Kissing the Demon (Seoksoo)

Seokmin

I pulled back from Joshua, a confused smile on my face. I was buzzing from the high of having him in my arms, the security of knowing I hadn't fucked it up completely, so maybe I'd misheard him. "What do you mean?"

He gave me a tight smile, his eyes flicking to the quartet before returning to me. Thank god for Vernon. Without him and Seungkwan, I'd never have been able to pull any of this off. And I hadn't even had a chance to show him the business plan we'd spent the afternoon slaving over. Not that I wanted Joshua's investment...but since that was what had started this whole mess, I couldn't think of a better way to show him that I trusted us in the long-term. That could wait until Shua had said whatever he wanted to get off his chest.

"Can we sit?"

He turned without waiting for me to agree, bustling over to the table and sitting on the edge of his seat. He chewed at the side of his thumbnail, the action taking me back to the way he'd looked on my sofa last night while he waited for me to break his heart. Whatever he was about to tell me, he was terrified it would send me running again.

The realisation hit me square in the gut, and I knew I needed to reassure him. Instead of taking my seat across the table from him, I dragged the chair around until it was next to Joshua. Setting it opposite him, I sat down and widened my legs. Reaching between Joshua's legs, I grabbed the bottom of his chair and yanked him forward until he was situated between my thighs. Taking both his hands in mine, I rubbed gently over the bit of skin he'd been abusing. "Whatever you're about to tell me, I promise I'm not going to freak out."

He grimaced. "Maybe hold on to that thought until you've heard it."

I winced. I deserved this. I really did. After what I'd put him through, what did I expect? "I promise, Shua. Even if it freaks me out, I'm not going to run. Is this about your...'family business'?"

He nodded, and I decided it was probably best to yank the plaster off. "Shua, you don't need to worry. I mean, I already know what you guys do probably isn't...legal."

His eyes flicked to mine. "And you'd be okay with that?"

I gave a half-shrug. "I mean, it's not what I would pick for something for you to be involved with, but I'm not going to sit here and judge."

Joshua's tilted his head to the side. "Why wouldn't you pick it for me? Because you think we do bad things?"

I shook my head. "No, that's not it at all. I know you guys had something to do with Joe's disappearance. Given that Seungkwan can now sleep soundly at night knowing he's not coming for him, that's not something I'm going to be upset about. I wouldn't pick it because I worry about you. Whatever you're involved in, I'm scared you're going to get caught or hurt."

His lips twitched, and I could've sworn he was fighting a smile. "Oh, hun, trust me. That's not something you need to worry about."

I lifted a hand to cup his delicate facial structure. "How can you be so sure?"

He hummed, leaning briefly into my touch. "Let me guess. You think we are involved in the Mafia or a gang?"

"That's what I was assuming. Am I wrong?"

"Very," he said before turning to press a kiss against my palm. "We are so much worse."

I held his gaze. "I refuse to believe anything negative about you. That's not who you are."

He pushed his chair back, his face turning to stone. "Hold on to that thought and remember I love you."

"Okay," I said slowly, my brow furrowing. "What are you doing?"

He gave me a wobbly smile, lifting his shaking hands in front of him.

"Showing you who I really am."

Two things happened simultaneously, making me rub my eyes in disbelief. No. There was no fucking way. I had to be imagining things.