Winter Hearts

Words To Say

"Hi," he murmured gently as he walked into the chilly sunshine. "You on the bus already?"

"Hi," he noticed her voice carried a note of anxiety.

"What is it?"

"My mum... she called because she saw a clip of us. It's- it's not the same one Hyuk had."

Leo stopped in his tracks.

"It's us at the Acropolis, when you took our picture. The video."

Leo sighed, seeing how things were going with a new clarity. Once one person felt free to do it, another did too.

"Don't worry about it, let people-"

"The things they are saying..." he heard her voice, and couldn't tell if she was worried, or angry.

"It's okay-"

"They're saying I hit you because you felt me up." He stopped, shocked.

In his past experience any trouble that might have sparked concerning him would have been something that had stirred up the ire of his fans, on his behalf, or on their behalf. He had always found his fans to be highly protective of his wellbeing, and he could get over his dislike for feeling like he owed an explanation for his behaviour - which would be a normal person's behaviour - when he knew that the impetus of their concern stemmed from their loyalty, intense and unwarranted though it may sometimes have been.

But this... this was an attack on his morals, his character. And although he didn't feel a panic about it, there was a leaden cognizance that this kind of accusation, if it blew out of proportion, if it wasn't handled properly, could be a blemish on his character for as long as anyone could remember it.

It wasn't just the kind of trouble a celebrity would not want, but any normal, every day person too.

He ran a shaky hand through his hair, a flicker of worry for the people back home who might have come across this before he did. He heard Hongbin's words about speaking to his parents echo in his head, and oddly, he felt grateful for Hongbin's thoughtfulness.

"I..." he had no words to say. He found her silence discomforting, although he knew she was waiting for his reaction. He could see a way forward, he knew how he should act, but somehow he hesitated, unsure of her quiet. He knew that posting his own video would clear up the situation, although the subsequent fallout could still happen, could still last longer than would be necessary, if anyone else with ill intent, or even just gossip-hungry fans and antis, could draw it out and look for more proof of his moral decrepitude.

She cleared her throat, and he snapped back to the present, kicking into an autopilot which regurgitated the actions he knew he had to take.

"You know I have to do something quickly. You need to be prepared. I don't know how things will go."

"What will you do?"

"What I should have done at the start. I should have done this from the start."

"You're scaring me now. What will you do?"

"Just... tell people the truth. I'm sorry I let myself get caught up in the worry of it all. I wish I hadn't let my head get the better of me. This would never have become an issue." He shook his head. He hated feeling this, thinking this.

If only. If only.

He heard her sigh.

"I was the reason you wouldn't earlier. And though I didn't ask you too, and though I didn't see the point of it then, now I realise I should have been scared out of my mind," she said quietly, and for some reason, her words comforted him. It was an acknowledgment that his fears then had some grounds to them, and that she was aware that he had made choices with her best interests in mind.