TRIGGER WARNING: mentions of past abuse/. 

It was nearing eleven and Onew had still not seen any sign of Key. Breakfast had come and gone most of which Onew spent staring at the developing blizzard outside. After the meal Onew had moved on to ignoring the report he was supposed to be reading on Euro-Asian relations to instead jump at every sound that could be construed as Key approaching.
 
By noon, Onew was growing somewhat impatient. He had wanted to wait until Key had woken up and explain everything from the day before but it seemed Onew was out of luck. He called down to the kitchens and found Key hadn’t requested any food to his room either that morning or the night before. Key hadn’t eaten in almost twenty-four hours.
 
Onew knocked softly on the double doors but received no answer. He shifted his weight, glanced around the hallway and then knocked louder.  No response came again and so Onew heaved a sigh and opened the door. He spent half a second considering leaving the Halfling alone before deciding against it. Enough time had passed and Onew found he felt strange being alone now. The heir had been so used to being alone before Key that it was natural and comfortable but now it felt, well, lonely.
 
Key was sitting on his windowsill, staring out at the snowstorm raging on the other side of the glass. He seemed to not have noticed Onew’s entrance at all.
 
“Key?” the caramel haired boy called gently.
 
The first things to turn toward him were the two brown tipped ears poking out of the blonde mop of hair. Key’s face followed though he kept it down, eyes trained on the floor. His body followed after, slowly unfurling itself from its previously coiled position, until the Halfling’s socked feet were on the wood floor below him. He stood still, hands clasped before him and face tilted down. It reminded Onew eerily of when he’d first seen Key at the Keeper’s and then later, when Dongwan had been there.
 
“Key, could we talk?” Onew inquired softly. What could Dongwan possibly have triggered – and did he even want to know?
“Yes, my lord.” It was monotone; robotic.
Lowering himself down to the sage green, antique looking sofa, Onew gestured to the other side of it. “Sit, please.” Without another word Key perched himself on the edge of the cushion.
 
A million things went through Onew’s head then. He wanted to explain himself, he wanted Key to understand why he couldn’t just punch Dongwan in the face, no matter how he had itched to. He wanted the other to know that he and Taemin could do nothing that wouldn’t result in Key’s immediate and forceful removal from Onew’s home.
 
Onew let his gaze wander around the room nervously for a moment, crossed and recrossed his legs. His hands rung together and he let out a deep sigh, turning to take in the blonde before him who sat just as motionless as before; two black eyes stared at the wall across the room from him.
 
“Key, about yesterday…” his bottom lip caught between his teeth. “I’m sorry,” he finished in a soft voice. Onew stared at Key who remained motionless. His face betrayed not even the smallest bit of emotion; no spark to his eyes and no twitch to his lips. After a few moments that felt more like an eternity, Onew shifted again uneasily. “Key, say something.”
 
Key turned almost immediately, neck snapping to his right to stare blankly at the young heir before him. Onew almost jumped he was so startled with the sudden movement.
 
“He touched me.” It was flat and emotionless; in the same way school children recite multiplication tables or the alphabet.
“He shouldn’t have done that. He had no right,” Onew said emphatically.
“Of course he did, my lord,” Key answered softly. “He is human and I am a Halfling. With the blessing of my owner he has the right to do anything he likes to me.”
Onew’s heart dropped into his stomach in half a second. “He did not have my blessing. I swear, Key.”
 
Key’s eyes flashed something fierce but his lips pursed as if he were trying desperately to hold words in.
 
“What are you thinking?” Onew implored. It was the first real reaction Key had given in almost twenty-four hours and the other was dying to know what could have been responsible for it. Key didn’t answer at first and so Onew added, “Tell me honestly, please.”
Key’s mouth quirked. “Honesty. I can tell how greatly my lord values this.”
“I do.”
“I saw. That is why I was honest when you asked how I felt about Jonghyun-ssi,” he murmured quietly. “Humans have done things to me,” Key added and his eyes bore into Onew so harshly that it almost hurt for the tanner boy to look at him. Onew’s heart jumped into his throat momentarily. “Jonghyun-ssi reminded me how some of those humans acted. I could not hide my reactions. I apologize, my lord,” Key bowed his head.
“Don’t apologize, Key,” Onew whispered with a slight shake of his head, though his eyebrows furrowed in concern as he waited for the other to continue.
“Jonghyun-ssi is your friend. I should not have been so disrespectful. But, even though I knew he would not hurt me, I could not hide how I felt, my lord,” Key continued, stumbling now and then through his words. Onew had never heard the boy speak so much before and could only assume he didn’t have much practice in Korean language so he opted to stay silent. “Dongwan-ssi,” the blonde made to continue but paused when he voice wavered. “You and the prince do not like him. I could see this. He…” Key trailed off here and his eyebrows furrowed as if searching for the right words, “he felt different than Jonghyun-ssi. He felt dangerous. So I was scared.”
 
Key fell silent. Onew shifted in his seat uncomfortably and his lips pursed as he tried to process what exactly Key was saying. The Halfling didn’t continue, however, so Onew cleared his throat.
 
“You were scared so you went blank?” Onew said in an attempt to truly understand why Key had reacted that way. He hadn’t moved away, he hadn’t said anything at all.
“Men like him enjoy reactions,” came the soft reply.
 
Onew felt his stomach twist immediately. It was true that he didn’t know much of anything about Key’s life before he came to Onew’s estate. All he knew was that Key had been born on Agrius and at some point captured and brought to Earth. He had railed against training and mistrusted humans. Onew had long suspected that Key’s experiences had been worse than just general mistreatment of Halflings. He had never liked to think on the subject long out of fear he would be sick to his stomach. But, after the day before with Dongwan, the curiosity was almost overwhelming.
 
“Key, have you…. When you say that humans have done things to you – h-have humans hurt you before?” Onew questioned delicately. Two black eyes turned to their master solemly.
“You wish for honesty,” came out as more of a soft statement than a question. Onew nodded in response, afraid his voice wouldn’t allow for words. “Yes, my lord. Humans have hurt me. Many times.”
 
Key’s eyes stayed on Onew the entire time, calmly boring into the other so intensely that the older again wanted to look away but found he couldn’t. Key’s eyes were calm but dead; blank and emotionless. Much like they had been when Dongwan was touching him.
 
“Wh-who? Who hurt you?” The second the question left his mouth the young heir knew it was a mistake. He didn’t want to know the answer, not really. He knew it would awaken in him the same sort of abject rage that Dongwan’s visit had. Key’s eyes turned away and he instead stared at his lap as he responded, ears drooping slightly.
“The men who took me. A crewman on the spacecraft. Two of the trainers at the Keeper’s. The night guards,” the feline boy answered quietly. “These men and women hurt me very badly, my lord.” A long pause ensued. Onew wondered if it would be possible for him to track down every one of these people and have them individually reprimanded for their actions or, better yet, have them seen to by the more violent of the Royal Guard. “When I was sold I felt very thankful. Even if my master hurt me, perhaps he would not let other people also hurt me. My lord has never once hurt me or… touched me like those people did,” Key emphasized touch in a particular way as if to convey more than the average interaction. Onew assumed Halflings had never been taught the term for ual harassment, or . What was the point to teach such vocabulary to creatures who were being sold exactly for that purpose? “I slept in your room so the others in the house would not dare touch me. I felt you would protect me from others, but… You did not protect me from Dongwan-ssi.”
 
It came out so softly, almost like a whisper, but it felt like a slap across the face to Onew. A lot of pieces seemed to be falling into place about Key’s habits regarding humans but one thing needed to be cleared up above all else.
 
“Key, you don’t understand,” Onew said passionately and turned his body to face the Halfling fully. “Dongwan comes from a very powerful family. If I stopped him he would have taken you away from me, forever. He does terrible things to Halflings, Key. I couldn’t bare the thought of him doing that to you. I know it’s hard but, if I had angered him any more than I already did you would be gone by now. I wanted to stop him. Really, I did.”
 
Key turned his eyes to Onew once again and regarded the other carefully. His dark eyes seemed to be almost filled with a cautious type of trust.
 
“Key, I…” Onew tried again and cleared his throat. “I know you are not the type of pleasure slave most nobles want to purchase, but I’m not like all those other nobles. I do not wish to hurt you in any way, and I appreciate honesty in all situations. I don’t care if you follow all the rules when it’s just us. I won’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with.”
“Do you promise, my lord? This means that you will not force me to do things with you like those other humans did?”
“My God, Key, no! Of course not, I would never do that to you,” the caramel haired boy shook his head. “Is that… is that why you acted so strange yesterday?”
“I had thought perhaps you had been waiting for your birthday…”
“No, I swear! You have to understand, I was forced to purchase a Halfling. My father felt I was too old not to own one. All I want is to be your friend and keep you safe. I will do my best to keep you away from Choi Dongwan. I promise, Key,” Onew smiled softly. He didn’t know if the other would believe him or not but he had to try.
 
Key’s eyes looked so soft, Onew almost couldn’t believe it. He was used to seeing anger, caution, fright, blankness, an unidentifiable spark in the two obsidian orbs. But he’d never before seen them so warm. He had never before seen Key so vulnerable.
 
“I am so sorry, my lord. You are the first human to be kind to me and I did not trust you.” Onew almost squeaked in surprise when Key hesitantly reached out to curl his fingers around the other’s hand. His fingers were long and thin, so different from Onew’s short, stubby ones, and they felt cool against the older boy’s skin. Key glanced down and when he looked back up he was barely containing tears. A watery smile spread across the feline’s pink bow lips and his ears perked up just a bit. His smile almost took Onew’s breath away. Even now, clearly not in its full brilliance, Onew could see the other’s perfect white teeth and a dimple just barely appearing on his cheek. Warmth bloomed in Onew’s chest, his lips smiled a little wider. Had he ever seen anything so beautiful?
 
Onew gently held Key’s hand and let his other palm cover their joined fingers. A few tears escaped black orbs and Key whispered, “Thank you, my lord. Thank you.”

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So did this take me a hot minute? I can't remember when I posted the last part... So, this part is a bit short but I felt that it wouldn't fit right with the next part so I decided to keep it completely separate. I know this part is a little mushy and... weird? but let me know what you think! it was really important in this part for the two to like finally break through that wall between them. is it weird.. horrible? gaahh lol let me know!!! comments are amazing! even constructive criticism!!! thank you all so much for reading <333

ps    NOW WE KNOW WHY KEY WAS SLEEPING IN ONEWS ROOM DID ANYONE SEE THAT COMING lmao