2nd to last chapter of the abused Kibum verse. Is cute, no?

"Congratulations, hyung!" Taemin cried out, wrapping his arms around Kibum's torso. Kibum smiled down at the boy and squeezed him lightly before letting him go. Taemin stepped back with a great smile and made his way towards Kibum's cake. "Blow out the candles!" 

Minho took Kibum's hand and led him to the table, pushing him down onto the chair in front of the cake. Kibum smiled up at him. "Make a wish, Bummie." He murmured, sliding the cake closer to Kibum. 

Kibum took a deep, shuddering breath, and exhaled with a smile, blowing out most of the candles on his birthday cake. 

"Blow harder! You !" Jonghyun jeered, laughing at Kibum's affronted expression. "You have to blow them all out for your wish to come true." His arm made it's way around Taemin's shoulders, and he nuzzled into the kid's mushroom hair, smiling sweetly. Taemin's arm wrapped around Jonghyun's waist, and Kibum couldn't help but smile at the show of affection. Jonghyun was the master of skinship, and though Taemin had gone through so many things in the past couple of years, somehow, it had never bothered him when Jonghyun touched him. 

Sometimes, that feeling of dirtiness would creep back to Taemin, and all he wanted to do was stay away from Jonghyun. Yet somehow, Jonghyun always found a way to make Taemin forget everything and just focus on the love they had at that moment. He knew that Jonghyun was right for him. They could heal each other, just like Minho was doing for Kibum. 

Key took another deep breath and blew the rest of his candles out, and everyone around him clapped. Dr. Lee handed him a present; a drawing pad and an assortment of colored pencils. "You never know when inspiration will strike." She said, smiling. "Plus, it seemed to be great therapy for you."

Kibum nodded and set them into his bag. He could probably use those. He did like drawing. 

Jonghyun and Taemin handed him a package next. It was a cell phone. Kibum stared at them incredulously, while Jonghyun and Taemin laughed. "Jonghyun's parents are rich." Taemin explained, helping Kibum remove the phone from the package. 

"All I had to do was say I had a friend and it was his birthday and they ordered whatever I wanted them to, but I agreed to pay the bill every month." Jonghyun said, smiling brightly and Kibum and Minho. "Don't even try to give it back." He warned, knowing that Kibum would definitely try to do that. "I'm paying for it, because I want to. So take it."

Kibum nodded, and with flushed cheeks, put the phone down in his bag next to his other presents. 

"Your present's at home." Minho murmured next to Kibum's ear, causing Kibum to shiver at the feeling of Minho's breath on his skin. "I made it special for you."

Kibum nodded once again and looked down at his hands. This was it. They were all leaving. Jonghyun and Taemin were going to move into an apartment of their own, all the way on the other side of the city where Jonghyun's new office was located. He had a job, already, working for some corporate company. No doubt his father had helped him get the job.

Dr. Lee served them the cake, and they ate and played until it truly was time for them to leave. 

Dr. Lee hugged them all, even Minho, and sighed as tears pooled in her eyes. "Well, it's probably not protocol for a phsyciatrist to do this, but here." She handed them all a piece of paper. "My cell number and my email address. If you guys ever need anything, someone to talk to or maybe you just want to hang out, see old friends, call me." She sniffled. "I'll miss you guys. Especially you, Jonghyun. I'll miss your jokes." 

Jonghyun smiled brightly. "I try."

"Okay, enough of this sappy crap." She huffed then, pushing them out the front doors of the place Kibum had once thought was his prison. He knew he would miss it there. He would miss the meetings with Dr. Lee and the other patients he had grown fond of...  "Go! Get out of here!"

"Bye!" Taemin called out behind him, waving fervently at Dr. Lee. She grinned back and finally shut the doors, locking them out, for good. 

Kibum was free.

Kibum sat in the chair the security guard led him to, placed in front of a great wall of plastic. Behind that was his father, looking worn and grumpy, like usual. Kibum hadn't seen him smile in years.

"H-Hello." He mumbled, raising a trembling hand to his father. He turned back to look at Minho standing in the corner of the room with the guard, and they both gave him reassuring smiles. Kibum frowned at the man in front of him, watching as he blatanly ignored his own son. "I came here as part of my therapy." He said, his fingers immediately scratching at the scars on his arm. He stopped though, once he realized what he was doing. He could do this. He could. 

He looked up into his father's blank eyes and smiled slightly. His father looked taken aback. "I'm supposed to come here, and stand up to my fear. My fear of you, throwing me away like the piece of garbage you told me I was. I was scared that you would forget about me if I tried to get away, that you would hate me forever. I wanted to change for you, because I love you." Kibum's lips trembled, but his voice remained calm. "I fogrive you, for everything you did. For the beatings, for the things you said, for everything. And I want you to know that I love you, and you will always be my daddy." Kibum took a deep breath and waited for his father to speak.

"Get the hell out of here." His father's defeated voice sounded weak through the plastic between them, and Kibum took another deep breath before continuing on.

"I went to see mom." He said, running his fingers through his hair, trying not to let his father see how badly he was shaking. He could feel raw panic bubbling inside of him and he glanced back at Minho once more. Minho smiled and urged him on. "She's in an induced coma, she was burnt so badly." His tongue clicked as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "The doctors said she should be awake soon, but they don't want to wake her up util the worst of the skin graphs are over because they're so painful." Kibum winced. "I know she'll want to see you when she's better." Kibum knew that no matter what his father did to his mother, she would still love him. Clearly she was a little messed up, but really, who wasn't? 

"Please, get out." His father's voice croaked out once more, sounding on the edge of tears. Kibum shook as he reached his arm out towards Minho.

"T-This is my boyfriend." He said, not even glancing at his father to see his reaction. He knew it would be bad. Minho stepped in perfect view of Kibum's dad, smiling politely though he so wanted to rip his way through the wall between them and beat the man so he could feel the pain Kibum had. 

Kibum's father looked away from them, angry tears pooling in his eyes. 

"H-He saved me when you s-set the house on fire." Kibum said, looking up into Minho's loving eyes. "He's still saving me." He murmured, his hand closing over Minho's. Minho brought his hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles lightly, a sweet grin on his face. "I love you." He whispered, his trembling lips pulling into a rueful smile. "I'm so wrong for you, but it's okay. I'm selfish. I love you." 

Minho shook his head and bent down to brush his lips lightly against Kibum's. "You're wrong. You're right for me in every way. I was made to love you."

All was quiet, until Kibum's father finally spoke. "I did wrong, Kibum. And I'm sorry. I just wanted you to be safe... safe from the world." His father looked away from Kibum's tearing eyes and at the wall on his right. "I couldn't even keep you safe from myself. I'm a disgrace, not you. I deserve to be here. I deserve to rot like the bastard I am."

Kibum let out a quiet sob and reached forward to press his hand against the wall between them. His father looked up and smiled sadly. "It's okay, dad. I understand." Kibum smiled as tears pooled down his face. "And I forgive you."

His father shook his head and stood, ready to leave. Kibum watched as he raise his shackled hands in a slight wave goodbye. "I don't want to be forgiven, Kibum. I don't deserve it. Just... go, please. And don't back." He swallowed thickly and for the first time in Kibum's life, he saw his father cry. "I just can't bear to see your face again. Just go, Kibum."

Kibum had lost his family; the thing he had once held so dear. He had lost everything, all because of something he couldn't control. 

For the first time in a long time, Kibum prayed that his father would forgive himself. That he would find it within himself to forgive his actions, and that one day, Kibum would be able to see him again. 

Kibum realized now that he did have a family. A messed up, crazy family. His sons, Jonghyun and Taemin, and his husband, Minho. He laughed at the picture it created in his mind; a white house with a tree in front, four people standing on the sidewalk, looking like a happy family. A family Kibum never had.

He would take it.