he hadn't been interrupted.

"Tell Cleo that if she comes home right now I won't punish her too harshly. There's no reason our reunion needs to be ruined with a trip to the hospital. But if she doesn't come to her senses soon I'll have no choice but to remind her who she belongs to."

CLICK

The man had hung up the phone.

Felix was the first to speak, "What the hell was that?".

"I have no idea, but I think there are some things in Cleo's past she hasn't shared with us." Chan's complexion had taken on a green shade. He dropped the phone on the bed as if it had burned him. Giving it one last look of disgust, he turned for the door, "Come on, we should see how Cleo is holding up".

Han sat beside Cleo, concern evident on his face, as she slowly regained her composure from the panic attach. When Han broke the silence, it was in a gentle voice, "Cleo are you okay now?".

Cleo took a deep breath, hands trembling slightly. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have had to see that."

Han shook his head, his expression soft, "I'm here for you Cleo. We all are. Do you want to talk about what happened?".

Cleo stared at her hands, willing them to stop shaking. "It hit like a sudden wave. Everything became overwhelming with the shouting and I couldn't stand to be in the room anymore. It was like being back with… I just couldn't do it."

"I understand. Trust me. You're not alone. I'll stay with you for as long as you need. Besides, you helped me the other night."

Cleo sighed, "Han you don't owe me anything. I didn't do much."

With a tilt of his head Han responded, "I know I don't owe you anything. I want to be here."

Cleo smiled more genuinely this time, "Thank you Han, I'm lucky to call you a friend."

He grinned back. "The feeling is mutual, Cleo. Should we get some food? It's nearly noon. You've got to be hungry"

Cleo rose with a nod, extending a hand to help Han off the floor. He kept hold of her hand, pulling her forward into an embrace. She let herself melt into his touch. Commanding herself silently to banish negative thoughts. The words Chul had spoken, the memories his anger had drawn up within her. She pushed them all down and locked them tightly away. A knock on the door forced them apart. Cleo extricated herself from Han with a sigh, moving to answer the door.

Standing outside her door was Chan and Felix. Felix pushed past and into her arms. Unable to look Chan in the eye, Cleo dropped her head into Felix's shoulder, breathing in the smell of him- bergamot and sunshine. Quietly, she whispered in his ear, "Can we pretend nothing happened and go eat? Please?". She raised her head and gazed pleadingly into his eyes. With a nod Felix wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "We're ordering room service. Who wants in?".

When Han witnessed Cleo hesitate at Chan and Felix's door he suggested they meet in his and Minho's room. Grateful, Cleo took his hand to follow. She still hadn't made eye contact with Chan. Knowing what he had seen online and heard form Chul was enough to make her want to bury herself in bed for weeks.

What started as her, Felix, Chan, Han and Minho turned into the entire group piled on top of one another. Felix brought his switch and they took turns racing each other in Mario Kart. Cleo thought Felix might have spread the word not to bring up anything they might have overheard or seen on the internet because the conversation stayed firmly away from anything upsetting. The only thing that felt off was the worried glances Chan sending was her way when he thought she wasn't looking. At some point he had brought her phone to her, muttering about her leaving it in his room. He added that he hoped she wouldn't mind but he'd programmed his and Felix's personal numbers into it, just in case. She took the phone, noting the missed call notifications, but since there was no voicemail she simply blocked the number before pocketing her phone.

Cleo spent most of the afternoon being doted on by Han and Felix. They sat with her sandwiched between them, making jokes in an effort to see her smile. To her surprise, Minho also seemed to be paying more attention to her... Albeit, in his own unique way. He was quick with sarcastic retorts when Changbin cracked a joke at her expense and when Felix rose to grab a soda Minho pushed Seungmin away from Cleo, taking Felix's vacated spot instead.

It was close to dinner when Chan broached the subject of the media. The topic caused an immediate change in the atmosphere, what was once lighthearted had become grave and Cleo felt herself sinking back between Han and Minho in an effort to make herself smaller.

"I think we need to discuss how or if we want to respond to the media", Chan's tone was empathetic, but the weight of the mornings conversations settled on Cleo. For the first time that afternoon she found herself meeting Chan's gaze. The guys around her began discussing options; from staging fake relationships or fake employment to ignoring the situation to staging a diversionary scandal, all options were considered. Cleo sat quietly, a heavy weight in her chest.

Interrupting the buzz around her Cleo finally spoke, "I don't want any of you to face potential backlash or challenges because of me." Her eyes found each of the members in turn before settling on Chan. "We all know I'm leaving in two days. Maybe it's best to pretend I never existed or better yet, frame me as a crazed fan that managed to get too close. It'll be easier for the group to blame the entire situation on me."

Silence fell as they considered her statement. Felix looked at her as if he couldn't believe what she was saying. "But you're not crazy and you do exist. Besides I thought we were friends? I don't want you to disappear forever."

Han nodded in agreement, "We're here for you, Cleo. Facing challenges is part of being a family, and we're not going to turn our backs on you."

Minho, surprising everyone with the sincerity in his voice, added, "We've faced a lot together, and this won't be any different. We'll find a way through this, as a team."

The rest of the boys nodded their agreement. Cleo felt a lump form in her throat as she looked back at their earnest faces. So rarely had someone cared to stand up for her, she was caught off guard by the surge of emotions. Chan knelt down in front of her, grasping both her hands in his, "Let us handle this".

As grateful for their support as she was, Cleo couldn't let them be punished for a situation she had caused. With a nod to Chan she leaned back once more, lapsing into silence, a plan forming in her mind. She was going to fix this.