Jilin yanked him forward, pressing Zelo’s body against the brick wall and held her breath. Their followers ran right past them, stupidly. It wasn’t until they were out of hearing range did she start breathing again and parted her body from his. “Sorry.” She breathed. Rarely did she ever seem tired.

“It’s ok.” He nodded his head and bent down, leaning on his knees to let out a jagged pant. His chest burned, “We ran like twelve blocks!”

Jilin covered his mouth and glared, “They might be able to hear!” He nodded again and she removed her hand, “I’m sorry…god. Where are we?”

He shrugged and looked around, ruffling his hair and sighing, “Not sure…it’s pretty barren here. Small town, not many houses, stores, etc…” Zelo laid his hands over his waist and looked at her, pointing, “Yah…there’s a pretty big house over there. Isn’t that Zico?”

Jilin turned around and sighed of relief, “Oh yes! That’s our place. I just didn’t recognize this part of the neighborhood.” She gestured him forward, “Let’s go. We gotta tell him what happened.” Zelo walked forward, and then stopped.

“I have no other clothes.” Zelo backed up, “He can’t see me like this!” He hissed in the shadows.

She bit her lip and looked up and down at him, then started working on his clothes. She rolled up his sleeves and buttoned down his shirt, smoothing out the creases on the white fabric. Pulling out a hat from her backpack, she fitted it onto his head and looked down at his shoes, “You have your gym shoes?”

“Um, yea. I think so.” He shuffled around in his backpack and pulled out a pair of black running shoes, “Will these be ok?” She nodded and he hurriedly took off his school pair and slipped on his new ones.

“Thank god you wear jeans too.” She smiled and helped him up, “Just say your backpack is a necessity or something. Now let’s go.” They hurried over and Zelo got a closer look at the house. It looked a little run down, but still had an odd comfy aura to it. The dark beige color glowed in the sun, the front porch covered with the shade of the wooden cover above it, several windows layered the front of the house, and the door was a dark brown-a scratch near the knob, like the few steps leading to it. There was something about it that he already felt acquainted with. It held a tough exterior, but he wondered how it was on the inside.

Zico spotted them first and called into the house, “YAH! They’re here!” He bounced off the steps and ran to hug his little sister. The leader looked up and nodded, “Thank you. Are you two ok?”

“Actually, we need to talk to you, Zico.” Zelo said, “It’s important.”                                   

He pulled away from Jilin and rubbed his lips with his thumb, “Alright. Let’s go inside and talk, the others should be able to hear this as well.”

Jilin raised a brow, “Wait, ‘others’?”

“Yes, the other teams and leaders are in our house.” Before she could say anything, he included, “Just for a little bit. We have room and we’re all cautious about what’s going on. Please, sister, let’s go.” Zico gestured for Zelo to follow and opened the door for them both. Both young teens bowed at the mass of people in the room. The leaders were crowded in the kitchen, by the refrigerator, in a deep discussion. Yongguk only waved to signal he acknowledged their presence. Most of the others were strewn on the creamy colored couches, the dark orange rug, the smooth wood floor and black leather stools beside the counter. The interior definitely had a warmer feeling than the exterior. And he suddenly figured out why the house seemed familiar. It reminded him of Jilin. Oddly enough. Zico sat down in a fluffy chair as his sister took her place on the floor beside U-Kwon. Zelo sat next to her. “Now, Zelo, you have something to say?”

Suddenly, it grew interest for the other leaders, for they stopped their conversation and turned to the B.A.P Maknae. Zelo nodded and sighed, “I…went to go find Jilin at school but she wasn’t there.” He looked at her and laid his hand on the floor, “I suddenly heard her screaming and I followed. There was a group who threatened to kill her, and sent a few after me. But we managed to escape.”

Victoria raised a brow, “What group?”

“They were the same group who had injured Youngjae-hyung and Jongup-hyung.” The two sighed and rubbed out their healing wounds.

Jilin frowned, “It was SHINee…”

Zico slapped the arm on his chair and rubbed his forehead, “I thought you said you made a deal with them!”

“I did!” The others murmured in confusion and looked at them, “The leaders asked me to talk to them earlier. On Sunday, before the meeting.” She sighed, “We’ve been hostile with each other for years and I tried to reason with them. But they found out that-I went to school…”

CL looked at her Maknae, “Then you can’t go anymore.”

“CL, we can’t just pull her out of school.” G-Dragon reasoned, “Let her continue this year. It’s not like we can’t handle SHINee, we’re over five times their size.”

She glared and he seemed to cringe at that, “Yes, that may be so, but they can track us down in small packs. You saw what they all did to Youngjae and Jongup. They’ll hunt us all down, and since we all live in small packs together, it’d be easier to get us down.”

Yongguk opened up the fridge and pulled out a bottle of soju, “Then the answer is simple. We not be apart from each other.” He brought himself a glass from the cupboard as he said this and uncapped the bottle, looking for a signal to celebrate to his idea.

Zelo looked at Jilin and she widened her eyes in surprise. There was no way they could both go to school, living with the SAK and having Zelo’s parents not know about it all at the same time. “No. No, no. That wouldn’t be a good idea.” Jilin quickly said, “That’d be awkward. There are ten girls, and eighteen boys, we have limited bathrooms and rooms in this house you know.”

Zico smiled a little and waved his hand, “Ji, we can make room.” He turned to Yongguk and nodded, “Sounds like a good idea. Go out, get your stuff, and report back here. But travel in large groups. We don’t want any more attacks.” Yongguk grinned and poured himself a glass of alcohol, taking the shot before heading out. “Zelo, take Jilin with you. I suspect you two would be better together than other groups.” He smirked and stood up, “I’ll be cleaning up some rooms.”

Jilin snorted and pushed her friend out the front door, “We gotta plan.”

“Holy .” He gasped, “I’m dead. I can’t just leave my home and I cannot pass up living with the SAK. What am I gonna do?” She slapped his cheek and shook his shoulders.

“OH my god! Hold yourself together Zelo!” She let go and he took a few steps in a daze. Jilin steadied him against the house and sighed, “We’ll figure out a way to get through this.”

But Zelo only covered his face with his hands and groaned. He stayed like this for a minute or two before looking back up at her and gulping, “I don’t know if we can.”

“You’re so negative, I swear, it’s gonna affect me soon.” She rubbed her temples and sighed, “Zelo, hear me out… Can’t we just tell your parents you’re staying over at a friend’s house for a while?”

He raised a brow, “You mean lie to them? Again?” He straightened, “I’ve told them too many lies. I’ve told the SAK too many lies. Jilin-I don’t know if I can handle another one. Guilt is starting to eat me alive-if I keep going, I’m not gonna be able to hold it in anymore.” He started pacing in front of her, looking almost scared. But he couldn’t. It’d be a sign of weakness and he wasn’t weak. Not yet anyway.

“Zelo you’re overreacting.”

“Am I? Over a year’s worth of telling my parents ‘I’m studying’, ‘I’m helping a friend’, ‘I’m sleeping’ and ‘I won’t be around-…” He stopped himself and skipped over it, “I don’t know if I can keep adding them. It gets very tiresome Ji.”

She held up her hands, “Zelo, I promise, this’ll be the only lie I suggest. But it’s the only way. If you tell the SAK you can’t stay with us, suspicions will rise and they’ll figure it out.”

“What about going to school?”

“…Ok, look, if I didn’t know you that well, I wouldn’t pitch this idea, but…we’re friends so, you can stay in my room with me. I’ll lock the door when we go to school and tell Zico you like you’re alone time.” She held out her hand, “Deal?”

Zelo raised a brow, “You’re cool with that?”

“Of course. It’s not like you’re gonna do anything bad. Right?” He smirked and she lifted her hand to hit him again, but he caught her wrist before.

He held up his other hand to stop her from protesting, “Ok, the last slap kind of hurt. See? You left a mark.” He pointed to his right cheek, indicating the pink mark over his pale skin, “And I’m just kidding. Now let’s go, before my parents find out I skipped on school without me to explain.”

“What are you gonna tell them?”

Zelo shrugged, “Uh…some douchebags were coming after me and a friend?”

They trudged on, taking a bus this time. Hood over her head, Jilin sat relatively close to Zelo on the bus. They waited until they stopped at a station near his house until running off, leaving no suspicions. That they knew of.

His parents were home, both cars parked in their driveway. “Go up the tree. My suitcase is under my bed.” She ran off. Zelo opened his front door and called out, “Omma?! Appa!”

His father showed up first, a mug of coffee in his hands, “Junhong? You’re home from school rather early. What happened?”

Zelo smiled nervously, “There was something up. I had to leave early. I hope you don’t mind, it was important. My friend and I were caught up with something.” His mother came back into the room and put some dishes into the sink.

“Oh, if you were excused by the school I guess that’s ok. Junhong, where did you get that hat?” He reached to his head and touched the item on his head. He had completely forgotten that he had changed clothes for the SAK people.

“Oh, it’s my friend’s. She-he lent it to me…”

Mr. Choi looked up, “Oh? So it’s a girl’s?”

“A friend eh?” Mrs. Choi smirked at her son, “How close? Oh, was it the girl you walked to school this morning?”

“Omma! Appa! And yes…it was.” He wasn’t going to say another lie just yet.

His parents whooped, “Oh! How nice!”

This is it, “Well…someone invited me to their house to uh-study for finals. They needed really bad help and I wanted them to do well. Is it ok? For a bit?”

“Junhong, I don’t know. Do we know the parents?”

“…It’s the new girl…she doesn’t have anyone to teach her…her parents are gone and her older sibling doesn’t have any experience in school. Please let me help her, she’s a great person. I’d still be going to school, so, it’s not going to impact either of us negatively.” Zelo mentally hit himself in the head for giving away such questionable information. But staying at a girl’s house was probably their biggest dream-for their son to have a nice girl with him…

Mrs. Choi rested a hand over her chest, she looked like she was about to cry, “Oh my. How sad, yet she still wants to have a good grade?” She slapped her husband’s shoulder, “That’s what I call determination. You go ahead son-”

“Yah, Chunhee, is that really a good idea?” Mr. Choi whispered.

She frowned, “Daeho, if this girl is determined enough to ask for our son’s help, we let him help her.”

“But we don’t know anything about her.”

“She already sounds like a good girl to me.” Turning back to Zelo, she smiled, “You go ahead Junhong.”

“Thanks Omma! Thanks Appa!” He ran back up to his room, hearing his parents starting to argue. Closing his bedroom door, Jilin looked up and sighed.

“Oh god, I got scared for a moment.” She sat back down, loading up most of his clothes. She smiled and looked at him, “I heard what you said down there…”

He took his suitcase and turned away from her, “Did I say too much?” She lifted her cap off his head and onto hers, smiling at him.

“No, I thought it was…a good sum of my life. Plus, the whole ‘good person’ thing really scooped them in.” She chuckled, going upside down on his bed, her blue hair falling to the floor, “Oh…I’m going dizzy.” She flipped back up and reached into her back pocket as it buzzed. “It’s Zico. He’s asking if we’re on our way back yet.” Jilin texted back her brother and shoved her phone back into her pocket, “Let’s hurry up. Just grab most of your stuff. Don’t forget your uniform.” He nodded and hurriedly ran off with her.

-----

“So this is my room.” Jilin popped open her door and let Zelo in before her. He twirled around and she chuckled, “Something wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s just, in books and stuff, the bad girl usually has a totally pink and girly room. This…is nothing like the books.” She laughed and he shrugged, “What it’s true.” The walls were a near pure white, clashing with the black dresser and bed sheets, the pale yellow rug and brown wood frame. The bed was pushed into the upper left corner of the room underneath a large window that poured sunlight onto the floor next to it. The dresser was in the opposite corner of the bed, fitted perfectly. Her room was plain, and even though it was her room, Zelo started furnishing it through his mind. If given the chance, he could’ve made this room look better but still keeping the simple colors of yellow, white and black. “It’s nice. There’s a lot of white though.”

She shrugged and plopped on her bed, “My favorite color is white.”

“Really?” She nodded and he asked, “Why? It’s so plain.”

Jilin frowned and gestured to smack him, “Yah. White isn’t plain.”

“Yes.” He pouted, “You don’t know if it’s there or not. Why do you like it?”

Sitting up, Jilin gestured for him to sit next to her. He did so and sunk into the mattress, waiting for her to talk. She sighed and lay down on her back, “My Omma used to tell me that red or blue or green were the colors everyone loved. It just made them cliché to the rest of my family. When Omma left, Appa always told me not to ever listen to things she had told me. I had to get her out of my head as much as possible. I found that white has always been such a pure color. It got my mind way off my Omma; it was totally the opposite of her. It was always been pure, original, untainted, until different colors got in the way of it. I want to always be white. So…I guess it helps me get out of problems, oddly enough.” Zelo frowned and looked at his feet.

Why was it that everything she did, everything about her had a meaning to it? He’s never met anyone like that before and it was odd. Yet he liked it. “Did you like your Omma?”

She shrugged, “I did…you know, she gave me a note before she left.” Jilin kicked a box from under her bed and picked up a piece of paper. “It doesn’t say much…and it took me a long time to finally realize that she was gone.” Zelo looked at it:

Jilin. I have found someone else other than Appa to make me happy. You probably won’t understand until later, but please be happy. Omma loves you.

“This is it?” He asked.

“Yes. But I don’t care. She has been a bit distant to us than I would’ve liked.” Jilin smiled sadly, “After Appa died, I’ve learned to be my own person and find my own happiness. It opened my eyes…sometimes happiness can’t be found in another person.” Zelo tilted his head to the side. His heart dropped. “And love sometimes is a lie.”

He blurted out, “Do you really believe that?”

“Maybe, someone can change my mind. But I’m young; I have a long way to go. It’s Zico I’m worried about.” They laughed and she pointed to the foot of her bed, “I’ll sleep there.”

“Whoa, what?” He stood up, “Are you sure? This is your room and your house.”

Jilin crossed her arms, “No. As someone had told me before-you’re my guest, take the bed.” He smiled at the familiar words and sighed. She grinned, “Alright?”

“Fine. Just tell me if you wanna switch.” He set his stuff on the bed as she pulled her blanket and a pillow onto the floor, “I’m fine with the floor too.”

“Yep, that I know.” She smiled and took his suitcase, “I’m gonna set this beside my dresser-and take a shower. See you in a few.” Starting to take off her earrings, she set them on her dresser and kicked off her socks as she entered the bathroom, locking it.

Zelo bit his lip and walked out of the room, closing it for her privacy, “Ok you come here.” He jumped and slammed his head against the wall. He hissed and rubbed the bump forming on the back of his head.

“CL-sunbae-?” Instead, he cut himself off at her glare. Did he do something wrong? He followed her as she marched down to another room and pushed him in. The rest of 2NE1 and the entire team of f(x) sat on the guest bed and looked up to see him. Ok now he was freaking out. Both female leaders were excellent hand-to-hand combat fighters, the two Park sisters were ninjas with anything that needed to be re-loaded; both of the Maknaes were fast and skilled and deadly, Amber and Luna trained traditionally with swords and Sulli was a somewhat more delicate type, guns and other long range weapons were her thing. “Sunbae-is there something I did wrong? I’m really trying not to freak out.”

CL smiled-which was a surprise for him, “Zelo, we just want to talk.”

“I can’t tell if that smile is fake or not, Sunbae.” He said nervously, stepping back.

Minzy sighed, “Aish, you’re scaring him Unnie.”

“He’s a big boy, he can handle himself. Can’t you Zelo?” Victoria smirked, only to be elbowed lightly by her Maknae.

He turned back to smile shyly, “On the contrary, not against so many talented fighters, Victoria-sunbae.” It elicited a giggle from her and most of the girls in the room. He smiled more confidently but left it at that. Cockiness wasn’t a good thing to have, “And, now may I know why I’m here?”

Dara lifted her legs onto the desk beside the bed and leaned her head over the chair she sat in, “We think we ought to get some sense into you about this. You know boys your age always are oddly hormonal.” Bom nudged her with a smirk.

What did they mean? Zelo wrinkled his brows, and then his mind clicked into realization. He held up his arms in defense, “Whoa wait a minute, Sunbae, I would never-“

CL clicked her tongue, “Please, we all know how boys and men have the same urges.”

“No, but I would never do that to her.” He insisted.

Sulli looked at him, “They all say that. Yet, even you know better, Zelo.”

“No, I swear.” He backed up near the bed, “You have nothing to worry about.”

Amber and Minzy stared at each other and back towards CL. She seemed to have more word in her own new Maknae, of course. “I have nothing to worry about once we’ve had a talk about this. Sit down, Zelo. I suspect you’ll be here a while.” The fierce woman turned to Luna, “I don’t want Jilin to know about this. Go watch her for me.”

Groaning, Luna got up and pouted, “So I get to miss all the fun?”

“Yah! Go!” CL chased her out with a joking tone in her voice. Then she looked back at Zelo as he sat on the bed.

He held up his hand, “First, what makes you think I’m gonna-…do those things to Jilin?” He raised a brow, “She’s a good friend of mine, of course I would never.”

“Actually, that’s exactly what gets me worried.” CL sighed and leaned over him, “I know beyond that mind of yours, you’re actually really attracted to her. Body language says it all and you’re always leaning into her and looking at her.”

He sighed, “Sunbae, why do care so much for her?”

“She’s my Maknae, Zelo. I look out for all female members and their purity.” Her lip made its way into her teeth and she smirked. Zelo felt his hands clam up and his face go warm. How could the girls of the SAK really think he would do such a thing? “Hear me out Zelo. Let’s not act stupid and come clean. If I ever see or hear something out of place, you’ll be out of that room and I’ll have you far from her.” He gulped as she leaned back into him, “Understand?”

Zelo blinked and smiled, “Of course Sunbae. Like I’ve been saying, I would never do such a thing to her.”

A/N: Please read~! So, this story isn't as popular as I thought it would be, and it's a little disappointing. I was wondering if I should just set this thing on a hiatus and wait until I get some more inspiration or continue on anyway.  I'll think about it, but thanks to my loyal subbies anyway :) You guys are awesome. Thanks!

-TAIwin <3 (.^_^.)