There are details of stalking/obsessive behaviors from an ex-partner. Please do not read any further if these topics are sensitive to you.

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Scattered solo cups crumble the floor as drunken bodies slum around in what appears to be a dance party. Minho watches carefully, smiling at his dumbass friends once in a while, but as he sits on the couch alone, his mind continues to wonder why the hell Han was taking so long?

Han had left almost five minutes ago to go to the bathroom, which is barely a thirty second walk away from where Minho was currently sitting. He can hardly see into the kitchen from his view, just barely catching a sight of the refrigerator and part of the counter.

He tries to remain still in his spot, not wanting to overly worry about Han's trek to the bathroom, but deep down in his gut, Minho knew it shouldn't take Han this long. But, he sits and waits, watching the party buzz past him as he waits for his partner to return.

"Minho!" Felix suddenly approaches, sliding back onto the couch with a smile plastered to his lips. "Where's Ji?"

"Went to the bathroom," Minho looked back out into the crowd, watching Hyunjin and Jeongin make fools of themselves while dancing.

"I came over here to ask you something." Felix leans a bit closer, making it easier to hear his deep-toned voice. Minho raises his eyebrows at him, patiently waiting for the question as Felix looks towards their friends. "Did Ji ever tell you about his ex?"

"Which one? I've heard there's three."

"The last one. The one before you."

"The guy from his math class?"

"That's the one." Felix almost wants to smile, but it quickly fades. "I don't know what his name is, but based on what Ji told me, I think I might know who it is."

"Where is this coming from, Felix?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why all of the sudden are you bringing this up to me?" Minho didn't mind the change of conversation to distract from his messy mind, but the topic of Han's ex wasn't Minho's exact idea of gossip.

"I think I saw him here, hyung. I just don't know-"

"Who do you think it is?" Minho's interested now, watching Felix's focus drift from the dancing crowd and back towards his friend, unaware of the hold his own words had on Minho.

"Myung Jae." Felix watches Minho's eyes widen for a second in thought, gaze transferring out towards their partying friends once more as he tries to remember who the hell Jae is.

"I don't know if I know him."

"I don't know him well either. But from what I gathered, he's a typical douchebag. I've always seen him with a girl on his arm or talking about himself. Seems like the type of asshole Ji would date."

"What are you trying to say?" Minho laughs slightly, watching Felix's face light up with embarrassment.

"Not you! Not you! Sorry," Felix says hurriedly, smiling all the same. "Just the last three, before you, were assholes."

"He told me that he didn't really like the guy, the 'third asshole' if that's how we're referring to him."

"Ji liked him enough to date him, I guess."

"He told me he felt like this was the only guy that would ever be attracted to him, so he felt pressured to say yes."

"Yeah, he told me that, too. I just wish he would've told me his name."

"Why do you think it's Jae? I mean, he sounds like a douche, so it could be him."

"I just have a gut feeling." Felix shrugs. "I could be wrong, so don't like. . . go interrogate him."

"I'm not a complete jackass, Felix." Minho reaches for his phone, now realizing that another five minutes had passed and Han was still not back from the bathroom.

"I think I need to go check on him," Minho leans forwards, eyes trying to peek further into the kitchen.

"Has he been gone awhile?"

"Feels like it's been ten minutes." Minho's gut sinks into the couch. He knows something is wrong. He really did not want to be overbearing or too protective over Han, but something was itching in the back of his mind.

"Hey!" The familiar Australian accent clashes Minho's train of thought, eyes quickly gazing upwards to find Chan approaching the couch again.

"Channie," Felix beams.

"Where did everyone go?" Chan looks around, only then does he spot Hyunjin, Jeongin and Seungmin laughing at each other as they dance.

"They're being idiots, and we're watching them be idiots." Minho suggests and Chan nods his head, almost as if he liked the idea and wanted to join.

"Hey, do you know Myung Jae?" Felix haphazardly asks, leaving Minho to jolt and look at him in pure bewilderment.

"Felix-"

"I do. He was on the football team." Chan looks at both of his friends, a glimmer of vague confusion lingering within his eyes. "Why?"

"I think I saw him a minute ago. Is he here?" Felix is onto something, almost as if he's trying to fit the missing pieces back into the puzzle, but Minho was still uncertain if this was even worth digging into.

"Yeah, the whole football team is here."

"What does he look like?" Felix asks and Minho almost hits him.

"Felix, you're being a little ridiculous." Minho tries to interrupt, but Chan hardly pays attention.

"He's tall, kinda skinny. Talks a whole damn lot and has short black hair."

"Does he have a girlfriend?" Felix proposes, half expecting Chan to say no, but he says quite the opposite.

"Yeah, he does."

"Who?" Minho half expects to hear a name he's barely heard before, but Chan's words tumble through his mind and stab him in the heart.

"Min-Ji." Minho's stomach drops, feeling Felix's gaze turn towards him. His ears sound like they're ringing, everything is suddenly so hazy as the name reaches his core and tortures him.

"She's the wannabe idol, right?" Chan blinks questionably, watching Minho nearly freeze rigidly on the couch. Felix's hand finds Minho's shoulder, trying to gauge his reaction to the sudden news of his ex-girlfriend resurfacing into their school's social light. "Why is he acting like that?"

"Remember the girl who would call Minho and would scream at him?" Felix looks at Chan briefly, watching his expression fall too.

"Oh shit."

"Yeah." Felix sighs, turning back to Minho as he sits expressionless and silent.

It wasn't that he was sad. He was simply terrified.

Min-Ji had vanished from the school when Minho broke up with her, enlisting herself into agencies and training hard everyday to be an idol, and since then Minho has not heard, nor seen her.

The last time Minho actually saw her was a coincidence. He had been shopping for christmas gifts at a local mall with his mother, and just out of the corner of his eye did he spot Min-Ji hovering over a glass display of jewelry.

He wanted to apologize to her then, wanting nothing more than to express his sincerity for abandoning her before the holidays, and her birthday unfortunately, but the more he looked at her and the more she unknowingly ignored him, the colder his heart felt.

"I'm fine, Felix. It's just a surprise to know she's back in town." Minho raises his eyes towards his friends, taking a deep breath before sitting upright. He couldn't help the tightness in his chest, but he tried to focus on Han and Han alone, hoping that he would emerge from the kitchen to kiss his worries away.

"I'm surprised too. She's always been so hell bent on becoming an idol, so the fact that she's here?" Felix can feel Chan's gaze on him. "You know I didn't mean it like that. You have a nice house!"

"I'm just playing with you," Chan smiles, eyes focusing back onto Minho. "Why were you guys suddenly so interested in Jae? Did you see him or did he say something?"

"No, we just have this hunch about something." Felix tries to stay inconspicuous, but it only draws more curiosity from the elder.

"Hunch?"

"Wait." Minho's eyes open wider at a realization that hazes across his memory. "Han ran into his ex like three hours ago and his ex claimed that he was single. So, if Jae is dating Min-Ji, then there's no way that Jae is our suspect."

"Wait, wait, wait. You think Jae, of all people, dated Han?" Chan was watching Felix and Minho look at one another and then quietly turn to him. Chan was beyond amused at what seemed like a completely incorrect theory.

"He's a douche," Minho's jaw tightens. "He fits the category."

"Okay, but like half of the assholes who play sports at the school are dick heads."

"Chan has a point," Felix notes, listening to Minho scoff as he leans back again, feeling his upper back collide with the couch cushion.

"But still. Based on what Felix and I collectively know, which isn't a lot, he fits the bill."

"But we can't be sure," Felix adds, watching Chan furrow his brows and sigh in confusion.

"So he just didn't tell you the guy's name or?"

"No, and if he didn't want to tell me then that's not my business. But considering the little meeting they had earlier, I'd love to pummel him for what he did." Minho's brutal honesty catches both Felix and Chan off guard, a little shaken by Minho's firm tone guided by lingering anger.

Minho wasn't necessarily a violent person, nor would he have ever dreamed of getting into a fight with someone, but the person that Han described was anything but perfect. Minho knew he was closed-off and rude sometimes, but anyone who treats another person the way Han's ex did (especially those who are supposed to be their partner) belong in a certain place in hell; that, Minho was sure of.

"He didn't hurt Han, did he?" Felix's worry catches Minho's eyes as he looks over, and Minho isn't exactly sure how to answer that. No, this person didn't physically hurt Han. He just intimidated him, hurt him mentally. That was warranted enough, right?

"I don't think so." Minho stays as vague as he can, unwilling to spill Han's truths any further without him present.

"Where is Han?" Chan suddenly flashes into reality, looking behind him to stare at their dancing friends again, only counting three left in the horde of moving bodies.

"He went to the bathroom, but he hasn't come back yet." Minho discouragingly replies, watching Felix and Chan turn to him with concern. "I didn't want to be a clingy boyfriend, alright? He said he just needed to go to the bathroom, why should I follow him there?"

"Well, you shouldn't, but after five minutes or so, you should go looking." Chan's honesty kills Minho inside, causing his jaw to stiffen.

"Don't make him feel bad, Channie." Felix sympathizes, but Chan waves him off.

"I'm not trying to. I understand his point of view in all honesty, I'd be worried to be too overbearing too-"

A loud crash rings through the home, easily overpowering the sound of the loud bass-driven music thumping through the home's walls. All three males look towards the location of the sound, wondering what in the hell could've happened at a rather calm party?

Minho immediately stands, wasting little to no time in heading into the kitchen, weaving through people as they all stare and gawk at the sight ahead of them. He rounds the corner, eyes widening as he looks at a rather tall male, muscular yet with a skinny build, standing in front of the bathroom door, breathing heavily and muttering harsh words under his breath. The bathroom door was kicked open, broken at its hinges as it hangs from one last screw, teetering inwards towards the bathroom as the male stares at whoever was inside.

"Are you ready to talk?" The male asks, leaning forwards to press his hands against the doorframe.

"Y-Yeah." A familiar voice, broken and nearly choked, catches Minho's attention immediately. It's only then that he realizes he knows the person coming out of the doorway with an easily recognizable hoodie attached to his body.

"Jisung?"

Ten Minutes Ago

"I'm growing really fucking impatient, Hannie. Let's just go have a chat. You and me, like the good ol' times."

"Jae, please. I really do not want to talk to you. We've been broken up for a long time and I don't think there's anything to discuss."

"You miss me. . . don't you?"

"Jae-"

"Please come and talk to me." The male's voice suddenly turns soft, catching Han off guard as he wavers by the door, hand timidly reaching for the door knob.

"You're scaring me."

"You know me, Jisung. I wouldn't hurt you."

Han knew this game. The back and forth of arguing until he ultimately felt in the wrong, leaving Jae victimized and upset, using everything he could to manipulate his way into Han's bed and against his skin.

But he also knew that he didn't have to talk to him. He could easily walk out of the bathroom and run off to Minho and his friends, leaving Jae no chance to even talk to him. But, then again, Jae was stronger and taller than him. It wouldn't take much for Jae to grab him by the wrist and drag him up the stairs, far away from the hold of his lover.

"You're a liar, Jae." Han steps away from the door, hand falling to his side as he waits for the outburst, but it doesn't come.

Instead, a loud banging rings out against the side of the door, rapidly and repeatedly, over and over again.
Han scurries to the wall behind him, eyes staring in horror as he hears Jae's foot slam against the side of the door. He isn't sure if he's drunk, high, or crazy; but he was fucking terrified. He has never once seen Jae act like this, nor react so violently to being told no. Sure he used Han for his body and manipulated his interest, but he never once laid hands on his body in a manner that his father did.

"Jae!" Han attempts to yell, or just to catch his attention, but the slamming keeps happening and he can hear the door beginning to crack. "Jae. Please. Please stop. Jae, I don't know what-"

Slam. "I don't know what I did to you, but please, I'm really scared and I don't want to talk to you if you're going to act like this!"

Slam.

Han knows he can't reach him now. He was too far gone in this instance, kicking and kicking until the hinges began to pop free of their hold on the wooden doorframe, screws detaching from the metal holding them in place.

He had no choice, and now he understood that Jae was serious. After all this time apart, Han was sure that if they ever saw each other again it might be awkward if anything, but he never pictured this.

It's only when the door finally cracks and pops open that Han feels real fear settling into the depth of his gut, strangling his insides and holding his airways hostage. He's silently standing with his back against the wall, listening to Jae's heavy breaths echo on the other side of the now open door.

Han can hear the party-goers outside begin to gossip, mumbling voices passing by quickly as they observe Jae's oddly violent behavior, watching him stare at the door he just kicked down. Han didn't know if he should leave or if he should yell for help, so he stands there, motionless and petrified. Jae's eyes looked different, laced with an anger he had hardly ever seen before.

Jae was not a good person, but his eyes usually spoke of lust and wanting, never violence of any kind. Han doesn't know who he's looking at anymore, hands afraid to reach out and ask, mind vibrating from anxiety crawling up his spine; barely listening to the words that tumble from Jae's lips.

"Jisung?" He asks, standing still, flat hands clenching into tight fists. "Are you ready to talk?"

Han knows he has to respond. He has to defuse the bomb going off in Jae's chest before he causes more chaos and disruption than he already did. Han really did not want to talk to him behind a closed door. He just wanted Minho's arms around him, tenderly cooing into his ear that he was safe and protected. But Minho was nowhere to be found.

"I'll ask again," Jae sighs, hands unclenching slowly. "Are you ready to talk?"

Han's body trembles as he watches Jae lean closer, palms pressed into the cracked wooden door frame. "Y-Yeah."

"Jisung?" Minho.

Han scrambles for the door, Jae's arm protectively sinking down to block his path as his eyes glare at him. "Tell your friend you're okay."

"Minho-" Han swallows, hands bunching the overhang of his hoodies' sleeves in his fists.

"Jae! What the fuck are you doing?" Chan's voice suddenly erupts from behind Minho, stirring the taller male to lean backwards, eyes focusing on the host of the party.

"Helping Han fix the door?" Han suddenly realizes that Jae was extremely drunk. His body relaxes, eyes finding Minho's gaze as he stares at him worriedly.

Han looked like he was on the verge of tears, teetering on his feet as he decided whether or not to run past Jae's overbearing presence or to stay there and wait for the situation to diffuse. Minho silently pleaded with his gaze, wanting nothing more than for Han to just walk over to him. He would do anything to protect him; anything.

But just as Han is about to run to him, Chan walks forwards and pushes Jae the opposite way, forcing him towards his front door with drunken words fumbling from his lips. Han watches with his jaw slightly agape, relief flooding over his skin as he feels the sudden clash of another body against his. Two warm arms wrap around his body gently, Minho's face buried in his neck with relieving breaths releasing through his parted lips.

Han's hand finds Minho's left arm, pulling it away from him as he turns around, head falling into Minho's shoulder and just sitting there. But, he isn't crying. Maybe it was the adrenaline or maybe it was the fact that Jae was just drunk, but he allowed himself to just breathe into Minho's shirt, inhaling his cologne and shower gel, feeling his heart slow with time.

"Do you want to go and talk?" Minho asks softly, watching people around them stand and stare, sharing comments between each other in the same breath.

"Please."

Han raises his head from Minho's shoulder, feeling Minho's fingers gently intertwine between his own. Minho starts walking back towards the way they came but turns towards the right, heading through a dense crowd of people. Han holds on to his hand a little tighter, his gaze avoiding the onlookers watching them as they walk past.

They walk into a long hallway, doors on either side that were either ajar or locked shut. Minho finds Chan's bedroom, a space he and Han were both familiar with, closing the door behind them. Han breaks away from Minho's hold, heading towards Chan's bed and sitting down, eyes searching the floor as he avoids Minho's worried gaze.

"Jagi?" Minho approaches, voice soft and cautious. "Why did you not tell me that your ex was Jae?"

"I didn't want you to approach him. He moved schools and everything, but I guess Chan remembered him from last year and invited him. Chan didn't know I dated him, no one really did."

"Do you trust me, Han?" Minho's question catches Han off guard, eyes shooting upwards to look into the ones he found comfort in.

"Of course I do."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"I told you-"

"No, Han." Minho moves to sit down next to him, watching Han's anxiety stir his leg to start bouncing. "I can tell you're keeping something from me."

"He's just a douche, okay? He never did anything to me, but I've seen him bully other kids and make fun of them. I just didn't want you to endure any of that."

"Han," Minho's hand settles on his shaking knee, feeling the shaking slowly begin to stop. "I'm not scared of him. You shouldn't be either. He's the type of guy who is all bark and no bite, so his words hold little weight to them."

"But if you got hurt because of me, then I'd feel guilty."

"Listen to me, okay?" Minho looks at Han, watching his gaze slowly turn towards him. "Watching you be upset or hurt kills me inside. I don't give a fuck about some douche football guy you dated that thinks he's hot shit. My last relationship was up in flames basically from the moment it started because of shit like this, so I don't want things kept from me, okay?"

"I'm sorry-"

"No, no, Han. I don't want you to apologize to me. I just want you to be honest with me about everything. If there's something that bothers you, I want to know, regardless of what it is. I just want to keep you safe."

"Okay." Han looks dejected, head tilted down and eyes lowered to the safety of the comforter.

Minho wants to say it. He wants nothing more than to say the sweet three words that Han deserves to hear, but his teeth bite down on his tongue, leaving him wordless and shy.

But the moment Minho spends looking at Han trying to say a warm confession, his mind snaps into a realization that sends his heart awry.

"Holy shit." Minho breathes, watching Han glace back upwards with confusion stuck into his eyes. "Min-Ji is dating Jae."

"Min-Ji?" Han mumbles quietly. Minho can feel his heart sink again.

"Uhm," Minho's gaze falls now, hand moving from Han's leg and back towards his hand, taking Han's palm into his own. "She's my ex."

"Wait-"

"I know, you told me he said he was single, right?"

"Yeah." Han's voice falls to a mumble, leaving Minho searching for answers he barely knew how to respond towards.

"Why would he lie to you like that?"

"That's just what he did. His other girlfriend had no idea that she was being cheated on when he was with me, and I didn't know she even existed in his life."

"So, he only wants you when it's convenient?"

"Feels that way. I told him that I didn't want to see him again."

"Well, to someone who lies like that, that's hardly enough to deter them away." Minho looks towards Han again, a breath rolling through his lungs as the brutal truth lingers in the room.

"They deserve each other," Han mumbles softly, listening to Minho scoff at his comment.

"I guess so." Minho feels Han's head lean forwards and collide with his shoulder, resting gently against the hem of his shirt.

"We can go home, if you want." Han mentions and Minho shrugs gently, afraid to disturb Han's resting head.

"I'll go wherever you go."

"You're such a simp." Han chuckles lightly and Minho gently smacks Han on his middle back. Both males laugh at each other until Han sits upright again, smiling affectionately at Minho when they make eye contact again. "Jae is gone, so, let's stay for our friends."

"Are you sure? Aren't you the one who doesn't like parties?"

Han leans closer to him, eyes glancing down to look at Minho's lips. "I'll do anything as long as you're there."

"Who sounds like the simp now?" Minho smiles, listening to Han chuckle quietly before pressing a kiss against his smiling lips.

"Come on," Han rises from the bed, extending his hand out for Minho. "I need a drink."

"Whatever you want, Jagi. Whatever you want." Minho insists, hand grabbing onto the younger's and standing from the bed.

As they make their way out of the room and down the hall, Han takes notice of a crowd forming around the couch they had been sitting on previously. Minho also notices, a little hesitant in his walk towards the furniture, but Han seems persistent, leading them over to the crowd as they hear a feminine voice laughing ahead of them.

Minho knows that voice. He knows that siren song of laughter drifting through her lips and rising through her chest; he tries to stop Han to turn the other way, but Han moves through the crowd and makes eye contact with the female sitting alone on the cream couch.

"Ah! Lee Minho!" Her voice is ridiculously happy in regards to seeing her ex, and Han can't help but feel jealousy twist in his gut. Minho makes nervous eye contact with her, hand gripping onto Han's tighter as she leans forwards to smile at him.

The devil himself surely crafted the gaze formed in her eyes as she looked Minho up and down, taking note of the tangled hands stuck between the two males. Her brow raises, but she mentions nothing. Instead, she rises to her feet, tongue sweeping over her bottom lip as she steps closer and closer, just barely an arm's length away.

Minho's body was frozen, looking back at the same eyes that used to scream with anger. "I've missed you."