It was a Tuesday, and Jinki had just finished his day’s schedule as Onew, leader of SHINee. He wasn’t in love with his life as an idol, but it was true that he gained a lot of confidence in himself due to the name and responsibilities that came with it. However, it had been a day that made the young man want to just curl up in a ball and cry himself to sleep.

He would have done so immediately if it weren’t for the fact that s were all perched around the living room as he entered. Confused, Jinki looked at each of them carefully before his eyes met Minho’s. Even though Jinki agreed not to mention what he was doing, it was still hard for him to look the younger in the eye, as curiosity ate at him each time.

Then, ever so quickly, Jinki looked away and into Kibum’s eyes, taking a hesitant step backwards, “Why are you staring at me?”

The younger men laughed, and Kibum shook his head, “We were just waiting for you to come back so we could go for dinner, since we have nothing left in the fridge.”

For a moment, Jinki weighed his hunger against his fatigue, and decided that although he was hungry, he didn’t want anything more than the feel of his blankets over him. So instead, Jinki pulled out his wallet and tossed it over to Jonghyun, then turning and dragging his sore feet to his bedroom.

“Buy whatever you want.” A yawn left his lips as he rubbed an eye tiredly, “I’m going to sleep now.”

The youngers, despite having some disappointment since Jinki wouldn’t join them, didn’t voice any complaint, and as soon as Jinki closed the door to his bedroom, he could hear the front door close as well.

As he wrapped himself in his blankets, Jinki thought to himself on how much he regretted taking up several schedules. It was because the butcher shop his parents worked so hard to build up was being threatened to go into bankruptcy that Jinki decided to do whatever he could to earn enough money to help his parents.

Crying to himself silently because of the pain and stress he was under, he almost didn’t notice the sound of his room door being opened, only to be slightly startled when a weight dipped the edge of his bed.

Hurriedly wiping his eyes, Jinki pulled the blanket away from his face, forcing a smile on his face as he readied to tell whoever it was that he was okay. When he saw that the eyes looking into his own were none other than Minho, Jinki shot up in his bed, somehow knocking the back of his head on the board.

“Aish, hyung. Be careful, will you?” Minho let out a soft chuckle and quickly reached out, pulling Jinki closer by the shoulder and rubbing the back of his head. Jinki felt himself shudder against the younger’s steel-like grip, but slowly wrapped his arms around Minho’s waist. He’d liked the younger for quite some time, but as idols, and as his leader, he’d kept all his feelings to himself.

The fact that maybe Minho was doing stuff that wasn’t legal only made his heart ache more and he tried to pull back and look into the younger’s eyes. He succeeded in pulling away, but was left swallowing a lump as Minho’s eyes looked into his once more, worry filling them. Jinki had never told s why he was suddenly doing what he was doing, or why it was he had become more restless and of course sleepless.

That look in Minho’s eyes, however, told Jinki he already knew everything. Jinki glanced away and cleared his throat, “You didn’t go out with them for dinner?”

Minho pulled Jinki’s wallet out of his pocket and put it gently in Jinki’s lap, “It wouldn’t have felt right to use the money you worked so hard to earn for ourselves.”

Jinki blinked, completely dumbfounded, and his lip even quivered slightly as he thought about what the younger was doing, “But aren’t you hungry, Minho-ah?”

“I’m fine, hyung.” Minho cleared his own throat and gently ran his fingers through the leader’s hair, “I have to go now, so sleep well, alright? I’ll be back by morning.”

As he started to get up, Jinki quickly reached out and grasped onto his hand, and Minho turned back slowly to see Jinki’s panicked expression, “Minho-ah, please don’t go. At least let me come with you. I don’t want you to get into any trouble on your own.”

Gently, Minho pulled Jinki’s hand off of his wrist and took a step backwards, “This is something I decided to do on my own, hyung. I can’t allow you to be burdened by it.”

Jinki stumbled out of his bed and lunged forward, almost missing Minho’s body, but managing to wrap his arms around the younger, “Minho-ah, this is killing me. After seeing you that day with the blood stains, I’ve gotten so scared to let you go out on your own. What if you come back with wounds worse than that? What if you don’t come back at all? I-”

Minho let out a soft chuckle and gently pulled away, shaking his head, “You’re just being a good leader, hyung. I won’t ever come back with a scratch worse than what I got that day. I will never lose my life because of what I’m doing now.”

“What makes you so sure?” Jinki couldn’t help but ask, tears leaking out of his eyes in worry.

“Because I have a reason to do these things, and I won’t die before I complete them.” Minho said it confidently, and although Jinki was still torn, he couldn’t help but have faith in the taller male. His gaze locked onto the ground, Jinki let his arms fall limply and nodded.

“Then go, and do what you need to do.” He said in a tone just above a whisper, looking back up at the younger, “But if you come back with anything more than a paper cut, I’ll kill you myself.”

Minho was obviously amused with the elder’s words but nodded, ruffling Jinki’s hair and then slipping out of the room. Jinki walked up to the door, but his hand froze as he reached for the knob, and with a loud sigh, he returned to his bed.

He waited for what seemed like hours, for his tears to return, but was surprised when he found out his heart was actually feeling calm. Was it because of Minho that he felt safe again and carefree?

“He won’t get hurt.” And Jinki prayed for it.