Taekwoon was lounging on the couch, reading, when Hongbin came in. He could tell Hongbin wanted to ask something, but he also knew Hongbin still wouldn’t interrupt him in what he was doing without an invitation, so he lowered his book to look at Hongbin instead. Not too long ago that wouldn’t have been invitation enough for Hongbin to speak up, but now things were different.

“I was wondering… When can we go out again?”

Taekwoon shrugged where he was laying.

“Whenever you want to.”

Hongbin kept his eyes trained on the carpet, shuffling slightly on his feet.

“Can we go tomorrow? In the morning?”

Taekwoon hummed.

“Of course.”

Hongbin breathed a small sigh of relief or content, Taekwoon couldn’t really tell. He hated that whatever emotion it was he detected in Hongbin’s sigh, he would have to put a damper on it.

“You do know that, when we go out, there is a not too little chance that we are going to cross paths with enforcers again, right?” he asked softly, but Hongbin tensed nonetheless, his shoulders coming up, body curling in on itself in a protective stance, even if it didn’t look as if he had moved significantly.

Hongbin swallowed thickly, but nodded in answer. Then, after a while, he righted himself again somewhat, his gaze almost meeting Taekwoon’s.

“You’ll be there, though, right?”

His hopeful words went through Taekwoon like an electric jolt.

“Of course I’ll be there.”

“And you’ll protect me?”

Taekwoon almost choked up.

“I will. I’ll always be there to protect you, Hongbin.”

Hongbin took a deep, shaky breath, and for the briefest moment, his gaze met Taekwoon’s before he hastily averted his eyes again.

“Then… I’ll be ok… right?”

Taekwoon nodded.

“You will. I’ll make sure of it.”

Hongbin visibly relaxed, hesitated for a moment and then left again.

Taekwoon felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. This was probably the closest of a confession that he trusted him that he’d ever get from Hongbin, and it had come completely unexpected.

*#*#*#*

Despite his words the day before, Hongbin was nervous about going out again, and quite obviously so. He was pushing his food around on his plate more than he was eating it, while he’d downed his tea all in one go. When Taekwoon asked him if he still wanted to go out, he’d answered with a determined ‘yes!’, though.

“Hongbin?”

Hongbin hummed, looking up slightly from his food, just enough to show he was paying attention.

“What is it that makes you so afraid of the enforcers? I mean, I think I have an idea, but I’m not sure, and I’d like to know…”

Hongbin tensed, putting his utensils down to move his hands into his lap, where he kneaded them harshly. His head fell forward so his hair obscured his face, hiding from Taekwoon’s view, but Taekwoon could tell he was turning into a ball of nerves.

Taekwoon almost regretted his question, but Minhyuk’s words still rang in his mind and he didn’t take it back. However, he did need to reassure Hongbin, because it pained him to see him like that.

“Hongbin… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have sprung that on you like this. I just… I want to know so I can figure out how to help you, eventually. You don’t have to answer right now, though. But if you ever feel comfortable enough, I’d like it if you told me. When you’re ready.”

To his surprise, Hongbin took a deep breath, visibly forcing himself to sit up straighter again. He didn’t touch his food again, and he didn’t answer right away, but after a moment and another deep breath, he did speak, although in barely more than a whisper.

“It’s… a lot. I don’t… I wouldn’t know how to start… It’s… too much, and just thinking about it… it hurts.”

Taekwoon wasn’t sure if he should encourage him to continue or soothe him and tell him he could always tell him later again. He wasn’t entirely sure if he’d be trying to reassure Hongbin that way or if it was him chickening out already from facing the truth about Hongbin’s past. In the end, he stayed quiet, and so did Hongbin. Only Hongbin eventually got up to clean his plate and tidy the kitchen, before going back to his room.

Taekwoon got up to put his own things away not too long after, a little lost. Maybe he should have waited until later when they’d have come back from the park to ask that question; he wasn’t sure if Hongbin still wanted to go out now. But who knew what would have happened later and if he’d even get to ask? Or even if nothing happened and Hongbin was just happy and relaxed, would he have been able to bring himself to ask, knowing it would ruin Hongbin’s mood? He sighed, dejected. There was never a good time to ask questions like that. At least now it was out, and he’d see what it would lead to eventually.

Just in case Hongbin still wanted to go out, he started to prepare a few things he’d planned on earlier, and it was a good thing he did. It didn’t take long for Hongbin to come back out of his room, having changed clothes in the meantime. He was wearing warmer clothes now than earlier, and he walked into the room with purpose.

“Can we go out now?” He asked, as if the possibility of backing out of wanting to go to the park hadn’t even crossed his mind. He looked genuinely excited, for his standards.

Taekwoon made sure not to let him know he’d considered the possibility of Hongbin not wanting to go anymore, sitting up immediately and hiding his own gloomy thoughts behind a beaming smile.

“Absolutely!”

Hongbin’s expression lit up, even if he didn’t outright smile.

He followed Hongbin at a much slower pace to the hallway, but then again, he didn’t need as long as Hongbin to get dressed for the cold weather since he had a lot more practice. Hongbin was still left waiting impatiently for a couple of seconds as Taekwoon finished buttoning his jacket, and even more seconds while Taekwoon locked the door to the apartment from outside. Then, finally, they were on their way, and Hongbin impatiently darted ahead, already a floor down by the time Taekwoon reached the staircase.

Taekwoon smiled to himself, admiring Hongbin’s boldness, as he followed him at his own pace. He’d barely made it one floor down when Hongbin came darting back up, slightly winded, and stopped just behind him.

“There are people in the lobby.” He explained, staying half a step behind Taekwoon for the rest of the way down, almost close enough for him to feel his breath on the back of his neck if he hadn’t been wearing a scarf. Taekwoon didn’t mind, but he made sure to be extra careful while walking, always expecting Hongbin to run into him from behind from that moment on.

Hongbin didn’t run into him, just stayed almost glued to his back the whole way down, and only detached when he saw the lobby was empty now when they eventually reached it. As soon as they were out of the house and had rounded it to the get to the path leading to the park, Hongbin was back to skipping ahead, quietly urging Taekwoon to hurry up with his impatience. Taekwoon did him the favour and quickened his pace.

He wasn’t sure if he just imagined it, but Hongbin looked as if he was breathing freer as soon as they stepped into the park. He was on high alert, Taekwoon could tell, but not in the tense, anxious way Taekwoon had become used to. It took him a while of following him around to understand he was looking for something, though, and as soon as he realized it, he found out what it was as Hongbin crouched in front of a bush and started talking to it. Not to the bush, but to what was hiding inside it.

The same orange striped cat they’d met last time came out of the bush, bumping its head against Hongbin’s outstretched hand and letting him pet it. Hongbin looked overjoyed, and he stayed back to let him play with the cat for as long as he wanted. Soon enough, the two were chasing each other, around bushes and even up one tree or another, and then cuddling the next moment.

Hongbin became frowny, though, when the cat eventually walked up to Taekwoon, who’d found a bench to sit on in the meantime, instead of him after a chase.

Taekwoon gave Hongbin an expectant look, and he averted his gaze, blushing a little. He was still jealous, Taekwoon concluded, but he still petted the cat when it jumped up on the bench. Hongbin came over as well after a moment, seemingly debating what to do with himself. When he started to sit down on the yellowing grass, Taekwoon shook his head.

“The floor is too wet and cold for you to sit on. The temperature dropped below freezing last night. Come sit on the bench.”

Hongbin grimaced, but moved to sit on the bench, even though he didn’t look happy about it. The cat climbed onto his lap almost immediately, sitting down to start cleaning itself, and that helped distract him from his discomfort even though the cat was ignoring him.

“He’s just using me as a heating mat at this point…” Hongbin mumbled, and Taekwoon chuckled.

“Wouldn’t you, too, if you had the chance?”

Hongbin seemed to think hard about the question, when a noise coming from his stomach distracted all three of them. Taekwoon arched a questioning eyebrow.

“Hungry?”

Hongbin averted his gaze, biting his lip. There was no point denying it.

“Do we have to go home now?” His voice was no more than a disappointed mumble.

Taekwoon shook his head, though, reaching for the backpack he’d set down next to him when he’d sat down. Hongbin hadn’t even noticed he’d brought a backpack until this moment, wondering briefly just how distracted he’d been earlier. And still was, he realized as he startled when Taekwoon held a wrapped something out to him. He could smell immediately that it was some kind of food.

“You didn’t eat much for breakfast, so I figured you’d get hungry pretty soon after playing. Here, take it.”

Hongbin did, hesitating a moment before starting to pull the wrapping apart. It was a sandwich, nothing fancy, but he knew it would be delicious. The cat on his lap seemed to agree with him, stretching to sniff at his sandwich, and he held it out of its reach before thinking better of it and breaking a piece off to feed him.

Taekwoon watched in amusement, but he had to stop Hongbin eventually.

“Don’t give him too much of it. Human food is not good for him.”

Hongbin frowned. Why would food not be good for someone?

“Why?”

“He’ll get stomach aches from it, because of the spices.”

Hongbin was still skeptical.

“Did he tell you that?”

Taekwoon chuckled, shaking his head.

“No, of course not. But it’s something that has been found out a long time ago.”

“But no cat has ever told anyone that, have they?”

Taekwoon didn’t understand what Hongbin was trying to get at.

“Not that I know of. But there are other ways to know, I guess. Why, has a cat ever told you that’s not true?”

Hongbin shook his head.

“Of course not. I can’t talk like that with them. It’s just… why is it bad for them, but not me?”

Taekwoon didn’t know an answer to that, not for sure.

“I don’t know… But you’re probably too different…”

Suddenly, Taekwoon felt like he was walking on eggshells. Would Hongbin be offended if he compared him to the cat? Or to humans? Why had he never bothered to find out what the taboos were in all these years he’d known Sungjae? How had in never come up?

Hongbin didn’t react to his answer, though, too distracted with keeping his sandwich out of the cat’s reach while at the same time trying to eat it himself. Eventually, the cat gave up, jumping down from Hongbin’s lap and walking off. Hongbin looked after it longingly but didn’t say anything.

“Is he mad because he can’t have more of your food now?” Taekwoon wondered, but Hongbin shook his head, looking down to his food again.

“He’s being called home.”

Taekwoon blinked, surprised. He hadn’t expected an actual answer. And it still took him by surprise how good Hongbin’s hearing must be, because honestly, he hadn’t heard a thing.

Hongbin finished the sandwich quietly, and Taekwoon made him return the empty wrapper to him so he could throw the trash away later when he was done. Hongbin’s hand brushed slightly against his own as he gave him the wrapper, and Hongbin instantly tensed up.

Taekwoon was actually startled by it; Hongbin hadn’t tensed up because of small touches, or even bigger, lingering touches, in a while now, and especially not that harshly. He soon realized that couldn’t be the reason for his sudden tensing when he felt Hongbin’s fingers dig into the fabric of his jacket sleeve, holding on tightly. Looking up, he found Hongbin wasn’t even paying him much attention, all of his senses seeming to screen the edges of the park instead.

“Hongbin…? What’s wrong?” Taekwoon chanced after a while, in which Hongbin didn’t move a millimeter, except for his ears, which were turning every which way.

Hongbin’s grip tightened on his sleeve, and he took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and closing his eyes, slumping in on himself.

“It’s gone…” He whispered eventually.

Taekwoon frowned.

“What’s gone?”

Hongbin grimaced.

“Enforcer car. They all drive the same kind. I heard one, but it drove by.”

Taekwoon grit his teeth, his voice softening when he spoke, though.

“Are you ok?”

It took a moment before Hongbin nodded, eyes still closed, and still gripping Taekwoon’s sleeve.

“You’re here.”

“I am here.” Taekwoon confirmed, and Hongbin took another deep breath.

“And you won’t let them come for me.”

“I most definitely won’t.”

Hongbin opened his eyes slowly, and then let go of Taekwoon’s sleeve, but remained otherwise still. Slowly, the tension slipped out of his posture, though.

“They… they are really bad people.”

Taekwoon had been about to say something, but Hongbin had beat him to it, and he chose to stay quiet, waiting if Hongbin would say more. And after a moment, Hongbin continued.

“They don’t just catch us and put us in shelters… They… They like hurting us. They love shooting tasers at us.” He took a shuddering breath, and Taekwoon felt frozen as Hongbin elaborated. “The kind that’s set low enough not to knock us out immediately, but that hurts forever until we finally pass out... And tranq darts. They experiment on us. And the worse the things they inject hurt us, the more they like it. And if we don’t scream enough, they get angry and might kill us. Or if they have a bad day, then they kill us, too…”

Hongbin shuddered, pulling his legs up on the bench to hug them to him, curling up while still sitting.

“They don’t just put us in shelters, either… They sell us, too. To lots of different people. It’s not allowed, legally, but no one stops them. And… what happens after… wherever they bring us… is so much worse.” He choked up, one hand coming up to rake through his hair and pull at it as he hid his face against his knees, and he was shaking.

Instinctively, Taekwoon reached out, placing his hand on top of Hongbin’s free one on his shin. His touch grounded Hongbin, and he looked up from where he’d hidden his face, glassy gaze not meeting Taekwoon’s, though.

“I can’t go back there…” He whispered, his voice breaking as he desperately tried to keep his breathing even.

“You won’t go back there, Hongbin. I’ll never let that happen. You’re safe now, and they can’t ever hurt you again. I promise you.”

Hongbin believed him. He needed to believe him. And he needed Taekwoon’s reassurance, his grounding hand on his own. He took deep breaths, as deep as he could with his chest cramping from unwanted memories. Taekwoon kept reassuring him, until he could breathe normally again. And then he retreated his hand, and Hongbin wanted to reach after it and bring it back. He almost would have done it, too, only just catching himself, but not before his hand twitched to complete the motion, anyway. He wasn’t sure if Taekwoon had noticed it. If he did, he didn’t mention it, and, regretfully, didn’t bring his hand back to cover Hongbin’s.

“Thank you for telling me. I’m sorry you’re hurting so much.”

His words meant nothing, Taekwoon thought even as he said them, but he didn’t know what to say. How could anything he could ever say make anything that had so wrongly been done to Hongbin right again?

They meant the world to Hongbin. For once, Taekwoon’s thanks didn’t make his stomach swoop, like they did when he did something for Taekwoon before. Instead, they loosened the knot that was crushing his chest. They made him feel a little lighter. A little warmer. A little… less alone. He filed them away in his mind, but kept them close like a safety blanket he could take with him wherever he went.

He didn’t know why he’d suddenly decided to answer Taekwoon’s question from earlier that day, but he was glad he’d done it.

*#*#*#*

They’d gone home shortly after Hongbin’s confession, but now, one morning later, they were out in the park again. It was windy and cold, but Hongbin had really wanted to go out again, even if he hadn’t phrased it like that. Taekwoon could tell just from observing him, though.

The orange striped cat hadn’t shown itself again, to Hongbin’s dismay, but he’d soon found distraction and entertainment in chasing after whatever the wind decided to carry past him. Taekwoon was soon getting winded, deciding he really needed to take up exercising regularly again if he wanted to at least keep up somewhat with Hongbin. Though, Taekwoon suspected, he’d never be able to keep up with the boy. He seemed to have endless energy, running and jumping here and there and back again.

He gave up eventually, just standing in the middle of the open field and watching Hongbin run around. Eventually, Hongbin stopped by some trees, something having caught his attention, and Taekwoon decided to jog over. Hongbin turned around when Taekwoon approached him and pointed into one of the trees. Two sets of long ribbons, red and yellow, were fluttering in the wind, caught in the branches.

“What is that?” Hongbin asked, and Taekwoon rounded the tree. It turned out to be a kite that seemed to have gotten caught in the branches. The lead was still there, too.

“It’s a kite. It’s a toy that you can let fly high in the air when it’s windy enough. Looks like someone left it here when it got caught in the tree.”

“Can I climb up to get it down?”

Taekwoon returned to Hongbin’s side, peering up into the tree.

“It’s pretty high up… Are you sure you can get it down?”

Hongbin nodded, but Taekwoon wasn’t satisfied.

“Are you sure you can get it down safely, without getting hurt?”

It only took Hongbin a second longer to nod again, and Taekwoon sighed.

“Be careful, ok?”

Hongbin’s answering ‘Ok’ came when he was already perched on the first branch. Taekwoon couldn’t help but worry as he watched Hongbin climb higher and higher into the tree, cursing that it had to be one of the few trees that kept their foliage in winter and that obscured his view of Hongbin most of the time. He felt nauseous when he figured Hongbin must have reached the kite, so far above the ground, as foliage rustled high up in the tree and in a pattern that differed from the one the wind caused.

The kite came free, and Hongbin shouted, but without being steered, the kite merely fell on the ground. Taekwoon went to pick it up so the wind wouldn’t blow it away, and Hongbin started his descent. Before long, he was standing next to Taekwoon on the ground again. Relief flooded Taekwoon, and he couldn’t help but smile at Hongbin’s ruffled figure; unharmed, but his hair was a mess.

Without thought, Taekwoon reached out, plucking a small twig out of Hongbin’s hair. Hongbin merely blinked at the contact, not shying away, but for a moment, Taekwoon still scolded himself mentally. He presented the small twig to Hongbin, though.

“Here. You picked a flower.”

Hongbin’s eyes went wide, and he took the twig out of Taekwoon’s hands. He was soon distracted by the fluttering ribbons of the kite when a gust of wind pulled at them, though. Taekwoon could see the change of focus clearly. The ribbons held Hongbin’s attention almost trance-like. Kind of in the same way flashy, colourful movies held Sungjae’s attention.

Before Taekwoon could guess at Hongbin’s intention, Hongbin jumped past him, lunging for the fluttering ribbons. In his startled surprise, Taekwoon let go of the kite, and a gust of wind blew it a good three meters away, out of Hongbin’s immediate reach. Hongbin let out an indignant sound as his fists closed around air, and Taekwoon laughed at his surprised and annoyed expression.

Hongbin’s gaze turned defiant, and he ran after the kite. In a split second, Taekwoon decided to make a game out of it, giving the kite more lead, and it shot out of Hongbin’s reach again. The wind carried it up, and Hongbin crouched low to jump after it, trying to catch the ribbons. He almost succeeded a couple of times, but then Taekwoon gave it more lead, and it flew too high.

Hongbin huffed indignantly, and Taekwoon made the kite fly lower again. Slowly, muscle memory set in and he remembered more and more about how to fly a kite, and his maneuvers became more daring, flying the kite close to the floor again and again before letting it fly high up into the sky again. Hongbin kept watching the kite, trying to predict where it would come down next to chase it.

More than once he almost caught it, and with every time the ribbons slipped through his fingers he became more determined, more focused, until he crouched low like an actual cat, the tip of his tail swishing furiously as he focused, only his eyes following the kite. Twice Taekwoon was able to fly the kite teasingly low over Hongbin’s head without Hongbin lunging for it, but the third time Hongbin jumped before Taekwoon would have expected it, higher than Taekwoon would have expected it, and his hand curled firmly around the ribbons, plucking the kite out of the air.

A triumphant shout rang out as Hongbin landed on his feet, and he turned around, looking expectantly at Taekwoon, as if wanting to make sure Taekwoon had seen his catch and approved of it.

Taekwoon almost forgot how words worked, as he could feel the happiness radiating from Hongbin even though he was a good fifteen meters away from him. He wasn’t sure if he was smiling, but he looked so genuinely happy it didn’t matter to Taekwoon.

“Wow, that was amazing! I didn’t see that coming!”

Hongbin’s face lit up even more at the praise, and he let go of the kite.

“Again!” He all but shouted, running ahead, and Taekwoon would never have been able to deny him his request.

Hongbin became louder as he chased the kite, shouting in frustration when he missed catching it, and in triumph when he caught it. Both he and Taekwoon became more daring and distracted in their play for what could easily have been hours, and both missed the pair of people approaching them until they were pretty close.

Hongbin spotted them first, just after catching the kite once again, and he let out a choked noise as he let go of the toy immediately and darted towards Taekwoon faster than he’d even chased the kite just moments before. Taekwoon only noticed the people when Hongbin rushed past him, close enough to almost shove him, and hid behind him while clutching the back of his coat.

Taking stock of the two people, Taekwoon quickly realized they were merely a young boy, a child still, and his father. The adult man was carrying a ladder, and as they came closer, the boy started running ahead, straight towards them.

Behind Taekwoon, Hongbin crouched lower, holding on to Taekwoon’s coat with both hands, and Taekwoon could feel him shaking. He wanted to turn around, reassure Hongbin, but he couldn’t with how Hongbin was holding on to him. And then the boy came to a halt right in front of him.

“Hi! Uhm, I was just wondering, that kite you’re playing with… Was it stuck in tree over there, maybe?” The child started rambling, and it took Taekwoon a moment to focus on him.

“Uh… yeah… We got it down earlier.”

The boy bounced slightly on his feet.

“Oh! How…? Well, it’s just, I was playing with my kite earlier, and it got stuck in that tree over there, and we couldn’t get it down, so we went home to get a ladder, but then dad said we had to have lunch first, and then we had lunch, and dad got a really long call, but then we finally went to come get my kite, but it’s no longer in the tree, and… and if that kite you’re playing with isn’t yours and you found it here, it’s possible that it’s actually my kite, and I was wondering… was wondering if I could have it back?”

Taekwoon couldn’t help but smile at the small boy, who was kneading his hands nervously now, oddly reminding him of Hongbin that way.

“Of course. It’s very likely that this is your kite, and of course you can have it back. Here.” He rolled the thread holding the kite up and reached out to hand it to him. He could tell Hongbin was holding his breath behind him as the boy came up to them to take the kite from Taekwoon’s hands.

The boy let out a relieved gasp as he got to hold the kite back in his hands.

“Thank you so much! We weren’t sure we’d even be able to get it out of the tree again, thank you for taking it down. And that I can have it back!” The boy stopped abruptly as he was about to turn around, as if just remembering something, and turned to Taekwoon with a suddenly solemn face again.

“I’m sorry for ruining your play… but, if you want, you can play with me?”

Taekwoon shook his head, smiling softly.

“It’s ok, don’t worry about it.”

The boy wasn’t reassured yet, though.

“Really? Neither of you? You were having fun just now…”

Hongbin actually tugged Taekwoon back with how abruptly he fastened his hold on Taekwoon’s coat again when he was addressed, too.

“It’s really ok. We were having a lot of fun, so thank you for being so understanding, but it’s ok. It’s your turn to have fun with your kite again.”

The boy hummed, then tilted his head and tried to look past Taekwoon.

“Is your friend ok?”

Hongbin whimpered behind Taekwoon, and Taekwoon thought it was a wonder he hadn’t darted off to who knew where. At this point, no matter how polite the kid was being, he started wishing he would just go.

“He is. He is just very shy and people he doesn’t know scare him. He means no offense.”

The boy made a surprisingly understanding face, his mouth rounding in a silent ‘Oh’.

“Ok… I see. I have a friend who’s like that. Well, I’ll go then. Thanks again for freeing my kite and giving it back.” He waved shortly, and then turned to run up to his father, who’d stopped a little further away and put the ladder he’d been carrying down. The boy went off to play with his kite, and the father gave Taekwoon a parting nod before turning around to follow his son.

Taekwoon finally decided to turn around, too, gently coaxing a reluctant Hongbin to let go of the back of his coat so he could actually do that.

As soon as Hongbin’s hands let go of the coat fabric, they fell limply to his sides, and he lowered his head, staring at his feet.

Taekwoon tried catching a glimpse of his face, positioning himself close enough to block Hongbin’s view of the park behind him and with it, of the kid and his father.

“Hey… you ok?”

Hongbin took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry…”

Taekwoon furrowed his brows.

“What for?”

“I’m sorry I hid like that…”

Taekwoon shook his head softly.

“That’s nothing to be sorry for, Hongbin.”

“And I’m sorry I couldn’t go play with the boy. I wouldn’t mind playing, but I don’t know the boy, and his father, and what if- what if they- they were-…” He had to break off to take a deep breath, since he’d been forgetting to breathe as he just rambled on, ignoring Taekwoon’s interjection in between.

Taekwoon took that moment to interject again, this time more firmly.

“It’s fine, Hongbin. It’s ok. You have nothing to apologize for. No one expects you to interact with people you don’t know just like that. It’s ok.”

Hongbin looked up a little.

“It’s ok?”

Taekwoon hummed, gently.

“It’s ok. Want to go back to the pond?”

The pond was on the other side of the park, as far away from the kid and his father as they could get. Hongbin nodded affirmatively, and stayed close while they walked back there.

The ice on the pond had gotten thicker since the first time they’d been there, and it succeeded to catch Hongbin’s interest enough for him to have to go check it out up close. He just had to test if it would hold, and while it didn’t immediately crack under his feet, Hongbin decided it wasn’t stable enough yet and quickly returned to firm soil. Still, his short stay on the ice had managed to attract some fish, and he crouched down to watch them through the solid surface.

Again, Taekwoon wondered how something like fish under a layer of ice could hold Hongbin’s attention for so long when his feet started to grow cold. He tried to shift on his feet subtly, not wanting to interrupt Hongbin in what he was doing, which seemed to be poking at the frozen mud on the edge of the water with a stick from where he was standing. If it made Hongbin happy to poke at frozen mud, he should have a chance to do that, Taekwoon thought.

His feet were starting to go numb when Hongbin suddenly got up and returned to his side.

“You’re cold.” He stated, matter-of-factly.

Taekwoon shrugged.

“It’s nothing, it’s ok. Don’t worry about it. You can still play if you want.”

Hongbin thought about it for a moment.

“Should we go home?”

Taekwoon sighed.

“We don’t have to if you’d rather stay here a bit longer, Hongbin.”

Hongbin shook his head, though. He might want to stay out here for as long as he could, but not if it meant Taekwoon was getting cold.

“Please. Let’s go home…”

Taekwoon shrugged. What could he do? If Hongbin wanted to go home he wouldn’t deny him that. Not when there was no real reason why they couldn’t go home.

He felt weirdly scrutinized the whole way home, and he found Hongbin watching him skeptically even after they’d reached home and he was standing near the heaters in the living room, trying to warm up. Then, he disappeared, but Taekwoon could hear him in the kitchen. A while later, he reemerged with a mug of tea. At first, Taekwoon thought he’d made himself some tea, but he was mistaken. Instead, Hongbin set the mug down on Taekwoon’s usual spot of the coffee table.

Taekwoon’s heart squeezed at that gesture, and especially at the expectant look Hongbin threw in his general direction. His first instinct was to tell Hongbin he didn’t have to do that, but then he thought better of it. Of course he didn’t have to do that, and he knew it. But he had obviously wanted to do it, and Taekwoon didn’t want to cheapen the gesture with his words. So, instead, he just gave Hongbin a warm smile as he stepped away from the heater to sit on the couch instead, reaching for the mug.

“Thank you, Hongbin.”

Hongbin was sure Taekwoon’s smile was at least as warm as the tea he’d just made, and he wanted to bask in it forever. His words made his stomach swoop again, though, and he had to flee to his room, even though he was able to mask it as a calm walk out. As soon as his door clicked shut behind him, though, he darted to his bed and sank to the floor next to it, hiding his face against the mattress as he waited for his heart rate to slow down again.

It refused, though, and he laid back on the floor to wait it out. Despite his racing heart and flushed face, he felt light. Light and… free. As if he could fly. Like the kite.

He smiled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small piece of red and yellow striped fabric. He’d accidentally torn it off from the end of one of the kite’s ribbons, but it didn’t even show that it was missing when you looked at the kite. He was sure Taekwoon hadn’t noticed, and he’d been able to hide the piece in his pocket. Now, it would fit perfectly into his journal, he mused.

He wasted no more time digging out the journal and glue to paste the piece of fabric on a new page, caressing it softly when he was done.

He still felt so light, like the kite. So…

He didn’t know what he should call the feeling. Happy, maybe? Was this what happy felt like?

He really didn’t know. What he did know was that he felt like that because of Taekwoon. Because Taekwoon had smiled at him like that, and accepted the tea he’d made for him. Because he’d been able to take care of Taekwoon for once, and give him something, even if it was infinitesimally small, back. And that felt so good.

*#*#*#*

If things went Hongbin’s way, he would have asked Taekwoon to go to the park with him every single day. But unfortunately, the weather didn’t hold and it started to rain; and Hongbin wouldn’t be caught outside in the rain under any circumstances if he could somehow avoid it. Also, Taekwoon had to go to work sometime, and he chose the rainy days to go. Hongbin stayed at home alone again those days, and grew more bored than ever.

Taekwoon tried to teach him how to use the TV, but ever since he’d caught a bit of the news program while Taekwoon was showing him how to change channels and got a fright, he lost all interest in the thing.

Taekwoon also taught him how to use the stereo, and while Hongbin enjoyed listening to some music, especially that composed by Taekwoon, it was also too loud for his ears and he couldn’t listen to it for long before it became too noisy and started stressing him, so he had to turn it off.

Reading was off the table, too, since it was still too hard for him to be able to enjoy it. He’d tried drawing, but he seemed to have no talent for it so he gave up before he’d even really started. He didn’t dare trying to cook on his own, since for some reason the kitchen appliances scared him more than the entertainment electronics in the living room, and in the end, he was left with nothing to do once again as he wished for the hours to pass faster until Taekwoon’s return.

When Taekwoon did return, Hongbin tried to convince himself he was content just sitting in the same room as him, but Taekwoon ended up falling asleep often after long days at work had tired him out. He knew not to blame Taekwoon for it, since he was aware Taekwoon was working to feed and clothe and house them both, but he couldn’t help but be bored again, and eventually frustrated.

Taekwoon noticed Hongbin’s frustration even though the other never mentioned it and tried hard not to show it. He couldn’t really do anything against it, but he figured he could give Hongbin something to think about that might distract him for a few days.

It was another night where the rain pelted against the windows, now mixed with flakes of snow after soaking the city all day long. Hongbin hated that weather, for it made him not even want to look out of the windows.

“Hongbin?” Taekwoon eventually spoke up from where he was laying on the couch, still feeling uncomfortably full after eating too much for dinner.

Hongbin was surprised he was being addressed so suddenly, since he’d already suspected that Taekwoon had fallen asleep again.

“Hm?”

Taekwoon sat up on the couch, but didn’t look directly at Hongbin as he started talking.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this for a while now… You know, about my friends, Hakyeon and Jaehwan. What do you think about meeting them?”

Hongbin’s eyes widened, and he visibly tensed. Taekwoon had been expecting that kind of reaction.

“W-what? Meet them? How?”

Taekwoon reacted calmly to Hongbin’s stuttered, slightly frightened questions.

“Just meet them. Not at the same time, of course. One by one, with me there. Just see them, maybe say hello, introduce each other. Slowly get to know each other over time.”

It didn’t take a genius to figure out the idea stressed Hongbin out. He started pulling his legs up in front of him, wrapping his arms around them.

“Why?”

That question Taekwoon hadn’t expected, but it wasn’t hard for him to answer.

“Because, even though I might not really show it most of the time, Hakyeon and Jaehwan are very dear to me, and they play a big part in my life. And so do you. And I always hope that those I care for so dearly can get along with each other.”

The answer didn’t seem to appease Hongbin much. If anything, it made him frown even harder, and Taekwoon felt he had to elaborate.

“That’s one reason. Another is… I don’t want to worry you, and this is just a possibility I want to cover. But I’m worried that if something happened to me, you would be left alone. If something happened and I had to stay in a hospital for a couple of days, you would be alone. You would worry yourself sick, and you would be locked in here with no way to go out safely. I trust my friends with my life, and I would trust them with yours as well. So, in case something happens, I want you to know them beforehand, so you know you can trust them, too. So you won’t accidentally hurt them if you get scared, so they can help you.”

Of course, Hongbin worried immediately about the possibility; Taekwoon should have expected that.

“But… nothing is going to happen to you… right? Why would something happen to you?”

Taekwoon sighed softly.

“Things can happen to people at any moment, Hongbin. That’s just how life is. I could slip in the bathroom and break a leg. Sneeze and hit my head somewhere and get a concussion. Eat something spoiled and get food poisoning. I’m not saying it will happen, but the possibility is there, and I want to be as prepared for it as I can be. And most importantly, I want to know you will be safe and taken care of if anything happens.”

Hongbin accepted that explanation. Not well, but he accepted it, even if it sat wrong with him. He didn’t want to think about anything happening to Taekwoon, ever.

Much the same way, Taekwoon didn’t like seeing Hongbin so beaten down, so he had to make sure he didn’t think about those worrying thoughts too much.

“There are more reasons, aside from that one very practical one why I wish you’d meet Hakyeon and Jaehwan, though.”

Hongbin didn’t look up and didn’t uncurl where he was sitting, but his ears twitched, letting Taekwoon know he was listening.

“I know you are bored out of your mind when I’m not around. You don’t have much to do most of the time, and it bothers you. And I’m not even that big of a help when I’m home because I sleep most of the time I’m here. If you had other people to rely on… Others you eventually might come to like and trust enough that they could come over and keep you company when I can’t, or who could go out to the park with you, or wherever else you wanted to go… Then you wouldn’t be as lonely and as bored as you are right now…”

Hongbin’s fingers dug deep into his legs, Taekwoon could see how hard he was holding on to himself as he listened to Taekwoon’s reasons.

“I don’t… need anyone else…” He whispered hoarsely, eventually.

Taekwoon could see his face clouding over, his mood darkening visibly the longer he sat and thought about everything Taekwoon had said.

“I’m not… not that bored. It’s not that bad. I don’t… It’s not necessary to… to…” He broke off, frustrated, letting his head fall forward hard, hitting his knees. He took a couple deep breaths, and then got up and left, without another word.

Taekwoon didn’t move. He did expect Hongbin to not take the suggestion well, no matter how he put it. Hongbin would need time to think about the idea and its implications. They would need to talk about it again and again. He was aware of that. But still, Hongbin’s final reaction just now took him by surprise. And, strangely, it also amused him. Did Hongbin just throw his first actual tantrum with him?

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A/N: Aaaaaand there's that. I wanted to make this chapter longer but then it kinda didn't fit to have the rest in this chapter the way it was, plus, I didn't have the time to write much more and I didn't want to make the wait between chapters that long. And that's also where the bad news come in: my computer died. Well, not totally, but the graphic card died. Everything looks basically like how a Windows 95 looked. It's a PAIN! And that's why I won't be writing more until I have that fixed, which I don't know when it will be. I'll update whatever chapters from other stories that I have saved on google docs over time until then, but it might take a while before I'll be able to update this one again. (Unless my graphic card magically decides to come back to life, heh!)

Anyway, thank you for reading, thanks for all the upvotes, subscriptions and comments that make my life. Keep them coming, if you feel like it! And if you like this story enough and feel like suporting my quest of getting my computer fixed to keep writing it soon, you can send some help my way over here. (Or send a computer technician with a new graphic card over to fix the thing ASAP, that would be very much apreciated, too) Just kidding (kinda) :)