Life is a ty bastard just lying around waiting for a time when you think you got everything figured out, before throwing crap your way reminding you that no, you haven't. Jaebum found this the hard way on one bright but cold day. The sun was shining so brightly that the day could easily be mistaken as another one of summer's if it wasn't for the cold wind flying around reminding people that autumn is aproaching. He was just getting home after an exhausting but oddly satisfying day of people watching that included following a pretty young girl around. Just the fact that his pocket was a couple hundreds heavier made his heart felt lighter. If Jaebum had known being a private investigator was this easy, he would have done it a long time ago.

  He was such in a good mood that day, that he found himself humming as he rode up the elevator to his apartment. The apartment he shared with his first love. He smiled to himself as he remembered their little reunion after years of not seeing the younger. How the younger was the reason he decided to settle down. They managed to squeeze themselves in a small apartment with the money they had. Jaebum knew with the job he has, money is not going to roll in everyday, but the younger loved him enough to stay by his side. With the thought in mind, he unlocked his apartment door with a few ideas in mind.

  "Jinyoung baby, I'm home."

  But like stated earlier, life is a ty bastard armed with crap to throw at people. This time it came in the form of a familiar pale face with dark hair sipping hot beverage from one of his favourite mugs. A face he never thought he would ever see again. A face he bid goodbye with a heavy heart. A face that haunted him with regret for the first series of nights he spent in town. A face he missed but never wanted to see again.

  "Youngjae?"

  "Jaebum," Jinyoung said, getting up from the couch to join him. "You never told me your friend was dropping by."

  "I...didn't know," Jaebum told him.

  "I guess he really forgot," Youngjae said, smiling so awkwardly that it nearly seemed real. "Well, I hope I'm not intruding."

  "No, of course not," Jinyoung assured him. "I'm just sorry that you'll be sleeping on our couch for the next couple of nights."

  "Sleeping on our couch?" Jabum asked, confused. He shot a piercing look at their sudden guest who had put up his polite facade. A facade that managed to make the younger look so harmless, so innocent that easily charmed nearly everyone. Apparently Jinyoung too.

  "Yeah, if it's not too much trouble," Youngjae said, glancing around the apartment. "I don't to make the place feel crowded. I know how Jaebum hyung is like when he feels the place getting crowded."

  The way he said the last sentence had Jaebum narrowing his eyes at the younger.

  Jinyoung eyed between the two before nudging Jaebum to say something. Jaebum shot a pleading look at him that was met by a stern one in return.

  "It's fine," Jaebum forced himself to say. "You can stay here for a while."

  "Thanks hyung," Youngjae said, smiling brightly at the couple.

  "You know Jinyoung, since Youngjae is here," Jaebum said, averting his attention to his lover. He gave the younger a look, that he understood immediately.

  "I'm going to go out and buy some proper dinner," Jinyoung said, before leaning to peck Jaebum on the lips. "I'll be back soon. You two have fun."

  As soon as the door shut behind Jinyoung, Jaebum wheeled his full attention to the young male sitting on the old worn out sofa that he and Jinyoung spent weeks deciding whether or not to buy it from the flee market.

  "What are you doing here?"

  "You know, when you told me you were gay," Youngjae said, slowly, facade slipping away with each word. "I didn't think you were going through with it."

  "What are you doing here?" Jaebum repeated, trying to calm himself. "What did Jinyoung mean by you sleeping on our sofa?"

  "Don't you find it weird that Jinyoung so happened to have the same name as JYP," Youngjae said, eyeing the older carefully as the three letters slipped out.

  "Leave him out of this," Jaebum told him. "He knows nothing about this. About us."

  "You make it sound like we had an affair," the younger muttered.

  "I'm going to ask you one more time, and you better answer before I throw you out the window myself," Jaebum warned him. "What. Are. You. Doing. Here."

  Youngjae smirked, recognizing the anger behind the words, "I need a place to crash."

  "No, no," Jaebum said, immediately shooting down the idea.

  "You just told Jinyoung it was okay," Youngjae said, innocence shining through his eyes it made Jaebum rolled his eyes.

  "I can tell him you changed your mind."

  Youngjae sighed heavily before looking straight into the older's eyes, "Hyung please, I have nowhere else to go. Jimin is dead, and-"

  "Wait, Jimin is dead? H-how?" Jaebum paused, before asking, "The girl or the guy?"

  "The guy," Youngjae said, shutting his eyes just thinking about the state of the body when he found it. "They practically butchered him. I barely recognized his face."

  Jaebum rubbed his face, feeling the fatigue settling in. It reminded him of the endless nights he spent in cheap hotels just trying to stay awake, "That has nothing to do with me."

  "You don't mean that," Youngjae said, quietly.

  "Look, Jimin was a great kid, and I like him," Jaebum admitted. "But his death has nothing to do with me. All this stuff has nothing to do with me now. I quit. A long time ago."

  "Suga is furious," Youngjae told him. "Jimin was like a brother to him."

  "He was more than a brother to him," Jaebum said more to himself. "That still doesn't explain why you're here."

  "Whoever did it is framing me for it," Youngjae told him. "They- they used my MO, my tools. Suga's on my about this. I need to figure out who did this for real."

  "You cannot stay on our couch forever," Jaebum told him. "Jinyoung and I cannot afford to have you here."

  "Look, I already know the guy works under JYP so that's a start," the younger informed him. "As I soon as I figure out who it is, I'll bring the guy to Suga and get them out of my hair, before I get out of yours."

  "Youngjae, I can't-"

  "Hyung, they're sending Jin after me," Youngjae told him, voice beginning to tremble, terrified at the simple mention of the name. "And I-I don;t know what to do. You're the only one I know and trust that can help me. And I know you're into this whole life thing. But hyung, you have to get that not everyone is lucky enough to excape like you did."

  Jaebum watched the younger trying to calm himself down feeling a wave of pity for the guy. There's not many people that can scare Youngjae - or Jaebum himself for that matter - but they both know how Jin worked. How ruthless the older could be. He can't, he knew he can't leave the younger out to die just like that. He knew if their positions were switched, he'd do the same thing.

  "Okay, okay," Jaebum finally said, causing the younger to look at him with such a greatful look he felt like he didn't deserve. "But Jinyoung cannot know a thing about this."

  "Deal." Youngjae nodded, smiling at the older. "It's nice to have you back JB."

***

not properly beta-ed. I had a hard time starting this.

featuring BTS and other JYP ent idols. Wheeeeeee~~~

Tell me what you think. Comments are well loved.