“How’s work?” Hongbin asked, putting on his apron and moving to stand beside Ravi at the cash.

“We were busy a few minutes ago,” Ravi explained, “but now the rush seems to be dying down.”

“Good for me then,” Hongbin laughed, “I don’t have to deal with all the angry, over-worked jerks that you did.”

“Don’t rub it in,” Ravi scoffed.

“Take some time to rest,” Hongbin patted his friend’s shoulder, “I’ve got this covered and you look beat.”

“Alright,” Ravi managed a small smile, moving to head to the back room when he took note of what was going on outside of the small coffee shop.

Ravi watched as the rain poured, thunder rumbling through the air and lightning lighting up the night dark gray sky. It was a miserable day, that much was for sure. It seemed like everyone who came into the small café was in horrible moods, too. Ravi had lost track of how many people had been extra snappy with him and the day was only half over.

“Hey,” Hongbin said, “look out there.”

Ravi followed Hongbin’s gaze to find a young man standing just outside the shop. The boy just stood there, like he was frozen. The two watched for several moment, waiting for the boy to do something other than just stand there.

“Someone should do something,” Hongbin finally said, “I mean, we can’t just leave him out there.” he paused, “what if he’s planning to kill himself? We really shouldn’t leave him be if that’s what he’s thinking.”

“I’ll go get him,” Ravi sighed, a bit reluctant to do anything in case the boy snapped at him.

Ravi exited the café and was soon soaked to the bone thanks to the heavy rain. He approached the boy and tapped on his shoulder. The boy blinked before slowly turning to face Ravi. The first thing that Ravi noticed about the boy was his eyes. They looked…….empty. he wondered if maybe Hongbin’s suicide theory was right.

“Yes?” the boy finally said, voice just as empty as his eyes.

“You shouldn’t stand out here in the rain,” Ravi said, “you’ll catch cold.”

“Oh,” the boy nodded, “ok.” the pair fell silent, the boy just looking at Ravi like he was waiting for him to leave and Ravi waiting for the boy to go someplace out of the rain.

“Come on,” Ravi sighed when he realized the boy wasn’t going to move on his own, “I’ll pay for a coffee or something. my shift is over anyway.”

Ravi took the boy’s hand and lead him into the café. The boy looked down at their joined hands, a look of curiosity on his face. It was like he didn’t understand what Ravi was doing, like he had never seen it before in his life.

Once inside, Ravi ordered the boy a hot chocolate and sat him down at one of the tables by the café’s fireplace. He gave the boy one last, hard look as if ordering him to stay with his eyes alone before ducking into the backroom to change into his normal cloths. He dropped his uniform on the ground, the material hitting the floor with a wet slapping sound, and frowned at just how wet it had gotten in such a short amount of time. he couldn’t help but wonder how wet and cold the boy had to be since he’d been outside longer.

“He’s still there,” Hongbin said when Ravi came out, “he hasn’t moved. Not even to take a sip of his drink. I really think something’s wrong with him.”

“Same,” Ravi nodded, “his eyes looked……empty. Like there was nothing there.”

“What do you want to do?” Hongbin questioned.

“I’m going to find out his name,” Ravi decided after a moment, “and then I’m going to take him home.”

As Ravi made his way over to the boy, he took note of several things other than the boy’s eyes. For starts, the boy’s clothing looked old. Like, cheep second hand store kind of old. His hair looked like it hadn’t been brushed or cut in ages, too. Finally, the boy had a backpack at his feet, stuffed so full it looked like the boy might have stuffed his whole life inside of it.

“You don’t have to help me,” the boy said when Ravi sat down across from him.

“I know,” Ravi nodded, frowning slightly at hoe the boy sounded so…upset with everything, “I wanted to.”

“No one wants to help people like me,” the boy scoffed.

On one hand, Ravi was relieved to be getting some kind of emotion out of the boy. However that emotion was anger and sadness. The kind that can only be found in people who are going through a lot of bad things.

“What’s your name?” Ravi asked.

“Hyuk,” the boy replied.

“And where do you live?” Ravi had a feeling he knew the answer, but he didn’t want to say it.

“Nowhere,” the boy locked eyes with Ravi, silently challenging him, “Still want to help me out?”

“Yes,” Ravi nodded, “I still want to help.” He took a bit of satisfaction in seeing Hyuk’s surprised eyes.

“You can’t,” Hyuk finally said, glaring at the table, “not unless you can crap out apartments.”

“I can’t crap out places to live,” Ravi shrugged, “but my roommate just moved out and I have an empty room.”

A part of Ravi wondered why he’d offer something like that to a kid he found on a street corner in the rain. What of the kid was a killer or a thief or something like that? but Ravi knew – he just knew – that the kid in front of him needed help. He knew that if someone didn’t help Hyuk soon, he’d be on another street corner soon, standing there perfectly still as he waited for a bus.

“Fine,” Hyuk finally said, looking a bit unsure even as he tried to hide behind a mask of indifference, “if you’re offering, I’ll take it.”

 

--

 

Flashback – Just before Ravi noticed Hyuk

Hyuk stood on the street corner as the rain poured. He was so cold that he wasn’t sure he could feel anything anymore. However, he wasn’t sure if the cold came from the rain or from inside. That, he decided, was the big question. Well, not just big. More like that was the life or death question. He wasn’t sure what he wanted the answer to be.

Everything in his life. Everything had for a long time, actually. It was just that now things had gotten worse. He’d grown up in a foster home, his mother having died in childbirth and his father hating him for that so much that he’d given him away. Hyuk could still remember his father’s exact words as he told the judge that he didn’t want Hyuk. Hyuk was a bit shocked that his father had waited until he was five to give him away, but the old man had probably just been waiting for his only other relative – his grandmother – to die so that there would be no one else to take Hyuk.

Things weren’t great at the home they put him in either. The other children seemed to love picking on him and beating him up. In three years, he’d been to the emergency room seven times for some reason or another. All the fault of those other kids. In time, he was placed in another home, but things weren’t much better there. This time, it was the kids at school who made his life hell. Eventually, they posted the video of a group of them beating him up on the internet and the cops got involved. People were arrested, others were expelled, and Hyuk had to face the social backlash from the others kids at school who decided to blame him.

He requested a transfer to a new foster home and a year later he got it. Now fifteen, Hyuk was at another school and the only people who befriended him were the kids rumored to be in a gang. He’d been so desperate to find a friend that he’d ignored the rumors. Stupid move.The kids really were part of a gang and Hyuk soon found himself in too deep to get out. Thanks to his stupid decision to get involved with those kids in the first place, he ended up in a juvenile detention center. Things got really bad then. A whole year spent in that place was almost too much for Hyuk to handle.

When he got out, he was sent to another home. This time, there were no bullies or gangs. However, no one tried to befriend him either and Hyuk was left completely alone. Ignored by just about everyone, he turned eighteen and was told that he was being kicked out of the foster home. As the official who talked to him said, he was a legal adult now and thus not their problem. They handed him some cash, telling him that it should be enough to keep him fed and indoors until he found work, and asked him to pack his stuff and go.

Now here he was, five months later. No one would hire him because of his criminal record. His money had run out and he was sleeping in alleys and on park benches. He really was the up his father thought he was.

Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder.

“Yes?” Hyuk said after turning to face the guy who tapped his shoulder.

“You shouldn’t stand out here in the rain,” the guy said, “you’ll catch cold.”

“Oh,” Hyuk nodded, “ok.” They both fell silent. Hyuk waited for the guy to leave, but he didn’t and that confused him. Normally, no one cared about him so what was up with this stranger?

“Come on,” the guy sighed, apparently deciding to break the silence himself, “I’ll pay for a coffee or something. My shift is over anyway.”

The guy took Hyuk’s hand and led him into the nearby coffee shop. Hyuk stared at their joined hands, still not understanding what the stranger wanted from him.

Once inside, the guy told him to sit and Hyuk did as told. The place he sat was by the fire place and almost instantly he felt warmer. A few minutes later, an attractive young man handed him a mug. Hyuk nodded in thanks and put the mug down on the table in front of him.The attractive guy looked a little confused as to why Hyuk wasn’t drinking whatever was in the mug, but he soon left. Now alone Hyuk sat in silence, waiting for the guy who’d pulled him inside to return. Maybe he could explain why he was paying Hyuk so much attention.

“You don’t have to help me,” Hyuk said once the guy took the seat across from him.

“I know,” the guy nodded, “I wanted to.” His answer……it annoyed Hyuk for some reason.

“No one wants to help people like me,” Hyuk scoffed.

“What’s your name?” the guy asked, changing the topic.

“Hyuk,” he replied after a moment of consideration. Telling this guy his name couldn’t do too much damage. Nothing that hadn’t already been done, anyway.

“And where do you live?” the guy asked, but his tone betrayed the fact that he already knew the answer.

“Nowhere,” Hyuk replied, locking eyes with the guy, “still want to help me out?” he wanted to challenge this guy, push him into admitting that either he didn’t really care or that he had some ulterior motive for helping Hyuk out.

“Yes,” the guy nodded, surprising Hyuk a little, “I still want to help.” Well, more than a little.

“You can’t,” Hyuk finally said, glaring at the table, “not unless you can crap out apartments.”

“I can’t crap out places to live,” the guy shrugged, “but my roommate just moved out and I have an empty room.”

Hyuk honestly wasn’t sure what to do. On one hand, he needed a place to stay. It was getting colder each day and soon it would be winter. He had no doubts that winter on the streets would kill him. On the other, this guy was a stranger who could secretly have a bunch of human body parts in his freezer. Or, he could be planning to use Hyuk for his body. The need for shelter won out in the end, but Hyuk worried that he’d come to regret that decision.

“Fine,” Hyuk finally said, looking a bit unsure even as he tried to hide behind a mask of indifference, “if you’re offering, I’ll take it.”

“Good,” the guy smiled, “I’m Ravi by the way.”

Hyuk just nodded, waiting for Ravi to do something else. Like say he was just joking and that Hyuk had to get the heck out of his work place. Instead, Ravi just smiled, stood up, and held out his hand for Hyuk to take. For a moment, Hyuk considered not taking the other’s hand. After all, how bad could living on the streets really be? A little rain and cold couldn’t hurt that much could it?

Hyuk mentally hit himself before taking Ravi’s hand.

He was well aware of how badly this could bite him in the . For all he knew, Ravi wasn’t some kind soul wanting to help another human being. But Hyuk had to take that chance if he wanted at least one night with a bed to sleep in and a roof to shield him from the rain. If things didn’t work out – and he wasn’t killed his first night – he could always run away and go back to the streets.

--

“This is home,” Ravi smiled, standing to the side so that Hyuk could enter the apartment, “it’s a little messy, but I didn’t expect to bring anyone home with me.”

“It’s fine,” Hyuk replied, looking around for anything weird.

The apartment so far – meaning the living room and kitchen - was normal, painfully so, but that didn’t mean Ravi did have something messed up hidden elsewhere in the apartment. Maybe Ravi had some kind of ography set up in his bedroom. Or a rotting corpse in the storage room.

“Do you want to see the room you’ll be sleeping in?” Ravi asked, “Or do you want a full tour?”

“Either works,” Hyuk shrugged, trying to play down his curiosity. He actually really wanted to see the whole place, but…….there was no way he was going to let Ravi know about what he was thinking. He didn’t like anyone knowing what he was thinking.

“Alright,” Ravi smiled brightly, “I’ll show you your bedroom first, then my room. Then the bathroom and storage room. After that, I think you should get changed from those wet cloths, so I’ll lend you some of mine and then you can sleep.”

Hyuk just followed silently behind the other, taking note of everything around him. There was nothing weird in the apartment from what he could see, that was reassuring. But then again the weird stuff could just be hidden away in Ravi’s closet.

Hyuk cast a wary glance at Ravi.

No, Hyuk assured himself, this guy doesn’t seem weird. Well, aside from taking someone like me into his home.

“That’s everything,” Ravi smiled as they found their way back to the living room, “do you want to sleep? Or eat something.”

“Sleep,” Hyuk decided after a pause, quickly realizing just how tired he was.

“Then sleep,” Ravi smiled, waving Hyuk off to his new room, “I’ll make something for you to eat when you wake up.”

“Sounds good,” Hyuk nodded before heading off to his room.

Ravi laughed to himself once the other was gone. He really couldn’t believe he’d made such an offer to a complete stranger. What if Hyuk was really some kind of crazy guy, one who would kill him in his sleep?

“Nah,” Ravi decided.

--

“Hey,” Ravi smiled, “you’re up early.”

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded, “I’m looking for a job today.”

“Oh,” Ravi smiled, “that’s great. I’m sure you’ll find one.”

“Maybe,” Hyuk muttered, not even a little hopeful.

The pair had been living together for about a week and both decided that neither was crazy. Ravi found he rather enjoyed having Hyuk around and Hyuk didn’t mind Ravi either. Given, Hyuk didn’t talk much and didn’t say a word about his past, but Ravi didn’t mind that. Hyuk listened to everything he said and offered great advice.

Point was, they’d learned how to co-exist.

“I haven’t started breakfast yet,” Ravi said, “what do you want?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Hyuk shrugged, “anything you want is fine by me.”

“You sure?” Ravi frowned slightly, not completely happy that Hyuk never asked for anything. Even something to eat!

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded, “I’m going to take a quick shower.”

With that, Hyuk left and Ravi sighed to himself, trying to recall if anything from breakfast the day before had stood out as something Hyuk would really like.

“I wish he’d be a bit more open with me,” Ravi sighed, “even if it’s just telling me what he wants to eat.”

Regardless, Ravi set about making breakfast with the hope that he’d manage to make something Hyuk would really like. Maybe enough to comment with an ‘it’s good.’

Ravi didn’t get that.

Hyuk made a comment about Ravi’s cooking being good before heading off to look for a job. Ravi sighed, deciding that he was going to take what he could get. At least Hyuk’s praise for his cooking had been more than one or two words this time.

--

“Where are you going?” Ravi found himself asking a week or so after Hyuk’s job search started.

“Out,” Hyuk replied, putting on his jacket and making sure that he had his keys to the apartment.

“Out where?” Ravi questioned, putting down his book to give Hyuk his full attention.

“Got a job,” Hyuk explained, shrugging like it was nothing, “so I’m going to it.”

“This late at night?” Ravi frowned, “what kind of place are you working at.”

“The kind of place that higher a person with a criminal history,” Hyuk replied, glancing at Ravi to gauge his reaction.

“Criminal history?” Ravi blinked.

“Got into some trouble as a teen,” Hyuk admitted, “fell in with a bad crowd.”

“Oh,” Ravi nodded in understanding.

Well, as understanding as he could be when he knew so little about the situation.

“Get so sleep,” Hyuk said before he left, “it’s getting late.”

“When will you be back?” Ravi asked before Hyuk could close the door, wondering if it would be worth it to wait up for him.

“Early morning,” Hyuk replied, “don’t bother waiting up.”

With that, Hyuk was gone and Ravi frowned slightly, the curiosity he felt in regards to Hyuk filling his mind.

--

“Hi,” Hyuk looked up to find a blond man standing in the doorway of the dressing room, “I’m Ken.”

“Hyuk,” he nodded in greeting before turning back to the mirror.

“Scared?” Ken asked, “Or just nervous?”

“Regretful,” Hyuk said after a moment, “regretful that I’ve ended up here.”

“I know the feeling,” Ken sighed, pulling over a chair so he could sit beside Hyuk, “sometimes life really .”

“Yeah,” Hyuk replied.

“Come on,” Ken smiled slightly, “I’ll help you get ready. You’ll be up on stage before you know it.”

--

“Hey,” Ravi smiled slightly as Hyuk made his way into the kitchen looking……..less than happy. Ravi’s smile dimmed a great deal once it really sunk in that Hyuk wasn’t happy.

“Morning,” Hyuk grumbled, sitting down at the table and just……looking at the table.

“Everything alright?” Ravi asked.

“Fine,” Hyuk replied after a moment, “just a hard night at work.”

“You sure?” Ravi asked, earning a nod.

Ravi sighed, deciding that Hyuk wasn’t going to tell him anything. It was annoying and did nothing to help his curiosity about the other.

“What are you making?” Hyuk asked, noticing the annoyance and concern on Ravi’s face and deciding to cut his roommate a little slack, “what you made yesterday……I really liked it.”

“Really?” Ravi turned to face Hyuk completely, looking more than a little surprised.

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded, “it was really good.”

“Then you’re in luck,” Ravi smiled brightly, “that’s exactly what I’m making today.”

Ravi set about making their meal and Hyuk felt a small smile form on his face. Seeing Ravi getting so happy over something so simple was actually pretty cute. Hyuk decided right then that he wanted to see Ravi smile like that more often, so he would open up a bit more to him. Hyuk’s past was still going to be kept quiet, but little things like what he wanted to eat……

--

“He told you to get some sleep, didn’t he?” Hongbin growled over the phone, “so why the heck are you calling me? You are so lucky that I have the day off or I’d be kicking your right now. And don’t get me started on the fact that he’s had this ing job for almost four months!”

“I’m just worried,” Ravi sighed, “it’s so late and it’s dark out and I don’t know where he is. I just……I worry.”

“Oh for crying out loud,” Hongbin sighed, “you aren’t even dating him and you’re already acting like a clingy girlfriend.”

“What are you talking about?” Ravi was quick to reply, “we’re roommates, it’s natural that I’d worry about my roommate.”

“Whatever you say,” Hongbin said, obviously rolling his eyes, “I’m hanging up now, I need to sleep. I’m way too tired to deal with your pathetic love life.” The other had hung up before Ravi could say anything.

Ravi frowned as he took another look at the clock. It was late, very late. Actually, it was beyond late since most people would classify five fifteen in the morning as early in the morning. Well, whatever time it was didn’t matter. Hyuk being missing from the apartment on the other hand did matter.

“He’s just at work,” Ravi muttered to himself, scowling slightly at the idea that the best job Hyuk could get was one that kept him working until the early morning.

But, he figured that he couldn’t blame the people who hired people for jobs with normal hours. They didn’t like to hire people with criminal records and that’s what Hyuk had; a criminal record. Hyuk refused to talk about exactly what had got him sent to jail for a year and Ravi had learned not to ask. That didn’t stop him from wanting to know, though.

He really wanted to know everything about Hyuk. Maybe it was because his roommate was such a mystery and he felt compelled to solve that mystery. Or maybe it was something else. Ravi wasn’t quite ready to verbally admit to having a crush on Hyuk yet – as the phone call with Hongbin proved – but inside the safety of his own mind he’d admitted to fantasizing about going on dates with Hyuk and kissing him.

If Hongbin asked, though, he’d deny it all.

“I’m home,” Ravi heard Hyuk call softly after shutting the door behind him.

“Hey,” Ravi smiled, trying not to run over to the other to help him with his coat.

“You were waiting for me?” Hyuk frowned slightly, “please tell me you didn’t stay up the whole time I was gone again, Ravi.”

“Nope,” Ravi lied, “I slept like a baby. Just work up a few minutes ago because I wanted something to drink.”

“Sure,” Hyuk narrowed his eyes at the dark bags under the older man’s eyes, “whatever you say. You don’t have to wait for me, you know.”

“I know,” Ravi nodded, “but I like to make sure you come home.”

“Not like I have any other place to go,” Hyuk said, looking away so that Ravi couldn’t see the blush on his face. Ravi still saw it and smiled before dragging Hyuk off to the younger’s bedroom, insisting that Hyuk needed to sleep since he had only gotten a couple hours of rest the night before.

“Now get some sleep,” Ravi said, pushing Hyuk through the bedroom door.

“You do the same,” Hyuk replied, turning around to ruffle the other’s hair.

“Don’t do that,” Ravi whined, pushing Hyuk away playfully and trying to fix his hair, “I’m older then you! You aren’t supposed to be so disrespectful to your elders.”

“Whatever you say, hyung,” Hyuk smiled slightly, “night.”

“Night,” Ravi replied before heading off to his own room.

A part of him wanted to make up an excuse to stay with Hyuk a few minutes longer, but he was so tried that he just wanted to sleep. He could enjoy how close he and Hyuk had become another time.

“Oh!” Hyuk suddenly called out, poking his head out into the hall, “I have the night off tonight.”

“That’s great,” Ravi smiled, “got any plans?” He hoped not, he prayed that he would get to spend the night with Hyuk for once, but…..Hyuk probably had friends he wanted to spend time with.

“That depends,” Hyuk shrugged, “do you have any plans?”

“Nope,” Ravi was quick to say before realizing that he sounded too happy, “um, I mean, no I’ve got no plans. I’ve got the day off work, so it’s not like I have any place to be.”

“Good,” Hyuk smiled slightly, “I was thinking of just spending the day inside, just watching movies and eating take out. Sound good?”

“Yeah,” Ravi nodded, smiling brightly, “the couch folds out, so maybe we can even get all the pillows and blankets and, like, build a nest or something.”

“Sounds good,” Hyuk smiled, “now go get some sleep.”

“Night,” Ravi said before fleeing into his room.

That night, Ravi fell asleep with a smile on his face.

--

“It’s so cold,” Ravi scowled, pulling the blankets tighter around himself.

“Good thing you’re off work then,” Hyuk laughed, dropping down on to the couch beside the older and throwing an arm around Ravi’s shoulders after covering himself in some of the blankets, “feel any warmer.”

“A little,” Ravi nodded, cuddling as close as he dared to the other man.

“I’ll make you a hot chocolate in a few minutes,” Hyuk offered, “or would you like one now?”

“A few minutes,” Ravi was quick to say, beyond unwilling to let Hyuk leave his side yet, “you’re really warm.”

“Alright,” Hyuk nodded, grabbing the remote and turning on the tv, “any movie requests?”

“No,” Ravi decided after thinking it over, “pick whatever you want.”

Hyuk nodded before doing exactly that.

Almost instantly, Ravi regretted letting Hyuk pick the movie. Well, kind of. On the one hand, he hated scary movies with a passion – it was one of the many reasons he got along so well with Hakyeon. And yet the scary movie allowed him the chance to cuddle as close as possible to Hyuk. Every time something scary happened, Ravi would hug Hyuk. Every time someone got killed, he’d burry his face in Hyuk’s shirt until the other said that the gore was over.

“Guess I picked the wrong film,” Hyuk eventually said, “sorry, I should have asked if you liked slashers.”

“It’s fine,” Ravi was quick to assure him, “I’m alright.”

“Liar,” Hyuk laughed before passing over the remote, “you pick the next movie, alright?”

“Alright,” Ravi nodded, turning his attention to trying to find just the right movie for them to watch.

They pair spent the rest of the day like that, taking turns at picking the movies and trying to find something that the other would like. Just as the sun started to set, Ravi found himself resting against Hyuk’s chest, drifting in and out of sleep, while Hyuk ran his fingers through his hair.

“This was nice,” Ravi whispered and Hyuk grunted in agreement, shifting slightly so that he could wrap his arms loosely around Ravi’s hips.

“We’ll have to do this again sometime,” the younger yawned.

“I’d like that,” was the last thing Ravi said before letting sleep take him.

--

Hyuk watched with amusement as Ravi rushed around the kitchen, trying to make sure that everything was perfect. Honestly, the younger didn’t know why the elder was putting so much work into this little movie night. It wasn’t like he was inviting anyone special over, just a couple of his friends. Like Hongbin from work. All of Ravi’s friends had been over to the apartment before, they had seen everything before.

“Ow!” Ravi suddenly yelped, dropping the hot pot of water in his hands. The boiling water hit the floor as well as his feet, drawing out another pained yell.

“Ravi!” Hyuk rushed over, lifting Ravi up and out of the puddle.

Hyuk set Ravi down on the couch in the living room before grabbing a dry towel and a bag of ice. Returning to Ravi’s side, he carefully dried the older man’s feet and handed over the ice so that Ravi could put it on his burned hand.

“Dang it,” Ravi hissed, “That hurts.”

“It’s a burn,” Hyuk rolled his eyes, “those tend to hurt. That’s why people prefer to avoid getting burned.”

“Shut up,” Ravi huffed, looking away so that he could hide the embarrassed blush on his face. He felt like a total moron for getting burned.

“You aren’t that great at multitasking,” Hyuk frowned slightly, looking from Ravi’s feet to his hand to his face, “you could have really hurt yourself. Like hospital visit kind of hurt.”

“I know,” Ravi looked down, “I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“I wasn’t that worried,” Hyuk muttered, scowling slightly as he looked anywhere but at Ravi, “just mildly concerned.”

“Yeah,” Ravi nodded, a small smile forming on his face, “sure.”

It was kind of cute how Hyuk liked to deny how much he cared about Ravi. Honestly, it just made it even clearer to the older that Hyuk really did like him, that he wasn’t just some guy Hyuk decided to live with until he could get a place of his own. Hyuk’s concern didn’t necessarily mean that the younger like-liked him, but……just knowing that he cared was enough for Ravi.

“I’ll finish up,” Hyuk decided, getting to his feet and heading to the kitchen, “you just sit there.”

“I wanna help,” Ravi scowled, trying to get up only to be pushed back down by hyuk.

“No,” he ordered, “let me do this.”

“Fine,” Ravi nodded, getting comfortable and Hyuk headed off to finish everything.

About half an hour before Ravi’s friends showed up, Hyuk headed off to work. Ravi sighed, looking around at everything Hyuk had prepared and wished that he’d been able to stick around to enjoy it. But Hyuk had work and he needed to go.

“Where does he work?” N asked once he, Leo, and Hongbin had arrived.

“Don’t know,” Ravi admitted, already regretting letting the conversation drift to his roommate.

“You live with him,” N frowned, “and yet you don’t even know something as simple as that? Do you know anything about this kid?”

“Still can’t believe you let him live with you,” Hongbin sighed, “for all you knew, he could have been a serial killer.”

“But he wasn’t,” Ravi said, turning his attention to Leo, “Leo hyung, didn’t you mention something about getting a new roommate?”

The attention turned to Leo and no one brought Hyuk up again for the rest of the night. Yet N’s words were still stuck in his head. Even after his friends left and Ravi was laying in bed, the words echoed in his ears.

“I’ll find out,” Ravi decided before falling asleep, “I’ll follow Hyuk to work tomorrow night.”

--

Ravi regretted ever listening to N’s advice. He just…..he wanted to know about Hyuk. They’d been living in the same apartment for almost a full year now and he still didn’t know much about him. In contrast, Hyuk could write a book with what he knew about Ravi. It wasn’t fair and Ravi didn’t like it one bit. Especially when he was pretty sure that he was completely and totally in love with Hyuk.

Maybe that was why Ravi had followed Hyuk. He just wanted to know one simple thing about the person he loved. He had thought it was harmless.

It wasn’t.

He’d followed Hyuk to a strip club. At first, he’d tried to brush it off as nothing, Hyuk probably just worked at the bar or something. There was no way Hyuk could actually be stripping, right? Wrong. Honestly, what bothered Ravi about it was the look of discomfort in Hyuk’s eyes the whole time the younger man was on the stage. Had he the option, Ravi knew he would run off stage and never gone back out.

Ravi had planned to leave, to never mention following Hyuk to anyone. But luck wasn’t on his side and Hyuk noticed him as he was getting up. Hyuk had looked so…..ashamed. It made Ravi feel horrible to be responsible for that feeling. Then, Hyuk’s gaze hardened. He finished up what he had been doing and walked away so calmly that it scared Ravi. He knew that something had snapped in Hyuk, that his being at the strip club had broken something in Hyuk.

Ravi made an attempt to sneak backstage, but before he could go too far someone caught his arm.

“Can’t let you go back there,” said a man with blond hair, “no customers allowed.”

“I’m not a customer,” Ravi insisted, “I’m a friend of Hyuk’s. Please, I need to see him.”

“Oh?” the blond looked a little surprised, “you’re….Ravi, right?”

“Yeah,” Ravi nodded, wondering how the guy knew his name.

“Hyukkie talks about you all the time,” the guy smiled, “I’m Ken by the way. Come on, I’ll help you find him. If anyone asks, you’re a new guy.”

“Thank you,” Ravi smiled, following after Ken. He tried to recall if Hyuk had ever mentioned Ken before, but couldn’t recall anything. Not that it was surprising since Hyuk didn’t tell him much in the first place.

“Here,” Ken said, finally coming to a stop in front of a door, “Hyukkie should be in here.”

“Thank you,” Ravi bowed before slipping inside.

Hyuk was sitting in a corner of the room, head resting in his arms as sob shook his body.

“Hyuk,” Ravi rushed to the younger’s side, “Hyukkie.”

Hyuk didn’t look up, didn’t allow Ravi the chance to see his tear stained face, before launching himself at the other man. Hyuk wrapped his arms around Ravi and buried his face in his shirt in hopes of muffling his sobs. Ravi hugged Hyuk closer to himself, not knowing what to do or say to make the other feel better.

“I’m sorry,” Hyuk whispered, hiding his face in Ravi’s shirt, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Ravi assured him, “please don’t cry.”

Hyuk just cried harder, mumbling about how this was the only place that would hire someone like him and that he was so ashamed of what he did. Ravi just whispered in his ear that it was alright, that he had nothing to be ashamed of. Ravi had never expected to see Hyuk so broken on the inside, yet here they were.

“Hey,” Ken said, stepping inside the room and closing the door behind him quickly, “I talked to the boss, he said Hyuk can go home. He’s not going on stage again anyway, so take him home.”

“Alright,” Ravi nodded, “thank you.”

Ken left and the pair sat alone, Hyuk trying to calm his sobs and Ravi just holding him.

“I want to go home,” Hyuk finally said, pulling away from Ravi and drying his eyes as best he could, “let’s go home.”

Ravi just nodded, helping Hyuk to stand. The whole walk home, Ravi held onto Hyuk’s hand, never once letting go. He wasn’t sure if the contact made Hyuk feel better, but the younger didn’t pull away so maybe it did help.

“Hyuk,” Ravi whispered once the pair were home, curled up in Hyuk’s bed, “I like you. A lot. I….I think I even love you.”

“You shouldn’t,” Hyuk replied, “you shouldn’t love someone like me.”

“But I do,” Ravi shrugged slightly, “and I don’t want to find anyone else.”

“I love you,” Hyuk said after a long silence, “so much.”

“I want to know,” Ravi said, “about your past. Everything. Or at least what you’re willing to tell me.”

“Alright,” Hyuk nodded, tightening his hold on Ravi like he was scared the other was going to run away, “I’ll tell you everything.”

And so Hyuk did.

--

Ravi watched Hyuk sleeping beside him with a small smile. The younger was dead to the world, out cold thanks to all the energy he’d spent earlier that night crying and telling Ravi everything about his past. Ravi was so happy that Hyuk had trusted him enough to tell him everything. It made him feel important. At the same time, a part of him – a small one – didn’t want to know the horrible things that had happened to Hyuk.

That part hated knowing that Hyuk had been beaten badly enough to put him in the hospital several times as a young child. It didn’t want to know the things Hyuk’s father had said and done before finally giving Hyuk away. It didn’t want to know that Hyuk had gone to jail for a drugs and weapons charge. It really didn’t want to know about the abuse Hyuk had suffered during that year behind bars. That part hated knowing that Hyuk had been so very close to jumping in front of a bus when they met.

Actually, that last one scared Ravi the most. Knowing that he had come so very close to never meeting Hyuk frightened him a great deal. If Hongbin hadn’t noticed Hyuk, if Hyuk had picked a different street corner to stand on that day they never would have met. Ravi’s life would have gone on without the person lying beside him and Hyuk’s life would have ended.

But that didn’t matter. Ravi had to actively remind himself that none of what Hyuk told him mattered anymore. What mattered was that he was in Hyuk’s life now. He was there to provide Hyuk with love and support, to give him attention and affection no matter what. All the people who’d treated him badly or used him for their own gain in the past didn’t matter because Ravi was there now.

“Ravi,” Hyuk asked, voice heavy with sleep, “why are you still up?”

“Just thinking,” Ravi smiled as he cuddled closer to Hyuk, the younger tightening his arms around him in response.

“Then stop,” Hyuk replied, “just sleep. And stop thinking about what I told you, alright?”

“How do you know that I was thinking about that?” Ravi questioned, “For all you know, I could have been thinking about what I’m going to make you for breakfast tomorrow.”

“I know you,” Hyuk smiled slightly, “and you should know that the past……it doesn’t bother me anymore.” Ravi knew that was a lie, that Hyuk’s past more than bothered him, but if the lie made Hyuk feel better then he’d keep his mouth shut.

“Why?” Ravi asked, pulling back slightly so that he could look at Hyuk’s face and make eye contact.

“I have you now,” Hyuk said before pulling Ravi back against him.

Ravi drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face and his head pillowed by Hyuk’s chest. Hyuk tightened his arms around Ravi a little more before going back to sleep.

Everything was perfect at that moment.

Hyuk had felt like he was drowning for a very long time. Not literally, but in a more figurative sence. He’d been drowning in his past, in the painful memories that haunted him every time he closed his eyes. He liked to avoid sleeping for that very reason. Those memories…….he wanted to erase them completely from his head

And then Ravi appeared.

He felt…….Hyuk felt so calm around the other and slowly that feeling of drowning started to fade. His past didn’t seem to matter so long as Ravi was around. Maybe….maybe that was why he’d been so reluctant to tell him anything. He was scared that Ravi would reject him if he knew about his past. He didn’t want to lose Ravi, he never wanted to do anything that would make him lose Ravi.

That was why he had reacted as he did when he saw Ravi at his work. He expected to come home and find whatever belongings he had waiting for him outside the door. He expected Ravi to never want to see him again, or to call him dirty trash as others had in the past. What he didn’t expect was for Ravi to come find him, to comfort him and assure him that everything was alright.

After telling Ravi everything, every little detail, Hyuk had felt……he no longer felt like he was drowning. When Ravi had just held him, whispering that everything was alright now and that the past didn’t matter, Hyuk felt……he felt human. More human than he had in a long time.

That was when he noticed a different type of drowning. The kind he felt whenever he was around Ravi. Unlike the drowning he felt when it came to his past, this was……pleasant wasn’t a strong enough word to cover how much he liked it.

--

Being outside always felt amazing for Hyuk. Possibly, that was because of his time spent in jail. Being locked up in that place......it would make anyone long for freedom. And so long as Hyuk stayed clear of the influences that had got him sent to jail he would be fine. It wasn’t like they knew where he was, anyway. After getting out, he’d been sent to another city, another home and school, far from the people he’d gotten involved with who had gotten him involved in illegal activities.

“Oh,” Ken called, “is your shift over?”

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded, pausing on his way outside, “what about you?”

“I get off in a few more minutes,” Ken sighed before flashing Hyuk a hopeful look, “wait for me? We can get breakfast or something.”

“Can’t,” Hyuk explained, “Ravi is waiting at home for me.”

“Right,” Ken laughed, “forgot about that. You lucky dog, got a cute boyfriend cooking for you. I’m so jelly.”

“You’re avoiding home,” Hyuk frowned slightly, “normally you rush out of here so fast I can’t even say goodbye.”

“New guys just moved in,” Ken sighed, “they’re......I think that they’re in a gang. I don’t really want to go home with them there.”

“Have they done anything?” Hyuk asked and Ken was quick to tell him no.

“They’ve just said some stuff,” Ken admitted, “and one made a grab for me, for my , but nothing too serious.”

“Do you have to go home?” Hyuk asked, “Maybe you can crash at a friend’s place until they’re gone. I mean, guys like that will eventually do something that gets them kicked out of the building, right?”

“To be honest?” Ken said, looking both ashamed and embarrassed, “you’re the only friend I have who I can trust. Those I can’t trust…..they’d kick me out the second they found out I was working at a place like this.”

“Then you can crash on the couch at my place,” Hyuk suggested, “I’m sure Ravi won’t mind.”

“Really?” Ken asked, looking hopeful.

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded, “what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t help you out?”

“Awesome!” Ken cheered, throwing his arms around Hyuk, “you’re the best, Hyukkie.”

“Yeah,” Hyuk laughed, “come on, get your stuff and we’ll head home. I’ll call Ravi, tell him to expect another person for breakfast.”

“I’ll be right back,” Ken nodded before heading off to gather his things.

“Hey,” Hyuk said, calling up Ravi once he was alone.

“Hi,” Ravi said over the phone, “are you on your way home?”

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded, “I’m bringing Ken home. Is that alright?”

“Yes,” Ravi replied, “that’s alright with me. Just need to make some more food.”

“Ravi,” Hyuk said, “Ken needs a place to stay. There are some guys who moved into his building who are…….well he thinks that they’re in a gang. They’ve really put him on edge and he doesn’t want to go home.”

“Then he can stay here for a while,” Ravi said, giving a small laugh, “but you already offered him that, didn’t you?”

“I did,” Hyuk smiled slightly, “sorry if I over stepped my bounds.”

“You didn’t over step,” Ravi assured him, “he’s your friend and he’s helped you out a lot. And this is your home, too, you can invite whever you want to stay for a while.”

“I love you,” Hyuk said.

“I love you too,” Ravi replied, “get home safe.”

“I’ll see you soon.”

“Ready,” Ken said, running over to Hyuk as the younger was hanging up, “we going?”

“Let’s go,” Hyuk nodded.

--

Ravi woke up alone, deeply missing the warmth of his lover. The feeling of loneliness didn’t last too long as the smell of eggs and toast soon reached his nose. With a small smile, Ravi got up and made his way to the kitchen. He expected to find Hyuk cooking for the two of them, but that wasn’t what he got.

“,” Ravi cursed, backing up the second he noticed Ken was helping set the table while Hyuk cooked.

“Dinner and a show,” Ken laughed, earning himself a smack on the shoulder and a glare from Hyuk.

“Sorry,” Ravi apologized from around the corner, “forgot you were here, Ken.”

“It’s fine,” Ken laughed, “is this how you always greet Hyuk on his days off? Got to say I’m a bit envious. I’d love to have a hot boyfriend who walks around my apartment .”

“In all fairness,” Hyuk pointed out, “it’s still technically Ravi’s apartment. I’m sure you’ve walked around your own apartment .”

“Can’t say I have,” Ken laughed.

“I’m just gonna go,” Ravi said before rushing off to get dressed.

Ravi scowled as he realized just how low he was on clean cloths. Making a mental note to do the laundry when he got home from work, he quickly changed into a pair of boxers and one of Hyuk’s shirts before rejoining the others in the kitchen.

“So what are you planning to do today?” Ravi asked the pair, “I mean, you both have the night off so you can actually do something other than sleep.”

“I was going to help Ken move some of his things out of his old place,” Hyuk said, “then we’re going to look for another place.”

“What happened at his old place?” Ravi asked.

He already knew why Ken wasn’t currently there, but for him to move out meant that things had to have gotten worse. Ken loved his apartment a lot. He made that clear when he first started sleeping on the couch. So yeah, things must have gotten worse.

“A buddy called,” Ken sighed, “He works with us and has a friend who lives in my old building. Said that those guys are up to some……really bad stuff. He wasn’t sure exactly what, but he strongly suggested I get out. I’m going to listen to that advice before I regret it.”

“I said I’d help Ken move,” Hyuk added, “probably gonna get a storage locker for his stuff until he finds a new place.”

“I want to help,” Ravi said. He liked Ken and had come to consider him a friend. He wanted to be there to help him move out and find a new place.

“No,” Hyuk frowned, “I don’t want you near those kinds of people.”

“Besides,” Ken smiled, trying to make Ravi feel better, “you have work. Got to earn that money to pay those bills.”

“I could help look for a new place,” Ravi suggested, not ready to back down just yet, “that will keep me from those kinds of people, just looking at real estate.”

“Alright,” Hyuk nodded, throwing an arm around Ravi’s shoulders and kissing his cheek. The other smiled, leaning into the warmth he hadn’t been able to wake up to.

Soon, everyone was feed and dressed for the day. Hyuk gave Ravi one last, long kiss before he and Ken headed off to get Ken’s stuff. Ravi was so very tempted to follow them, but he had to go to work. Plus, Hyuk would be mad if he ignored his request to stay away and he didn’t want to see Hyuk mad.

--

Hyuk had kept a careful eye on the men standing around the lobby of Ken’s apartment. The whole time he’d been there, they’d been eying him. One had even pulled out a knife, playing around with the blade while keeping a close eye on Hyuk and Ken.

“Just get the things you need,” Hyuk reminded Ken for the tenth time, “don’t need it, forget about it.”

“They’re scary, huh?” Ken frowned, going through his things trying to find and pack everything he wanted or needed.

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded, but he had a bad feeling that it was more than just that.

A couple of the men had looked kind of familiar. Hyuk felt like he should know who they were, but every time he tried to place them he came up blank. He…..wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

Honestly, he just wanted to get out of the building with Ken and never come back. Thankfully Ken had explained over the phone to his land lord that he would be leaving so at least they didn’t have to stick around to explain that. They just needed to pack everything into Hyuk’s car – well, Ravi’s car that Hyuk had borrowed – and leave.

“Got everything,” Ken said, grabbing a couple of bags while Hyuk took the last box.

“You don’t have a lot,” Hyuk remarked. Not that he could judge. He’d only had a beaten up backpack full of stuff when he met Ravi. Ken had four boxes and a couple of bags worth of stuff.

“Yeah,” Ken nodded, “I don’t like to have a lot of things lying around. I move too much anyway.” Hyuk nodded in understanding, knowing that Ken’s past mirrored his own a great deal (minus the jail time, anyway).

The pair made their way out, passing by the men. This time, however, the men did more than watch.

“I thought I recognized you,” one of the men called, “it’s been a long time since that cop car took you away, Han Sanghyuk.” The men started to laugh and Hyuk pushed Ken to keep walking.

“Hyuk?” Ken whispered, knowing that if the men knew Hyuk’s birth name things had to be pretty serious. He didn’t know much about Hyuk’s past – nowhere near what Ravi did – but he knew enough to be worried.

“Wait in the car,” Hyuk told him, passing over the box, “lock the doors while you wait.” Ken nodded and rushed off, leaving Hyuk to confront the men.

“Who’s that?” one of the men asked, “your ?”

“He’s my friend,” Hyuk replied, “I’m helping him move. You guys have done a good job scaring him.”

“Us?” one of the men laughed, “dude, we’re not scary. We’re kittens.”

“Compared to some,” another laughed, “heard you met one of them while in jail. We were shocked to hear that you met the er and lived.”

“So was I,” Hyuk nodded, “how is everyone? The old gang still together.” Honestly, Hyuk wanted to run, to get away from the people who’d gotten him into trouble. He wanted nothing more than to go home and curl up in bed with Ravi, blankets pulled over his head as if they could keep the rest of the world away. But if he ran…..well, he figured that might make things worse. He had to play things right.

“Most of ‘em split,” the first guy replied, “ended up all over the city. What about you?”

“Got a job,” Hyuk shrugged, “but the hot boyfriend makes up for it.”

“Hotter than the blond?” the same guy asked, nodding towards the car where Ken was waiting. Hyuk nodded back and the group howled in laugher, commenting about Hyuk being a lucky dog to snag someone hotter than Ken.

“Oh,” the first guy stopped laughing, looking serious, “Hyuk, we go back a ways and I feel bad about getting you stuck in that place, so I’m going to warn you. He’s out, apparently looking for guys for something or other. Heard he was interested in you.” The whole group of men had fallen silently, looking at Hyuk with concern.

“Thanks for the heads up,” Hyuk frowned, clearly as disturbed by the news as the others, “I should let you know that the land lord is looking to get you guys kicked out. Try not to scare any more of the people here and he’ll probably back off.”

“Thanks for the tip,” the first guy nodded, “watch your back, alright?”

“You too,” Hyuk nodded before heading to the car.

“What’s wrong?” Ken asked, noticing how upset Hyuk seemed, “did they say anything to you?”

“In a way,” Hyuk sighed, “they gave me a heads up about something in my past.” Ken nodded, not really understanding but knowing better than to ask.

“You should tell Ravi,” he finally said, “if it’s bad, he should know.”

“I’ll tell him,” Hyuk nodded in agreement, “once he gets home from work. He shouldn’t hear this while he’s in public.”

Ken nodded.

“Are we going to get a storage locker?” Ken asked, deciding it best to change the subject, “I don’t think I have enough s tuff to merit a whole storage locker.”

“Yeah,” Hyuk nodded, “doesn’t seem worth the money. I think we’ve got room in our storage room, so maybe you can just put your stuff there.”

“Works for me,” Ken shrugged and the pair headed for home.

--

Ravi had ended up coming home late and completely beat. So beat that he only got as far as the couch before passing out. Hyuk hadn’t even got a word out before his lover was dead to the world.

“Tell him in the morning,” Ken advised, helping Hyuk carry Ravi to his bed, “when he’s awake and aware. He’s got tomorrow off, right? You can spend the whole day talking and enjoying each other.”

Hyuk just nodded before biding Ken goodnight. After carefully undressing Ravi so he didn’t have to sleep in his uncomfortable work uniform, Hyuk cuddled up with his lover. It took a while for Hyuk to fall asleep, thought of the day filling his mind completely, but he eventually drifted off.

Ravi woke up alone like the day before, the other side of the bed still warm to signal that Hyuk hadn’t only just gotten up. Being sure to actually get dressed this time, Ravi headed off to find his boyfriend.

And boy did he find him.

Ravi bit his bottom lip, trying to fight back all the naughty thoughts that flooded his mind when he walked into the kitchen to find his boyfriend in nothing but a pair of underwear. And not just any underwear either. This pair showed off Hyuk’s and really well and that sent the blood right to Ravi’s own .

“For real?” Ken sighed, coming up behind Ravi, “Hyuk, I get that it’s your place and all, but while I’m still here…..could you not walk around in your underwear?”

“Right,” Hyuk smiled apologetically, “I wasn’t thinking. I’ll go grab some pants.”

“Dang it, Ken,” Ravi sighed once Hyuk was out of the room, fighting the urge to smack the other.

“Sorry,” Ken replied, “but you can his brains out later. Or have him your brains out. Whatever you like. Just do it when I’m not here to hear it all.”

“We said sorry,” Ravi rolled his eyes, “what more do you want?”

“I’m just playing,” Ken laughed, ruffling Ravi’s hair playfully, “look, I’ve got a place I’m gonna check out later today. And N asked if I wanted to hang out and watch some movies.” He’d met N a few weeks back when the other had stopped by for a quick visit. They’d hit it off right away, best friends within the hour.

“So?” Ravi asked, not at all sure why this was important.

“So,” Ken rolled his eyes at Ravi’s lack of understanding, “you’re going to have the place to yourself until tomorrow morning.”

“Oh,” a slow smile started to form on Ravi’s face. He had lots of ideas of what he and Hyuk could do while Ken was out. Things that involved getting his boyfriend out of that pair of underwear.

Ken smiled, but he knew that Ravi’s y time fantasies were going to have to wait. Hyuk had to tell him about what those gang members had told him first. After that…..well Ken wasn’t too sure if Ravi would be in the mood to .

--

Ravi had feared the worst when Hyuk said that they had to talk. And yet, what he thought of was completely different then what Hyuk told him.

On the bright side, Hyuk wasn’t breaking up with him.

“Wait,” Ravi frowned, “so......this guy who you met in prison is out now and he’s looking for you? To be honest, I don’t know what’s so bad about that. It’s not that hard to avoid him, is it?”

“If he was a normal guy,” Hyuk sighed, “it would probably be easy.”

“But he’s not normal, is he?” Ravi’s frown grew, “just......who the heck is this guy? And what in the world could he want with you?”

“He calls himself Kris,” Hyuk explained, “and I don’t think anyone knew exactly what he’s into. It’s easier to just assume that he’s into everything. Drugs, weapons, ion. Everything. The rumour was that he was in the mob, now it’s a fact that he’s a high ranking member. He’s the leader to be exact. At least, that’s what I heard from the guys in Ken’s old building.”

“How do they fit into all of this?” Ravi asked, shifting closer to Hyuk.

“Well, they’re not exactly on the right side of the law either,” Hyuk sighed, “not as bad as Kris, but bad enough that they hear things. They also aren’t as bad as Kris when it comes to respecting people’s right to stay on the right side of the law.”

“You know them?”

“They’re the ones I was hanging with,” Hyuk nodded, “the ones who got me sent to jail.”

“Kris wants you to do something for him?” Ravi growled, already filled with hate for whoever this Kris guy was, “something illegal?”

“Seems so,” Hyuk nodded, “he took a bit of a liking to me, said I was perfect for his plans. I never asked what those plans were, but I got the feeling that they were bad. He was just that kind of guy.”

“What are you going to do?” Ravi asked, wrapping his arms tightly around his lover.

“I’m just going to wait,” Hyuk shrugged, “if he’s really looking for me……he’ll find a way to contact me.”

“And once he contacts you?” Ravi asked, extramly worried about the other.

“I’m going to talk to him,” Hyuk said, “tell him that I can’t do anything.”

“What if he still goes after you?” Ravi wondered.

“Don’t worry,” Hyuk said, trying to smile, “it’s been a long time since I’ve done anything illegal, so he’ll probably forget about me quick. No matter what he wants, I’m useless if I haven’t been doing anything illegal in forever.”

Ravi nodded and cuddled closer to Hyuk. As much as he wanted to believe Hyuk, he was worried. Would Kris really let Hyuk go? What if he forced Hyuk to go along with his plans? Why did things have to be so hard for them? Why did Hyuk have to have such a horrible past?

“No fair,” Ravi muttered into Hyuk’s chest, “why can’t we just be happy? Why can’t people leave us alone?”

“Everything will be fine,” Hyuk assured Ravi, pressing a kiss to Ravi’s lips, “I swear to you that everything will be fine.”

Ravi nodded, but still wasn’t sure.

--

“God,” Ken hissed, “tonight was just…….how many people were out there?”

“Hell if I know,” Hyuk yawned, stretching as he tried to work some of the kicks out of his back, “the only good thing we got out of it was the money.”

“Even then,” Ken sighed, “they were so loud! I couldn’t hear myself think.”

“You think out there?” Hyuk laughed.

“You know what I mean,” Ken rolled his eyes, “did you find them very touchy? I think half of them made a grab for my of .”

“They were,” Hyuk nodded, smile turning into a scowl, “made me want to quit right then and there.”

“Too bad we need the money,” Ken sighed sadly.

“Get your stuff,” Hyuk said, opening the door to his dressing room, “I’ll get my stuff and we’ll head home.”

“Alright,” Ken nodded before heading off in the direction of his own dressing room.

It only took Hyuk a few seconds after entering his room to realize something was wrong.

A moment later he noticed the letter stuck to his mirror.

Hyuk’s heart froze in his chest as he looked at the message waiting for him. He couldn’t move, couldn’t form words. Kris had contacted him, he knew that much, and suddenly he wasn’t so sure if what he told Ravi was true. Everything might not be alright.

Ken found him like that, frozen and staring. The other man looked over his shoulder, trying to figure out what in the world could have made Hyuk freeze up like he had.

“I’ve missed you, Sanghyuk,” Ken read aloud after grabbing the litter, “Hyuk, who left this for you?”

“Someone I hoped that I would never see again,” Hyuk scowled, finally recovering from his shock, “where the hell does that ing get off leaving notes like this for me.” He grabbed the paper for Ken’s hand and crumpled it up.

“Who?” Ken pressed, “Who……wait, is this about those guys in my old building? Did one of them leave that message?”

“No,” Hyuk sighed, “not them. But they did warn me that the guy who left the note was looking for me.”

“Hyuk,” Ken frowned, “tell me what’s wrong. Should I be worried? Should Ravi be worried?”

“,” Hyuk cursed, remembering that the guy who left the note had no problems dragging innocent people into things just to get what he wanted and Hyuk got the feeling that he was defiantly wanted, “…….not yet. I’m going to handle this.”

“By yourself?” Ken rolled his eyes, “yeah right. I’m going to help you.”

“No,” Hyuk’s voice was firm, “I’m not going to let you or Ravi get involved in any of this if I can help it. Just……let me try and handle things, alright?”

“Fine,” Ken gave in, “but at least tell Ravi about this new development, ok? He should know. You told him about what’s already happened, right?”

“I will tell him about this,” Hyuk said, putting the message in his pocket, “he knows about everything else so he should hear about this.”

“Just don’t do anything stupid,” Ken advised as the pair headed for home, “if anything happened…….it would kill Ravi to lose you.”

“I know,” Hyuk nodded.

Ravi needed him just as much as Hyuk needed him. He would never, ever leave Ravi. Not so long as Ravi still loved and wanted him.

--

Ravi found himself on the couch, just sitting there with a book in his lap. His mind just couldn’t focus, it kept drifting back to what Hyuk had told him after getting home a few days ago. Kris had contacted him and……and Ravi had no idea what to do.

“Hey,” Hyuk called from the kitchen, “I’m making lunch, what do you want?”

“Don’t know,” Ravi called back, not looking from the book, “What do you want?”

“I’ll just make some sandwiches,” Hyuk said after a moment, “are you gonna be ok with that.”

“Yes.”

Ravi couldn’t keep his mind off of what Hyuk planned to do that night; go talk to Kris. His mind kept going over all the horrible things that could happen. Like this Kris guy could shoot Hyuk point blank in the face because Hyuk rejected his offer. Or Kris could completely ignore Hyuk’s rejection and force him into whatever illegal plans he had. Things could go so very wrong and he could lose Hyuk.

“Hey,” Hyuk said, poking his head into the living room, “are you alright? You seem distracted.”

“Yeah,” Ravi looked up, faking a smile, “just really into this book is all.”

“Alright,” Hyuk nodded, accepting Ravi’s answer because he knew exactly what was wrong but had no idea how to make his boyfriend feel better, “lunch is ready. Do you want to eat in the living room?”

“Sure,” Ravi nodded, putting down his book and welcoming Hyuk to sit beside him so he could cuddle up against him.

The pair ate in silence, both grateful that Ken was out for the day. Silence was exactly what they both needed and Ken wasn’t exactly silent.

“Be careful,” Ravi suddenly said, looking over Hyuk carefully like he was scared that he would never see the other again.

“I will,” Hyuk nodded, leaning over to press a kiss to Ravi’s lips, “I promise.”

“Come back to me,” Ravi told him, “promise me that.”

“I promise.”

--

“Pie?” Kris asked, not waiting for Hyuk to reply before cutting a piece for himself.

“No, thanks,” Hyuk replied, trying to kill his nerves. If Kris picked up on them.........well, it wouldn’t be good.

“Too bad,” Kris shrugged, “it’s good. One of my boys is a very talented cook. Kind of a shame he ended up in this life, huh? He could have been big. Like Gordon Ramsay big.” Kris laughed, “or that might just be me being biased.”

“Can we just talk about why you wanted to see me?” Hyuk asked, silently hoping that Kris didn’t find his wording offensive.

“Sure,” Kris smiled, “I wanted to see if you’re interested in working for me. I can pay much better than your current job. Enough to get you a nice place for you and your little boyfriend. And you wouldn’t have to degrade yourself every night for people who view you as nothing but an they’d like to plow.”

“Tempting,” Hyuk replied, surprising himself with how much he actually meant it, “But I don’t think I’d be any good. I haven’t had anything to do with illegal activities since I got out and even then I’ve only ever done small time stuff. I’d be a liability to whatever you’ve got planned.”

“Hmm,” Kris frowned, “my second in command thought the same thing. He was right, but I thought I would at least offer. You’re a good guy, Sanghyuk. Trust worthy. That’s something I’m in search of. Shame I can’t have you.”

“Yeah,” Hyuk said, making sure he looked regretful even though he didn’t feel it, “I don’t want to be a weak link and get you into trouble.”

“Well,” Kris shrugged, “I wish you the best.”

“Same to you.”

“If you ever reconsider,” Kris called as Hyuk started to leave, “you know where to find me. And I know where to find you if I decide I can’t take no for an answer.”

For some reason, Hyuk felt as though that was an empty threat. Something told him that Kris was just messing around, trying to scare him a little. Maybe that feeling was right, but Hyuk doubted it.

Hyuk nodded before leaving and heading home to Ravi.

He didn’t get there.

--

“Mmm,” Hyuk moaned, slowly opening his eyes and wincing when he realized it was bright. Very bright.

“Hyuk?” Ravi questioned, rushing to stand up, “Hyukkie, are you awake?”

“Yeah,” Hyuk said, throat so dry and sore that talking hurt.

“Thank god,” Ravi sighed, moving to get some water before Hyuk even thought to ask, “thank god.”

“What happened?” Hyuk asked after downing the liquid, “where…..am I in a hospital?”

“Yeah,” Ravi sighed, sitting back down, “one of Kris’ guys didn’t like that you said no, so he followed you. He…..he shot you in the back and…. And you came so close to dying.”

“What happened to the guy?” Hyuk asked, knowing that Kris wouldn’t be happy with this guy if he really had acted against Kris’ orders.

“The cops found him,” Ravi sighed, “Kris wasn’t too happy that they got to him first.”

“How do you know?” Hyuk frowned.

“Kris stopped by to apologize,” Ravi explained, “said he’d like to put a bullet in the guy for hurting you since he had ordered that you were not to be hurt, regardless of what you did. He promised me that nothing would happen to you again.”

Hyuk just nodded.

“You scared me,” Ravi said after a moment, “I….I really thought that I’d lost you.”

“I said I wouldn’t leave you,” Hyuk reminded him, “you know I’d never break a promise to you.”

Ravi leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Hyuk’s lips, the younger reaching up to pull him down so that the kiss was longer.

“I’m going to get the doctor,” Ravi said when he finally pulled away, “he can look you over and make sure everything is alright.”

Hyuk nodded his consent, watching as Ravi left.

Alone, Hyuk recalled walked home and feeling the pain in his back. He recalled going down and blacking out just as he heard someone scream. Whoever it was must have been the one who called 911. Hyuk could also recall thinking about Ravi, about how he’d promised Ravi that he would come back to him and how he didn’t want to break that promise. He loved Ravi too much.

Eventually the doctor came in, followed closely by Ravi, and looked Hyuk over. He asked a bunch of questions and said that the cops would also want to talk to him about what had happened. Before the doctor left, he said that Hyuk should be able to go home in a week or so.

“You know I love you, right?” Hyuk said once he and Ravi were alone, pulling Ravi down beside him.

“I know,” Ravi nodded, cuddling against Hyuk as best he could while still being mindful of his condition, “and I love you, too.”

“I’m never going to leave you,” Hyuk promised, “never.”

“I’m never going to leave you either,” Ravi replied.

The thought occurred to Hyuk – not for the first time – that he wanted to marry Ravi. He was so very tempted to do it right then, but thought better of it.

He’d propose later, once they were home and he could get a ring.

A/N: so, for starters: IT’S DONE!!!!!!!!  Took forever and a day, but it’s done. Second thought: sorry about cutting out the Rahyuk that was originally theme 100. I just......it didn’t feel like it fit with what had just happened before so *shrug* sorry ‘bout that (kind of). Also, I cut theme 157 because it didn’t fit in (that’s my bad for writing it without thinking about its impact on the flow of the story and only thinking about adding a new part to the au). Also switched themes 168 and 160 around because, well, the story has to flow, right? Switching them worked out better. Anyway, I hope you all liked everything, even if I did cut some things out or change a couple of things. I know I liked it.