y’all i wrote this as soon as i came back from college. make sure to avoid everything. lol.

“Does it hurt?” Jongin replies with a shake of his head. His face, though, is red, and his eyes teary. Sehun keeps that to himself, for some time only. “You know,” he begins, dabbing the ointment on the underside of Jongin’s right thigh. “There’s no shame in admitting pain.”

“Papa always says that to me, too.” Jin nods enthusiastically. “But Papa himself doesn’t act on it.”

Sehun hums. “That’s what adults always do.”

“Will I be like that, too?”

“Maybe yes, maybe no. That depends.” Sehun asks Jongin if he would be okay if he applied the ointment on his lower back. Jongin blushes in response, and asks if Jin could do it instead. “Sure,” Sehun replies with a shrug of his shoulders. “Jin come here,” he calls, asking Jongin to turn around so that his back is toward them. “Take this and you will see red marks over Papa’s back, you just have to apply this there.”

Jin nods, ever the attentive and diligent child that he is, and stands beside Sehun. “Why don’t you do this one, too, uncle?”

Sehun clears his throat and avoids looking at the ample amount of skin displayed in front of him. “Only sons are allowed to do so.”

Jin nods, a little distracted now that his father asks him to be careful with the wounds. “Does these hurt, Papa?”

“They do,” Jongin replies, and avoids looking into anyone eyes even though he has turned to look into their direction. “Not that much, though,” he adds after a good minute of silence from both of them.

“Ah, Papa, you need to be careful while using stairs.”

When Jin had woken up a few hours ago and asked Jongin why he was on TV, Sehun had come with a very bad explanation of how his father was clumsy in the evening and fell off the stairs. Since it was a party held by a rich man, the media decided to record that news too because they had nothing else to do (“media never has something to do,” Sehun had misguided Jin). Thus Jin teaching his father how to use stairs. It was only amusing to Jongin (and Sehun) when his son actually held his hand and asked him to follow him down the stairs of Sehun’s mansion before walking up again.

Jongin has already lost count of how many times his son has reprimanded him for using stairs without ‘caution’.

“There are so many red here.” Jin gasps, his tiny chubby hand tracing the of his father. Jongin flinches from the touch. First, because it is actually painful to the touch, and second, because his son’s hand is too cold on his warm skin. “Sorry, Papa.” Jin apologizes, climbing up the couch to kiss the back of his father’s head. “I’ll be careful from now.”

Sehun, very subtly, steals a glance and almost gasps himself. Although he zips his mouth shut at the last moment, and hopes Jongin won’t hear the roaring in his mind. The man, Mr. Lee, probably had pinned Jongin to the sinks in bruising force, if the bruises and redness over the lower back of Jongin is anything to go by.

“Are there more—Jongin, would you please…” he stops and motions with his hand how he wants Jongin to pull down his, well, pants a little.

“No, that’s okay.” Jongin shakes his head and turns around to them when his son is done with applying the medicine. “I will have it applied it sometime else--or they can heal on their own.”

“You need to apply salve on every little cuts of yours, and there are more down there than anywhere else.” Sehun frowns, although gets from where Jongin’s hesitation is coming from.

That would be too intimate; especially in his presence, it’s obvious enough why Jongin is uncomfortable. Sehun is neither his boyfriend nor his husband to begin with, so showing so much skin would not only make Jongin uncomfortable, but would turn the air awkward between them, too.

Sehun sighs and sits cross-legged on the floor. “As you say—apply it by yourself, don’t forget doing such thing.”

There’s a knock on the door, just when Jin climbs over Sehun’s lap and asks him if he could give him his phone so that he could play a new game. Jongin hushes Jin and pulls him off the elder’s lap; reprimanding Jin about the manners. He apologizes to Sehun, Sehun waves off his apology before pulling Jin back in his lap.

“What is it?” Sehun asks, grabbing his tablet from the nearby table before placing the big device in Jin’s small hands. The child looks at him as to check if Sehun was joking with him. “It’s a tablet; you can play games in it, too.”

“This is too big.” The boy whines, placing the tablet back in Sehun’s hand before getting up to sit next to his father instead. “Uncle is a cheater.” He declares, much to the amusement of the adults.

“Master Oh, can I come in?”

“Yes, please.”

A man opens the door and walks inside, bowing to them as soon as he gets a sight of them. “Mr. Kim is here, Master Oh. May I send him here?”

“Sure, he is my friend, Kang. You don’t need to ask about it.” Sehun waves the man off with a careless flick of his hand. “Please send him in.”

The man leaves after another deep bow.

“Mr. Kim—Junmyeon hyung?”

Sehun nods, showing Jin his tablet after opening Apple Store. “He wanted to meet you after what happened yesterday.”

Jongin gives a silent reply and nervously fiddles with his fingers on his lap. It’s no secret to Sehun that Jongin and Junmyeon haven’t exactly interacted (at least in front of him) after the rumours about them circulated all around the country. But the distanced look in Jongin’s eyes and the nervousness and unwillingness that suddenly come in Jongin’s posture at the prospect of meeting Junmyeon intrigues Sehun, beyond any words could describe. He wonders if he’s missing out on something.

What if Junmyeon and Jongin were contacting all along? What if they thought telling him about them would be unnecessary? What if there’s actually something going on between them? Maybe they realized their feelings after getting in a controversy together. Maybe Jongin realized that Junmyeon, after all, is a good guy. Not to mention how many times Junmyeon has apologized to Jongin for something he isn’t responsible for, how many times Junmyeon has proved Jongin that he has been blessed with good breeding. Not like Sehun has any doubt about that. Junmyeon is one of a kind.

Despite denying it himself, Sehun can’t say that no one would fall for someone like Junmyeon.

So he fixes his gaze on Jongin’s face, doesn’t dare to move his eyes from the younger’s face in fear of missing out on expression or vulnerability that Jongin may show. Jongin, much to his surprise, doesn’t give out much. It’s almost like he’s good at hiding his feelings.

He internally snorts. Of course, if he didn’t have such talent (Sehun would call it talent keeping in mind it's not exactly easy to keep your feelings to yourself), he wouldn’t have survived until now. The time he spent with Jongin in the past, is spending with him, tells him nothing but that Jongin is a tough nut to crack. He feels everything, goes through pain and misery of living and standing on his own for his son, but in fear of something, doesn’t allow anyone to see through him.

Maybe he’s scared of being used, tossed and thrown around. Maybe he’s just one of those people who are too afraid to show anyone their vulnerable side.

He sighs to himself before looking up when the door of the bedroom opens revealing Junmyeon. The man is in casuals; Sehun rolls his eyes, is there any moment where this guy cannot look bad?

“Jongin,” Junmyeon greets, breaths, before clearing his throat to look at Sehun. “Sehun.”

“Hey,” Sehun waves, allowing Jin to run into Junmyeon’s arms. From what he has watched in dramas and movies, the kids are the first step to someone’s heart. Since Jongin has a kid of his own, and he has taken a liking to him, maybe he could use it to get close to Jongin. But then again, it’s not like Jin isn’t fond of Junmyeon.

He groans. Kids these days, why they can’t chose only one—

“Papa is hurt!” Jin shouts, almost screams, pointing to his father as if Junmyeon’s eyes weren’t fixed on Jongin all along. “He has got these big marks on his back. Papa is hurt.”

When Jongin had first showed his son the bruises on his lower back, the proof of being held and pushed roughly last evening against the sink, his son had burst into a fit of fat tears. The current sight of his son’s lips wobbling while he points to Jongin is enough of alarm for Jongin to know that if he didn’t reassure his son, he may end up crying again.

He gets up from the couch, walks past Sehun (and doesn’t notice Sehun’s eyes fixed solely on him), and stands in front of Junmyeon. Without looking into the man’s eyes, he points to his son, saying how if he didn’t give him a hug, he may end up crying. Junmyeon gingerly places the boy in Jongin’s arms. Jongin whispers a small thanks and walks back to the couch, cooing in his son’s ear and reassuring him that he’s fine and nothing hurts.

Sehun clears his throat when his eyes meet with Junmyeon, and they both realize that they were staring at Jongin for too long. “We are going to the station this evening. They need Jongin’s statement.”

Junmyeon hums, distracted by something. “You shouldn’t have left him alone.”

Sehun clenches his jaw in irritation. Since last night, when he explained Junmyeon about the whole matter, the man has been pointing out the same thing. It’s not like he doesn’t think the same, he shouldn’t have left Jongin alone between wolves, but then again, Jongin isn’t exactly a kid of five who couldn’t look after himself. Junmyeon and he had gotten into an argument on the call last night, and he had hoped that his friend won’t repeat the same thing again.

Then again, Junmyeon has always been unpredictable.

“You don’t need to point that out, again.”

Junmyeon sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Sehun, you need to take responsibility. Jongin was new between the crowd, he didn’t know anyone and you were with him. That, my friend, means Jongin was your responsibility.”

Sehun hates responsibilities. “Shut up,” he groans, but no one hears it. “I can’t exactly bring him to people who I know are nothing but at heart.”

“Really,” Junmyeon begins. “As if Jung wasn’t a —”

Jongin tune the men out, and decides to cover his son’s ears when he thinks that no one between them look like shutting up anytime soon. This is exactly the same reason why he doesn’t like talking with any other adult in the presence of his five-year-old.

“What are they talking about, Papa?” His son asks, teary eyed. Jongin answers they are just talking about business matters. When his son asks why they are repeating the word “”, Jongin decides to step between their conversation. Although by now, they look like they are arguing and are on a verge of breaking each other’s jaws.

“Can you two please... argue somewhere else?”

Sehun answers with a huff and Junmyeon smiles in embarrassment. “I am sorry,” Junmyeon apologizes.

Sehun, seeing Junmyeon apologize and the change in Jongin’s expression, clears his throat and apologizes, too. “I am sorry. Junmyeon just likes to prove himself as the one who knows everything.”

Only his apology doesn’t grab attention of either men; if anything, his eyes catch the look the men share with each other. When the absolute silence inside the room starts getting on his nerve, he clears his throat and brings them back to reality.

“I want to talk to Jongin,” Junmyeon says, looking straight into Sehun’s eyes. “Could you please bring Jin along with you and leave us for some moments?”

Sehun looks at Jongin as if he wants to hear what the other has to say. Jongin avoids his gaze and nervously fiddles with his fingers, like before. For a reason or two, Sehun thinks there’s actually something going between the two.

Not in the mood to confuse himself more than he already is, he calls Jin and with a silent nod passed to the two men, grabs his phone and tablet and walks out of the room. He does not close the door behind them.

By the time they reach downstairs, his cook informs him that the breakfast is ready and asks if they want to eat now. Sehun shrugs and then asks her to give Jin breakfast for now, and that they will eat some time later. She bows and walks away to, probably, the kitchen.

“Why Papa and uncle are there, Uncle?”

“I don’t know.” Sehun shrugs.

“What they are doing, Uncle?”

“I don’t know.”

“What they are talking about—”

“I honestly don’t know.” Sehun almost snaps in irritation. When the silence between the child and him stretches for a beat longer than he thought it would, he looks down into the boy’s eyes, getting a little alarmed at the tears shining in black orbs. it. “I am sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Can I play game on your phone?”

Of course, emotional torture. He rolls his eyes, but makes sure that the kid doesn’t see it, before grabbing his phone from where he had put it on the table earlier. “Here, download whatever you like.”

The kid, now happy, places a wet kiss on his cheek before asking Sehun to unlock the phone. Sehun does, wondering all along how kids these are too smart to over smart. He wipes the wet part of his cheek with the back of his hand, cringing internally when spit clings to his skin like a part of his body. Ugh, kids.

“I always do that to Papa, but he never does that.” Jin points out; apparently he witnesses Sehun wiping his hand on the couch. There’s a flicker of disappointment in the boy’s eyes and expression almost sad, but they disappear soon. He goes on his father, Sehun thinks, watching as a smile slowly takes place over the child’s lips.

“I am sorry,” he says carefully, “I didn’t mean to.”

The boy sighs before shaking his head. He passes the phone back to Sehun, seemingly too disheartened to play on his phone now. “I don’t want to play,” he says when Sehun asks him why he returned the phone. He simply looks down at his lap after making sure his father isn’t coming down to him.

Here goes Sehun’s plan. Sure, huh, he doesn’t take a second breath before ing up his own chance with someone. Way to a parent’s heart. Kids.

He runs a hand through his hair when silence overtakes them. It’s not until his cook comes back with a plate of breakfast that he nudges Jin and asks him to eat it. The boy says he isn’t hungry right now. Sehun asks him if he would be hungry when his father would come down eventually to have breakfast, the kid replies with a quick nod. He sighs and apologizes to the old lady before asking her to bring the breakfast back in the kitchen. Well, he can’t exactly force a kid to eat something, especially when they recently had a ‘fight’, if he could call that a fight, that is.

“You know,” he begins when he’s sure he would end up bursting a vein or two of his neck with the silence around them. “You can kiss me whenever you like. I kinda miss your cute, little lips on my cheek.”

The boy looks up, surprised.

Sehun points to the same cheek Jin had kissed some time ago. “Kiss, that reminds me of my little niece that I see rarely. Wouldn’t you help me--” Sehun stops at the first press of a sweet kiss on his cheek. He smiles genuinely, pinching the boy’s chubby cheeks when he bursts into a fit of giggles. “You’re really cute.”

“My Papa always tells me that!” The boy shoves Sehun’s hands away when he threatens to tickle him. Jin passes Sehun a puppy look; his wide, watery eyes and his cute pout remind Sehun of Jongin. “Don’t do that.”

Sehun raises an eyebrow before leaning a little in. Jin almost moulds his small, chubby body into the sofa, his small arms wrapped around his small waist; Sehun smiles at the adorable sight. The boy seriously resembles Jongin a lot. Just before he could get on with his tickling, his cook comes into his sight, almost scaring the absolute out of him.

“Master Oh, the breakfast is getting cold. If you’re done…” she stops before looking down.

Sehun nods, looking at the time. It’s eleven in the morning already. He clears his throat and stands up from the couch. “I’ll be back, yes?” He pokes Jin on his chubby cheek before asking him if he would like to watch cartoon. Jin replies with an enthusiastic nod. Sehun switches on the television with a smile, realizing that he, in fact, hasn’t watched anything for a very long time. Not that he gets time off from his busy life.

With a repeat of the promise to be back soon, he walks back to the bedroom, now wondering why Junmyeon and Jongin are taking so long. He was so much involved with the kid that he had almost forgotten about the two men... but now that their thoughts are back in his mind, and invading nearly every sense of his, the annoying feeling of something starts nagging at him, again. It’s almost smothering as if it’s clawing his heart to feel something before something happens that he most certainly won’t like.

The only thing is that he doesn’t know what that thing is. Or what would happen, for that matter.

So he keeps walking despite his body nearly screaming in alarm of something unpleasant that he may encounter within the next few minutes.

He, however, realizes his mistake of not following his instinct a beat or two late. Not until he comes across a sight he most certainly hadn’t been expecting to see anytime soon. Or ever.

There, in his bedroom, Jongin is bundled up in Junmyeon’s arms... and they are kissing. Sehun would’ve thought that they are just hugging, like Jongin and he did quite a few times, but they are not. He would’ve thought that Junmyeon is even forcing himself on Jongin if not for the sight of Jongin’s arms shyly wrapped around Junmyeon’s neck; his frame docile and small against Junmyeon’s. Junmyeon’s arms are wrapped around Jongin’s waist as if it’s where his arms belong, possessively and delicately.

Sehun hasn’t even grasped the scene in front of him before he encounters the sight of Junmyeon forcing Jongin against the wall, as if ready to mould the younger’s body to either his body or the wall. The man places one hand firmly on the wall as if trying to hold himself back from doing something, Jongin now carding his fingers through the elder’s thick, black locks.

It’s not until Jongin whines into Junmyeon’s mouth that he turns around and walks away from there. He doesn’t realize how blurry his eyes are until he stumbles on the stairs and nearly falls off it; it’s only his luck that one of his servants catch him with a firm hold around his arm.

“Master Oh, are you alright?” He hears but he’s too stunned to reply to anything as he fast walks toward the bathroom.

Upon reaching one, he locks the door behind him and even before sparing his reflection a glance (nevermind, he wouldn’t see anything except his own grotesque face with how blurry his eyes all of a sudden are), turns on the faucet and splashes the cold water on his face. He doesn’t know why his face is still warm, despite splashing the cold water for almost one whole minute; the water is cold and he most certainly isn’t crying. Or is he?

He turns off the faucet and tries to tune out the insistent thoughts nagging in his brain, all at once. It doesn’t work though. So he gulps the sudden bile rising in his throat before finally daring to look at his reflection in the mirror—which still isn’t clear. Thinking that his eyes are playing games on him, because why would he look like he had been hit by a freight train, he quickly cards his fingers through his messy locks. It only annoys him further though with how much he’s shaking to his bones.

It’s not until he finally dares to close his eyes, and hence allows another tear to roll down his cheek, that he realizes whatever he saw earlier was real. But the answer of why it's affecting him so much is unclear to him. It’s not like he has any feeling for Junmyeon—God, he would rather die than think of Junmyeon in that way. So it leaves only Jongin.

He gulps the rising bile in his throat, fails at it, and before he knows, he is already on the floor, eyes shut tight as if he wants to block everything around him. Which, again, doesn’t work. He presses the heels of his palms on his eyes, a futile attempt at stopping the overflowing tears; leans against the wall but doesn’t stop crying.

He was right after all, he solemnly thinks to himself, there’s something going on between these two. Because if not then why they would... kiss? He should’ve listened to Junmyeon, should’ve thought that Junmyeon was serious about Jongin. Why did he take his friend’s words for granted? God, what an idiot!

It's not until he removes his hands from his face that he silently wonders to himself why is he even crying in the first place. It’s not like Jongin was his to begin with. It’s not like Jongin is cheating behind his back with his friend. It’s definitely isn’t because he feels something for Jongin either. Or does he?

Although his heart demands him complete solitude, he still appreciates the knock on the door of the bathroom a few minutes into his pondering about his feelings for Jongin. He asks who it is, and hopes the person on the other side won’t notice the crack in his voice. Junmyeon answers its him. “What is it?” He asks, slightly bitter at the knowledge that it’s his friend on the other side.

“Your servant told me you are here for the past half an hour--are you okay, Sehun?”

Easy for you to ask. Sehun scoffs before rolling his eyes. “I am fine, just taking a leak,” he answers when the silence between them stretches for too long.

“Taking a leak for the last thirty minutes. Are you sure you’re okay?” Junmyeon asks, concerned.

The thing about Junmyeon is that he, most of the times, is oblivious of a lot of things. Either he’s oblivious or a complete idiot. Sehun would bet on the first one, it slightly makes him feel a little better.

“No, I am fine really. What is it, though?”

“Um, breakfast.” There’s a little shuffling on the other side. “Are you done? Would you come out now?”

Despite knowing better, Sehun still asks about Jongin. “Where is he? I haven’t heard from him since I left you two alone in my bedroom.” The question is asked mostly to know whereabouts the younger, but also because he wants to hear what Junmyeon would answer now that Jongin is the focal point between them.

Junmyeon clears his throat with a loud “ah” before humming a little. “He is with his son; in your living room.”

Sehun snorts. I am glad to know you at least remember you’re at my place; just in case you decide to do something. “I am coming. You guys start.”

“Are you sure? We can wait.”

“No, go on. I will take some time.”

Junmyeon replies a loud “okay” before he walks away from there. Sehun knows the elder won’t start until he joins them.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair before finally getting on his feet. His steps falter a little when he walks to the sink, but nothing like he would end up falling on the floor like a sack of bones. He doesn’t know for how long he had been crying, when he stopped or the likes, but the tears on his face have dried by now. His eyes, though, they are still swollen and red.

With mind not really working, he doesn’t really know what to do with them so he leaves them be. After splashing the cold water on his face for the final time, he walks out of the bathroom and toward the living room. Jin’s loud adorable giggles fill up his ears. He avoids looking at any of the two adults when he asks them to follow him to the dining room. If they sense something, they don’t say.

When they are seated on the chairs and are having the breakfast, Sehun feels an unexplainable urge to smother Junmyeon, especially when he notices the silent interactions between his friend and Jongin. Jongin is almost the same, with him still being shy and reserved most of the time, but there’s still something about him, at this moment, that shoots a pang through his heart.

Jongin lips look more scrumptious to him now, if possible that is; reason could be Junmyeon and Junmyeon alone. Of course, Sehun wouldn’t speak anything about what he had witnessed, nor ask about their relationship, if they have any. He prefers to stay silent than go one with screaming and crying (if he started talking about anything about what he had seen, that is) coming their way.

“So you’re going to your company after this, right?” He asks when he’s done looking at them.

Junmyeon clears his throat after looking away from Jongin, his eyes wide as if worried about something. “I will,” Junmyeon replies with a small, curt nod.

Sehun hums and looks at the watch around his wrist. “You should get going then—if you do not want to be late then you already are.”

“Do I need to accompany you and Jongin to the station?”

“Do I look like a kid of five who needs a guardian—come on Junmyeon. Don’t be like this to me.” He rolls his eyes after his exaggerated response. “I can manage. Besides, I think since Jongin is comfortable with me, it would be better.” He looks at Jongin then, eyes sharp when Jongin avoids his gaze. “Are you comfortable with me Jongin? Or Junmyeon.”

There’s an absolute silence between them where Jongin looks like he would burst into tears soon if Sehun didn’t stop staring at him. When Sehun looks like he will not back off without an answer, he timidly speaks, “since you were there with me, hyung, I think going there with you would be better.”

Sehun internally scoffs. Of course, Jongin would avoid his question. What else he thought anyway?

“Your lips, Jongin,” he begins when he feels like playing with the sanity of Jongin and Junmyeon. “Are looking swollen. Don’t bite it too much; you’ll end up damaging the skin.”

Junmyeon chokes on the water he was drinking; Jongin simply blushes to his ears. Sehun feels another pang to his heart at the sight of Jongin blushing and squirming in his chair.

Getting ready when he’s distracted by something is one of the most difficult tasks of Sehun’s life, especially with the knowledge that his distraction is oblivious to everything he’s going through. He buttons up his shirt, but decides against the suit jacket for some reason or two before giving himself a final look in the mirror. After making sure that he has his wallet and phones with him, he walks out of the bedroom, calling Jongin and the child to follow him to the car.

For some reason, he feels like a man of a family of three; taking responsibility of dropping Jin at their apartment so that Jongin and he could go to the station to record Jongin’s statement. They don’t talk much in his car; even Jin stays silent in the backseat while he silently goes on with his Candy Crush game, occasionally telling Jongin about his scores. Jongin smiles in return, a little distracted. The problem is: Sehun knows why he’s distracted and he almost hates himself for even witnessing such thing in the first place.

It isn’t even about the ‘privacy’, but his sanity and peace that he thinks he has already lost in the silence between Jongin and him.

After dropping Jin at Jongin’s neighbour’s apartment, Sehun starts driving the car toward the station.

Jongin is the first one to break the silence between them. “You’re awfully quiet, hyung.”

Sehun doesn’t answer for the first few moments, stubbornly staring ahead. “I prefer to stay silent when I am driving.”

Jongin shakes his head and slightly turns to look at him. Sehun avoids his gaze before clenching his jaw in irritation. “No, you have been for a really long time. Since…” he stops and bites his lower lip.

Sehun takes it on himself in hopes of Jongin blurting out everything that happened between Junmyeon and him. “Since what?” If anything, he needs an explanation. “What is it?”

Jongin is silent for a few seconds before he opens his mouth to answer. “Since Junmyeon hyung arrived at your place.”

“I don’t know then who talked to him all the while I was in the room.”

Jongin is silent again. “You’re hiding something from him.” Sehun almost scoffs in return. The audacity of the younger. Jongin flails his arms a little when Sehun does not bother with a reply. “What is bothering you exactly?”

“A lot of things actually,” he answers when he’s sure he can no more handle the overbearing silence between them. “One being how Junmyeon and you have come close to each other. In such short time, at that.”

Jongin is silent again and he stays silent until they reach the station. “We are not close,” Jongin says at last. Sehun thinks it’s a lie.

The case is assigned to Mr. Do; an officer known for his willingness to jump into dangerous territories to make sure justice is given to the victim. A dutiful man who Sehun has learned to respect. It’s not until he introduces Mr. Do to Jongin that he realizes why the younger is so stiff all of a sudden. Sure thing, Jongin and the officer share the same surname. It doesn’t take a genius to understand that Jongin’s last name probably comes from his late husband’s, which in turn probably would remind Jongin of his dead husband. Sehun almost feels bad for the younger. It’s not like Jongin could ask for some other officer until the case is closed, which hopefully will be soon.

“Now that we are done talking about everything else,” the officer begins, “I think I would want to hear what you have to say, Mr. Do.” When Jongin remains silent, the officer passes a glance to Sehun, who only gives a shrug in return. “Would you like to tell me anything? Anything that you remember. Although the case is strong,” the officer writes something on a register before looking up at Jongin. “Your statement would only—I am sorry, I didn't quite catch what you said.”

“I want to take the case back.” Jongin repeats, avoiding eye contact with either of the men.

There’s stunned silence between the three, until Sehun dares to open his mouth, confused as ever. “What are you even saying?” He asks, dumbfounded. Jongin repeats what he said earlier. “What is wrong with you Jongin?” He almost hisses. “It’s just a statement that you have to give. You cannot let that man go away just like that.”

“I don’t care,” Jongin says. “I-I don’t want to file case against anyone.”

“What--why do you not want that?” Sehun asks, shouts. The officer asks him to calm down in a serious soft tone.

The Officer looks at Jongin then, posture relaxed and voice reassuring. “Mr. Do, is there something that you want to share with us? Are you afraid of something? Is someone—”

“I just don’t want to file a case. Is it that hard to understand?” Jongin stands up, his frame shaking for some reason unknown to the two men. “I am leaving.” With that being announced, he quickly walks out of the station.

“I don’t understand what just happened.” Sehun runs a hand through his hair, taken aback at what just happened. “I mean he was alright ever since I told him about giving a statement and this, just all of a sudden. I don’t know what he is doing.”

“He is scared, Oh,” the Officer hums. “Look, no one wants to involve themselves in police matters. If you won’t mind, I would say something else too.” Sehun nods his head in approval, turning once to see if Jongin is waiting for him at the door. He isn’t. “Like you told me about him—all that he isn’t really from a very rich background and stuff—I think people of such background try to ignore rich people just as much. He is doing the same. He doesn’t want to involve him in something in which he might end up with nothing in the end.”

“But you’ll make sure that he does get what he deserves.” Sehun stops and runs a hand through his hair. “I need that behind the bars.”

The Officer nods in approbation. “I will make sure about that, but we need his statement. Whatever he remembers, anything. We just want something from his mouth.” The Officer passes him a look. “Look Oh, you’ll need to talk to him about this. Maybe he’s just worried. After all, Lee would come after him in rage not to you, and since you told me he has a son, he most probably wants to avoid all this in fear of his son being hurt.”

Sehun nods in understanding. “I don’t know what to talk to him or how to talk to him.” He shrugs. “Things are... on edge.”

“Things are on edge or you two?” The Officer asks, teases. Sehun replies with a roll of his eyes.

“Whatever you think.” He gets up quickly, passes a smile to the man before walking out of the station. Ugh, Sehun thinks to himself, Jongin always makes things complicated.

After spotting Jongin near his car, the younger sulking to himself, he fast walks to his car. “Come with me at my place, yeah?” He says as soon as he reaches there; he makes sure to avoid the younger’s gaze. “We need to talk about things.”

Jongin gives a nod in return and follows him inside. The car ride, as expected, is as silent as ever.

“You’re scared,” he begins when they are standing in the balcony of his bedroom. When Jongin doesn’t say anything in return, he opens his mouth again. He makes sure to keep his voice as gentle as possible even though he feels the need to reprimand Jongin for what he did earlier or, maybe, shout a little at him for wasting his time. “About what, I don’t know. But what I do know is that you’re scared of something. You didn’t say anything when I told you this morning about the case; you didn’t say anything till we actually went to the station—”

“I don’t feel the need to,” Jongin cuts him off, sounding afraid and worried.

Sehun stays silent for a reasonable amount of time before clearing his throat. “Why do you not feel the need to give him what he deserves for what he was about to do you?” He decides to go the same way as Jongin.

“I—” Jongin stops as if finding reasons to justify his earlier behaviour. “I don’t want to involve myself with such man. I know they won’t leave me. My son, he is barely six and what if they tried to harm in anger? What would I do then? I haven’t even told anything to my family and they have been calling me ever since this morning.” Jongin fiddles with his fingers and steps a little away from Sehun when the elder groans at his response.

“You do know, right, what he wanted to do to you?” Taking Jongin’s silence as a sign to continue, he clears his throat. “It was your luck and basically nothing else. The music was loud, there was heavy crowd and I was busy talking with someone of importance. I wouldn’t have paid mind if I hadn’t noticed your sudden absence from there. God, I would’ve thought that you were in the washroom and left it that if that bartender dude hadn’t told me that you were suddenly acting strange.”

“After that, since there was no sound coming from the washroom, I would have left that there, too. It was only pure luck that I heard your cry.” He stops for a few seconds. “Now, think what would’ve happened if I hadn’t reached there on time.” When Jongin still doesn’t say anything, he begins again, “I wouldn’t have known anything. I wouldn’t have known until the end of the party.”

“He could’ve... you and I wouldn’t have known! Do you really think a man who could harm anyone—ually at that—should be left just like that? Maybe you are okay now, but what would happen to someone who—”

“I am afraid, okay,” Jongin admits. “It’s just,” he sighs and takes a few deep breaths, his tears shine when he looks at Sehun. “I have no one here. H-he is powerful; he can do anything to me, to my son. There would be no one to help me. You know how this works, don’t you? Just because you’re rich and get everything on your demand does not mean I would do. I am not like you, I am different. Heck, I don’t even have someone to stand beside me. Someone—”

“What about me?” He asks and points to himself. “Have you forgotten about me completely?”

“W-what do you mean?” Jongin asks, choking the words between the small sobs he has been giving ever since he stopped Sehun.

Sehun sighs and steps a little ahead, almost hovering over Jongin’s suddenly small frame. “What do you think of me as, huh? I have been following you like a ing dog and you say that you have no one with you. God, I have never given so much attention to anyone in my entire life as much as—” He stops and bites back a scream at the tears stained face of the younger. He runs a distressed hand through his hair. The memory of Jongin and Junmyeon kissing in his bedroom is still there, it’s nagging at him to do something about it, and here Jongin is, suddenly acting and behaving self conscious and worried about something that Sehun does not believe is a concern in the first place.

“The two months that we’ve spent together, have you never thought of me as something to you? I bring you here and there; I ing brought you to the party even though I could’ve denied Mr. Jung’s invite. I ing brought you to the station as if I was your lover and here you are! Even though you could go on your own, I still bring you to your home as if I were your driver and so much more! Still nothing. If I could do so much, is it so ing difficult to understand that I am here for you? If I wanted to leave you on your own, I wouldn’t have brought you to the station. I could’ve taken back the case. I filed the case even before you could do anything just for your sake and just because you could be given justice. I have been running here and there for you when we are basically nothing other than employer and employee and here you are!”

“What are you to me anyway, huh? What am I to you? We—no one could explain this thing between us, even then I ing do everything like a dog for you and all you do is—”

“I am sorry,” Jongin apologizes and cries. “Hyung, I am just afraid.”

Sehun clenches his jaw in irritation. “Afraid, huh.” He steps a little back before throwing his phone in anger somewhere in the balcony. He knows he would struggle to find it tomorrow morning. He does not want to shout and scream at the younger, but that’s exactly what he wants to do; whether it’s because of the reason that Jongin had left the station before explaining anything or because of the kiss that will probably haunt him for the rest of his life, he does feel the anger suddenly bubbling inside of him. He has been on edge ever since he caught sight of Junmyeon and Jongin going down and dirty, and he has to bite his lip when his mouth starts forming the question about why they were kissing in the first place.

For how long they have been like this? Are they actually together? Are they hiding something from him—maybe they are dating behind his back. Maybe he was dumb enough to not see it coming. Why was he dumb enough to notice it? But the most important of all: why is it bothering him?

“We will go to the station tomorrow morning, too. I hope you’ll be ready by then.”

The silence after that is overbearing and it’s broken by the shrill ringtone of Jongin’s phone. Sehun almost asks Jongin to change his ringtone, well, until he sees the caller. Junmyeon hyung, the two words mock him to no end. Jongin passes him a wide-eyed look when he catches Sehun eyeing his phone in anger before pushing his phone back in his pants. When Jongin, even after a whole minute, does not say anything, he takes it as a cue to leave the younger alone.

“I am going to sleep,” he says and walks out of the balcony; his face unusually red and eyes blurred from the sudden tears.

(When Sehun wakes up somewhere in the middle of the night, the first thought that comes into his mind is Jongin. With hazy mind and bleary eyes, he stumbles around the room before finally deciding to check in the balcony for the younger. Much to his confusion, he finds Jongin sleeping curled in a corner of the balcony; the younger’s frame shivering in the cold temperature.

Now sleep long forgotten, he gingerly steps ahead and makes sure to make minimal sounds before he kneels in front of Jongin. After brushing aside the fringes falling over Jongin’s closed eyes, he makes sure the younger is actually sleeping before placing a hand below the younger’s knees and the other one below his head before carrying him in his arms to his bedroom. Confusion still on peak as to why Jongin had been sleeping in the balcony, he places the man under the duvet.

He stares at Jongin’s face for a few moments—not like anything is visible with how the whole room is shrouded in darkness—before sighing and falling on the other side of the bed like a sack of bones. He makes sure to dive under the duvet before finally falling into a deep slumber.)