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The winds felt more unforgiving this day in particular as Jaemin trudged onwards against its direction. His thick, navy duffel coat protected him from the majority of the cold, but not all of it, and the river was lapping angrily beneath the promenade.

This time, however, the blonde wasn't strolling casually along the riverside like he usually would on a Tuesday evening. No, he was headed somewhere in particular; that place being the convenience store to pick up more necessities that he had run out of.

His fringe was forced back off his face, producing the nothing short of gorgeous features that he possessed. For once, he wasn't in any particular mood...just 'meh'.

It wasn't as though Jaemin remembered that the daycare was on the way, and in fact, it surprised him to find two figures blocking his path in front of it. His breath hitched in surprise before he ducked behind a wall to hide himself.

Now, why was Na Jaemin shielding his presence from Lee Donghyuck and his rather cute coworker? He wasn't entirely sure either, it just sort of felt right. Another reason he gave himself on the spot so that he would sleep better that night was 'the time consuming effort' he'd have to go through if they caught him. Once he was in the young mafia leader's clutches, there was no escape for the remainder of the day.

He peered around the edge of the brick wall he was using, eyeing them up and trying to judge when their conversation would end. They seemed close, Jaemin decided the harder he gazed, what with a smile that the older was wearing that had never come out when they were together. Was the blonde, tall boy someone special to him? Like Renjun?

Impossible.

It was hard to keep those dire ideas at bay though, when time was wasting away with every second that passed, and with nothing more to do than train sights on the oblivious pair. He found himself chewing on his thumbnail cutely, sleeve covering his entire hand and pout evident.

What was that guy's name again? I don't think I know him, Jaemin cracked the whole crescent of nail off, grimacing and spitting it out before pushing his hand back into his pocket to avoid moving onto another finger.

Hyuck reached his hand up, from what the younger could see, and poked the other male's cheek before ruffling his hair. The stranger then proceeded to touch his blonde hair and say something with a quizzical expression. Maybe they were talking about hair dye? That wasn't so bad...

No. A conversation as generalised as that didn't require the hug that they were now engaged in. Why were they doing that? What was with the affection? Was that guy that Jaemin didn't recognise moving in?

Why the fuck did he even care?

The young boy flipped back around to face the opposite direction and watch pedestrians walk past him on their phones or with children. His heart was beating erratically for no explainable reason, and it bothered him. He hadn't felt this way in a very long time, if ever. Was Donghyuck actually using a better tactic and killing him from the inside out? Was this the little leader's plan?

Had Jaemin really been outsmarted?

God, he doubted that. Hyuck was far too trusting of him to pull something so vile. A plan that involved feelings? Never. As Jaemin always told himself, he hadn't a soul. Feelings required a vessel that could actually experience deep emotions to begin with....yet the outlaw couldn't find his. Even when Mark's body collapsed completely with his life slipping away....he didn't feel so bad. It wasn't quite an empty sensation, more so an 'I did it. I actually did it' one. An accomplishment that proved he was better than his best friend in the end, but never led to true happiness.

Would killing Donghyuck feel any different? He was better than him, he knew it. But that strange nagging voice in the very back of his mind whispered 'he's all yours'. All his without strings attached. All his with a soul, with feelings. He didn't want to think about it, but he couldn't help it.

Did Hyuck ever want to see him as much as Jaemin wanted to likewise?

A few citizens passed and gave him strange looks, probably because he was wearing the face of someone who needed to kill. A beautiful angel like himself was just too far taken by the shadows, and could now only feed off of sin. He couldn't be saved, and for some reason he liked that.

So it was decided. That little pest who so irritatingly stood in his way would need to be eradicated. The blonde slowly turned around again to peer behind the corner and watched bitterly as Donghyuck waved the male goodbye and started walking towards him without seeing him.

The older was just so careless and soft sometimes, in the best ways and worst ways. How he could pick a child up in his arms without pushing it away and recalling blood was a mystery, really. To tarnish untainted skin with his unremovable wrongdoings.

I don't mind how filthy you are with blood, the younger thought absentmindedly before pressing his back to the wall and smiling faintly when the brunette walked right past towards the other end of the bridge. We're sinners together.

Perhaps this was what they saw in each other.

It didn't silence the jealousy and annoyance Jaemin felt towards Jisung though, and he'd let Hyuck know about it in his own childish way.

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