Extra Warning: You know that I am an epitome of failure, right? So why are you still here? T_T

Another extra warning: This isn’t fluff T_T this isn’t angst, either. This is weird and pointless and awf...huhuhu. I failed to write heartwarming fics lately... I should probably go in a long hiatus to meditate myself to get my feels back. I...I definitely watch too many detective series /cries. It’s not a prologue, but not sure if I would continue it either. But maybe I won’t because please don’t let me write chaptered series because they would be neglected in the end OTL

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Kyungsoo found out that his cousin Changmin was working at the police station downtown, he immediately applied for an internship there.

It was strange because usually, psychology students tended to apply to hospitals instead of a police station. But Kyungsoo was, nonetheless, accepted. As long as he didn’t interfere with the work or interrogation. He was merely there to observe.

Changmin had always been his favorite cousin. They were a few years apart, but Changmin never treated him like a kid. Kyungsoo always looked up to him since they were little. Changmin had a tall body. He was also handsome and smart and polite. Everyone loved him. Kyungsoo loved him, too.

Taemin gave him an astonished look when he found out about Kyungsoo’s choice of place for internship. Most of his friends applied their internships to a foster house or a mental hospital where they would be able to take a sample and observed. Kyungsoo silently wondered if his choice was right, but he wanted to be close to Changmin, so he was keen about it. They were quite close, but ever since Changmin left for university in another city, they rarely communicated because both of them had been busy.

Just think of it to make up for the lost times.

But the moment Kyungsoo stepped his foot on the place, he realized that he should’ve just listened to Taemin and preferred hospitals instead. The police station was flooded with people—and not all of them were good ones—and overwhelming emotions that it scared the doe eyed male badly.

Kyungsoo almost felt suffocated by the heavy atmosphere, and to think it was only his first day.

They had given him a desk in the corner and it was a good spot to observe.

Some people were working so hard on a case. Some people were attached to their desks. Some people were beginning to show early wrinkles and early stages of depression, and he wished there was something he could do to prevent it. All of them blended together in one place and honestly, Kyungsoo didn’t understand the dirty jokes and sarcasm thrown at each other (sometimes when he was with Changmin, the older male would casually cover Kyungsoo’s ears and rolled his eyes).

After a few weeks of observing and taking notes, Kyungsoo realized that even though they had different personalities and different ways of work, all of them just wanted one thing.

Justice.

Or was it the truth?

Including Changmin.

“Kyungsoo-yah.”

Kyungsoo looked up from his notebook and his expression brightened upon seeing his cousin. He got bored sitting by his desk so he decided to wander around and sat on one of the benches in the hall. “Changmin-hyung.”

“You’re...very early,” Changmin frowned as he glanced down at his wristwatch.

“No, you’re just late,” Kyungsoo smiled as he placed the notebook on his lap.

“I had to drop by at a crime scene earlier,” Changmin informed with a sigh. His face clearly showed that he wasn’t delighted. “What do you know, a case is solved, another case happens.”

“...was it awful?”

“We didn’t understand how—“ Changmin paused as he patted Kyungsoo’s head caringly. “I’m not supposed to discuss a case with you. The witness and the suspect are going to be here soon and we’re going to interrogate him...”

A moment later, the entrance door swung open and a few men with uniforms walked in. They separated themselves into two teams. One team walked ahead—passing Kyungsoo and Changmin—with a tanned skin male with his hands cuffed behind his back and the other team held another male who looked utterly scared and obviously, he had been crying. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but noticing the tanned skin male. They disappeared from his vision as they turned to the corner.

Changmin nodded to Kyungsoo briefly before turning around. The latter heard his cousin shouting a bit angrily at the other team.

“I thought you were going to take him to the hospital?”

“He refused,” one of the men replied. “He didn’t want to be separated with that guy.”

Changmin groaned in frustration. “Ugh, fine, take him to the infirmary and never take your eyes off of him.”

Kyungsoo directed his gaze to the other team and saw the men escorted the crying male to the opposite direction. His cousin shook his head before heading toward the same direction where the tanned skin male was brought. Just like he said, he was probably going to start the interrogation. Kyungsoo leaned his back against the wall and closed his notebook.

Things like these happened endlessly at the station. It happened everyday like a cycle, and judging from how long he had been an intern, he was supposed to get used to it. But something felt off. Something felt different.

Kyungsoo had never seen someone so emotionless like the tanned skin male before.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

It was almost lunch time when Kyungsoo rose from his seat.

He was heading toward his locker to grab his lunchbox when he passed by the infirmary. Kyungsoo saw Kyuhyun—one of Changmin’s men—sitting in front of the room, as if to guard it. The older male threw Kyungsoo a smile when he walked by.

“Yo, Kyungsoo-yah.”

“Is someone inside?” Kyungsoo asked innocently.

“Yeah. A witness.”

“Is he alone?”

Kyuhyun seemed stunned by his question and cautiously peeked inside the room. He seemed relieved because then he took a deep breath before sagging back in his seat. “Your question reminded me that he could’ve ran away when I wasn’t looking but then his hand is chained to the bed—how is that possible, right? But yeah, he’s alone.”

Kyungsoo gave him a disapproving look. “Even if he’s a witness, it doesn’t mean you can treat him like an animal. He must be hungry.”

Kyuhyun looked at his watch. “You’re right. Wow, it’s lunch time already. I’m hungry too. I’ll grab something for him, then. ...I believe you will keep an eye on him when I’m gone? ...because you’re surely Shim Changmin’s cousin.”

Kyuhyun wanted to snort at that. “Even if I’m not, I won’t do something that low, hyung...”

“Right,” Kyuhyun stood up and pointed at him with his index finger. “I believe you.”

With that, the detective walked away and Kyungsoo held himself from sticking out his tongue at him. The older male was carefree and careless but a very faithful and honest man in a relationship. He waited for another moment before Kyuhyun disappeared at the corner, and carefully stepped inside the infirmary.

Kyungsoo felt a pang in his ribcage.

The male had his knees drawn up to his chest. His hand—just like Kyuhyun said—was chained to the bed and the other hand was hugging his feet. His face was buried onto his knees and he didn’t even bother to look up even when the door creaked.

Kyungsoo hesitated at first but decided to speak anyway. “Hi.”

The male slowly lifted up his face to stare at Kyungsoo and the latter held his breath the moment their eyes met. His eyes were red and there were faint streak of tears on his cheeks, but he was definitely beautiful.

“I’ve told them everything I know,” he whispered and his expression showed that he was scared.

“I’m not one of them,” Kyungsoo shook his head as he took a seat across the beautiful male, maintaining a safe distance. Distant enough to make him believe that he wasn’t going to do anything harmful. “Are you hungry? Kyuhyun-hyung is out buying you some food, there’s a convenient store across the street. Do you want anything in particular?”

The male stared at him like he was insane and shook his head. “I just... I want my friend...”

Kyungsoo realized he must be talking about the tanned skin male. “He’s...somewhere. I think he’s in the interrogation room.”

“He did nothing wrong,” the male said and it seemed like he was going to cry again any minute. “They—they were just trying to protect me—“

“They?”

He fell silent immediately and stared blankly at Kyungsoo. “I mean...he...”

Kyungsoo tried his best to read his expression and knew the male was telling the truth. But they? He? He cleared his throat. “Look, I don’t know what happened...” Kyungsoo trailed off on purpose and the male shot him a reluctant look.

“...Suho.”

“...Suho...hyung, but my cousin is working your case and they will surely find out—“

“They won’t be able to find anything,” Suho shook his head in exasperation. “They won’t...”

Kyungsoo opened his mouth to say something more, but was unable to do so because Kyuhyun had already came back.

“Kyungsoo-yah?”

Kyuhyun’s voice snapped them both of out of their reveries and Kyungsoo jolted up in his seat. The older male stepped into the room and the door creaked.

“You’re back, hyung.”

“Is everything okay?” Kyuhyun sent a suspicious look back and forth between him and Suho before throwing a plastic bag full of snacks onto the bed. “Sandwiches and potato chips.”

Kyungsoo gawked. “Can’t you buy him something more decent, hyung? Like rice or noodle.”

“Changmin said he’s a witness but if he doesn’t talk, then that means he’s not a very good witness, is he? He doesn’t even tell us his name.” Kyuhyun waved a hand dismissively. “You can go now, Kyungsoo-yah.”

He doesn’t tell his name?

The doe eyed male snapped his head back to Suho but the latter wasn’t staring at him. He waited another moment, but it didn’t seem like the other male was going to talk. Kyungsoo sighed deeply before standing. He noticed Suho was just staring nonchalantly at the food. “You should eat,” Kyungsoo said softly. “You have been crying a lot and you need to regain your strength back.”

Suho said nothing in return and Kyungsoo left the infirmary.

He was a step away from the door when he heard the beautiful male called out his name.

“Kyungsoo...shii?”

Kyungsoo glanced back over his shoulder, feeling a bit surprised at that. “Yes?”

Suho took two packages of sandwich and shoved them slightly. “Kai... Kai hasn’t eaten too. If you can...please give this to him?”

Kyungsoo’s lips curved upward at the trust he showed and put the sandwiches into the pockets of his jacket. “I will.”

Suho’s eyes were gleaming. “Thank you...”

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo had just finished his lunch when he heard Changmin shouting.

He tilted his head curiously to a side as he tried to get a good look at what happened. Changmin had never shouted before. He was always calm and composed and he would never let emotions got in the way. Kyungsoo spotted him and the other detective named Yoochun at the hallway.

“Four hours,” Changmin said angrily through his gritted teeth. “Four hours, hyung, and you did nothing but to waste time! That boy didn’t even budge at your question. We’re lucky that he’s not asking for a lawyer or else—“

“Calm the down,” Yoochun snapped back. “He just doesn’t want to speak unless it’s with his friend!”

They continued to drown in the argument and another detective named Junsu had to step in between them.

“Hey, hey!” Junsu shouted as he placed his hands on Yoochun’s and Changmin’s chest. “We don’t need this, okay? We need to stay calm and think clearly!”

Yoochun and Changmin walked away from each other and Changmin leaned his back against the wall with a heavy sigh. Yoochun was dragged by Junsu to the corner and they spoke with a low voice. The situation didn’t seem good... Kyungsoo carefully walked closer to Changmin and the older male acknowledged his presence because he smiled tiredly in return.

“Hey, Kyungsoo-yah.”

“Hyung,” Kyungsoo pressed a hand to one of his pockets. “I overheard a bit...maybe he’s hungry...?”

“Ah,” Changmin pressed a hand on his forehead and blinked. “Is it lunch time already? I’m hungry too. That...explains the anger. But I can’t rest just yet.”

“Hey, what’s your name?”

Yoochun and Junsu suddenly had appeared beside him and Kyungsoo flinched at the sudden voice.

“...Kyungsoo.”

“Kyungsoo,” Yoochun repeated and turned to Junsu. They exchanged an unreadable glance. He was quiet for a second before turning his head back to Changmin. “Kyungsoo might be able to make him talk.”

“What?” Both Kyungsoo and Changmin said in unison.

“How?” Changmin didn’t seem to approve at the idea.

Yoochun waved a hand offhandedly at Kyungsoo. “He’s about his age. They might talk.”

Changmin stared at the older male in disbelief. “That is ridiculous. Just because they’re the same age, they won’t suddenly become best friends. I disagree. There is no way that I would let Kyungsoo walk into that room and have a chat with that boy.”

“I...I’m okay with that,” Kyungsoo said. He got three pair of eyes turned to him in a record time and gulped nervously. “If—if that helps...”

“No,” Changmin sighed. “No, Kyungsoo-yah.”

“Yes,” Yoochun nodded. “We’ll get you ready, then.”

Both Yoochun and Junsu went back into the room. Changmin dragged a hand down his face and groaned.

“I’ll be alright,” Kyungsoo tried to reassure his cousin. “It’s just a talk, right? Besides, isn’t there going to be an officer inside?”

“There isn’t,” Changmin grimly replied. “This boy refused to say anything if we record even just a single line and he doesn’t want anyone else inside except the interrogator. We gave into his requests and yet he didn’t say a single word.”

The door was opened again and Yoochun motioned them to go in.

“Come on,” Changmin placed a hand around Kyungsoo’s shoulder as they started walking. “I’ll brief you everything inside.”

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

“This boy is a suspect in two killings,” Yoochun explained as he handed Kyungsoo two photos.

Kyungsoo cringed in horror at the bodies in the pictures and looked away immediately. Changmin glared at Yoochun as if to say it wasn’t necessary.

“Neighbors smelled something burning and called the polices right away. Luckily, a patrol car was located two blocks away and they managed to corner these two boys. Him,” Yoochun pointed at the tanned skin male in the next room. “And the other male in the infirmary.”

“You—you said those boys,” Kyungsoo tried not to think about how horrible the bodies were. “Who are their names?”

“Wouldn’t say it. The neighbors said she never met them. The room was always rented to a few different people so she never really knew. The owner said they paid in cash so he didn’t ask any questions.”

“And...?”

“This boy,” Junsu continued Yoochun’s explanation. “Claimed that he killed them both.”

Kyungsoo blinked in confusion. “He did...? B—but wouldn’t it be the end of the story, though? You have the killer?”

“We have no proof.”

This time it was Changmin who said it, and Kyungsoo snapped his head to his cousin’s direction.

“The victims were badly burnt,” Junsu said quietly as he took another look at the pictures. “But the question is, how...? There wasn’t any gasoline. There wasn’t any lighter. The victims didn’t wear anything flammable. If it was gas leaked, how come these two boys are fine...?”

“Su—the other boy,” Kyungsoo hastily corrected. “Why is he taken into the infirmary and this boy into the interrogation room?”

“He was crying and shivering on the floor while this boy was hugging him the whole time. The moment the police came in, he quickly told him that he did it. We tried bringing the boy in the infirmary to the hospital but he just wouldn’t detach himself from him and screamed loudly when we tried to separate them.”

“I—I see...”

“Kyungsoo-yah,” Changmin said firmly. “It’s not too late if you don’t want to.”

Kyungsoo pressed his lips unsurely before finally shaking his head.

“No, hyung. Let me try.”

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Changmin opened the door for him and Kyungsoo braved himself to step inside.

The door closed with a sound and Kyungsoo knew that there was no turning back. He froze in his track for almost a minute because what he felt toward him was right—the male was emotionless. It took a huge effort to be like that—or he was just naturally born as one.

Just like Suho, the tanned skin male—Kai—didn’t even bother to look up.

“H—hi,” Kyungsoo started but he didn’t move from his tracks. He knew that the others were watching behind the window. He wasn’t sure if they would be able to hear everything clearly, so he decided to just speak in a low voice.

Slowly, but surely, the man named Kai lifted up his chin and stared at him. But it was more than that. It was a glare, a look that obviously stated that he trusted no one. His eyes went up from Kyungsoo’s head to toe before going back at his eyes.

“Have you eaten?” Kyungsoo reached for the sandwiches in his jacket and showed them to him. “Su...your friend asked me to give this to you.”

He must have said something wrong because Kai growled in anger and he banged the table hard with his fist. Kyungsoo gasped and took a step backward.

“You don’t touch him,” Kai seethed.

“,” Yoochun said in disbelief from the next room. “He talks.”

“I—I don’t,” Kyungsoo shook his head in fear. “I didn’t. I swear to you, I just—I just wanted to check up on him and, and I asked my friend to buy him food and he...he asked me to...”

Kai didn’t look like he believed Kyungsoo easily, but as he observed deeply through Kyungsoo’s eyes, he knew that the male wasn’t lying. Funny because it was supposed to be Kyungsoo who was observing him and not the other way around. Funny because Kyungsoo wasn’t supposed to be scared and yet he was. This Kai guy was really scary. If it wasn't because of Suho, Kyungsoo would’ve believed that he was a killer.

Kyungsoo finally released the breath he had been holding and clutched his chest. His heart was beating so fast at the sight before him. He didn’t know why. Either it was because the male really scared him to death or something about him—something unreadable—made Kyungsoo curious and he was...

He was extremely handsome.

“Lift up your shirt.”

Kyungsoo was pulled out of his thoughts and slightly gaped. “Eh...?”

“I told your friends no recording,” Kai said. “Now lift up your shirt so I know that you’re not wired.”

“I—“

“Now.”

“,” Changmin cursed. “Dammit.”

“But he’s really not wired,” Junsu said as he pressed a finger against his lip.

It took a whole minute for Kyungsoo to finally able to move. With trembling hands, he put the sandwiches from Suho back into the pockets. Kyungsoo ped his jacket and he let the clothes fell onto the floor. You can do this, Kyungsoo. You can do this. Kyungsoo took a deep breath and he slowly uncovered the fabric, revealing his skin beneath it, inch by inch...

“Enough.”

Changmin let out a relieved sigh but it was probably too soon to celebrate.

“Now your pants.”

Kyungsoo gasped at that. “Wh—what...?”

Kai narrowed his eyes in dislike. “You heard me.”

Kyungsoo felt his adamant resolve began to waver. Did he just ask me to...strip? The doe eyed male visibly bit his lower lip and looked down at himself. His entire body trembled more than ever and tears were threatening to spill over. Was it too late to change his mind and tell Yoochun and the others that he didn’t want to do it? But he needed to. In order to gain Kai’s trust... Suho trusted him, right? So there was also a possibility that Kai might trust him too...

Kyungsoo slowly ped his jeans and revealed his boxers to the stranger in front of him. He pushed them down to his knees and felt his face burning. He felt ashamed of himself. There was no way in normal situation that he would give in like this. Thirty seconds had passed and Kyungsoo was starting to sob.

“,” Changmin gritted his teeth. “I’m going in.”

“Wait,” Yoochun said.

“Are you out of your mind?? I said I’m going in!!”

“I said wait!!!”

“You can put them back on.”

Kyungsoo gasped at that and hastily pulled his jeans upward. The moment he finished zipping the button, it was then that he realized that he had been crying. Tears spilled uncontrollably down his cheeks and Kyungsoo wiped them away with the back of his hand. After a moment or two, his tears finally subsided and Kyungsoo breathed deeply through his nose. He took out the sandwiches and threw them offhandedly onto the table.

“You should eat,” he whispered and Kai noticed his lips were still trembling.

“You’re not here for that,” Kai retorted. “...you’re different.”

“Well,” Kyungsoo inched closer to the empty seat across Kai. He could feel Kai’s eyes were on him but he decided to avoid those black orbs for a while as he settled down. “I’m not one of them, if that’s what you mean.”

They were consumed by an awkward silence. Kyungsoo still had his eyes someplace else while Kai played with the wrapped sandwiches served beside him. He didn’t eat them, though, he probably thought the food was drugged or something. Kyungsoo wanted to tell him that it was safe to eat, but Kai cut him first before he got to speak.

“You know his name?”

“W—who?”

“You know, it’s impolite to not stare at your opponent while you’re talking.”

Kyungsoo finally shifted his eyes to the tanned skin male with something akin to hurt within his orbs. “And it’s rude to ask for a stranger to strip and stare at them while they do.”

“S,” Kai continued, ignoring Kyungsoo’s remark. “Is he alright?”

Kyungsoo pressed his palms against the flat surface on the table. “He’s alright. He’s been crying, but he’s alright.”

Kai facepalmed in response. “What did I think about—of course he’s not alright. I need to be with him. It’s dangerous if he’s all alone.”

“He’s not alone. An agent is stationed in front of the infirmary to watch out for him.”

Kai snorted in pure mockery. “Humans. They wouldn’t stand a chance against what’s coming.”

Kyungsoo was about to retort but then he realized what he was supposed to do. He opened the folder that was given to him and spread two pictures before Kai. “You did this?”

Kai solemnly stared at the dead bodies for a moment. “We had to. They were trying to hurt—“

“They?”

Kyungsoo recalled Suho also said something about ‘they’ and quickly diverted it into ‘he’.

Kai looked blank. “I.”

“They were trying to hurt...” Kyungsoo felt a bit confused at both Kai’s and Suho’s gestures. But it seemed like Suho was really important to Kai so he simply guessed. “...S?”

Kai’s expression changed instantly. He did nothing to respond, but judging from his curling fingers into a fist, Kyungsoo knew he had said the truth. The other male had his eyes down for a second on the pictures. It was barely noticeable but Kyungsoo did.

It’s dangerous if Suho’s all alone.

We were trying to protect—I.

They were only protecting me—he.

“You’re protecting someone,” Kyungsoo whispered. It was an advantage for him because he had his back to the tinted window so that Changmin and the others were only going to be able to stare at Kai. Or at least his expressions. “A friend...”

Kai still said nothing and he did a great job to not show any emotion.

“Friends?”

Something sparkled in his eyes and Kyungsoo held his breath.

“Kai,” Kyungsoo whispered and Kai looked alarmed. “I’m going to say this in a low tone so that none of them can hear me, okay? And you...you have to look very calm so that they won’t notice anything.”

Kai leaned closer and Kyungsoo felt his heart skipped a beat.

“I—I want to help you and Suho....please, if there’s anything I can do...”

“You want to help?”

Kyungsoo was taken aback by the sudden retort. “Y—yes.”

“You’re helping enough,” Kai said quietly. “You know, the reason why we agreed to come here was because it was safer for Suho. Because we needed a few more hours to find a new place to stay. A safer place for him.”

Changmin frowned. “Are they talking? There isn’t a voice.”

“It seems so,” Junsu also furrowed his brows together. “The boy seems to be talking...in a very quiet way.”

“I hope he’s not threatening Kyungsoo,” Changmin grimaced. “Dammit we should’ve just wired him.”

“What...?” Kyungsoo blinked in confusion.

“They’re coming,” Kai continued nonchalantly. “And I hope none of those guys touched Suho because Kris would be enraged if they did.”

The room became dark for merely a second and the lights turned back on the next second. Kyungsoo breathed nervously as he heard faint shouting outside the room.

“They’re here,” Kai turned his head to the door. “Do me a favor and don’t move.”

“I—I don’t understand,” Kyungsoo sounded terrified at the fact but he obeyed. “Why would—why would someone hurt Suho?”

It was their first meeting.

But Kyungsoo was sure that within the minutes they had just met, it was the moment when Kai looked terribly serious with what he said.

“Because water,” he stated. “Is the mother force of all nature.”

Kai narrowed his eyes to the tinted window behind Kyungsoo.

“And hurting the mother...it means war.”

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

The lights went off right after Kai said those words.

Kyungsoo heard a few people screaming—including Changmin—and he felt a wind blew beside him. He whimpered in fear and shut his eyes. Kyungsoo felt movement across him—Kai was definitely moving and did something with the chair because he heard a clinking sound against the door.

“Kyungsoo-yah, are you okay?? Kyungsoo-yah!! Dammit why won’t this thing open??”

“Don’t move,” Kai said seriously. “I have a question, though. Which one will you choose—fireburns or electric shock?”

Kyungsoo widened his eyes in disbelief at the general direction of Kai’s voice.

“Nevermind, I’ll choose for you.”

Kyungsoo felt another wind blew in his face and coughed. Changmin was still rapping his fingers on the door and it escalated to a hand banging. He became panicked. “Hyung, I’m okay! I’m okay!”

“The infirmary is burning!!”

“! Kyungsoo, you stay there!”

Kyungsoo let out another horrified whimper and buried his head on his arms. He had no idea what happened and what would happen in the next few minutes. Everything seemed to be chaos out there and he was locked inside the interrogation room. But Kai told him to not move... Kyungsoo straightened up in his seat as he recalled the shouting earlier.

The infirmary is burning?

Oh no, Suho.

“Ouch!!”

Someone bumped against the table and Kyungsoo immediately backed away in his seat. He heard a chuckle and a groan and realized that there were two people in the room beside him and Kai. Kyungsoo went pale at that fact. Didn’t Changmin say that the door wouldn’t open? Then how did they...?

“Not my fault,” it was definitely Kai’s voice. “You absorbed all of the electricities.”

“Yeah, well,” the stranger said as he hissed. “Because it would be easier that way. And you just appeared and grabbed me here instantly before I even get to react. How is Joonma, by the way?”

“He’s fine. Do-bi saved him. They’re with Ben Ben now.”

“Ben who—“ the male paused. “Oh. Okay. I still think that nickname is ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous, no. Hilarious, yes.”

“Kai?” Kyungsoo called out in uncertainty and he didn’t want to interrupt the friendly conversation, but maybe it wasn’t the best moment to chat. “What’s happening?”

“Right. Chen, turn on the light just a bit,” Kai said and there was a flicker of light in the room.

At first Kyungsoo thought the male just happened to have a very huge lighter in his hand, but as he took a closer look, it was the male’s hand that flickered. Kyungsoo’s breath became ragged as he cried and crawled away to the corner of the room. Both Kai and Chen walked closer to him and he became pale.

“N—no,” Kyungsoo stuttered. “Please, don’t come closer—“

“It’s alright,” Chen said softly. “Well, it’s slightly better than fire, but I’m sure none of the choices were fun. I—we need to do this to prove to them that you’re not involved with us.”

Kyungsoo shook his head desperately. “What are you going to do to me...? Please...don’t...”

“I’m sorry, Kyungsoo,” Kai said and there was guilt laced underneath his tone. “I’m sorry.”

“No—“

Chen was finally close enough to grab Kyungsoo’s hand.

The last thing he remembered was that he screamed in pain and then he passed out.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo woke up to a throbbing pain on his left arm.

He remembered waking up to Changmin hugging him tightly, mumbling something about that he wouldn’t be able to face his mother if something happened to him and Kyungsoo consciously hugged back. Kyungsoo faintly apologized for making him worried and Changmin apologized back for involving him in the interrogation.

Kyungsoo didn’t know how it ended, but they told him to go home and take a few days off. Even though the infirmary was burnt, but it didn’t burn the whole building. Whoever did it must have been aware of the amount of fire they were using. Kyungsoo stared at the building momentarily with his hands fished into the pockets. It wasn’t Chen who burned it. It seemed like Chen had just cut off—absorbed, Kai said?—the electricities and he was sure it felt like an electric shock instead of fire when the male touched him.

Nonetheless, it caused a wound on his arm.

The medical staff told him that he was considered lucky because it was just a burn and it should heal in a few weeks. Even so, Kyungsoo couldn’t help but because it hurt badly everytime he moved his arm, but still felt grateful that it was just that and nothing harmed his life.

Kai and Suho had disappeared without a trace.

Kyungsoo didn’t tell Changmin that he actually knew their names and the older male didn’t ask any more questions—he seemed content at the fact that Kyungsoo was safe and sound and it was all that mattered. They had no idea how the infirmary was burnt and all, just like the ones in the apartment. The crime scene unit was still investigating the said place and Changmin stood there the whole time. Kyungsoo was too tired to think of anything so he just went home.

Dyo purred at him the moment he opened the apartment door and Kyungsoo smiled. He the grey cat’s chin fondly and let his pet grazing his fur against his shoes.

“Are you hungry, Dyo? I’ll make you something...”

Kyungsoo the television and poured the canned cat food onto Dyo’s bowl. He was still too exhausted to do an activity such as cooking and opted for a ramen cup instead. Kyungsoo watched the television absently and the news were filled with the fire at the police station. He pondered at Kai and Suho’s—even Chen’s—safety and sincerely wished that they were all alright.

He took a shower before sleeping and managed to avoid the water pouring down his wound by lifting his left arm the whole time. Kyungsoo said goodnight to Dyo, who curled cutely on its small bed and the male yawned as he crawled under the blanket. He took a deep breath before finally closing his eyes and gave himself up to the slumber.

Within a minute, Kyungsoo noticed a sound in the room but he shrugged it off because Dyo was quite noisy in its sleep. He shut his eyes in attempt to continue his sleep, but then his heartbeat increased at another sound because it was definitely not his cat. The doe eyed male rubbed his eyes sleepily before reaching over to turn on the reading lamp by the nightstand.

“Dyo...?”

The bedroom was soon lit up and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

Kyungsoo frowned to himself. Maybe he was just...sensitive. After all that had happened, Kyungsoo felt a bit scared with the darkness and decided he would just sleep with the lights on. He was about to close his eyes and go back to sleep when all of a sudden, he felt a familiar wind blowing by his bed and snapped his eyes open.

“K—Kai??”

Kai was there beside his bed.

He was so shocked that he couldn’t even let out an appropriate scream. Kyungsoo’s eyes got bigger if it was even possible because he already had big eyes in the first place. His jaw involuntarily dropped and he positioned a hand above his chest before breaking into a sigh.

“How did you—nevermind...”

“Your arm.”

“Huh?”

“Your wounded arm.”

Kyungsoo lifted up his left hand in confusion and Kai wasted no time to roll up his sleeve with a hand. He winced at the sudden pain and bit his lower lip as an attempt to not let any sound out. Kai uncovered the bandage the medical staff had treated him with before wrapping a new bandage over his wound. It was a bit cold but it was definitely soothing. Kyungsoo stuttered his eyes open both in fear and curiosity and glanced down at his wounded arm.

“Wh—what is this...?”

“It will heal faster. Trust me, Lay is the best at healing things. And people.”

“Lay...?”

Kai seemed to realize that he might have mentioned something unrelated and Kyungsoo’s eyes softened in amusement at that. Maybe he wasn’t as emotionless as he thought.

“This is...really nice. Please send my gratitude to your friend...Lay,” Kyungsoo earnestly smiled and looked down at his arm once again. The pain was almost gone. “I... I hope everyone’s alright...”

“They’re alright,” Kai nodded and made a movement to leave. “Get well soon.”

“W—wait!”

Kai halted his movement and threw a glance back over his shoulder.

“You’re...” Kyungsoo started hesitantly, trying his best to read Kai’s expression. “You’re tired.”

Kai snorted. “With everything that happened today, yeah. Same as you.”

“But—but it’s different...you’re tired, because you don’t know when would this end...”

It seemed to have hit Kai straight in the chest because the male’s expression faltered. Like he had accidentally showed his real face and it was the one he had been trying to hide. For a moment, Kai looked extremely vulnerable and all Kyungsoo wanted to do was to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be alright.

Kai pressed his lips together and took another step backward, but Kyungsoo quickly straightened his back and extended a hand toward him.

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo whispered. “You just need to rest...”

Kyungsoo didn’t know how long had it been since he had his arm extended to Kai. But it didn’t seem like the latter would take it because he simply glared at his arm, as if to gauge the possibility that what were the chances that it wasn’t a trap. Kyungsoo felt blood was rushing and his arm was starting to get numb, when unexpectedly, Kai accepted his hand. He was stunned at the fact that Kai was leaning closer and climbed onto the bed. Kyungsoo wasn’t ready and he yelped when Kai pinned his wrists beside his head, with the tall male hovering above him.

He didn’t understand what Kai wanted.

Kyungsoo couldn’t read him at all and he began to think he was a failure being a psychologist.

“I—I said it was okay, but if you do anything strange, I will call the police...”

Kai snorted like it was some kind of a joke. “You can. But you won’t.”

Kyungsoo went blank at how easy Kai read him, but not the other way around.

The tanned skin male leaned down to him and Kyungsoo instinctively closed his eyes. He felt something warm was pressed against the lids of his eyes. It weighed on his right one before shifting to the other one. Kyungsoo held his breath as realization dawned upon him.

Kai was kissing his eyelids.

“K—Kai...?”

“I’m sorry,” Kai whispered against his closed eyes. “I made you cry earlier. I didn’t mean to... I just had to make sure they weren’t bugging you.” With that, the male fell weakly on the empty spot beside Kyungsoo and groaned. “Dammit, your pillow feels so good.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t think anymore because Kai had his hand on his waist and they were now face to face. He could feel Kai’s warm breath near his face and God, his heart had never beat like this before. It dramatically increased like he had been running and Kyungsoo wished Kai wouldn’t be able to feel it.

What is it that I’m feeling...?

A few moments had passed and they stayed still like that.

Kai’s breath was steady and Kyungsoo honestly thought he had fallen asleep. The latter carefully moved his hand to sweep Kai’s haphazard bangs on his forehead, but before he was able to do so, the male spoke with his eyes closed.

“Do you think it’s funny,” Kai murmured against his face. “To feel like you want to sacrifice everything for someone you have just met?”

Kyungsoo’s heartbeat quickened almost painfully at that as it thrummed loudly against his ribcage. The beating was so loud that it was even deafening his ears.

Who are you talking about...?

“And you feel like you would do anything to keep him safe.”

Kyungsoo pursed his lips. He couldn’t read Kai, so he simply asked back.

“Would you...?”

“I would,” Kai replied with no hint of doubts in his tone. “But right now, I can’t. Because if I stay close to him, he would get hurt. And if I stay close to him, he would become my ultimate priority while I have decided that Suho is my priority until we find a way to defeat the bad guy who wants him dead.”

It was too fast that Kyungsoo barely had the time to register the words, but Kai continued.

“Would you wait for me...?”

Kyungsoo felt tears were rushing into his eyes. “M—me...?”

“Yeah...” Kai cracked his eyes open as he laced their fingers together and he brought Kyungsoo’s fingers to his lips, pressing on them lightly. “I wish I could take you away with me, but you’ve seen me. You’ve seen us. It’s dangerous...and if something ever happens to you...”

If you take me with you, I’m only gonna be a burden. Not just you, but to everyone.

“It’s funny, isn’t it,” Kai murmured as he snuggled closer, burying his face against Kyungsoo’s chest, feeling his heartbeat. Kyungsoo didn’t care if Kai could feel it speeding like a race car. “We don’t even know each other...and it’s not like you would want me to...”

A simple smile tugged on Kyungsoo’s lips. Their hands were still lacing together and he was certain with what he felt.

“Promise me you’ll be safe, Kai...”

Kai hummed softly.

“Because there’s just no point in waiting for someone who can’t promise himself to be safe, right?”

Kai seemed surprised with his words because he opened his eyes abruptly and their gaze locked. Emotions were swirling within their orbs and Kyungsoo could tell it was happiness in Kai’s beautiful ones.

“You...you will?”

Kyungsoo nodded shyly. “I will.”

“Then it’s a promise.”

“It’s a promise....”

“And a promise needs to be sealed.”

Kyungsoo chuckled because he would want to seal it with their pinkies, but their fingers were intertwined tightly, so consider it done. However, Kai didn’t seem to understand why he laughed because with a swift movement, he was once again hovering above Kyungsoo. It was clear that he was aiming for something else.

“K—Kai...?”

“Jongin.”

Kyungsoo seemed confused. “What...?”

“My real name. Jongin.”

The doe eyed male swallowed nervously. “J—Jongin...ah...”

“That’s right,” Kai whispered. “I want you to call me by my real name.”

Kyungsoo held his breath as Kai leaned down to close the gap between their lips. His heart almost stopped beating at the thought that their lips would meet any moment now, but he willingly gave it away to Kai—Jongin.

And their promise was sealed with a kiss.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jongin teleported out of nowhere and landed near Minseok’s Legos. The older of the two pursed his lips in dismay and Jongin sent him a sheepish smile.

“Sorry, Mandoo. At least I didn’t step at them...yet.”

Minseok only muttered something about stabbing anyone who would destroy it with an ice pick and continued building his Legos.

“Jongin-ah,” Junmyeon was glad to know that he was back and leaned forward to hug him. “How’s Kyungsoo? How’s his arm?”

“I checked it before I left, it had healed.”

Junmyeon sighed gratefully. “Thank goodness...he deserved it, he was being really nice to us. I should really thank Yixing for that, though... And what was Kyungsoo’s reaction at the offer...?”

Jongin looked away and shook his head. “I offered him nothing.”

“You—you didn’t?”

“Hyung,” Jongin grabbed Junmyeon’s shoulders firmly. “I have a war to face. I can’t let my attention get divided. At least not at the moment.”

“B—but please, don’t do that to yourself... I mean, I know everyone’s fighting over me, but look at Chanyeol, he’s able to protect Baekhyun, and Baekhyun also has no power like Kyungsoo...”

“Not me,” Jongin said sternly. “If Kyungsoo’s here, I can’t focus on you. And besides, it would be safer for him out there than being with us.”

Junmyeon gave him a solemn stare momentarily before sighing in resignation. It wasn’t his choice. It was Jongin’s. And once Jongin decided on something, he would stubbornly held on to it.

“And I’m not gonna be able to forgive myself if anything happens. Because if Kyungsoo is hurt,” Jongin gritted his teeth in great dislike. “It’s gonna be worse than war.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT DID I EVEN WRITE T___T IF YOU DISLIKE IT YOU CAN JUST LEAVE PEACEFULLY OKAY ;A;