“Hyung, come on, you needa eat,” Minghao tried one more time while telling himself ‘one more time’. Once again said hyung heaved a sigh to the spoon in front of him just to disappoint the younger (and therefor continued to test his thinning patience).

Jun who had been watching them room the other side of the room, head hanging upside down on the armrest, decided he had to do something or his boyfriend might eat the older alive, even with baby Chanie in his arm. “Cheol hyung, I don’t think starving yourself is, in anyway, solving the problem.”

“Just what we need, Mun Jun,” Minghao gave his boyfriend a glare instead of a compliment, virtually swatting him.

“This is not about Jeonghan.”

Hearing the oldest speak for the first time in days had both pivoted their attention from each other. Jun mentally applauded because at least there was progress. Minghao on the other hand felt his patience reaching its limit and snapped. He’d had enough.

“Oh, really? Then what? You can’t use one foot so your mouth is broken, too? Oh, no, because you just used it. So just eat your darn food because I have better things to do!” Anyone could see fumes coming out from the elf ears’ now if that were possible.

“Then just go. No one’s keeping you here,” Seungcheol said then immediately regretted it because the younger his heels without another word, the door behind him bouncing back unshut from being slammed. Angry footsteps could be heard storming further down the corridor.

Jun was standing by now, frowning. “Was that really ne-”

“I know. I’m sor- agh…” Seungcheol groaned into his palm. “Just go after him, please. Tell him, I didn’t mean that.”

The door clicked right after, this time shut properly. He was sure Jun was mad at him, too. Disappointed maybe. Understandable of someone who had to tend to a kidult in his thirties, yet had the courtesy not to disturb Chan’s sleep. Of course he’d get food down there eventually but right now…

“This is not about Jeonghan,” repeated the bedridden patient if only to convince himself. For a few moments Seungcheol closed his eyes and listened to the soft hum of his boy. Dreamland found him soon enough.

-

Seungcheol knew—too well actually—that if out of them two he should be the one being mature about this. They were both grown-ups, and the best way out of anything was communication–just exactly what they lacked.

And he was trying to. It was just that Jeonghan hadn’t reached out to him at all. Not a call, not a text. And someone out of the kids—that’s just a given—had so appreciatively messed with his phone, so now he was here trying to guess its unwarranted new password while    find the culprit. Not that he was gonna find some sort of Jeonghan’s contact since they never exchanged it, but at least there might be something?

“Aish-”

Seungcheol almost swore out loud because Chan’d decided to climb over his still broken foot just now, the testament to his spacing out.

“Overthinking is bad, you know,” head popped in first then sliding the door slightly more open to let himself in, Myungho posted a question in lieu of greeting as it was his third time today coming back to check on him. “So is underacting.”

Despite having stormed out earlier, thanks to Junhui’s exceptional placating skill or whatever, the younger did come back the day after like nothing had ever happened. Seungcheol did apologize though and all was good (or better).

“Not this again,” groaned the older one (partly because of the pain on his foot that was starting to be not just pain), but when the other rolled his eyes he added, “Hey, at least I’m back to eating-”

“A meal a day,” deadpanned the only one in doctor role now, easing Seungcheol’s grimacing face by scooping up Chan into his own arms. “Should I feed our little Chanie the same portion, too? A meal a day?”

Seungcheol listened to the other’s cooing at Chan and acted on impulse. He’d really fully call it complete impulse. And stupidity. “Don’t you dare—”

The trick didn’t work on Myungho who was used to his antics and expertly dug and prevented himself—and in extension, Chan—the furiously thrown pillow without having to look. Just at the right moment the door slid open.

So needless to say—but let’s say it anyway—the pillow hit the newcomer straight in the face.

“Jun-ah, you okay?” Myungho slowly looked back while unbending his back and snickering because who else could it be–unless the guards weren’t doing their job properly–only to realize his mistake. Words had long left Seungcheol.

Because there stood Yoon Jeonghan, all suited up, hair a little disheveled, and a crumpled pillow in hand.

“You sure are feisty for someone surviving on a meal a day.”

-

Minghao thought he would have been knocked off, or earned an earful at the very least, because Yoon Jeonghan sure didn’t look like he was there for tea—though he could have; they did have a few tea bags and a thermo pot in the cabinet. Actually why would he think about that? He wasn’t even the one with a tendency to attack people with pillows!

Contrary to all the worst case scenarios playing in his mind, the long-haired male didn’t waste time and instantly uttered, calm yet firm, “Do you mind if I borrow your brother for a minute?”

“Of course,” he said on autopilot. Like I had any other choice, he added to himself. “Lemme step away-”

“No need to. We’ll be on a walk,” Jeonghan took two more steps in until he was two arms’ length to the bed, then looked right at the man in question. “If that’s all right.”

Seungcheol still had his eyes down, but now directed at his feet underneath the white blanket. “Um…”

Minghao wanted to slap himself for forgetting about it. “Ah Hyung hurt his foot. Here, let me grab the wheelchair for you.”

If Jeonghan was surprised he sure hid it well, merely watched the younger struggle to do so singlehandedly with Chan in the other for some time before finally stepping in to help, the pillow he was thrown at earlier coming in handy as cushion.

And if Seungcheol decided belatedly he wanted to protest against the whole situation he didn’t and just obediently settled into the wheelchair. He looked at Chan then at Myungho who nodded knowingly of the usual favor the older was gonna ask.

Myungho waited not only until the door slid closed but long enough to make sure the two out of earshot to let out a breath he had been holding out of nervousness. Even he himself was anxious of what was going to be said, he wondered how much worse Seungcheol hyung’s case must be.

-

There was a lot Seungcheol wanted to do at that point, and a lot he could have done, be it demand for answers or scream bloody murder (what the hell Choi Seungcheol) but ended up doing what was probably the best, or worst, which was nothing. He was holding out to see where this was going—if it was going anywhere at all speaking from how Jeonghan, who suggested the walk, who was supposed to say something, chose to do the same, heavy exhales the only thing filling the air around them.

Then he was aware of it, or rather him—a guy who had been following them at a calculated distance since they were out in the hallway.

Seungcheol could only hope Jeonghan was aware of this paparazzi/sasaeng/whatever they were, too, although it seemed unlikely judging from how they kept going at the same pace the whole time until they were out in an even more perilous choice of places: the open rooftop.

The view was nice, overlooking this whole side of the campus and more, though Seungcheol could feel his arm hair raise when the strong wind hit them at full speed, was taken by surprise when out of nowhere a blanket draped over his shoulders.

“Impressive you even managed to hurt your foot when you’re supposed to be bedridden.”

He was upset, was the least Seungcheol could say about Jeonghan right now considering he couldn’t see what face the younger was making. “Just say what you wanted to say. I’m dying to know.”

“I really hope no one’s dying,” Jeonghan chuckled, but still averting the topic. Seungcheol didn’t like the tone. “Yah, stop looking like something’s gonna come get you. It’s just my bodyguards.”

Guards? With an s? There’re more than one of them— “Oh I see, um, good to know. Good for you too- I mean, that makes all the sense since you’re, well, taking over your dad’s business?”

“I see you already knew,” Jeonghan’s voice became somewhat quieter. “Is that why you’ve been like this?”

“Like what?”

Yoon Jeonghan sure knew how to make scoffs sound worse than they already did. “Oh I don’t know, you tell me, Choi. Like you don’t even know me?”

“I’m being careful,” Seungcheol chose his words carefully. “Of who you’re marrying.”

“Since when am I marrying anyone, what do you—”

Although he’d rather talk about this in another hundred years, it was the thing that got Jeonghan in front of him, looking clearly offended and exasperated. It didn’t feel grand knowing he was the cause of that.

Seungcheol thought better to maintain a straight face while saying, “It’s okay, you can tell me, whoever this ‘conservative person who insists on settling down here because it’s earlier to see family’ is.”

“You’re jealous.”

It caught him completely off guard when the serious tone suddenly turned teasing. He was fully aware of his own face getting hotter but couldn’t help looking up again, then regretted it immediately, for something pressed against his lips as soon as he did.

He was late in registering Jeonghan was kissing him, hands on either side of his very burning face, even later in getting his hands on the wheels to reverse. Obviously it would’ve been easier (and more time-effective) to just shove the younger away but oh well, he was panicking!

“W-was that necessary?! I’m sure there’re plenty other ways to let someone down!”

Jeonghan glanced briefly behind him as though to observe the bodyguards’ reaction, snickered some more when he was done. “Did you not get the message? A call for a repeat then?”

“Are you out of your mind?! If you intended not to tell, just—”

Hands on his broke his U-turn. In his mind he could only curse the goddamn flower pot that had only been nothing but in his way today.

“Choi Seungcheol.” Seungcheol did anything for them not to match eyes, yet Jeonghan found a way to anyway. In any other occasions this lack of space between their faces wouldn’t be able to get a reaction out of him, but it did today—such as him his lips between his teeth for starters. “Come to your sense already, it’s yourself you’ve been jealous of.”

…What?

“Feeling stupid now?”

When it finally dawned upon him, splutter he did. “Then c-couldn’t you be quicker in declaring? Do you realize how much distress those articles with such ambiguous words the media’s so viciously put out have caused me?”

“Isn’t that why I came straight from my flight? Did this ridiculous suit not catch your eye at all?” Jeonghan made a vague motion to the suit, now creased and crumpled from his crouching. And Seungcheol had never felt more stupid, face and neck even hotter. “And I see you’d rather I apologize for what the media did. I mean, if that makes you happy I will. Oh and distress? Someone’s using big words now that he might get a chance with a tycoon.”

Seungcheol knew the other male was actually teasing him and no real feelings hurt. It was good then. All was good. “Keundae, why now, Han?”

“Hmm?” Jeonghan blinked his beautiful doe eyes in response and it took all of Seungcheol not to kiss the daylights out of him, only because he needed answers and might not find a more suitable time to ask.

“After all these years,” he started by gently taking the other’s hand into his. “If only you hadn’t come back, if only you’d stayed there thinking I was dead for the rest of your life, this could’ve played out differently, ended prettily. All could’ve been fine-”

“Define ‘ended prettily’,” countered Jeonghan, which made Seungcheol miss a beat in his speech.

“…To assume the reason was all me and nothing else would be too bold of me, wouldn’t it?”

“And you aren’t wrong about that.”

“...Then?”

“Granny isn’t getting any better…so is Mom,” Jeonghan didn’t look away but he wasn’t looking at him either. Kinda like somewhere far away. “So when Dad said she’d rather be buried in the ground she was born, I couldn’t find any objections. Am glad I didn’t.”

“Another thing I don’t get is,” continued Seungcheol when it came to him. “Why does it seem like it’s only now they’re giving it to you? Do they usually wait until their heir reaches thirties or something to be able to trust them with the business?”

Jeonghan worried his lower lips between his teeth. “I never told you this, but it’s actually a punishment.”

“A what?” His raised voice seemed to give the younger a grimace. “Sorry I- whose? What for?”

“My parents’, for…you know.”

“For attempting to kill me?” he finished for him. Jeonghan nodded with difficulty. “I don’t get it, how does that have anything…”

“Grandpa once mentioned in passing, something like, since they destroyed the life of someone else’s son, their own wouldn’t have it easy unless they owned up to it,” replied Jeonghan. “The way I see it? The fact that Grandpa didn’t strip Dad of the CEO position was very generous of him. A bit hypocritical too.”

“So that’s why you were trying so hard, at academics I mean,” Seungcheol just noticed the younger glaring at him after he finished. “Don’t look at me like that, we all know chaebols usually don’t have to try so hard in life.”

Jeonghan made a face of disbelief. “Can’t believe you can say something so judgmental even after knowing at least three of us. I acknowledge you’ve had one of the worst struggles, but that doesn’t mean it gives you the right to disregard others’.”

The real alarming thing for Seungcheol was that the younger was trying to snatch his hand away if it weren’t for his firm grip. “All right, that was mean and wrong of me to say. I won’t do it again. Don’t be mad, please.”

“If only those words a