Kibum knew. He sensed it more than he saw it, but it was hard to mistake.

Minho was enraged.

Dozens of people flitted in the distance between them, presenting a flickering image of each other. It made Kibum feel like he was seeing a mirage, like the younger man would disappear into thin air the moment Kibum blinked. But he didn’t. Not as Kibum blinked nor as tears clouded his vision.

Minho started walking towards him and all of a sudden, the whole world disappeared around Kibum. Only the both of them existed.

“K-kibum? Kibum, are you alright?” Kibum heard Jonghyun’s voice asking him but the sound seemed like it was coming from under water, muffled and distant.

“Kibum?!” Jonghyun shook Kibum out of his reverie violently. Kibum tore his eyes from the approaching man to Jonghyun. Jonghyun looked like he was going to die of worry.

Kibum struggled to get coherent words as he opened and shut his mouth repeatedly. He didn’t need to, though, for Minho did it for him.

“I thought I told you to quit doing stupid things…” Minho’s voice was emanating cold anger that pierced into Kibum’s skin like needles. It would be an understatement to say that the other man was furious because he seemed to have passed that point.

“Minho, thank goodness y-“

“And you, wasn’t it your responsibility to keep him out of trouble?” Minho said, moving closer into Jonghyun’s personal space sizing him up with a death glare.

 Kibum was still too stunned to do anything but even in his hazy state of mind, it occurred to Kibum the first thing Minho does after weeks of not seeing each other is patronize and chastise him. Now, he was turning on to Jonghyun as well.

“M-min…” Jonghyun stuttered. The Jonghyun Kibum knew would have immediately gotten into an offensive position when accused of something. Right now, however, Jonghyun seemed to understand the threat in Minho’s voice as he backed down from the latter.

“He-“ Minho paused to send Kibum a glare, “-was supposed to be safer here with you. He was supposed to be far, far away from any of this military business.” Minho exuded authority as he spoke in his low baritoned voice.

“He... I tried to keep him away. But-“

“THEN, WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING HERE?!”

Kibum jumped at the sudden exclamation. Jonghyun backed away a little more, shuddering.

“Stop it! Stop it, Minho! What do you think you’re doing?!”Kibum said, pushing Jonghyun behind him. Some of the villagers closest to them were turning around to look their way at the commotion.

“You, Kibum! Why is it so damn difficult for you to stay out of trouble?!” Minho asked, now in Kibum’s personal space. Kibum maintained eye contact although it was hard to do so as their noses were almost touching.

“Why do you care, Minho? Alive or dead-I am unimportant to you either way, am I not?” Kibum reminded Minho.

Minho seemed to lose all patience (or whatever he had left of it) at that. He brought his hands up to trap Kibum’s face between them. His blood smeared fingers dug into Kibum’s hair, pulling him closer until their foreheads met. Kibum’s hand grabbed Minho’s arm by instinct at the sudden movement.

The rusty smell of the crimson liquid from the Japanese men that lingered on Minho was overpowering Kibum’s senses.

“Look into my eyes and tell me that you really believe that, Kibum!” was Minho’s simple demand that Kibum knew he wouldn’t be able to do. 

“What happened here?” Jonghyun’s father’s voice carried over the celebrating crowd and slowly, one after another fell silent. Minho wouldn’t let Kibum go, meeting Kibum’s eyes without even blinking. But the seriousness in the village head’s voice eventually made Minho release his grip.

Kibum released the breath that he hadn’t realized he was holding as Minho moved away. Minho had taken to staring to the front wordlessly. Kibum forced himself to turn as well. He caught Jonghyun’s eyes briefly and saw the confusion and understanding in them at the same time, if that even made sense.

Jonghyun’s father’s voice droned on but all Kibum was conscious of was the presence on his right, standing so close and yet, so far away.

Kibum stood facing the ground in front of the Jonghyun’s house just like how he has been for the past few minutes. Jonghyun had left just a few moments earlier to take care of the job they went to the village for in the first place. Jinki has been missing ever since the fight broke out earlier.

Minho, on the other hand, had been standing silently a few feet behind him the whole time. The other had seen everything that had happened as well. Kibum was still soaking in everything that Jonghyun’s father had said to him and after hearing all of that, he felt that he no longer deserved the right to enter the house.

“Congratulations, Kibum, for landing yourself in trouble once again,” Jonghyun’s father had said, making Kibum feel guilty for the umpteenth time that day.

“This time you’ve really done it. Your misplaced courage has led to the villagers’ false hope of actually having a chance against the Japanese military. So, well done!”

Kibum hadn’t known what to say or what to do. Not even Jonghyun could come to his rescue when the village head was being this severe. If Jonghyun’s father was resorting to sarcasm to point out one’s mistakes, then it was expected without a doubt that the person must have screwed up really bad.

Well, Kibum had screwed up really bad, as he was coming to realize.

“Kibum-ah… That’s enough. Come on in. I’ll get you something to eat…” his grandmother called from the front door. Kibum couldn’t even bring himself to look up at her.

“What’s done is done, Kibum. We can only move forward now and hope to find a solution,” she continued when Kibum didn’t answer her. He heard her sigh heavily when he remained that way.

“Minho-goon, would you like to come in and get cleaned up?”

Kibum remembered that Minho must still be dirty from the earlier fight at that. He turned to look up behind him and instantly met Minho’s eyes.

“If that is alright with you…” Minho said, all hint of anger gone from his voice and only the indifference remained.

“Of course! I’ll go prepare some food for the both of you while you clean up. Kibum, please show him to the restroom at least, will you?” his grandmother said before turning to enter the house.

Kibum turned back to Minho to wait for some form of a reply. He didn’t receive one. All he got was a blank stare as though he was waiting for Kibum to do something. Finally giving up on waiting for some of a reaction, Kibum began walking in the direction of the house, knowing that the other would be following him.

Kibum passed the living room as he walked to the staircase leading up to the second floor. Then, he passed Jonghyun’s room and Songdam noona’s room as he made his way to the guestroom, his temporary room. The common bathroom was at the end of the corridor and since his room didn’t have a bathroom adjoined to it, Minho would have to use said bathroom.

“I-I’ll get you something to wear,” Kibum said without glancing back at Minho and walking back to his room.

When Kibum returned to the bathroom, he saw that Minho had already removed his shirt and was washing his hands off in the sink, not even bothering to close the door. Kibum entered only to put the clothes beside the sink and turned to take a leave.

“Wait,” Minho’s voice was hoarse. Kibum turned back to see Minho looking at him through the mirror, leaning on the edge of the sink with his arms straight. He gripped the edge so tightly, that the veins on the back of his hands stood out quite noticeably.

“I’m sorry…” Minho said simply but the words carried more meaning than the literal meaning alone. What was he sorry for? For leaving Kibum? For being indifferent? For snapping at him earlier?

Kibum noticed a cut on Minho’s cheek that was smudged in his own blood and also from the Japanese men. He grabbed a towel from the rack beside the door and wet it in the still running tap before turning it off. Forcing Minho to look straight at him instead of through the mirror, Kibum placed a hand under the other’s chin as he carefully cleaned the wound.

“Kibum, I’m sorry…” Minho said with a little more conviction than before. Kibum kept his eyes fixed on the wound.

“Why? It’s all my fault. Everything is…” Kibum said, dark humor in his words as he scoffed a bit.

Suddenly, Minho was moving away from him. He went straight for the door and shut it, locking it with lightning speed before returning to Kibum in the very same manner.

Then, there was no more room between them as Minho kissed Kibum fervently. Kibum was not taken by surprise. He saw it coming and he was waiting for it anyway. So when Minho picked Kibum up by his waist and seated him on the space beside the basin, pushing down a few toiletries there, Kibum didn’t hesitate to part his legs and allow the latter closer to him.

“I missed you, Minho,” Kibum whispered onto the other’s lips when they came for air. He remembered all the pain he had endured while being away from the latter when he said those words.

Minho cupped Kibum’s face just like he had earlier that day. But this time, he was gentler. Even his eyes were soft as they searched Kibum’s face, as thought trying to memorize every detail on it.

“I had to do it, Kibum. The only way I had to keep you away from me was to make you hate me,” Minho whispered back to him.

“Because I can’t keep myself from doing stupid things, right?” Kibum said, the hands he had on Minho’s chest.

“Because you’re so foolishly courageous...”

Kibum pushed against Minho’s chest half-heartedly. It didn’t do much to create some space between them.

“Stop it, Minho! I already heard Jonghyun’s father telling me everything I did wrong. I don’t need to hear the same-”

Kibum was silenced by Miinho’s mouth crashing against his once more. Kibum fought against it indignantly, not wanting to give in so easily. When Minho finally pulled away, Kibum knew that it was not because of Kibum’s protests but rather because he had something to say.

“I’m not telling you what you did wrong, Kibum. I’m telling you to stop doing the right things. I need you, Kibum, and I am scared that one day, your courage would take you away from me.”

“Well, I’m scared every single waking moment of my life when you’re away, thinking about what your job will get you into. So looks like we’re even…” Kibum answered him spitefully. Minho’s hold on Kibum’s hair tightened but not so much that it hurt him. Only enough to show the tension running in his veins.

“Why are you so damn stubborn?” Minho hissed, looking about ready to break something in fury.

“Why are you stubborn, Minho?” Kibum retorted.

They were both angry beyond even their own comprehension. No one but Minho could make him feel so loved while driving him crazy with fury. It was a paradox in reality, the way they were bonded to each other. Well, their relationship was never normal to begin with anyway.

And when all that fury was channeled into unadulterated passion, there was little pleasures in life that beat the feeling it gave Kibum. Right now, Minho was making him feel exactly that, as he kissed Kibum like he would never see another day. Kibum parted his lips all too willingly, allowing their tongues to dance around each other slowly but seductively.

Minho pulled Kibum’s shirt over his head and tossed it aside. He moved to turn the shower on, letting cold water spurt out with minimal pressure out of the shower head. He took Kibum’s hand and led him off of the space beside the basin, pulling him closer to help him out of his pants. Kibum pushed the hands away to do it himself while Minho undid his own. It should have felt awkward to be getting undressed in front of each other. But strangely it didn’t.

Maybe it was because there were no ulterior motives for them to be doing this.

Kibum understood without words, as they stepped under the cold spray together, that Minho wanted nothing more than to hold Kibum close. Lips meeting in brief kisses once in a while, they cleaned each other off of the dirt that the world has left on them. They cleaned themselves off of the dried blood and the filth, together with all their troubles, worries, pains. Eventually, when there was nothing left to wash away and they had no more air left in the lungs to breathe, Minho had held Kibum tightly in his arms for the longest time that day as though he was trying to make up for lost time, his hand drawing circles on his back with the no-longer-cold water.

What is the use of cleaning when the world waited out there to throw more filthy things anyway?

Dinner was silent. Extremely silent. Even the talkative Songdam noona had chosen to remain silent as she picked on her food while eyeing both Kibum and her father (and occasionally, Minho.) Jinki and Jonghyun were still gone while Kibum’s grandmother had taken dinner earlier so that she could take her medications at the right time.

The tension was so thick in the air that you could cut it with a knife. Kibum had no appetite whatsoever. The usually delicious food tasted bland to Kibum and almost revolting as he forced bite after bite into his mouth, just to have some table manners.

“What are your plans, son?”

Those were the first words that Jonghyun’s father uttered that evening, directed right at Minho. Minho placed his cutleries down to answer the man formally.

“I am planning to seek another job myself since the one with the cobbler doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, sir. I will be sure to find one by-“ Minho was saying when he was interrupted.

“I meant your plans for tonight. Where are you staying the night, son?” Jonghyun’s father said, his look very stern as he spoke.

“Oh-“ Minho stumbled over his words for a while for being caught off guard. He glanced sideways at Kibum briefly before continuing.

“I hadn’t thought of that exactly… I might find a lodge or a-” Minho was interrupted yet again.

“No need for that. You can stay here,” Jonghyun’s father said, finishing up his dinner.

“That is very kind of you, sir. But I wish to cause you no inconvenience. I will be fine finding an accommodation on my own.”

“I’m not letting you stay for free. In return, you can work for me,” Jonghyun’s father continued. Minho looked slightly confused by this, as was Kibum. His food sat on his plate, long forgotten.

“Do you agree to this arrangement, son?”

“Yes, sir. But if I may ask, what job am I being assigned to?”

Jonghyun’s father looked straight at Kibum before continuing.

“You can become Kibum’s personal bodyguard.”

A muffled chuckle reached Kibum’s ears from behind. Kibum turned, not stopping while walking to his room, to see what was so amusing to Minho. The latter instantly straightened up, lowering the hand that was covering his mouth to his side.

Kibum only sent him a questioning glance before turning the knob of the door, having reached his room. Minho followed him in, leaving the door ajar because they would have to go out again soon anyway.

“What’s so funny?” Kibum said, rummaging through his closet for the extra change of bed sheets and pillowcases there. It was for the bed in the other guest room where Minho was supposed to be staying. They could have easily gotten the maids to do the job, but Kibum would never overstay his welcome for his own needs and perhaps, he just liked doing these trivial things for Minho.

“I was just thinking about how I’m being employed to do something that is like instinct to me now,” Minho said, and it took a while for Kibum to fully understand it. When he did, he was only able to sigh. There it was again- the need to be protected by Minho to keep himself safe.

Kibum carried the sheets he found in both his arms and shut the closet door as he returned to where Minho was standing with his hands in his pockets.

“Is it wrong, Kibum, that despite everything that had just happened, I feel really, really happy being here with you right now?”

Kibum smiled as he shook his head, eyeing the taller man’s features that he felt like he hadn’t seen in eons. The cut on his cheek stood out as an angry red mark, calling all Kibum’s attention to it and making his smile falter.

“Kibum-ah, I’m going to sleep so do you want anything before I go?” Kibum’s grandmother’s voice came from the entrance of the room. Kibum turned to her, slightly surprised by her sudden words. Then, he composed himself to answer her.

“It’s alright, halmeoni. I’ve got it…” Kibum said, showing her the sheets in his hands. She smiled before entering the room to approach Kibum. She took the sheets out of his hands without saying a thing.

“I’ll do this. You two just catch up… or argue… or whatever it is that you two love doing so much,” his grandmother said jokingly. She patted Minho once on his good cheek lovingly before she turned to take a leave.

“Thank you so much, halmeoni. Good night,” Minho said, bowing a little to her, making her grin grow wider for some reason.

“Sleep well, halmeoni,” Kibum told her just as she was closing the door behind her.

Then, Kibum turned to look for the first aid box that he knew was somewhere in the room. When he finally found it at the back of one of the drawers on his dressing table, he carried it back to Minho who hadn’t moved an inch from his place. Kibum immediately started on his task of treating that nasty cut on his cheek.

“You know it would be easier for me if you would sit down? And maybe, remove your arms?” Kibum said matter-of-factly, when Minho took to making Kibum’s task difficult by wrapping Kibum with both his arms tightly as the latter dabbed away at the wound with disinfectant.

“Yes,” was Minho short and obviously-meant-to-annoy Kibum answer, although Kibum was not the slightest bit irritated by it.

The door slammed open suddenly and in came a disheveled looking Jonghyun. Minho dropped his arms immediately.

“Kibum! Are you al- Oh…” Jonghyun stopped in his words. He looked back and forth between Kibum and Minho, not knowing what to do. Kibum could only imagine the things that Jonghyun must be picturing about what he had seen.

“Hyung, how did it go?” Kibum asked, hoping to change the topic. Jonghyun scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, not meeting Kibum’s eyes.

“It went… fine. I just remembered that I have to do something. I’ll see you in the morning, then. Night, Kibum. MInho,” Jonghyun hurried to get out of the room, not even bothering to wait for Kibum’s reply.

Jonghyun stopped at the door briefly.

“Are you al-alright?” he asked, still looking uncomfortable. Kibum answered him with a simple ‘yes’. Then, Jonghyun closed the door behind him, sneaking one last glance at the both of them before disappearing behind the wooden structure.

“I’m sorry, Kibum. I didn’t know he’d-“ Minho began.

“He knows, Minho. I told him already,” Kibum stopped him. Minho looked a bit taken aback by this.

“And he’s fine with it?” Minho asked, an eyebrow lifted.

“No. He’s still getting used to the idea. I thought I had terrified him enough by telling him about us. And now, this. I think I must have scarred him for life,” Kibum said, sighing as he closed the first aid box.

“What do you mean by this, Kibum?” Minho asked, feigning innocence.

“Innocence does not suit you, Minho, so stop pretending.” When Minho didn’t drop his act, Kibum stuck out his tongue at him for effect. This made Minho finally break out of his composure.

Kibum was about to turn to put back the first aid box when Minho suddenly pulled him back by his waist and started leaving butterfly kisses all over his shoulder that was exposed under his oversized shirt. Kibum giggled like a girl due to the ticklish sensations it gave him.

“You mean like this?” Minho asked sinisterly in his ear. Kibum left the first aid box where it was and turned to face the other. With every intention to tease Minho as much the latter had , Kibum claimed Minho’s lips in a passionate kiss, taking the latter by surprise.

Perhaps it had been a tad too passionate, Kibum thought to himself when he pulled back, because right then, all the earlier playfulness in Minho’s eyes were gone. It was replaced by an animalistic need that was growing inside the latter even as Kibum watched him his lips.

Without a warning, he crashed his lips onto Kibum’s for the umpteenth time that day. But this time it was different than all the other times today. This time, Kibum could tell that Minho wanted something. Something that only Kibum could give him.

That something was Kibum himself.

(A/N) An earlier than expected update of Chapter 25!!! Enjoy people!!! XD

So.... Asianfanfics added so many new things, didn't they? Upvoting stories, downvoting comments.... I'm still catching up... :) What do you guys think about all the changes in AFF? I personally feel that it's alright but also a bit depressing since it has become like a popularity ranking. But then again, what are humans without their tendency to pick favourites, right? (@anata_wa_shinda~~ that's my philosophy of the day for you... Hehehehe...XP)

How did you guys like this chapter? Please leave me a comment about what you think, alright!!! And for the previous comments and to the new subscribers (I gained quite a number through my latest chappie and it made me very very happy.... :D)- THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH GUYS!!!!

Thank you for reading and have a good day guys!!! <3