#ROCKING3rdWIN Congratulations to Teen Top!!!!

(CAP please get well soon!!! ;~;)

Chapter 28

Ricky followed L.Joe as the elder walked out of the hallway and towards the kitchen. It wasn’t that Ricky couldn’t guess what they would talk about. There was basically only one thing that was likely on both of their minds.

Upon reaching the kitchen L.Joe flipped on the light switch and pulled out two glasses. He wordlessly went to the refrigerator and pulling out the carton of milk. He filled both glasses with the liquid before setting the carton down on the counter then handed one of the glasses to Ricky who graciously took it with mumbled thanks.

Ricky was growing tired of waiting, already having had his heart set on going to sleep. If L.Joe wanted to talk about Niel why couldn’t he hurry and do it?

“Hyung—“ Ricky began to protest but L.Joe reached out and pushed the glass to his lips forcing him to drink.

Ricky took a hurried sip of his milk and then set it down on the table.

“Hyung,” he began again.

“What? Milk does your body good,” L.Joe said.

Ricky rolled his eyes, “Forget about my body. You wanted to talk about Niel.”

“Shhh,” L.Joe’s eyes shifted to the door and Ricky turned his head to look, but nobody was there. “You don’t want anyone to hear you.”

“Everyone’s getting ready for bed,” Ricky replied.

LJoe gulped down the last bit of milk in his glass before speaking again, “Anyway, it isn’t much. I just wanted to know if you talked to him about the fight earlier.”

“Like what about it?” Ricky asked, not really sure what L.Joe wanted to know.

“So you haven’t talked to him?”

Ricky shook his head.

L.Joe sighed and placed his sink in the glass.

“I haven’t had time. You know how busy we’ve been. We haven’t had much time do to anything since we’ve been back. But what exactly is it that you want to know. You’re probably as close to him as I am,” Ricky said, trying to hurry his hyung along.

It wasn’t that he was necessarily impatient with the other, but he was growing anxious. If there was something more he needed to know about Niel or something he could do to help he wanted to know it right away.

L.Joe said nothing as Ricky finished his milk, instead leaning with his back towards him against the sink. Ricky walked over, setting his glass down and placing his hand on L.Joe’s shoulder. Finally, L.Joe looked slightly up at him.

“You need to talk to him… Chanhee and I… we tried. We tried to be get him to be comfortable enough with us and confide in us. It’s not healthy for him to just keep these things to himself, you know.”

Ricky nodded numbly, letting his hand drop to his side.

L.Joe went on, “He needs a friend. Not someone who is going to scold him or tell him what he should do… I don’t think I can be that person. Everything about this situation makes me so angry.”

“Hyung…”

“Chanhee said that Minsoo thinks that Daniel doesn’t love him,” L.Joe said, his voice soft.  “Tomorrow can you just double check with him… and see if Daniel’s really alright?”

Ricky nodded and a slightly relieved expression crossed L.Joe’s face.

----

Because of his schedule at the Mnet building Niel had to push his vocal lesson up to early in the morning, the plan being that he’d meet Ricky and Siho manager afterwards. The entire day didn’t seem like it’d be necessarily bad, just long, but Niel was grateful to be able to spend the time with Ricky as well.

Niel finished up his lesson and headed down to the lobby. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator however, he froze in place. There Sanghoon and manager Dongwook were talking in the lobby and if Niel wanted to hide there was no time to do so. Sanghoon spotted him right away, his entire face brightening as he tugged on Dongwook’s sleeve with one hand and waved at Niel with the other.

“There he is!” Sanghoon said. “Hey Daniel! Over here.”

Niel waved back with a smile, hoping he matched the other’s enthusiasm and made his way over. He had to act professional and not betray the feelings within him. Seeing Sanghoon and Dongwook together was not something he would ever get used to it, Niel was sure of that.

“Good morning,” Niel said to them both. “What brings you here so early?”

“I have practice actually so I rode here with hyung,” Sanghoon replied.

“I see. I had practice too but I have to leave now. I have to head to a recording soon,” Niel replied, seeing that as his way to segue out of the conversation and away from the pair. With each passing second Niel could feel himself grow sick.

“I know,” Sanghoon said. “Hyung told me.” Sanghoon turned his head to look at Dongwook happily.

“Yeah, actually I’m supposed to be taking you there,” Dongwook added, before turning to Sanghoon. “You better run up to the studio before Minwoo scolds you.”

Sanghoon nodded and ran off to the elevator obediently. Niel turned and watched as Sanghoon waved goodbye as the elevator doors shut in front of him.

Numb, that’s all Niel felt, was numb. He didn’t want to feel anything so he schooled himself to focus on one feeling, or rather a lack thereof. Being alone with Dongwook didn’t have to be awkward if he didn’t make it. He wordlessly followed behind when the manager gestured for him to follow. There was nothing he could do apart from what he was told.

Niel’s body felt cold and despite it being the start of summer he had to bring his arms up to hold himself as they walked through the outdoor parking lot. Dongwook unlocked the car door with his remote and Niel got into the front.

“Is it a bit chilly?” Dongwook asked, starting the car and rolling down the windows.

Niel shook his head, “It’s fine.”

Dongwook played with the radio and a song by Lee Jung Hyun popped up, “Is this ok?”

“I don’t care,” Niel shifted away, looking out the window.

Dongwook sighed and changed the dial again to a different channel, this time settling on IU instead.

It was otherwise silent as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street heading towards their destination. Niel kept his body firmly turned away from him, eyes fixed on the scenery passing by his window.

“How was Malaysia?”

“Okay.”

The car stopped at a red light.

“About what I said the other day…” Dongwook began. “Are you still mad?”

Niel scoffed, “Why would I be mad?”

“You’re not talking to me. You won’t even look at me,” Dongwook pointed out.

Niel rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat, turning his head to face forward.

“As if you have any right to be surprised by that,” Niel said.

“So really, why are you mad?”

“I’m kind of having a ty week… you driving me aren’t helping matters either,” Niel replied bluntly.

“It can’t be helped. It’s what I was told to do,” Dongwook replied.

“It’s green.”

“Oh.”

Dongwook continued to drive and Niel sighed. He had so many things to feel uneasy about in general even without thinking of Dongwook. There was the fight he and C.A.P had before the concert of course. It never really was resolved and they didn’t even get to properly talk about the messages in C.A.P’s chat history either.

Niel was the one who started it, but like so many other times he couldn’t bring himself to go through with the conversation. He was so afraid of letting the conversation come to its natural conclusion should it end the way he didn’t want. What if everything he feared was true? What if C.A.P really didn’t love him anymore?

He didn’t think he had the strength in him to accept that reality.

Then there was Chunji and L.Joe as well. Those two hyungs meant well, Niel knew it. But they didn’t understand him and he didn’t feel like he had to explain himself. They way L.Joe especially worried about him, and pleaded for him to leave C.A.P irritated him. He wouldn’t be fighting with C.A.P if he wanted to leave him. He would just leave. Couldn’t L.Joe understand that?

“So you’re not currently fighting?” Dongwook’s voice broke through Niel’s thoughts.

“Who?”

“You and Minsoo.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Ah,” one could hear the smile in Dongwook’s voice. “So you are.”

Niel’s teeth clenched, “Shut the up.”

“What? I heard it from Rokhyun. It’s not really a secret you know. Everyone knows.”

“It’s none of your ing business.”

“Intra-band relationships are our business,” Dongwook replied.

“And what about you?” Niel snapped, turning violently in his seat to face the manager finally.

“What about me?”

“You and your relationship! I know about you and Sanghoon, hyung! What makes you think that’s even ok?”

Dongwook chuckled as he turned a corner, “You’re jealous?”

“Like hell I am!”

“Ah, that’s right,” Dongwook acknowledged. “You’d always been into Minwoo more than me. Poor Minwoo. He really liked you, you know.”

Niel brushed off the bit of guilt that hit him at the mention of the 100% leader.

“This isn’t about Minwoo,” Niel bit. “And I’m not jealous! I never was and never will be jealous of you or anyone with you.”

“Right… it was just ing—“

“Hyung!”

“Mutually beneficial ing.”

“Hyung please!” Niel said, hiding his face in his hands. “Be serious won’t you.”

“But I am serious… That’s what you wanted to know? If me and Sanghoon is like me and you? I assure you it isn’t.”

“I can’t believe that.”

“Then don’t… He isn’t like you. Sanghoon… he’s—“

“He doesn’t know about all the you put me through does he? He’s innocent. He doesn’t deserve that,” Niel said.

Dongook chuckled, “So I take it that means you told Minsoo everything, right? He has no misconceptions about us.”

Niel’s mouth clamped shut, his head already swirling with the things he knew C.A.P to know and the things that he’d probably started to assume on his own.

Dongwook clicked his tongue, “Let the one who has not sinned cast the first stone.”

-to be continued-

AN: sry about the crappy and abruptly ending chapter but omg it's 5am and i been trying to write this for weeks. Dongwook and Niel's conversation is not satisfying at all... BUT GOOD NEWS EVERYONE (or maybe bad news i dunno) the past is soon to be revealed! the truth will slowly begin to unravel. good bye~! thanks everyone for supporting and sorry about the wait

psst~! follow me on twitter