Jonghyun burst into the hotel room in an obvious state of upset. Minho was up in an instant, moving across the room to try to comfort his hyung, but he was surprised to find Jonghyun pushing him away. Apparently, it surprised Jinki too, because he stood watching the whole thing with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth.

“Jjongie?“ Minho said softly. “What happened?”

“M-mianhe...but...I need to be alone right now...” Jonghyun said, not looking at either of them. Minho looked utterly shocked, but nodded anyway as he moved to get his shoes. Jinki looked uncomfortable, and moved toward his eldest.

“Jonghyun..” He said softly, and Jonghyun looked up at him with an expression Jinki had never seen before. “Are you sure you should be alone right now?”

“I’m not completely alone. I have Roo.” Jonghyun said, his tone guarded. Jinki’s eyebrows went up.

“Well...alright...” Jinki relented, unsure of what else he could do. “We’ll go scope out places for dinner, ok?”

Jonghyun nodded, not really seeming to care, and Jinki reluctantly motioned for Minho to follow him out. The younger had that rejected look in his eye, even as he followed the appa to his car. He had expected Jonghyun to be a little worked up when he came back, but to be pushed away like that? It stung much deeper than he ever anticipated.

Jonghyun flopped face down on the bed, his eyes squeezing shut as he let the memories assault him. He knew he had to let it happen, one way or another, and he preferred to be alone when it happened. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them to help him through it. It was more that he knew it would seem so much worse than it was on the outside, and he would probably scare them.

Images flashed through his mind of his mother’s face, twisted up in rage as she screamed - not always at him - and threw things. And a man, one he barely remembered, not really treating him badly, but hardly acknowledging his existence. Loud noises, echo’s of shattering glass, hunger he would come to know his whole life.

It wasn’t really affecting him in such a way that he was overwhelmed, though he did find himself with tears rolling down his cheeks after not very long. If nothing else, he had gotten his answer. The treatment he endured as a child was the basis for his nightmares, his awkward social persona, and his strange clinginess.

He was amazed by how negative things had been for him, and he was beginning to wonder if there had been any good parts at all when another face entered his mind. A young girl - his sister - hugging him softly, kissing his cheeks, singing to him. She was the most prominent, however, in the bloodsoaked memory that shook him to his core. It was the one memory where she wasn’t handling him gently, where she wasn’t just being kind.

In fact, she was being quite rough. Pushing him into his room and demanding that he sit on the bed and not move. She had gone through his room, packing up what she could, and then lifted him with no air of love and kindness. She had checked to be sure there was no one to stop her from what she was about to do, and she had taken off.

After they had gotten to wherever it was they were going, she had settled down. She had held him gently in her arms, humming a soft little melody to him, and he had relaxed. She had told him not to tell anyone what he saw, and he had agreed purely from the desire to keep her being nice, sweet, and loving.

Jonghyun shifted onto his side, then curled up slightly. Roo moved over to him in an instant and began at his face, and he laughed softly. She curled up beside him, and he silently pet her for a few minutes, thinking over what this information meant to him. In the end, though, he decided it didn’t mean much. It was just confirmation of what he already knew, and so...it didn’t change anything. Like he had said - he had an appa and and umma. He had a family. Why should that change, just because thirteen years prior someone had been cruel to him? It wouldn’t. And he knew that.

When Jinki and Minho finally returned, Jonghyun had been dozing. He woke up almost instantly when the door opened, but he was once again caught in the between state, wondering where he was, and who he was with. Minho approached him slowly, and as Jonghyun focused on him his memory came back. He sat up, rubbing his eyes to get the sleep away, then looked at their concerned faces.

He couldn’t help the smile that took over his features a moment later. He got up quickly, and threw his arms around Minho’s neck. The younger boy was startled, but returned the embrace without question. Jinki looked nothing short of relieved, and when Jonghyun was done squeezing Minho, at least for the moment, he went to the appa and hugged him too.

“What’s up, Jjongie?” Jinki asked, ruffling Jonghyun’s hair.

“Nothing. I just feel better.” Jonghyun said, his shoulders rising in a small shrug.

“That’s good.” Jinki said, and Jonghyun grinned again. “Well, I think we should go down to the pool and relax before dinner. What do you think?”

“I...” Jonghyun paused, pulling back from the appa as the smile fell from his face. “I don’t know...”

“Why not?” Minho asked. “It wasn’t crowded when we went past it.”

“I don’t...know how to swim...” Jonghyun admitted, his cheeks flaming.

Jinki blinked in surprise. How could a seventeen year old not know how to swim? He glanced over at Minho, who seemed just as surprised by the confession, then looked back at his eldest.

“We can teach you.” Jinki offered, and Jonghyun shrugged.

“It’s not a big deal...” He said, looking uncomfortable. Minho’s eyebrows pulled together, and he slipped his arm around his boyfriends shoulders.

“Will you at least go in the shallow end?” Minho asked, and Jonghyun felt guilty upon realizing how bad Minho wanted to go. He put on his best smile and nodded, doing his best to look excited about it. Minho grinned back, and Jinki rolled his eyes before going to his duffel and pulling out his swimsuit.

“Get changed, boys.” He said, then headed into the bathroom. They nodded silently, and went to their own backpacks to pull out what they needed.

“If you didn’t plan to swim why did you bring a bathing suit?” Minho teased, and Jonghyun flushed.

“Appa said to bring one, so I did.” He said, sliding off his jeans and boxers in a single movement. Minho froze where he was, staring directly at Jonghyun, who was completely oblivious as he slid his swim trunks on. Minho swallowed, then quickly followed Jonghyun’s example and changed as the elder stretched his back.

“Are you going to keep your sweatshirt on?” Minho asked, and Jonghyun tilted his head to look at him.

“I’m only going to put my feet in.” Jonghyun said. Minho raised a brow at him, then walked over and hugged him from behind.

“But you could get splashed.” Minho said. Jonghyun visibly pouted for a moment, then slid his arms from under Minho’s to his sweatshirt. Minho let him go so he could take it off, but he looked a little nervous about removing his shirt. “What’s the matter?”

“I dunno.” Jonghyun shrugged. Minho rolled his eyes and grabbed the hem of Jonghyun’s shirt, tugging it easily over his head.

“You’re not shy when we’re alone.” Minho pointed out, and Jonghyun shrugged again as Jinki stepped out of the bathroom.

“Ready?” He asked, and the boys nodded.

Jonghyun watched in silence and awe as Minho dove into the pool. He was standing close to the edge, watching as Minho effortlessly moved through the water while Jinki chose to ease himself in. Once inside, though, he moved easily through the waveless surface. Jonghyun was beginning to feel uncomfortable, standing awkwardly like he was, so he took a seat, letting his feet slip into the water. He nearly jumped out of his skin, though, when Minho surfaced in front of him.

“Are you going to come in?” Minho asked. Jonghyun blinked a few times, then shook his head.

“I can’t swim.” Jonghyun repeated.

“I’ll teach you.” Minho said. Jonghyun shook his head again.

“I’ll drown.” He insisted, and Minho sighed, moving closer so he could wrap his arms around Jonghyun’s waist.

“Would I ever let anything bad happen to you?” Minho asked, and Jonghyun bit his lip as he shook his head. “Then will you please come in?”

“...fine.” Jonghyun said, and Minho smiled, kicking back off the wall and pulling Jonghyun in with him.

The younger boy panicked immediately, looking around for anything he could grab onto as the water splashed up around him, but the only thing there was Minho. His arms went around the younger’s neck as tears pricked at his eyes. Minho offered him soft kisses to try to ease his nerves, but as scared as Jonghyun was, he seemed equally upset with minho.

“Why did you do that?” Jonghyun whined miserably, and a moment later the appa was beside them.

“You said you would come in.” Minho said, and Jonghyun tried to hide his face, but instead got a nose full of water.

“I wasn’t ready.” Jonghyun said between coughs, and Jinki sighed.

“This is how you learn to swim. There is no way to get ready.” Jinki explained, and Jonghyun looked at him miserably.

“I don’t want to do it.” Jonghyun said, a pout on his face. Jinki shrugged.

“Too late now.” He said, and Jonghyun’s expression changed to one of betrayal.

“Jjongie.” Minho said, his voice low and comforting. Jonghyun remained silent, knowing he wasn’t going to win anyway. Especially against Minho. He couldn’t stay mad. “Just trust me, ok?”

Jonghyun nodded silently, and slowly Minho pried him off. This, of course, scared Jonghyun more, but what could he do? He kept a tight grip on Minho’s forearms, using them as leverage to keep himself from going under. Minho smiled encouragingly at him, but he didn’t take any comfort in it.

“I want to get out.” Jonghyun said, his voice sounding as wet as his body. Minho’s smile faltered, and he began to wonder if he had pushed Jonghyun too far. He watched as Jonghyun got another slap of water to his face, the waves brought on from his own panicked movements, and began to cough. “M-Minho!”

Minho pulled the elder back into his arms, not fighting him as he coughed and clung to his dongsaeng. They lingered where they were for a little while, Minho unsure of what to do as Jonghyun took slow, deep breaths to relax himself. It didn’t escape Minho’s notice that Jonghyun’s previously flailing legs were now moving steadily and keeping him above water.

“Jonghyun?” Minho said softly, and  the elder remained silent as he dropped one of his hands into the water.

“You’re sure it’s safe?” Jonghyun asked softly. Minho hummed in response, and Jonghyun relaxed his other arm. “Don’t let go.”

“I’ve got you.” Minho said, watching Jonghyun balance himself out. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

Jonghyun nodded, not making eye contact as he steadied himself and tried to gain confidence in his movements. He was perfectly aware of Minho’s dwindling support, but he didn’t comment on it. As long as those hands stayed there to catch him if he went under, he really didn’t care.

“Let go.” Jonghyun finally said, and Minho did. He lingered close by as Jonghyun treaded the water, but Jonghyun didn’t go under. He grinned at Minho, then turned his head to look at Jinki. “Appa, look!”

Jinki smiled at the sight before him. At least they had found a way to salvage the day.

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This one's a bit long, eh?

I know, I've been lazy with my updates, but there's a reason! Check out my blog if you want to know more, but in the meantime...

I posted the forward for the third (and final) installment of this Jongho~ It's called Taking A Chance :3

I've also started writing another JongHo AND a JongYu on the side, though those won't be posted for a while.

So, yeah. Leave me feedback and go subscribe to part 3!!