Winter Hearts

Confession Under Duress

Hongbin watched Leo's step falter ever so slightly as he came forward. He did a quick double take between Panos and Siana, then remembered himself and shook Panos' outstretched hand.

"Cousins?" he asked Panos.

"Unfortunately. That idiot is Yanni," Panos said, indicating Siana's still-whooping partner, " And this idiot is Dimitri," he said, indicating his game partner, who had come up with the ball.

Hongbin smiled as he hear Leo let out a sigh, smiling and shaking hands with the two of them.

"Unfortunately?" Hongbin asked. Panos smiled, looking at Siana over his shoulder.

"The amount of work I have to do keeping that monkey out of trouble is tiresome," he muttered, shaking his head. Leo looked over at Siana, who was eyeing them suspiciously.

She shouted something in Greek to Panos. Panos exaggeratedly nodded his head. "Nai, nai, katalava!" He answered sarcastically.

Hongbin's ears perked up. "Ne?"

Panos turned back to him. "Yes. It means yes. Katalava means I understood. LOUD AND CLEAR," he said finally, for the benefit of Siana. He turned back to Hongbin, a sheepish look in his eye.

"She wants me to shut up so she can finish teaching me the true taste of defeat. Excuse me, gentlemen," Panos turned to go back to the game.

Hongbin and Leo sat on a bench to watch that scenario unfold.

"They say yes the same way we do, hyung." Leo looked at Hongbin sideways, his eyes daggers.

"Really? That is almost as interesting as the fact that you knew Panos was Siana's cousin all this time."

Hongbin feigned ignorance.

"Oh? Is there a reason I am not aware of as to why that matters so much, hyung?" Hongbin looked innocently into Leo's eyes, and could see that Leo was trying to figure just how much Hongbin knew what was going on with him. There was an internal struggle, he could tell.

Finally, he saw Leo relax a little.

"No, I just thought he was her boyfriend. When I said that earlier you didn't correct me." Leo looked accusingly at Hongbin, who sidestepped with a tactical distraction.

"Why did you think that he was her boyfriend?"

"I saw them hugging when we passed them at the school yesterday, so I thought-"

"Oooooh this explains everything!" Hongbin whistled and shook his head.

"Everything? I haven't told you anything."

"Hyung, you have been walking around with a personal dark cloud over your head. It's as if Debut Hyung was back again. Any other "secrets" you have to share? Because you seem to bear a grudge against our poor Siana over there."

"A grudge? No, not at all!" Leo glanced over at Siana with a frown on his face. Hongbin gently tapped his finger on Leo's eyebrow. Leo smacked his hand away.

"There. That. If she saw you now, she would think she was offending you somehow, just playing basketball and minding her own business with her own family."

Leo schooled his features, looking away and gripping his hands. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

"You did see her in the studio, didn't you?"

Leo nodded, laughing quietly to himself in embarrassment.

"N and Hyuk saw too, I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"