Hello dear subscribers, Minky here with the fic where GETS REAL. I’m sorry this is the first one to come after so long, being that it’ll be mostly plot and seriousness, but once this is out of the way we can get to the good shippy stuff again. This AU does have a storyline after all. Right after this you’ll enjoy plenty of ubomb and hopefully more fleshed out Taepyo! Sit tight!

It was late, so late, but he knew his parents wouldn’t care. Regardless of whether he was the youngest, they’d stopped caring where either of their sons went long ago. Even if by some miracle they were home and started questioning him, Yukwon couldn’t bring himself to care any more than he could bring himself to stop shaking. He made it as far as the first doorway in the hall. His brother’s room. Instinctively Yukwon nudged the door open. Surprise brought pinpricks of tears to his eyes as he found his brother sitting on the bed.

            “Yushin-“ he croaked, as he rushed to grab hold of him. Yushin was silent as he let his younger brother squeeze him painfully tight. He tousled his brother’s hair, until a discoloration beneath his fingers made him freeze.

            “Yukwon, what is this, why are you bruised?” He tilted his brother’s unwilling face in his hands. “Is this…blood?”

            Yukwon pushed his concerned hands away and ducked his head.

            “Hyung I…I got in a fight.”

            Yushin chuckled quietly.

“Don’t look so ashamed kitty, you look like you fought hard. You use what I taught you?”

            Yukwon squeezed his eyes tight and began to shake his head. He wanted to feel the warmth of Yushin’s comments, his preferred nickname, but he just couldn’t. He clenched the fabric of his brother’s jacket between his fingers.

            “Yushin, why do you know so much about fighting? I…I never questioned it before. Why are you never home? What did you think you had to hide from me?”

            “Yukwon, I-“

            “Did you kill Park Kyung’s parents?” Yukwon whispered. He leveled his gaze with his brother’s. Yushin’s demeanor turned rigid. He glanced to the side and murmured, “The ramyeun shop owners…”

            The statement was enough of an admission for Yukwon, and he felt the truth sink like a stone in his stomach. It made him feel sick. He stood up and backed away to the center of the room, reeling.

            “But why, why would you- Yushin- How, h-how-?”

            “Yukwon please, it was an accident. I wanted more than anything not to drag you into this.”

            “An accident? You don’t just kill people on accident! Now Pyo and I, and M-M-Minhyuk…”

            Yushin backed up, frowning.

“Minhyuk? Pyo? You mean they didn’t do this to you?”

Yukwon lifted his head from his hands, his eyes open wide.

“Who are they?”

Yushin paused, staring hard at his brother. He turned quickly and began to grab things on his bed. Yukwon saw for the first time the duffel bag that sat almost full there. He stood stunned into silence for a few minutes until his brother heaved the bag over his shoulder.

“Wait, hyung, please,” Yukwon finally came back to life as his brother passed him and began to walk down the hallway.

“You’re saying you were nearby that day, is that right Yukwon?”

Yukwon followed his receding voice down the hall.

“But Yushin, what does that have to do-“

Yushin opened the door.

“I’m sorry Yukwon, it’s for your own good.”

The door shut and immediately Yukwon felt the silence like a blanket. He stared at the door for what felt like hours, suffocating. He willed himself eventually to go through the motions of walking to his room and packing a small bag, letting the tears fall down his face silently. By the time he made it out the door and shut it for the last time, the tears were spent, and he headed to the only other place that had ever felt like home.

So haha, yeah that happened! ...I'm sorry. If you're confused, please refer to the timeline and trust that we'll fill in all the blanks eventually.