Trafficked children are treated as criminals despite federal law classifying anyone under 18 years of age a victim.

‘We need to talk.’

A small message that had so much meaning.

Myungsoo stared at the text message, trying to determine possible thing could go wrong. His phone buzzed once more and he quickly checked to see the new incoming message.

‘I’m coming over in 5.’

He glanced at the sleeping male who seemed so at peace. He had gotten much healthier over the week. His skin was no longer the ashy grey tone, rather, it glowed more. He still looked ill, as his face was still pale. His eyes were still hollowed and grey from obvious lack of sleep, but he had made progression.

Myungsoo smiled as his eyes trailed down to the taller male’s body. He was very lanky. Very skinny. His bones protruded from his skin. Some even projected in a strange way. He made a mental note to get the other medically checked up.

Despite the infinite scars on his body and the still fresh and open wound, there was a glow inside of him, that made him beautiful. He knew what the other had been through. It was obvious, but why did he still look so innocent? He looked so pure. Despite the cuts and the slits, he looked so untainted. That was probably why many people chose him. Because men were sick. The thought of tarnishing a person who seemed so pure excited them even more.

He shook his head, trying to get rid of the disgusting thoughts. It would only anger him more if he continued to think of this male’s past… clients.

He heaved out a sigh before the sound of his doorbell echoed through the house.

~

He slammed the table in anger. “What?!”

“Please calm down.”

“I will not calm down. What do you mean we can’t do the hearing?”

“Myungsoo, please sit down.” He tried calmly.

“We have to do the hearing. If not, who else?”

“We’ll get sent to jail!” He yelled, losing his temper from the other’s stubbornness.

“Then we’ll go to jail! You said it yourself, if one life is ruined to save millions other. You’d do it. I don’t care about my life. I’ll go to jail.”

“You don’t understand!” Sunggyu shouted. “It’s not just you. It’s every single trafficker, slave, everyone.”

“Slave? Why the heck do they have to go to jail?” He asked, slightly calmer.

“That’s exactly what I’ve been saying. The justice system is flawed. Deeply flawed. Because ion is illegal. If you are involved in it, even if it was by force, you will still be charged. They don’t make exceptions.”

“Then Sungyeol…”

“Who’s Sungyeol?”

“I-I gave him a name. He says he likes it.” He murmured.

“So are you getting closer?”

Myungsoo shook his head, “I think he’s a bit more comfortable.” He said.

Sunggyu nodded, “And about what you said, yes. He will be charged.”

“Then he won’t be a witness.” Myunsoo replied quickly.

“Myungsoo. We need all the evidence we can get to testify.”

“He’s not going to jail.” He said sharply. “Not over my dead body.”

~

He was awoken by his master’s angry voice.

He would never admit to eavesdropping. He would be punished if he did. But he did. By accident of course.

He heard his master’s voice, as he shouted angrily to another unknown man.

He heard them discussing about him. Something about a witness, and him going in jail.

What was a jail? Was it a paradise? Was that why his master refused to let him go there? He shook his head. But his master was kind, wasn’t he?

He hated himself for letting his guard down so soon. He had never done so in almost 10 years, so why did he let them down so easily?

Tightly holding onto the bear that was recently gifted to him, he looked around. Double checking that no one but him was in the room.

After confirming three times that it was safe, he smiled and hugged the bear tightly.

It was soft, and fluffy. He loved the feeling of how soft it was. His mind flashed back to the previous night, when he received a name.

Lee Sungyeol. He remembered.

The name made his heart flutter. It made him feel special.

“Lee Sungyeol.” He whispered. His gaze averted back to the bear who sat between his legs, “Would you like a name?” He continued to whisper.

His hand travelled to the head of the teddy bear and he gently pushed it down twice. The bear nodded. He smiled.

“What’s a good name?” He murmured to himself

“Yoong?” he pondered. He liked the name. It was a name he had heard someone call their dog.

“Master bought me.” he whispered. “Did he buy you too?” he asked. He waited for a few minutes before nodding.

“I thought so. He bought the two of us, but he hasn't punished me yet. Do you think he will do something bad?” he continued, waiting once again as though the inanimate object replied.

“I hope he won't. I don't feel sore. I don’t like it when I do.” he shuddered.

~

“You bought him to testify, Myungsoo. Not to get attached to him.”

“This was all your idea. You told me to get close to him. You told me to buy him.”

“I didn't know-”

“Then you should have looked into it, goddammit Sunggyu!” he yelled, banging on the table once again. “You said that you had everything under control. You said that you could fix this. Why are you telling me this now?” he breathes out. How voice was obviously strained as he painfully registered the fact that all his work could be all for no cause.

“I’ll continue trying.” Sunggyu promised, “Like I said, the system is flawed, which means that there may be some small cracks that I can get into.”

Myungsoo nodded, “Thank you.” That was all he could say.

The other nodded, “In the meantime call the shrink. We need him.”

~

“I can pay any price. As long as you come here.”

“Sir, we're not allowed to do that.”

“Please.” he begged, “Woohyun said that you could help.”

“Woohyun?”

“Yes. He said you could come and help.”

A sharp exhale could be heard from the other line and Myungsoo held his breath in hope, “Fine.” He said. “I usually charge $100 per session.”

“I can pay extra.” Myungsoo replied quickly.

“I would like that too, but a friend of Woohyun’s is a friend of mine. I’ll charge you $100. $80 originally but the $20 as petrol fees.”

“Thank you so much, Dr Lee.

“No worries. When do you want to start?”

“Anytime, as soon as possible.”

“I have no clients today at 4PM. How does that sound?”

“Great. Thank you.”

Sungjong hummed, “Sessions are usually an hour to two hours. Don’t expect results straight away. These things need time.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

After hanging up, Myungsoo headed towards his bedroom. He silently pressed his ear against the door to hear if anything was going on.

To his astonishment, he heard low murmurs. The voice made his heart skip a beat, though, he wasn’t sure why, but he smiled as he realised that the bear had actually help make progress.

Choosing not to frighten the other, Myungsoo decided to leave the room and gather a box of everyday items.

He was determined to teach the other the general knowledge that most others simple take granted of.

~

Glancing at his calender quickly, he realised that he hadn’t had any cases for the next month or so. It was as expected. He was a rookie lawyer, after all. No one really trusted him yet, which was why he was now mostly stuck with the paperwork.

This was why the case of the exploitation of human trafficking excited him. It was his first real case. A case that meant so much to him. But he lost. Which was why he was determined to redo the hearing and win once in for all.

The shrink was coming in just over an hour. Myungsoo had to tell the other this, or else he would freak. Standing up and walking to the destination he had just left, he softly knocked on the door, not too loud to scare the other, and waited a few minutes to allow the other to calm down.

He walked in to see Sungyeol wide eyed, holding tightly to the bear’s hand. He had looked so innocent.

“How are you feeling?”

The other nodded.

“Would you like to shower?” Realising that the other hadn’t had one in a very long time. He slapped himself mentally for being such a terrible host.

Another timid nod.

“I’ll go get you your clothes, and then I’ll hang them outside, alright? You go in first.”

He nodded once final time, before slowly slipping out of the bed and into the bathroom.

Myungsoo looked around, trying to find any form of clothing that wasn’t black. Black didn’t suit him, after all. After what seemed to be hours, but was probably only a few minutes, he pulled out a thick, woollen pink sweater.

The pink was a bright colour that contrasted so much to his everyday black clothing. He hadn’t even remember how such a feminine colour, so unlike his taste got into his closet in the first place.

He shrugged nonetheless and pulled out a pair of grey trousers. He had to remember to go out shopping for clothes that would actually fit the other.

He gently knocked on the bathroom. “I’ll leave your clothes outside, alright?”

“Yes.” The latter replied shortly after.

He proceeded to tidying up the bed, smoothing out the wrinkles on the blanket, before placing the bear laid onto the pillow. He took off his blazer, placing it neatly onto the nicely made bed, and then loosened his tie.

A loud yelp could be heard from the bathroom and Myungsoo ran towards it, knocking rapidly in worry, “Sungyeol? What happened?”

“N-Nothing.”

He had realised that in those 30 minutes that he was in the room, tidying up, he had not heard a single drop of water. It had suddenly dawned to him.

Of course. He wouldn’t know how to shower.

He took a deep breath, contemplating on what he should do. “Can I… come in?” He asked, trying his best to not sound like a ert.

The door swung open, and the steam seeped out. The other was still fully dressed, but his hair was wet. His skin red. He had obviously burnt himself with the hot water.

“Do you need help showering?”

He looked down in shame before nodding.

“That’s okay. Here, why don’t you take your clothes off? You can use this to cover yourself once you’re done.” He said, handing him a towel.

He began to fill the bathtub equal amounts of hot and cold water, and took the shampoo and soap from the shower rack. He rolled up his sleeves and crouched down beside the tub, placing one finger in to test the temperature.

“Alright. Are you finished?” He asked, turning around to see Sungyeol covered with the towel that he had given.

“Yes.”

He nodded, taking another towel and holding it in front of him, blocking his view from the tub. “Alright, now come on over here, and get in the bathtub. Tell me if the temperature needs adjusting.”

The other followed his orders quickly, and submerged his body into the warm water. Myungsoo took the towel the other was just using and hung it on the rack.

“Okay. Here.” He said, handing him the slippery object. “This is soap. You use it to clean your body. The more you rub it on, the frothier it gets. Try it.” The other nervously held onto the soap, his eyes almost falling out, when it slipped out of his hand and into the bathtub.

Myungsoo chuckled and looked over the tub to search for the soap. It was the hugest regret he had made in his life. He sat back, embarrassed. He felt all the blood rush up to his cheeks and his heart beating erratically.

He had forgotten that the other was fully . He forgot that the bathtub was only filled with normal, clear lukewarm water.

“Sorry.” He mumbled, noticing that the other hadn’t been too concerned that Myungsoo had saw his privates.

It was as though he was used to it. Being in front of others, that was. That he no longer cared. His private areas were no longer private, and it was simply just another body part for him.

Myungsoo stared at the other’s face in interest. He had looked so content and surprised, as he slowly rubbed the soap against his skin, covering his pale body with white frothiness. Once it had seemed like his whole body was covered. He stopped and stared back at Myungsoo.

He couldn’t help but laugh. The taller male was covered fully with soap up until the top of his neck. Sungyeol tilted his head slightly to the side as he saw Myungsoo laugh. He smiled slightly.

“Have I amused you, master?” He asked.

Myungsoo smiled and ruffled the other’s hair, “You’re so cute.” He cooed.

~

Never had he been called that before. He had heard many times on a large moving screen when a child or baby was called that.

Cute.

He liked the word.

He smiled.

He had made his master smile.

Usually his masters would only smile when he was pleasuring them, or was hurt by them. Usually the smile sent chills down his spine.

But he had made his master smile by not doing anything. He was only cleaning himself, like how his master instructed him to.

And the smile made him feel warm. It wasn’t hostile like the normal ones he’d receive. It made him feel fuzzy inside. He liked this feeling.

He noticed before when his master became so flustered and embarrass, when he had dropped the soap.

He wondered why.

Was it because of his lower body? This master was very peculiar to him. Whenever he had revealed his body to his masters, they would grin and touch him.

However, when he revealed his body to this master, he remembered his master winced once, and now he became embarrassed.

What a strange master.

“Here. This is shampoo. This is for your hair.” His master said. He held onto the bottle, and followed his instructions to tilted it upside down and squeeze its contents onto his hands.

The thick liquid was transparent and it smelt sweet. He began rubbing the context into his hair, shocked and amazed when the transparent liquid became a white fluffy foam. It looked like the clouds were on his head.

“Alright, now we have to wash it all off.” Hi master said, after his hair had been covered with the foam. He unconsciously pouted, forgetting about his master’s presence momentarily, until he felt the warm water hit him from above. He tried to open his eyes to see the clouds fall from his head, but immediately closed them when it began to sting.

“Don’t open your eyes. Soap might go in. That won’t feel good.” His master warned.    

He remembered when he was showered back at his home. He was never given this foam to put on his head. It was always just water. He always felt cleaned after each shower, but for some reason, after this shower with his master, he felt even more cleaned. He felt happy.

Apoloies for the late update :)

Hope you enjoyed! Please let me know if you did.

Till next time! Stay safe and well :)