“Then tell me Taemin, why is he trying so hard to hide the truth?”

Taemin glared at Minho, trying to avoid the feeling of his heart racing. He couldn't let Minho get to him, couldn't let himself believe that he was telling the truth.

"I know you don't believe me Tae, but it's the truth. Why do you think I appeared so soon after he left, became close to you? How do you think he turned up so suddenly, at the perfect time? It was me."

It all made sense. Taemin didn't want it to. It couldn't be.

"I'm done here. Save your bull for someone who believes it." Taemin said, turning away before Minho could see that Taemin believed it.

“Please Taemin.” Minho said, and Taemin stopped once more, this time in surprise. He turned around to see Minho standing there looking broken down, desperate. Taemin had never seen him that way before.

“What? What could you possibly want Minho?”

“Taemin... do you really.. do you really not love me anymore?” MInho questioned, and Taemin  was shocked. After all this...

“How could you possibly think I could still love you? After everything you’ve done to me, to Jinki. What in your mind is so twisted you could possibly believe I would still love you? I don’t love you!”

"No! Quit saying that!" Minho pleaded, pulling at his hair.

"Saying what? I don't love you? Well it's true! I don't love you! I hate you Minho."

"No. You love me. You have to love me."

"And why is that?"

"Because you're mine! You were mine first. You loved me first. I'm the one you want."

A cold feeling filled Taemin's bones. Staring into the deranged eyes of Minho, he was starting to get it.

"Minho, do you love me?" Taemin asked suddenly.

Minho sneered. "Please. I have higher standards."

Taemin brushed off the insult and continued on. "So why should I love you?"

The confused look on Minho's face would have been hilarious if Taemin wasn't so terrified.

"Because you do. You have to. You said you always would."

He pulled Taemin close again, hands almost painfully tight on the younger's waist. They were so close Taemin could see the reflection of himself in Minho's eyes. It was terrifying, but also familiar.

Taemin thought of years ago, when they used to sit beneath these very same trees, talking about everything and nothing. Minho would run his hands through Taemin's hair as the younger rested against him, back-to-chest. At some point during their little meetings, the same question always came up.

"Tae-baby, do you love me?"

"Of course Hyung. I'll always love you." He replied, the sweet promise sealed with a kiss.

"Minho. Things change. People change. And I... I haven't loved you for years. Maybe I thought I did back then, but I see things clearer now. I'm not dumb enough to fall for you again."

"Taemin, stop pretending. I know the truth. Besides you have to-"

"I have to love you. I get it. Well tough luck, because thats never going to happen."

"But before..."

He just wasn't getting it. He was insane, Taemin realized. He wasn't going to listen. He didn't have the mind capacity to listen. And Taemin was tired of it.

"You're pathetic." Taemin spat. "And disgusting, and psychotic, and an overall pitiful excuse of a human being. You're garbage. Even dogs wouldn't go near you because you reek so bad."

Taking Minho's face between his hands, he leaned in close, ignoring the fear fluttering in his stomach.

"You can beg and plead as much as you want. But I will kill myself a thousand times before I willingly give you myself. I will never love you. Ever. Got that?" Taemin shoved him away and stood up, walking away for the final time.

"Yah Lee Taemin!" He called after Taemin, voice wrought with anger, pain, and insanity. Taemin kept walking. "Yah!" He screamed again. "You're making a mistake!"

The dancer didn't reply.

"Arrasso." His voice was calmer. "If I can't have you, you can't have anyone. This isn't over Tae- baby. In fact, it's only just begun."

Chills ran down Taemin's spine at the elder's cold, steely threats.

He meant them. Taemin thought.

This was only the beginning.

His heart was racing, body shaking, feeling a strange mixture of relief and dread. He had finally faced Minho, yes, but what had he accomplished? The fear of what was to come gnawed at Taemin.

"Hey, woah, slow down there. It's okay Tae-ah." Jinki voice broke through Taemin's thoughts as strong, warm arms wrapped around him.

Taemin didn’t reply, instead returning the hug and burying his head into Jinki’s shoulder. He breathed heavily, attempting to calm his nerves.

"What's wrong? What happened? Tae- are you crying?"

Taemin shook his head, trying to deny it despite feeling the hot tears trailing down his cheeks.

"What did he do?"

"Jinki." Taemin choked out, still in disbelief. "Taesun. My brother.... All along..." He broke down in Jinki's arm while Jinki stared in shock.

"Come on." Jinki said softly. "Let's get you home."

"Hyung, can we talk?" Taemin said quietly, looking pleadingly at Taesun. Only a few hours had passed since his talk with Minho, but he couldn't stand to wait any longer. He had to know the truth.

His brother nodded hesitantly, and stood up. Taemin led him through the apartment to his and and Jinki's shared bedroom, allowing Taesun to walk ahead of him into the room. Taemin locked the door behind them, leaning against it quickly. Taesun turned at the sound of the clicking lock and frowned.

"Yah, Minnie, did you lock the door? Why?"

"Taesun, why are you here?" Taesun looked at Taemin strangely.

"Why else? I've been out of your life far too long, it was time to return."

"But how did you know hyung? You've explained the first part enough times, but you still haven't told me how you knew."

"Does it really matter?" Taesun replied nervously, looking around for an exit.

"Yes hyung, it does matter. It matters a lot."

"I'm here now Minnie, let's just let that in the past-"

"Taesun, I know."

Taesun froze, fear obvious on his face. "You know?"

"I know who you were working with, who told you about me. I know everything." A pause. "How could you hyung?"

“Wait, I can explain-”

"Explain what?” Taemin screamed. “How could you! Of all the people- you sent him?"

Taesun’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "I thought you two were friends-"

"Friends?" Taemin scoffed. "If you could call the guy who kidnapped and beat me my friend."

"What?! He would never-" Taesun gasped. "Taemin... Minnie, are we talking about the same person?"

"Choi Minho?"

"Who? Taemin, you're not making any sense."

A seed of doubt sat in Taemin's stomach began to spread as he looked at his brother's lost expression.

"So wait... You're... Not in league with Minho? You didn't send him after me?"

"What? No, Taemin, I don't even know who this Minho guy is!"

Taemin quieted for a moment, thinking. He scanned his brother’s face, searching for any sign of defeat. But everything, from his confused eyes and down turned lips, to his hunched posture and limo hands, everything resonated innocence. Beside, it may have been years, but Taemin knew his brother. Taesun had never been a good liar.

Taemin felt foolish for ever believing Minho. It wasn’t as if the elder was trustworthy, and he’d do anything he could to get to Taemin. For all Taemin knew, Minho had been following his brother this entire time, and had obtained information that way.

For a moment guilt began to spread it way through taemin’s heart, abruptly stopping when Taemin realized that, even if it wasn’t Minho, it had to have been someone. Minho had made one good point: how did Taesun know about Taemin? It wasn’t as if Taemin hadn’t wondered about it before. With everything else going on though, his curiosity had had to wait until other, more important things were figured out.

"Then who?"

"What?" Taesun asked nervously, looking anywhere but at Taemin.

"Who was it, if not Minho?"

"It was no one-"

"You said friend? So who was it?" Taesun looked away.

"Hyung." Taemin called. "Hyung, tell me."

“When I first left... I was so worried for you. But I had no way of making sure you were okay. A couple months after I left,  an old classmate of mine, Junmyeon, told me he had a younger brother who knew you... After that, I asked him to watch out for you.”

“Junmyeon?” Taemin repeated, trying to figure out why that name was so familiar.

“Tae! This is my hyung, Junmyeon. He’s a college student.”

“Annyeong Taemin.” The older boy said, smiling kindly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Taemin gasped, horrified. "No, no. It can't be.... Jongin?

“Neh." Taesun whispered.

“My best friend... all this time he was really just some informant for you?”

Taesun shook his head quickly. "No, Jongin really does think of you as his friend, his best friend.”

“Somehow I find that hard to believe.” Tain replied bitterly.

“Taemin. This is exactly why I said nothing. I knew you would come to this conclusion. But it’s not true. Jongin was already friends with you when I asked him.”

“You’re going to find this strange hyung, but after all of this, I’m finding it hard to trust you.”

"Taemin-"

"No." Taemin shook his head. "I... I need to go." Without further explanation, he unlocked the door and strode quickly down the hall, through the living room, all the way down to the coffee shop.

"Yah, Taemin, slow down, where's the fire?" Luhan called out teasingly as Taemin stormed through the shop. One hard glance in the Chinese man's direction had Luhan falling silent, eyes wide in shock. Taemin looked like a wreck, face blotchy and eyes rimmed red with the tears that threatened to fall.

Jinki ran out from behind the counter, wrapping his arm around Taemin's shoulders and leading him to the nearest table.

"Tae-ah." Jinki says quietly, moving his face close to Taemin's. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Taemin didn't answer.

"Did Taesun... Is he really...?" Jinki's question hung in the air, unfinished.

Taemin shook his head. "No. Minho was lying."

"That's a relief then... Right?"

Taemin looked away. "Right."

"Taemin... What happened, why are you so upset?"

"Jongin. It's Jongin. All this time, he-" Taemin choked out, unable to finish.

"Tae-ah..."

"Please. Don't say anything."

Jinki nodded. "What would you like me to do?"

"Hold me." Taemin said, voice small.

So Jinki did.

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Okay. I'm done making promises. Life is... compicated right now, and updates just aren't my priority. I'm sincerely sorry! From now on, updates will be when I can get them up, I'll try my best to have them up quickly, but no promises.

For now, please accept this (for once) non-cliffhanger chapter as an apology, and wait patiently for me.