ℙ𝕃𝔸𝕐 𝔽𝕆ℝ 𝕃𝔸𝕌𝔾ℍ𝕊 ✔ ¨°ʰʸᵘⁿʰᵒ°¨

¨°thirty-five°¨

On Sunday they decide to leave in the early afternoon because they both have work to do the following Monday, and sadly that is what adult life is all about; even if they enjoy the breather in the countryside they desperately needed, their life in Seoul can't be put on hold.

Minho visits his grandmother alone before leaving and promises her to video call regularly and visit her again in two weeks.

And she promises him to stay alive as long as Minho brings her second favorite grandson along on the next visit. He scolds her at her use of wording, but can't help but feel the fluttering of butterfly wings tickle his inside.

The artist watches, while he waits in the car, the brunet saying his goodbyes to his parents. His mother gives him a firm hug on the doorstep, kissing the top of his head. And his father embraces him with one arm and a pat on the back. Minho waves a last time at them and then walks to the car.

He slips into the car. The door shuts. A soft click of his safety belt. The engine starts and the tires roll backward over the graveled driveway. One last wave from both of them and the car speeds off.

When they hit the highway, Hyunjin glances at Minho who is focused on the traffic. His brown hair is kept unstyled, letting his silky curtain bangs frame the side of his face. The artist admires the natural beauty and can't help but touch the oldest's hair.

"It's getting long," he states, fingering through the long lock.

"Hm? Do I need to cut it?" Knowing Minho, he will do it in a heartbeat if Hyunjin says "yes", and that makes the blond all tingly.

"A-ni." He lovingly strokes the lock to the side so he can see the dancer's eyes properly. "You look very handsome like this, don't cut it."

"Handsome, huh?" Minho gives a sneaky glance and captures the artist with his beautiful warm, brown eyes. They gleam with mischief. "Can you handle so much handsomeness from your hyung?"

"Oh, shut up!" Hyunjin laughs and hits the driver on the upper arm. "I think I can handle you perfectly well."

"Is that so?" Another quick look away from the road, eyes darkened. Hyunjjn gulps at the sudden change, feeling the heat gather to the tips of his ears, and looks away to stare through the side window.

"Hyung?" He hears a hum. "I got a call yesterday from the police department."

"What? Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because we were with your grandmother and you had already enough on your plate." The car window fogs with Hyunjin's warm breath. With his pinkie, he draws a little heart.

"There is no bad time to talk to me. -Hey, look at me." A hand travels over his thigh and gets squeezed. Hyunjin gives in and turns his head to Minho. The expression on the eldest his face is serious. "You can always talk to me, no matter what. Okay?" There is a soft nod. "Good. So what did they say?"

"He's released."

The dancer's hands on the steering wheel turn white-knuckled.

"They can't keep him there forever, not with lack of proof. So they asked me if want to file a restraining order."

"Well that's good, right?"

"Yeah, guess so. It's just... I need to take it to court, show proof, have witnesses, and that can take up months. I'm not sure if I want to go through all that. He'll probably just leave me alone, right?"

Silence fills the car. Dusk blankets the highway, triggering the streetlights to flip on. It catches Hyunjin's attention, flicking his eyes along with each passing flaring light.