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「１４」

[some chapters might be longer
than they usually used to be..
Is that okay with you guys?]

Like a sudden jolt out of blackness, Felix bolted upright. The throbbing in his head and chest suffocated him, like the pounding had it's fingers tightly wrapped around his neck. After blinking the blur away, Felix sucked in desperate deep breaths to calm down. He found himself on an unfamiliar bed, under a fluffy comforter that did nothing close to comforting him right now.

He scanned the surrounding lit by the luxurious chandelier that hung from above. Everything in the spacious room was draped in wealth, from the layers of thick, golden curtains that matched the bedding, to the overly sumptuous furniture. Using the sleeve of his loose lavender t-shirt, Felix wiped the sweat off his neck. Once his breathing had steadied, Felix touched his head with trembling hands, feeling the firmly wrapped bandage.

As the enormous door was pushed open, Felix watched a stranger enter and approach him, a pleasant smile on his face.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asked, standing beside the large bed. His voice was just as pleasant, kindness evident in the tone.

"Who..? Where is this?" Felix mumbled, moistening his dry lips afterwards.

"Hyunjin. Hwang Hyunjin." As he spoke, he settled at the foot of the bed.

Hearing the well-known family name slip, Felix's eyes bugged out, doubting his ears heard right. "Why am I in the Hwang Household?"

After eyeing the neatly dressed boy, Felix gulped. "D-Did you.. Kidnap me?" He breathed, confusion obvious all over his face.

Amused, Hyunjin chuckled. He gracefully combed his luscious raven hair back. "Of course not, you're safe. You were attacked, and we saved you."

"Attacked..?" Felix repeated, his recollection still quite hazy. He locked eyes with Hyunjin. "We..?"

Felix glanced at the doorway upon seeing somebody else enter. A mask concealed the person's face, but from the way he stomped across the room towards the bed, Felix could easily tell he was annoyed. Intimidated, Felix's gaze fixated onto the comforter that he fiddled with.

"Yeah, we." The person spoke in an unfamiliar voice, "I'm sure Soyeon recognized me, that bitch." He fumed, finally standing at the bedside.

Unfamiliar voice?

Is it really unfamiliar?

His heart dropping at the realization, the blond widened his eyes, immediately whipping his head up to meet his brother's gaze. He had taken the mask off already, and watched the shock register on Felix's expression. He glanced at Hyunjin, who gave him a reassuring smile before excusing himself.

Felix shifted as he faltered to find the right words. "Min.. Minho?"

A smile formed on the older's lips, with not a trace of the irritation that had been present earlier. "Yes, it's me."

As if the words triggered something, tears arose in the blond's eyes, soon escaping with his sobs. Minho instantly wrapped his arms around Felix, paying no mind to the way his favourite striped tee was getting soaked.

And for the first time, there was no one to force them apart.

When Felix was done draining his feelings out through tears, Minho sat in front of him cross-legged. His hand firmly held onto his brother's, as if one of them would disappear if they let go.

"I don't know what to say." Felix blurted, his gaze darting around the room.

"You're not forced to say anything, Lix." replied Minho, squeezing the other's hand.

Felix melted into a smile, warmth arising in him. He was finally having a conversation with his brother, and he felt complete.

Flooding into Felix's mind, questions arose.

"Why was I attacked..? How did you find me in that ..." Felix stopped, knitting his brows when the pain shot through his head. "The parking lot?" He added, unsure.

Minho hummed. "The moment she took you away from the guards, we followed." He shifted to pull something out from the back of his denim jeans. He observed Felix's eyes freeze on the handgun in his grasp. "I should've shot her."

"Wh-Where'd you get that from-?"

Minho shrugged, smirking at his brother, who most likely had never held a real gun before. "Your father. I stole it." He replied, slipping the gun back to where it was.

"My father?" Felix tilted his head, confused. "Aren't we.."

Before he could finish speaking, Minho nodded a no. "He's not my father. I'm not half Australian like you."

Watching Felix process the new information, Minho chuckled half-heartedly. "That doesn't make us any less of brothers.." He spoke in almost a whisper.

"I'll sneak you back home. Do you feel better?."

At Minho's suggestion, Felix was quick to shake his head to either sides, wincing when the headache intensified.

Minho reached out to softly stroke the blond's hair that messily fell over the bandage. "Careful. I can call a guard I know-"

"Can I stay longer..?"

Minho stared back in silence, taken by surprise.

Furrowing his features into a pout, Felix looked at their intertwined hands. "I wanna stay with you longer.."

Minho scooted closer without hesitation, gesturing for Felix to come into his arms. Felix complied, cuddling against his brother's chest. Even though they were barely allowed to spend any time together in the past, just having each other in this moment was more than either of them could ask for. And Felix promised to remember, to cherish the feeling of having an older brother by his side.

•

Upon noticing the familiar surroundings of their neighborhood approach, Felix recoiled into the luxurious back seat of Hyunjin's Porsche, a mountain of dread crashing on him. He itched with the urge to beg Hyunjin to drive them away. Minho glanced at the anxious blond beside him, giving him a reassuring nod.

"They won't do anything to you." spoke Minho, resting a hand on his brother's thigh. "Soyeon will most likely frame me for the attack."

Felix frowned at the words. "She's a bitch I know but that's unfair.."

He sighed, eyes trained on the night scenery that the car drove past. It was late. Felix couldn't calm down the storm of questions in his head. Why did Soyeon set him up?

Felix felt swirls of unpleasant feelings turn his stomach, just at the thought of his father's enraged glare. He had obviously broken the rule of avoiding his brother, and even spent until night with him, although the blond felt not a trace of regret. Felix was consumed by fear, the fear of just what sort of punishment may be in store for him, and possibly, Minho.

As they stopped before the massive iron gates of the mansion, the security guards, upon recognizing the known 'son of Mr. Hwang', immediately signaled to let the vehicle through.

"Felix." Minho called out, the other instantly turning his attention to him. "Hug?" He smiled, a defeated smile so drained of hope.

Felix wasted no time to snuggle closer and wrap his arms tightly around his brother. And neither knew if this would be the last chance they have to hold each other.

Once the boys got off the car, Hyunjin rolled the window down to speak. "If trouble breaks out you know you can come to me right?" He voiced with a kind smile, earning a nod from Minho.

"Thanks." He replied, gesturing for Hyunjin to go ahead and drive away. The two watched the Porsche leave the premises, both hesitant to walk inside and face the nightmare (i.e. Parents).

Cautiously, the brothers entered the house, greeted by the workers at the front hall. One of them directed the boys to the main living room, with no words and only a icy expression on his face. Felix stole a glance at Minho, who heaved a deep sigh as if preparing for what's to come.

"Lee Felix!"

Felix flinched. Just one step into the voluminous area and his mother's voice pierced through the atmosphere. He held his breath and didn't dare look up from the tiled floor, contrary to Minho, who held his head high.

Abruptly, Felix was yanked forward roughly and away from his brother. The blond grimaced, struggling to retreat his hand from his father's grip. He was pushed 'protectively' behind his supposed parents, as the two faced Minho's unfazed expression.

Minho pursed his lips. "You might wanna send an actual guard with Felix instead of Seokjin. Unless you want Seokjin to stand and do nothing again while Felix gets attacked. Or who knows, maybe he did it-"

"Shut your mouth now young man!" His father's voice boomed. Silence fell upon the room.
"You are not allowed to utter a word before your parents." He spat, each word making the blond behind him shrink back.

"Is it true?!" Felix's mother yelled, fuming. Her voice dripped with fury. She stepped closer to Minho. "Did you try to kill Felix, Minho?! I heard it all from Soyeon."

Minho arched a single brow, his lips soon curving into a lopsided smirk. "You hear all that bullshit from her mouth but you don't seem capable of hearing her moans when she gets fucked every night by a different guy, huh?" He snickered, leaving his mother's jaw dropped, speechless.

In one swing, the woman slapped Minho, the harsh impact shoving his face to the side. Almost instantly, the paleness on his cheek diffused into red. He visibly clenched his jaw, breathing slowly to contain himself.

The woman turned to Felix, whose trembling gaze refused to meet hers. "Now you, Felix. Your father will decide what to do with you."

Felix's breath hitched as he fiddled with his sweater paws, shaken with fear.

"No, he will not." Minho breathed through gritted teeth, his intense glare focused on none other than the father. "You can't punish Felix when he's done nothing. And you haven't forgotten our conditions, have you?" He spoke, narrowing his eyes.

A tense moment of silence passed by.

A chilling laughter escaped their father's lips. "Of course not." He replied, his eyes showing no mercy towards Minho. "Felix, to your room." His father directed sternly, still not taking his eyes off the other boy.

Felix's legs remained still, mind racing with anxious thoughts. Jolting him back to his senses, a hand grasped his shoulder. He lifted his face timidly to meet his father's unkind eyes.

"Which part of my words do you not understand, Lee Felix? To your room. Now." He ordered.

What are you going to do to Minho?

He wanted to ask, but Felix swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, forcing his unsteady legs to walk away-

when in reality, all he wished for was to run away from that hell.

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a;n 

two breakdowns in a row doesn't sound very pleasant but i sense the next one approaching yeet yoot life is good