Chapter Text
Mingi tried to keep his face neutral as he followed Yunho but he knew that if anyone looked at him they would be able to read his thoughts just from a glance. He tried to keep the anger (frustration? He didn’t know exactly what it was but anger was the closest emotion he could name.) at Yunho pushed down but it escaped every time Yunho slightly moved. His skin felt like it was on fire with every slight twitch of Yunho's hands, every sigh he breathed out when he glanced at Mingi out of the corner of his eye.
He knew Yunho didn’t deserve his bitching and moaning. He was trying to keep Mingi “safe.” He didn’t need to save Mingi. He could have just left him in that alleyway. But Yunho didn’t. Yunho took him home and nursed him back to health like some rabid animal you find in the trash. And Mingi was repaying him and his family's kindness by beating them up in his head and trying to burn holes into the backs of their skulls when they weren't looking.
The room Yunho led him into was just as showy as the rest of the house had been. The same velvety red curtains that hung heavily on the windows. The same large bookshelves filled to the brim with books with golden trims and in languages Mingi couldn’t even name.
Mingi stopped in the doorway but Yunho kept going, like he was on autopilot. He ended up standing next to a chair in the middle of the room, one surrounded by couches that were full of people. Yunho stared straight ahead, almost like he was challenging Mingi. His body screamed “don’t come near”, but his eyes held nothing. Mingi tore his gaze away from Yunho, eyes searching the room for maybe a spot where he could sit out of Yunho's direct line of sight. Mingi spotted Wooyoung laid out across two people, playfully messing with them. One of them was San, his eyes no longer sharp and analytical. He was looking at Wooyoung with a softness in his eyes that tugged on Mingi's heart.
The other person, the one Wooyoung was almost completely on top of to get to San, tugged on Mingi's heart for a completely different reason. Their face was beautiful, androgynous, the type of beauty that Mingi as a child used to pray for. They had sharp features that faded into curves perfectly. Mingi could see that they were muscular just in the way they moved. Their eyes as they stared at Wooyoung held a type of love that Mingi knew was real.
On the other side of the intricate coffee table sat Seonghwa and another person Mingi didn’t know, quietly chatting to one another. The other person was strong, Mingi could tell just from the way he carried himself. His face was round in a way that made Mingi want to pinch their cheeks. Their hair was cut short, different from the almost mullet-like haircuts Seonghwa and Wooyoung had, and Mingi could see the glint of an earring shining off the overhead lights.
Just as Mingi was about to move to sit next to Seonghwa he was pushed out of the way by Hongjoong shoulder checking him from behind. He wasn’t expecting it so he was thrown off balance for a bit, only stopping himself from falling by grabbing onto the archway and praying his knees wouldn't give out. A hiss escaped his lips when he reached back to touch the injury that Hongjoong had hit. His shoulder blade stung and he could feel the bandage Y̶u̶n̶h̶o̶ that had been wrapped carefully around his back last night start to fall off. He had hit a sensitive spot.
“Hongjoong!” Seonghwa cursed and ran up to Mingi.
“Are you ok?” Seonghwa whispered, hands hovering over Mingi's body like he was too disgusted to touch him.
Mingi nodded, biting his lip as he straightened up and felt the bandages tug on his skin again. “I’m fine. It just took me off guard.”
Seonghwa didn’t look like he believed him, scanning over his face with his eyes. When Mingi didn’t give him anything to indicate something was wrong he sighed. “I won’t push.”
There was a cough somewhere in the room and Seonghwa turned back around, arms crossed and glaring at Hongjoong. “Apologize. Now.”
Hongjoong was sitting in the seat Yunho had been guarding. The intense look he was giving Mingi unsettled him but Mingi couldn’t tell if it was because Seonghwa was telling him to do something or if it was because Seonghwa was so close to Mingi. And then he blinked and Hongjong's face fell into the same look of poorly hidden emotions that he had worn when Mingi had met him for the first time. He had the same sharp eyes as before but this time they weren’t turned on Mingi. They were turned on Seonghwa.
The tension in the room grew the longer the two didn’t speak to each other. Everyone was holding their breath. Mingi remembered what Wooyoung had told him about the two yesterday morning. “They’re the heads of the house. We kind of have to listen to what they say.” Hongjoong was the boss, the leader, but Seonghwa had the same amount of power over him that Hongjoong did. It was a level playing field. It was just a game of who had a weaker will. Who would bow to the other first.
Hongjoong sighed and turned his head away from Seonghwa's gaze. “You win.”
Seonghwa smiled, it was small but Mingi was still close enough to see the slight curve in his lips. “Say it.”
Hongjoong sighed again, louder this time. He still wasn’t looking at Mingi. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry what?”
“I’m sorry for running into your shoulder, that was wrong of me and I hope I didn’t hurt you too much.”
Seonghwa let his smile breach his face now, showing his teeth and clasping his hands in front of him. Once again reminding Mingi of a school teacher. “Now that wasn’t so hard, was it dear!”
Seonghwa gave one last look-over to Mingi before heading back to his spot next to the strong one, plopping down on the couch with a dramatic flourish that made Wooyoung roll his eyes. He made a show of settling into the couch, crossing his legs over the other and leaning forward to look Hongjoong in the eyes. There was a flame dancing in Seonghwa's eyes as he smiled at his partner. Mingi recognized exactly what it was. Spite.
Hongjoong shook his head at Seonghwa, muttering something under his breath that Mingi couldn’t hear. Seonghwa’s smile just widened. “Now let’s start this family meeting shall we?”
As soon as Seonghwa stopped speaking, 7 pairs of eyes turned to Mingi. Wooyoung and Seonghwa were looking at him expectantly, like he was supposed to know exactly what to say. Mingi swallowed and wrapped his hands around his arms, he couldn’t look away. That would be a sign of weakness. But the way the others were looking at him…as if he was on trial for a crime and the slightest twitch could be used against him. Mingi could feel his heartbeat quicken. He felt like a scared animal that had finally been caught.
He tried to look to Yunho for help, but Yunho wasn’t there. His body was there, he could see the hand that had once rested softly on Mingi's face tighten around the back of the chair Hongjoong was now sitting in. But Yunho himself wasn’t there. His eyes were hollow. They looked straight through him. Yunho couldn’t help him here.
Hongjoong broke through the silence by slapping his thigh, bringing the attention off Mingi and onto him. Mingi felt his shoulders shudder as he took in his first deep breath. “Since you fuckers messed up, you will take the responsibly and will do your introductions.”
There was a beat. Mingi felt something in his ribs begin to burn as Hongjoong looked him over once more.
“Full names.” Hongjoong finally said, leaning back in his chair and gesturing for someone else to start. Mingi heard a jaw snap shut somewhere in the room. ‘Was this the first time they had ever had to introduce themselves with their names?’
Before the suffocating silence came back Wooyoung groaned loudly and sat up from where he had been still laying across Sans lap. “You guys are the worst. You’re making him nervous.”
“Mingi you already know me but I will be the responsible one” He shot a look to San, “And actually introduce myself.”
“I’m Jung Wooyoung, I am a cater and I am the person you will go to if you’re hungry!” Wooyoung smiled, showing off all his teeth. They somehow didn’t make Mingi feel as comfortable as they were supposed to. Chills ran up Mingi's back. It was a harsh reminder of where he was. As much as he wanted to ignore it, he was still in someone powerfuls home. Wooyoung could bite. Whether or not he liked Mingi didn't matter.
“Would that make me next?” The deep voice that came out of the beautiful man next to Wooyoung shocked Mingi. It rivaled his, yet smoother. (Better.) The man glanced around for approval, getting a nod from both Hongjoong and Wooyoung.
“What do I say again?”
Wooyoung sighed, “Just your name and your job babe.”
“Oh right.” The man turned to Mingi, their eyes were soft. The edges of their lips quirked up in a small smile that made Mingi's cheeks heat up. “My name's Yeosang and I’m a model, kind of. I was the one that carried you into the house actually!”
Yeosang turned to Hongjoong. Hongjoong gave him a nod of approval and Yeosang sank back into the couch. Mingi watched as one of Yeosang's arms wrapped around Wooyoung's waist and he tugged him off of San’s lap and onto his own. Hooking his head over Wooyoung's shoulder to watch the ongoings of the rest of the room. Something in his guts twisted watching them. He felt sick. (Was he becoming homophobic? That’s a new one.)
“Yunho already told you my name but I’m San.” San shrugged, leaning back as well to put his head on Wooyoung's thighs. “Can’t tell you my job but I work with Hongjoong and Mingi.”
Mingi could do nothing but nod at them and close his eyes. His throat was closing up. He was going to throw up. The twisting in his stomach felt like his organs were trying to climb out of his body. Wooyoung definitely poisoned him.
The man next to Seonghwa spoke up next, a thankful distraction from the 3 on the other couch.
“I’m Jongho, I work at a bar in town some nights-” He jerked his head towards Hongjoong. “but I mostly work for the captain over there.”
“I’m Seonghwa,” The voice Seonghwa spoke with was dripping in sweetener as he gazed at Mingi. “You already know that I’m a model, don’t you dear?”
Mingi quickly nodded, not sure why Seonghwa was suddenly questioning him but his instincts kicked in before he could even fully process the question.
“Stop doing that.” Hongjoong said flatly, looking at Mingi but it was evident that he was talking to Seonghwa. “I’m Hongjoong. I’m the head of this here house. You have problems, you answer to me.”
Mingi nodded again. He looked at Yunho expectantly. Yunho was looking back. His face was still neutral but there was something in his eyes. Mingi couldn’t make out what it was from across the room but his demeanor had changed.
“Jeong Yunho. Hongjoong tells me what to do and I listen.” His voice was flat. He was repeating a script he had performed many times.
Hongjoong snorted at that. “Yeah right. You stopped listening to me the minute we turned 15.”
Yunho closed his eyes, “I follow every order.”
“No you don’t. If you did, he wouldn't be here right now.”
Even if Hongjoong had meant it as a joke, Yunho's face darkened as soon as he understood who he was talking about. That was not the right thing to say. The room's tension became thick. Swarming them like a fog that they could never get out of. “Neither would Wooyoung.” He spat at Hongjoong.
“Wooyoung wasn’t a liability just because someone got a little too attached to a pret-”
Yunho cut in before Hongjoong could finish his sentence. “Wooyoung was the worst risk you’ve ever taken! You’re just lucky it actually paid off instead of him betra-”
“Shut up!” Seonghwa jumped out of his seat, cutting the two of them off before they could say anything more. “If you don’t shut up, god help me.”
“Yunho isn’t the only one who wants Mingi here, if you haven’t forgotten.” Seonghwa pointed out, “Both me and Wooyoung wanted him here.”
“And I’m not a fucking liability.” Wooyoung hissed from his spot on the couch. Mingi could see his hands twitch but the weights of San and Yeosang held him back from jumping Yunho.
“I can…” Mingi tried to speak but his voice got caught in his throat as soon the groups turned their eyes on him. He gripped his wrist tighter and stared at the painting on the wall behind Hongjoong and Yunho, knowing if he made eye contact with anyone he might break. He cleared his throat and started again. “I was planning on leaving today. It’s ok.”
Mingi couldn’t stop the words from falling out of his mouth. “I promise I’m not a liability. I don’t trust the cops and it’s not like I have anyone to tell about really anything. At max I can talk to my neighbor but she doesn’t talk to me anymore and she’s really busy so I don’t want to bother her. So really there's absolutely no one I would tell any of this to, I don’t even really have coworkers. I mostly work alone. No one else wants to work the graveyard shifts so literally I’m kind of a ghost in the world. You don’t have to worry about me at all. I don’t have anyone. Promise!”
He knew he was rambling but it was the only way he knew how to defuse the situation. Keep talking until they were annoyed by his voice, forgetting what they were even mad about in the first place. They were all fighting about him. He caused this mess. If he takes himself out of the equation, the mess should be fixed. He didn’t want to break up another family because he just wasn’t good enough. He couldn’t handle that again.
The silence that followed Mingi's ranting was haunting. They were still looking at him, he could see them out of the corner of his eyes, but he kept his vision focused on the painting behind them. He couldn’t look at them. If he saw pity in their eyes he might actually throw up. He could already feel the bile rising in his throat just thinking about it.
“Look what you guys fucking did.” Jongho scolded. He stood up from his seat, stretching out and very obviously flexing the amount of muscle he had as a warning. “I don’t need to be here anymore if you guys are just gonna fight over some dumb shit like this.”
“Jongho..” There was a warning in Sans's voice.
“Nah, just shut up.” Jongho crossed his arms over his chest, “Family meetings are neutral territory, that’s the whole point of them. This isn’t neutral so I’m out.”
With that he walked out of the room, not even glancing at Mingi when he passed him. His footsteps echoed off the walls of the empty house until they eventually faded.
Seonghwa groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. He muttered something to himself before spinning on his heels and pointing at Hongjoong. “You and Yunho will be having a meeting with me.”
“You don’t get to-”
“In my office Kim Hongjoong.” Seonghwa's voice sent a shiver down Mingi's spine. “You may be the leader, but I am still the oldest.”
“Unless you want to refuse?” Seonghwa cocked an eyebrow at the duo, daring them to refuse to his demand.
“No sir.” Yunho mumbled as Hongjoong nodded silently.
“Get going then.” Seonghwa waved the two men out of the room.
Hongjoong avoided Mingi, giving him a wide berth when he passed by him to get out of the room. Yunho, on the other hand, stopped right in front of him. He was leaning into Mingi's space. He could hear his breathing. Could see the way his eyes unfocused and re-focused on Mingi. There was a skip in Mingi's heartbeat that made Mingi feel nostalgic for the last time they were in this position. (Something that, realistically, was at most 20 minutes ago but it felt like years to Mingi.)
“You have me.”
“What?” Mingi had to strain his ears to even hear what Yunho had said. The other man breathed the words out so quietly like they were never supposed to leave his mind at all.
Seonghwa's voice called out a low warning. “Yunho…”
Yunho straightened up and away from Mingi, sparing him one more glance before following Hongjoong out of the room.
Seonghwa sighed again once the two had officially left the room and dropped down into the seat that Hongjoong had just been sitting in, covering his face with his hands. “Those fucking two…”
“Wooyoung, San- The two of you dismissed. Go do whatever.” Seonghwa waved his hand at the two still on the couch, “Take Woo to go smash some shit- just don’t let him around anyone else.”
“I can be trusted around people!”
“Wooyoung.” The warning was back in Seonghwa's tone. ‘They’re the heads of the house. We kind of have to listen to what they say.’
Wooyoung grumbled something under his breath but got up and walked out of the room without any more protests.
Seonghwa set his eyes on Mingi, who hadn’t moved from his spot in the doorway the entire time.
“I’m sorry they’re acting so uncivilized, usually they’re at least a bit more human.”
Yeosang made a sound between a giggle and a scoff. “Yeah right.”
Seonghwa sent a pointed look to Yeosang, his patience running thin the longer this went on. Mingi could see the vein in his neck move as he tried to keep his composure.
“Anyways,” Seonghwa's eyes returned to Mingi, "Despite what just happened, you will not in fact be leaving today like you tried to imply.”
“What?” Mingi tried to protest, “But I!”
Seonghwa held up a hand, “Unfortunately for you none of us feel comfortable leaving you alone until you are fully healed so you will be staying in our guest room for the next few weeks until you are cleared by us.”
“Today was supposed to be a day where we as a group talked about the rules of the house but alas,” He sighed, “My family is nothing but rabid animals.”
“Yeosang will be your buddy until dinner, you two can do whatever you want just not leave the property.” Seonghwa smiled at Yeosang, “Same rules as last year.”
Yeosang saluted, Mingi couldn’t tell if that was the genuine response or if Yeosang was being funny. Seonghwa just nodded at the action, which didn’t help his confusion either.
Before Mingi could get into his head about the implications of the way Seonghwa ran his household, the man himself was in front of him. Hands hovering once again. (He must be really disgusting if Seonghwa refused to touch him twice.) There was a look in Seonghwa's eyes that he couldn’t figure out. It was a mix of pity, recognition and something else. Something that made Mingi's skin crawl.
“Yeosang.” The man responded with a hum. “Get him rebandaged before you do anything. He’s bled through his shirt again.”
Mingi grabbed the black t-shirt Yunho had given him that morning, trying to find where the blood was. He couldn’t see anything through the fabric but tugging at it made him realize that it had in fact been stuck to his skin.
“How did you?” Mingi sputtered, but Seonghwa was gone. His footsteps not even echoing through the house. It was just Mingi and Yeosang, who was still sitting on the couch.
Yeosang shrugged, “He just does that. San told me they used to call it “mom sense” as teens but Seonghwa threatened them so they stopped.”
“They’ve known each other since they were teenagers?”
“Oh yeah” Yeosang grinned, “Sannie has old photos from when Yunho and them were all going through their rebellious phases, it’s great.”
“Yunho had a rebellious phase?” The Yunho who followed Hongjoong's orders to a T? The one who if you joked about having him drive you home, would be there an hour early to make sure you were ok? The same Yunho?
“I can show you the pictures if you want!” Yeosang put his hands in his pockets as he stood up, “Just after we get you re-re-fixed up.”