Chapter Text
Suho was surprised in the morning when Kris called asking everyone to gather in their meeting room. But, he did as he was asked. He was even more surprised to walk in and find Lay idling around with Sehun and Tao. He shot him a glance and Lay gave him that innocent look he always wore. Immediately Suho was looking away, lest Lay tugged on his heart so much it was obvious to everyone else. Although, he didn’t realize everyone already was suspicious of his feelings towards Lay.
When Suho was walking past Jongdae to his seat he noticed the ugly purple mark on his neck. Well, he would’ve been blind if he didn’t notice it. Before he sat down he shot Xiumin a look with pursed lips. Xiumin glanced over under the weight of Suho’s gaze and Suho glanced back at Jongdae before looking back at Xiumin with a raised brow. A smirk graced Xiumin’s lips before he looked away. So, Suho took his seat.
He still didn’t have a clue as to what this was about, unless they were going over how the FBI got onto them. But, that wouldn’t require Lay. But, slowly everyone else poured into the room and once everyone was in the room Kris finally spoke up, immediately grabbing everyone's attention.
“Our dear little lamb called me last night,” Suho’s gaze shot up to Lay as his eyes narrowed. There was nothing for the two to privately talk about, nothing good anyways. “He told me he remembers the incident that landed him in our lap and he has an idea of who the rat is. So.. Lay, if you will enlighten us.” Kris gestured for the boy to start and Lay slowly moved to stand in front of the table so everyone could properly see him.
Suho’s nostrils flared as he looked at Lay, trying to withhold a glare. When Lay met his gaze once again he very subtly shook his head, trying to get Lay to back down. But, Suho even knew it was too late. Kris was very good at spotting a liar. If Lay tried to say he was wrong, Kris would easily catch on.
Suho glanced down the table, as if he was reading everyone’s expressions. But, he really only cared about Kai’s. The man’s jaw was clenched and his knuckles were white. He was nervous, as he rightfully should be. If Lay said it was him, which it was, Kris would be quick to act. Suho glanced at Kyungsoo who was just to his right. If it came to that he’d have to hold Kyungsoo back.
Then Lay began to speak, making Suho nervously suck in some air. Surprisingly the boy did not look nervous. He looked sure and confident.
He was going to tell the truth then. Shit.
“It may not be what you want to hear.. It’s not exactly satisfactory. But, I saw the murder before I was hit by the car. The man behind the gun was Dean. He said something about not being able to trust the man he killed.”
Suho’s jaw almost dropped. He just lied to Kris. But, he looked as if he was speaking the truth. His eyes glanced over to Kris. Kris did look disappointed, but also relieved. He believed him. Suho quickly glanced down at Kai and his eyes were wide, but otherwise he seems to have settled into a neutral expression.
Holy shit.
Suho’s gaze returned to Lay, but Lay did not even glance his way. His gaze was focused on Kris.
“I think he was the witness the cops had. You destroyed his home and took over most of everything he owns. He has nowhere to go, except to them.”
Kris nodded in acceptance before he looked past Xiumin to look at Luhan. “I want you to find him. Make that your top priority.”
“Yes sir.” Luhan responded and he stood up from his chair when Kris gestured for him to go. Sehun trailed out of the room behind him.
“Kris, if I might be so bold..” Jongdae spoke up, stealing everyone’s attention. Kris raised an eyebrow, expecting him to continue. “I would like to go search for Dean as well. But.. If you wouldn’t mind.. I would like to be the one to put him down.” The request left Kris surprised, as it did most of everyone else.
“Why?” Kris reasonably asked.
“Because he hurt one of my friends.” Jongdae’s answer was simple, but it was enough for Kris and he nodded in response.
Kris dismissed everyone except Suho, much to his dismay. He wanted to ask Lay why he did what he did. Especially since he was so sure of himself.
----
Lay was swift in retreating back to his room since his hands were starting to shake as he was losing his nerve. He just lied to the man that ran this entire city.
Holy shit.
“Are you okay?”
Lay turned in the hallway when he heard Jongdae’s voice. Concern was written on his face, but he likely noticed the way Lay’s face paled the moment he left the meeting room. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Just.. Nervous.” Lay couldn’t bring himself to wholly lie to his friend.
“Don’t worry, Lay. We’ll make sure Dean can’t hurt you again.” Jongdae said as he approached Lay and placed his hand on his shoulder to reassure him. That wasn’t what Lay was nervous about, but he still nodded in response.
There was a bit of a silence between the two for a long moment and Lay glanced down at the mark on Jongdae’s neck before meeting his eyes again. “Is that a hickey?” He asked with a growing smile, but he was desperate to get off the topic of his anxiety. Jongdae laughed in response as he scratched the back of his head. “What? I didn’t know you were even involved with anyone. Or.. Well, I mean, are you involved with someone?” Lay went on after Jongdae’s somewhat sheepish reaction.
“Xiumin doesn’t like to flaunt our business. So, it’s no surprise you didn’t know. He’s a private guy.” Jongdae explained and Lay’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
“Xiumin?!” He couldn’t help his outburst. But, he would’ve never expected Jongdae and Xiumin to be involved with each other. The two seemed like polar opposites after all.
“Yes?”
Lay stiffened when he heard Xiumin’s voice come around the corner. Jongdae could only grin at Lay’s reaction before he turned to see Xiumin. Lay was still trying to get his jaw to close as Xiumin approached the pair. “I, um..” He couldn’t find any excuse for his outburst and Xiumin quirked an eyebrow when he stopped a few feet in front of the two.
“He asked about the hickey.” Jongdae finally explained the situation and Lay covered his face with one of his hands, wanting to die in this moment. Death might be preferable to embarrassment right now, or Xiumin’s potential wrath considering Jongdae did just say he was a private man.
“Ah. I see.” Xiumin responded, but Lay did not see the way a smirk briefly graced his lips. “Jongdae, can I borrow you for a moment?” Xiumin went on as if nothing happened and Lay finally removed his hand from his face to see Jongdae nod in response.
“Sure thing. I’ll see you later, Lay.” With that and an awkward wave from Lay, Jongdae and Xiumin left Lay’s company.
Immediately Lay was back to was rushing off to his room. Once he was there he quickly went into his closet to grab a large black sweater, hoping that maybe it’d help with the chills that seem to have taken up permanent residence on his arms. The moment he pulled it over his head he went to step out of his closet.
“Lay?”
Lay gasped as he felt his heart stop and his legs just about failed him when he found Kai in his bedroom. A smirk appeared when Kai caught how he affected Lay. “Sorry, I did not mean to scare you.” He tried to reassure Lay, but it didn’t help much at the moment considering Lay’s hand was over his racing heart as he tried to focus on his breathing.
After a few moments he finally seemed to relax some, but he was still on edge considering the last time he interacted with Kai alone. “I’m okay.” He said, hoping that Kai would start speaking soon. Luckily enough, he didn’t have to wait long.
“I wanted to thank you for what you did back there. I’m surprised you managed to get away with it to be honest..” Kai started and Lay’s shoulders stopped being as tense. He swallowed and nodded as he tried to find the words to be able to respond to this man.
“I understand why you did it.” That was the reason he offered up for lying to Kris and it was Kai’s turn to nod. But, he did take a few steps closer to be only a couple of feet away from Lay.
“I really owe you.” Kai told him before holding his hand out to Lay. “Are we good?”
“We’re good.” Lay said with a bright smile as he shook Kai’s hand, hopeful that he wouldn’t have to be afraid of Kai anymore. He wanted to be friends with Kai since he was friends with the others in the little group.
Slowly a smile appeared on Kai’s face and Lay considered himself successful for the moment, but he knew it’d take him a while to not be completely afraid of Kai anymore. Kai let go of Lay’s hand and stepped back a few feet, looking as if he was about to find an excuse to leave. But, Lay’s door received a gentle knock.
“Come in!” Lay called out and the door opened.
“Lay, I have an idea..” Kyungsoo started as he walked in, but he seemed surprised to find Kai in Lay’s room. When Lay looked over at Kai he seemed to have a bit of a brighter smile on his face.
Whatever the case was, Kyungsoo continued.
“Dean has gone into hiding, probably with the aid of law enforcement. So.. We’ll need to draw him out.” As Kyungsoo spoke he approached the two and Kai nodded in agreement.
“Okay.. How?” Lay asked, perhaps a little too innocently, causing the other two men to look at him in concern.
“He’s interested in you, Lay.” Kai was the one to speak up and Lay’s eyes widened for a moment before he could take a deep breath. Once he was in control of his facial expression once again he nodded.
“Alright.. Go on.”
Kyungsoo glanced at Kai before he continued. “Well, you need to leave, Lay. I can set you up with an apartment today. You'll live on your own as you did before. You can text us still. But no phone calls or face to face meetings. It’d spook Dean and he needs to believe we cut all ties from you. When he shows his face, which he will, you will call or send Chanyeol a text, even if it’s blank, and we will swiftly move in and take care of everything.”
It was hard to miss the fact that Lay’s face was dropping with every sentence Kyungsoo said.
“It’s not a bad idea, Lay..” Kai spoke softly and when Lay looked over he saw the friendly Kai he’s grown to like here. So, he swallowed hard as he tried to objectively look at this. Kai wasn’t lying when he said it wasn’t a bad idea and Lay wasn’t lying when he told Kris he thought Dean was the rat to the law enforcement.
Lay mulled it over for two full silent minutes before he reluctantly nodded, hoping that he was making the decision that would save Kris’s family.
“Are you sure? We will be moving you immediately if so.” Kyungsoo asked and once again Lay nodded.
“Yeah.. I’m sure.”
“Alright then.”
By that evening Lay was moved into a really rather nice one bedroom apartment. Well, it was middle class nice, which was far nicer than his old studio apartment. Unfortunately he did not get to see Suho before he was moved out. This meant he wasn’t going to get to see him until Dean was caught..
Who knew how long that would be?
--------
A full month passed and nothing happened. To say that Lay felt alone was a vast understatement. He was still in contact with most, but it was only through text messages. No phone calls, no video chats, and no face to face visits.
Kyungsoo and Luhan would text Lay once a week to check in on him. Luhan always made sure he didn’t have anyone suspicious following him and Kyungsoo always made sure there was enough money in Lay’s bank account.
Kai would text him once a week as well. But, the most recent time Lay continued the conversation a little more than usual.
Lay:
When I can go back to the mansion.. Can you teach me how to use a gun?
Kai:
… You serious?
Lay:
Yes.
Kai:
Okay.. When you come back I’ll teach you.
That was the end of that conversation, but Lay was happy. He’d figured he wouldn’t feel as useless if he knew how to defend himself. But, this was assuming Kris would let him stick around the mansion after Dean was caught.
Baekhyun checked on him frequently and strangely enough sent him funny photos and videos of everyone at the mansion or even random memes he found on the internet. Lay always looked forward to Baekhyun’s text messages, it always guaranteed him a smile.
Sehun often sent him links to various kinds of music or dance practice videos. He wasn’t exactly subtle in his attempts to get Lay to be a dancer once Dean was caught. But, Lay didn’t mind. Besides, learning the dances gave him something to do in his free time.
Tao didn’t text him too often, but he would check in with Lay much like the others. He would send Lay photos of Bora Bora and text him about plans for the vacation he assured Lay would happen.
Jongdae was someone he texted daily. He was starting to consider Jongdae to be his best friend at this point. He shared all of his thoughts with him. When Lay was down Jongdae would do everything he could to cheer him up, often times sending him links to videos of kittens or puppies.
Now.. Suho. Lay knew he was in deep because every time his phone went off he’d jump and grab it in hopes it was Suho. Luckily Suho happened to text him daily. It may not be much, but Lay didn’t care. Often times it was Suho making sure Lay was eating properly and that he felt safe. Their text conversations never lasted long. But, Lay wished they did.
One night Lay found himself in an emotional ditch. He missed everyone at the mansion. He felt so isolated and alone. He hated everything about this. So, while he was curled up in his bed he reached over for his phone, wincing at the bright screen as he opened up the text messages.
Lay:
I miss you
Lay stared at the screen for what felt like an eternity, but really it was more like a minute. Then finally it showed that someone was typing.
Suho:
I miss you too.
Lay felt tears prick at his eyes as he stared at the screen for a while, unsure how to respond. His heart ached and he missed Suho more than anyone else at the mansion.
Suho:
Can I see you?
Lay stared down at his phone in his hand and his forehead wrinkled in thought. He wasn’t allowed to physically see anyone lest someone be watching them. He wasn’t even allowed to video chat or even voice chat just in case someone somehow planted bugs into the apartment.
Lay:
How?
Suho:
Do you have headphones?
Lay:
Yes
Suho:
Plug them in and be quiet. Okay?
Lay quickly scrambled out of his bed and into the living room to grab his headphones off the counter and then run back into his bedroom. He fumbled with untangling the headphones before plugging them into phone and turning on his bedside lamp.
Lay:
Done
It wasn’t long afterwards that Lay recieved a video call from Suho and he was probably far too quick to answer it. He grinned the second he saw Suho’s face. Suho wasn’t actually wearing a suit for once, although he was wearing a white button up shirt that was unbuttoned just enough to leave Lay feeling a little flustered. But, Suho’s smile drew his attention once again and he held up a finger to his lips, indicating for Lay to be a quiet. So, he quickly nodded in response.
Suho seemed to be sitting at his desk, it wasn’t a surprise he was working this late into the night. The man was a workaholic for certain.
“Hey there.” Suho spoke and it took everything Lay had in him to not open his mouth and respond. But, he did hold his phone out a little further from him so Suho could see him wave at him. Suho let out a handsome chuckle at this, causing Lay’s grin to grow until it hurt. He missed Suho so much. “You’re cute when you smile.” The direct comment caught Lay by surprise and he tried to hide his smile as he looked down, feeling blush overtake his cheeks. Suho chuckled once more and Lay decided that if he could only hear one sound for the rest of his life it’d be his laugh.
“I take it you’re doing okay?” Suho asked and Lay nodded in response, not really able to go on about it. “I’m glad. I bet it’s nice being back into a familiar lifestyle and not around crime all the time.” Suho seemed sincere in his response, but Lay frowned. He missed everyone at the mansion. Especially Suho.
Suho’s lips pursed together since it was far too obvious Lay disagreed with his statement by the way his smile gave way to a frown. “Well.. Hopefully you won’t have to be there for too long then. But, Lay.. Just to be honest with you, you would live longer if you weren’t involved with us. It’s just-”
“Don’t” Lay finally broke his silence, unable to listen to Suho go on about this. He hated the way Suho would push and pull with him. It wasn’t fair to him.
Lay speaking up surprised Suho as his eyes widened. But, he took on a somber expression before nodding his head. He knew Lay couldn’t speak, so hopefully he wouldn’t push him any further.
“Listen.. I do have things to go over but.. I want your presence..” Suho admitted, not taking his eyes off of his phone. Lay’s eyes widened this time, he was happy though. Suho wanted him around. “So, please indulge me. I won’t say much, if anything. So, you’re free to fall asleep. But.. If you don’t mind I’d like it if you kept the video on.”
Lay could only nod at Suho’s request. He stopped leaning back against the headboard and adjusted himself so that he could lay on his side while holding the phone in front of his face. Suho warmly smiled at him as he sat his phone on his desk, propping it up against something and then looking back down at the papers in front of him. Occasionally Suho would look up from his work and give Lay a smile before going back to what he was doing. Lay’s eyes remained on the image of Suho the entire time. At least, until they got too heavy.
The next day when Lay woke up he found that one of his headphones was out and his phone was dark since the video call ended. He looked and found that the call lasted three hours, which he only remembered about forty five minutes of it. But, there was also a text from Suho.
Suho:
You look so peaceful when you sleep. I wish we could do that more often.
-------
A few days later Lay was walking home from the grocery store down the street with a few bags in his hands. He was almost to his apartment building, thankfully since his left hand was beginning to cramp.
“Do you need any help?”
Lay froze at the sound of a familiar voice, immediately tensing up. He slowly turned to find Dean standing behind him with a hand extended towards him. “I.. I think I’m good.” Lay responded, but then mentally kicked himself when he realized he needed to keep Dean occupied.
“Oh, come on.. I’m sorry for what happened the last time we met. That was just business. But, since you aren’t connected to Kris’s family anymore.. We can actually get to know each other, hm? You do still owe me a dance after all.” Dean offered with a growing grin on his face. Lay looked out at the street as he thought for the moment before he sighed in defeat. He held out his left hand and Dean quickly stepped up to grab the bags.
“Come on then..” Lay muttered as he gestured to the apartment building’s door. Dean quickly climbed up the building’s steps as Lay grabbed his phone and sent a quick text to Chanyeol.
Lay:
Dean. Door is open.
After deleting the conversation completely he followed after Dean up the stairs, which Dean held the door open for him earning him a curt nod from Lay.
The elevator ride up was so very tense for the both of them, it’d be hard to not feel it. Lay could probably cut the tension with a knife. Once they got to his apartment Lay fumbled with his keys for a moment before unlocking the door and opening it for Dean and himself. Dean was quick to help himself into the apartment and set the bags on the table before he started going through them, presumably to help Lay put the groceries up.
“This is a nice place you got here. No offense, but how do you afford it?” Dean idly asked as Lay shut the door, without locking it.
“Kris gives me hush money.” Lay quickly answered, hoping the excuse was believable.
“Ah, that’s smart of him.” Dean responded and Lay let out a breath of relief.
The two quickly put the groceries away together and it was so strange for Lay to be this.. Well.. Everyday with Dean. It was like nothing happened. But, unfortunately now that the groceries were put up Dean’s attention was completely on Lay.
Lay swallowed nervously as Dean approached him in his kitchen. He felt so trapped here. But, despite Dean getting in his personal space, he did not put a hand on Lay. He fought to catch Lay’s gaze as a more serious expression took hold of him. “Look, Lay. I am sorry for what happened between us. It really was just business. But, if you’d be alright with that.. I’d like to move past that.” It was strange how sincere he sounded to Lay. Either way, Lay knew he needed to stall for Chanyeol so he nervously nodded.
“Yeah.. Yeah. I’d be okay with that.” He responded with a heavy breath.
“Do you want to check me for weapons? I can tell you’re still nervous.” Dean offered up as he held his hands up. Lay shook his head instead of taking him up on that offer.
“No, it’s okay.”
“Then may I..?” Dean asked as one of his hands went to Lay’s face, but stopped just short of touching him. Lay’s stomach was trying to cave in on itself but he still nodded.
Dean cupped Lay’s cheek and pulled him in for a kiss. Once again, Lay was taken aback by the brashness of Dean’s kiss. It felt rushed. But, he went along with it, even as he felt one of Dean’s hands grip onto his hip and start to play with the hem of his salmon colored shirt.
Lay broke the kiss as he pulled his head back from Dean. He needed to get Dean out of the kitchen. If Dean didn’t have a weapon on him, he could easily get one in the kitchen. So, he slipped out from Dean’s grasp and walked out of the kitchen, stopping to look over his shoulder at the confused man in his kitchen. “I still owe you a dance, don’t I?” Lay asked as he continued into the living room.
Dean was quick to follow him after that, his hand running along the small of Lay’s back as he passed by him to sit on the couch. Lay was praying Chanyeol was close, because he didn’t think he could keep this up much longer. He wa far too disgusted by Dean to be able to stomach this for too long.
His hands dug into his pocket for his phone and he spent probably too long looking for a song to play. But, he picked one and once it began to play he sat his phone on the entertainment center before stepping closer to Dean, but still perfectly out of his reach. He kept his back to him as his hips began to pop side to side. His hands grabbed at the hem of his shirt as he slowly began to lift it up.
Lay thought of Sehun and how he’d probably taunt his crowd. He could do this. No problem.
Once the shirt was up past the mid of his back he looked over his shoulder at Dean before giving him a wink and letting it fall. The way Dean’s eyes widened actually made Lay laugh. Perhaps he would be good at this.
Suddenly the door to his apartment was opening and Lay immediately bounded across the room to his phone, turning off the music and keeping himself away from Dean. Lay watched Chanyeol walk into the apartment with a shotgun aimed right at Dean on the couch, who looked amused, but held his hands up anyways.
Lay was breathing a sigh of a relief as Baekhyun, Kai, and even Jongdae were flooding in the apartment with weapons drawn. But, the moment Jongdae saw Lay he crossed the room to check on him. “Are you okay?” He asked over the sounds of Chanyeol loudly giving orders to Dean. Lay was shaking now that it was all over. He couldn’t help but to give Jongdae a large hug, wanting to cry into his shoulder. “It’s okay. We’re here. It’s over.” Jongdae assured him.
It’s over.
Lay finally pulled away from Jongdae, giving him a thankful nod as he watched Dean be unceremoniously dragged out of his apartment. He knew he just sentenced that man to death. But, honestly.. It was hard for him to be able to care too much. He felt bad, sure, but certainly not as bad as he should be feeling for condemning another human being to death.
“We can go home now, Lay.” Jongdae told him with a large smile and a pat on the back. They were the only ones left in the apartment now. He pulled Jongdae closer to him by his army green hoodie before giving him another tight hug. He can go home. It was strange to hear that out loud. But, yes. He considered the mansion his home. The Wu family has become his family. It was strange to think that, but it was something he considered truth for a while now.
“I think.. I think I’m going to stay here. Just for one more night. I can start packing things and have some time to process everything..” Lay told Jongdae, surprising both him and himself.
“Are you sure? We can come back and help you.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I just need to be alone for another day.” He told Jongdae as he finally broke the hug for good now. He didn’t want to tell Jongdae that he needed to mentally prepare for the life of living with the mafia.
“Okay, well.. You can call me now if you need anything.”
“I will.” Lay assured Jongdae before he said his goodbyes and headed for the door. “Oh, Jongdae?” Immediately Jongdae stopped and looked back towards Lay with concern written on his face. “Thank you for being such a good friend to me.” He told him and a large smile spread across Jongdae’s lips.
“Of course, Lay!” He said in that typically peppy tone before he stepped out of the apartment.
Lay loudly exhaled before he walked over to his couch and fell down onto it. He was hoping for a nap, but he groaned the moment he could smell Dean’s cologne. Alright, he needed a shower now. That and he needed to brush his teeth and use mouthwash. He was proud of himself for being able to stall Dean, but he was still sickened that Dean touched him again.
--------
Dean was dragged into the meeting room and thrown in front of Kris and everyone else at the table by Chanyeol. Xiumin smirked when Dean seemed to think it was smartest to stay on his knees in front of the table. Everyone but Jongdae was in the room at the moment and everyone felt so satisfied that this little problem was going to shortly be solved.
“You were the witness for the feds.” Kris stated more than asked.
“Sure. I was a lot of things.” Dean shrugged with a rather cocky tone. Even at death’s door he didn’t seem to falter. Dean’s eyes spotted Tao behind Kris and he openly laughed. “So, he’s yours?” Dean asked Kris with a bright grin.
“I suggest you leave it be.” Kris practically growled his words.
“Damn, I wish you would’ve seen the way he worked his magic on Lay.. I only can imagine what he did to get so close to the man with the heart of stone.”
Kris’s fists balled up until his knuckles were white, but Tao’s hand went to rest on his shoulder to steady him. “You’re brave for a dead man.” Kris cooly stated as he tried to calm himself down. Once again Dean shrugged his shoulders.
“You and I are both aware we don’t have long lifespans. I always knew my life would end with a bullet to the skull. So.. Hurry up and get it over with.” Dean seemed so cocky at first, but now his confidence gave way to anger as a scowl took up residence on his face.
“You don’t deserve the luxury of a swift death.” Jongdae’s voice echoed across the room as he walked through the large double doors.
With an eyebrow quirked Dean turned to find Jongdae carrying a baseball bat with barbed wire wrapped around it. It was a little something Chanyeol let him borrow. There was a moment where fear could be registered on Dean’s face as he looked back at Kris. Kris simply gave him a smug smirk before he spoke up without breaking eye contact from Dean.
“Remember what they say, Jongdae. No body, no crime.”
------
That night after supper Lay was doing as he told Jongdae, packing up some of his stuff. He was certain he was making the right choice by choosing to embrace the Wu family. But, he knew his parents wouldn’t be proud of him.
Well.. They weren’t here anymore. So, they couldn’t be disappointed in him. Maybe that was the one bonus of their deaths.
A knock on the apartment door just about made Lay jump right out of his skin. He put his hand over his heart, as if that would steady it, before he got up to slowly go to the door. He looked through the peephole to see who it was before immediately unlocking it and opening it up.
The door was just barely open before Lay was moving past it to embrace the man at the door. “Suho..” He muttered his name as his arms wrapped around him probably too tightly. But, this was the first time he was getting to see him in over a month. Well, not counting that one video call.
Suho was holding his hands up from the suddenness of the embrace, but slowly his arms wrapped around Lay. Lay wasn’t sure how long they stood there like that before he finally realized they were in the public hallway. Anyone could walk out of their apartment and see them. It’d probably be awkward. So, he pulled away and gestured for Suho to enter the apartment before shutting and locking the door behind him; a force of habit he told himself.
Suho examined the apartment for a few moments before turning back to Lay. “I haven’t seen you since you lied to Kris.” His voice was soft, but his blunt words made Lay flinch.
“Yeah..” He muttered as he nervously scratched the back of his head.
“I wanted to know why you did it. Why risk lying to him?” Suho was straight to the point then, alright.
Lay took in a deep breath through his nose before he walked deeper into the living room to be a little closer to Suho. “I’ve already bled for this family Suho.. I wasn’t going to let Kai get hurt because he was trying to protect someone he loved.” Lay explained himself as he met Suho’s heavy gaze.
The expression on Suho’s face was something Lay couldn’t decipher. He looked surprised and maybe a little angry. But, there was something else there.. Respect? No, that certainly wasn’t it. It made Lay very nervous, whatever it was.
“You said yourself, you’d do anything for your family. I understand that now. They’re my family too.” Lay continued on in his nervousness and that unknown emotion took over Suho’s expression. He felt like he did something wrong and he was even more nervous now. Suho must think he was foolish. Some dumb boy that didn’t know what he was getting himself into. Lay wouldn’t blame him if he did think that.
Suddenly Suho was closing the distance between them with purpose. Truthfully Lay was scared of him in this moment. He still did not understand the expression on his face and he was afraid he angered him somehow, so he tensed up. But, when Suho was right in front of him a gentle hand cupped his face and pulled him into a kiss.
Lay melted from Suho’s touch.
All the tension and all the fear fled from him as Suho’s soft lips gently pressed against his own. His lips pressed back and Suho’s free hand went to cup Lay’s other cheek. One of Lay’s hands went to rest on Suho’s shoulder while another reached up to lightly press his fingertips against Suho’s neck, feeling his pulse. His heart was racing as fast as his own.
Suho’s head tilted as his tongue ran across Lay’s bottom lip, asking for permission. Sure enough, Lay’s lips parted and he allowed Suho to deepen the kiss further.
This. This was exactly what he wanted. The men were both taking their time with each other. There was no need to rush this. Suho’s touch was so firm but so gentle at the same time. It was reassuring and exactly what Lay was hoping for from him. This was proof Suho could be tender and gentle, but he could be strong when necessary.
Lay’s hand gripped tighter onto Suho’s shoulder, not wanting him to pull away, as his other hand snaked around his neck and into his hair. It wasn’t as soft as he’d like it to be, but there was product in it, so he shouldn’t be surprised. One of Suho’s hands abandoned Lay’s face and went to one of his hips, pulling Lay against him as the kiss got more needy.
Blissful moments passed before Suho was the one to break the kiss to catch his breath. But, Lay was certainly not done with him. He needed more contact with Suho. So, his lips leaned back in to press against his jawline before he peppered kisses down to his neck. Suho tilted his head back, allowing Lay to have access, as the hand that was on Lay’s face moved to rest on the back of Lay’s head.
It wasn’t long before Lay was sucking a dark mark onto Suho’s skin. Much to his surprise, Suho let him. Once he finished leaving a hickey on his skin he pressed another few kisses against Suho’s neck before burying his face in between his neck and shoulder. “You’re mine now.” Lay thought his voice was firm, but since he was burying his face it was muffled and sounded more like a protesting child. It was enough to earn him one of Suho’s handsome laughs.
“Are you sure, Lay?” Suho asked as he took a half step backwards, forcing Lay to look at him. Lay was quick to nod his head.
“Yes. I don’t want anyone else. And.. I don’t want you to want anyone else.” Lay told him, hoping he was being as clear as he possibly could with Suho. Suho simply gave him another one of those warm smiles before leaning in to press a quick kiss against his lips.
In this moment Lay found Suho to be distracted. Once he pulled back he was mostly looking behind Lay and not at him. His eyebrows furrowed, worried that Suho didn’t want the same thing that he did. But, Suho did once again meet his gaze and gave him another warm smile. He grabbed Lay’s hand and pulled him towards the bedroom door. Lay’s heart stuttered when he realized that’s what Suho was thinking about just now. But, he swallowed and followed after.
The door to his bedroom was silently opened before it was closed behind the two. Suho quickly recaptured Lay’s lips in another deep kiss. Lay tugged on Suho’s white button up, quickly undoing one of the bottom buttons. The men fumbled towards the bed and Lay was steadily unbuttoning Suho’s shirt. By the time his legs bumped into the side of the bed he managed to unbutton all of the buttons and he forced the shirt over Suho’s shoulders and the man dropped his shoulders and arms back so the shirt would fall off of his arms.
It was then that Suho broke the kiss once again.
Lay’s eyes opened and immediately dropped down to take in Suho’s form. He was amazed by how toned he was, despite not looking like it over his clothes. He bit at his bottom lip as one of his hands reached out to rest against his toned stomach, feeling the muscle underneath his fingertips. Suddenly the muscle tensed and became much more visible for a moment.
Did he.. Did he just flex his muscles?
“Lay.”
Lay’s hungry eyes quickly looked up to Suho’s gaze. He looked serious as always and Lay wanted to groan in irritation. “Hey, focus.” Suho said as his hand cupped Lay’s neck. Lay blinked a few times as he focused in on Suho’s gaze once again. “Green means go, red means stop. Where are you at?”
It took Lay a moment to understand what he was saying. Oh. He was looking for consent. Okay, okay. He could work with that. That was respectful. Right?
Lay didn’t really care if that was respectful at the moment. He would later love that about Suho. But, right now all he wanted was Suho. He grabbed Suho by the waist and sat him on the edge of the bed. “Green.” He said before he gave Suho another hungry kiss. This time however, he was pressing Suho back into the bed so he was leaning over the top of him. Lay wasn’t letting this opportunity pass him by. So, his typically rare aggressive nature was taking over. He needed Suho and he needed him now.
----
Suho’s phone went off several times in the night, but every time he ignored it. The first few times Lay didn’t give him much of a choice since he was keeping Suho occupied. But, later when the two were trying to sleep, Suho still didn’t bother to answer his phone.
That morning when the couple were both awake they were lazily lounging in bed, neither wanting to be the one to say they should wake up. Suho was laid back with an arm around Lay, who was curled up against him. Lay’s fingers were idly running along Suho’s bare chest as Lay tried to remind himself that this was very real.
“Suho?” Lay’s voice was tired and scratchy, which wasn’t really a surprise.
“Hm?”
“This wasn’t a one time thing, right?” The thought that was gnawing at Lay all morning finally came out. Suho’s arm that was around Lay held onto him a bit tighter.
“Only if you want it to be.”
Lay did not like that answer.
“What do you want it to be?”
“I don’t want it to be a one time thing. I’m.. Admittedly not good with flings.” Lay snorted as he tried to hold back a giggle at Suho’s honesty. It just seemed so funny to think that the emotionally distant one was into anything other than short flings. But.. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t into them. He’d didn’t want to waste his time.
“Sorry. I just.. I didn’t expect you to be into relationships to be honest. But, I’m glad you are. Because I want one with you.” Lay explained as he tilted his head upwards so he could look at Suho. A smile was slowly making an appearance on his face as he looked down at Lay.
There were a couple of minutes of silence between them before Suho started to stir. “Kris is going to kill me.” He groaned as he tried to finally untangle himself from Lay, even with Lay groaning and whining the entire time.
Great. I sound like Tao. Lay thought to himself as he pulled the blankets up to his shoulders once Suho left the bed with his warmth. His eyes watched Suho cross the bedroom to fish the phone out of his pant’s pocket. Suho frowned immediately when the phone’s screen lit up. Seems like Kris was probably pissed at him. But, Suho wandered back to the bed to join Lay back in it. He sat up and leaned against the headboard as Lay quickly cuddled against him once again.
“How dead are you?”
“Let’s find out.”
With that Suho began to call Kris.
Where are you?!
Lay flinched when he heard Kris’s voice over the phone. Yet, Suho seemed unphazed.
“I’m at Lay’s apartment.”
What?!
“I stayed the night.”
Lay looked up at Suho with slightly wide eyes, amazed he was that honest about it. Kris must’ve calmed down because Lay couldn’t hear him anymore.
“Yeah. I can get on that this afternoon while the others help Lay move back in. I’ll also send Lay to see you then.” Shortly after that Suho hung up and sat his phone to the side. Lay tightly wrapped his arms around Suho as he looked up at him. This drew a laugh from Suho. “If you let me up I’ll cook you breakfast.”
“Fine.” Lay groaned and rolled over to the other side of the bed and once again Suho got out of the bed, much to his dismay.
-----------
“Okay.. So, I didn’t expect you and Suho to-”
“Lay! You caught Suho!! I have never been more proud of my child in my entire life.” Kris tried to talk to Lay privately, but Tao was there so it quickly derailed as Tao went to hug Lay far too tightly.
“I think I’m older than you..” Lay reminded him as he patted Tao’s back in an attempt to get him off of him.
“Doesn’t matter.” Tao responded before he finally let go of Lay. “So.. Suho? How-”
“Tao. Enough.” Kris tried to take control of the conversation back once again.
Tao finally pulled away from Lay completely to go stand by Kris once again as Lay rubbed his forehead, a blush was on his cheeks. “Okay, it looks like you’ll be living with us regardless. So long as you and Suho are together. But, I want to make you an offer, Lay.” Kris tried to keep them on topic now. Lay nodded as he waited for Kris to continue. It was strange how Kris was less intimidating when Tao was around him. The two really balanced each other out.
“We could use an actual surgeon here. Someone who can stitch us up after a fight. Xiumin is pretty good at it and Baekhyun can manage. But, there’s a line they can’t even cross. Like removing bullets, for example. Kyungsoo and I talked it over, we want to pay your way to finish medical school. So long as you continue to work for us. And Luhan would still like to have you around as a spy from time to time.”
Lay was slack jawed as Kris spoke. But, he was wildly nodding his head in agreement. “Yes! Yeah. Thank you. I can do that!” Lay was excited to be able to actually achieve one of his dreams. Maybe his parents would be proud of him after all.
“Listen, Lay. Don’t make me be a parent to you. You best keep high grades. I only keep the best of the best around.” Kris told him, probably to try and bring Lay back to reality. But, Lay was always a good student. He could actually do this.
“I won’t let you down! I can go back and register for classes now.” Lay said as he stood up, extremely eager about all of this.
“Go see Kyungsoo then and work with him.”
------
Soon enough, Lay was back in school. He’d go to school and then go back to the mansion and destress. But, he spent his evenings with Suho in his office studying while Suho was going over things for Kris. The two enjoyed each other’s company and the comfortable silence between them. Their nights were blissful as they often helped each other forget about the stress of their lives.
Lay was fitting right into the family as time passed. Kai kept his word and taught Lay how to handle a gun every weekend and he became a decent shot. But, he had a good teacher. What once was so terrifying about everyone became every day. Chanyeol showing up with cuts and bruises became so normal. In fact Lay secretly looked forward to the slightly minor wounds because he’d practice his stitching on Chanyeol. Turns out, he was a natural at it. His hands were always quick and steady, something even Xiumin lacked. Xiumin’s hands were always steady, but he was not quick at all.
Better yet? He got paid for each time he doctored someone up. Even if it was really only simple things he could do so far. Kris made sure Kyungsoo compensated him.
When Lay did have any free time he would work with Luhan. He’s become a better liar, with strangers anyways. He still would feel instant regret if he tried to practice his lies on the family.
Lay was nothing more than an associate, much like Tao or Sehun. But, he was beginning to be confident in himself just like Tao and Sehun. He was very good at what he did and he knew it. He truly felt like he belonged with this family.
If nothing else, Lay knew he belonged in Suho’s arms every night.