Hi! ^.^

A double update for the weekends!! 

Thank you all for your kind comments and also the subscriptions!! *bows bows*

Special thanks to @mounica for your first comment on this fic! (I think) *bows*

Do let me know if anything appears ambiguous or unclear! *hugs* More guesses are very welcomed!!

Do stay and read! 

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Meanwhile… back in Jaejoong and Junho’s hideout.

“Who are you!? Let go of me!!” A tiny squeak can be heard as he tries to free himself from his captor’s stronghold. Blindfolded and manhandled like a small animal, the prisoner attempted to plant a couple of bite marks on the other’s arm, but fails.

Being dumped onto something soft, the boy hurriedly reaches for his blindfold and tugs it off his face, looking around himself, disorientated and scared. However, a familiar silhouette caught his attention as the person enters the room he is confined in. “HYUNGIE?!”

“Midget.” The man addressed him briefly and ruffled his hair head lovingly. The boy is suddenly concerned. He wondered if the kidnapping and assault on him and his family earlier were entirely his brother’s doing. He cannot understand why Junho would do that, since Yoochun did reassure them that as long as the general does not cross the line, he will be allowed to live and roam freely.

“Hyungie! Was that your...?” Junsu is interrupted by Junho. “My doing? Yes.” The man finished the boy’s sentence for him.

“Why are you questioning your hyungie? Shouldn’t you be happy that I came to get you?” Junho said without looking at Junsu. He knows what Junsu is going to say, and even though he knows he might be hurt if the boy sides with the enemy, he is sure his brother will understand his intentions before making any judgments.

“I… I missed you… but you shouldn’t have done that! Hyungie!! He will be after you if he knows you are behind all this!!” Junsu is genuinely worried about what Yoochun might do to his brother after he discovers the man’s brazen actions.

“He doesn’t know.” “I will be after his head first anyway.” The man replied with determination, as he reaches for a cloth to wipe down his bloodied sword. Junsu gasped. “Is he…?” Grief washing over as he looks at his brother imploringly, wishing the man would tell him if Yoochun and Changmin are already dead or still alive somewhere.

Even he cannot fathom why he is horrified at the thought of Yoochun dying, but Junsu is sure he does not want that. “He survived. But he wouldn’t be so lucky the next time around.” Junho said bitterly. “I will take the two of them on. I will have their heads! That bastard and his advisor.” Junsu exhaled once and smiled, knowing Changmin will still be alive if his father is too.

“Yunho hyung too?” Junsu blurted out unintentionally. Junho’s expression darkens dangerously. The boy whimpers as the man advances towards him and reaches an arm out, anticipating his brother to do something mean, the man doesn’t.

Patting Junsu’s on the head again, instead of hitting him, the man whispered into Junsu’s ears. “Jaejoong and I will be your only hyungs from today onwards.” “Forget everything that happened for the past few months.” “Hyung will take care of you from now on.” Junsu nodded dumbly, not daring to defy the scary man before him. He doesn’t even know who this mentioned ‘Jaejoong’ is.

Junho’s transformation disturbed the boy, since he has never seen this side of his brother. He knows his brother is very upset because of what Yoochun did to him, but he wants his brother to know that he is no longer uncomfortable around Yoochun or wants out. In fact, Junsu feels that by staying with Yoochun, he can ensure his brother’s safety. He even likes it around Yoochun.

It’s not that Junsu is doubtful of Yoochun’s personality, he is just relieved that he can stop Yoochun’s rampage, since the man is virtually unstoppable when provoked. Junsu is confused about how he feels towards Yoochun as well, but he is sure he does not want the man dead either, just like how he doesn’t want his brother hurt.

“Hyungie… please promise me that you won’t hurt Minnie.” Junsu’s mind wandered back to his adorable son. The one thing that made him really happy, the one person he will definitely not hesitate to go all out for. His maternal instinct is giving him a hard time, and he can’t deny that instinct no matter how he tried.

“Minnie?” Junho said as if asking a question. “That abomination has a name?” The man muttered, amused. Junsu is not. “Don’t call him that!! He is my son!!” The boy snapped at Junho rudely, for the first time.

“You will forget him as well. He does not exist, am I understood?” Junho swooped down onto the boy suddenly, causing Junsu to fall back, wide eyed as he stares at his brother’s murderous face, eyes glinting with hatred. Pressing Junsu against the bed, the boy held his brother’s gaze as the man squeezes his arm painfully. Junsu is very reluctant to nod his head, but there is no other way he can get his protest across to his stubborn brother.

Junho will not take no for an answer at this point. Junsu nodded weakly.

“And take off his armour! I can’t stand seeing you in it.”

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POV from Junsu

The turn of events is scaring me to high heavens.

I never expected hyungie to be the one behind the attempt to kill us earlier, but then again, hyungie has bad blood with that person.

I call him that person because I don’t have a name for him yet. He is not a hyung or anything like that… though he is technically my hyung too, so to speak. I can’t call him hyung because he is more than a hyung, as much as I hate to admit it.

Hyungie wants to kill him… and I have mixed feelings about that. Actually, I am perplexed. I love hyungie… but I can’t allow him to kill that person and of course, my son. I want hyungie to be happy, but not at the expense of their lives. They are important to me. Yet I can’t clearly define why they are ‘important’. Does it mean that I bear other feelings that I am not aware of?

They say to bury the hatchet… and Yunho hyung would constantly tell me that I am the love of that person’s life… so I’ve put the past behind me not long ago. But hyungie is insinuating to me that odium is too hard a feeling to drop just like that. The bitterness I felt should not resolve itself so easily. Am I being too… easy? Naïve? I am torn. He treats me very well… no doubts about that. So how do I reciprocate? I forgave him… should I not have?

Do I go with my heart… or do I go with my mind? That isn’t really the point now…

Heart points towards him and Minnie… Mind points towards hyungie. Vice versa. I really REALLY am stuck!! What do I do?

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Shortly after Junho leaves the room, closing the door with Junsu inside, the boy got off his bed and wandered out of the room, planning to take a walk to clear his head.

Seeing his brother nowhere in sight, the boy went one round across the vast circular courtyard and made his way into the hut next to the one he was in. There isn’t anyone around as well, so Junsu sneaked inside and closed the door behind him. Creeping to the nearest room, the boy enters and looks around like he is inside an exhibition hall, staring at the tall cupboards filled with weird smelling herbs and dried plant parts.

Stumbling across a slightly ajar door at the end of the room, the boy strays in as well, just to come across a pure white sheet covering a figure entirely. Inching closer to see if the bump is live person, the boy squatted down beside the bed and lifted the cover a little, peeping under it curiously.

There, to his astonishment, there lay the pretty hyung he had been telling Yunho about.

Buried within the sheets, the man stirred upon the intrusion of light into his ‘cave’. Junsu’s eyes lit up as he smiles excitedly, sticking his head under the layers while the man’s eyelids crack apart slowly. Observing the man, with an eager expression on his face, the boy waved a hand in the person’s face as the man turns to face him.

“Junsu?” The man gasped loudly as he reaches up to rub at his eyes. Junsu nodded vigoruously, like an overexcited puppy.

Still fully believing that he is just seeing things, the man, Jaejoong, blinked a few times before finally registering the boy’s presence. A beautiful smile crawled across the man’s mouth as he runs his hands along Junsu’s crown, ruffling the boy’s hair gently. “Hey. How did you get here?” Jaejoong coughed a few times before saying.

“Hyungie brought me here.” Junsu sounded like a singing nightingale as he giggles adorably. Jaejoong appealed to him like how an older sister would, and Junsu likes the sisterly aura Jaejoong exudes, only to him though. The man’s approach is the mildest of the people he ever met, just like how an older sister will treat her younger sister.

Jaejoong’s expression went blank for a long moment before quickly sitting up and dangling his legs at the edge of the bed while Junsu sat beside him, blinking innocently. “He did?” The healer asked, voice high pitched but husky. “How did he bring you here?” There is a tinge of anger in his voice, but Junsu does not sense it.

“Hyungie… he attacked us while we were headed back to the capital.” Junsu replied softly. “Pretty hyung… what about you? How did you get here?” Junsu peeked under the healer’s curtain of long black hair as the person hangs his head low, ruminating about what Junsu said, as his brain function lags. Junsu’s mind wonders back to Yunho when Jaejoong does not speak.

“Yunho hyung was asking about you.” Junsu added insouciantly, but Jaejoong is startled. A wave of panic washes over him as he lifts his head and turns to the boy, fretful.

“What did you tell him?!” Jaejoong tries not to raise his voice.

“Nothing much… he didn’t say much either.” Junsu recalled how Yunho would only chill while he speaks. He has no idea how the advisor’s neurons are wired, but Jaejoong has a rough idea.

“We need to leave. They will be here soon.” Jaejoong says after a long pause.

“Come.” Jaejoong held Junsu’s hand gently with his own cold ones and wanted to lead Junsu out of his room, but the boy refuses, shaking his head cutely. Hugging his legs close to his body, the boy stayed rooted to the bed. Jaejoong stopped in his track and sat down beside Junsu, letting go of the boy’s hands as he allowed his own to warm under the blankets. “We have to warn your hyungie.”

“I don’t want to talk to hyungie when he is not being himself.” Junsu answered softly. Jaejoong shrugged as he recalls how Junho was behaving so strangely. “I will go talk to him. You can stay here for the time being.” Jaejoong concluded.

“Call me Jae hyung. Pretty hyung sounds weird.” Jaejoong whispered and grins as he gathers the stash he stole from Yunho and makes his way to Junho’s training ground, leaving the boy in his room. Junsu finally knows Jaejoong by name.

Prodding to the fields behind the quarters, the healer, who is barely recovered after taking a few courses of the medications, found Junho and his men casting more weapons from metal ores, preparing for a full blown attack.

"Kim Junho!" Jaejoong shouted but received no reply. Piqued when Junho would not even acknowledge his presence, the healer makes his way over to the ‘sick bay’ instead, where all the injured soldiers from the previous night’s attack are located. Grabbing his first aid kit, prepared by him beforehand, for times like this, the healer enters the musty room.

Inside, groans and cries of the ill and those in agony could be heard, calling out to the healer for help. Jaejoong wasted no time in getting to work quietly, trying to concentrate through the slight headache still present.

“Keep still.” The healer admonishes one of the soldiers while he tries to cut the bandage.

“Go back to bed Jae.” A voice rang out from behind him as Jaejoong wipes the sweat from his own neck and forehead, hands shivering a little as his fever threatens to relapse. Junho had apparently stopped whatever he was doing and followed the man to the sick bay, even though he didn’t address the healer earlier.

“Kim Jaejoong. You are unwell, go back to bed.” The voice demanded again. However, instead of listening to the person’s instruction, the healer retorted rather rudely. “What? I actually exist to you?" "Are we finally going to hold a conversation? What were you thinking?” “What is it that you did? You tried to kill Park Yoochun and kidnapped Junsu didn’t you?”

“So what if I did?" “I broke into the fort once when you weren’t around… and that’s how I found Junsu. If that’s what you were wondering.” “And I kidnapped him this time so that the bastard can’t whisk him back to the palace and make more babies with him. What’s wrong with that?” Junho chuckled bitterly. Jaejoong could feel Junho’s pain, but he is as irate as he is feeling empathetic.

“But that was not part of the plan!!” Jaejoong interjected.

“I KNOW! I just… I just can’t wait anymore!!” Junho quipped. “You were gone. I didn’t know what else to do… and then I found out that bastard just made my brother his . HOW exactly do you want me to react?” Junho tries to stop his angry ranting, in view of Jaejoong’s presence. He does not reveal the real reason that caused him to do what he did. Jaejoong does not need to know that Junho is planning to keep the Junsu and him by his side, so the two enemies will hurt.

“I knew Junsu was with him. I had Junsu with me.” Jaejoong admitted, irritated. “I know how you feel! They literally snatched Junsu away from me too. But that’s not the point!! We can’t be rash and you know that!” The healer’s airy voice stopped whatever ongoing activities and all bystanders had their eyes on him. He was too loud.

“Why don’t you tell me the reason why you got kidnapped by that Jung bastard then?!! YOU were rash too!! YOU fought with them and lost didn’t you?!!” Junho digressed, finally standing up and grabbing Jaejoong by the unaffected arm, looking at him intensely. Jaejoong looked away. He does not want to admit anything as well. “Tell me how I am considered rash compared to you?!”

Jaejoong cocked his head to another side once more, unable to find the correct words and phrases to reiterate the series of events that took place, without blowing up. Junho had made some pretty inaccurate assumptions in his opinion.

“You don’t say it… but I know!! They’ve hurt you too!! Like how they hurt Junsu!!! I won’t take this lying down!!! I WILL NOT allow the two beasts to hurt the two of you anymore!! NO MORE!! This HAS to end!! I AM HERE! I WILL PROTECT THE BOTH OF YOU!!” Junho still feels that the two most important people in his life need him to keep the two arc enemies away. What he doesn’t know, is that his intentions are mostly one sided. Both Junsu and Jaejoong are slowly inclining towards the two mentioned men. Junho will not be able to stop that.

Fate has plans for Junsu and Jaejoong in a way that Junho will take a long time to figure out.

TBC

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