It still catches Sehun off guard, even though he sees it coming. Kai’s fist making contact with his cheek hard for the third time, knocking him over in his chair. He winces as his shoulder makes contact with the hard, stone floor. He blinks a few times and looks up, watching as Kai slowly paces around him like a shark. He stops and stares down at Sehun with a dark yet unreadable and blank expression. After a few minutes, he finally turns away and leaves, locking the door firmly behind him. Sehun didn’t notice it before, but he can see shelves on each side of the hallway, littered with different tools. He doesn’t want to know what they are or used for.

Sehun cries a little at the intense pain now throbbing in his shoulder, cheek, and stomach. He rests his head on the floor in defeat, trying hard not to cry. He doesn’t look up when he hears more footsteps. 

"He doesn't believe you,"

Sehun looks up from the floor at Baekhyun and sniffs. His wrists and ankles hurt more now, thanks to Kai tightening them. While he keeps the tears at bay, memories from his past overwhelm him when he feels the stinging in his wrists. Familiar, raw, burning. It makes him shiver and begin to shake.

“My eye hurts like hell…”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun grimaces as he unlocks the door and steps in, dragging a chair with him and what looks like a first aid kit. “Kai can really throw a punch...or so I’ve seen. He’s never hit any of us.”

“No .”

Baekhyun pulls him back up with the chair, seemingly effortlessly. He takes his own chair and sets it beside him, sitting in it. After placing the first aid kit on his lap, he opens it and pulls out an ice pack. He smiles sadly as he places it on Sehun’s upper cheek. “Never thought I’d see my best friend down here. This bruise looks bad."

"It hurts really bad," Sehun admits.

"Kai's going to let you go tomorrow..."

"Oh yeah, great," Sehun mumbles. 

"It IS great, Sehun! you've been here for three days!"

"And what? He's letting me go from the kindness of his heart?"

"No," Baekhyun admits. "He thinks you have school."

“Wow,” Sehun mocks with false shock. Sehun and Baekhyun have the week off but Kai doesn’t. “A gang leader who cares about education!”

“It’s not that. He’s letting you go so it won’t seem as if you disappeared. The last thing EXO needs right now is some kid going missing and leading cops here.”

"EXO?"

"Our gang. That's what the symbol on the back of our jackets says."

Sehun stares at his friend as he grabs a rag and helps clean the blood off. “Baek, what the hell are you doing here? Why...why did you act so cold before?”

Baekhyun swallows hard, furrowing his brow as he keeps his eyes glued to his best friend’s wound. “I need the money, Sehun. While I’m here, my mom doesn’t have to do...what she did anymore.”

Sehun shifts around uncomfortably. “You never told me...what she did.”

“She used to be a , Sehun.”

Sehun raises his brows in surprise, not expecting to hear that. “A...a what?”

“A ,” Baekhyun repeats. “ I didn’t want her doing that to herself anymore, okay? Joining a gang...it got me the money I needed so she can afford a regular job. After seeing the grim expression on his friend’s face, he feels bad for asking.

“Well before-”

"I don't like talking against Kai, Sehun. He can be really scary."

"I can see that..."

“Look, I wouldn’t let him kill you, you gotta understand that,” He explains. “I know you can take a few punches.”

"Like when we were kids..."

Baekhyun smiles sadly, brushing Sehun’s bangs from his eyes. “Yeah, see? You only got a few bruises. But Kai just thinks you’re some stupid spy, so he’s having someone follow you.”

“What?” Sehun narrows his eyes. 

"He’ll probably get D.O to follow you since he’s Kai’s right-hand guy…” He sighs and looks at the door. “I shouldn’t be telling you this.”

"Why can’t you do it?"

"Well, Suho and I care about you too much."

"I just...met Junmyeon, why would he give a ?"

Baekhyun closes the box and stands up, pulling the chair away now. “You don’t know Suho like we do. You’re family to him now...he'd probably take a bullet for you.”

“He’s been shot before?!”

“In the shoulder. He took a bullet for Kai a few months ago. Boss wanted him to take a break to rest a bit. But Suho’s...he’s really tough and, well, caring. He’s kind of like...the mom of the group.”

Sehun laughs a little at that. “A mom?”

“Yeah, he takes care of us, you know?” Baekhyun drags the chair out before shutting the door and locking it. “Sehuna, I’ll take you out for some boba tea tomorrow. Consider it an apology, okay?” He smiles tightly before he heads upstairs. Sehun hangs his head and lets out a long, frustrated sigh. He’s going to have to buy him a lot more than stupid tea to make up for this.

“Those guys are a couple of savages,” Sehun complains as he rubs his wrists, watching as Kai and D.O drive off. “They didn’t need to-” he yelps when Junmyeon smacks the back of his head. “Ow, what the hell?!”

“You damn idiot!” Junmyeon snaps. “Why the hell did you follow me?! You could have been killed!”

“I’m sorry,” Sehun mumbles. “I...I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, well you’re damn lucky you’re my step-brother, because otherwise, Kai would have beat you to death!”

Sehun feels sick when he hears that, groaning. “He uh…he did that before?”

“He’s a ing gang leader, Sehun! What the hell do you think?!”

“Wow,” Baekhyun snickers. “Never thought I’d ever heard mom curse.”

“Baekhyun!” Junmyeon practically growls, causing the petite boy to raise his hands defensively.

“What? What? Why’re you so pissy?”

“Kai almost beat the out of my step-brother and YOUR best friend and you’re asking me why I’m pissed off?!”

“Hey, come on,” Sehun glances at the house. “Keep your voice down, what if my dad hears you?”

Junmyeon takes a deep breath as he calms himself down before patting his brother’s back. “You’re right, I'm sorry.”

Sehun groans and touches his swollen eye. “That guy’s punches really hurt.”

Baekhyun laughs and puts his hands on his hips. “I told you!”

“Yeah, too bad that guy’s hot as hell,” Sehun mutters causing Junmyeon to widen eyes.

“Excuse me?!”

Sehun looks at him in confusion and shrugs. “What? What’d I say?”

“Y-you-” Junmyeon stutters. “Don’t say that; he’s a gang leader!”

“Okay, sorry!” Sehun quickly apologized. “Sorry, but he kind of is. In a weird, scary, and intimidating way. “

“I’ll forget you ever said that,” Junmyeon mumbles as he begins to walk up the driveway and into the house. Sehun looks to Baekhyun, who just shrugs.

“You should probably tell your dad you’re fine before he has a fit.”

“He doesn’t give a ,” Sehun scoffs. After saying goodbye to his friend, he walks inside as well but stops. He stares at his reflection in the window, staring at his black eye; his cheek and eye bruised and obvious. He sighs. He looks like hell. Sehun takes a deep breath and braced himself for a storm of cursed and questions as he opens the door. 

Sehun peeks in first, only going in when he thinks the coast is clear. But his peace is ruined by the sound of his father’s loud voice and footsteps stomping down from upstairs. He stares at Sehun, his face red with anger. His expression barely changes when he notices his son’s bruises. “Where the hell have you been?! Why-”

“I’m really not in the mood,” Sehun interrupts. “I just got the beat out of me. I’m...tired.” Without another word, he weakly walks past his father and up to his room, locking his door. He lets out a long, exasperated sigh, once again staring at himself in the mirror; he feels sick every time he looks at himself. He’s not sure what he really got himself into out he has a feeling it might not end well. Not at all.

----------------

You idiot, Sehun. Makin' Suho all mad at you. Mama gonna beat your , Sehuna