"Haru?"
Jin utters the familiar name between his lips, and he's as surprised as anybody would when the syllables of Haru's name roll on his tongue with so much ease.
It nearly sounds like Hiro's name. He thought so.
Trembling little Haru unhurriedly nods his head at him albeit he appears like he's truthfully close to crying.
His wet amber brown pupils shook in panic as he turned his head and glanced behind him, seemingly petrified of the approaching woman and the growling cougar in front of him.
Jin's lips thinned to an awkward straight line as his curious eyes followed Haru's gaze with the wind softly brushing through the strands of his hair and lashes.
He blinks, and the corners of his eyes widen to meet the woman's worried gaze.
She flashes him a nervous smile plastered on her youthful face, and Jin can sense her uneasy and anxious heart from there.
Is she Haru's mother?
Jin once again brought his gaze down to Haru, "Can you understand me?" he asks him in Korean.
And he hoped Haru would because he's neither confident in speaking English nor Japanese.
Haru breathes heavily and shoves the side of his face shyly to the back of his hand and meekly nod his head, giving him the answer he needed to confirm his question.
Oh my.
Jin's lips quavered at such warming gesture.
Seconds ago, he was anxious as his heart had denied accepting the premature change of fate in his lifestyle. He never considered more comforted by that fear he had until now when he realized it wouldn't be just Hiro and his mother he could rely on and talk to now.
It seems he made another friend.
Jin twisted and turned his wrist so that his cold open palm was now touching Haru's face.
With that, he cupped his face and secretly gave Haru's unbelievably smooth cheek a soft caress, rubbing and feeling its plumpness against his fingertips. "I'm cold, aren't I?"
Haru shakes his head politely, and to Jin's surprise, he turns to fully submerge his face to his touch.
Jin could feel his moist breath hitting his palm as he listened to his mumbles.
"Mou sokushi . . ." (a little more . . . )
Jin bites his lips when his urge to laugh almost broke his self-control because the comparison he sees between Haru and Hiro is undoubtedly alike.
He darts his amused gaze back at Hiro, whose brows are now upsettingly furrowed, and the crumpled skin between his thickened brows was evident, paired with the worrying visible frown on his face.
His expression screamed negligence. He was nowhere near looking stern and lifeless upon reaching adulthood.
He can't believe he's sulking.
The woman approaches them, and only then Haru had no choice but to release Jin's hand, one finger after the other. He was crying.
"Haru, haven't I told you to wait patiently inside the house?"
The woman picks Haru up in her arms when his crying continues.
"Shine taku nai . . . "
Haru sobs and wails on the woman's shoulders and Jin's heart was torn to little pieces.
"S-Shine taku nai!" (I-I don't want to die)
Haru kept repeatedly saying, his little crumpled fist rubbing his eyes relentlessly as his tears and sobs only worsened.
"You should have never left mommy's side."
Haru's mother looks dejectedly distressed as his same amber eyes hesitantly glance up at Hiro whose coldness was palpable by ten radii far before she soothes her child to the side.
Drowned in guilt and sympathy, Jin turns his head sideways to glare at the culprit to blame, and he can't help but run his cold palms across his face when Hiro purposely looks away from his gaze with not even a single remorse seen in sight but the secretive smirk on his lips.
This naughty man . . .
"Why don't you guys come in and have tea?"
Haru's mother beams apologetically at them when Haru's crying seems to not stop.
Jin was supposed to convey his comforting words to Haru when Hiro purposely meddled.
"Gladly," Replied Hiro, stiff and short without looking, and was in a hurry to walk his way inside the house, leaving everyone mummed behind them.
Haru who saw their distance from afar wailed even more as he missed his chances to play with the pretty fairy he was anticipating playing with.
"Hiro wait . . ." Jin looks behind them, a bit nervous. He could still see his flustered mother giving aid to soothe Haru down.
Hiro who caught on his hesitant voice stopped on his next step to look at him attentively.
Shuddering under his fierce gaze just a few inches away, Jin's lips parted.
"What's wrong?" Whispers Hiro calmly. His hand slipped, lay flatly pressed on his nape, and pushed his head gently to his hard but comfortable shoulder.
Mummed by his majestic kindness despite solely witnessing his unacceptable wickedness, Jin was at a loss for words as he rested his cheek against Hiro's collar as they continued to travel.
"Haru looked like a nice kid."
Jin murmurs to him, his voice soft and making it look like he wasn't taking anyone's side but just simply being observant.
But Hiro abruptly ceased breathing upon hearing his retort. His big and long strides had forcibly slowed down. Even his newly waxed hair tended in the vehicle could discern the burning frustration emitting darkly inside him.
Nice?
". . ."
'He was adorable too,' is what Jin wanted to add, but just kept the praise to himself. Still perfectly visualizing two big amber eyes gazing up at him with pouted rosy lips that drove him to remember how velvety Haru's skin was against his touch.
He can't help but smile, unknowingly seeing Hiro's younger self in Haru.
Well, the current grumpy him now didn't make much of a difference either.
He presses his fingers to his own lips, covering his mouth as he chuckles at his own private joke, unconsciously alarming and dampening the mood of the sulking and neglected cougar beside him.
"I'm nicer than him," Hiro blabbers to the air, not hoping anyone to hear his truthful and genuine claim as his deadpanned face grew worst.
Unbeknownst, the corner of his brow had arched in a stern curve, upset by what his little sprout is thinking.
When they reach inside and move past through the doors, Jin's typical inquisitive eyes scan and study the new surrounding he's yet to try forcefully plunge inside his head while breathing in the painful extravagance in his lungs.
The entire area was devoid and empty, surprisingly too spacious and quiet.
The void silence was deafening.
He could hear the heels of Hiro's oxford shoes clattering against the floor and the steady sound of resting engines outside.
But that eerie and straining silence soon vanished when they entered through the last doorless room across the west hallway, where all the boisterous sounds of different laughter exploded into his ears.
His tense shoulders rise. He pales, and the worst nightmare he had yet to expect coming had hunted him down now unwittingly.
With Hiro's steps stopping a block away from the wide entry, he just wished he could be anywhere in the deep cold sea than where he is now.
Upon sensing the familiar glum and grim aura spreading in the room, the entire lounge fell into deep stillness and silence.
Jin's heart shook, not once but twice per second.
Numerous heads who had stopped their deep discussions turned to look their way, specifically at him in his questionable state in Hiro's arms.
They were Hiro's relatives.
Author's Note:
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