london9calling

The Masquerade
Pairing: Xiumin / Luhan, side Kai / D.O.
Genre: Romance, Mystery, Regency inspired AU
Rating: NC-17
Length: Multi chaptered (93,555 words)
Summary: Minseok reluctantly attends the Kim family masquerade ball after three years of being shunned by high society due to a broken engagement. Luhan, the catch of the season, meets who he thinks is his boyfriend in a secluded alcove, greeting him with a passionate kiss. It is unfortunate that Minseok is wearing the same costume as Luhan’s boyfriend…or is it? A Regency Xiuhan story.

Previous Chapters [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

The smells were hard to get used to. A mixture of cooking and fire and animal manure hung in the air, there was no way to escape it. At least the smell of fish dissipated as they moved away from the river. The east end of the city was certainly a different world from the one in which Luhan and Minseok had come from.

Jongin had volunteered to take the two of them to see someone who could help with their problem – namely someone who could find out who was living in a certain apartment. Kyungsoo tagged along too, mumbling more than once about how walking around in broad daylight was a terrible idea for a fugitive.

“No one is going to recognize them here. Not the way they are dressed.” Jongin explained, motioning towards the clothing that Luhan and Minseok now wore. They certainly didn’t look like wealthy, titled gentlemen. It was amazing what some patched up trousers and grubby shirts could do in terms of changing a person’s appearance.

The man they were going to see, as Jongin explained, was a sort of handy man. If you paid him he would do almost anything – other than kill or start fires. Minseok wondered if that meant the man would do a list of other illegal things that did not involve murder, but he thought it might be best if he didn’t know what the man he was about to meet was capable of doing.

“Here we are.” Jongin stopped in front of a tavern.

“The Speckled Pig.” Luhan read of the name on the sign hanging above the door. “How…”

“Interesting?” Minseok offered, following Jongin through the doorway. The small tavern was already busy, even though it wasn’t much past three o’clock in the afternoon. Minseok spotted some dock workers, busy guzzling their drinks in a corner as they loudly cursed and used slang that Minseok had never heard before. There were other rough looking men, a woman who Minseok guessed was employed in a certain field, and a barkeep that was missing an eye. A very interesting place indeed.

“Kibum!” Jongin approached the gaggle of dock workers, turning his attention to a blonde man who was currently having trouble standing up.

“Who in the hell are you?” The man asked, squinting.

“Jongin. Taemin’s brother.” Jongin answered, gesturing for Minseok, Luhan, and Kyungsoo to stay back as he conversed with the man.

“Taemin?” The person called Kibum looked at the ceiling, still swaying a bit he seemed to be trying to recall if he had heard the name. As if a fire was lit from within he suddenly called out “Taemin! Aw! What can I help you with?”

“I am in need of some information. I can pay well.” Jongin felt the money in his pocket. Minseok and Luhan had argued over how much was appropriate to pay someone for the information, spurred by Jongin explaining that they should be the ones to offer a price first. Finally Minseok agreed to a high price, mostly because Luhan kept stressing that his freedom and future were dependent on this.

“Well if that’s the case…” Kibum started to listen intently as Jongin explained the location of the apartment and what they needed Kibum to do. After his explanation was finished he turned to leave, beckoning the others to follow.

“We will pay him once he returns with the information. It will likely be tomorrow.” Jongin said, pushing the door to the tavern open.

Kyungsoo walked out first, his head down as he contemplated how Jongin knew such people. He wasn’t paying a lot of attention to where he was walking, which almost proved disastrous.

“Kyungsoo, Watch out!” Minseok called from the doorway, shrieking in terror as he watched a turn of events that seemed to play out in slow motion.

From up the road a horse jerked free of its owners grasp, galloping up the crowded road as pedestrians ran and jumped from its path. The horse, galloping at full speed, was headed directly at Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo lifted his head in time to see the horse, only a few yards away, coming straight for him. He froze, for some reason the shock of seeing the large animal barreling down on him made his body tense up, his brain not registering that he needed to get out of the way. Then he felt a pair of arms around his waist. Kyungsoo was being pulled back, out of harm’s way. Time seemed to start again as the horse raced past him, making it clear that if Kyungsoo hadn’t have been moved he would have certainly been terribly injured.

“You should be more careful.” Jongin scolded Kyungsoo, letting go of his hold on the smaller valet’s waist.

“I…” Kyungsoo gulped, digesting the fact that Jongin had saved him. Again.

“Come on, we should go back.” Jongin led the way, Kyungsoo staring after him dumbly. Finally he found his voice “Thank you.” Jongin didn’t seem to hear Kyungsoo, or if he did he didn’t register the fact.

***

Heechul was not in the mood. He had a splitting headache born from the past nights revelries, a debauched party being his final destination after leaving the Hayden gala. Why anyone thought it was a good idea to try and wake him up now, when he was at his weakest, was beyond him.

“Sir, you have a caller.”

It was his butler first, attempting to wake him by knocking on his bedroom door. When he didn’t answer the butler knocked again. Heechul groaned, realizing he would have to say something.

“Tell them to go away. And hit them for me.” Heechul shouted.

“It is a Mr. Kim Jongdae, sir. He says the matter is important.” The butler, accustomed to Heechul’s anger, knew that he had to ignore his employer for a little while, at least until he had notified Heechul of who was calling at his apartment.

“Tell them to –“Heechul was in the middle of his automatic reaction when it finally sunk in. Jongdae? As in that hot piece of ass that he was after Jongdae?

“I will be down shortly.” Heechul changed his tune promptly. It was no more than twenty minutes before he walked into his parlor, the circles under his eyes masked by some quick powder. His headache was still there, but some things had to be tolerated in the name of desire.

Jongdae did not stand to greet him when he entered, instead launching right into his point of visiting before Heechul had even sat down. “You know where Minseok and Luhan ran off to, and I want you to tell me.”

Heechul smiled. Jongdae thought the man looked a bit like a mischievous cat when he did so. He was not amused.

“Why would you think I know where the criminals got off to?” Heechul asked, still smirking.

“You helped them escape, didn’t you?” Jongdae countered “Look, Minseok will be in a lot of trouble if the Home Office finds him. Luhan will be seen as an accomplice as well. Please tell me where they are so I can try to at least get their side of the story.”

“Is that what you want? Their side of the story?” Heechul looked thoughtful “Judging by the fact they ran away I would dare to wager their side of the story is that they don’t want to be caught and thrown in prison- and that is the only outcome they could foresee occurring. How do I know you are not working with the Home Office and want to claim all the glory of finding them for yourself?”

Jongdae tried to look shocked. It wasn’t supposed to be public knowledge he was working with his Uncle. “Me, work for the Home Office? You must be joking.”

“Perhaps.” Heechul shifted in his seat “Or perhaps you are out to arrest your friend.”

“I have known Minseok since we were children. Please, you have to believe me, I just want to help him.” Jongdae started to feel even more desperate. True, he was working for the home office. True, his Uncle thought that Minseok was the thief. But it was also the truth that he wanted to do what he could to understand Minseok’s side of the story, something that was impossible if he didn’t locate Minseok himself.

“What an enticing plea for help.” Heechul leaned forward, moving his hand to rest on Jongdae’s knee. Jongdae scowled at the gesture.

“If you tell me where Minseok is I will go on a date with you.” Jongdae couldn’t believe the words came out of his own mouth. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

“Oh, oh? My, you are desperate.” Heechul removed his hand, sighing “Unfortunately I have no idea where the little lovebirds ran off to, so I can’t help you. However if you are still interested in a date I would be more than obliged to say yes.”

Jongdae groaned internally. So Heechul had no idea? Then truly it would be a manhunt to find the two. He just hoped he found them first, before Yunho did.

***

Tao was terrifying when he was angry. Truly terrifying. When he was not angry he was as harmless as a kitten, or at least Sehun thought so. Tall, lean, with black hair and piercing eyes he was a sight to behold when his temper flared.

“You mean to tell me you are going somewhere for a few days but you can’t tell me where or why?” Tao crossed his arms, glaring at the younger man “What are you hiding, Sehun?”

“Nothing.” Sehun tried to ignore Tao, instead choosing the focus on the newspaper in his hands. Tao was not having any of it, reaching out he yanked the newspaper away. “Hey! I was reading that!”

“No, you weren’t.” Tao leaned down, placing a hand on each arm of the chair that Sehun was sitting in, effectively trapping him there. Sehun began to squirm from the proximity of his angry lover, his eyes darting anywhere but at Tao. “What are you hiding?”

“I am not hiding anything!” Sehun stomped his foot on the floor, growing angry with the interrogation “Can’t you trust me?”

“Ha!” Tao shook his head “NO, not when I am pretty sure whatever you are doing has something to do with that money you owe.”

Sehun paled. Why was Tao also so perceptive? It was annoying. “No. It doesn’t. And I am not going to tell you anything as long as you keep bullying me.”

“Bullying you?” Tao retreated, leaning back he shook his head “If I am bothering you, Sehun, I will make a very dedicated effort to no longer do so. Please don’t talk to me anymore.”

Sehun watched helplessly as Tao strode from the room, his strides long and his posture stiff. He was angry, very angry. Angrier than Sehun ever remembered seeing him. This was bad, really bad. Stupid Minseok running away. He had ruined everything.

***

“Hey! Another round!” Baekhyun shouted at the barkeep, giggling tipsily as he sat back down. He almost fell, Chanyeol reaching over to right his friend.

“Don’t you have to be somewhere soon, old boy?” Chanyeol asked. He was a bit drunk too, though nowhere near the state of Baekhyun’s inebriation. He had followed his best friend to a tavern gladly. Ever since Luhan had broken their engagement Baekhyun had been a mess. Chanyeol learned not to question why Baekhyun wanted to drink during the afternoon – he only hoped it made his friend feel better.

“Hm. I do. Yet I need to continue celebrating the fact that stupid Easton didn’t announce his engagement to that disgusting Viscount yesterday.” Baekhyun raised his nearly empty glass. “I think I may have a chance after all, old boy.”

Chanyeol didn’t know how to break it to his friend that there was likely little chance Luhan would change his mind, even if the engagement hadn’t been announced. No, there was likely no way Luhan would decide Baekhyun was the more suitable party.

“Baekhyun, don’t you have to meet your Father?” Chanyeol shooed away the barkeep as he approached, cutting in to make sure his friend didn’t drink any more.

“My father?” Baekhyun laughed “No. Not my Father. My sister.” He hiccupped.

“Your sister?”? Chanyeol had known Baekhyun since they were school boys, he never recalled Baekhyun having a sister. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”

Baekhyun winked, still swaying “I didn’t either, until recently. A very interesting person told me of her existence.”

“And who would that be?” Chanyeol asked.

“That, my good friend, is a secret.” Baekhyun grinned, feeling the world start to spin.

***

Jongdae found his Uncle’s office empty. The doorman had stated that Yunho was out for a bit and should return shortly. Jongdae elected to wait, taking a seat he eyed the large stack of receipts that still dominated the room. He had debated if he wanted to visit his Uncle that afternoon, but he needed to know if there were any further developments in ascertaining Minseok’s whereabouts.

The minutes passed, Jongdae growing bored. He started to pace the room, thinking of all of the evidence in the case so far. As he turned to walk back towards the far side of the room his foot caught the large rug that covered most of the office, tripping over it he steadied himself by holding onto Yunho’s desk. As he did so a stack of bound papers fell from the lower shelf of the desk.

Once Jongdae regained his footing he bent over to pick up the report, pausing when the title caught his eye. He knew he shouldn’t be reading his Uncle’s documents without his permission, but he had to in this case. It was about the apartment they had been staking out, the apartment where the fake jewels were possibly being funneled through. He was certain it would do no harm to read the report, as Yunho would very likely share it with him once he returned to his office.

Opening the report he flipped page after page, reading quickly. When he read the name of the woman who resided in the apartment he felt his heartbeat increase, his breathing speeding up. She was Baekhyun’s sister?

Jongdae quickly snapped the report closed, putting it back where it had fallen from. A few minutes later Yunho arrived. Jongdae and his Uncle conversed for many minutes, Yunho informing his nephew that as of yet they had not found Minseok.

“We are working at posting notices around the city, offering a reward for his capture.” Yunho explained.

Jongdae thought of walking down a street, endless fliers with Minseok’s face on them plastered everywhere. It was a terrifying thought. “Uncle, are there any other developments? Have you found the resident of the apartment? I know you had mentioned ordering a break in if necessary.”

“No. Sadly we do not know who lives there, though I fully suspect D’Adderleigh knows. In fact, I have the beginnings of a plan to hopefully capture him, aside from advertising his crimes.”

“A plan?” Jongdae bristled at the fact his Uncle had withheld information from him. Yunho knew who lived there, he had the report….yet he wasn’t willing to share that information with Jongdae. It bothered Jongdae to no end, compounded by the sudden talk of a plan.

“Yes. I am hoping I can bait D’Adderleigh out of hiding. Though I don t have anything definite at this time, so sadly I can’t explain how we shall go about this.”

Jongdae suddenly doubted his Uncle’s words. His Uncle probably already had a plan, he just wasn’t willing to share it. A definitive, large wedge had suddenly been driven between them – Jongdae no longer willing to believe everything Yunho had to say. It was a dangerous turn of events. Which man was in more danger, however, remained to be seen.

***

Luhan sat at the end of the bed, his head in his hands. He didn’t dare to look up, he couldn’t face Minseok now. “I am so, so very sorry if I caused any of this.”

Minseok was tired of repeating himself “Luhan, it isn’t your fault.”

It had been a few hours since they had learned the identity of the woman residing in the apartment. She was Baekhyun’s half-sister, the ruffian Kibum had explained before taking his pay and scurrying off. To Luhan this piece of news suddenly brought Baekhyun into the picture.

“Sehun’s Father was still seen visiting her, I saw it with my own eyes. We can’t be too sure Baekhyun or Sehun are guilty. As I said before, we need to follow this lead and find more evidence. Nothing is proven for certain.” Minseok tried to comfort Luhan, even if he was now leaning towards Baekhyun and away from Sehun as the prime suspect.

Baekhyun’s sister was tied to the movement of the stolen jewels. Baekhyun was present when the jewels were stolen. Baekhyun wouldn’t bat an eye at framing Minseok, whom he hated.

“Why would he steal?” Luhan finally raised his head from his hands.

“I am not sure. How well off is his family?” Minseok asked. He moved to sit next to Luhan, tracing comforting circles into Luhan’s back with the palm of his hand.

“They are wealthy. Baekhyun’s allowance was a few thousand pounds a year.” Luhan vividly recalled when Baekhyun shared that information. Of course Baekhyun was not as wealthy as Luhan, but very few people were. A few thousand pound allowance was nothing to laugh at, however.

“Perhaps there is something we don’t know about him.” Minseok offered.

“Perhaps.” Luhan tried to remember everything he could about Baekhyun. Minseok’s life depended on it.

***

There was a lot of blood. Jongdae couldn't help but turn away in revulsion as he walked into the room.

"Was she stabbed?" Junmyeon asked, staring at the lifeless body.

"Yes." Yunho answered quietly.

It had been a couple of hours since they had been summoned to the residence, Yunho requesting Junmyeon and Jongdae meet him there at once. Jongdae had felt dizzy when he recognized the address. It was a distant cousin, an elderly Baroness who he could recall fondly.

"Who could do such a thing?" Jongdae shook his head. He still felt a bit sick staring at the scene. She was his relative after all, even if they were not the closest.

"Her jewels are missing." Yunho remarked, a detail that instigated their involvement. This wasn't only a murder. It was a murder and a jewelry theft.

Junmyeon knelt down near the body. The woman was dressed in her morning dressing gown. According to a maid she had been taking her morning tea in the sitting room, as she had done every morning for decades.

"She must have startled the thief." Junmyeon guessed.

"We have to find D’Adderleigh." Yunho balled his fist.

"You still think it was Minseok?" Junmyeon questioned. He had been largely removed from the investigation of the last day. Jongdae hadn't told him about what he found in Yunho’s office, and Junmyeon was still of the belief that the evidence started and ended with his friend Minseok. It had weighed on Junmyeon's mind, but he had nothing else to go off of besides what Yunho had reported.

"Yes, I do." Yunho's tone was chilling, devoid of emotion. Jongdae felt tense. Yunho had withheld information from him, information that could potentially point to another suspect. Could he trust his Uncle anymore? Yet, here was an elderly woman, lying dead, very much the work of some sort of murderous thief. He desperately hoped that Minseok would never do such a thing - could never be capable of doing such a thing. He desperately hoped.

***

"I wish I could confront him myself." Luhan sighed.

"No. You can't." Minseok reminded him. There was no way Luhan could go bursting into Baekhyun's apartment and confront him. Besides, Minseok was pretty sure that Baekhyun would not admit any sort of guilt just because Luhan asked nicely.

"I would reckon you should start with their servants. You would be surprised what they might know." Minho suggested, taking a swig of the black coffee that he so happily served for the second day in a row.

Minseok had considered the servants as well. If Baekhyun was in any sort of trouble the servants probably had an inkling about it. The problem was he couldn't very well knock on Baekhyun's door and ask to see his maid or butler either. Not based on what Taemin had reported that morning. It seemed that a flier was spotted with Minseok’s picture on it, hanging in a very visible spot near the location where the East End started. Minseok couldn't risk being caught.

"I can't very well go myself." Minseok noted glumly. He hated it. He didn’t want to put anyone in danger or ask for any favors.

"Do you still have money for Kibum?" Minho suggested.

"Can we continue to trust him?" Luhan asked. He wasn't too sure about the ruffian. He was very capable at ascertaining the resident of the apartment, but letting him in on another task may give too much away. Plus he had seen Minseok's face. What was to stop him from turning him in and claiming any reward money that may be offered?

"You can. Let’s just say he owes us." Taemin butted in. Minseok wondered what that man of the streets might owe them, but thought it was best not to ask.

"Very well then. Let’s ask Kibum for help." Minseok hoped that Taemin wasn't wrong, that they could trust him.

***

Junmyeon and Jongdae followed as Yunho explained the crime scene in great detail.

"The thief must have entered through the upstairs window. He likely knew the Baroness would not be in her room at the time."

"What about the maids?" Jongdae asked. If the Minseok was the criminal he would certainly understand the workings of a large house. In the morning, assuming the resident was an early riser, it would be expected that the maids would be upstairs, completing their daily cleaning.

Yunho looked at his nephew but didn't answer, instead he continued his explanation "He pilfered the jewelry from her room, but had knowledge of the safe in the study. He likely made too much noise, startling someone. When he ran to make his escape he encountered the Baroness, who surely could have identified him. Wishing to keep his identity a secret he stabbed her and then fled out the sitting room window."

"And yet no one saw him apart from the Baroness?" Junmyeon was perplexed. He was on the same page as Jongdae, knowing that it was highly unlikely one of the Baroness’s staff would not see someone walking through the house during the morning hours.

"I will question the staff." Jongdae spoke up. Before Yunho could give him the go ahead he was already walking away, the gnawing feeling eating at him. His Uncle was hiding something.

***

Baekhyun did not really care for his sister, if he were to be honest. She was, well, very like him to the point it was annoying.

“How could she even dare say that to me?” He lamented to Chanyeol the day after he had met her for the first time. The two friends were taking an early afternoon ride through the park.

“Well, it is the truth.” Chanyeol muttered, earning a scowl from his friend.

“My engagement wasn’t broken! It wasn’t even announced!” Baekhyun pouted “And who is she to say anything?! If what she says is true she has half a dozen suitors herself. She even claimed she has no intention on marrying!”

“Is that so?” Chanyeol cocked an eyebrow “Who are her suitors?”

“I don’t know, she wouldn’t tell me. Some kind of code for her kind or something.” Baekhyun sighed heavily “I don’t think I will be visiting her again.”

“Who was it that told you of her?” Chanyeol asked offhandedly, very curious as to how Baekhyun was let in on her existence.

“My Father.” Baekhyun said quietly, cursing the old man for attempting to reconcile his children into one happy, disjointed, secret family.

***

The maid was nervous. A small thing with mousy blonde hair and barely weighing enough for her to resist the strongest of wind gusts, she shifted her weight on her feet and clasped her hands anxiously. Jongdae was sure she was hiding something.

“You swear that you did not hear or see anything out of the ordinary?” Jongdae asked yet again, watching as the young woman continued to squirm, her eyes downcast.

“Miss, if you did see anything you may be in trouble if you don’t tell us.” Junmyeon piped in.

“I…” She bit her bottom lip, tears welling in her eyes “I…”

“It is okay. Just start from the beginning.” Jongdae tried to offer a kind expression to the girl in hopes she would start talking. Thankfully his approach worked. Through broken sobs the maid recounted the events of that morning.

“I was scared. I didn’t know who he was or what he wanted but he said he wouldn’t hurt me if I let him in.” She wailed “I didn’t know he would hurt the Mistress!”

Jongdae and Junmyeon looked at each other in unison, their eyes widening. So she had seen the culprit? Finally, a witness.

“It will be all right. I know you had no ill intent.” Junmyeon reached out a hand, patting the maid’s shoulder in a comforting manner he urged her to continue.

“He…was at the service entrance. He said he forgot something here at last night’s dinner party. I didn’t know what to do, he was threatening.”

“What did he look like?” Jongdae questioned, bracing himself to finally receive a description.

“I didn’t get a good look at his face, he had it partially covered with a scarf.”

“How tall was he?” Jongdae cursed the fact the man had taken the precautions to cover his face, but at least the maid had a look at his figure.

“Um. He was tall. Perhaps-“

“Jongdae!” Yunho stalked up, interrupting the maid. She jumped back in surprise at the intrusion. “Did you find anything out?”

“Yes. She saw the man, but not his face.” Jongdae gestured for the maid to continue her story. “How tall was he?”

“About his height. Maybe a bit taller.” The maid pointed to Yunho.

“Minseok is not nearly that tall.” Junmyeon commented.

“No, he isn’t.” Jongdae agreed. He turned to his Uncle, attempting to read his reaction. Yunho’s expression remained like a mask.

“Did you see anything else of note? His clothing or where he came from?” Yunho asked.

The maid shook her head. After a few more questions which the maid could not answer, she was dismissed, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

“Uncle, surely you must not still believe it is D’Adderleigh.” Jongdae crossed his arms, waiting for his Uncle to admit it. But he didn’t.

“We cannot know if D’Adderleigh is working alone. Logically he likely has accomplices, based on the evidence we found at the jewelers. You have to recall that Luhan and a servant from the Hayden estate are missing too. It could very well have been that servant acting on orders from D’Adderleigh.”

“What of Baekhyun’s sister?” Jongdae blurted out. In retrospect he should have held his tongue, kept the information close. Not revealed he knew of it.

Yunho paled, Junmyeon looked confused. “Baekhyun has a sister?”

“When did you learn of this?” Yunho’s voice had an edge to it, fighting back anger at his nephews obvious snooping.

“I saw the report in your office. Why didn’t you tell me?” Jongdae looked hurt.

Yunho sighed heavily. “Jongdae, if I keep things from you there is a reason.”

A reason? Jongdae couldn’t think of a good reason for hiding such an important detail from someone that was supposed to be aiding in the investigation.

“It may be for the best if you remove yourself from this case. You too, Junmyeon.” Yunho looked from Jongdae to Junmyeon “Your friendship with Minseok may be endangering your deduction skills.”

Jongdae didn’t trust himself to speak. Instead he grabbed Junmyeon’s arm and turned heel and strode out of the home, his blood boiling. Once they were outside of the house, Junmyeon dug his heels in and forced Jongdae to stop.

“What just happened?” Junmyeon asked, still fighting off his confusion.

“I will explain everything during the ride to Baekhyun’s sister’s house.” Jongdae walked towards the street, prepared to hail a hackney. Junmyeon followed dutifully, hoping to god everything made sense sooner rather than later.

***

Jongdae paid the hackney fare, quickly scurrying out of the carriage. He had mustered a courage he didn’t know existed – or he was being consistently foolish. From the moment he told Yunho he had read the report to the moment he had decided to knock on the apartment door, he was either making a series of mistakes or committing to actions that needed to happen.

Junmyeon followed behind him loyally, now the wiser about what Jongdae had discovered in the report. Junmyeon tended to be less suspicious of Yunho’s intentions than Jongdae, though in the grand scheme of things that did not really bother Jongdae. Not when everything was in flux and there was still so much to be discovered.

Jongdae knocked loudly, once then twice. Listening he heard no movement on the other side of the door. He knocked again.

“Perhaps she is out.” Junmyeon offered, craning his neck in an attempt to see into the side window. It was a fruitless effort as heavy curtains blocked his view. Jongdae knocked again, this time with more force.

“She didn’t leave the apartment for a few days.” Jongdae commented, as if that fact meant the woman had to be at home at all hours of the day.

“It would appear that no one is home. We should return later.” Junmyeon suggested sensibly, however Jongdae seemed not to hear him. In fact, he seemed not to care one bit about Junmyeon’s suggestion. Instead he braced his shoulder and with a solid movement, a show of force, he hit the door.

“Are you breaking the door down?!” Junmyeon squealed, despite the fact it was quite evident Jongdae was doing just that.

Three more solid slams into the door and it sprang open, hitting the plaster wall and cracking it. Jongdae didn’t acknowledge Junmyeon’s shock, he walked into the apartment as if breaking down a door was the most normal thing in the world.

“This is illegal!” Junmyeon cried from the doorway, not stepping foot inside the place. Jongdae didn’t care, he couldn’t, not when he needed more answers.

The apartment was furnished in a rather gaudy fashion. Red velvet, heavy drapery, dark rugs. It reminded him of a certain brothel one of his school friends liked to describe over a few glasses of brandy. The apartment was quiet, eerily so.

Jongdae walked into the parlor, noticing immediately that the room was in disarray. A candle was on the floor, cushions strewn about, drawers open on the sidebar as if they had been wrenched open forcefully. Walking further into the room he gasped as he encountered a frightening sight. Lying on the floor was a very pretty young woman. A very pretty, very lifeless young woman. She had been stabbed, blood pooling around her.

***

“I wish we could go outside, do something on our own.” Luhan said glumly. They had spent the day indoors, carefully hidden from the city in Taemin and Minho’s house. Jongin had engaged Kibum to help with the Baekhyun situation, Kyungsoo had spent most of the day further organizing the place.

Luhan and Minseok had discussed the details of the crimes time and time again. Then they fell into a boredom that neither man wanted to admit. Being trapped indoors was not an ideal situation, though a necessary one.

“I do too.” Minseok agreed. They were lying in bed, the sun already having set many hours ago. Minseok hoped that Kibum would have some answers for them the next day, something they could act on.

“What if I contacted Baekhyun?” Luhan said softly.

“No! Definitely not.” Minseok was growing slightly afraid, the way Luhan fixated on the idea. “If you try to you will be arrested.”

“What if I am careful?”

“No.” Minseok reached over, pulling Luhan closer, whispering “Luhan, I can’t lose you.”

Luhan nodded. He didn’t want to contact Baekhyun and end up in prison. No, what he wanted was to avoid losing Minseok. He would do anything to avoid having the man next to him taken away. Anything.

***

Kyungsoo settled in for another night of snoring and discomfort. He pulled the thin blanket up to his chin, staring at the ceiling. Well, what he knew was the ceiling. It was pitch dark in the house, all of the candles extinguished.

Kyungsoo waited for what was becoming a familiar snore. Jongin was quick to fall asleep, Kyungsoo realized, which was even more of a curse considering his sleeping habits. When the snoring didn’t come after five minutes, Kyungsoo spoke.

“Are you awake?” He asked quietly. Why he asked, he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t as though he particularly wanted to converse with Jongin. No. It had been awkward between them, ever since Jongin started rushing forward to save Kyungsoo from horses and falling pots and – Kyungsoo felt the heat rise up his cheeks as he recalled the incidents.

“Yes.” Jongin answered.

“Oh.” Kyungsoo said lamely. A few minutes passed in silence.

“Kyungsoo, why did you become a valet?” Jongin broke the silence first.

Kyungsoo considered the question. He wasn’t sure that anyone had ever asked him that. “My Father was a valet. I find it to be a respectable position.”

Silence.

“Why did you become a valet?” Kyungsoo asked, considering it only polite to return the question.

“To escape this place.” Jongin answered. Kyungsoo thought there was a tinge of sadness in his words.

“Oh.” Another lame response.

“Kyungsoo, do you think we could be friends?”

“Friends?” Kyungsoo practically squeaked the words.

“If you don’t mind. I like you.” Jongin’s words made Kyungsoo feel warm all over.

“You like me?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.” Kyungsoo normally had an impressive vocabulary at his disposal, especially considering his position in life. Where had that vocabulary run off to? When he finally found his voice he spoke “That would be nice. Being friends.”

His only response was a loud snore. Apparently Jongin hadn’t heard him.

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