Tense. That’s what the setting was. Aaron stared at Dongho and Dongho stared at Minhyun and Minhyun stared at Jonghyun and Jonghyun stared at Minki. Minki’s eyes dug into the table in front of him until someone opened their mouth to start a conversation. Finding the quiet bad for his sanity, as well as that of the others, Aaron spoke.
 

“It’s tense.” was all he said. Jonghyun turned his attention to him almost instantly. Aaron ran his hands against his own thighs as he tilted forward. Once Jonghyun’s eyes left Minki’s, Dongho’s met them. Minki narrowed his eyelids as he grinned at him. He looked somewhat dreamy, and Minki had no intention of finding out why. Minhyun crossed his arms and rested them on the table in front of him, resting his head on his elbows.
 

Jonghyun left the table first, bumping into Minhyun’s chair on his way out. The taller boy rose his head after that. Dongho continued to watch Minki’s every move, and when he opened his mouth to speak, Aaron followed Jonghyun out the door of their usual restaurant. With the biggest sigh he could possibly sigh, Minhyun reluctantly stood as well. Minki shivered. Not only at the temperature of the room, but at Dongho as well. He’d never seen any of them act like this. And to be quite frank, the way that Jonghyun had so suddenly acted towards his hyung did throw him aback. He looked Dongho down and said,
 

“You don’t know what’s going on between JR and Aron, do you?” Minki ruffled his brow at Dongho’s deep smile. It was silent for a moment before he answered.

“I don’t.” Dongho rested his chin in his palm. Minki shivered again.

“I don’t believe that.” he thought aloud. Surprised at his own words, Minki focused his eyes on the bottle of soy sauce in front of him as he waited for Dongho’s response. When he hadn’t opened his mouth for a long several seconds, Minki glanced at him. The older boy’s chocolate eyes were lost in his and, for a second, so were his. With a gulp, he directed his attention to the soy sauce once again.
 

Dongho sighed. He knew very well the problem, and he knew that Minki could easily tell. He tightly closed his eyes and turned from the blonde as he spoke. “Aron told someone something, a secret, I guess,” he struggled to find the right words to cover the truth as best as he could. He was sure that Minki could see through him, but he continued. “And JR overheard the wrong thing. He won’t listen to him, I guess.”
 

“Does this have anything to do with the mirror?” Minki asked as he sat back, his back against the cold seat.

“Mirror?”
 

Minki nodded, his face slightly snooty, though he hadn’t meant it.
 

“Right, the mirror. I guess so.”

“You seem to be guessing a lot.”

“I know I am.” Dongho rested his other elbow on the table as well. Minki mimicked him.

“I think you know what it’s about, and you’re not telling me.”
 

The restaurant turned to the door with a gasp and a shriek as the glass shattered. Waitresses’ trays crashed to the floor at the noise.
 

---
 

If he hadn’t known any better, Jonghyun was sure that tears of frustration would be building in his eyes at that moment. Aaron’s words struck in his mind like a type of the strongest glue ever. Someone was lying to him, and he would not stand for not knowing exactly what it was. A Leader like him shouldn’t have secrets hidden from him, not by his own group. He supposed that that was why he was so angry, but something else told him that it wasn’t all. Jonghyun focused on Aaron’s words, and lent against the brick of the building.
 

The door opened swiftly, right after he’d brought the sole of his shoe to the brick to rest it there. Who other to appear from inside than the one person occupying his mind? Aaron approached him closely without words. Jonghyun spoke first.
 

“What is it that I’m not supposed to know?” was the simple question that he asked. Aaron twisted his neck to look away, but the simple curiosity, as well as rage, drove him to take the elder’s face in a single hand. He turned his cupped face towards him with a jerk, and repeated his question. “What am I not supposed to know, Aron? Why Baekho hasn’t been acting normal lately? Hm?” He emphasised. Jonghyun dropped his hand and stayed in his spot. Without giving the other even a moment to process his question, he knocked him off balance with a shove to the shoulders. As Aaron stumbled back, he held his arms out, as if surrendering.
 

“Will you calm down? We were talking about,” Aaron’s two-beat pause was far too long for Jonghyun. He forced his palms into his shoulders again, pushing him further back.
 

Aaron’s face grew red. “Keep your hands off of me and let me tell you.” Aaron grew worried now, but didn’t allow it to show as Jonghyun grew redder by the moment. Of course, he wasn’t going to admit his less than simple feelings for Minki, or exactly what he thought of Dongho at the moment, but another idea didn’t brew quickly enough for Jonghyun’s taste, yet again. He balled a fist from his dominant hand and hit him square in the nose once. Aaron doubled over in pain before looking back up.
 

“, JR. What the hell’s wrong with you?” he coughed. The blood that flowed from his nose now dripped down his face and onto the concrete. He sniffled back all the blood he could before standing. Jonghyun’s eyes were still hot, and Aaron didn’t think even a moment before hitting him back, his punch almost as forceful as the last.
 

Jonghyun didn’t utter a word as he fell back, the wall catching him before he hit the ground. He sprang from where he was. He took Aaron by the hair and hit him again. With his eye already glowing a brilliant blue, he hefted Jonghyun by his own hair, crashing his face into the closest object he could find: the glass door of the restaurant. To his surprise, the glass shattered upon impact, and he jumped away instantly. The sound was enough to shock everyone inside, and before he knew it, Minhyun was behind him, holding him back as best as he could. Minki fell to Jonghyun’s side, his eyes burning as he looked up at Aaron. Dongho stood in his place, more than shocked at what he saw. His eyes lurked to Minki, and back up at Aaron’s face, filled with fury. The taller boy used all of his strength to hold the oldest back, pulling him from the scene.
 

Minki’s finger brushed a blood soaked lock of hair behind Jonghyun’s ear. His eyes opened slowly. He ignored Minki as he rolled over, kicking Aaron as hard as he could in the groin. Aaron winced against Minhyun’s chest as he doubled over for the second time. Dongho took Jonghyun by the arms, pulling him to his feet and holding him back. Minki, still on his knees, pulled his cell phone from his pocket, staring at the black screen for a moment. Without another thought running through his mind, he dialed Joonkin’s number. Re-entering the restaurant, he moved to the bathroom quickly.
 

Jonghyun spat at Aaron from several feet away, and Dongho jerked him back. The shortest looked to the tallest and spoke with only his eyes. It was clear to him that they both knew what was going on. Minhyun, though, was aware that he knew much more than the other. He’d avoid discussing any of this with Dongho until the problem at hand was resolved. He let it stew in his mind as the four of the stood there, awaiting whoever it was that Minki had left to phone.
 

---
 

“Joonkin-ah,” Minki began. “We need help.”
 

The image of Jonghyun, bloodied and laying still on the pavement for the second time, entered his mind, and it was difficult for him to hold his tears within their ducts, but he did so as his manager spoke.
 

“What is it?” Joonkin sounded frantic. How could he not? It wasn’t every single day that the visual phoned him in a voice like this. “Where are you, Ren?” It was a few moments before Minki could speak again, his tears now flowing freely over his cheeks. He placed his back against the wall and slid to the floor. Only the name of the restaurant could leave his mouth now. “Top Cloud.”
 

“I’ll be there.” Minki could hear the jingle of keys and the start of a car motor from the other end of the line. “Are you guys okay?” Minki bit his lip hard, not responding, yet staying on the line.
 

---
 

“Tell me, God dammit!” Jonghyun spat again. Dongho’s grip was no match for him now.

“It’s not my position to tell you, jackass.” Aaron spat back, still sniffling back blood. Jonghyun let his own run freely down his face, unbothered by the taste of lead that now stung his tongue, but it was only fuel for the fire that were his words.
 

“I wouldn’t say that if I were you.” he laughed a hideous laugh.

“Shut up!” Minhyun shouted. Dongho grunted as he tried as hard as he could to hold him back. “You’re acting like children! You’re both morons!”

“Minhyun, don’t.” Dongho commanded, his face hard.

“I’ll tell him if I want to.”
 

“You too, Minhyun?” Jonghyun exclaimed, kicking his feet at the other two. Realizing that they were not the only culprits, he swung his leg backwards, kicking Dongho off of him. The moment his fist hit the flesh of Aaron’s face for the third time, he felt stronger arms around him. Who the others now recognized as their manager opened the door of the van, shoving Jonghyun inside and locking the door.
 

“Do any of you three want to tell me what the hell is going on here?” he said, his face straight and his eyes fierce. If you wanted to, you could have fried an egg on what had been, only moments before, Joonkin’s forehead. He looked to the three of them. Aaron pulled himself from Minhyun and stood straight, unwilling to answer. Joonkin nodded, his arms folded across his chest.
 

“I’ll find out.” he warned them. “Where’s Ren? You’re lucky he called me.”

Minhyun calmly spoke as he wiped the blood from his forearm. “He went to the restroom to call you.”
 

Joonkin did not answer. He stepped through the broken door, headed towards the bathroom as the patrons and employees alike continued to stare. He turned to a waiter, stopping him. Pulling a checkbook from his back pocket, he tore one from the booklet and handed it to him, scribbling Pledis Entertainment on the top line. “I’ll pay for that.” he said, gesturing to the shattered door. He handed it to him, proceeding to the lavatory.

Joonkin entered, and Minki’s face was in his hands, Jonghyun’s blood on his fingers staining his pure skin crimson. The manager knelt next to him, taking him in his arms. “Are you okay?” Minki nodded; it was his only answer. He did not reveal his face until the door opened again, Dongho entering and taking Joonkin’s place as he stood. Halfway out the door, he let the other two know, “JR is staying with me tonight. I’ll talk to him. Night, guys.”
 

Dongho nodded, a palm on Minki’s shoulder. He wanted to move his hands from his face and touch it, rubbing the tears away as he shook. But Dongho shook as well, nervous at his own thoughts. He did take Minki’s perfectly painted fingers into his hand, crossing his legs as he sat in front of him. “I know what this was all about.” he admitted. He’d hoped that Minki hadn’t processed what he’d said. Luckily, he was too deep in his sobs to comprehend more voices than Joonkin’s.
 

Dongho took him into an embrace. just tight enough for the both of them to have felt it. Minki’s arms were around him at once, squeezing his torso as tightly as he could. The blonde sniffled for the last time into his chest and spoke.
 

“Are they okay? Is JR okay?” he said, his voice still somewhat shaky. Dongho nodded, planting a small kiss, one that wouldn’t mean anything at any other point in time except for that very one, on top of his head. His nose touched his hair, and he breathed in deeply his scent.
 

“They’re fine.” he lied as he recalled Jonghyun’s face in the window of the van, shaken and terrified of what Aaron had to say. He remembered the bruises forming and the cuts on their faces and corrected himself.
            “They’ll be fine.”