Chapter 9

Going back to the dressing room they found it in absolute chaos. Coordinators were running all around putting clothes and supplies away and Chunji and Changjo were sitting on the couch just waiting for the next thing to do.

“Where’s manager hyung?” L.Joe asked, getting their attention.

Ricky was behind him and C.A.P and Niel were as well. Niel was still holding onto C.A.P’s arm and he was looking down on the floor trying to avoid anyone’s eyes.

“He went out to talk to some people from the station,” Changjo said looking up. “Did you find out what happened?”

L.Joe shook his head.

“No, but we found those two,” he said gesturing to Niel and Ricky. “They were in the bathroom like we thought. It wasn’t anything to worry about.”

Ricky was surprised by L.Joe’s words, eyes widening as he looked at his hyung talking to Changjo. But then he noticed the way Chunji’s head tilted, and eyes went from L.Joe to Niel and then back again. L.Joe nodded and Chunji sighed.

Ricky was stunned. Did they all know all along? Was it just he and Changjo who was ignorant of everything after all? It was mind boggling. If L.Joe knew why didn’t he ever say anything to him, especially when he kept asking about Niel and C.A.P’s relationship the other day. It really unsettled Ricky to think that the hyungs had been keeping it in to protect Ricky and Changjo’s assumed innocence. And really at whose expense? Niel’s?

Changjo stood and linked his arm with Ricky’s.

“Come on Changhyun you need to change back into your normal clothes,” he said pulling him away to where their belongings were.

---

The ride back to the dorm was in stifling silenced. Their manager wasn’t with them because he had to handle things at the company with their situation and they were ordered to strictly stay in the dorms until he came to see them so they went straight back as ordered.

By the time they reached the place Ricky was boiling and once inside matters were only made worse. Ricky tried to stay with Niel but the vocalist just wanted to be left alone unless it was C.A.P and that just made him even more upset. And then while C.A.P and Niel were locked in the room doing whatever they did L.Joe and Chunji were just acting as if nothing was happening sitting in the living room eating seaweed out the container and watching TV.

It felt like he was living with a bunch of strangers and he couldn’t take it anymore. With a huff Ricky stood up and stomped to his and Chunji’s shared room and slammed the door and threw himself on the bed with his face in his pillow. He let out a muffled scream and punched the mattress a few times, releasing some pent up energy.

All this time he thought that the biggest danger to Niel was possibly C.A.P but all this time right under their noses other people, people they should trusted, were allowing much worse things to happen to him on a regular basis. Not only did manager hyung know but if his suspicious were right even Chunji and L.Joe did. And now what was to happen to them now that Ricky acted rashly and hit that staff member. Was he the one who was going to get in trouble now and not that erted man?

Ricky never felt so helpless in his life.

There was a knock at the door and Ricky really didn’t want to answer it even if it meant manager hyung was back. He decided to pretend to be asleep. He closed his eyes and hugged his pillow close just as the door opened and in stepped the visitor.

“I told you he’s sleeping,” he heard Chunji’s voice.

Ricky fought the urge to open his eyes when he heard someone come closer and then—

“OOPH!” Ricky cried as a weight was now on his back.

He opened his eyes and saw L.Joe was sitting on him.

“Hyung,” he whined. “Get off.”

“I knew you weren’t sleeping!” L.Joe grinned, slipping off Ricky and sitting on the tiny bit of space between the mattress and wall.

Ricky sat up and rubbed his hip.

“What do you want?” he pouted.

Chunji shut the door and walked over, sitting on the other side of Ricky.

“We were worried about you,” he admitted.

“I’m ok,” lied Ricky.

Chunji frowned, “Changhyun what happened today when you and Daniel went out?”

Ricky said nothing and buried his face in his arms.

“Changhyun?” L.Joe tried.

“He told me not to tell,” came Ricky’s muffled reply.

“Not tell who?”

“Minsoo hyung. But I’m not going to tell you either.”

“Really, nothing’s going to be solved if you don’t talk to us, you know,” Chunji said.

“He’s right,” L.Joe agreed.

“Come on Changhyun. We know you’re upset and we just want to help you. This is really stressful for all of us,” Chunji said.

When met with no response from the youngest L.Joe tried to pull Ricky’s arm from his face. Ricky lashed out and pushed L.Joe against the wall before returning to his former position.

“Leave me alone!”

“Stop acting like a brat! You think you’re the only person this effecting?” Chunji asked.

Ricky sat up, “Why are you pretending to care? You said nothing’s going to be solved unless I talk about it? Well you two obviously know more than you let on about anyway. Why should I tell you anything?”

“We don’t know anything about what happened today. We just know that we were getting ready for the broadcast when a staff came in angrily and told everyone to pack up and that filming had been cancelled. Then he told manager we had better not come back. I’m being completely honest,” Chunji said.

“After that Minsoo hyung just got really stiff and dashed out the room and that’s when I followed too. He was looking for Daniel,” L.Joe explained.

“Really?” Ricky eyed his two hyungs suspiciously.

They nodded in unison.

“Then why did you two look at each other and Niel suspiciously when we came back?” Ricky asked, a bit unsure.

“What do you mean? We’re not blind. There was something obviously wrong with Niel when he came back,” Chunji said. “He was shaking and clinging to Minsoo for his life.”

“Are you sure?” Ricky pressed.

“When Minsoo and I found you two, Niel started crying. So obviously we want to know what happened,” L.Joe said.

“I really… I can’t tell you,” Ricky said, suddenly regretting making that promise to Niel earlier.

L.Joe pleaded, “Please.”

Ricky sighed, “I really can’t. I can’t betray his trust like that. He’s my best friend and I promised.”

“Changhyun, please,” Chunji seemed to be losing his patience, his voice getting a bit strained.

“Why can’t you just accept the fact that Niel doesn’t want you to know. He probably already told Minsoo and if it’s that big a deal I’m sure manager hyung will tell us when he gets back,” Ricky retorted, though he knew the last part about their manager was a lie if all Niel told him earlier was the truth.

Chunji was about to say something when L.Joe reached out and squeezed Chunji’s knee causing the power vocalist to stop. They shared a look before Chunji stood up saying something about checking on Changjo and leaving the room. Ricky watched Chunji leave, wondering since when did Chunji and L.Joe become so in tune with one another. Why was it only now that he was noticing the way they could communicate just by a look of the eye.

“Ok, Changhyun so it’s just you and me. You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want,” L.Joe said, directing Ricky’s attention back to himself.

“Really?” Ricky asked.

L.Joe nodded, “Yep. But… I’m not leaving you alone!”

With that L.Joe flopped down and got under Ricky’s blanket.

“Hey, hyung what are you doing?” Ricky protested, fighting L.Joe for the blanket and getting under it as well.

“What? You obviously feel kinda crappy so I’ll stay with you, Chanhee with Jonghyun and Minsoo with Daniel.”

“Noooo,” protested Ricky, still fighting for the blanket.

“We can nap until hyung gets back,” L.Joe grinned and hugged Ricky, pinning his arms down to stop him from fighting.

“Wahh,” Ricky pouted. “This isn’t fair.”

But he couldn’t help but smile as he looked down and saw L.Joe was already lying peacefully with his eyes closed and blonde hair fanned about on his pillow. Ricky sighed and laid down too so he was facing L.Joe’s. They laid their quiet for a while, both under the blanket with L.Joe’s arms thrown over him. It was a really ridiculous situation but somehow it did feel better than being alone before with his worries.

Of course he was still worried about Niel but even though he didn’t spill the secret he didn’t feel like he was alone with it. Maybe because he knew that if he wanted to L.Joe would be right there to listen. And strangely enough Ricky also felt safe. Is this how Niel felt when around C.A.P?

‘Wait did I seriously just think that?’ Ricky thought, eyes widening.

He turned in the bed so that he was facing away from L.Joe instead and he knew it was a mistake as soon as he felt his hyung’s arms slip down and around his waist.

“Hyung… are you really asleep?” Ricky asked.

“No,” L.Joe replied and his breath managed to tickle the back of Ricky’s neck and send shivers along his spine.

Ricky closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the feeling to pass before turning his body and facing L.Joe again.

“I’m sorry for being so tight lipped towards you and Chanhee,” Ricky apologized. “I know you just wanted to help.”

“It’s ok.”

“I feel so guilty. I don’t know what to do. Niel is my best friend and I failed him. He never asked me to look out for him but that’s what friends are supposed to do anyway,” he rambled.

L.Joe blinked, “Changhyun, what are you talking about? Is this about today?”

“Not really…kind of… sort of. I really can’t tell you what happened today,” Ricky said. “But—“

“But what?”

“But I feel like I owe Minsoo hyung an apology. I accused him to his face of hitting Niel—“

“You did what!?”

“I did, but now I see. I was so wrong… so horribly wrong—“ Ricky whimpered, going to hide his face in his pillow again but L.Joe hugged him so that his head fell onto his shoulder instead, but Ricky lifted his head again. “Hyung I really don’t know what’s going to happen after today but everything, us getting kicked of the broadcast, it was all my fault! I can’t keep it in any longer.”

“What do you mean? How could you have had anything to do with us getting off the broadcast?”

“Because I hit him!”

“Hit who?” L.Joe demanded.

“The staff member, one of the guys working on the broadcast, I punched him right in the face.”

L.Joe’s mouth dropped open, “Wh,wha why would you do that?”

“Because… because… I can’t tell you becaue I promised Daniel! But It’s really tearing me up inside.”

“Shh, shh, just tell me,” L.Joe prompted, Ricky’s bangs back from his forehead. “Just tell me. You know you can tell me anything right?”

“Daniel’s going to hate me.”

“He won’t,” reassured L.Joe.

And that said Ricky began to pour out everything in his heart. He didn’t hold back a single detail.

-to be continued-

AN - back from vacation! I left a blog post saying i was going on vacation but nobody reads my blog so hahaha whoops. anyway i'm back so this story is too. And next chapter I want to put some changrick because i miss them hahaha but of course we have to deal with the issue at hand as well. thanks everyone for being awesome readers ;~; and subscribers and commenting!