“Jinki’s an open book. You can see when he’s thinking and when he’s finally made up his mind. Once he gets to that point, there’s almost no talking him out of it. Which is why I have to come too, of course. You know. To make sure someone’s got his back.“

-Henry (Terran male 2^nd year student and Jinki’s best friend)

                Classes and meetings and gatherings blurred together in the immediate days after his encounter at The Stars Align. At first, he was just grateful to have escaped and afraid the Sloans would perhaps try to track him down so he spent as much time as possible staying busy. They already knew who he was so they’d know where he lived and where he went to school if they really wanted him. Considering that, there was no point in worrying over it too much, so studying, mentoring, and coaching helped.

                It didn’t take long for the ball of knots in his gut to start unravelling though, especially after getting slammed one too many times in grav jumping coaching sessions, and rational thought returned with it. He’d been naïve for sure and hadn’t done his homework on the ‘researcher.’ That was on him. It took him even less time to realize how lucky he was after the fact, though. A little quiet asking around in his familiar circles eventually revealed – via friend of a friend connections – the Sloans were known characters in the shadier side of things. Not true villains in any sense of the word, but definitely not someone you wanted to be indebted to or working for if you could help it. He heard at least one horror story from a second year’s cousin’s friend who had a friend who got caught up with them and it wasn’t encouraging.

                Truly, he’d dodged an energy round there. If not for the performer, he didn’t know what would have happened. And honestly, even though he could push the Sloans out of mind, he couldn’t quite shake the image of Almighty Key from his memory. They were both foreign and familiar at the same time and it bothered the cosmos out of him. He had so many questions, not the least of which was… why had they decided to help him? He was literally a nobody. Well, a ‘good’ nobody but that was precisely why he’d been targeted by the Sloans. So… why him?

                And that was the question which had led him back to that terrifying and electrifying place three more times after the fact. The first time he’d only seen the Moladhi and two new dancers but that was probably because he’d gone on a different day. The second time it was the Terran from the first occasion, a Varium, and a different mystery dancer, not to mention a trio of familiar faces from the university as well. He was pretty sure that Crawven wouldn’t have recognized him and Boro had been pretty far gone when he’d seen him, but Kieran was oddly observant from time to time.

                It had taken Jinki a bit of time to muster up the courage to go a third time, but it was well worth it. He saw Almighty Key in a red dress, pinned up hair, and absolutely fantastic albeit heavy makeup, and very nearly got stuck in the entryway just watching them. The heeled boots gave them an extra leggy look and were a nice touch. But Jinki’s gaze was drawn to the sharp lined eyes and the long slender fingers elegantly clinging to the dancing pole.

                Three weeks out and he could still remember the way they felt in his hand, guiding him to the stage. Tracing over his arms and shoulders and chest in playful taps and swipes. Grazing his neck and collarbones as Almighty Key danced around him. He got chills just thinking about it and then went cold as he saw the crowd before the stage. In that moment before, they hadn’t existed, but now he knew he himself had been a part of the spectacle. Personally, Jinki could only remember the bright lights and the way Almighty Key looked and felt. Right up until they grabbed his hand and pushed him back towards the exit.

                The echo of their voice in his ear sent a shiver down his spine. He was fairly certain Almighty Key was male though it was also possible they’d used a voice modifier. It would fit right in with trying to maintain their hidden persona. But those eyes… “Ugh. Stop it!” he told himself, smacking his head as he tried to focus on studying in the library. There was supposed to be a study group joining him soon and he needed to finish up his notes before they arrived. Curiously, he glanced up to see if the Terran man he’d helped a while back had shown up in the library again.

                Nope. The table was empty, though he had seen him once or twice in the interim. If he had to guess, he figured the scuffle between him and Kieran and Crawven had something to do with Boro’s predicament. A pity that. They weren’t his favorite people – they were a little on the bullying side – but they’d never really treated him poorly before. At least they weren’t hounding the first year like they had previously. Or couldn’t find him at an opportune time.

                It suddenly bothered him that he didn’t even know the first year’s name. They didn’t have any shared classes, didn’t see each other at the gatherings Jinki went to, and he certainly never showed up for any study sessions or coaching lessons, so it made sense he wasn’t familiar with him, but still… it bothered him. He had to snap himself out of his musings when he noticed the first of his study group members arriving though. Time to focus on other things. But since he did have a few first years in his study group, it wouldn’t hurt to ask around, would it?

 

                Jinki thought nothing more than beyond the satisfied curiosity of learning the first year’s name was Kibum. His study group first years were able to single him out pretty quickly with a few descriptors and the mention of his possible contentious relationship with the second-year trio. Of course he had to explain himself and coming up with a slightly modified version of their first actual encounter had been easier than he thought it might be. It wasn’t like he could just say that he’d actively put himself in the way of Crawven when the Moladhi was chasing Kibum but it was simple enough to explain that they’d bumped into each other in the library.

                Since it was one of the places that Jinki practically lived in his free time at the university, that was easy enough to believe. The fact that Kibum was there, not as likely until Jinki explained he’d been napping when he first noticed him nearby. Why Jinki wanted to know his name was another question but honestly answerable as curiosity since they had ‘bumped’ into each other, but Kibum had left so quickly he hadn’t been able to ask. All of which led to speculative side eyed looks and eventually, just general acceptance before everyone settled down and got back to studying.

                A few days passed with nothing changing out of the norm, though he did wrestle with himself on whether to try and go back to The Stars Align to see if he could thank Almighty Key or not. He wanted to, but it didn’t feel right to attempt to single them out at the establishment. If only he knew who they were…

                Eating lunch in the canteen with a couple of his second-year friends, Jinki was more than surprised when someone sat on the edge of the table nearest him, casting a shadow over the seated man. “A little bird mentioned you might have been asking about me recently.”

                Jinki experienced another shock upon hearing the oddly familiar voice and looked up, only to be stunned a third time. “Kibum!” he blurted unthinkingly, blinking hard before glancing around the confounded table and then back at the newcomer.

                “So it’s true,” Kibum smiled, a catlike expression on his bemused face. His sharp eyes danced in satisfied amusement while his long slender fingers tapped elegantly on crossed arms.

                “Hi… um… I-uh…” Jinki stammered as good old-fashioned thinking failed him.

                “Just wanted to make sure,” Kibum shrugged, turning a more neutral smile to the table as he acknowledged everyone present. But then his eyes dropped to Jinki’s tray and he reached down to snag half the sandwich left on it. “Enjoy the rest of your meal,” he murmured with a wink before taking a small bite and walking off casually, completely unphased by the encounter.

                Stunned silence followed in the wake of his departure until Henry leaned across the table and swatted Jinki’s arm, a sharp and noisy sound. “What… was that?!”

                “I don’t know,” Jinki mumbled while he rubbed his arm, dumbfounded and with a furrowed brow as he looked at his tray. The fact that half his sandwich was missing confirmed that had actually happened but he was still trying to make sense of it. The voice…

                “What?!” the rest of his table exclaimed, ignoring his otherwise obvious confusion. Maybe Jinki didn’t know about Kibum’s name and face correlation, but a majority of the other students did.

                “You sly Terran,” Larad, the Varium at the table, grinned, wagging his finger at Jinki.

                “I didn’t know you liked the younger ones.” That from the Dawbn Ercite. The serious deadpan delivery made the others giggle even harder and Jinki flushed.

                “It’s not like that!” he waved his hands quickly, as if he could somehow clear the air of their immediate misconceptions.

                Henry, another Terran male, snorted and shook his head. “He likes helping the younger ones. But Kibum never asks for help so it has to be that whole opposite persona thing.” His grin would have been infectious if Jinki wasn’t already so embarrassed.

                A quick look around the canteen showed that their table was a clear spot of interest currently, with many furtive glances and whispered comments being shared among other tables. “Seriously guys,” he groaned with a cringe, not sure whether to be impressed with Kibum’s action or annoyed or both. Honestly. Who did something like that in the middle of lunch in the center of all these people?!

                “Kim Kibum!” an echoing voice boomed out, stopping said person in their tracks and making every eye turn towards the speaker.

                One lightly lined brown eye looked over his shoulder and a smirk tugged at Kibum’s mouth. “Boro,” he called back, the epitome of playing it cool. “Been a while,” he added, turning just enough to get a better look, the remainders of a sandwich still pinched carefully between his fingers.

                The Varium didn’t move as he glared at the Terran, but a collective quiet gasp in the hall gave the surprise away. Just as Jinki noticed Crawven trying to sneak up on him from the other side, Kibum did too. Jinki’s hand paused in midair, his mouth partially open from the warning shout he’d intended. He watched Kibum’s lips move, something he couldn’t hear but that looked like it might have been ‘Mercy’s breath,’ and then the other man was moving.

                Impulsively, Jinki started to stand up but forced himself to stop when the eyes of his table turned towards him. He barely knew Kibum. Or so he thought. And it wasn’t like he could just ‘stumble’ his way in front of his pursuers this time… not with the way that Crawven was springing after him. His heartbeat sped up though when he saw Kibum jump onto a table, nimbly dance through the trays, and then jump for the circling escalator going up. Hands clung desperately to the side as he hit, briefly stunned, before shaking it off and pulling himself up.

                Crawven was much too close behind, making up for the distance between them with his Moladhi legs clearing the jumping distance without the need of a table. Boro wasn’t that far behind either, having sprinted across the canteen to follow in pursuit.

                Jinki frowned. He saw two, but that made him nervous about where Kieran was. Nibbling his bottom lip, he tried to calm himself down as he settled back in his seat, an uneasy feeling swirling in his belly. It wasn’t like he’d be able to catch up with them. And even if he did follow, he’d have to contend with the onlookers that were trailing them already. About half the canteen seemed to have shifted like they were either following or thinking about it.

                “I hope he can outrun Boro,” Larad grimaced, his androgynous features pulled tight in mild worry. “Last I heard, he was not happy about his breakup and suspension.”

                “As long as he can stay ahead of Crawven, he should be okay,” Henry commented, looking back at Jinki curiously.

                “Unless Kieran’s waiting for him,” Ercite added simply, their tone as logical as any standard Dawbn.

                Their musings were not helping Jinki at all. In all likelihood, they would probably just rough him up a bit if they caught him. He’d get a little bruised and banged up, the student body would talk about it for a little while, and things would settle down like they usually did. At worst, he’d get suspended for fighting… right?

                Ercite’s next comment changed everything, “If he gets into an obvious fight on university grounds, he’ll likely get expelled.” The comment was for the table, but they were looking mostly at Jinki as if to gauge his reaction.

                “Huh? Why?” Henry asked, frowning as he glanced in the direction they’d disappeared.

                The Dawbn looked around to make sure no one else was listening in and leaned closer to murmur, “In the admin office, he’s in the ‘on thin ice’ file. I only saw it because Boro got moved there recently too.”

                “But won’t Boro get expelled if he gets in a fight too?” Henry asked, looking around the table.

                Larad shook his head. “His family has money. At most, he’ll get another suspension or maybe a temporary transfer. I don’t know specifically, but I don’t think Kibum has that protection.”

                “Star shards,” Jinki scowled as he stood up and started heading further into the building.

                “Where you going?” Henry asked, standing up as if to follow him. Jinki just looked over his shoulder and shrugged as if that answered everything perfectly. “Oh hoh!” the other Terran grinned, jogging after him immediately.

                Jinki heard another chair moving and he figured Larad was following which meant he’d also picked up Ercite if history was any indication. Kibum might not have been anybody to Jinki except a very unique first year, but even though he’d had no control over it, if Kibum hadn’t come to him in the canteen today, he probably wouldn’t be in this mess. If he got caught, he knew what would actually happen to him? What was more, his voice and Almighty Key’s voice sounded way too similar. If he actually was the performer, he owed him. Big time.

                As soon as they cleared the main area of the canteen, Jinki waved at them, “Come on!”

                “Where we goin?” Henry asked, giddy at the prospect of their current adventure.

                “Maintenance shafts!” he called back, breaking into a sprint as they headed for one of the maintenance entrance panels.

                “Don’t you need an access card?” Ercite asked, their clear voice obvious from the back.

                “Yes!” Jinki answered without slowing down. The thing about being a ‘good’ student and going to so many events at the university meant he now had access to most basic maintenance panels. This was mostly because it was easier to get into places that had the stuff one would need for events or you could cut through if you needed to find something in a hurry, but no one needed to know that… He kept it with his student ID card so as soon as they found the nearest panel, he slammed it on the scanner and breathed a quick sigh of relief when it opened.

                Kibum was on the second floor, or should be, and finding him might not be as problematic as he thought. Once they were all crowded inside the narrower space, he opened the smaller sliding panel that showed an access screen. Tapping it brought up a quick overview of the current floor. A blinking light on the overlay in the canteen indicated there was a mess that needed cleaning up. Scrolling up to the second floor, he saw that there were smaller messes dotted along the length of the floor. Going up once more, he blinked when he saw a new one appear and nodded. “Third floor!”

                “Access elevator,” Larad said, pointing over their heads towards the blinking light atop a dual panel entryway down the hall. Not surprising considering there were a fair few in the interior walls.

                “Let’s go!” Jinki encouraged, running down to open the elevator. This one was even narrower than the usual and it was a squeeze fitting all four of them into it. Jinki used his card again to operate the elevator and pushed the button for the 3^rd floor. As they waited for it to stop, he couldn’t help but remind them, “You know you guys can get in trouble for this too, right?”

                “Maybe, but this is so much better than going to ethics class,” Henry laughed, nudging Jinki with his arm since it was about the only thing he could do in that moment.

                “Wow. What we’re doing now would certainly not be considered strictly ethically correct,” Ercite snorted, sitting on Larad’s shoulder so that they had to hunch over not to hit the ceiling.

                The Varium smiled, “Not ethically, but one could argue morally.”

                Ding!

                Jinki breathed a sigh of relief that caught in his throat when the door took too long to open. Impatiently, he tapped at the open key and then pushed at Larad and Henry to move out of the way. “Faster please!” he cried, trying to keep his voice from sounding too panicked. When they finally got to the 3^rd floor access panel, Jinki had to use his key again and he awkwardly shimmied past the trio to do so. The doors slid open and he leapt out, sprinting in the direction Kibum and the others would have been heading. But he stopped halfway down when he noticed a loose crowd gathering around, though some were already starting to leave.

                “What’s going on?” Henry wondered, trying to see over everyone’s heads, but as a Terran of only average height, he had no such luck.

                Ercite did though, since they were still on Larad’s shoulders. “Looks like Kieran and Crawven are standing watch in front of one of the empty classrooms. Credits to crackers, I bet Kibum and Boro are in there together.”

                That did not seem like a fair match to Jinki. Boro was a Varium and they were, by nature, pretty solid creatures. Not to mention that Kibum just looked so small in comparison. And they were a year apart… “Frag,” he cursed under his breath, clenching his fist. How to help him without being directly noticed. If he helped again, they’d likely put two and two together or at least be suspicious. Not to mention, he didn’t doubt they’d be willing to fight at least a little bit.

                As he worriedly deliberated, the crowd continued to disperse, making it harder to stay unnoticed. Together, they casually ducked closer to the wall to avoid attention, but that didn’t help their situation any. Jinki was about to say screw it when the doors suddenly slid open and Boro stumbled out, blinking his eyes hard and rubbing at his face. “He went out the window!” he coughed.

                “What?!” Kieran and Crawven both looked back in uncertain surprise that leaned towards panic.

                Jinki felt it too. There shouldn’t have been enough room to get out the window, much less a ledge to stand on. His stomach dropped and he froze, turning his head just enough to look at his companions, all of whom were wearing uncomfortable expressions. They flinched away from the pounding footsteps of the trio that pelted past them, either going to see for themselves or flee the scene. Only half aware of what Boro had said, the crowd followed along, hesitantly horrified or just plain curious as they dispersed.

                Ever the voice of experienced reason, Ercite piped up quietly, “What Boro said should not be possible.”

                “But…” Larad trailed off, shaking his head with a confused look at the departing crowd.

                “No. They’re right,” Jinki exhaled, flexing his hands as he slowly moved towards the classroom doors. They were closed and it was impossible to see inside.

                Henry moved to stand at his side while Larad stood at their back and Ercite kept an eye out for other onlookers. Just as Jinki was about to open the door himself, they slid open and he blinked in surprise with a sudden inhale. “Kibum!” Dark eyes widened and Jinki saw that gut instinct reaction of fight or flight flicker in the orbs before it was gone in an instant.

                “You,” Kibum responded in a far too casual voice as he took in the rest of the people before him. “What are you doing here?” he asked, voice suddenly guarded and eyes narrowed.

                Jinki was rooted in place and almost had no idea what to say. “I… uh…”

                “He’s here to help you,” Henry offered with a quick smile and an easy shrug, playing it cool in turn.

                Kibum’s laugh was soft and short, almost a scoff. “Thanks, but I’m good,” he explained, waving them off with one hand though the other remained pressed against his stomach.

                He tried to walk past them but Jinki noticed the beginnings of a bruise on Kibum’s face and shook his head. “You’re hurt. Let us help you,” he urged, the words soft and slightly pleading.

                “I don’t need it,” Kibum countered as he hid a wince when he tried to step away again.

                “Students,” Ercite announced quietly.

                Almost like it was something they’d rehearsed, Larad shifted to place himself in front of the doorway while Jinki reached to pull Kibum behind the taller Varium, effectively hiding him. The other Terran stiffened under his hand and he heard a hiss of pain but that was the only sound Kibum made as he looked at Jinki with cautious eyes.

                “Maintenance panel?” Henry asked with a nod back the way they’d come.

                Jinki shook his head while he encouraged Larad to start walking away from the classroom, gently guiding Kibum as he did so. “That’ll only give people more time to circle back. Vids will see where we are in the aftermath. Right now, it’s best just to get away from here and find a place to lay low where Kieran and company won’t think to immediately look.” He could feel Kibum’s gaze measuring him, sharp and heavy.

                “So Henry’s room,” Ercite suggested.

                “Or Larad’s,” Henry added, flanking Kibum in a mirror of what Jinki was doing.

                Larad snorted and looked back at the Terran. “Varium?” he commented, pointing at himself while they walked for a corner stairwell. The central halls had spiral escalators but the outer edges of the building were better known for more manual modes of travel, such as stationary stairs.

                “Right,” Henry nodded in slightly embarrassed understanding. “My room then,” he confirmed a second later, a cheeky grin in place.

                “Why are you doing this?” Kibum asked carefully, though he put up no resistance as he was casually guided to the stairs. Two people passed them on the way down, though neither paid any attention to the Terran hidden behind the Varium.

                “Some would say it is the moral thing to do,” Ercite nodded simply, looking ahead so as to not draw attention to those behind them.

                “The moral thing to do,” Kibum scoffed, the sound unmistakable this time.

                “We can discuss the whys later,” Jinki reminded them as he gently pressed on Kibum’s back to nudge him in a different direction. He flinched just a touch when one arm moved to brush it away, accompanied by a slight shake of Kibum’s head. Jinki adjusted to let his arm hover behind Kibum instead, ready to help if he could, though the rejection did sting at least a little bit.

                They couldn’t make it back wholly without notice of the student body, but as far as they knew, they didn’t otherwise attract the attention of the three people they didn’t want to see. The teleportation hub in the university was even nicer than the public ones – better funding did that – but they still only took students to the general vicinity of their dorms.

                While their original intention was to split up and go to their separate dorms, Ercite shrugged from Larad’s shoulder, “In for a penny, in for a pound.”

                “What does that even mean?” Henry asked as he scrunched up his face in confusion.

                “An old Terran friend used to say it. In short, we’re all in this together now.”

                “Why didn’t you just say that?” the Terran grumbled with a laugh.

                “I liked it,” Larad assured the Dawbn who gave him a crystalline smile in return.

                Jinki said nothing because he was more focused on Kibum. The other young man wasn’t really looking at him but that gave him an excellent chance to study his profile, and the more he did, the more certain he became of the fact that Kibum was Almighty Key. Not that he’d say it out loud and here of all places, but knowing his identity, even if it was unconfirmed, helped shore up his uncertainty about what the morrow would bring. Almost certainly a meeting with the head of the university and likely a revocation of his maintenance access card. Given his record, suspension was likely the worst-case scenario, but he was more worried about Kibum in that regard. Both now and later. The bruise on his face was really starting to settle in, a blossoming of blue and purple colors on his cheek and at the corner of his mouth. And he didn’t like the way he was still holding his stomach. Or maybe it was his ribs…

                “Welcome to my room,” Henry gestured grandly as he keyed in his personal code to open the small individual room designed for students. It had plenty of room for one person, but with all five of them crowding in, it was just a little snug. Henry offered the bed to his guests but everyone waved it off so they settled on the floor. All except Kibum, and belatedly Jinki when he realized the other man wasn’t going to sit down.

                “I won’t stay long. Just enough to give things time to quiet down,” he promised, leaning against the wall with one ankle crossed over the other.

                “We can walk you back to your room later,” Jinki offered, leaning forward to get a better look of his face. The bruising really did look bad.

                “No need. I can make my own way,” he resisted with a wave of his hand, a relaxed smile on his face, even as he turned away, the bruised side partially hidden with the act.

                “You know…” Henry trailed off, shaking his finger at the other man. “You’re just a little ungrateful, given the situation.”

                One of Kibum’s eyebrows rose and he tilted his head to purse his lips at Henry before answering. “I don’t recall asking for your help.”

                “You-”

                “Okay!” Jinki piped up, stepping between them with calming hand gestures. Henry fell silent quickly and Kibum gave Jinki a look before taking a breath and quieting down in turn. “You’re right. You didn’t ask for help but you looked like you could use it.”

                “I didn’t ne-” he started to grumble again before he stopped himself when he realized what Jinki had said specifically. He looked down and his free hand came up to grab his other elbow.

                “Okay,” he said again, taking another breath. “Larad. Ercite. You guys wanna go out and get a feel for the situation?” he asked, turning to look at the duo now sitting next to each other.

                “Sure. No one ever suspects a Dawbn,” Ercite laughed, the sound melodious, like crystals clinking together faintly.

                “And I can see if Boro’s back. Looked like his eyes were going to be stinging for a little bit the last time we saw him,” Larad added on, a speculative look landing on Kibum. The Terran said nothing but there was an unmistakable quirk to the side of his mouth.

                “That would be great. Thank you,” Jinki smiled, waiting for them to leave before he turned to look at Henry. “Do you have any med supplies?”

                “I’m fi-” Kibum started to say before Jinki turned to just look at him, settling on the bruised cheek and glancing down at his crossed arm.

                “Nothing much. Just the bruising spray and a coagulant cream,” he shrugged, standing up to open a slide out drawer in the wall. All three of them were surprised when a quiet and familiar gurgle appeared. “And I’m pretty sure I have a spare nutrient bar around here somewhere,” he added with a laugh and a shake of his head.

                Kibum was steadfastly not looking at either of them as he seemed to want to make himself disappear in that moment. “Thanks, Henry,” Jinki smiled, stepping over to retrieve the bruising spray. He held it out and gestured slightly towards Kibum’s cheek, a silent question, but wasn’t surprised when he got another head shake in response before those slender fingers carefully took the spray from his palm. “Restroom’s over there,” he gestured, stepping back and out of the way so Kibum would be able to walk straight to it.

                Without a word, he ducked his head and carefully walked past, his gate stiffer than it should have been. He was obviously hurting and trying very hard not to show it.

                When he was inside with the door closed behind him, Henry moved close and whispered, “What are we doing?”

                “I have no idea,” Jinki shrugged in response. “Just trying to help as best we can.”

                “Remind me why again?” he laughed, rubbing at his temples with both fingers while a smile tugged at his mouth. “He’s like a cornered cat, all fangs and puffed-up fur and no gratitude at all,” he added, glancing at the door before taking a breath. Jinki laughed at the description but Henry rounded on him with a finger in his face, “You might think this is funny but if I get suspended over this, I’m blaming you.”

                “I didn’t make you come with me,” Jinki teased with a significant glance at the door himself.

                “Oh, don’t you even start that,” Henry scowled in mock anger, raising a hand like he was going to hit him.

                Jinki flinched, still playing along, but then shrugged. “I think I might have owed him a favor,” he admitted, nibbling at his bottom lip with a thoughtful quirk to his mouth. When Henry made a confused sound, Jinki looked up and waved his hand. “I’m not positive yet. I have to clear something up first, but you’ll be among the first to know when I do.”

                The other Terran tsked in annoyance but threw his hands up. “Fine. You’d rather stay silent than give me false info. I know. But seriously though. I do have to wonder how he got away from Boro earlier. I mean… he obviously didn’t go out the window,” he added, gesturing at the still closed door.

                “Well, even if he doesn’t tell us today, we’ll likely find out soon. There’s no way they’re not going to call us in for questioning. Maybe even today,” he added with a small grimace as the reality of their situation started to sink in. “Probably today with the window stunt and all…” he added, the grimace deepening.

                Henry opened his mouth to say something but the restroom door opened and Kibum stepped out, still slow and stiff, but the bruising was already starting to look better. “Thanks,” he murmured quietly, tossing the spray back to Jinki before glancing at the door as if measuring how far away it was and how easy it would be to go through it. But then his stomach made a small sound again and he flinched slightly.

                “Nutrient bar?” Henry offered with a single laugh, holding the wrapped victual out towards the other man.

                Kibum’s swallow was obvious as he eyed the ration. He stepped forward hesitantly, almost like he was unsure, and then paused. A look flashed across his face, rather like he realized how he was acting in that moment, and the shift that followed was noticeable and immediate. His head rose, his stride lengthened, and he took the bar confidently before returning to the other side of the wall to lean against it. The wrapper crinkled loudly as he opened it, but Kibum ignored the sound and his audience and calmly took a bite, too much tension in his frame to be wholly as relaxed as he was trying to appear.

                “You’re welcome,” Henry scoffed, glancing at Jinki again. Kibum nodded in acknowledgment and Henry’s glance turned into an annoyed glare.

                Jinki gave a forced smile and gestured with both hands as if to calm him down before shifting his attention to Kibum again. “So… how did you manage to escape from Boro today?”