Jaebum keeps a careful eye on his phone the next day- as usual, he’d left the house early in the morning to get to work, and had no idea what was happening at home. Jinyoung had sent him a cheerful text saying bringing yugyeommie to the park to play with dowoonie + sungjin hyung, stop frowning at your phone <3, so Jaebum assumed Yugyeom had left as understood in the morning.

So it’s a bit of a (expected, but slightly tiring nonetheless) surprise when he comes home from work and sees the same extra pair of shoes on the rack as last night, and Jaebum sighs. He toes off his loafers and sets them wearily on the rack, rehearsing his no we can’t keep him, please don’t give me that face speech to Jinyoung in his head as he flicks an invisible speck of dust off his shoes, before unlocking the door and pushing it open, bracing for impact.

He doesn’t expect it to come literally, however, at the sound of a loud clunk of metal in the kitchen and Jinyoung’s panicked yell, and Jaebum drops his bag instantaneously, rushing into the adjoining room, cursing under his breath.

Jaebum’s met with the sight of Jinyoung standing at the stove, his back to Jaebum, looking at the boiling saucepan of soup, and Yugyeom beside him, setting the pot back properly in its place.

“What’s happening,” he half-snaps, and Yugyeom flinches palpably, but then Jinyoung’s turning around, trying to look as placating as possible, a ruse which has worked many times and apparently continues to do so, because Jaebum takes a deep breath, deliberately calming himself down after that.

“Hyung!” Jinyoung glances back quickly at the stove to check on the soup, before looking back at Jaebum. “It’s okay, I was just silly, I hit the handle of the saucepan and it almost fell on the floor- stop sounding so fierce, you’re scaring Yugyeom. Whom I have to thank for saving my feet from certain death,” Jinyoung turns around, beaming at the teen, and Jaebum’s about to scoff, when he hears Jinyoung gasp. “Your hands, what happened? Was it the soup?”

It’s then Jaebum properly looks at Yugyeom, still with the messenger bag slung across his back, looking down in mild surprise at his fingers, now red and starting to swell.

“You shouldn’t have tried to catch the pot with your bare hands, look at this,” Jinyoung’s despairing, pulling Yugyeom over to the sink to run his hands under cold water, and Jaebum draws closer, looking at the kitchen properly now. There are vegetables half-chopped on the far end of the kitchen island, bottles of sauce on the counter, a plate of half-frozen meat defrosting on the counter- the usual mess that happens when Jinyoung cooks, and Jaebum sighs, heading out of the kitchen.

“I’ll get the aloe vera gel from the bathroom, hang on.”

Yugyeom comes pattering curiously into the kitchen, then, wide-eyed, and Jaebum ushers him out, not wanting him to go near the stove.

“Hyung caught the pot,” Yugyeom observes, and Jaebum mumbles dissent under his breath, pretending not to listen. “Papa didn’t get burned because he caught the pot.”

“What’s this hyung thing, anyway, Gyeom,” Jaebum mutters, opening the bathroom door to get the gel, accidentally stubbing his toe on the edge as he does so. “Ow, .”

“Don’t curse, Daddy,” Yugyeom says absently. “And he was nice to us when we went to the park today. He took care of me and Dowoonie so Papa and Sungjin-samcheon could converse,” he seems to like the word- he’d probably learned it from Jinyoung today. “He took a picture for us too. He likes pictures.”

“Uh huh, sure,” Jaebum propels Yugyeom in the direction of his room as he steps out, hissing as he walks on his injured foot. “Go finish the math problems Papa set for you. Don’t come into the kitchen until we clean up the soup.”

“Okay,” Yugyeom sighs, sounding as grown up as he probably thinks he does as he walks back to his room, and Jaebum chuckles fondly before heading back to the kitchen, gel in tow.

“Thanks hyung,” Jinyoung says with a blinding smile, apparently having no qualms about pressing a quick kiss on his cheek before taking the gel and hurrying back to Yugyeom, and Jaebum offers a noncommittal grunt in response, acting like he didn’t notice.

“Didn’t you feel the pain when you held the pot? I don’t know how you even managed to hold it without dropping it right then and there, I would’ve just let go if it were me,” Jinyoung’s rambling on and on to Yugyeom, who honestly looks a lot calmer about his burned fingers than Jaebum thinks any sane teenager should be.

“It’s okay,” is all he says, watching Jinyoung make quick work of the clear gel on his hands.

“Oh, and,” Jinyoung says it a little louder this time, as Jaebum’s ripping off some paper towels to clean up the soup that’d spilled, and the latter knows that he apparently needs to hear whatever’s about to be said next. “Yugyeom, you said you needed to talk to Jaebum-hyung when he got home, didn’t you?”

Jaebum looks over at Yugyeom, who quails slightly, eyes darting away, before nodding. “Yes. Can I speak with you?”

“Okay,” Jaebum tries not to couple that word with a sigh, before dropping the sheets of kitchen towel onto the mess. All contingency plans are simultaneously forming and being rejected in his head- he’s never been able to say no to Jinyoung, anyway. For the hundredth time, he grumpily wonders what it is that he’s gotten himself into, bringing this kid up here to take shelter last night.

“Alright, just don’t touch anything now, go sit in the living room and let your hands rest,” Jinyoung caps the aloe vera gel, shooing Yugyeom out of the kitchen.

“The vegetables…?” Jaebum hears Yugyeom ask as he’s being propelled out, and Jinyoung laughs.

“It’s fine, those are almost done anyway, you go rest for a bit before dinner, I’ll finish up.”

It’s then Jaebum looks up from the paper towels to the chopping board with the vegetables, then to the stove, all the way on the other side of the kitchen, and frowns slightly. How’d Yugyeom manage to know the pot was falling, cross the kitchen and catch it before it could? Unless…he’d somehow known the pot would fall?

But then Jinyoung walks over to the chopping board, and Jaebum pushes that thought aside, inhaling deeply, steeling himself for the conversation he knows has to take place next.

“Jinyoung.”

“Yes?” Jinyoung says, eyes probably wide with innocence, voice completely clear from any shame whatsoever, and Jaebum sighs.

“You said you were taking Gyeom out to the park.”

“Well, I did,” Jinyoung says satisfactorily. “Both of them.”

 Jaebum scoffs, standing to throw the paper towels into the bin. “Jinyoung, we can’t let him stay here forever, you know that right?”

“Look, just talk to him now, alright?” Jinyoung deliberately bumps his shoulder into Jaebum’s chest as he brings the chopping board of vegetables over to the stove. “He’ll tell you everything.”

Jaebum sends Jinyoung one last measured look, getting a meaningful go on, he’s right outside expression in response, and rinses his hands wearily before turning to leave the kitchen.

“This conversation isn’t over,” he mumbles, trying and failing to sound stern as he leaves the kitchen, and Jinyoung laughs. “You can’t keep doing these things without telling me, you know.”

“You love me for it,” Jinyoung leans over, going right up into his face, and Jaebum lets out a dry chuckle, about to reply with something along the lines of as if, before Jinyoung kisses him again, soft hands lingering on his arms as he pulls away with a cheeky smile, and Jaebum huffs.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he grumbles, but he obliges anyway, holding Jinyoung close, catching his cheek in another kiss, before leaving the kitchen, the sound of Jinyoung humming as he returns to his cooking like a safety net in the chasm of his chest below where his heart dangles, precariously secure.

*

“Want a drink?” Jaebum sets a chilled bottle of orange juice on the coffee table as he settles beside Yugyeom on the couch- the television’s turned to the news channel, the sound of the newscaster a soft background hum, alongside the birds and the wind outside the apartment block. It’s calming on evenings like these, when they sky’s just gotten dark, the pale yellow outlines of windows from neighbouring buildings glowing softly into the streets, fewer so because it’s Friday night, and everyone’s trying to squeeze in some time outside with their friends or family.

“Thank you,” Yugyeom says quietly in response, but he doesn’t open it just yet.

“How are your hands?” Jaebum leans over slightly, and Yugyeom lifts an open palm obligingly. The redness is still there, though the swelling has stopped, and Jaebum’s relieved. “Does it still hurt?”

“They’ll be okay by tomorrow,” Yugyeom mumbles, and from the way he says it Jaebum wonders if it’s something he’s told himself often.

“So, Jinyoung said you wanted to speak to me,” he says, and Yugyeom stiffens slightly, obviously having dreaded this moment too.

“Yes, uhm,” he begins hesitantly. “Jaebum-ssi, I’d like-…uhm, I was, just wondering if I could, sort of,” he seems to be struggling hard to phrase the next few words. “If I could, maybe, stay here for the next four days.”

There it is. Jaebum has to hold back a sigh. It’s not like he hadn’t been expecting this, of course- he’d known it’d come sooner or later the moment he knew Yugyeom was still in the house. Reminding himself that Jinyoung’s probably eavesdropping from the kitchen, Jaebum braves on to continue speaking.

“Listen, Yugyeom, if you’re asking to stay here, then I’m going to need you to be completely honest with me,” he turns to face Yugyeom here, watching him carefully. “Where’s your family, Yugyeom? Where have you been living up till now? What are you going to do after the four days?”

Four days, though. Why specifically four?

“My family’s in this area,” Yugyeom hesitates again, like he’s trying to figure out what to say. “I’m going back after the four days.”

Jaebum leans forward, completely serious. “You understand that I need to know everything if you’re going to stay here, right?” he pauses for a moment, before continuing in a softer voice. “Is everything alright with your family?”

Yugyeom flinches visibly here, body shifting as though to shy away, before he nods. “Yeah, things are-…things were a little rocky, but they’re going to be fine,” he adds quickly, looking nervously at Jaebum. “I just need some time away to fix things.”

“I know I’ve no right to lecture you on what you should do,” Jaebum doesn’t want to beat around the bush here- Yugyeom has Jinyoung for that. “But if things aren’t right at home, you need to call social services, especially if there’s anyone else in danger here. Trust me,” he says firmly. “Letting it drag on will do more harm than good. Understand?”

Yugyeom doesn’t say anything for some time.

“Yeah. I know what I’m doing,” he nods finally, not meeting Jaebum’s eyes.

“Why didn’t you go stay with any friends? Why were you out in the rain last night?”

Yugyeom doesn’t look up. “I don’t have friends around here.”

“What about school?” Jaebum presses on.

“I’m in my final year,” Yugyeom finally seems comfortable to talk, even gesturing vaguely in the direction. “I go to the high school just beside the park- the one with the blue and yellow walls, and the cork oak trees at the back. We’re on break now.”

“Okay,” Jaebum’s relieved- at least that’s something concrete to go on. “Okay, since you’ve managed to convince both my husband and son that you’re alright, and I’m assuming you told me the truth about everything just now, you’re welcome to stay as long as you need until your family matters are settled. But I’m going to be upfront with you,” he says, looking Yugyeom directly in the eye. “If you let anyone else into this house or hurt either of them, I won’t let you off, understand?”

Yugyeom blinks, like that had never crossed his mind before. “Oh-…of course not. I wouldn’t do that.”

Jaebum’s amazed at the way, out of the mouth of anyone else, that would’ve just sounded like a poor lie, but out of Yugyeom’s it manages to sound like the Platonic truth, like the boy in front of him would truly never have conceived any intention ill in the slightest.

“I sure hope so,” Jaebum stands, but not before he opens the juice bottle in front of Yugyeom, setting the cap beside it on the table. “Thank you, by the way. For catching the pot of soup just now.”

Yugyeom, once again, doesn’t seem to think much of it, only ducking his head, eyes averted, mumbling a it was nothing, and Jaebum looks him over carefully once again, before heading to the bedroom to get a change of clothes, rolling his shoulder and grumbling about the weather.

(He pretends not to see Jinyoung giving him smug looks all throughout dinner later, in favour of carefully listening to Yugyeom tell him about the park and how Dowoon ate a caterpillar when Sungjin wasn’t looking.)