A/N: Please don’t kill me for both; the length of time this took to update and for the following content and plot developments.
Enjoy!! XxxX

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Kibum was right to feel like his world just shattered. He was sitting in the window sill of his bedroom and staring out onto the grounds outside. This normally helped to calm him down even when he was younger, but he kept running the scene between himself and his father round and round in his head.

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“Kibum, I asked you a question” Mr Kim said after his son didn’t respond for a few minutes. 

Kibum’s face was deathly pale and his hands were shaking. ‘What did he see?’ ‘How much does he know?’ Kibum asked himself. He finally found the courage to speak up and decided to play as nonchalant as possible.
“Oh, that boy? That was my friend and tutor I told you about.” Kibum said with as much confidence as he could muster.

“Oh really? I didn’t know his father was an ex-employee of mine.” Mr Kim stated with a stern expression.

“H-he is?” Kibum played dumb.

“Yes… now, are your grades improving?” His father asked with a raised eyebrow, no change in his facial expression one little bit.

“Y-yeah. I have improved a lot, I am working my way up to the top of my class. Onew is really helping me to improve quickly.” Kibum announced and it wasn’t actually a lie so he was able to speak a little more relaxed than previously.

“Hmmm…okay, good. You may go.” Mr Kim announced, his stature stiff and poised.
Kibum breathed a loud sigh in his head and allowed some of the tension in his posture to dissipate.

“Oh but Kibum – ” Mr Kim spoke in a firm and loud voice which made the boy stop in the middle of the stairs and turn around with questioning eyes. “ – if you have any…thoughts…of any kind about dating this ‘Onew’ boy, then you should dismiss them now. I will not have you dating the son of a man like that. Do you understand?” Mr Kim almost spat fire as he spoke about Jinki’s father.

“I-I understand b-but… what do you mean…. a man like that?” Key asked, he wanted to know but he had a feeling that the response would not be easy to accept.

Mr Kim walked up a few steps to stand opposite his son and he placed a hand firmly on Kibum’s shoulder.
“That … man… thinks he is something he is not. He is a poor and lowly man who stabbed me in the back because he thought he was better than us. I shared many… shall we say… discrepancies with him about the business and he took all of that information and used it to his advantage. I will NOT see you fraternising with his son in any manner other than purely business, do you understand? You will no longer be his ‘friend’ and you will do well to remember what I said about having any kind of romantic feelings. If I find you setting foot in the Lee household Kibum, you mark my words, there will be more than trouble and you can say goodbye to your wonderful life as you know it.” Mr Kim finished, his hand had tightened significantly on the boy’s right shoulder and was now pressing deeply into his skin.
Kibum was suddenly filled with anger. He should have been scared but he knew that those ‘discrepancies’ were ultimately ‘secrets’ and that Mr Lee probably just saw through the farce that was his parent’s business.

“I understand… I understand that Mr Lee probably saw you for who you really are, father…” Kibum spat, his face dangerously close to the older man. “…but Onew is my friend and nothing you can do will stop that. I don’t care what his father did, because I don’t judge people by their family, wealth or upbringing. I judge them for who they are, on their kindness, manners and hearts.” Kibum finished and his chest was heaving with rage.

“You insolent little…” *SMACK* his father lowered his hand and narrowed his eyes at the boy before him. Kibum was now crouching on the stairs and holding the left side of his face. His father had hit him. Never before had either of his parents done something like that and he was too shocked and overwhelmed to even speak. “…mark my words son, I will take away everything from you if you continue a relationship with that boy. You think I didn’t see your little display on the doorstep? You think I was oblivious to the security camera’s that line this household? If you continue with this boy, you can say goodbye to this house and the wealth of this family!” Mr Lee all but screamed.

“This is NOT a family!” Kibum screamed back. “You think I care about this massive house that echoes with nothing but the sound of my own voice??? You think I care even in the slightest about all the money you have??? I care about integrity and love and friendship.” Kibum finished, his legs shaking as he tried to raise himself from the crouching position and stand tall in front of his – this man.

“Oh Kibum, you really are a stupid boy. If you say goodbye to all of this, you must know that you will be banished from seeing Elise ever again. You can forget about Jonghyun too because his father sides with me on the case of Mr Lee. You can forget about your grandmother also, because when you walk away from me and this family, you walk away from them too.” Mr Kim spat with a sinister smile tugging at his lips.

That was when Kibum broke down. There and then on the stairs, his face was stinging and red – not unlike his eyes. His father walked away and announced that he would be leaving for Japan tomorrow but he will be keeping his eye on Kibum and his interactions with Onew.
After a long time sobbing and sniffling on the stairs he was finally able to pick himself up from the floor and climb the stairs to his bedroom.

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So there he sat, staring at the grounds beneath him and wondering when those walls turned into a prison. He wanted to run away and leave. He wanted to escape into Jinki’s arms and stay there forever but he knew he couldn’t. How could he leave Elise, and Jonghyun and his grandmother? Those three people were the only family he had left and there was no way he could live without them.

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Minho was waiting on the bench, his hands clasped together and his left knee bobbing anxiously. He glanced at his watch for the tenth time and the time showed it to be two minutes to eight in the morning. He looked around nervously and began wringing his fingers and shuffling his hands through his hair just to try and disperse some of the tension in his muscles. ‘Where the hell is Taemin’ he thought to himself, though admittedly, the younger boy wasn’t technically due for another 1 and a half minutes.
He immediately stood up though as he saw those familiar auburn locks walking towards him.

“H-hey Tae, I’m glad you came.” Minho stuttered as he looked at the boy in front of him. Taemin was wearing a large grey coat, scarf pulled around his face and his hair was soft and wispy as it blew in the wind. He had on a casual pair of loafers and dark blue tailored pants.

“I said I would come, but it’s cold so you better make this quick before I decide to leave your useless here, alone again.” Taemin said with no amusement in his voice whatsoever, he was serious and Minho got the point.

“I wanted to apologise… you know, about the other week. I’m really really sorry Tae.” Minho said, sincerity laced in his voice.

“I know you are, you said that already but I’m not one for playing games Minho. If you aren’t serious about us, then I have no time for you.” Taemin announced in a quiet voice, though it was stern and cold.

“I- I am serious Taemin, really I am.” Minho pleaded, he wanted the younger boy to accept his apology and then they could continue where they left off.

“So serious that you are willing to tell them who I really am?” Taemin asked, his tone bored and his face matching it.
Minho stuttered and flapped around a little and Taemin couldn’t be bothered with all of Minho’s any longer. “Of course you’re not… goodbye Minho.” Taemin announced and turned to walk away.
Soon, he felt a hand on his elbow and he stopped in his tracks as Minho spoke up again.

“Please, Tae… please, I just need a little more time.” The taller boy pleaded once more, his hand now lightly tugging on the elbow of Taemin’s jacket.

“Save it! Minho, I’ve had enough. I waited, I was patient and I was okay with leaving you to deal with it in your own time. B-but what you said that day… th-that really hurt me Minho.” Taemin said, his voice weakening and tears threatening to spring back to his eyes once again.

“I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have said that Tae… I didn’t know – ” Minho began but was cut off.

“ – know that it would hurt me so much? Minho, you called me ‘just some kid’ in front of all of them! Not even a friend or dongsaeng…just, SOME KID!” Taemin couldn’t keep his cool any longer, he was sobbing and shouting and making a massive scene and that was what he had been trying to avoid.

“T-Tae, please don’t cry, look at me please. I am so so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you…it just came out and I’m an idiot. Please, please Tae…” Minho trailed off at the end as he saw the dejected face of Taemin and watched as the younger boy fell apart even further.

“I c-came today hoping that you were ready… ready t