Screams echo throughout the room as his arm burns. Sovereign finds the most delicate, sensitive spots to cut; Finding the places that make Sehun scream the loudest. Tao only stops when he no longer makes any noises. It lasts hours. Hours of pure torture. He tries to think of someone or something to help him make it. Someone to calm his mind. His mind goes blank.

His throat burns as he screams. He screams...and screams. And he screams.

“Sehun? Sehun!” Kai’s voice tears Sehun from his own memories, causing him to look from his burger. 

“W-what?”

“Are you alright? You got distant there.” He says. “You haven’t touched your food, even though your stomach has been growling like crazy since you woke up.”

Sehun sighs and sits upright. “I’m sorry. I don’t...I don’t know.”

“You’re thinking about your time with Tao, aren’t you?” When he nods, Kai looks a bit pained. “Ah.”

“It’s okay,” Sehun forces a smile before taking his burger and finally taking a bite. It’s a bit cold now but he eats it anyway.

“Is it cold?”

“It’s alright.”

“I can get it reheated or remade.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Are you are least thirsty-”

“Kai,” Sehun sets his burger down and sighs. “I know you’re worried and it’s nice, really. I just...I want to forget about it, okay?” He rubs his chest subconsciously. Kai stares at him for a moment before sliding out of his booth and scooting in beside him. He gently pushes Sehun’s hand away and lifts his shirt up, examining his wounded chest. Sehun shivers as the leader runs his fingers softly over Sehun’s bandaged stomach and chest.

“Does it hurt?”

“Yeah, it does,” Sehun admits. Kai seems to frown at a long scar running down Sehun’s abdomen. “That’s...unrelated.”

“What’s it from?” the boss asks, pulling the boy’s shirt down.

“My father,” Sehun finally says after a minute or two of silence. “It’s right after my mom and brother died. He got drunk, one night, worse than usual, and came at me with a knife. He cut me bad but it's how I learned to disarm someone.” He watches as Kai takes his arm and examines it.

“Piece of .” He mumbles, running a thumb around the burn wound, which causes Sehuna to cringe.

“They’re still...sensitive.”

“Sorry,” Kai mumbles and puts his arm down. He sighs before sitting back at his booth, rubbing the back of his neck. “. We should have gotten you quicker…”

Sehun smiles again. “It’s okay. It’s not your or Amber’s fault.”

“I don’t know what took her so damn long! How was it so hard-”

“He has a hacker in his gang,” Sehun interrupts, remembering something Tao had said; when pretending he was asleep. 

Kai looks at him with furrowed brows. “What?”

“I never met or saw him but Tao said his name was Luhan.”

“Luhan,” The boss repeats. “I don’t know him but...Amber might.”

Sehun stares at his now half-eaten burger and sighs. His stomach hates this. He flags down a waitress, forcing a smile. “Can I get a chocolate milkshake, please?”

“Sure, hon.” The woman says before walking off.

“Are you okay?” Kai asks for the hundredth time since they left the hospital. 

“For a tough, scary gang leader, you sure worry a lot.”

“What? About what?!”

“Me,” Sehun responds. He turns his body to face Kai and raises a brow. “Look, I’m gonna be honest. I seem to get...a little more attention than most of the other members.”

“You’re new,” he says. “I was the same with the others.”

“That’s funny,” Sehun taps the table with his index finger, using the other one to rest his cheek in. “Because D.O said you’ve never been like this with someone; not even with him,”

“I uh…”

“You also, apparently, don’t flirt with them or take them out on dates.”

“This...I mean, this isn’t a date,” Kai laughs nervously. 

“Isn’t it? “Sehun huffs. “Two people who like each other, alone at a restaurant. Sounds like a date to me.”

“What did you say?”

Sehun looks up. “W-what?”

“Two...people who like each other?” Kai smirks. Sehun curses and looks down at his smoothie. “Sehun, do you...like me?” The boy shakes his head and slides out of this booth and quickly walks out of the restaurant in a hurry. He notices Kai leaving the right amount of money as well and exits, ignoring the waitresses; chasing after . Sehun rubs his arms nervously as he walks faster. Kai runs up to him, stopping him. “Hey, wait!”

“Can we just, you know, ignore that I said?” He asks, stopping like he’s told.

“No.”

“Why not?!” He snaps. “I’m just a tired, stupid seventeen-year-old who is confused a-and…”

“You don’t seem at all confused.” Kai huffs. “Actually, you seem to know exactly what you’re doing most of the time. 

Sehun shifts around uncomfortably. “I don’t know what you-”

“You’re already trained with knives, you’re good at shooting guns,” he pauses, “Maybe just be a natural instinct thing. You can make a damn good, quick escape and you’re a quick thinker,” he grabs Sehun’s chin, forcing him to look the leader in the eyes. “You’re far from confused.” Sehun stares into his eyes, feeling almost hypnotized. Kai had different eyes than most people. They’re dark, sad, empty but familiar. Sehun has the same eyes; full of guilt and pain. “So let’s call it a date,” Kai finally says. He sighs, gentle as he lets go of Sehun. “So just...shut up and let me take you to the movies.”

“What? B-but-”

“When’s the last time you’ve been on a date?”

Sehun opens his mouth to say something but slowly closes it. He groans. “Never.”

“Cool, me neither,” Kai grabs Sehun’s hand. “Movie time it is.” He pulls Sehun along beside him, not seeming to care about any awkwardness. “What will it be? Romance? Action? Horror?”

“I usually like horror,” He admits.

“Horror?” Kai laughs. “Never would have pinned you for a thriller fan.”

“What do I seem like?” He asks. “Action?”

“Well...yes.”

Sehun glances down at his hand, tightly held in the leader’s. “Why?”

“Well,” Kai stops as soon as they reach the theater and shrugs. “You’re pretty good in a fight; like it’s in your very nature. I figured maybe you just saw one too many action movies,” He hums. “Well, there’s a couple of choices in horror, so we can just-”

“A-actually, I...I don’t want to see any horror. Let’s watch something...light-hearted.”

“Superhero movie it is.”

Sehun crosses his arms and pouts. “A superhero movie?! I’m not a child!”

“Oh, come on - every male teenager likes superheroes.”

“I’m not really a normal teen, you know.”

Kai ignores him ordering two tickets, as well as a large popcorn and two drinks. Sehun secretly adored Superhero films, actually. He always wanted to be the good guy in the film. Being able to help fight crime, help civilians in their time of need, or maybe fall in love. Not that falling in love is even an option right now. He glances at Kai and crosses his arms. No, not right now.

“Did you see the last part?!” Sehun enthuses. "Oh, man! The bad guy seemed like he was totally gonna win but the protagonist just got up and ripped him apart! With his bare hands.” He tosses his empty cup in the trash, along with his wrapper. “So awesome, right?” He looks over at Kai and blushes. He looks away and fiddles with the sleeves of his jacket. Not his jacket actually, the one Kai let him wear. “I-I mean...it...it was alright.”

Kai smiles at him, crossing his arms as well. “I'm supposed to walk you home, right?”

Sehun blushes again. “T-technically but I’ve been staying at the warehouse, s-so…”

“I can walk you to your home, just…” He shrugs. “Pick you up some spare clothes. Can’t wear my stuff forever.”

“Getting sick of some of your stuff smells like me?” Sehun jokes. 

Kai shakes his head. “Of course not, but I figured you’d want to wear your own clothes.” Sehun stares at him in confusion when the leader grabs his hand, beginning to walk down the street, toward his home.

“Y-you…” Sehun his lips nervously, unsure what to say. He looks down at their hands once again held together, butterflies fluttering around in his stomach. So far, he’s just thought Kai is hot but the idea of him being a gang leader pushed him away from any idea of anything romantic. Did Kai even think of it that way? Or is he just being nice because of what happened? Maybe he’s just doing all of this to make Sehun feel better. Maybe he even feels responsible. That makes Sehun retract his hand. Kai glances back but seems to leave it alone. 

Sehun and Kai talk about the movie as they walk; each scene, what it meant. Which characters they liked the most. Kai actually liked the villain. Sehun agrees when the boss makes the point of the antagonist’s sad, tragic backstory. 

It’s night when they reach Sehun’s block. Everything seems peaceful until they get closer. Red and blue lights flashes, lighting the neighborhood up. Sehun frowns when he sees the cop cars parked outside his house. The boy quickly pushes through the crowd of people until he reaches the front. “W-what happened?!” Sehun asks, ignoring a cop that tries to push him back.

“Sir, we need you to-

“I live here! What happened?!” Sehun stares at the door before pushing through the cops and quickly sliding into the doorway. He easily dodges the police officers, looking around once inside. He makes his way down the hall, towards all of the noise. When he reaches the kitchen, he freezes. His heart sinks, almost as if it’d stop. He shakes as he approaches, falling and reaching for his father. 

“D-dad?” His father is tied to a chair, bloody and gagged, with a bullet wound to the front of his head. His chest tightens as he grabs onto his father’s hand tightly. Tears start to fall as he begins to sob violently. “Dad!” Sehun gasps. “D-dad!” When a cop tries to grab Sehun’s shoulder to pull him back, he shrugs the man away. “L-leave me alone!”

“Son, we have to-”

“I said leave me alone!” Sehun screams. He presses his forehead to his father’s limp leg. It’s hard to breathe. He shuts his eyes tightly and shakes his head. It’s because of him, isn’t it? It was king or Sovereign. He was looking for Sehun and found him. Sehun opens his eyes, frowning when he notices something. When none of the cops are looking, he slowly brings his hand up, prying whatever it is out of his father’s hand. When he sees it, new anger burns inside him. His mother’s old locket. Inside, she always held her family. Sehun, his father, and his brother. His dad treated him like but it’s his dad. And he even held onto this, despite everything. He looks up at his father, staring at him. This was the last family he had left and it was taken from him. Sehun thought with his new confidence, maybe his father he could make up. Maybe have him accept Sehun.

Sehun slowly shakes his head as he stands. “We need you to wait outside,” An office says, patting Sehun’s shoulder. “Your mother and brother are waiting there.” He says nothing as he steps out of the house, clenching the necklace in his hands so tightly, it begins to dig into his palm. He glances back at the blood splattered on the hallway walls, ruining the peaceful wallpaper.

“Sehun!” Junmyeon calls out before running up and wrapping his arms around him. “Oh my god, you’re safe! W-where were you?!” 

“I-I…”

Kai takes a step forward, uncrossing his arms. “He was with me; I took him out to relax.”

Sehun’s step-mother comes over as well, not hesitating to wrap her arms around Sehun. It feels weird but nice. Comforting. He sniffs and buries his head in the crook of Junmyeon’s neck; despite the man being shorter than him. “D-dad, he…”

Junmyeon nods. “I know, I…” He sighs. “I was out with my mother when it happened. I heard about it and feared the worst.” When their mother pulls back, she smiles at him despite her red, puffy eyes. 

“Sehun, I want you to know that even though y-your father...your father died, I still consider you family and I will do my best to treat you as I do my own son,” She pets Sehun’s hair fondly before walking over to speak with an office. Sehun isn’t sure how he feels now. He feels happy, sad, scared...angry.

“It was King,” Junmyeon whispers to him. “Krystal told me she went to the hospital to bring you food and King’s men were there, leaving your room. I…” he sighs. “I got scared.”

“But they didn’t find me there, so they came here. And instead, they found...my father.”

His brother nods. “They tortured him for your location.”

Sehun takes a deep breath, holding the pendant to his chest; near his heart. “I never once told him where I was.” He wipes the tears from his eyes. “I want him dead.”

“Your father and you weren’t close but-”

“I want him dead!” Sehun repeats in a harsh whisper. He glances at Kai as he walks up to them. He had also been talking to a cop, talking about both of their whereabouts. “I want him dead, and I’ll do anything I can to help.”

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