Minseok's eyes fluttered open. He sat up in slight confusion, realizing he had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room. He noticed the blanket covering him. Luhan, no doubt. Sighing, Minseok ran a hand through his hair. A red color in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked to the table by the couch. He tilted his head to the side and furrowed his eyebrows at the toy truck.

It hadn't been there before, had it?

Hesitantly, the teenager sat up straight and picked up the truck. Turning it in his hands, Minseok looked it over curiously, feeling a sense of familiarity. Minseok put it back with a pout. He couldn't place where he had seen the truck, or a similar one at least, before. He stretched and stood up, picking up the blanket. He walked out the living room to find Luhan, so he could figure out what to do with it.

"Luhan?" Minseok called out, folding the blanket neatly.

He heard step from above and went to the staircase to see Luhan walk to the edge.

Minseok held up the blanket, "where should I put it?"

"It doesn't matter; you can put it where you feel like." Luhan smiled, "it's your house as well."

"Ah, okay…" Minseok mumbled and looked down.

He shuffled back in living room, hearing Luhan go back to wherever he was before. Probably his room or the room, Minseok still didn't know what contained. He placed the blanket on the corner of the chaise couch and sat down. With a frown, he the television. A crime show was on, and Minseok quickly was caught up in the facts detectives and other experts told about the crime scenes, autopsies and murderers. He found himself sitting with his jaw dropped at some of the worst crimes.

"What are you watching?"

Minseok jumped in his seat at Luhan's voice. He had lost track of time, completely consumed by everything being told during the apparent crime marathon on the channel.

"U-uh, just some shows about, um, c-crime and stuff…" Minseok mumbled, picking up the remote to change the channel.

"No, no…!" Luhan took the remote and sat down beside the teenager, "if you want to watch it, you can watch it."

"Are you okay with it?" Minseok asked unsurely.

"Of course." Luhan smiled kindly and kissed Minseok's temple.

It wasn't long, though, before Minseok ended up changing the channel anyway. It was anything but pleasant for Minseok to watch the solving of murders with a murderer by his side. Especially when the murderer by his side commented nonchalantly on the messy and unplanned crimes. The teenager tried to be as casual about it as he could, but he felt Luhan shift beside him.

"Are you okay? I told you, you can watch it."

"I-I've been watching so much already. I just wanted to see something else."

"You can tell me if I'm making you uncomfortable." Luhan wrapped an arm around Minseok and caressed his arm.

"No, I'm fine, really…!" Minseok insisted.

Luhan didn't say anything, but Minseok could feel his eyes on him. He flipped through the channels, settling on reruns of a humorous drama, even if he'd already seen it. He felt Luhan play with his hair, running his fingers through it and nuzzling him. Minseok unconsciously leaned into the touch.

"You're cute."

"Oh…" Minseok looked at Luhan shortly, before turning back to the screen, flustered. "Thanks."

Luhan smiled to himself and placed a kiss on Minseok's cheek. The teenager looked at Luhan with wide eyes and slightly flushed cheeks, surprised by the gentle action. Luhan couldn't help but grin at the face Minseok was making. He leaned in again, pecking Minseok on the lips softly. Minseok's face grew redder and the way he fiddled with his fingers in his lap didn't go unnoticed by Luhan. The man was unable to stop smiling lovingly at Minseok, who in turn got shy and looked down at his hands.

"Please, I want to see your face…" Luhan muttered softly and grabbed Minseok's chin, making the teenager look at him.

Minseok blinked at Luhan and the man could see the innocence clearly in his brown eyes. He kissed Minseok again, this time longer, but still gentle as ever. When he felt Minseok kiss him back lightly, just enough for him to notice, Luhan felt as if his heart would burst with love. He moved his hands to Minseok's face, cupping his cheeks and running his thumbs delicately over the teenager's soft skin. He kept his hands on Minseok's cheeks when they pulled away from each other, staring into each other's eyes. Luhan knew that Minseok still felt fear towards him, but his eyes gave away feelings of something more. It sparked Luhan's ever-growing hope of making the teenager feel for Luhan, the way Luhan felt for him.

"I love you." Luhan spoke in a soft voice.

Minseok nodded and broke their eye contact, "I know."

"When will you tell me again? That you love me?" Luhan asked.

He knew Minseok had told him in a fit of sadness and desperation the first time, but he was going crazy just by thought of hearing the teenager say it again. It was the most amazing words he'd ever heard.

"I-I don't know…" Minseok kept his head down, "you won't force me, will you?"

"No…!" Luhan quickly assured Minseok, pulling him into a hug, "of course not. I want you to tell me when you're ready."

Minseok nodded, loosely wrapping his arms around Luhan's waist. Luhan ran his fingers through Minseok's hair and kissed his forehead. While he sat in Luhan's arms, Minseok felt himself getting emotional. It was as if all his feelings hit him at once and though he felt he had cried enough, the tears still came back and he started to cry.

"M-Minnie?" Luhan pulled away to look down at the boy with wide eyes, "why are you crying?"

"I-I don't know!" Minseok sobbed.

Panicking, Luhan pulled Minseok back into his arms and hugged him tight. He rubbed Minseok's back and shushed him. Minseok cried, staining Luhan's shirt with his tears and grabbing the back of it desperately. Luhan was in a state of surprise as Minseok clung unto him, sobbing loudly, and Luhan had a hard time figuring out how he should react. He kept shushing Minseok, telling him everything would be okay, but he didn't know if he was helping.

He had never been comforted, how should he know how to do it? He had never let Huan end in a situation where she had to comfort him and he protected her from needing it, but now Minseok was crying and Luhan was lost. He knew that Oh Sehun had soothed Minseok, speaking words of comfort that Luhan didn't know and Luhan wasn't sure if he hated him for it. It had helped Minseok with his grief, but how was Luhan supposed to make Minseok love him, truly love him, when Sehun had helped him like that? He knew Sehun still had a place in Minseok's heart and it killed him.

Slowly, Minseok seemed to calm down, his hold on Luhan weakening and before Luhan knew it, Minseok was sleeping. His cheeks were tearstained and his face had grown slightly puffy. Luhan frowned at the sight and picked up the boy. He held him close as he carried him up to his room, where he placed him on the bed. Luhan kissed him gently on the cheek before leaving the room to let the boy sleep.

"I don't think he sleeps…" Yoongi mumbled.

"It's that bad?" Hoseok looked concerned at the older man.

"Yeah, I think he's as bad as we were."

Hoseok frowned and took Yoongi's hand in his. Yoongi looked away from the television and at Hoseok.

"Maybe you and Tae should talk to him? I mean you know what he's going through."

"You know I'm not good at that kind of …!" Yoongi groaned.

Hoseok wrapped an arm around Yoongi and pulled him closer. Yoongi rested his head on Hoseok's shoulder and a small smile formed on his lips when Hoseok kissed the top of his head. Yoongi turned to Hoseok and pecked his lips. Hoseok grinned at him, his heart-shaped smile making Yoongi weak. They kissed again, but nothing more happened, as a knock interrupted them.

"What the , man…!" Yoongi whined and got up.

Hoseok giggled and watched as Yoongi went to answer. He opened the door and in the hotel hallway stood Namjoon, Taehyung and Jimin. He reluctantly let them in and ignored the knowing smile Jimin sent him when he noticed Hoseok.

"So, what's up?" Yoongi asked when they were all seated in the living room area of the hotel room.

"Remember how I told you Seokjin was disappointed about us missing our movie night?" Namjoon asked.

"Yeah?"

"Well, he and Jungkook will be here soon to fix that."

"Are kidding me right now?" Yoongi deadpanned.

"Come on, Yoongi hyung…!" Jimin whined, "it'll be fun and you and Tae need breaks from everything."

"I've already had a break." Yoongi frowned.

"I haven't." Taehyung commented and Yoongi shot him a glare.

Hoseok grabbed Yoongi's hand again and smiled at him. Namjoon looked indifferent, but Taehyung, Jimin and Hoseok were all looking at him with pleading eyes.

Yoongi sighed, "I'll call Kibum."

Cheers surrounded him, but as he picked up his phone, Taehyung stopped him.

"I already talked to him, don't worry."

"You didn't even know if I'd agree to take the day off!"

"Yeah, I did." Taehyung grinned and Yoongi frowned.

"I ing hate you guys."

Sehun frowned when Kibum told him their Daegu-partners weren't coming, but he understood the reason behind it.

"I just think the timing is bad…" Sehun mumbled and Kibum nodded in understanding.

"I know, but we're sadly not getting any closer at the moment, so I don't think we'll feel it." Kibum sighed.

"Why is this so hard, Kibum?! Minseok's been gone for 40 days now and there isn't a single trace."

"Sehun, I know it's difficult, but you need to remember, this guy is a professional. He's smart and he's anything but messy. The guy who kidnapped that Jimin kid had him hidden for six months, and he was nowhere near as good. Or bad. You know what I mean."

"I get it, but still… they had leads. Taehyung and Yoongi both told us that they had been searching the right, or wrong, part of town looking for the kid. We don't have anything."

"We have the Red Rose killer." Kibum said.

"But we don't know if it's him. It most likely is, but we can't be sure."

"With the description Kyungsoo and Jongin gave, it seems almost impossible that it isn't him."

Sehun rubbed his face and sighed, "I guess."

Kibum patted Sehun on the back and they went back to looking through casefiles, discussing possibilities of the case and even checking up on old similar cases. It had become a routine for them ever since traces started to run out after the killer decided to take a break. They had quickly concluded with Yoongi and Taehyung that the killer couldn't have left the country with Minseok. He was professional, so he probably could get Minseok out of Korea, even if he was deemed missing, but he wouldn't leave with unfinished business. And Sehun was unfinished business. Not to mention his failed attempt at getting rid of Kyungsoo and Jongin. Sehun knew as long as the murderer was still out there Kyungsoo and Jongin were in danger, and it was possible his other friends could get caught up in the case as well. So many people were in a dangerous situation because of the White Rose killer, and Sehun would not stand by and watch as every person with a connection to Minseok be eliminated. He would save the boy and his friends even if it killed him.

When Minseok woke up again he was confused. It took a short while for him to realize that he was in his room. Luhan probably carried him there. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. He looked to the windows. It was dark outside, the start of fall evident. It had been on the later side of mid-summer when Minseok woke up in the room the first time. He got out of bed and walked to the big windows. Even in the dark with the moon and stars as the only light source, he could tell the trees were getting ready to lose their leaves. They'd be colored in warm oranges, reds and browns soon, falling to the ground. Minseok sighed. He loved that about fall, but he knew he probably wouldn't experience the crunching leaves beneath his feet and the chilly wind around him this year. Maybe the next. Maybe he'd be in another country, experiencing the fall there with Luhan.

Minseok leaned against the glass looking outside longingly. Luhan had said he'd take him anywhere and with his faltering hope of being rescued, Minseok found himself wondering where he wanted to go. He wasn't sure about America, it seemed too typical to go there, but Europe maybe? He had seen many pictures of beautiful places all through the continent, when his class had been focusing on European culture in history. South America was a possibility as well; maybe Luhan could take him to somewhere like Brazil or Chile? Maybe they didn't even need to go that far. Luhan was Chinese, so maybe China would be a good choice, or somewhere else in Asia. Minseok always wanted to visit Japan, so maybe…

Sudden realization hit the teenager and he backed away from the window. He shouldn't be thinking like that. If he gave up hope, he had lost. He had to believe that Sehun would keep looking for him and find him. Luhan was getting to him, with his gentle actions and loving words, Minseok was giving in easily. It would be the easiest if Minseok just gave up on Sehun and gave himself to Luhan, but he couldn't. He had to trust that Sehun would find him and save him.

With a sigh, Minseok looked back at the door out of his room. He knew it would be locked at that time. Luhan didn't let him walk around freely when he was sleeping, and many rooms were locked when Luhan wasn't home. He frowned, knowing he should hate Luhan for taking his freedom, but he wasn't sure he did anymore. Sehun was still his hope and Minseok's heart still seemed to flutter when he thought of him, but the thought of Luhan no longer terrified him, it no longer ignited burning hatred, and that scared him. He had been with Luhan for more than a month, but he shouldn't be accepting everything just like that, Minseok knew, but he couldn't control his unexplainable feelings.

"Why am I like this?" Minseok asked himself as he fell back on his bed.

He looked up at the ceiling, feeling sad for himself, feeling sad for Sehun and wondering if he should feel sad for Luhan. He didn't know much about the man, other than he was Chinese and seemingly heartless, but not really. Minseok knew Luhan was very much able to kill, but it seemed he wouldn't, almost like he couldn't, kill Minseok, and that was maybe a reason why Minseok felt more at ease and secure around the man.

"Why are you like this?" Minseok asked Luhan, even if he knew he wasn't able to hear him and he wasn't going to answer.

The teenager started to think of ways to coax Luhan into talking about himself. Maybe then Minseok would be able to understand why Luhan acted the way he did. Minseok was unsure of why he wanted to understand, but he did.

Minseok sighed again. Luhan was really getting to him.

"Honestly, Hoseok, will you stop trying to Yoongi's soul out through his face?!" Namjoon complained, unable to focus on the movie due to his friends' intimacy.

"Calm down, Joonie, they're just newly in love…!" Jimin giggled.

"Shut up!" Yoongi growled and Hoseok laughed.

"Guys, some of us are trying to watch a movie!" Jungkook spoke up annoyed.

Taehyung looked at Seokjin, who rolled his eyes. The small argument continued along with teasing comments thrown at Yoongi and Hoseok.

"Seriously, shut up! God!" Seokjin interrupted and everyone quieted down.

A few moments of silence passed before Yoongi mumbled, "I ing hate you guys."

"I'm back!" Sehun called out tiredly.

A chorus of replies met him when he entered and he was relieved to hear all his five friends along with Kyungsoo. Sehun had found himself worrying more and more about coming home and seeing someone missing, even if he knew none of them left his apartment without someone by their side. Even if he didn't want Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Tao and Kris to get involved, Sehun appreciated that they stayed because they gave him, as well as Jongin, a sense of support and security. Sehun didn't fear much for himself, but after the attack on Jongin and Kyungsoo, he was glad to have more people to watch out for possible danger.

"How was your day?" Jongin stepped out of the kitchen with Kyungsoo in tow, carrying food to the dining table.

"As any other. It . We've got no new leads." Sehun said and took a seat at the dining table beside Tao.

"I'm sure you'll find him." Tao spoke softly and patted Sehun's shoulder.

"I hope so." Sehun sighed.

Awkward glances were exchanged around the table, but no one said anything and they ended up eating in an uncomfortable silence.