Jonghyun woke with a start, sweaty and tangled in his sheets. Menacing, dark eyes still peered at him, just outside his peripheral, and his skin crawled. Heart pounding, he turned his head but nothing was there. He closed his eyes and swallowed harshly, taking a deep, calming breath.

“It was just a dream,” he convinced himself, trying to calm his erratic heartbeat.

Somehow he didn’t believe his own words one bit. It had been five days since he encountered The Owner and since then, every night he would have the same dream; a pair of eyes, darker than anything he had ever seen, staring at him, watching his every move. They were only visible in the corner of his eye and disappeared as soon as he turned his head the slightest, only to reappear in the other corner of his eye. Jonghyun was entirely certain The Owner was the source of these nightmares.

He had tried asking Kibum, but he had not been able to help him. It looked like it pained him whenever he tried saying something but couldn’t get the words out and it nagged Jonghyun beyond belief. He was starting to think Kibum wasn’t incapable of telling him because he was afraid, but because he actually couldn’t. Which scared Jonghyun even more.

He was now convinced he needed to get Kibum out of Cirque Fantasia and away from The Owner. Not only because he physically couldn’t speak of things, but also because his bruises increased by the day. Jonghyun had a strong suspicion it was The Owner’s doing and he didn’t dare think of what the reason was.

He jumped again as a scrambling noise came from the kitchen and froze for a moment, mind reeling with scenarios going from a cat having sneaked in to bloodthirsty murderers. Sitting up, he looked around the room for something to protect himself with. The best thing he could find was his bedside lamp and he grabbed it with shaky hands, cautiously and silently tiptoeing out of his room and down the hall towards the kitchen. He stopped right before turning the corner, steeling himself and gripping the lamp tighter. Then he took a deep breath and quickly entered the kitchen, raising the lamp above his head to smash it over whoever had dared break in. Before he could, however, his arms froze above his head and he stopped mid-step.

“Mom,” he breathed in relief and lowered the lamp. A short, dark-haired woman looked up from the frying pan she was making pancakes in to look at him. “Hi.”

His mother raised her eyebrows at him skeptically, pursing as she glanced down at the lamp in his hands, but didn’t comment on it.

“No word from you in over a month and the only thing you have to say is ‘hi’? Kim Jonghyun, I let you move here on what condition?”

Jonghyun sighed.

“I have to keep in touch at least twice a week and come back home for one weekend every month.” He smiled half-heartedly. “I’m sorry, mom.”

She let out a deep sigh and shook her head, turning back to the stove.

“Sit down. I made you breakfast.”

Jonghyun's face lit up in a happy smile and he did as he was told immediately, his stomach rumbling as the smell of pancakes made its way over to him.

“How’s dad?” he asked once he was seated, placing the lamp on the chair beside him.

“He’s fine.” She waved a hand dismissively. “Goes out fishing every weekend to get a calm moment from his work. The doctor said his blood pressure is too high.”

“Oh.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him, smiling lightly.

“He misses you too, wants to take you and Sodam out on a fishing trip again. Like when you were kids.”

Jonghyun smiled fondly, as memories of his childhood and all the trips they used to go on came to him.

“I’ll try and get home soon.”

She nodded. Then a plate of steaming pancakes landed in front of him, the syrup bottle beside the plate.

“Dig in. You look like you’re not eating properly. And your fridge is almost empty!”

Jonghyun didn’t need to be told twice and practically gobbled the entire plate down before she could even return to the stove and make more. He wasn’t a great cook, which meant he didn’t often eat home cooked meals. It mostly consisted of instant ramen or pizza. This was the best he had had in a while.

“Ah lofhe you sho muh mom,” Jonghyun said through the last mouthful of pancakes. He swallowed it down to speak properly after his mother gave him a raise of her eyebrows. “You’re the best.”

“Well, that’s nice to know,” she snorted. “I was starting to wonder.” Jonghyun grimaced guiltily. “Why have you been so busy?”

“I had a lot of school assignments to finish and then…” he trailed off, thinking about the circus and Kibum. His mother turned to look at him curiously and he smiled at her. “I went to the circus.”

A disbelieving look came his way.

“You what?”

“I went to the new circus that arrived in town not long ago,” Jonghyun said. “It’s really amazing. Actual magic.”

“Jonghyun,” his mother sighed.

“And I met someone.”

Apparently that shocked her, because she almost poured the batter onto the stove instead of into the pan.

“You did?”

“Yeah.” Jonghyun's smile softened and warmth filled his chest. “He’s really pretty and fun and sweet and amazing and just– just so–”

“He?” his mother asked carefully, looking unsure if she had heard correctly as she put down the bowl of batter and turned off the stove before turning to him fully.

He nodded, frowning.

“Yeah. Is… is that a problem?”

She searched his face for a few seconds and shook her head.

“No, if it’s what you want. But are you sure? I thought you liked girls?”

Jonghyun blinked at her.

Well, he had never dated a guy before, that was true. Though, he didn’t really think much about who he dated. He usually liked people who made him feel good inside. And that’s exactly what Kibum did, more than anyone ever had before. He knew it wasn’t some sort of spell, like the one that had made him go back to the Dome, which he had initially feared. The time he had spent with Kibum had erased that doubt because he knew that had felt different. It had felt like he was forced against his will. It hadn’t been pleasant and he had tried to avoid it. With Kibum he didn’t feel as if it was forced but like something he wanted with all of his being. Kibum made him happy and warm and fuzzy.

“I’m sure,” he said with conviction and his mother smiled softly.

“Then there is absolutely no problem, sweetheart,” she said, coming over and patting his cheek gently.

Jonghyun grinned up at her.

“I wish you could meet him, mom. He’s really great.”

“Bring him with you next time you visit home, then.” She returned to the stove and started on the pancakes again.

“I will!”

When his mother was satisfied with the amount of pancakes he had eaten, she went to work on the rest of his apartment, cleaning up and doing the laundry, through his protests that he could handle it himself. After she had doted on him some more by taking him grocery shopping and filling his fridge, he followed her to the bus station to say goodbye, promising to visit home soon. He stood watching the bus drive off until it was out of sight before he made his way to the shop to waste a few hours in exchange for money while he waited for the chance to meet Kibum again.

It was boring to say the least. The clock seemed to mock him by going slower than usual, as if it knew Jonghyun just couldn’t wait to get off work. It wanted him to suffer by keeping him from meeting Kibum.

“Stupid invention,” he muttered under his breath, watching the long hand slowly move towards twelve, soon indicating two in the afternoon.

He leaned his forearms against the counter and decided to stare out the window at people passing by instead, sighing every few seconds. His mind wandered through thoughts of Kibum laughing, dancing, watching the sunset. The sound of his boss moving boxes around in the back room and the ticking of the evil clock disturbed him from time to time.

“Jonghyun, you can leave for the day if you want,” his boss called after another agonising thirty minutes had passed, sticking his head out from the storage. “I can handle it on my own.”

Jonghyun grinned at him, quickly putting the little mess he had made during the day in order and gathering his stuff.

“Thanks, boss!” he said cheerfully, energy back and flowing through his veins as he quickly grabbed his jacket.

His boss nodded with an impish smile.

“Have fun on your date!” he said, clearly amused, and Jonghyun’s cheeks warmed.

“How’d you know?”

“Well, I reckon someone must be the reason you can’t stop glaring at the clock and sighing every other minute.”

He winked and Jonghyun could do nothing but laugh in embarrassment. He waved and quickly got out of there, sprinting down the hill to the harbour and the bridge leading to the Dome.

When he had made it halfway across the bridge he felt strangely watched again and snapped his head up to look at the Dome’s many windows. But just like last time, he couldn’t spot anyone. It didn’t feel menacing or ill-intended, though it made his skin crawl and his chest tight. A shiver ran up his spine and he hurried, nearly ran, the last bit across. He was eternally glad the doors were open and he tumbled into the entrance hall, heart in his throat and blood rushing in his ears.

“Jonghyun?”

He jumped with a small yelp and swivelled around to come face to face with a surprised Jinki, who seemed to be on his way to the practice rooms.

“H-hi,” he stammered and Jinki smiled at him. “Nice to see you again.”

“You too.”

“Jinki!” someone called.

They turned to see one of the firebending boys make his way over from one of the corridors.

“Leila escaped,” he said.

Jinki cursed, got out a hasty goodbye and sprinted off, down the way the boy had come from. They heard him muttering under his breath as he went and the fire-boy snorted. When Jinki was out of sight he turned to Jonghyun. A mischievous smirk spread on his lips, his dark eyes and dark hair a stark contrast against his quite pale skin.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hi,” Jonghyun answered hesitantly.

“You’re looking for Kibum,” the boy said, but it sounded more like a statement than a question.

Jonghyun could only nod dumbly. The boy tilted his head to the side, pondering.

“Not the best time, but whatever. He’s in his room. Good luck,” he said cryptically and turned to walk away, leaving Jonghyun to blink at his retreating back.

Confused, he stayed rooted to his spot for a moment. Then he remembered, with a flip of his heart and stomach, that The Owner could show up any minute. After glancing around worriedly, he hurried over to the stairs, taking two at a time until he arrived at the second floor. He sprinted down the corridor, which today was littered here and there with boxes, and clothes racks overcrowded with costumes.

He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he spotted the door to Kibum's room, but it got caught in his throat as the door opened and someone who very much wasn’t Kibum stepped outside. Jonghyun tried not to make a sound as he caught a glimpse of what he thought was The Owner and dived into the clothes racks closest to him, hoping with all his heart he hadn’t been seen.

“I trust you won’t try something like that again,” a voice said and a cold shiver went down Jonghyun’s spine.

Yep, that was The Owner.

He couldn’t hear the answer Kibum gave him, but apparently it was good enough for The Owner because he closed the door and made his way down the corridor, in Jonghyun's direction. Jonghyun held his breath as the steps came closer. Only The Owner’s feet were visible passing behind all the costumes Jonghyun was hiding in.

It might have been a trick played by his mind since he was scared out of his wits, but he thought he saw the feet slow down as The Owner passed his hiding spot and his heart threatened to beat out of his chest. To his immense relief, though, he passed without stopping and soon Jonghyun could hear him go down the stairs, his footsteps dying out slowly. Once they were completely gone he let out the breath caught in his throat but he didn’t dare move from his hiding spot for a few minutes.

When he was finally convinced The Owner wasn’t coming back anytime soon, he cautiously crawled out from underneath the costumes and quickly but quietly ran over to Kibum's door on shaky legs. He leaned against it as he knocked softly.

“Come in,” he heard Kibum murmur miserably.

He frowned, a sinking feeling in his stomach, and entered the room. The sight that greeted him stopped him dead in his tracks, one foot inside the room. Pain gripped his heart and he gasped.

Kibum was sitting on the bed with nothing but a sheet around him, eyes widening as shock and horror took over his face. Jonghyun stared at him, unable to do much else with the ache in his chest. There wasn’t any doubt in his mind about what had happened. Kibum, who had managed to collect pieces of his heart every time they met, who had made him fall irrevocably in love with him so effortlessly and had him wrapped around his little finger, stared back at him, fear evident in every beautiful feature on his face.

“Jonghyun,” he whispered, voice breaking.

Jonghyun swallowed around the lump that lodged itself in his throat, his heel and ran. He didn’t want to see any more and a sudden anger took over him. He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to scream and shout and cry because how could Kibum do this to him?! How could he make him fall in love, lure him in with his laugh and twinkling eyes, to then hurt him in the worst way possible?!

He managed to get to the middle of the entrance hall before he felt two thin arms around his waist and a forehead pressed against the base of his neck, holding him back, preventing him from going further, from running away.

“Don’t leave,” Kibum begged, his voice choked and trembling. “Please don’t leave me.”

“Don’t say that to me,” he growled. He didn’t mean to, but the emotions were raging inside of him and he didn’t know what to do with himself, what to think or believe.

Kibum flinched at his harsh tone.

“I-I–,” he stammered and Jonghyun felt something drip at the back of his shirt.

Kibum's arms slowly let go of him. Before Jonghyun’s brain even had the time to process his thoughts, his hands flew up to grab Kibum’s wrists and he turned around to face him.

He wished he hadn’t. Because if Jonghyun had just let him pull his hands back and walked out the door he would still have had the chance to be able to go back to his own world, his old, normal life. A life without a beautiful line dancer that was constantly on his mind, without worrying over his bruises, and without falling so hard.

But upon seeing Kibum, still in the sheet now tied around his chest, with tears rolling down his cheeks and the sea that pooled his eyes he couldn’t. He knew the moment he looked at him that he was now stuck forever. Kibum seemed to sense it too, his tears running faster down his cheeks as he cupped Jonghyun’s face. A few tears rolled down his cheeks and Kibum gently brushed them away with his thumbs.

“Why?” he asked. Kibum only held his gaze steadily. “Why are you doing this to me?”

He didn’t answer. Instead he leaned forward and pressed his lips softly against Jonghyun's. Then he took his hand and lead him back to his room where he laid him down on the bed and snuggled into his side, hugging him as if his life depended on it. Jonghyun let him and they both let their tears fall freely, in their own thoughts.

After a long stretch of silence, when both of them had managed to stop crying, Kibum propped up on one elbow and started to gently pull his fingers through Jonghyun’s hair.

“Do you want to hear about my parents?” he asked in a hoarse voice, sounding a little nervous.

Jonghyun, who was blinking heavily at the ceiling, on the brink of falling asleep, turned his eyes to him. He smiled faintly and Kibum bit his lip, the fingers stopping momentarily.

“Sure,” he murmured, though he was a little bewildered. Why did Kibum want to talk about his parents all of a sudden?

Kibum took a deep breath and continued to pull his fingers through Jonghyun’s hair.

“I... I was an unwanted child,” he began with a quivering voice, “but my mother loved me more than anything in the world and I loved her just as much.”

Jonghyun turned to his side so he could face Kibum and his slender fingers combed the hair at the side of his head instead.

“The Owner... well my mother was kind of his... lover?” Kibum grimaced.

Jonghyun stopped breathing.

“Wait,” he said and stared at Kibum, eyes wide. “Do you mean to tell me The Owner is your dad?”

Kibum smiled humorlessly.

“No, he isn’t.”

“Oh.” Jonghyun breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, my mother was like me... or rather I am almost an exact replica of my mother, freakish abilities and all.” Kibum lay down again and scooted closer so that their faces were only centimetres apart and Jonghyun could feel his breath on his face. “So you can imagine... she was at least a hundred times more beautiful, though. The Owner wanted to keep her all to himself. She was his precious pet, caged and guarded wherever we went.”

Jonghyun slung an arm around Kibum’s waist and rubbed his back reassuringly.

“But one day she met a man, not unlike how you and I met.” Kibum chuckled and Jonghyun couldn’t help but smile. “And they fell in love.”

“And this man, he’s your father?” Jonghyun murmured.

Kibum nodded, his expression darkening.

“But as soon as The Owner found out my mother was pregnant with me and that it was another man’s child hell broke loose. Of course, The Owner would never hurt my mother, he loved her too much.”

Jonghyun swallowed.

“But your father...?”

“He murdered him,” Kibum said grimly. “He would have killed me too, if my mother hadn’t threatened with suicide if he ever took my life.”

Jonghyun looked into Kibum's eyes and wished he could wipe away the scenes that were playing in his mind. He looked so sad and guilty it made his chest ache. The understanding of what he had walked in on earlier dawned on him and he felt a little sick. It was clear now Kibum hadn’t chosen it. But before he could ask, Kibum continued, answering his suspicions as if he had read his thoughts.

“I grew up to look more and more like my mother, which The Owner also noticed of course. Soon he wasn’t just demanding her to come to his room but also me, occasionally.” A dull, heavy beat of anger rushed through Jonghyun and Kibum avoided his gaze. “My mother did everything she could to spare me from going, but when I turned sixteen he wouldn’t take a no, so I had to go.” His voice wavered and Jonghyun pulled him close, tucking his head under his chin and rocking their bodies softly. “It didn’t matter that I was underage or a boy, that night I lost my ity and ever since then I was forced to go to his room whenever he called, even if my mother tried to make him choose her instead. And after my mother’s death it became my… you can call it responsibility.”

Jonghyun hugged him tighter.

“Why don’t you tell the police he you? Or someone? Anyone.”

Kibum shook his head.

“I can’t. This is my home and I don’t have anywhere else to go. Besides, it isn’t really if both parties comply, even if he gets rough sometimes. I couldn’t even talk about it up until a few days ago.”

“How can it be complying if he forces you and you get bruises every time?! How is it complying if he knows you have nowhere else to go?! If he forbids you to tell anyone?! You never complied Kibum!” Jonghyun’s voice rose with each word and Kibum flinched. “Sorry.”

Kibum grabbed onto the front of his shirt tightly.

“Well, I usually just laid there so I don’t know… I didn’t start making any resistance until recently. That’s why I have all these bruises. And he wants you to know.”

“What do you mean?”

He pulled back a little to look at Jonghyun’s face.

“It’s because of you,” he whispered. “It’s because you came into my life and filled it with so much warmth and happiness I haven’t felt ever since my mother died. He wants you to be hurt and hate me so you’ll leave, knowing I’m supposed to belong to him.”

Jonghyun blinked at him.

“But that doesn’t mean you need to get hurt like that.”

Kibum let out a short laugh.

“Really, Jonghyun, do I have to spell it out for you?”

“What?”

Kibum searched his face with a small smile on his lips. A small chuckle left him before he whispered:

“I love you.”

Jonghyun felt the whole world freeze around them, Kibum's words ringing in his ears, his body going all warm and gooey. Then his face burst into a giant smile and his heart seemed to lift from his chest, making his whole body tingle.

“Really?”

Kibum laughed.

“Really.”

He leaned in and pressed his lips against Jonghyun’s. He smiled into the kiss and he felt Kibum's lips pull up too. Jonghyun put his arms around him protectively when they pulled apart and Kibum buried his face in his chest.

“I love you too,” Jonghyun murmured and Kibum laughed.

“I kind of noticed.”

He laughed embarrassedly and Kibum pulled back to smile up at him. Their smiles faded into something sombre.

“You know, you always have a place with me,” Jonghyun said. “Kibum, you need to get out of here. You don’t have to go to the police if you don’t want to, just… please.”

Kibum took a deep, trembling breath, averting his eyes.

“I… I wish I could,” he whispered. “But as long as The Owner is still around I can’t.”

Jonghyun frowned. 

“Why not?” he asked softly.

Kibum bit his lip and seemed to try really hard to get the words out, taking a few deep breaths. He gave up after struggling for a while and looked up at Jonghyun helplessly, eyes wide and glassy.

“You can’t tell me?”

Kibum shook his head, a tear escaping. Jonghyun gave him a small, warm smile and kissed his forehead softly.

“It’s okay,” he murmured against his skin. “I’ll find out on my own.”

Kibum sat up abruptly, his eyes filled with fear.

“No! Jonghyun you… you don’t know!” he said, sounding a little hysterical.

Jonghyun sat up as well.

“What?”

Kibum wrung his hands together, his shoulders tense.

“If his plan to make you leave because of disgust doesn’t work he could really hurt you! He–,” his voice broke and tears rolled down his cheeks again.

“Kibum,” Jonghyun murmured and dried them away gently. “If you’re telling me to leave… I won’t be able to do that.”

Kibum shook his head.

“I-I can’t let you… le-leave,” he sobbed and took a shuddering breath. “I can’t– can’t stay away from you a-and I can’t lose you. I-I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Jonghyun whispered.

Kibum looked up, eyes filled with helplessness and fear.

“I can’t help but be selfish.”

Jonghyun smiled faintly and leaned in to kiss him.

“It’s okay. I want you to be.”

He pulled Kibum to his chest, hugging him tightly, as he wondered how he was going to solve the situation. When Kibum put his arms around him and hugged back he decided that whichever solutions came up, he would choose the one where he could give Kibum the freedom and love he deserved, no matter the cost.

A/N: I'm not good at this OTL

I'm sorry, I thought I would have time to write, but I was gone on vacation for two weeks and didn't have my computer with me and then school started right when I got back with a lot of assignments and I have practically three jobs right now, so everything is kinda happening at once and I don't have time for anything it seems ;__; I'm trying to set up a new routine, so yeah, my stories are gonna suffer the most I'm afraid. But I won't stop updating! It might just take some time!

I hope you liked this chapter, though! Some things are gonna be revealed in the next, which I'm trying to get done right now! :)

Not proofread (but those of you who have read stories by me before should already know that right? Haha >_<)

I LOVE YOU ALL!! <3

Bye~!