A/N: So here we are again at JBxJR, continuing on from Chapter Seven. Again, thank you for the continued love and support and I will continue to strive for better in my writing. 

Big thanks to Escapade Poster Shop for the lovely poster! I think it looks beautiful and suits the story well!

A loud banging on the door sent the two boys jumping into the air. Jaebum held his finger onto Jinyoung’s smaller lips and they listened intently.

A whisper crept through the keyhole.

“I know you’re in there sweetie”

Jinyoung’s blood went cold.

Jaebum turned to Jinyoung, “Do you know who that is?” he asked with a cold cut concerned tone to his voice, his eyes never leaving Jinyoung’s eyes.

Jinyoung shook his head and Jaebum headed to the door.

“You have five seconds to get out of here” He boomed causing a trickle of laughter to come through the keyhole from the person outside.

“I’m not going anywhere until I get my-“

The man was cut off when Jaebum opened the door and pushed him back, grabbing him by his neck and slamming him up against the wall outside.

Jinyoung took a look at the man and realised that it was not the one from across the hall. He figured it was one of his henchmen.

“Where is that rat? And where is my money?” The man spat at Jaebum before punching him in the stomach.

Jaebum fell back against the ground and groaned, tripping the man up and pinning him down with his elbow.

“What money? He doesn’t owe you ANYTHING!” Jaebum burst out with, both men looking up to lock eyes with the frail Jinyoung standing by the door.

The man pushed Jaebum off and grabbed Jinyoung by the neck, shaking him, “Where is my money? You have three days kid-“

Jaebum watched as the man simply throttled his Jinyoung around and he nearly exploded.

“Don’t you DARE touch him again or I will kick you down each flight of stairs in this building- I will turn your bones to mush-“

The man managed to flee a raging Jaebum who had to be held back by Jinyoung and brought back into the apartment.

As Jinyoung closed the door behind them, Jaebum was still fuming and his chest heaved.

“And who was that?” He shouted at Jinyoung causing the smaller one to jump in fright.

“He was just- I don’t know him,” He choked out, pulling at his sleeves nervously.

“Don’t lie to me Jinyoung”.

Jaebum was seething. He furiously stomped up and down the small apartment and raised a closed fist to the wall before letting it land in front of him.

“How long has he been tormenting you- wait no” He stopped, “Why is he tormenting you? What money Jinyoung? What happened?”

Jinyoung gulped and looked down, shuffling his feet, “It’s noth-“

“Don’t say it’s just nothing because it quite literally /is/ something, imagine I wasn’t here?”

Jaebum closed his eyes and took a deep breath before counting to ten. He then walked over to the small window and pushed it open, letting a stream of cold air fill the room. He turned around to Jinyoung and leaned against the wall and slowing his speech down, he tried not to shout or raise his voice.

“Just tell me everything” he said plainly.

Jinyoung burst into tears.

“…And that’s why they’ve been tormenting me, I owe them a ludicrous amount of money and I can’t pay that back…” Jinyoung trailed off, his eyes never lifting from the floor.

Jaebum just stared at him and instead of raising his voice like he wanted to, he wrapped his arms around Jinyoung and held him close.

“You said he lives across the hallway? Let me go pay him off-“

Jinyoung grabbed his arm and stopped him, “You can’t-“ He trailed off, “At least, you shouldn’t…you can’t keep bailing me out like this Jaebum”

Jaebum frowned, “Jinyoung, let me do this.”

Jinyoung stayed still in the apartment and listened intently at the door, hoping nothing bad would come of Jaebum meeting with the drug dealer.

Jaebum marched over to the door and knocked on it, taking out his wallet. The door was answered after the fifth knock when a burly man answered it, his eyes bloodshot and his breath heavy.

“Park Jinyoung- you gave him money. I’m here to pay it back”

The man stared at him for a second until a smirk came upon his face, he called back into the room and three other men appeared behind him, all displaying the same sly smirk.

“Well- how much does he owe you men?”

“The time for him to pay back the money has passed. By extending his deadline twice, our boss trusted the boy to pay the money back and as he has failed to do so, our boss will settle for nothing less than the boy’s blood”

Jaebum stared at them in shock, his mouth hanging open. He couldn’t believe what these men were threatening. His blood boiled and his fist curled up; he tried to speak but no words came out.

The man at the door looked at his wallet and spied the money, grabbing it and smiling, “I’m sure the boss will appreciate this little sum of money…maybe it will buy the boy some time?”

Jaebum still could not speak, even when the door was slammed in his face. He stuttered and staggered around to see Jinyoung poke his head out of the door. He looked hopeful, scared and absolutely beautiful. Jaebum shook his head and almost ran for him, shutting the door behind him.

“Jinyoung. We need to leave. Pack your bags- you’re coming to stay with me”

“Jaebum-“ He was cut off.

“Jinyoung. Pack up your belongings.” Jaebum said plainly, rushing around the room to help him grab a few bags.

Jinyoung nodded his head and rushed around the room behind Jaebum, grabbing the precious things that belonged to him. He grabbed a picture of his mother and his father and held it in his hands for a few seconds, Jaebum looking over his shoulder to look.

“You look like your father Jinyoung,” he said, keeping his eyes on the picture.

Jinyoung nodded, “It’s the only picture they got taken and my mother kept it even when we came here”

Jaebum slowly kissed him on the crown of his head and patted his back before returning to clearing out the apartment. It was just under twenty minutes later when Jinyoung’s whole life had been packed into two duffle bags, one over each of Jaebum’s shoulders.

“You’re not coming back here Jinyoung…at least not for a while”

Jinyoung took one final look at his apartment and sighed, remembering the bad memories that would remain here. He turned back to Jaebum and took his hand before walking out to his car. He was then transported to his new temporary home, Jaebum’s glitzy Southern Seoul apartment.

“Strip” Jaebum ordered to a shaking Jinyoung.

“In front of y-you?” He stuttered, holding onto the towel that Jaebum had given him.

“I’m going to bathe you Jinyoung”

“I don’t want you to see me like this Jaebum…I look ugly underneath-“

“Someone as beautiful as you couldn’t be ugly underneath your clothes” He stated, standing for a second.

As he stood there, staring at Jinyoung he could tell how uncomfortable the boy was, being in a new house with his former tormenter turned ‘love interest’. Jaebum nodded and took one step out of the bathroom, closing the door.

“I put fresh clothes out for you, you can sleep in my bed tonight.”

Jinyoung listened close to hear Jaebum slinking off, presumably to sleep on the sofa and once he was gone, Jinyoung tore off his clothes very slowly and stepped into the warm bath that Jaebum had run for him. As the water hit his bruises, his body gave out an almighty gasp and he bit down on his lip. After a few minutes of laying still in the bath, he began to move and rub the sweet smelling lavender body wash that Jaebum had left him over his dark blue and purple bruised skin.

‘What was going to happen?’ Thought Jinyoung as he stretched out in the bath, dipping his head below the water. Jaebum hadn’t told him exactly what the drug lord had said but he figured it was bad since Jaebum had reacted so quickly and brought Jinyoung to his apartment.

As Jaebum lay there on his sofa thinking, he couldn’t help but worry for Jinyoung. His life had been so hard and the stress put upon that poor child was unrelenting. The world was cruel and harsh; Jinyoung was far too soft for the world.

Jaebum lay awake and watched the hours go by.

2:00am: No sleep.

3:00am: No sleep.

4:00am: No sleep.

5:00am: No sleep.

6:00am: “Screw this-“

Jaebum walked over quietly to his room where Jinyoung was peacefully sleeping and he stood by the doorway and admired Jinyoung’s simply beauty. He was rolled up in Jaebum’s blankets with his head facing to the side so that the light from the window couldn’t hit it. Jaebum’s eyes wandered south and travelled down Jinyoung’s bare legs. Every few inches the milky white and moderately hairy skin was replaced by big brutish bruises, which worked in patterns up his legs. Jaebum tore his eyes away for he knew he would have all day tomorrow to wonder upon the beauty of the simple boy called Jinyoung.

Parting ways in the hallway to go to Biology, Jaebum had a lot of trouble letting go of Jinyoung’s hand.

“So you’re sure Mark will be with you until Lunch?” Jaebum asked.

“Yes, we sit right beside each other in English” Jinyoung said in a cheerful tone.

Jaebum smiled and wiped a thumb across Jinyoung’s face, already the boy was looking a lot healthier and it had only been a few days since Jaebum had rescued him from his apartment.

“I’ll see you at lunch” Jaebum waved before walking away.

As Jinyoung walked to English class with his bag slung over his shoulder, he wondered to himself how had his former tormenter turned into his guardian angel. It was all too strange and he couldn’t help but feel as if this was some kind of joke. He shook his head and took a seat beside Mark who was strangely quiet.

“Everything alright Mark?” Jinyoung asked, poking a pencil into Mark’s cheek.

Mark smiled and glanced at him, “Ironic that you’re the one asking me if I’m okay”

Jinyoung laughed and nodded, “You’ve been very quiet Mark”

“Everything is fine…school is just a bit stressful, that’s all”

The conversation ended and before the class did, Jinyoung was excused to go to the bathroom just as he did everyday after English. When he arrived at the ‘empty’ bathroom, he noticed someone standing in the corner. He stopped a squinted at the figure, not quiet sure of what to do.

“Hello?” He called out, causing the figure to look up.

It was Jackson Wang.

Jinyoung stepped back but before he could scream, Jackson was right in front of him, putting a hand over his face. Jinyoung squirmed but Jackson stayed still until the boy stopped trying to wriggle out of his grasp.

“Jinyoung…I’m not going to hurt you” Jackson said plainly.

Jinyoung stopped and looked up at the paler Jackson.

“I’m so sorry-“

A raw cry filled the room as Jackson fell onto the ground, onto his knees in desperation. His hands flew up his face but still he could not stop the tears from dripping. He looked up in total humiliation at the poor boy he had been bullying and suddenly, he regretted it all.

“J-Jackson-“ Jinyoung stuttered, not quite believing what was happening.

“All this pain I’ve offloaded onto you…I’m sorry for it Jinyoung, I’m sorry for it all! I never meant to hurt anybody”

Jinyoung knelt down next to Jackson and patted his head. While he did so, he couldn’t help but shake his head in disbelief at what was happening; he was comforting the boy who had tormented him far longer and far harsher than Jaebum, he was comforting Jackson Wang.

“I come home everyday to abuse and violence from my dad and then I come in here and punch all my frustration into you- I’m sorry Jinyoung- I’m sick of tired of being a bad guy- I’m so sorry-“ He choked out, continuing to sob.

“I can tell you’re not a bad boy” Jinyoung mentioned, smiling softly, “Do you live with your father?”

“Yes but the apartment is disgusting with all this drugs and minions…I usually stay at hostels,” Jackson said, looking up at Jinyoung.

Jinyoung stared back down at him and raised a brow, “Where does he live?”

As Jackson told Jinyoung where his father lived, Jinyoung couldn’t believe that the address Jackson gave him was the address of the apartment across the hallway from him. He stayed still however.

“Your father has been tormenting me too…I live across the way”

Jackson looked up in horror and let out a small gasp, “You’re the boy who owes him? He asked, keeping his eyes fixated onto Jinyoung.

Jinyoung nodded and Jackson put his arms around him, hugging him close. It felt weird for almost a second but Jinyoung appreciate the comfort both boys were receiving from talking about their problems.

“We need to do something about him” Jackson whispered before being interrupted by Mark and Jaebum storming into the bathroom.

“Jinyoung! I went and got Jaebum since you didn’t come back!” Mark shouted before grabbing Jinyoung up.

Jaebum stormed over to Jackson and kicked him in the gut, rolling him over to the side of the bathroom, “What did I tell you about staying away from him?”

Jinyoung objected, “Don’t hurt him Jaebum! He means no harm!”

Jaebum stared at him and then back to the figure on the floor, “You mean to tell me, the boy who has been tormenting you for months ‘means no harm’?”

Jinyoung stumbled and nodded his head, “Believe me Jaebum, he means no-“

Jaebum shook his head; “I can’t believe you would put yourself into danger like this Jinyoung…get your own ride back to your apartment”

Jinyoung winced as Jaebum spat the words at him before leaving the bathroom. Jackson groaned in pain and Mark knelt down to see if he was okay. When Mark turned back around to talk to Jinyoung, he was already gone.

Mark waited after school but with no sign of Jinyoung nor of Jaebum, Mark made his way to a special place he had wanted to visit for the past three years. Anytime he had even thought about going there he felt sick in the stomach and decided against such a venture. Today was different though and when he arrived at the oak tree he and Jackson used to come too, he was not in the least bit surprised to see Jackson Wang, he former best friend, sitting on the tree stump they used to climb onto.

“Jackson-“ Mark said in a shaky breath.

Jackson looked up and immediately got up to leave. Mark ran over and stopped him, cornering him against the tree they used to draw onto.

“Jackson- what’s wrong?”

Jackson looked at him for a second before letting out a shaky breath; “Mark-“ was all the boy could choke out before erupting into an almighty sob. Mark stayed still and held onto Jackson. He didn’t let go, not after 10 minutes, not after 40 and not after two hours. He kept holding on.

It was dark when Jackson finished telling Mark what had been going on; he explained the beatings, the torture, the bruises on his own body, his personal turmoil and of course why he took it out on Jinyoung. Mark kept his eyes fixated onto Jackson the whole time; his hands never leaving Jackson’s hips.

Jackson looked up into the eyes of his old best friend and stopped short of confessing his true feelings; how could he tell Mark how he felt after this long? It was impossible and he was happy enough just to let this moment continue on.

“Let’s get you cleaned up Jackson” Mark smiled and pulled the boy up, wiping down his sides to get rid of the twigs and dirt.

“Thank you Mark…I really appreciate you” Jackson said, his eyes not faltering from Mark’s chocolate brown orbs for even a second, he kept them firmly on Mark.

“Maybe you should come to mine Jackson…mom would love to see you”

Jackson looked up and smiled, tears forming in his eyes again. Mark smiled back at him and wiped the tears away with his thumb, causing Jackson to laugh.

“What’s so funny Jackson?” Mark grinned.

“I used to come here to pick up your pieces and now…here you are picking up mine…thank you”

The two boys stared at each other and there was a lengthy silence…until it was broken by the soft sound of their lips crashing against each other.

Jackson had got his best friend back.

And possibly more.