Acceleration [Book 1]

39: Under Tables

"Here." Chan said, Felix held onto the glass with two hands, and downed the water with three chugs. Felix was somehow now slightly sober.

"Bang Chan you traitor!" Felix screamed, pointing a pale finger at his boyfriend, getting everyone's attention and startling Chan.

"Oh Felix, you really need to slow down on the drinking next time-"

"Silence!" Felix slurred, startling Chan to go quiet. The younger ones stifling giggles at their table as they watched. "You gave me tasteless beer! Shame on you for deceiving me, Bang Chan!"

Felix lunged at Chan with a guttural scream, a probable scream of war. Chan quickly held Felix off, then he looked over his shoulder to look at his friends.

"A little help, mates?"

Seungmin stood up and quick walked to Chan, only that the spectacled male didn't know that danger would be there when Gaho was a few inches away from him, a bunch of glasses in his arms. As Seungmin bumped into Gaho, glasses flew up, everyone were gasping and shrieking as if that were to stop the fragile objects to fall. But as if on fast forward, Gaho caught most of them, while Seungmin caught about three and Jakob had already caught the others. The three sighed in relief, glad that they wouldn't be doing some cleaning up.

Doyeon went to their aid to fetch the glasses and went out of the barn to have them washed.

Gaho was about to thank Jakob, but he was nowhere to be found, not until he saw Jacob heading to the door, past the stables and the pile of hay. Gaho followed Jakob, and just caught up to the younger male before he can make his way out of the barn.

"Hey," Gaho called, grabbing Jakob by the shoulder, "leaving so soon?"

Jakob looked over at him with an honest smile, and by honest, it wasn't a smile Gaho wanted to see, it hurt him to see Jakob like this.

"You seem to blend in with everyone else," Jakob said, his hand hovering over Gaho's hand that was on his shoulder, "anyone could tell you were added before me."

"Are you saying that-"

"I don't belong here?" Jakob looked away, embarrassed to show his face to Gaho, "Yeah, that's what I was implying."

Gaho held Jacob's hand, fingers laced, he looked Jacob in the eyes and with all the sincerity that he could muster, he smiled down at him.

"You do belong here."

That left Jakob off guard, he didn't know what to say. He looked at any direction except at Gaho, his face specifically. His eyes then were stuck on the barn's wooden floor.

"I would never want you to feel out of place, much more if you feel like you don't belong," Gaho said, trying to find Jakob's eyes, but they were avoiding him.

"I should leave." Jakob said, looking up at him, eyes masking his sad expression.

"Stay here." Gaho said, voice nearly a whisper.

The two stared at each other for so long, they couldn't hear anything around them, as if the music was blurred. Jakob now smiled at Gaho, no pain behind it, no masking, just a genuine smile.

Their moment was interrupted by the sound of a number of glasses shattering, Felix's shouting and collective gasps. Jakob instantly ran back into the barn and up to where the little party was held, Gaho was following close behind, both hand in hand.

"Okay, that's enough, Felix!" Hyunjin screamed, helping Chan lift Felix up by the legs while Chan lifted Felix by the underarms.

Doyeon was cleaning the glass with a broom and dust pan, while the others were helping Chan take Felix out of the barn, of course, all struggling, because Felix couldn't stay put.

Gaho patted Jakob's shoulder, the younger male fixating his attention onto Gaho.

"I guess we both could leave," Gaho said, and so they left the barn, away from the noise, away from the others, just the two of them under the stars and within the silence of the evening.

"So... why did you confess at that time again?" Jakob teased, and received a playful punch from Gaho.

"I told you, I'm a sucker at timing," Gaho half whined and laughed, "I've never done that before."

"But you've got guts, asking me out, almost making me lose control over the wheel." Jakob chuckled, grabbing Gaho's shirt by the collar.

"You gonna kiss me now, Master Kim?" Gaho teased, a smirk gracing his lips.

"I hate it when I'm called like that." Jakob rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"Hate being someone of luxury?" Gaho arched a brow at him.

"I hate being treated like I need assistance all of the time even when I can do them on my own." Jakob answered.

Gaho chuckled, about to kiss the younger male, but they heard something close by, something flying. They both looked up and found a drone, whirring and beeping right above them.

"A drone?" Jakob whispered under his breath, as it flew to one direction to another, the Gaho and Jacob followed it. It only whirred and beeped at its choppers were making a silent beating sound as it flew over them.

After minutes long of following the drone, the said flying device flew away, its whirring and beeping fading out as it went farther away from the area.

"We gotta tell Chan what happened," Jakob said, hurriedly walking back towards the house, just as they were about to open the door, they were met with Chan, now in a new shirt and smelling as if he just got out of the shower.

Chan noticed the worry etched in Gaho and Jakob's faces. He instantly crossed his arms over his broad chest and sent Jakob a look.

"What's wrong?" Chan queried.

"There was a drone going around the barn, and it seemed suspicious," Jakob answered, "it kept flying over the barn."

"Taeyong really is onto us." Sighed Chan as he dug his hand into his own hair.

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"How long was the drone hovering over the barn?" Jaehyun asked through the screen.

Shrugging, Gaho answered the latter, "For about fifteen minutes or so."

"It didn't cross the protective barrier, did it?" Jaehyun asked, the wrinkles between his eyebrows showing as he asked, his tone anxious.

Shaking his head a 'no', Jakob answered, "It didn't cross the barrier."

There was a long pause. Silence blanketing their atmosphere as Jaehyun thought deeply. Johnny wasn't beside him, because he was out to help Yugyeom with the last champagne, Jaehyun was left alone to think this through.

Jaehyun then looked up at the camera and leaned on his desk, "I'll tell this to Johnny later, see what we can do to get you out of there safely. Remember, stay in the protective barrier, not one foot or toe out of the barrier, understood?"

Chan and his two other companions nodded in return, the call then ended shortly after.

Chan sat back on the couch, he huffed as he looked up at the pear colored ceiling. Everything that happened, from the night of rebellion to this day, it all seemed like a nightmare that he couldn't wake up from. The blond noticed that his two other companions were giving him worried looks, so he chuckled and looked at the both of them.

"You two go ahead, I'll stay here," reassured Chan as he fixated his face up towards the ceiling. The two other males hesitated at first, however they left Chan alone with nothing and no one else, but his thoughts.

With all whatever Taeyong was planning. Chan didn't have a good feeling that all of them are going to survive.

》a/n《
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