"He's coming with me," Appa's look was stern and his hand grasped Kai's arm firmly, "I've let you have your way and I find you out here ... you will listen this time."

Kai's nose flared and he glared at Soo's father's hand and the older knew that if he didn't intervene something would happen. The younger liked his Appa tentatively, but not nearly enough to allow him to separate them and it scared him how Kai might react to this.

"Like hell you will," Kyungsoo wanted to cover his mouth, he never spoke this disrespectfully, but he'd do anything right now.

"Excuse me? Do Kyungsoo is this the way you speak to me now?" His father turned to look at him and the tension in the room continued spiking up levels.

"You won't take him away from me right now," Soo was working up the bile in his body, preparing hateful things he knew he'd regret, "He's the only thing that keeps me safe ... you're absent so often that you don't even realize this, you barely even know how to care about me anymore ... Appa I am so scared, I can't lose him right now."

His Appa's eyelids flew open and immediately he let go of Kai's hand and raised his other to the shorter and Soo began bracing for impact. This would be his first time receiving a blow from anyone and so the idea of it coming from his father shamed him to no end.

But he'd take any violence if it meant keeping Jongin by his side; he'd accept any punishment just to hold the other's hand.

He could feel the air part and he knew that Appa was about to really hurt him when he heard a snap and he looked up to see Kai binding the older man back. He was standing behind Soo's father with the man's arms pulled behind his back, Kai looming over him slightly, but enough so that his love's mouth was to Appa's ear, whispering things he couldn't hear.

"Kai-,"

"I'm not going to hurt him Soo," the younger seethed out, his face still pressed against the side of his Father's head, "I'm trying to let him see things from our point of view."

"Appa, he wants to keep me safe, please."

"I-," Appa was only frightened for a moment before he took on a look of resignation, "Fine ... fine ... I - we - Kyungsoo I need to talk to you about this seriously when things are ... but for now you can keep him with you."

The Chattel let the older man go and walked back over to stand by Soo and they intertwined their fingers when they were finally back together. His Father knew, the jig was up, he didn't feel like trying to hide things right now and his Appa seemed too enthralled in the madness outside to really care about their situation.

"Appa ... what is happening? What was -- was that cloud of smoke outside?" he wanted information.

"I'm sure Kai can tell you."

"Kyungsoo-ssi I'm n-,"

"Don't bull right now ... I know you two don't call each other by formals, I've known for a month now."

"Fine ... I have no idea what's happening right now Soo," the younger barely acknowledged his father and reassured him, "Unless what Suho said was true."

"So you do know!" Kyunsoo's father pointed his finger at him and approached.

"I know a rumor that I heard, but if you think I have any part of this, you're out of your goddamn mind," Kai stepped forward as well, imposing his height as much as possible and he pulled Kyungsoo with him because he refused to let his hand go, "besides the obvious reasons why I couldn't and don't have a part in this, you can't be delusional enough to think I'd hurt Kyungsoo in that way? If you really 'understand' what I feel for your son as you've implied, then you know that I wouldn't be so cruel as to harm him like that."

Again, Appa gave in and backed up, "Just knowing and not reporting it is treason, I'm one of the highest ranking government officials, right now I'm harboring a criminal."

"Then forget that you heard anything."

"If you didn't share this with my son, then how can I trust you with him in any other way? A good parent would put you away and down for ... hell, for any of what I'd seen and heard today … you should be lynched just for looking at Kyungsoo the way you do."

"Do it," Kai took another step and the shorter proactively stepped with him, "Do it and see what happens ... you think that I'll stop feeling for him because you've threatened to take me out, that's beyond delusional, but I guess I should have known that considering you're trying to threaten me and yet you're out numbered."

"There it is! There it is, so you are part of this."

"Not yet, but things could easily change; you see me as a criminal right now, but I see you as an overlord ... worse, a slave master, who's just threatened the little meaning I have ... you just targeted both of us and then tried to hurt Kyungsoo ... see who he chooses if something happens between you and I."

The older averted his eyes, but drew closer to Kai to make his allegiance clear.

"Do Kyungsoo ..." his father sounded heartbroken, "Do Kyungsoo, I am your Appa."

"And I am your son and if you cared about me at all you wouldn't be speaking to him like this," he was so close to crying right now, he was terrified of everything, "You would see how important he is ... how he keeps me safe when you are busy ... when you threaten him, you threaten me. Look at yourself Appa, you are the man threatening your own son in a crisis."

"I-"

"You try to hurt me and you've tried to hurt him, and test what happens when I think someone's tried to hurt him," Kai's voice was dark, oozing with hate.

"Appa, please just leave us be ... I don't even care about what's happening anymore, I want to be away from someone who is going to hurt me ... I need to be away from you," he'd chosen his side, he'd always chosen his side but allowing his true colors to show wasn't easy, "You are scaring me worse than that smoke did."

The older man seemed stunned silent and he took a few moments before wiping his forehead and nodding, his look of defeat clear across his features.

Things had become painfully awkward and he wasn't sure how they would proceed, but suddenly Appa took on a look of determination and started a trek out of the room with them in tow, "Get in your room and lock the door and windows, close the blinds, and prepare to hide in your closet if anything happens. No phone calls, television, or music, this house needs to be as quiet as possible."

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