“What the holy hell happened?” Himchan gritted his teeth as he gripped the steering wheel-the poor thing probably had indents. 

“Channie, calm down. You’re speeding.” Yongguk petted the other’s shoulder softly in an attempt to soothe the fiery dragon. It wasn’t working since Himchan was still driving like a mad man. Fast and Furious: Wrath of Kim Himchan.

“No! I am not calming down! I refuse to calm down! My f**king baby and Daehyun were arrested and they won’t tell me a damn thing!?” Himchan hissed, glaring daggers into Yongguk’s eyes. He dared the elder to tell him to ‘calm down’ again. Yongguk got the message and immediately shut his trap. He glanced at the two in the back seat of Himchan’s car. One was staring intently out the window while the other faced the other window, a blank expression on his face. Yongguk let out a small sigh before his bluetooth earpiece rang.

“How is everything over there Jongup?” Yongguk was hoping for some good news. Even a crumb among this chaos would be enough to soothe the pounding headache beating against his brain. 

“They’re at the condo,” Jongup let out a groan. “I can’t even get close to Daehyun’s place without the cops trying to take me in to get a statement…”

“Youngjae hyung’s apartment was littered with cops too and with Jongup’s past...I don’t think we should get too close…” Zelo’s voice was slightly muffled.

“Agreed,” Yongguk rubbed his temples. “You guys just stay home. Jongup I recommend you stay at Zelo’s place for a while. You’re Daehyun’s secretary so they’re bound to search your place too.”

“Got it, hyung...I’ll try to use my resources to-”

“No,” Yongguk bit his lower lip in contemplation. “Daehyun and Youngjae have a microscope on them right now, the last thing we need is to give the FBI more of a reason to be suspicious. We can’t act now, but we’ll figure something out.”

“Okay….” There was silence on the other line. Jongup was frustrated. Angry at himself for not preventing this from happening. To not even think three steps ahead of the bastard. He was mad at himself for being so distracted lately. Though Zelo had assured him several times that it wasn’t his fault, the guard dog couldn’t help but take some of the blame for what he felt was negligence. 

“I’ll talk to you both later,” Yongguk ended the call, turning back to the other children. “You guys will be staying with us okay?” Both of the boys kept silent, only nodding their heads in recognition. 
“I swear to all things skin care and Gucci that I will burn that Woojin’s off with saturated hydrofluoric acid…” Himchan growled. No one. And he meant no one (even Yongguk) was allowed to harm his babies (and Daehyun...kinda). Mama Bear was out and ready to take some es. 

“Okay explain.” Himchan frowned crossing his arms as he stared down at Youngjae and Daehyun. The two quietly seated at the foot of Yongguk’s guest room bed and looking everywhere else besides each other and Himchan. 

“Channie, maybe we should give them some time to talk amongst themselves…” Yongguk gently squeezed Himchan’s shoulder. “They’ve been at the FBI headquarters since yesterday…”

“But Yon-” Himchan was about to throw a fit before he glanced over at Daehyun and Youngjae. The two boys fiddling with their fingers and shuffling their feet like two kids caught in the act of stealing a cookie. “Fine….” Himchan let out an exasperated sigh, running his fingers through his raven locks. “But after you guys hash it out, you better tell me what’s going on or I swear that I will-”

“Take your times.” Yongguk smiled at them as his hand muffled Himchan’s incessant ranting and frustration. He practically dragged Himchan out of the room, who was practically thrashing due to his annoyance at Yongguk. How dare the man cut him off, let alone muffle his pretty lips. 

The door closed with a soft click leaving the two awkward boys sitting beside each other. Youngjae shifted his eyes towards Daehyun. The elder simply sat there, hands tightly clenched together and jaw taut. His eyes boring holes into the wooden floorboards of the bedroom. Youngjae’s brow knitted together, a mix of emotions running through his veins. He was frustrated that Daehyun wouldn’t look at him. Wouldn’t even say a word to him. If he could have it, the elder probably wouldn’t want to share the same air. It made Youngjae angry, angry that the elder basically forgot his existence. Daehyun on the other hand did not dare to look at the younger. How could he? He had promised that he would protect the younger, that he would take care of him. Having them both thrown into jail was not keeping them safe. He was ashamed. Ashamed that it was Daehyun’s family once again that was harming Youngjae. Youngjae was innocent. He didn’t deserve this harrassment. His only mistake was that he fell in love with Daehyun. Daehyun tried to shake the thought out of his head, but it gnawed on him like a starved wolf on a bone. 

“What are we going to do…” Youngjae’s voice was above a murmur, but Daehyun flinched as if the younger screamed at him. 

“I’ll think of something…” Daehyun’s voice was stern, rigid like a steel brick, the white of his knuckle showing. 

“Daehyun, we need to talk about this…” Youngjae’s voice was equally stern, refusing to let the topic simply drop like it was nothing. Like they didn’t spend hours hold up in an interrogation room having their private lives pried open like a jar of kimchi. Daehyun frowned, his eyebrows scrunched tightly. A twinge of annoyance in his eyes as he let out an exasperated sigh. 

“I told you Youngjae I’ll take care-”

“No Daehyun! We are not dropping this topic like it’s some simple business deal you can fix!” Youngjae fumed, shooting up from his seat and clenched his feet and he stared down at Daehyun. 

“Then what do you want me to say, Youngjae? Huh? Tell me! You want me to say that I have no clue how to actually fix this!? That I honestly felt that I lost!? That I’m literally having everything I love and worked for ripped out of my hands cause my bastard brother finally won!? Tell me what to say cause I don’t know anymore!” Daehyun growled as he towered over the younger. Though the two of them were the same height, Daehyun looked like he was 2 meters tall. Youngjae didn’t back down, and stared Daehyun with equal intensity as the other. Daehyun heaving heavily from his shouting. Youngjae was using every ounce of patience he held in his body to not scream back at the elder. If Youngjae screamed back, what would that lead their conversation to? A screaming match with no resolve. It didn’t mean that Youngjae had to like it. He let out a shaky breath, his nails digging into his palms. 

“I want you to say that we’ll work this out together. No more of this ‘I’ll’ this ‘I’ that…” No matter how much Youngjae tried to bottle up the emotions he felt. As much as he tried to soothe the emotions as he dug into his palms, they were just boiling over. “I know you’re scared, Daehyun. I am too, so why are you trying to fight this on your own…” Warm tears were pooling into Youngjae’s eyes. “I’m not your enemy so why are you pushing me away…”

Daehyun’s heart nearly dropped out of his chest as he saw Youngjae try not to sob, but the mere threatening tears in the younger’s eyes were enough to shatter him. Daehyun opened his mouth to say something, but closed it soon after as he just watched Youngjae shake in front of him. A frown on his face as tears pooled over and fell on his face. Daehyun hesitantly stepped forward, not wanting to scare the other. In fact, he feared more that the younger would push him away. He deserved it. Youngjae was right. Since they left the FBI, all Daehyun was doing was being stuck in his own head, figuring out how to fix the situation as soon as possible. He didn’t even think about the other’s feelings. He extended his arms out towards the younger, enveloping him in a tight hug. Daehyun squeezed Youngjae tight, nuzzling into Youngjae’s hair.

“Don’t touch me, you . I’m still mad at you…” Youngjae pouted, but still wrapped his arms around Daehyun’s waist. A small smile crawled on Daehyun’s face when he felt the younger embrace him. 

“I’m sorry, Jae,” Daehyun nuzzled even further into the younger’s hair, giving Youngjae a soft squeeze. “I didn’t think about how you would feel...I mean this all must be so overwhelming for you…” Daehyun’s voice was low and soft like a sweet lullaby floating in the air. 

“Yeah, you didn’t you …” Youngjae grumbled, cuddling into his boyfriend’s chest, inhaling his scent. He was stuck in a 4 cement walled room being hounded with questions with guys reeking of lack of sleep, cheap coffee, and sweat. He missed Daehyun naturally warm and earthy scent. There was always a hint of sweetness to it. 

“Are you going to keep calling me names today?” Daehyun lightly separated them so he could see his beloved’s face. He gently wiped away the leftover tears on the younger’s cheeks, thumbing away at the tear stains.

“Yes, you dip.” Youngjae pouted while Daehyun responded with a light chuckle. 

“Well I guess I deserve that.” Daehyun grinned as he gently ran his fingers through the younger’s hair. 

“What are we going to do?” Youngjae’s voice had turned soft and he gripped the front of Daehyun’s shirt tightly. “They have of this evidence on stuff we didn’t do…” 

“You guys hauled my here for false accusations? Wow, the FBI must have so much free time.” Youngjae growled, crossing his arms as he plopped him down on the metal chair. An obvious grimace was on his face as Agent Song sat across from him. 

“I’d check that attitude of yours Mr. Yoo.” Agent Song frowned and adjusted the files in front of him. 

“And I’d check your facts. Daehyun and I did not commit this supposed crime you’re charging us with.” Youngjae scoffed, leaning back in his chair and staring at the clock above. He just wanted to ing leave and then ing cuddle to forget this terrible nightmare. 

“Really? ‘I didn’t do it.’ Quite original Mr.Yoo,” Agent Song rolled his eyes before pulling a slip of paper from the folder and sliding it towards Youngjae. “Care to explain this?”

Young squinted at the sheet, eyeing the words that were printed. His brows knitted together tightly. The paper seemed to show email exchanges between Daehyun and him, but he didn’t recognize them. Lines like ‘tweaking the data’ and ‘improve the outcome’ littered the page. It made Youngjae sick. As a man of science and some integrity, falsifying data was the worst thing one can do, especially for a clinical trial. But there it was blatantly shown to him: a conspiracy. He still didn’t understand where this could have come from. Yes, he would admit that the email addresses were both Daehyun and his, but he never had such a conversation with Daehyun.

“I don’t know what this is…” Youngjae frowned, sliding the paper back to Agent Song.

“Another classic, Mr. Yoo,” A small smirk grew on Agent Song’s lips as he saw the younger fluster at the evidence. “And this, Mr. Yoo, would you like to explain this as well? Or do you not know what this either.” Agent Song slid over a small stack of papers. 

Youngjae bit his lower lip, eyeing the stack before quickly snatching it. Again his eyes raked over the documentation. This time it was time stamped logs of when the data was accessed, who accessed, and what was changed. All of them pinpointed to Youngjae. Youngjae frowned further noticing that the ‘old’ data that was changed was numbers him nor the other researchers ever saw. Youngjae knew cause he saw the hard copy of the data.

“This must be a mistake. I have the hard copy of the data to prove that-”

“Speaking of hard copy, we did try to find them Mr. Yoo. They seemed to have conveniently disappeared.” Agent Song raised a brow, waiting for the younger’s next move.

“That’s impossible! They are all stored in special cabinets that only authorized people can access!” Youngjae could feel himself sweat. He was banking on the data to speak for itself and prove that he and Daehyun were innocent. But poof, gone. Like the bits of hope he was clinging onto.

“We know about the cabinets Mrs. Jung informed us about their whereabouts…” Youngjae’s mouth fell agape. It must have been the ! There couldn’t be any other way! It was her or her whipped son! “Now, Mr. Yoo, we know you aren’t the mastermind behind this.”

“Huh?” Youngjae looked up at him incredulously.

“Mr. Jung can be a persuasive. He is a charming and manipulative fellow. It is understandable that you might have gotten up into his business. Especially with the relationship you two are in.”

“What are you talking about?” Youngjae let out a frustrated groan as he slumped down on the desk.

“There is no need to deny it,” Agent song placed several candid photos on the table. Youngjae’s saliva felt like tar as it travelled down his throat. Pictures of him and Daehyun holding hands, snuggling close together, and smiling. Youngjae’s hand had a slight tremble when he picked up a photo. His intuition had been right, someone was tailing them. “We know you’re a bright guy, Mr. Yoo, we just want you to be ahead of things before it all blows up in your face.”

“So what you’re saying is for me to tell you evidence on Daehyun to save my own …” Youngjae’s voice was low, his head down as he gripped the photo tightly. “Like hell I will!” Youngjae growled slamming the photo down on the desk.

“I suggest you think wisely, Mr. Yoo.” Agent Song’s voice remained steady.

“I am thinking wisely you arrogant asshat! I am not going to betray Daehy-”

“Excuse me, Agent,” A meek agent opened the door and glanced between Song and Youngjae. “Mr. Yoo’s lawyer is here…”

“I don’t know, babe…” Daehyun gently cupped the younger’s cheeks and brushed their noses together. “But I’ll-we’ll figure it out.” 
Youngjae grinned brightly. “Better.” Youngjae leaned up to give Daehyun a chaste kiss in the lips. 

“We should go talk to Yongguk and Himchan before they think we died. Or Himchan kills Yongguk for making him be patient.” Youngjae nodded in agreement and they headed towards the bedroom. The slight turn and opening of the door, had Himchan collapsing in front of the couple with a glass cup in his hand.

Daehyun and Youngjae looked down at Himchan with a cocked brow. “Well uh darn...this isn’t the kitchen…” Himchan awkwardly chuckled. The two looked up to see Yongguk leaning against the railing of the stairwell. The elder shaking his head in shame.

”Thanks Gup,” Daehyun sighed as he took his cellphone from Jongup. The younger somehow managed to get a hold of it fairly quickly after the cops confiscated it. Daehyun glanced through the missed calls and messages. Slews the from the board chair members and investors. “This is going to be fun…” Daehyun rubbed his temple.

“Do you think you should really be working when all of this going on?” Jongup eyed his friend, concerned. The two of them sitting in Yongguk’s living room. Himchan was forced by the company to give a statement to the authorities and Yongguk was at work and trying to help Daehyun on his end. 

“I have to, Gup,” Daehyun hung his head low. “Staying idle is killing me, its been three days and I feel like I’m ripping my hair out.” 

“I understand. I feel exactly the same way. Junhong had to cling to my waist to prevent me from heading out of his apartment and go kick Woojin’s .” Jongup and him slightly chuckle before the smile started to fade away.

“You know what hurts the most, Gup. Youngjae is getting dragged down with me,” Daehyun scratched his head vigorously. “I can’t let him get hurt again...I just can’t, Gup.”

“I know, Daehyun, but don’t do something irrational. We will get over this. We have a topnotch team of lawyers to-”

“How much more suffering and damage do we have to go through before it will end though!” Daehyun growled, shooting up from his seat as he the TV. News about the scandal painted across the television. CEO Jung and his gay lover attempt to poison the populous. Dr. Yoo Youngjae being investigated by the board of ethical research. CEO Jung to lose his position cause of scandal with his gay lover. Candid pictures of the two of them plastered for the world to see. “We’ll be nothing by the end of this….”

“Uh guys?” Jongup and Daehyun jumped when they saw Youngjae peek his head from the kitchen. “Lunch is ready…” Youngjae flashed a sad smile at the two of them. Daehyun’s shoulder relax.

“Let me help you clean up…” Daehyun smiled back before heading into the kitchen.

Jongup got up from the couch only to be met by Zelo. The taller tilted his head slightly and smiled sympathetically at the shorter as he grabbed the guard dog’s hand. Jongup grinned back in thanks for the pup’s comfort and then gave the pup a chaste peck on the lips. The two heading into the kitchen hand in hand.

“So what were you two talking about?” Youngjae hummed, picking up dirty kitchenware and placing them in the sink. 

“Nothing important…” Daehyun placed boxes back on the shelf. Youngjae’s lips formed a tight line, knowing that Daehyun was not being truthful. “You know, we kinda look like a married couple.” Daehyun smiled slightly.

“You’re changing the subject.” Youngjae frowned, cleaning crumbs off the counter.

“I’m being serious. My beautiful husband and I cleaning the kitchen while our two kids,” Daehyun glanced over his shoulder to see Zelo and Jongup munching on their food like starving pups. “being kids.”

Youngjae let out a scoff. “And what are Himchan and Yongguk?”

“Grandpa and diva Grandpa,” Daehyun chuckled as Youngjae gently punched him. Though Youngjae was less annoyed then before, he was still upset at Daehyun’s unwillingness to tell him the truth. “Hey, I promise you, it wasn’t anything important,” Daehyun put his arm around Youngjae’s shoulder to place a peck on Youngjae’s temple. “I was just venting.”

Youngjae hummed, still not fully convinced, but he conceded and turned to face Daehyun. “Just...keep me in the loop, kay?” Youngjae stared into Daehyun’s eyes. Daehyun nodded and kissed Youngjae’s forehead.

“Can you guys not?” Zelo playfully groaned. “i feel my lunch crawling back up.” Zelo faked gagged.

“Don’t be jealous, Jelly,” Daehyun teased. “It’s not my fault if Jongup has the romance of a billy goat.”

“Jongup is super romantic,” Zelo scoffed. “After dinner a few weeks ago we-”

“AHHH! Okay, enough! I do not need to know what you children do in the wee hours of the night.” Youngjae waved his hand as he cringed. Jongup buried his face in his arms, his ears bright red.

Youngjae chewed his lower lip idly wandering the halls of Yongguk’s home. He had been doing that a lot lately since he and Daehyun couldn’t go outside without the press practically hounding them. The pattern had become monotonous and the spark in Youngjae’s eyes were beginning to dull as days went by and his life was stripped away from him. Himchan and Zelo had attempted to comfort him by taking him out on small walks on Yongguk’s yard, playing a rousing game of fetch with Tigger. Youngjae appreciated the effort, but as days continued and was still basically under house arrest, he started to feel hopeless. It hurt him to be wrapped in Daehyun’s warm embrace at night, knowing he couldn’t do anything to help the elder. Daehyun had the connections, he had the power, he had the ability to change things. What could Youngjae do?  Nothing. Youngjae couldn’t do a thing. 

“Babe,” Youngjae was pulled out of his zombie trance as he felt Daehyun loosely grab his arm. “What are you doing?” Daehyun lightly chuckled, gently massaging the small bone of Youngjae’s wrist. 

“Oh...Just thinking…” Youngjae murmured, swaying his arm slightly back and forth.

“You’ve been out of it lately. Are you tired, Jae? Maybe we should go to bed, it is late.” Daehyun smiled, caressing Youngjae’s cheek with the back of his hand. Youngjae looked up at his lover to only a face etched with exhaustion. Dark circles were under Daehyun’s eyes and stress wrinkles were beginning to show. Youngjae knew that Daehyun was trying to stay calm and strong for him, but he had seen enough small instances of outburst, whether it be on the phone or with Jongup that he knew Daehyun was not alright. 

“All I’ve been doing for the past few days is basically sleeping…” Youngjae sighed. “I’m going to be a lazy bum at this rate.”

“It’s okay to be a bum sometimes,” Daehyun chuckled, leaning down and kiss Youngjae on the forehead. “Come on, let’s go to bed. I want to cuddle with my chipmunk.” He smirked slightly, the playful glint in Daehyun’s eyes that Youngjae missed returned. 

“Okay, just let me go get some water….” Youngjae returned the smile, he tried to be as genuine as he could possible muster, but even his own muscles felt as if the action was fake. Daehyun faltered a moment, before placing another kiss on Youngjae’s forehead before releasing the younger. 

Youngjae lugged himself up the stairs after grabbing a small glass of water. He slapped his cheeks slightly in order to remind his damn face how to actually smile. Daehyun was already stressed out of his mind and he shouldn’t have to worry about his weird moodiness on top of it. Youngjae gave his cheek a hard pinch, almost making him yelp. On the bright side, he knew his nerve works. He took a deep breath, clenching his fist as if he was about to face a bomb. Youngjae shook his head, this was Daehyun the love of his life. Not some damn C4 bomb. He just didn’t want to see the exhaustion in Daehyun’s eyes, the twinge of pain, the burden he had a bear. The burden that Youngjae couldn’t even help lift. 

“Yes, yes I understand,” Youngjae flinched at the sound of an exasperated groan emanating from the room. “Yes, I have seen the news. This is why I am holding a press conference this week,” Daehyun rubbed his forehead vigorously. “I’ll handle it...don’t worry about a thing…” Daehyun hung up his phone only to dial another number. Youngjae quietly hid behind the door frame. He knew he shouldn’t eavesdrop, but did he care? Not really.

“Jongup...yeah, I just want to make sure is everything in order?”

“It is...but Daehyun...do you really want to do this?”

Daehyun flashed a forlorn smile. “I’ve mulled over it a thousand times, Gup. I can’t see any other way.”

“We found it the last time.” Jongup’s voice sounded desperate on the other line. 

“Yeah...but last time we got ahead of them. This time they got ahead of us,” Daehyun chuckled slightly. “Don’t worry too much, Gup, I promise you’ll still have a job even after I’m gone,” Youngjae felt like his throat was closing in on him. What did Daehyun mean ‘when he was gone.’ “Just make sure that in the aftermath, Jae’s reputation isn’t too tarnished…”

“But what about yours, Daehyun? All those years of working and building up your kingdom...are you just going to let it go?”
Daehyun closed his eyes for a moment, unable to conjure the words that he felt in would suit the situation. “My kingdom,” Daehyun snorted. “It seems that my kingdom only brings those I care about pain. It doesn’t matter if I lose that though. I have my friends and the love of my life. That’s all that matters.”

“My haven’t we matured.” Jongup laughed, but the sound was sad and hallow. 

“Your welcome…” Daehyun chuckled. “Let me know if you need anything else for the press conference.” Daehyun smiled before hanging up, plopping down on the bed before releasing a deep sigh. 

Youngjae bit his lower lip, almost breaking the skin. He slowly backed away from the door, gently padding down the hall. He knew that Daehyun would do this. It was Daehyun afterall. No matter how erted, , and a player the man formerly was, he was always a man who put his friends and loved ones above everyone else. He just hated how it was always him. It was always him because he was so helpless. Youngjae gently tapped his knuckles against the door, the wooden door opening slightly. Himchan sat up from the bed, placing his Ipad down on the mattress, looking at Youngjae with confusion. 

“Hyung...can we talk?”
 

Thanks for reading! Comments and Feedback are much appreciated! 

DUUUUN DUUUN DUUUUN! Drama has landeded hehe. Sorry this chapter took longer than neccesary, but well I got hit with senioritis so laziness has ben contagious (and I get home late from school cause college is a biiiaaattcchh). Hahaha jk kiddies, go to school. Anyways, Youngjae and Daehyun are in deep poopie now! And Daehyun might just about give up everything to protect Youngjae! But will Youngjae let him? You'll find out soooooonnnnn~ >w<