The next two and a half weeks went by quite fast, albeit filled with worry. Jonghyun came everyday at closing time and they would spend their evenings, and sometimes nights, together. He didn’t really want them to be at his place anymore since his mother had started to stop by more often, so the couple settled for Kibum's apartment. But somehow it seemed as if Jonghyun became more tense with every passing day. He would jump slightly every time the door to the café opened and he would always check outside a few extra times before he was dragged up to the apartment. Kibum didn’t really understand why Jonghyun behaved that way and it wasn’t something the other seemed to want to talk about so he let it be, seeing Jonghyun relax as soon as he stepped over the threshold to Kibum's apartment. He was sure he would find out sooner or later.

Sekyung, Taemin, Jinki and Minho were also getting more tense with every visit to the café, but none of them would answer Kibum's questions. However, Sekyung did tell him they were a bit worried since Jonghyun's mother hadn’t really taken action just yet. It was odd for her to stay quiet for so long as she usually would have exploded immediately and hunted Kibum down.

A strange cold wave went through Kibum every time he thought about confronting the woman who was Jonghyun's mother. He also had the gnawing feeling that the other four knew something more than they let on but every time he tried to ask them about it they quickly managed to change subject or just pretend they didn’t hear him.

Kibum sighed silently and gave the customer he was serving a smile before putting down the cup and plodding back into the kitchen, to get more coffee beans for the machine and check if Mir had arrived as his shift started soon.

“Oh, okay but-” Sunny’s voice floated out to him from the open door to the small office in the kitchen. “No, I haven’t but-“

Kibum raised his eyebrows and drew closer curiously, seeing her sit in the office chair with both elbows on the desk, one hand rubbing the side of her face, the other holding a phone. Sunny spotted him trough the small window in the wall and gave him a worried look.

“Yes, I know.” She said. “No… wait!”

Apparently the other person already hung up because she grumbled angrily and threw the phone down on the desk.

“Is everything alright, Noona?” Kibum asked hesitantly, positioning himself in the doorway.

Sunny massaged both her temples and closed her eyes with a sigh.

“Yeah.” She answered tiredly, looking up at him. “It’s just our supplier… he hasn’t been doing his job properly these past six days for some reason.”

Kibum frowned, remembering having wondered where their much liked cheesecakes and muffins had gone when he put the sandwiches in the displaying counter that morning, not seeing them anywhere.

“Why?” He murmured.

“I don’t know. All I know is that no matter how much I talk to him he just doesn’t seem to listen.” Sunny stood up and squeezed past him, tearing the door to the fridge open and taking things out to make new sandwiches, slamming everything onto one of the counters.

“Did we do something to anger him?” Kibum leaned against the other counter, watching Sunny let loose on the bread and vegetables.

Her movements stilled slightly before she shrugged. “No, he’s just a brainless imbecile.”

They fell into silence, both thinking about what they could do to make him change his mind. Kibum couldn’t understand why their supplier would do this to Sunny, who had to be the most caring person he had met, never wanting to harm anyone and always reaching out a helping hand.

“It’s okay, he’ll come around.” Sunny sighed after a while. “You should go back to the register, I think I heard the bell ring.”

Kibum nodded and left the kitchen to serve the new customer, almost getting the order wrong as his thoughts were elsewhere.

There was something going on. Not only because their supplies were suddenly cut off but also because the others were becoming more nervous by the day. Sure, it could be because Jonghyun's mother was for some reason very absent when they expected her to come flying through the door, but Kibum had caught Sekyung looking like she wanted to tell him something else a few times.

Why couldn’t they just say straight out what it was that was causing the uneasiness?

He made a frustrated sound.

“Hi, Kibum!” Mir greeted him happily, appearing at his side with a tray of clean cups and plates.

“Hi, Mir.” Kibum muttered and the other frowned.

“What’s up?” He asked as he put the dishes in their rightful place.

Kibum looked at him, considering spilling everything to get some outside thoughts on it all. Then he remembered that Mir wasn’t the brightest person he could get help from and forced a smile.

“Nothing. I just didn’t get enough sleep.” He said, which actually wasn’t a complete lie. Since Jonghyun had started spending some of the nights at Kibum's apartment it was making it hard for him to just go to sleep immediately, what with the other right beside him.

“Yeah, tell me about it. I stayed up all night studying yesterday.” He sighed, scowling at the cup he was currently holding.

Kibum gave him a small smile. “Exams?”

Mir nodded, looking depressed. “I don’t know why I even bothered entering college. I’m not smart enough.”

Kibum patted his shoulder lightly. “It’s going to be okay.”

Mir smiled at him before turning to finish putting the dishes in order while Kibum absentmindedly cleaned the counter in lack of anything to do.

The day went by slowly. They didn’t have many customers, which meant that they didn’t have much to do either, and it resulted in them pulling two chairs behind the counter, sitting and playing games on Mir’s phone while Sunny stepped out to go and talk to their supplier face to face. Kibum couldn’t even look forward to Taemin or Sekyung or any of the others coming as everyone was busy that day. Instead he resorted to glancing at the clock every few minutes when it was Mir’s turn to play, waiting for the arrival of Jonghyun.

“Hey, isn’t there something strange with our supplier?” Mir suddenly asked as they started closing up the café after the uneventful day.

Kibum looked at him questioningly from his position by the register. “Yeah.”

The other frowned as he continued cleaning the tables.

“I mean, it’s…” He shrugged. “If we can’t get the next installment, we can’t make any more sandwiches or cakes.”

Kibum didn’t really know where Mir was going with this but he made a sound to inform the other he knew. Mir straightened up and looked at him with a pondering expression.

“You know…”

The bell over the door interrupted him and Kibum's face lit up in a smile, completely forgetting Mir’s existence as a three tone haired man entered.

“Hello.” Jonghyun greeted both of them, sending Kibum a shining smile.

“Hi.” Mir answered, looking at him strangely.

Jonghyun smiled at him, too, before he approached the counter and discreetly dragged a finger on the back of Kibum's hand. Kibum's smile froze a little in place as he now saw Jonghyun's face more clearly, noticing the bags under his eyes had gotten darker again, as they had started doing ever since two weeks ago, and yet another red cheek.  Ever since his mother had seen both of them it seemed like Jonghyun hadn’t been sleeping except for when he stayed over at Kibum's, and even then there wasn’t much sleeping done. And it hurt him to see Jonghyun's mother’s mark on his face every now and then. All he wanted to do was pull the other into a hug and whisper soft, gentle words in his ear, but stopped himself as he remembered that Mir was still there.

“You can wait upstairs.” He mumbled and Jonghyun nodded, his smile falling slightly as tiredness seemed to take over. Kibum watched him worriedly when he made his way upstairs, having glanced out the window a few times. Then he looked back to meet Mir’s eyes, seeing a slightly worried look on his face as well.

“He doesn’t seem too good.” Mir mumbled.

Kibum swallowed and gave a small nod, hurrying to finish what he was doing with the permission to leave the rest to Mir. Then he rushed up the stairs and into his apartment.

“Jonghyun?” He asked as soon as he opened the door.

There was no answer and Kibum pulled off his shoes while trying to look into the living room at the same time, almost falling on his face.

“Jonghyun?” He tried again when he passed the empty living room, opening the door to his room slightly.

The other was lying on his bed, breathing heavily with eyes closed, Jin curled up at his side. Kibum smiled a little at the sight before he silently tiptoed over and sat down beside him on the bed. The cat opened his eyes to look at him, letting out a soft ‘meow’, and Kibum his fur once. Then he leaned over Jonghyun, watching his tired, but peaceful face. The other’s eyes cracked open and he looked at Kibum dazedly, seeming somewhere between sleep and consciousness. Kibum let his fingertips lightly run down Jonghyun's face, glancing at the red mark on his left cheek, before brushing their lips together.

“Are you okay?” He whispered.

“Mmh.” The other mumbled, blinking a few times to get his eyes to open completely and pulling Kibum down into his arms.

Jin made a disgruntled sound and moved to the end of the bed when Kibum snuggled closer to Jonghyun, feeling the others breath ghost over the top of his head as Jonghyun tucked it under his chin. Their breaths evened out, falling in sync and making the air around them peaceful. This was the only time and way Jonghyun seemed able to relax these days, being in Kibum's apartment and holding him in his arms.

“I am going to be busy for a few days, so I can’t come as often.” Jonghyun whispered after a few seconds of lying in silence.

Kibum, who had been picking at the buttons of the other’s shirt absentmindedly, started slightly as he thought the other had fallen asleep and pulled back to look at his face.

“Why?” He asked in a barely audible voice.

“I need to settle things with the company and my parents.” Jonghyun sighed. “I’m trying to make the best out of the situation they have now put me in.”

Kibum swallowed nervously. “What situation? Did they disown you?”

Jonghyun's face turned grim, but he shook his head. “No, but they are probably considering it. Especially if they can’t put my head straight, as they say.”

“I’m sorry.” Kibum closed his eyes feeling guilty and slightly scared. He had promised to protect Jonghyun from being hurt but here he was, once again the source of problems for the other.

Jonghyun let out a breath and cupped Kibum's face. “It’s not your fault. My parents just haven’t been brought up to accept people who are different. Especially my mother.”

Kibum opened his eyes again and looked at the other questioningly. Jonghyun smiled slightly at him.

“My mother was raised to believe that being homoual was something punishable by death.” Jonghyun told him and Kibum in a breath.

“She won’t try to… kill…?” he asked worriedly.

Jonghyun looked hesitant before shaking his head again, although it wasn’t an entirely convinced answer.

“I had an uncle,” he continued, “my mother’s older brother. He was gay and my old nanny told me that once my grandparents found out about it his life became a living hell. He was beaten almost every time my grandfather laid eyes on him and my grandmother would pretend that he didn’t exist, telling my mother that the brother she had grown up with and loved was not worth even looking at. Once it became so bad that the maids had to call an ambulance when my grandfather nearly beat him to death. Then my uncle disappeared after having woken up in the hospital. We don’t know if he’s still alive but no one has ever heard from him again.”

Kibum looked at him wide eyed, shivering slightly at the thought of Jonghyun laying somewhere, beaten bloody and unconscious.

“Luckily, I wasn’t really raised by my parents.” Jonghyun gave Kibum a small smile. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have you.”

Kibum couldn’t bring himself to smile back as what seemed to be a cold wave went through him.

“We need to tell someone.” He whispered, eyes filling with tears as the images in his head grew more horrifying. “I don’t want that to happen to you.”

Jonghyun chuckled darkly. “Unfortunately, my grandparents still have enough money to shut up anyone I tell.”

Kibum's tears spilled over and Jonghyun brushed them away with his fingers, pulling him to his chest.

Again... Why is someone or something trying to take Jonghyun away from him again?

“Shh,” he murmured as Kibum let out an involuntary sob, “it’s going to be okay. Just trust me.”

Kibum nodded against his chest, tightening his arms around Jonghyun's waist and they lay like that for a while not speaking. Kibum swallowed his tears, not wanting to worry Jonghyun even more.

The other fell asleep after some time and Kibum gently wriggled out of his hold to prop up on his elbow, looking at his sleeping face and sighing. He finally understood why Jonghyun had become so tense the past two weeks, finally knew what lay behind the other’s worried faces. There was a very high possibility that Jonghyun's parents and grandparents would be out to hurt Jonghyun. Badly.

“Just trust me.”

Kibum took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“I trust you,” he whispered to the sleeping man beside him, “but I don’t want to lose you again.”

A/N: This is not going to be as depressing as it might seem, just so you know. And I reassure you that I AM going to make a happy ending, but since I introduced Jonghyun's mother this had to happen because she is who she is. 

Anyway, I'm sorry for taking longer time than I usually am but right now I just can't... I am trying really hard in all sorts of ways and I can't so I might get faster but I might just get slower, sorry...

At least I figured out a name to the previous chapter, so that's an improvement I guess...

So, thank you everyone! Lots of love! <3

Bye