(for chacenothing) the secret in the cherry blossom ✸ part 1 of 2
❊ for: chacenothing
❊ title: the secret in the cherry blossom
❊ pairings: kai/d.o, chanyeol/d.o, sehun/luhan, suho/lay, xiumin/chen, tao/kris, chanyeol/baekhyun
❊ rating: r
❊ warnings: minor cussing, mafia themes, violence, blood, other band as minor characters
❊ word count: 11,102
❊ summary: Jongin is a newbie to Chanyeol’s mafia, hired to make sure that nothing happens to the bosses lover. Spending time with the other only leads Jongin to fall madly in love for the one who is already claimed by another. Jongin soon discovers that he’ll do anything to keep the boss’s lover, Kyungsoo, safe. Not because it is his job but because his heart can’t stand to see the other hurt.
❊ a/n: First I would like to thank the mods for running this awesome exchange, I love KaiSoo and this gave me the perfect chance to write with them in mind. I want to thank my prompter, all the prompts were awesome but I really wanted to try mafiaAU so I hope this didn’t disappoint. I hope I didn’t hurt anyones feelings with the BTS add in, I needed someone to add and they just worked. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy (or enjoyed)
A little more to the left, Jongin instructed himself internally as he wiggled the rod slightly until he heard the satisfying click that signaled the car door becoming unlocked. He climbed into the front seat and with skilled finger undid the underside of the steering wheel and twisted the wires he needed until he heard the comforting sound of the engine revving.
“Score” Jongin said aloud as he clicked the blinker on and pulled out into traffic. “You were just sitting there calling for me weren’t you” Jongin said rubbing a hand on the dashboard thinking about how lucky he had been to find such an expensive car sitting in such an open area. “You may have just saved my life” Jongin whispered to the car imagining the sum he could catch off the fine automobile he was driving in and all the food he could buy with it. Maybe I could even get myself a blanket, Jongin thought remembering the chill he had caught the last couple nights since the weather had changed.
He drove around for a little while after realizing that the tank was practically all the way full, enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing on his hair. He also enjoyed the reminders of the worry free life style he used to lead that driving the car allowed him to see clearly again.
The sun was starting to fade as Jongin drove the car and he soon found himself driving down roads without anyone else beside him. Suddenly a car pulled up alongside the car and revved its engine. “Alright lets race” Jongin said happily inside his own car before revving his own engine to signal his willingness to participate. When the street light turned green Jongin gunned the engine and speed forward the other car right alongside him. Disappointment flowed through him as he watched the other car pull in front of him. Determined to win Jongin put more weight into his foot atop the gas pedal, however, the car that had gained a lead suddenly turned in front of Jongin’s car and slammed on its brakes. Quickly Jongin repeated the action; once his car slid to a halt he jumped out and slammed the door shut in anger. “What the hell kind of stunt was that” he yelled out storming toward the other car.
Suddenly two men hopped out of the other car. The first thing Jongin noticed was that they were both too finely dressed to be actual street racers. The second thing he noticed, and perhaps the most alarming, was the fact that one of the men had a gun leveled right at him.
“Wow, I think you won fair and square so, ummm, good race and I’ll see you later.” Jongin said with hands above his head as he walked quickly back towards the car.
“Leave the car” the taller of the two states. Jongin looks longingly at the car, should have sold it right when I jacked it, he thought bitterly to himself as he weighed the risk of death versus food in his belly.
“Alright” Jongin whispered looking down at his feet in disgust at himself.
“Boss wants to talk with you” the taller says while opening the back door of the car. All the while the shorter moves the gun menacingly. Jongin catches sight of a leg clad in a white suit and decides to take his chances before speeding away. As he races around a nearby corner he hears the sounds of feet giving chase. Rounding a second bend Jongin finds himself facing a dead end.
“Shit” Jongin said aloud turning away from the brick wall to see the two men walking menacingly into the only entrance and exit of the small alley. “Look I don’t want trouble, you can have the car but that’s all I have to offer” Jongin said looking all around for a possible escape route.
“Boss still wants a talk with you. Come with us the easy way or the hard way it’s up to you” The taller guy said advancing forward. With the other’s movement Jongin saw his chance, speeding towards the small opening between the two advancing men, Jongin quickly slide taking the shorter individual’s legs out from under him in the process. Jumping to his feet Jongin sped around the corner only to be met with a third man holding a gun directly to his head.
“Wrong choice” the man said pushing the nuzzle of the gun against Jongin’s forehead.
“This was a new suit” the guy whom Jongin had tripped said wiping his pant leg off as he and the taller man came out of the alley way. Jongin felt his stomach drop as the taller grabbed one of his arms while the smaller grabbed the other all with the gun still positioned in front of his forehead.
“Wrong choice punk” the taller whispered menacingly in Jongin’s ear before the man with the gun flipped it and brought the butt end down straight into Jongin’s stomach. Pain radiated from his core as he tried to suck air back into his lungs.
“Enough” a deep voice stated as the individual in the white suit stepped into view towering over all the other men surrounding Jongin. “What an interesting day this has turned out to be” the tallest of the four says with a sly smirk on his face.
“What do you want us to do with him boss” the shorter asked tightening his grip on Jongin’s right arm.
“Well you see I was very upset earlier when you managed to steal my car” the tall man says looking Jongin up and down, “but since you managed to outsmart Minseok here” he said gesturing with his head towards the smaller man, who Jongin felt tense up, “I am especially intrigued with you, do you have a name thief” he asks.
“J..Jongin, my name is Jongin….sir” he adds as an afterthought. “I didn’t mean to steal your car, well I did, but if I had known it belonged to you I wouldn’t have taken it, I’m sorry” Jongin said sending a pleading glance to the taller.
“Well Jongin you must be new around here to not know me, my name is Chanyeol and it would do you best not to forget it” the taller says. “Release him” Chanyeol adds with a nod of his head to both Minseok and the two other men. Once his arms are free Jongin runs out of the circle of men. With nimble fingers and the distraction of his dramatic run he swiftly relieves the white suited man of his wallet storing it in his own back pocket instead.
“Don’t worry I won’t” Jongin say turning his back to the four with the intent to walk away.
“Wait Jongin” Chanyeol calls out in his deep voice. Carefully Jongin turns back to face the other men. “I couldn’t help but notice the state of dirt on your face and the way you look too skinny for your clothes, would you be interested in a job from me” Chanyeol asks. Confused Jongin looks the other up and down.
“Why” Jongin asks cautiously.
“No one has ever managed to steal my things twice in one day or take out one of my men on pure force of will” Chanyeol says with a smile and Jongin feels fear rise in him at the fact that the other knows he has stolen his wallet. “Of course there will be food, a place to stay, and warm clothes in the bargain” Chanyeol says and Jongin spots what he thinks is a real smile on the other’s face.
“Can I think about it and get back to you” Jongin asks mindful of the ever setting sun and fact that it will be close to forty hours since his last meal soon.
“No” Chanyeol says sternly, “You either come with me now, or not at all.” The growl of Jongin’s stomach makes his decision for him.
“Alright” he says with a nod of his head as he walks closer to the four men.
“Great I have the perfect job for you, in fact it just opened up” Chanyeol says with a smile as he slings his long arm over Jongin’s shoulder. “Oh and Jongin” Chanyeol says hand on the door handle, “This is the first and last time I’ll warn you, but don’t ever steal my things” Chanyeol says adding emphasis on the word ever before clapping Jongin on the back and giving him a wide smile as he holds the back door of the car open for him. “Let’s get Jongin home Minseok” Chanyeol calls up to the shorter who is seated in the driver’s seat once all five men are piled into the car, leaving the car Jongin had been joy riding in for most of the day stranded in the middle of the street as they pulled away.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Where the hell have you been Chanyeol” a voice demanded the minute Jongin followed Chanyeol and the two other men into the front door of what Jongin could only describe as a mansion.
“I got held up doing something” Chanyeol said and Jongin caught sight of a stern looking short guy standing in a doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.
“That is not how you are supposed to reply to me Chanyeol, especially since I have been trying to get in contact with you all day” the male that Jongin can’t tear his eyes away from says.
“I’m sorry” Chanyeol says approaching the other. Jongin is sure his eyes must have doubled in size as he watches Chanyeol walk up to the shorter male and attempt to lay his hand upon the other’s shoulder only to have his hand slapped away.
“Don’t even try that with me right now Chanyeol” the other male says and Jongin feels his heart skip a beat as the small boy who looks deadly starts to pout instantly becoming adorable in Jongin’s eyes.
“I..” Chanyeol starts.
“No” the smaller say, “You could have at least answered one of my calls or called me back, sent me a text, even had Minseok or ZiTao call me, let me know you were safe and not lying dead somewhere. I hate being stuck in this house, if I knew you were going to force me to stay here safe then I would have never confessed my feelings for you.” Wait what, Jongin things snapping out of his daze of staring at the other’s heart shaped lips as he talked.
“I’m sorry love” Chanyeol says and Jongin feels his heart drop as he watches Chanyeol wrap his arms around the smaller boy. “I ran into some interesting things today, but I have good news because I think I found a solution to you being stuck here as you put it” Chanyeol says planting a kiss upon the other’s forehead.
“You’ve realized that I can take care of myself like I have been doing for the last year as a part of your team” the smaller male asks and Jongin watches as Chanyeol merely chuckles before shaking his head.
“Of course you can look out for yourself, nobody could have taken down that one ring like you did singlehandedly, but I am not letting you out of the house by yourself” Chanyeol says.
“But” the smaller whines and Jongin feels his breath catch as Chanyeol leans over and lays his lips atop of the smaller male’s to quite him.
“Kyungsoo I want you to meet Jongin, he is your new body guard, or watch dog, which ever you prefer. You are allowed to leave this house if, and only if, he is by your side. I mean it Kyungsoo” Chanyeol said giving Kyungsoo a serious look. Jongin saw a look of shock similar to the one he bet he had on his own face mirrored on the beautiful male now identified as Kyungsoo’s face. “Jongin this is my boyfriend Kyungsoo” Chanyeol says. “I expect you to guard him with your life” Jongin hears the command in the other’s voice.
“I don’t need some bodyguard Channie” Kyungsoo whined and Jongin felt his heart skip a beat again as the other tried to pout Chanyeol into changing his mind.
“Well then you can just stay here in the house day and night” Chanyeol said unwavering. “Minseok will you show Jongin to his room” Chanyeol asked before Jongin watched the other pick a shocked Kyungsoo up over his shoulder.
“Follow me” Minseok said gruffly before walking off in one direction. Following after Minseok he snuck one last look at Chanyeol and the adorable looking Kyungsoo. Chanyeol’s voice from earlier played again in his head, ‘don’t ever try and steal what belongs to me again’.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Wake up” a voice ordered pulling Jongin from his sleep. With a start Jongin sits up and for a brief second panics as he doesn’t recognize any of his surroundings. When his eyes land on large eyed boy at the foot of his bed images of the day before come back in quick succession. “Come eat some breakfast before it gets cold” the other boy says before storming from the room. Jongin falls back into the comfort of the bed for a second before he pulls himself out of it and makes his way down the unfamiliar halls towards the kitchen.
While climbing down the stairs Jongin hears the commotion of many unfamiliar voices mixed with clanking of glass, the sounds make Jongin feels a mix of many emotions ranging from longing to excitement.
He gingerly walks into the kitchen staying close to the wall so that he doesn’t draw too much attention to himself and also doesn’t interrupt any of the conversation going on within the room. He spots Minseok and ZiTao from the day before talking with some other men that he has never seen before. Jongin also sees the handsome shorter man Kyungsoo, who had woken him up earlier, standing by the kitchen counter and sliding some scrambled eggs to many different plates.
“Jongin my friend” Chanyeol says in a booming voice as he enters the room and traps Jongin to his spot by slinging his arm over Jongin’s shoulder. Jongin cringes when the many pairs of eyes in the room land on him as a hush quiets the earlier chatter. “How was your sleep last night, we missed you at dinner” Chanyeol asks and pauses waiting for a response.
“Very good thank you” Jongin answers softly under all the staring eyes.
“Great” Chanyeol says with a large smile before slapping Jongin on the shoulder good naturally. Jongin has trouble believing that the smiling giant who gently hugs onto Kyungsoo is the same scary white suited guy from the day prior.
“Sit down, breakfast will be ready in one more minute” Minseok says pointing to an empty seat across from him at the table. Jongin hesitantly walks over to the empty seat and sits down.
“So I hear you are the person who I get to hold responsible for ruining Minseok’s new suit” a guy sitting next to Minseok says. The first thing that Jongin notices is the arm that this other individual has wrapped around Minseok, not because of where it is but because of the size of the muscles the arm hold. Jongin gazes at the other mentally preparing for a beat down because of what he had done to the man he has his arm wrapped around the day before.
“Oh knock it off Jongdae, it’s not like it looked good on Minseok anyway” the other guy from inside the car yesterday states.
“Take it back Sehun” Jongdae growls as he pulls Minseok closer to his side.
“That’s not what I meant” Sehun says quickly rushing over to Minseok’s other side ignoring the ugly glare thrown his way from Jongdae. “The color was ugly that’s all I was trying to say I promise Minnie” Jongin watches the Sehun figure say before hugging Minseok to his chest.
“Alright breakfast is served” Kyungsoo says and Jongin watches as the smaller male walks over and sets a couple plates down before turning back into the kitchen for more.
“Thank you” Jongin whispers to the other when he sets a plate down in front of him before taking his own seat.
“I’m not hungry” Jongin hears Minseok whisper to Jongdae over the clattering and calls of thanks from all the other individuals at the table.
“You should really eat Minseok, your skinner then me and I haven’t had a decent meal in over a year now” Jongin says without thinking. When the gazes of everyone in the room lands on him Jongin feels as small as an ant. To escape everyone’s gaze he leans down and stuffs a forkful of eggs and potatoes into his mouth. “Oh my god” he says in a moan. “This is amazing, you’re the best” he says after swallowing his first bite, throwing a smile towards Kyungsoo before putting another forkful of food into his mouth. After swallowing again he notices a little smirk on Kyungsoo’s usually scowling face, Cute, he thinks to himself before taking another bite.
Once his plate is cleared he looks up to find everyone else in the room still eating while conversing between themselves in low voices. Ho notices with a little smile that Minseok is propped up against Jongdae’s side while eating his breakfast. Jongin meets Jongdae’s gaze and is surprised when the other nods his head towards him as if offering his thanks, Jongin merely smiles back.
“Alright so we have lots to get done today” Chanyeol says and Jongin is amazed by the instant silence that falls over the room. “Minseok, ZiTao, and Sehun you guys are coming with me down to the port we have some cargo to go through. Kris, Jongdae, and Luhan you three will be going down to fifteenth street, there is talks of a new group trying to take over our territory there so I need you to go do some sleuthing” Chanyeol says receiving nods from everyone once their names are called.
“I could come with you” Kyungsoo offers.
“No, you know I can’t put you at risk now. If there really is a new crew everyone knows that you would be the easiest way to get to me” Chanyeol says finitely.
“Fine” Kyungsoo says crossing his arms and pouting. “I guess I’ll take Jongin with me to do some grocery shopping then, we are running low on just about everything” Kyungsoo says.
After everyone leaves the kitchen Jongin helps Kyungsoo pick up the dishes. Kyungsoo scrubs all the dishes in silence, handing them to Jongin to dry them once he is finished.
“We are going to head out now Kyungie” Chanyeol says coming into the kitchen dressed in another white suit and giving Kyungsoo a hug from behind. “I’ll make sure to call every hour, Minseok has already been told to call you if I forget or am busy talking to someone at the top of the hour. There is no need for you to worry though, I and all the others will be home for dinner I promise” Chanyeol says and Jongin turns around quickly so he doesn’t have to watch the two kiss. For some reason he can’t help but image himself in Chanyeol’s place, being the one to press his lips against Kyungsoo’s plush looking ones. “Jongin a word” Chanyeol says a minute later.
He’s not a mind reader, he assures his nervous self as he sets down the dish towel and follows Chanyeol through the kitchen into the living room and then off into a small office type room.
“As I’m sure that you can see from breakfast we are all a sort of family, we look after each other. I don’t have to tell you how much Kyungsoo means to me, but I’m just warning you now if anything and I mean absolutely anything happens to him while he is with you I will never let you live it down. Take care of him Jongin, I trust you” Chanyeol said with a small smile before patting him on the shoulder and leaving the room.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Jongin pulled a cart away from all the others and spotted an older person struggling to get one of her own.
“Here you go ma’am” Jongin says while politely offering her the cart he had grabbed.
“Oh thank you young man” she says walking away and pushing the cart. He turned back around only to see Kyungsoo standing behind him with a slight scowl pushing a cart by himself.
“Here, read me the things we need off this list one by one” Kyungsoo says thrusting a list into his hands.
“I can push the cart” Jongin offers.
“Not likely, come on” Kyungsoo says walking off and Jongin has to speed walk to keep up with the other’s quick pace. “What’s the first thing we need” Kyungsoo asks, coming to a halt so fast that Jongin almost walks into him.
“Umm” Jongin says unfolding the list and reading the first thing. “Apples” he says aloud.
“Alright that means we have to go over to the fruit area, do you see any other fruits on the list” Kyungsoo asks as they walk towards a section of the store that has a lot of bins.
“Yeah, oranges, lemons, plums, and grapes” Jongin says reading off the list.
“You go grab a dozen apples while I bag up some lemons” Kyungsoo says walking a couple bins away.
While picking out apples that looked appetizing and which had no bruises Jongin caught a chill. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on edge almost like he was being watched. If there was anything that living on the streets had helped approve in his life it was his senses which were heightened greatly when he had to rely sole on himself for his own survival. As soon as he had turned around he caught a man in a blue baseball cap looking away from him. With a shrug of his shoulders he turned around and finished grabbing the apples before walking back towards Kyungsoo and the cart.
“So what’s next” Kyungsoo asks after they grabbed all the fruits and vegetables they needed. Jongin glanced down at the list in his hands.
“Frosted Flakes” he says with a little laugh looking up at Kyungsoo questioningly.
“I don’t make breakfast everyday” Kyungsoo says with a shrug of his shoulder before pushing the cart to the cereal section of the store. While Kyungsoo is comparing the costs of the name brand and off brand cereals Jongin feels the familiar feeling of being watched and turns around to catch the same blue baseball cap disappearing around the corner of the aisle.
About an hour later Kyungsoo and Jongin stood in line at the register. Jongin bouncing from his toes to his heels in anxiety after spotting the blue baseball capped man at least a half dozen more times around the store. Kyungsoo handed over the money while Jongin put the filled backs back in the cart. Soon they were outside filling the trunk and backset of the car that they brought to the store.
“Will you go put the cart in the return area” Kyungsoo asked and Jongin moved to do as he was told. Jongin pushed the cart into the metal railed parking spot and quickly turned around where he found himself bumping into the chest of another person causing him to stumble back a couple steps.
“Oh I’m so sorry” Jongin said quickly before looking up and seeing the man in the blue baseball cap who simply gave a small creepy smirk before walking away. Jongin quickly scampered back to over to Kyungsoo and jumped in the passenger seat
“If you are supposed to be the one to protect me then we have to get some meat on your bones and take you to some self-defense trainings I saw you fall back from a simple tap from that guy” Kyungsoo said with a small chuckle before putting the car in reverse.
“I think I saw that guy following us in the store” Jongin says slightly embarrassed by Kyungsoo’s assessment of him.
“It’s a small store, he was probably just working off a list that his wife wrote for him” Kyungsoo says with a role of his eyes. “Don’t go telling Chanyeol that someone was following us, he’ll never let me out of the house again” Kyungsoo says when they come to a stop light.
“What do you guys do exactly” Jongin dares to ask once the light changes green. He has had a couple guesses since running into Chanyeol and the others the day before, but isn’t quite sure which scenario they fit into more.
“A little bit of everything to be honest” Kyungsoo says typing in the passcode to get into the gated driveway of the house that Jongin now calls home. Although Kyungsoo’s response isn’t really a concrete answer he drops the subject knowing from prior experience not to push someone who isn’t too forthcoming with information. “I’ll start putting these away while you carry in the rest” Kyungsoo said after they made the first trip from the car inside the house.
“Alright” Jongin says heading back out to the car. On his fourth trip he walks back into the kitchen to hear the most beautiful melody and tiptoes closer to catch a glimpse of Kyungsoo swaying his hips to the tempo of the song he sings while putting the groceries away. Jongin stands frozen, awestruck by Kyungsoo’s beauty until a loud piercing phone ring pulls him from his trance.
“Channie” Kyungsoo answers the phone with a smile plastered on his face breaking the last of the spell that hangs over Jongin and he goes back to finish bringing in the last two loads of groceries.
Later that night in the quite of his bedroom Jongin has trouble falling asleep as images of Kyungsoo’s small smirk from earlier flashes in his mind. When he finally does fall asleep, however, it is to only experience a dream where Kyungsoo’s song is directed solely to him, not meant for anyone else’s ears.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Jongin wake up” Kyungsoo’s voice pulled Jongin out of his slumber a month later. “Come on we have to eat breakfast and then we are going to the gym, if I have to put my life in your hands I want to have a small belief that you won’t just get in the way of me protecting myself” Kyungsoo said pulling the sheet off of Jongin’s body before leaving the room. Jongin rolled out of bed slowly stretching his arms and legs. He laughed a little inside his mind at the fact that most people would find the way that Kyungsoo talked to him to be mean or hurtful, but he in turn just found it endearing that the person smaller than him had a stronger fighting spirit.
“Hey Jongin” Sehun said with a smile waving the other over to the seat beside him. He smiled back to Sehun as he took the offered seat. As everyone ate their breakfast Jongin looked around the room admiring the quirky bunch of people that he so easily got along with. If a random person were to look in on the group they would not be able to tell that not too long ago Jongin was being held at gun point by Sehun, ZiTao, and Minseok because Jongin could easily admit that these people had become the family that he had missed for so long now.
“Alright so Luhan I need you to go do some searching one of our informants says that one of the many warehouses in the lower district of thirteenth avenue holds the storehouse of the crew trying to take over our territory. Just go look around and if you find anything report back tonight and we will figure out what to do from there, understand” Chanyeol asks after almost everyone finishes their breakfasts. “Minseok and Sehun you will come with me down to the port while Kris, ZiTao and Jongdae you guys start delivering the packages we sorted out yesterday” Chanyeol says to receive head nods from everyone around the table. “Awesome” Chanyeol says switching from serious to caring as he looks over at Kyungsoo and Jongin “What are you two doing today” he asks.
“I’m going to go work out and Jongin is going to learn from the best how to defend himself” Kyungsoo says with a small smirk on his face as he bumps his shoulder non to gently against Jongin’s own.
“Just stay safe” Chanyeol says leaning in a kissing Kyungsoo’s temple before Jongin can turn away from the sight.
Lather in the afternoon after everyone had already left to their respected posts Kyungsoo walked into the room where Jongin was curled up reading a book.
“Are you ready for me to kick your butt” Kyungsoo asks with a smile. Jongin looks up from his book to see Kyungsoo in a stretchy pair of black sweat pants and a black short sleeve shirt.
“Oh I think I might just surprise you” Jongin says teasingly as he sets his book aside a stands up. Jongin can feel the other’s eyes look him over for a second.
“You’re already dressed and ready” Kyungsoo asks and Jongin notes a hint of shock in the other’s tone.
“Of course” Jongin says with a smile before he walks over to the door of the room and holds it open for Kyungsoo, “I’ve learned it’s better not to keep you waiting” Jongin says slightly teasing. He has to force his laugh back down his throat as Kyungsoo puffs up his check in a pout.
“Yeah, yeah lets go” Kyungsoo says walking past Jongin to the car.
While driving the short distance to the gym Jongin spots a light brown van a couple cars back. He instantly goes rigid in the passenger’s seat because it’s the same van he has seen several times over the last month whenever he and Kyungsoo head out to run errands. One time when he had brought it up to Kyungsoo the other had simply laughed telling him that there were plenty of people driving brown vans around and that there was no way that the same van could be following them around. Jongin, however, knew better because this van in particular had a man in a blue baseball cap either in the driver’s seat or the passenger’s seat every time he had seen it.
“Hello earth to Jongin, we’re here” Kyungsoo says snapping Jongin out of his thought. When he steps out of the car he watches the van drive down the street and make a turn at the stop light. Jongin held the door to the gym open for Kyungsoo who took a deep inhale of breath when he walked into the building. “Stretch out and warm up or you’ll be even more sore once I kick your butt” Kyungsoo says with a small chuckle before he sits down on a pad and starts to stretch out his limbs.
While Jongin stretches out his own limbs, now covered with much more fat and muscles alike thanks to Kyungsoo’s cooking, he can’t help but become distracted by Kyungsoo’s body as he stretches out in front of him. Jongin admires how the other’s form is deceiving of the power he holds within and he often finds his eyes drifting to the other’s legs where the muscles lay in such an appetizing way.
“If you’re done checking me out we can move on” Kyungsoo says smoothly before turning around to smirk at Jongin who can only sputter as he tries to make up an excuse.
“Sorry” he finally says accepting Kyungsoo offered hand to stand up fully.
“Just don’t let Chanyeol catch you doing that” Kyungsoo says with a shrug before rolling his head around. “I want you to come at me like you would if someone were to try to steal your food before you came to live with us” Kyungsoo says and Jongin watches as the other plants his feet. The thought of attacking Kyungsoo don’t settle right in Jongin’s stomach and causes him to unconsciously take a step back. “Don’t be afraid Jongin, I’m sure I can do more damage to you then you can ever do to me” Kyungsoo says cockily.
“Oh really” Jongin says accepting the bait that Kyungsoo tries to lure him in with. As soon as he takes a step towards Kyungsoo however Jongin finds himself lying flat on his back with a triumphant looking Kyungsoo gazing down on him.
“Told you so” Kyungsoo says and Jongin sees a real smile bloom on the other’s face.
“I..I..I wasn’t ready” Jongin stutters out hoping to sound serious but only ending up sounding slightly pathetic. Kyungsoo lets out a laugh, a real from the pit of your stomach laugh, unlike the usual small chuckles he releases and Jongin lays on his back staring up at a person who only becomes more and more beautiful to him as the days pass.
“We can try a second time if you think you will have better results” Kyungsoo says holding a hand down to Jongin who eagerly accepts it. “Try not to make your move so obvious this time” Kyungsoo says with a smirk. Jongin sets his feet, but right before he moves to make his attack the doors to the gym fly open with a clang that draws the eyes of the few other people in that direction. Jongin squints against the incoming sunlight to see a slightly familiar figure panting and holding himself upright with much difficulty.
“Luhan” Kyungsoo says quickly turning serious. Jongin suddenly takes in the many bruises that are now littering the others normally pale skin.
“Duck” Luhan whispers before he falls unconscious and his body falls down to the ground. Kyungsoo moves to run towards Luhan but the other’s one word warning bounces around in Jongin’s brain.
Suddenly the image of a brown van makes itself visible in Jongin’s peripheral vision and the warning makes perfect sense.
“Kyungsoo” Jongin screams out as several loud bangs ring out as the glass in the windows shatters and falls down to the floor. Jongin leaps and tackles Kyungsoo down to the ground hoping to protect him from the incoming rain of bullets and glass. Screams echo around the room along with all the other noises enveloping the room in chaos, but all Jongin can think about is keeping Kyungsoo safe as he holds the other tightly against his own chest.
What feels like hours later, but is really only mere seconds later the squeal of tires is heard as the van leaves the scene and an eerie quite settles over the building. Jongin hears crying and clutches onto Kyungsoo tighter, not quite believing that they are safe yet.
“Jongin we are okay, they are gone” Kyungsoo’s calm voice says lightly and it is in that moment that Jongin realizes the sounds of someone crying is coming from himself. He quickly scampers off the other.
“Are you okay” he asks lightly caressing Kyungsoo’s face checking for any signs of pain.
“I’m okay” Kyungsoo says with sigh, “what about you” the other asks. Jongin looks down at his lap only to catch a glimpse of a red liquid running down his arm.
“I..I..I think I’ve been shot” Jongin says realizing suddenly now that he knows that Kyungsoo is safe that there is a sharp stinging pain in the upper part of his left arm. Quicker than lightning Kyungsoo is beside Jongin looking at his arm.
“I don’t see an exit hole the bullet must still be in there” Kyungsoo says ripping away at Jongin’s tattered shirt sleeve. “Hold this against it, I have to call Chanyeol” Kyungsoo orders putting Jongin’s hand over the cloth that is pushed against the wound.
“Luhan” Jongin questions when Kyungsoo comes back to his side a while later.
“He’s pretty badly beaten, he must have found something he wasn’t supposed to earlier” Kyungsoo says sitting beside Jongin and laying his hand in Jongin’s open palm. Jongin and Kyungsoo sit in silence for a couple minutes until a car squeals in front of the gym. For a minute his whole body goes rigid at the sound. “It’s just Chanyeol” Kyungsoo assures squeezing Jongin’s hand before rising to his feet.
“Luhan” Sehun screams as he comes running into the building and falls to the ground beside the still unconscious boy.
“Kyungsoo” Chanyeol yells storming into the room in much the same manner as Sehun only to envelope Kyungsoo in his arms.
“Minseok call YiXing” Sehun yells and Jongin watches the other lift Luhan up into his arms. Jongin looks around at everyone slightly confused at the name he is unfamiliar with.
“Are you okay” Jongin hears Chanyeol’s deep voice ask Kyungsoo.
“I’m okay Channie, Jongin took the bullet that would have hit me” Kyungsoo says. Seconds later Chanyeol is beside him.
“Thank you Jongin” he hears Chanyeol say a spots start to attack his vision and he feels a little faint.
“Jongin” he heard Kyungsoo scream his name as the room around him tilted.
“On the phone you said he took one to the arm” he heard Chanyeol say in a panicked voice.
“That was the only place he said hurt” Kyungsoo says, and Jongin can hear the panic in the other ones tone. I’m alright, he wants to assure Kyungsoo, but a sudden wave of nausea takes over and he finds himself empting his stomach on the floor beside him.
“Shit” he hears Chanyeol curse as the world around Jongin goes dark.
“Jongin, Jongin stay with me” Kyungsoo voice rings in his brain and as much a Jongin would do anything Kyungsoo says he can’t make himself stay awake.
( part 2 )
❊ title: the secret in the cherry blossom
❊ pairings: kai/d.o, chanyeol/d.o, sehun/luhan, suho/lay, xiumin/chen, tao/kris, chanyeol/baekhyun
❊ rating: r
❊ warnings: minor cussing, mafia themes, violence, blood, other band as minor characters
❊ word count: 11,102
❊ summary: Jongin is a newbie to Chanyeol’s mafia, hired to make sure that nothing happens to the bosses lover. Spending time with the other only leads Jongin to fall madly in love for the one who is already claimed by another. Jongin soon discovers that he’ll do anything to keep the boss’s lover, Kyungsoo, safe. Not because it is his job but because his heart can’t stand to see the other hurt.
❊ a/n: First I would like to thank the mods for running this awesome exchange, I love KaiSoo and this gave me the perfect chance to write with them in mind. I want to thank my prompter, all the prompts were awesome but I really wanted to try mafiaAU so I hope this didn’t disappoint. I hope I didn’t hurt anyones feelings with the BTS add in, I needed someone to add and they just worked. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy (or enjoyed)
A little more to the left, Jongin instructed himself internally as he wiggled the rod slightly until he heard the satisfying click that signaled the car door becoming unlocked. He climbed into the front seat and with skilled finger undid the underside of the steering wheel and twisted the wires he needed until he heard the comforting sound of the engine revving.
“Score” Jongin said aloud as he clicked the blinker on and pulled out into traffic. “You were just sitting there calling for me weren’t you” Jongin said rubbing a hand on the dashboard thinking about how lucky he had been to find such an expensive car sitting in such an open area. “You may have just saved my life” Jongin whispered to the car imagining the sum he could catch off the fine automobile he was driving in and all the food he could buy with it. Maybe I could even get myself a blanket, Jongin thought remembering the chill he had caught the last couple nights since the weather had changed.
He drove around for a little while after realizing that the tank was practically all the way full, enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing on his hair. He also enjoyed the reminders of the worry free life style he used to lead that driving the car allowed him to see clearly again.
The sun was starting to fade as Jongin drove the car and he soon found himself driving down roads without anyone else beside him. Suddenly a car pulled up alongside the car and revved its engine. “Alright lets race” Jongin said happily inside his own car before revving his own engine to signal his willingness to participate. When the street light turned green Jongin gunned the engine and speed forward the other car right alongside him. Disappointment flowed through him as he watched the other car pull in front of him. Determined to win Jongin put more weight into his foot atop the gas pedal, however, the car that had gained a lead suddenly turned in front of Jongin’s car and slammed on its brakes. Quickly Jongin repeated the action; once his car slid to a halt he jumped out and slammed the door shut in anger. “What the hell kind of stunt was that” he yelled out storming toward the other car.
Suddenly two men hopped out of the other car. The first thing Jongin noticed was that they were both too finely dressed to be actual street racers. The second thing he noticed, and perhaps the most alarming, was the fact that one of the men had a gun leveled right at him.
“Wow, I think you won fair and square so, ummm, good race and I’ll see you later.” Jongin said with hands above his head as he walked quickly back towards the car.
“Leave the car” the taller of the two states. Jongin looks longingly at the car, should have sold it right when I jacked it, he thought bitterly to himself as he weighed the risk of death versus food in his belly.
“Alright” Jongin whispered looking down at his feet in disgust at himself.
“Boss wants to talk with you” the taller says while opening the back door of the car. All the while the shorter moves the gun menacingly. Jongin catches sight of a leg clad in a white suit and decides to take his chances before speeding away. As he races around a nearby corner he hears the sounds of feet giving chase. Rounding a second bend Jongin finds himself facing a dead end.
“Shit” Jongin said aloud turning away from the brick wall to see the two men walking menacingly into the only entrance and exit of the small alley. “Look I don’t want trouble, you can have the car but that’s all I have to offer” Jongin said looking all around for a possible escape route.
“Boss still wants a talk with you. Come with us the easy way or the hard way it’s up to you” The taller guy said advancing forward. With the other’s movement Jongin saw his chance, speeding towards the small opening between the two advancing men, Jongin quickly slide taking the shorter individual’s legs out from under him in the process. Jumping to his feet Jongin sped around the corner only to be met with a third man holding a gun directly to his head.
“Wrong choice” the man said pushing the nuzzle of the gun against Jongin’s forehead.
“This was a new suit” the guy whom Jongin had tripped said wiping his pant leg off as he and the taller man came out of the alley way. Jongin felt his stomach drop as the taller grabbed one of his arms while the smaller grabbed the other all with the gun still positioned in front of his forehead.
“Wrong choice punk” the taller whispered menacingly in Jongin’s ear before the man with the gun flipped it and brought the butt end down straight into Jongin’s stomach. Pain radiated from his core as he tried to suck air back into his lungs.
“Enough” a deep voice stated as the individual in the white suit stepped into view towering over all the other men surrounding Jongin. “What an interesting day this has turned out to be” the tallest of the four says with a sly smirk on his face.
“What do you want us to do with him boss” the shorter asked tightening his grip on Jongin’s right arm.
“Well you see I was very upset earlier when you managed to steal my car” the tall man says looking Jongin up and down, “but since you managed to outsmart Minseok here” he said gesturing with his head towards the smaller man, who Jongin felt tense up, “I am especially intrigued with you, do you have a name thief” he asks.
“J..Jongin, my name is Jongin….sir” he adds as an afterthought. “I didn’t mean to steal your car, well I did, but if I had known it belonged to you I wouldn’t have taken it, I’m sorry” Jongin said sending a pleading glance to the taller.
“Well Jongin you must be new around here to not know me, my name is Chanyeol and it would do you best not to forget it” the taller says. “Release him” Chanyeol adds with a nod of his head to both Minseok and the two other men. Once his arms are free Jongin runs out of the circle of men. With nimble fingers and the distraction of his dramatic run he swiftly relieves the white suited man of his wallet storing it in his own back pocket instead.
“Don’t worry I won’t” Jongin say turning his back to the four with the intent to walk away.
“Wait Jongin” Chanyeol calls out in his deep voice. Carefully Jongin turns back to face the other men. “I couldn’t help but notice the state of dirt on your face and the way you look too skinny for your clothes, would you be interested in a job from me” Chanyeol asks. Confused Jongin looks the other up and down.
“Why” Jongin asks cautiously.
“No one has ever managed to steal my things twice in one day or take out one of my men on pure force of will” Chanyeol says with a smile and Jongin feels fear rise in him at the fact that the other knows he has stolen his wallet. “Of course there will be food, a place to stay, and warm clothes in the bargain” Chanyeol says and Jongin spots what he thinks is a real smile on the other’s face.
“Can I think about it and get back to you” Jongin asks mindful of the ever setting sun and fact that it will be close to forty hours since his last meal soon.
“No” Chanyeol says sternly, “You either come with me now, or not at all.” The growl of Jongin’s stomach makes his decision for him.
“Alright” he says with a nod of his head as he walks closer to the four men.
“Great I have the perfect job for you, in fact it just opened up” Chanyeol says with a smile as he slings his long arm over Jongin’s shoulder. “Oh and Jongin” Chanyeol says hand on the door handle, “This is the first and last time I’ll warn you, but don’t ever steal my things” Chanyeol says adding emphasis on the word ever before clapping Jongin on the back and giving him a wide smile as he holds the back door of the car open for him. “Let’s get Jongin home Minseok” Chanyeol calls up to the shorter who is seated in the driver’s seat once all five men are piled into the car, leaving the car Jongin had been joy riding in for most of the day stranded in the middle of the street as they pulled away.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Where the hell have you been Chanyeol” a voice demanded the minute Jongin followed Chanyeol and the two other men into the front door of what Jongin could only describe as a mansion.
“I got held up doing something” Chanyeol said and Jongin caught sight of a stern looking short guy standing in a doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.
“That is not how you are supposed to reply to me Chanyeol, especially since I have been trying to get in contact with you all day” the male that Jongin can’t tear his eyes away from says.
“I’m sorry” Chanyeol says approaching the other. Jongin is sure his eyes must have doubled in size as he watches Chanyeol walk up to the shorter male and attempt to lay his hand upon the other’s shoulder only to have his hand slapped away.
“Don’t even try that with me right now Chanyeol” the other male says and Jongin feels his heart skip a beat as the small boy who looks deadly starts to pout instantly becoming adorable in Jongin’s eyes.
“I..” Chanyeol starts.
“No” the smaller say, “You could have at least answered one of my calls or called me back, sent me a text, even had Minseok or ZiTao call me, let me know you were safe and not lying dead somewhere. I hate being stuck in this house, if I knew you were going to force me to stay here safe then I would have never confessed my feelings for you.” Wait what, Jongin things snapping out of his daze of staring at the other’s heart shaped lips as he talked.
“I’m sorry love” Chanyeol says and Jongin feels his heart drop as he watches Chanyeol wrap his arms around the smaller boy. “I ran into some interesting things today, but I have good news because I think I found a solution to you being stuck here as you put it” Chanyeol says planting a kiss upon the other’s forehead.
“You’ve realized that I can take care of myself like I have been doing for the last year as a part of your team” the smaller male asks and Jongin watches as Chanyeol merely chuckles before shaking his head.
“Of course you can look out for yourself, nobody could have taken down that one ring like you did singlehandedly, but I am not letting you out of the house by yourself” Chanyeol says.
“But” the smaller whines and Jongin feels his breath catch as Chanyeol leans over and lays his lips atop of the smaller male’s to quite him.
“Kyungsoo I want you to meet Jongin, he is your new body guard, or watch dog, which ever you prefer. You are allowed to leave this house if, and only if, he is by your side. I mean it Kyungsoo” Chanyeol said giving Kyungsoo a serious look. Jongin saw a look of shock similar to the one he bet he had on his own face mirrored on the beautiful male now identified as Kyungsoo’s face. “Jongin this is my boyfriend Kyungsoo” Chanyeol says. “I expect you to guard him with your life” Jongin hears the command in the other’s voice.
“I don’t need some bodyguard Channie” Kyungsoo whined and Jongin felt his heart skip a beat again as the other tried to pout Chanyeol into changing his mind.
“Well then you can just stay here in the house day and night” Chanyeol said unwavering. “Minseok will you show Jongin to his room” Chanyeol asked before Jongin watched the other pick a shocked Kyungsoo up over his shoulder.
“Follow me” Minseok said gruffly before walking off in one direction. Following after Minseok he snuck one last look at Chanyeol and the adorable looking Kyungsoo. Chanyeol’s voice from earlier played again in his head, ‘don’t ever try and steal what belongs to me again’.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Wake up” a voice ordered pulling Jongin from his sleep. With a start Jongin sits up and for a brief second panics as he doesn’t recognize any of his surroundings. When his eyes land on large eyed boy at the foot of his bed images of the day before come back in quick succession. “Come eat some breakfast before it gets cold” the other boy says before storming from the room. Jongin falls back into the comfort of the bed for a second before he pulls himself out of it and makes his way down the unfamiliar halls towards the kitchen.
While climbing down the stairs Jongin hears the commotion of many unfamiliar voices mixed with clanking of glass, the sounds make Jongin feels a mix of many emotions ranging from longing to excitement.
He gingerly walks into the kitchen staying close to the wall so that he doesn’t draw too much attention to himself and also doesn’t interrupt any of the conversation going on within the room. He spots Minseok and ZiTao from the day before talking with some other men that he has never seen before. Jongin also sees the handsome shorter man Kyungsoo, who had woken him up earlier, standing by the kitchen counter and sliding some scrambled eggs to many different plates.
“Jongin my friend” Chanyeol says in a booming voice as he enters the room and traps Jongin to his spot by slinging his arm over Jongin’s shoulder. Jongin cringes when the many pairs of eyes in the room land on him as a hush quiets the earlier chatter. “How was your sleep last night, we missed you at dinner” Chanyeol asks and pauses waiting for a response.
“Very good thank you” Jongin answers softly under all the staring eyes.
“Great” Chanyeol says with a large smile before slapping Jongin on the shoulder good naturally. Jongin has trouble believing that the smiling giant who gently hugs onto Kyungsoo is the same scary white suited guy from the day prior.
“Sit down, breakfast will be ready in one more minute” Minseok says pointing to an empty seat across from him at the table. Jongin hesitantly walks over to the empty seat and sits down.
“So I hear you are the person who I get to hold responsible for ruining Minseok’s new suit” a guy sitting next to Minseok says. The first thing that Jongin notices is the arm that this other individual has wrapped around Minseok, not because of where it is but because of the size of the muscles the arm hold. Jongin gazes at the other mentally preparing for a beat down because of what he had done to the man he has his arm wrapped around the day before.
“Oh knock it off Jongdae, it’s not like it looked good on Minseok anyway” the other guy from inside the car yesterday states.
“Take it back Sehun” Jongdae growls as he pulls Minseok closer to his side.
“That’s not what I meant” Sehun says quickly rushing over to Minseok’s other side ignoring the ugly glare thrown his way from Jongdae. “The color was ugly that’s all I was trying to say I promise Minnie” Jongin watches the Sehun figure say before hugging Minseok to his chest.
“Alright breakfast is served” Kyungsoo says and Jongin watches as the smaller male walks over and sets a couple plates down before turning back into the kitchen for more.
“Thank you” Jongin whispers to the other when he sets a plate down in front of him before taking his own seat.
“I’m not hungry” Jongin hears Minseok whisper to Jongdae over the clattering and calls of thanks from all the other individuals at the table.
“You should really eat Minseok, your skinner then me and I haven’t had a decent meal in over a year now” Jongin says without thinking. When the gazes of everyone in the room lands on him Jongin feels as small as an ant. To escape everyone’s gaze he leans down and stuffs a forkful of eggs and potatoes into his mouth. “Oh my god” he says in a moan. “This is amazing, you’re the best” he says after swallowing his first bite, throwing a smile towards Kyungsoo before putting another forkful of food into his mouth. After swallowing again he notices a little smirk on Kyungsoo’s usually scowling face, Cute, he thinks to himself before taking another bite.
Once his plate is cleared he looks up to find everyone else in the room still eating while conversing between themselves in low voices. Ho notices with a little smile that Minseok is propped up against Jongdae’s side while eating his breakfast. Jongin meets Jongdae’s gaze and is surprised when the other nods his head towards him as if offering his thanks, Jongin merely smiles back.
“Alright so we have lots to get done today” Chanyeol says and Jongin is amazed by the instant silence that falls over the room. “Minseok, ZiTao, and Sehun you guys are coming with me down to the port we have some cargo to go through. Kris, Jongdae, and Luhan you three will be going down to fifteenth street, there is talks of a new group trying to take over our territory there so I need you to go do some sleuthing” Chanyeol says receiving nods from everyone once their names are called.
“I could come with you” Kyungsoo offers.
“No, you know I can’t put you at risk now. If there really is a new crew everyone knows that you would be the easiest way to get to me” Chanyeol says finitely.
“Fine” Kyungsoo says crossing his arms and pouting. “I guess I’ll take Jongin with me to do some grocery shopping then, we are running low on just about everything” Kyungsoo says.
After everyone leaves the kitchen Jongin helps Kyungsoo pick up the dishes. Kyungsoo scrubs all the dishes in silence, handing them to Jongin to dry them once he is finished.
“We are going to head out now Kyungie” Chanyeol says coming into the kitchen dressed in another white suit and giving Kyungsoo a hug from behind. “I’ll make sure to call every hour, Minseok has already been told to call you if I forget or am busy talking to someone at the top of the hour. There is no need for you to worry though, I and all the others will be home for dinner I promise” Chanyeol says and Jongin turns around quickly so he doesn’t have to watch the two kiss. For some reason he can’t help but image himself in Chanyeol’s place, being the one to press his lips against Kyungsoo’s plush looking ones. “Jongin a word” Chanyeol says a minute later.
He’s not a mind reader, he assures his nervous self as he sets down the dish towel and follows Chanyeol through the kitchen into the living room and then off into a small office type room.
“As I’m sure that you can see from breakfast we are all a sort of family, we look after each other. I don’t have to tell you how much Kyungsoo means to me, but I’m just warning you now if anything and I mean absolutely anything happens to him while he is with you I will never let you live it down. Take care of him Jongin, I trust you” Chanyeol said with a small smile before patting him on the shoulder and leaving the room.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Jongin pulled a cart away from all the others and spotted an older person struggling to get one of her own.
“Here you go ma’am” Jongin says while politely offering her the cart he had grabbed.
“Oh thank you young man” she says walking away and pushing the cart. He turned back around only to see Kyungsoo standing behind him with a slight scowl pushing a cart by himself.
“Here, read me the things we need off this list one by one” Kyungsoo says thrusting a list into his hands.
“I can push the cart” Jongin offers.
“Not likely, come on” Kyungsoo says walking off and Jongin has to speed walk to keep up with the other’s quick pace. “What’s the first thing we need” Kyungsoo asks, coming to a halt so fast that Jongin almost walks into him.
“Umm” Jongin says unfolding the list and reading the first thing. “Apples” he says aloud.
“Alright that means we have to go over to the fruit area, do you see any other fruits on the list” Kyungsoo asks as they walk towards a section of the store that has a lot of bins.
“Yeah, oranges, lemons, plums, and grapes” Jongin says reading off the list.
“You go grab a dozen apples while I bag up some lemons” Kyungsoo says walking a couple bins away.
While picking out apples that looked appetizing and which had no bruises Jongin caught a chill. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on edge almost like he was being watched. If there was anything that living on the streets had helped approve in his life it was his senses which were heightened greatly when he had to rely sole on himself for his own survival. As soon as he had turned around he caught a man in a blue baseball cap looking away from him. With a shrug of his shoulders he turned around and finished grabbing the apples before walking back towards Kyungsoo and the cart.
“So what’s next” Kyungsoo asks after they grabbed all the fruits and vegetables they needed. Jongin glanced down at the list in his hands.
“Frosted Flakes” he says with a little laugh looking up at Kyungsoo questioningly.
“I don’t make breakfast everyday” Kyungsoo says with a shrug of his shoulder before pushing the cart to the cereal section of the store. While Kyungsoo is comparing the costs of the name brand and off brand cereals Jongin feels the familiar feeling of being watched and turns around to catch the same blue baseball cap disappearing around the corner of the aisle.
About an hour later Kyungsoo and Jongin stood in line at the register. Jongin bouncing from his toes to his heels in anxiety after spotting the blue baseball capped man at least a half dozen more times around the store. Kyungsoo handed over the money while Jongin put the filled backs back in the cart. Soon they were outside filling the trunk and backset of the car that they brought to the store.
“Will you go put the cart in the return area” Kyungsoo asked and Jongin moved to do as he was told. Jongin pushed the cart into the metal railed parking spot and quickly turned around where he found himself bumping into the chest of another person causing him to stumble back a couple steps.
“Oh I’m so sorry” Jongin said quickly before looking up and seeing the man in the blue baseball cap who simply gave a small creepy smirk before walking away. Jongin quickly scampered back to over to Kyungsoo and jumped in the passenger seat
“If you are supposed to be the one to protect me then we have to get some meat on your bones and take you to some self-defense trainings I saw you fall back from a simple tap from that guy” Kyungsoo said with a small chuckle before putting the car in reverse.
“I think I saw that guy following us in the store” Jongin says slightly embarrassed by Kyungsoo’s assessment of him.
“It’s a small store, he was probably just working off a list that his wife wrote for him” Kyungsoo says with a role of his eyes. “Don’t go telling Chanyeol that someone was following us, he’ll never let me out of the house again” Kyungsoo says when they come to a stop light.
“What do you guys do exactly” Jongin dares to ask once the light changes green. He has had a couple guesses since running into Chanyeol and the others the day before, but isn’t quite sure which scenario they fit into more.
“A little bit of everything to be honest” Kyungsoo says typing in the passcode to get into the gated driveway of the house that Jongin now calls home. Although Kyungsoo’s response isn’t really a concrete answer he drops the subject knowing from prior experience not to push someone who isn’t too forthcoming with information. “I’ll start putting these away while you carry in the rest” Kyungsoo said after they made the first trip from the car inside the house.
“Alright” Jongin says heading back out to the car. On his fourth trip he walks back into the kitchen to hear the most beautiful melody and tiptoes closer to catch a glimpse of Kyungsoo swaying his hips to the tempo of the song he sings while putting the groceries away. Jongin stands frozen, awestruck by Kyungsoo’s beauty until a loud piercing phone ring pulls him from his trance.
“Channie” Kyungsoo answers the phone with a smile plastered on his face breaking the last of the spell that hangs over Jongin and he goes back to finish bringing in the last two loads of groceries.
Later that night in the quite of his bedroom Jongin has trouble falling asleep as images of Kyungsoo’s small smirk from earlier flashes in his mind. When he finally does fall asleep, however, it is to only experience a dream where Kyungsoo’s song is directed solely to him, not meant for anyone else’s ears.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Jongin wake up” Kyungsoo’s voice pulled Jongin out of his slumber a month later. “Come on we have to eat breakfast and then we are going to the gym, if I have to put my life in your hands I want to have a small belief that you won’t just get in the way of me protecting myself” Kyungsoo said pulling the sheet off of Jongin’s body before leaving the room. Jongin rolled out of bed slowly stretching his arms and legs. He laughed a little inside his mind at the fact that most people would find the way that Kyungsoo talked to him to be mean or hurtful, but he in turn just found it endearing that the person smaller than him had a stronger fighting spirit.
“Hey Jongin” Sehun said with a smile waving the other over to the seat beside him. He smiled back to Sehun as he took the offered seat. As everyone ate their breakfast Jongin looked around the room admiring the quirky bunch of people that he so easily got along with. If a random person were to look in on the group they would not be able to tell that not too long ago Jongin was being held at gun point by Sehun, ZiTao, and Minseok because Jongin could easily admit that these people had become the family that he had missed for so long now.
“Alright so Luhan I need you to go do some searching one of our informants says that one of the many warehouses in the lower district of thirteenth avenue holds the storehouse of the crew trying to take over our territory. Just go look around and if you find anything report back tonight and we will figure out what to do from there, understand” Chanyeol asks after almost everyone finishes their breakfasts. “Minseok and Sehun you will come with me down to the port while Kris, ZiTao and Jongdae you guys start delivering the packages we sorted out yesterday” Chanyeol says to receive head nods from everyone around the table. “Awesome” Chanyeol says switching from serious to caring as he looks over at Kyungsoo and Jongin “What are you two doing today” he asks.
“I’m going to go work out and Jongin is going to learn from the best how to defend himself” Kyungsoo says with a small smirk on his face as he bumps his shoulder non to gently against Jongin’s own.
“Just stay safe” Chanyeol says leaning in a kissing Kyungsoo’s temple before Jongin can turn away from the sight.
Lather in the afternoon after everyone had already left to their respected posts Kyungsoo walked into the room where Jongin was curled up reading a book.
“Are you ready for me to kick your butt” Kyungsoo asks with a smile. Jongin looks up from his book to see Kyungsoo in a stretchy pair of black sweat pants and a black short sleeve shirt.
“Oh I think I might just surprise you” Jongin says teasingly as he sets his book aside a stands up. Jongin can feel the other’s eyes look him over for a second.
“You’re already dressed and ready” Kyungsoo asks and Jongin notes a hint of shock in the other’s tone.
“Of course” Jongin says with a smile before he walks over to the door of the room and holds it open for Kyungsoo, “I’ve learned it’s better not to keep you waiting” Jongin says slightly teasing. He has to force his laugh back down his throat as Kyungsoo puffs up his check in a pout.
“Yeah, yeah lets go” Kyungsoo says walking past Jongin to the car.
While driving the short distance to the gym Jongin spots a light brown van a couple cars back. He instantly goes rigid in the passenger’s seat because it’s the same van he has seen several times over the last month whenever he and Kyungsoo head out to run errands. One time when he had brought it up to Kyungsoo the other had simply laughed telling him that there were plenty of people driving brown vans around and that there was no way that the same van could be following them around. Jongin, however, knew better because this van in particular had a man in a blue baseball cap either in the driver’s seat or the passenger’s seat every time he had seen it.
“Hello earth to Jongin, we’re here” Kyungsoo says snapping Jongin out of his thought. When he steps out of the car he watches the van drive down the street and make a turn at the stop light. Jongin held the door to the gym open for Kyungsoo who took a deep inhale of breath when he walked into the building. “Stretch out and warm up or you’ll be even more sore once I kick your butt” Kyungsoo says with a small chuckle before he sits down on a pad and starts to stretch out his limbs.
While Jongin stretches out his own limbs, now covered with much more fat and muscles alike thanks to Kyungsoo’s cooking, he can’t help but become distracted by Kyungsoo’s body as he stretches out in front of him. Jongin admires how the other’s form is deceiving of the power he holds within and he often finds his eyes drifting to the other’s legs where the muscles lay in such an appetizing way.
“If you’re done checking me out we can move on” Kyungsoo says smoothly before turning around to smirk at Jongin who can only sputter as he tries to make up an excuse.
“Sorry” he finally says accepting Kyungsoo offered hand to stand up fully.
“Just don’t let Chanyeol catch you doing that” Kyungsoo says with a shrug before rolling his head around. “I want you to come at me like you would if someone were to try to steal your food before you came to live with us” Kyungsoo says and Jongin watches as the other plants his feet. The thought of attacking Kyungsoo don’t settle right in Jongin’s stomach and causes him to unconsciously take a step back. “Don’t be afraid Jongin, I’m sure I can do more damage to you then you can ever do to me” Kyungsoo says cockily.
“Oh really” Jongin says accepting the bait that Kyungsoo tries to lure him in with. As soon as he takes a step towards Kyungsoo however Jongin finds himself lying flat on his back with a triumphant looking Kyungsoo gazing down on him.
“Told you so” Kyungsoo says and Jongin sees a real smile bloom on the other’s face.
“I..I..I wasn’t ready” Jongin stutters out hoping to sound serious but only ending up sounding slightly pathetic. Kyungsoo lets out a laugh, a real from the pit of your stomach laugh, unlike the usual small chuckles he releases and Jongin lays on his back staring up at a person who only becomes more and more beautiful to him as the days pass.
“We can try a second time if you think you will have better results” Kyungsoo says holding a hand down to Jongin who eagerly accepts it. “Try not to make your move so obvious this time” Kyungsoo says with a smirk. Jongin sets his feet, but right before he moves to make his attack the doors to the gym fly open with a clang that draws the eyes of the few other people in that direction. Jongin squints against the incoming sunlight to see a slightly familiar figure panting and holding himself upright with much difficulty.
“Luhan” Kyungsoo says quickly turning serious. Jongin suddenly takes in the many bruises that are now littering the others normally pale skin.
“Duck” Luhan whispers before he falls unconscious and his body falls down to the ground. Kyungsoo moves to run towards Luhan but the other’s one word warning bounces around in Jongin’s brain.
Suddenly the image of a brown van makes itself visible in Jongin’s peripheral vision and the warning makes perfect sense.
“Kyungsoo” Jongin screams out as several loud bangs ring out as the glass in the windows shatters and falls down to the floor. Jongin leaps and tackles Kyungsoo down to the ground hoping to protect him from the incoming rain of bullets and glass. Screams echo around the room along with all the other noises enveloping the room in chaos, but all Jongin can think about is keeping Kyungsoo safe as he holds the other tightly against his own chest.
What feels like hours later, but is really only mere seconds later the squeal of tires is heard as the van leaves the scene and an eerie quite settles over the building. Jongin hears crying and clutches onto Kyungsoo tighter, not quite believing that they are safe yet.
“Jongin we are okay, they are gone” Kyungsoo’s calm voice says lightly and it is in that moment that Jongin realizes the sounds of someone crying is coming from himself. He quickly scampers off the other.
“Are you okay” he asks lightly caressing Kyungsoo’s face checking for any signs of pain.
“I’m okay” Kyungsoo says with sigh, “what about you” the other asks. Jongin looks down at his lap only to catch a glimpse of a red liquid running down his arm.
“I..I..I think I’ve been shot” Jongin says realizing suddenly now that he knows that Kyungsoo is safe that there is a sharp stinging pain in the upper part of his left arm. Quicker than lightning Kyungsoo is beside Jongin looking at his arm.
“I don’t see an exit hole the bullet must still be in there” Kyungsoo says ripping away at Jongin’s tattered shirt sleeve. “Hold this against it, I have to call Chanyeol” Kyungsoo orders putting Jongin’s hand over the cloth that is pushed against the wound.
“Luhan” Jongin questions when Kyungsoo comes back to his side a while later.
“He’s pretty badly beaten, he must have found something he wasn’t supposed to earlier” Kyungsoo says sitting beside Jongin and laying his hand in Jongin’s open palm. Jongin and Kyungsoo sit in silence for a couple minutes until a car squeals in front of the gym. For a minute his whole body goes rigid at the sound. “It’s just Chanyeol” Kyungsoo assures squeezing Jongin’s hand before rising to his feet.
“Luhan” Sehun screams as he comes running into the building and falls to the ground beside the still unconscious boy.
“Kyungsoo” Chanyeol yells storming into the room in much the same manner as Sehun only to envelope Kyungsoo in his arms.
“Minseok call YiXing” Sehun yells and Jongin watches the other lift Luhan up into his arms. Jongin looks around at everyone slightly confused at the name he is unfamiliar with.
“Are you okay” Jongin hears Chanyeol’s deep voice ask Kyungsoo.
“I’m okay Channie, Jongin took the bullet that would have hit me” Kyungsoo says. Seconds later Chanyeol is beside him.
“Thank you Jongin” he hears Chanyeol say a spots start to attack his vision and he feels a little faint.
“Jongin” he heard Kyungsoo scream his name as the room around him tilted.
“On the phone you said he took one to the arm” he heard Chanyeol say in a panicked voice.
“That was the only place he said hurt” Kyungsoo says, and Jongin can hear the panic in the other ones tone. I’m alright, he wants to assure Kyungsoo, but a sudden wave of nausea takes over and he finds himself empting his stomach on the floor beside him.
“Shit” he hears Chanyeol curse as the world around Jongin goes dark.
“Jongin, Jongin stay with me” Kyungsoo voice rings in his brain and as much a Jongin would do anything Kyungsoo says he can’t make himself stay awake.
( part 2 )