" I hate him."

Kihyun glares over at Changkyun and his new… friend… who took a seat at the table close to the window front of the coffee shop. He tries not to destroy another plastic cup while watching them, but it is hard.
Hoseok sits at the counter,  supports his head on one hand and looks awfully exhausted after what felt like the 60th time he tried to calm Kihyun down.

" They're just friends, Kihyun. And he looks nice to me."

"He has tattoos!" Kihyun almost yells.

" Ehm… Kihyun.", Hoseok looks down his body. " You do look at me when we're having , don't you?"

Kihyun shakes his head with determination. " Nope. You're tattoos are something totally different."

"Care to explain?"

"They're you're tattoos. And you're Hoseok. You're adorable. You're nice. You're my one and only boyfriend. But that one…", his resolutions disappear and he crushes another plastic cup with his bare hands while  burning holes into the back of Changkyuns new friend. " He's trying to corrupt my baby. He gave off a strange feeling from the beginning."

It has been few weeks since Minhyuk and Changkyun attended the information event for the new college year. Changkyun came back pretty happy with lots of new info, motivation… and the spawn of satan.
Kihyun talked to him exactly one time and since then has hated him with a burning passion he didn't know he had inside. Everyone thinks he is doing it without a reason, because while the guy is not really interesting, he seems to be normal and friendly enough and all of them are happy that Changkyun won't be alone in his first classes but Kihyuns stomach keeps telling him that something is fishy about that guy.

" Kanghyun.", he almost spits the name out. " Who the hell is called Kanghyun?"

"I think a lot of people in Korea are indeed called Kanghyun."

"Hhh…" Kihyun scoffs.

Hoseok sends him one of his crooked smiles. He leans over the counter and pulls Kihyun closer by his chin to peck his lips.

" Let the boy live, okay? He has done nothing wrong."

"But… our boy…"

" Our boy knows best who he wants to be friends with. You got customers by the way."

Kihyun walks over to the cashier, a pathetic side to look at. Hoseok can't help but to chuckle into his scarf. He earns himself a deadly clear.

Someone enters the coffee shop and brings cold air  in with them.

"Minhyuk!", Kihyun throws a dirty tissue at his friend. " Your shift started an hour ago!"

" I'm sorry.", the blonde peels himself out of his jacket when he takes a seat next to Hoseok at the counter. " I helped out Hyungwon and Hyunwoo with shopping."

"Could you have at least made up a more important sounding excuse?"

Hyunwoo at least has the decency to look the tiniest bit ashamed when he sits down next to Minhyuk. Hyungwon just shrugs. " It was necessary. Hyunwoo hyung needed new shirts. There wasn't one left with all the buttons on it. He was half all the time."

"Not that anyone cares. I don't. " Minhyuk leans closer to Hyunwoo and smiles like the lightbulb he is but Hyunwoo seems clueless as ever.

Hoseok and Kihyun share a gaze.

Poor teddy in the hands of black widow.

Hyungwon leans his back against the counter, gaze on the shops interior, clicking his tongue, clearly annoyed as .

" That Kang guy is over again?"

Hoseok flicks the back of his head. " Language, mister."

Kihyun shrugs. " Well… if you ask me--"

" I'm not going to ask you about this topic. You're clearly biased."

Kihyun sends him the most murderous glare he can muster, but Hoseok answers it with an air kiss and the glare disappears into nothing.

" He is always hanging out with that guy." Hyungwon complains and Kihyun nods as fast as he can in the background.

Minhyuk slowly shakes his head. " Isn't it just the second time today?"

"There we have it!", Kihyun bangs his hands on the counter. " Hyungwon! It is time to intervene!"

" I'm ready!"

"Guys…", always quiet Hyunwoo interrupts them. "You're overreacting."

" Where?!" They yell in unison and Hyunwoo ducks in a hurry.

Hoseok laughs into his coffee. " Poor Changkyun doesn't even know what will happen to him."

" When we find out Kang is a serial killer you'll have to endure my 'I told you' for the rest of the year."

Hoseok pokes Kihyuns nose affectionately. " If that happens I will endure it like a man."

Kihyun can't help but to smile back at him.

Minhyuk makes a gagging sound. " When is the honey moon phase over? Disgusting..."

" They're cute though."

" You... like that?!"

Minhyuks soul right then seems to leave his body. He stares at Hyunwoo as if the other just lost a leg in front of him.

" Like... really?!"

Kihyun bites his cheek with all his might in order not to burst out into laughter right into Minhyuks face.

He can't help but to be a bit gleeful about the fact that his friend is speechless for once in his lifetime.

" Minhyuk. Get your soul back into your body and take over the cashier. I need to bring out the trash."

The blonde doesn't react but Kihyun knows that the other understood him.

Back in the staff room he takes the trash bags he earlier put there and carries them over to the door that leads to a back alley. He wanted to bring them out earlier but of course he forgot and now he can almost not carry them. He pulls them over the ground the last metres and tows them to the others close to the street for the garbage truck to get them.

Kihyun doesn't go back in right away. He regrets not wearing a jacket over his black shirt. The days already grow warmer and it doesn't get too cold anymore but the nights are still a bit fresh.

He takes his mobile out of his pocket and checks the few messages he received over the last few hours.

He chuckles when he sees the picture Minhyuk sent him earlier.

Hyunwoo coming out of the fitting room in a way too revealing shirt.

Yes…

The older really doesn't know what he got himself in. Minhyuk can be… quiet persuasive when he wants to have something.

" Kihyun."

Kihyun almost shrieks when someone calls his name in the dark.

His heart beats faster under the hand he presses to his chest.

" ! Chihwan! You want to give me a heart attack?!" he yells into the dark where he sees the silhouette of one of his least favourite people.

" Sorry…", the other hiccups and comes closer. " Didn't mean to."

Kihyun scrunches his nose when the smell of alcohol reaches his nostrils. " You stink."

Chihwan takes a moment to take in his smell. " I don't smell anything."

"Because your are the stink bomb who emits it."

Kihyun decides he is not going to waste anymore breath on the guy. He has told him enough times by now and he is quiet frankly done with him.

" Kihyun! Wait a moment!"

" I need to go back to work."

" One minute."

" I said no."

"Kihyun…"

Kihyun stops in his tracks. He closes his eyes to gather all of the patience he has left for the guy and slowly turns to the drunk. " One last time: Leave me alone. For good. I don't want to have anything to do with you and that won't change. I do not like you. Not as my friend, not as more, not as someone I barely know. Please understand that."

Chihwan gives a bitter laugh.

" When did you become so arrogant?"

The headache is coming back and Kihyuns last patience a slowly disappearing. " What does it have to do with being arrogant? I told you nicely more than enough times. You didn't listen. You could have stopped and saved yourself a last bit of your pride but you preferred acting like this. Now deal with it."

" You got yourself a boyfriend."

" Bye."

The conversation is over for him and he wants to leave for the back door.

" I said I want to talk!"

Chihwan harshly grabs him by his shoulder and yanks him around with too much force. Kihyun stumbles and his head collides with the brick wall. The contact is pretty hard and he accidentally bites his tongue. In the split of a second he feels the blood gathering in his mouth.

" Great…" he mutters and spits a first flush of blood on the street. It hurts like hell and there is more than enough blood gathering in his mouth to re-enact Hostel but he knows how sensitive the tongue can be and doesn't worry too much about it.

In contrast to Chihwan.

The drunk one pales.

" Oh god…", his glassy eyes widen in fear. " You're bleeding."

" No .", Kihyun spits another bit of blood out. " Go! Damn it… you ed up enough by now!"

" I'm so sorry…" he moves closer. Kihyun doesn't like the look in his eyes, not at all.

He wonders, in a sudden fit of dread,  if he judged the level of his intoxication right. Chihwan is getting too close comfort and slowly Kihyun starts to break out into sweat.

He can deal with the verbal stuff, no big deal.

Fists?

Fine.

He will later cry himself out with Minhyuk or Hoseok by his side or simply run away and hide until the danger is over. Maybe even try to fight back.

But….

The moment Chihwan corners him, when he feels the bricks pressing into his back, a hand dangerously reaching out for his chest the fear starts to bloom inside his stomach and when another hand slides around his neck it turns into full grown panic.

" Get away!" he yells.

But Chihwan is taller then him, muscular…

…drunk.

Too drunk...

Not drunk enough to be an easy target.

" I'm sorry, Kihyun... I always only wanted..."

" Get your hands off! Chihwan! I swear to you! Chihwan!", Kihyun fights against his hands but it seems futile and when the hand wanders down his torso his yells turn into desperate pleads " Stop it! Please!"

" I wanted to be with you..."

He feels his lips touching  his neck, trashes desperately against his grip...

Chihwans hands disappear as fast as they started to touch his body. Kihyun looses all the strength in his legs and slowly sinks down to the ground only then realising that blood kept dripping out of his mouth.

" You filthy piece of !"

Jooheon…?

" What you think you're doing?! Hh?!"

The sound of a fist meeting flesh, a body that falls to the ground.

Kihyun wipes over his bloody mouth, his hand shaking uncontrollably.

" Hyung!"

Jooheon hurries over to him and crouches down next to him. " I heard you when I passed by! What did that bastard do to you?!" his hand hovers in the air, as if he is too worried to touch Kihyun.

" He shoved me into the wall and I bit my tongue. It looks worse than it is. Don't mention it."

"Don't mention… don't mention it?! Hyung! There is blood all over you! This bastard! I'm going to--"

"Jooheon!", Kihyun grabs him by his waist. " Don't. He is drunk."

"That is no ing excuse!"

" I know. Still… can you just help me to get inside. I feel a bit weak."

Jooheon throws another gaze at Chihwan, who got back on his feet and slowly staggers away.

" Jooheon. Please, let him go and help me up." Kihyun begs.

" Okay... come."

Kihyun wasn't exaggerating.

His legs tremble like crazy and he is not sure if he would have gotten back on his feet without Jooheons help. The younger supports him on his way inside and helps him to sit down on one of the benches in the empty staff room.

" I'm calling the others!"

"Jooheon! Wai--"

Kihyun slightly curses when the other is through the door already. He should have cleaned himself up at least. If they see him like that the chaos will be perfect.

" Holy !"

Hoseok is the first one coming through the door. He stops in the open door the moment he sees Kihyun in his current state.

" Kihyun!"

Kihyun tries to muster a smile. " It isn't as bad as it--"

"Did you look at yourself?! Holy , you're bloody all over!"

" What the flying happened?!"

Kihyun winces when Minhyuks ear piecing yell reaches his ear. Hoseok meanwhile sank to his knee in front of him, turning Kihyuns head left and right.

" I just bit my tongue."

" How?"

" I… got shoved into a wall…"

" By whom?"

The whole group gathers around him.

Well, the whole group except Changkyun and Kihyun is happy about the fact that at least the youngest doesn't see him like that.

But… it really doesn't seem to be Kihyuns day because only moments later said one hurries inside.

" What's the matter?", he sees Kihyun and his eyes widen. " Hyung!"

Kihyun groans and hides his face behind his hands. Now that he has time to think about it his body starts to ache in the most ridiculous  areas.

And…

He pauses, choking on nothing when the spot where Chihwans lips touched him earlier seems to start burning like crazy. Kihyun swallow heavily, his hand wandering over his neck to touch... no, to cover the spot.

He doesn't want them… Hoseok… to see it.

" Kihyun. What happened?" Hoseok asks softly when Kihyuns distress finally finds its way to the surface.

Hyungwon gave him a wet tissue and he gently begins to wipe away the already partly dried blood. Kihyuns tongue is still bleeding but not as heavy as before.

" I can tell you what happened!", Jooheon shouts out, his temper still way too high for him to calm down. " Some bastard was all over him when I found them! Didn't listen to him even when he begged him to stop! I don't even know what would have happened hadn't I shown up!"

It is out and everyone turns quiet.

Kihyun knows he shouldn't feel humiliated in front of them, but he does.

Hell… he feels so ing dirty and wasn't even .

Just someone touching him somewhere he didn't want him to but… it feels horrible.

He starts rubbing the spot on his neck, looking at anything but not them.

" Show me, Kihyun."

Hoseoks voice is still gentle.

But Kihyun  picked it out. There is something hidden in between his words, something he has never heard before and something he doesn't want to get to be there.

It is foreign and strange and… scary...

Just like the thing he saw in his eyes the last time they met Chihwan.

Hoseok doesn't wait for him to move. His gentle fingers pull Kihyuns hands away, show the mark to the whole world.

He brushes his fingers over it.

" Who?"

Still the soft voice, that caring gaze, the adoration, the… love?

Kihyun can see everything in his eyes. His eyes that have been always so easy to read.

Now, once again there is something different in them and it freaks Kihyun out in a way he didn't know it could. He wants to hug Hoseok, wants to hold him close and forget that today he learned that there I something about his boyfriend… something that seems dark and scary and dangerous.
He is not scared of Hoseok though. How could he when those gentle fingers could never hurt him?
He worries over him, over his wellbeing, his safety.
Because Hoseok, this person in front of him that is more to him than Kihyun ever felt like deserving… to imagine that the one that lights up his life has  a darkness inside that he doesn't know about.

It makes him sick.

" Chihwan."

He hears his own voice, not sure why he even told him.

Jooheon already hurt him.

He will surely not come back. He was drunk. He will be sorry in the morning, his old annoying self. Maybe he will stay away from now on. He scared Kihyun, but it is fine. Just fine as long as Hoseok stays with him and looses that… sensation in his eyes.

But Hoseok becomes awfully quiet. He slowly gets up, hands in his pockets as he turns to the backdoor.

" Jooheon?"

The younger seems to straighten under his gaze.

" He's still outside?"

" I don't think he'd come far even if I hadn't kicked him. Too drunk."

" Okay.", his gaze wanders over to Hyunwoo. " You take care of it for a moment, hyung?"

The older nods.

Kihyun grows more frightened by the second. They all seem to know something. Only Minhyuk looks as lost at him, his eyes wandering from one to another.

" What--"

"I'll be back soon." Hoseok smiles at him but it is not his smile. The one only Kihyun gets. It looks wrong, hollow and cold and he thinks he might start to cry soon because he doesn't know what is going on anymore.

" Hoseok..."

He feels Hyunwoos strong arm around his shoulder, he keeps him from following Hoseok.

" You need to rest." he smiles softly at him.

Kihyun doesn't notice.

" Where is he going?"

No one answers.

His gaze follows Hoseoks retreating back until the other is through the door.

"Hoseok!"

The door closes and Kihyun hasn't felt that alone in a long, long time.