I Can Be Happy (JongKey/OnKey)

Then Wipe Away Your Red Hands

Working the register had to be Kibum's least favorite job, he kept his head down and only looked at his customers if he absolutely had too. Jonghyun was working the register in front of him and Minho was walking around helping customers. None of them could wait until the day was over as they had the next few days off, and today seemed to drag by.

Kibum started to ring a couple up and familiar voices mumbled to each other in front of him. He became shaky, but he didn't stop, scanning each item until they were all bagged.

"You bastard" Kibum's father spat and Kibum looked up, "Are you happy with yourself?"

"Excuse me?" Kibum asked timidly, confusion on his face.

"You left home and never called us" He replied, "But here you are, normal and happy while we've been worried you were still..." He paused before finishing, looking as if the last word pained him to say, "Gay"

"I am" Kibum told him, fear behind the faux confidence in his voice, ignoring his false accusation of him running away.

"You are what?" He challenged.

"I am still gay" Kibum answered, keeping eye contact.

His mother muttered and "Oh God" when she heard him, and grabbed her chest as if it physically hurt her.

"Oh, you really want me to die don't you?" She asked and Jonghyun turned around from the next aisle.

"No ma'am" Kibum replied, eyes looking down at the scanner.

"Then come back home and be normal" His mother plead and Kibum took in a breath.

"I can't" Kibum replied, "I can't be normal"

"This bastard, how can you treat your mother like that?!" His father was close to yelling and Kibum was scared.

Jonghyun alerted Minho to come to Kibum's aisle and he slowly made his way there as well.

"Ya! Look her in the eyes, look what you've done to her!" He yelled, and when Kibum refused to look up his hand forced him.

That's when Kibum saw Jonghyun and he began to panic. What is he got hurt? What if he got fired? He then looked at his mother, she was crying as if her son was fatally ill.

"Excuse me, ma'am, sir, what's going on here?" Jonghyun's voice came into earshot and Kibum's father let go of his face.

"Personal business, now go back to your station" Kibum's father replied, but Jonghyun didn't move.

"I'm sure whatever is going on can be peacefully resolved and no one will have to put their hands on one another" Jonghyun said and let out a sigh of relief when he saw Minho walking up, "Just civil conversation"

"It was just talking until this bastard made his mother cry" Kibum was pulled over the counter by his shirt and both him and Jonghyun were overcome with fear.

"Sir, please let go of him, this is not permitted in this store" Jonghyun's voice was frantic as Minho was almost running over to them.

"Is this why you can't be normal, is this your little boyfriend or somthing?" He then spat in Kibum's face and he flinched.

"Sir, I am just a coworker of his, now let him go" Jonghyun told him.

"Sir, I am going to have to ask you to let go of him and leave" Minho said sternly and Kibum looked as if he was going to cry.

"Oh, so you like your boys masculine Kibummie? Is that what he calls you?" He asked angrily, eyes on Jonghyun.

"Minho, Jonghyun, just leave. I don't want you two to get fired because of me" Kibum finally spoke.

"Or, you could just leave with us and kiss your boyfriend goodbye" he offered and nodded his head at towards Jonghyun.

"It's either you leave forcefully or peacefully, but Kibum is staying here" Minho's voice was stern, but it didn't phase the man.

"This is my son-"

"And he's twenty-two and can make his own decisions" Minho interrupted.

"You think you can talk back to me? What makes you so high and mighty? Are you... Actually Kibum's boyfriend?" He asked and waited patiently for a response.

"Yes" Minho answered and Kibum's eyes widened in fear.

His father threw Kibum back, knocking him to the floor and Minho rushed to the counter. Kibum's father wrapped his arm around his wife and began to walk out.

"Useless faggots" He muttered and spat on the floor.

The through knocked the wind out of Kibum and he was unresponsive as he regained his breath.

Minho helped him up as Jonghyun came back from making sure the couple had left.

"Are you alright?" Jonghyun asked.

"I... I thought he was going to hurt one of you, why did you say that!?" Kibum asked, his voice a mixture of confusion and anger.

"I knew if I said yes he'd let go of you" Minho answered.

"He could've gone after you though" Kibum told him.

"I could've handled him" Minho replied, "It's over now, so don't worry about it"

"So wait, are you two...?" Jonghyun began.

"No" They both answered in unison and Jonghyun gave them a questioning look.

"I just said that to save his ass" Minho told him, "Why didn't you say anything, that isn't like you"

"I didn't want to say the wrong thing and get one of you hurt" Kibum answered.

The store gave them each a strike for not just calling security instead and Minho was furious at that. He didn't believe it was right for them to get in trouble for a fight the customer started. Minho walked out on the job that day and began working elsewhere while Jonghyun and Kibum stayed.

The situation strengthened Kibum and Minho's relationship and left Jonghyun questioning Minho's sexuality.