Jinki and Taemin pulled up to the boys home around 6 PM on the first Friday since Taemin had been officially adopted into Jinki's makeshift family. It had been twelve days since Jonghyun went into the program, and they hadn't heard anything from him. Jinki mainatined with the boys that no news was good news, but they were all restless. He parked his car and motioned for Taemin to go ahead without him. He wanted to have a minute by himself, something he was starting to realize he wouldn't have very often. He was worried about Jonghyun, more than the boys realized. He hated the fact that he wasn't there, with them, in his rightful home, but instead off getting his brain picked apart and food he probably hated shoved down his throat. He hated the fact that he himself was keeping up just a cool facade in the boys absense. He knew he couldn't break like the boys he was caring for seemed to be doing, but he wished he could find a way to show them just how much it bothered him not to have his whole family with him. He wished he could show them how guilty he felt for practically abandoning Jonghyun after saying he wouldn't make him face the world alone.

 

But no matter how much time he spent wishing for these things, he found no answer to his problem. Minho needed him to be strong, because he was withdrawing at an alarming rate - sleeping all his free time away, and then throwing himself into his schoolwork and anything else he could when he was awake, barely finding the time to talk to anyone. Taemin seemed to have a permanent puppy pout lately, and Jinki felt guilty leaving him at home by himself all day. Taemin was usually the happiest one in the group, but recently he was quiet, and obviously lonely. Even Key seemed a bit lost with Taemin gone all week, and Jonghyun not being there when he came home for the weekends. Jinki knew it wouldn't be this way forever, but he had to figure something out. He sighed, getting ready to go inside and explain, once again, that he still hadn't heard from Jonghyun, when his phone started vibrating in his pocket. He pushed open the door to his car and stepped out before pulling his phone out and looking at the number. It wasn't one he recognized, but he answered anyway. Never had he been more glad to take a call, if only to distract himself from the one he was waiting for.

 

"Yoboseyo?" He said calmly, closing the door to the car and heading through the front door. He was heading down the hall toward the room the four boys had shared when the person on the other line finally responded.

 

"I still don't like these things." Jonghyun said. Jinki stopped short, his eyes wide.

 

"Jjong?" He said softly. He heard the boy sigh.

 

"Phone's. I don't like them. I don't think I ever will." Jonghyun said, and Jinki laughed, happiness flooding his system. "I finished the first part of my program. I'm allowed to use the phone now."

 

"That's wonderful!" Jinki said, leaning on the wall. "What about visitors?"

 

"They want you to visit with Minho and Key and Taemin." Jonghyun said. 

 

"Really?" Jinki asked, more excited than he'd been in a long time. He heard Jonghyun in a slow breath and smiled a bit, recognizing the boy's nervous habbit.

 

"Can...can you come soon?" Jonghyun sounded desperate and upset, and Jinki felt his heart squeeze. "I miss you guys a lot."

 

"Woah, of course. We miss you too, Jjong." Jinki said, trying to sooth him. "What are the visiting hours?"

 

"Monday though Thursday it's two PM to five PM." Jonghyun said. "And Friday through Sunday..It's noon to eight PM."

 

"If I leave now, we could be there before seven." Jinki said. Jonghyun made a small gasping sound.

 

"R-really?" He asked, happiness seeping into his voice. Jinki smiled widely, though Jonghyun couldn't see.

 

"Absolutely. I'm not going to tell them, though. It'll be a surprise." Jinki said. "Do you want to hang up, now?"

 

"Yah. Mianhae." Jonghyun said, sounding less stressed out. "I'll..I'll see you soon."

 

Jinki closed his phone and smiled, heading down the hall to the boys room. He stopped in the doorway and took in the room, his eyes pausing to focus on each boy. Taemin was sitting on his old bed, looking happier than Jinki had seen him all week. Key was across the room next to two overnight bags, one belonging to Minho, the other his own, that look of relief in his eyes that Jinki had come to recognize. He knew Key's emotions better than even Taemin. He had known Key when he was constructing the barriers that kept the rest of the world from prying too deep and hurting him. He knew it was a relief every time Jinki showed up to take him away for a few days. Key hated it there. Then his eyes traveled to Minho. The tallest boy was sitting on the lower bunk looking at his lap. He missed Jonghyun, and it was hearbreakingly obvious. Minho would be the hardest to keep the secret from, but he knew it would make them both happy. He walked over to Minho and pulled his hand, trying to move him off the bed.

 

"Come on. No more pouting, we're going to have fun this weekend." Jinki said.

 

"I'm tired." Minho said, sounding as though he really was.

 

"You slept most of the day." Key said. "You need to stop this."

 

"Like you're any better." Minho mumbled.

 

"Just what is that supposed to mean?" Key snarled. Jinki's eyes widened.

 

"You're always pouting around, whining about how you miss Taemin." Minho said quietly. It was the first time he had ever spoken back to his elders. "You talk to him every night. You see him on the weekends. I know it's hard for you to understand, because you've been with him for the last five years, and you never have to worry about being lonely, but I'm still waiting to see if I even have a chance. I've never felt like this before, and I don't know what to do."

 

"Maybe you could stop being a baby about it. You know it's all going to be fine." Key said, crossing his arms. Jinki was getting irritated, and he started to move between them, but Minho finally looked up from his lap. His eyes were sad and lonely enough to rival Jonghyun's.

 

"Kibum, all your life someone has wanted you." Minho said. "Your parents loved you, and Jinki took you right home right after you got here, and even when you had to come back, he fought for you, for six years. Then Taemin popped in, and you two just got glued together. I don't resent you for any of that, but try to see things from my perspective. My parents didn't want me, and left me here when I was a baby. No one, not one single person ever tried to adopt me when I was a baby or even a little kid. I've never had anyone tell me they love me and mean it, not once. I've been alone my entire life, and I never seem to be good enough. But there's a chance, for once in my entire life, there is a chance that I might actually be in love, and that the person I love could love me back. It's one thing to be alone in one way, when people want you in other ways, but when no one ever wants you, and you finally find someone who does, and then you can't see them, can't talk to them, how would you feel? I'm not trying to be a brat, Kibum, but I'm lonely too."

 

There was a long silence that settled over the room, and Minho glared at the floor, his hands fisted at his sides. He had a strong determination not to get emotional again, and all he wanted to do was go to sleep. Jinki sat beside him on the bed and wrapped an arm around him, pulling Minho against his side. The tall boy looked at him, and for the first time Jinki saw the years of tourtured loneliness behind his cool exterior, and he felt terrible for not having noticed before. He rubbed Minho's back for a moment, and the boy yawned.

 

"Come on, Minho. The sooner you're in the car, the sooner you can go to sleep." Jinki said. Minho nodded, grabbing his bag and following Taemin out to the car, Kibum lagging behind with Jinki, talking quietly.

 

The ride took thirty two minutes. Jinki knew this. He had been counting. Minho had fallen asleep in the passenger seat beside him, and Taemin and Key were taking advantage of the slight privacy being offered to them by the music and the absence of obvious eyes. Key and Taemin weren't the most publicly affectionate couple, so what Jinki was seeing in the rearview mirror was a testimate to how much they hated being apart. Key had Taemin in his lap, and they seemed to be glued together. They weren't making out in some horrendous fashion, but kissing softly, again and again, Key Taemin's face and hair while he cradled the younger boy. Jinki found himself wondering, as he had many times in the past, what it would be like to love someone so completely. They seemed not to be breathing the air around them, but the essence of the other. It was amazing to watch the relationship take form and solidy over five years, but he looked over at the boy sitting beside him and saw the uncertainty the boy held inside of himself, and he turned the radio down.

 

"Taemin, you should be wearing your seatbelt." He said in a weak attempt to separate them. Taemin jumped, having obviously just crashed back to reality from Key and Taemin land. He slid off of Key awkwardly and sat beside him, pouting and buckling in. "You'll have plenty of time for all of that later."

 

"Where are we going, anyway? This isn't even the long way home." Taemin said. "We're in a completely different town."

 

"Well.." Jinki looked over at Minho, then in the rearview mirror. "Don't wake him up, ok? But..we're going to see a friend."

 

"We're going to see.." Taemin started, then stopped, turning his head to Key.

 

"Jonghyun." They said together. Jinki smiled and pulled into the parking lot, taking the spot closest to the door. He shook Minho softly, and the older male groaned a bit. Jinki sighed.

 

"Minho, wake up." He urged. Minho blinked at him for a moment. "Come on, we're going to go visit someone."

 

"Why?" He asked. Jinki rolled his eyes. It was hard enough waking Minho up on a good day, but with how miserable he'd been lately...it just wasn't something easily done.

 

"Come on." He said, getting out of the car and going around to Minho's side. He opened the door and leaned over Minho, undoing his seatbelt. "It's worth it."

 

Minho sighed, stepping out of the car. Taemin was more hyper than usual, and even Key looked ready to burst. Jinki put an arm around Minho's shoulder and steered him into the building.

 

--------------------

 

So. Yeah. Mostly Jinki's POV. I can't explain this.

 

I LOST MY MIND~

 

Random EXO moment. I haven't slept in a while. x.x