PART TWO

“What took you so long?”

“Sorry....,” Jongin mumbled, averting his gaze as he retreated to the opposite end of the campfire.

He could feel his brother’s unsettled frown tracking him as he stretched out his stiff joints. Despite the excuses wandering his fogged mind, the distance made it evident and so, he tried his best to mask his emotions. 

Luckily, Chanyeol came to just as he plopped down beside him - startled eyelids and a relieved grin welcoming his presence.

“You alright?” his tall friend questioned as usual.
“Yea...,” Jongin replied awkwardly; now feeling the brunt of two different pairs of eyes across the campfire.

He avoided one direction and calmly met the gaze of another - even between the wisps of open flame, Kyungsoo’s stare was anchored his way. 

A gulp.

Something cold pressed against his arm and he flinched, breaking the connection to find a silver canteen in Chanyeol’s palm. 

“Fresh from the river,” his friend boasted proudly as he in his cheeks until his lips imitated that of a fish.

Surprised by the random act, Jongin burst into laughter, drawing everyone’s attention as he held in his stomach and squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t notice then, the way Chanyeol smiled endearingly - thoroughly satisfied at cheering up his downcast friend. And maybe that was why Jongin chose to sit next to him that night because he needed a little pick-me-up after the knowledge Kris had imparted to him. 

He settled slowly, his chest rising and lips pulled so far apart that he could feel it straining his jaw. But the pain was elsewhere buried deep within the recesses of his chest cavity. So, he cherished the laughter, because then he didn’t have to think - 

-to consider the possibilities and pretend that it was all irrelevant. He felt even more aware then of his brother’s watchful eye, and he bowed his head in shame. 

How many questions had laced the surface of his tongue as he followed Kris back to the camp? 

How many memories of their childhood did he dissect to form some conclusion?

Any conclusion. Any opinion of his brother that didn’t lead with a lie.

He peeked out of the corner of his left eye, searching for the only other person who could comprehend his inner turmoil.

The ever-stoic Zero rested far from their line of sight - hunched over another fire pit on the opposite side of the dirt road. If Jongin concentrated enough, he could outline the shape of Kris’ coat, hanging from a low branch.

He traced the steps in between - of the distance that separated the man from the rest of the group. Shrouded in the shadows, the loneliness of Orixe suddenly became clearer.

Jongin wondered if that was the reason Kris disliked his rank because of how lonely it made him feel.

Despite the ugly truth that Kris served the Red King, there was a small piece of him that empathized with the man. After all, not everyone served the King willingly - that was the one thing Roe has ingrained into him. 

“Here.”

This time a voice demanding attention. He turned just in time to catch Luhan passing a canteen to his brother.   

A simple gesture, sure.

But, unlike the previous times, Baekhyun took it without any hesitation. A simple passing, from one hand to another as he gulped down what was left of the water.

A subconscious frown now pulled at the corners of Jongin’s lip. His brain tried to make sense of it, to justify it.

Water - it was a basic human need and knowing how tired everyone was from the day’s walk, it wouldn’t take much for any of them to drink from the same canteen as their enemy. 

But no.

That was not it.

That didn’t matter.

What mattered was the lack of indifference from his brother. What mattered was that Jongin noticed things that not even his friends found insignificant.

His eyes darted from one thing to the next - 

-the proximity of Luhan’s shoulder an inch away from his brother,
-the almost indoctrinated way that Yixing tended to the fire just on that side,
-the conflicting hot and cold glances from Chen, and the subtle way Xiumin saved the best piece of the cooked rabbit for his brother.

You see, it was too much to ignore and the evidence was piling up one by one.

He wasn’t sure how but his body moved without thought - palms pushing against the grainy earth and limbs holding balance as he stood. 

Chanyeol glanced up curiously.
Sehun continued to sleep. 
Kyungsoo stood up, subconsciously mimicking his actions.

But Jongin’s focus was on someone else - his wavering vision pushing past the red-orange flames and finding honey-brown irises. 

It was enough for his brother to know, to realize that something was wrong, and then he walked.

One foot in front of the next with Baekhyun’s frantic gaze on his back as he trudged through the dark and across the road. 

HOURS BEFORE....

“Go ahead,” Chen rolled his eyes sarcastically, “Say it. I know you want to.”

Xiumin leaned his weight against the tree - arms folded into his coat pocket and lips curled into a goading smirk. 

“I told you,” he worded softly, shaking his head as his comrade paced back and forth. He had expected this, of course - confronting Baekhyun with aggression was ill-considered and hasty. 

But then again, Chen was never one for patience. 

Xiumin watched silently as the other Zero bit the underside of his lip nervously, palm pressing into the back of his neck as he mumbled to himself. 

“It worked, didn’t it?” Chen questioned softly, “We know now.”
“Do we?” Xiumin raised a brow.

He scanned the surrounding area, deep woods embedded in every corner. They had wandered too far, and he had failed to notice in his hastiness to follow Chen. 

A cloud of fog escaped his lips; frigid fingers curled tight inside his pocket as he recalled the memory of Baekhyun’s suffocating aura. He took out his right hand, frowning as they shivered uncontrollably - a veil of frost encased the tips of his fingers.

“Tell me it’s him.”

A glance up and Chen’s pale eyes rested on his - a desperate plea hidden between his brow.

“You felt it, didn’t you?” Chen continued.
“......Chen....,” Xiumin hesitated.

Chen scoffed, a bitter laugh -  broken and weary. 

“There’s no one else that can make me feel like that,” he admitted - his voice edged with fear as he laughed again. 

“This time,” Chen held his head high, his pale eyes wavering under the diffused moonlight, “.....this time I’ll protect him.....”

Xiumin grimaced and then turned his face away. 

Nameless

How long had it been since the word crossed his mind? 
How long since the nightmares vanished and he could just be again?

Memories - both good and bad. 

He buried them deep because he couldn’t let go of on