i'm your a to z | jihancheol

even past gang members need a hug sometimes

chapter 27

The second the question was asked, the regret settled in upon noticing the looks on the others' faces. Jeonghan's in fear, Seungcheol's in anger, his friend's in confusion, Hayoung's in panic. The American wished he could take back the question.

The tension between them all was making everyone uncomfortable but no one dared to break the silence. It must've only been a few seconds but to Joshua, it felt as if it had been minutes. Anxious thoughts ran through his head but the loudest asked if Seungcheol hated him now, if he hadn't before?

"Mind repeating your question?" Seungcheol's friend asked in a calm voice, which was when Joshua noticed he was right in front of him.

Before he could refuse, Seungcheol stepped between the two with his back facing the American.

"Joshua here had a misunderstanding," he began to explain. The younger had to admit he was surprised Seungcheol hadn't snapped, but also proud in a way. "Can we talk?"

His friend stayed quiet for a moment before nodding.

"With Hayoung too," Seungcheol added, causing the female to emit a squeak-like sound. "Joshua and Jeonghan, you two can go home."

"But-" The American began to protest but a stern look from the elder shut him up. He nodded and reached for his best friend's hand. "Let's go, Han."

"You think he'll be okay?" Jeonghan asked once they'd reached the house. Their walk had been mostly silent, despite the occasional comment from either boy pointing out something they'd noticed, such as a fluffy dog or a unique bird.

Joshua thought about the question, wondering the same. There was a possibility Seungcheol would do something rash and get himself into a bad situation. Had it happened a few days ago, that's what Joshua would have concluded to believing. But there was something different about the male today. He was calmer and more rational. Was he trying to get better? The thought shouldn't have affected Jisoo as much as it did but he was filled with happiness,, as well as a sense of pride.

"He'll be alright," the younger male finally responded, not a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "I trust him."

"I'll take your word on that."

"Yeah. Anyways, what do you wanna do?"

"I don't know," Jeonghan answered but hesitated. "Actually, let's watch a movie."

"Sure, you choose."

As the two were finishing the movie, 'Your Name,' a text message notification had rung from Joshua's phone. While running his hand through his crying friend's blond hair, he picked his phone up to check who it was.

Seungcheol: open the door, I'm almost there

Joshua informed Jeonghan, who seemed to have finally been calming down from the movie, as he stood up to walk down to the front door. The American hadn't even realized he was holding his breath when he was opening the door. One couldn't blame him; he was anxious to know how it had gone.

"Hi," Seungcheol greeted with a half-smile. The younger almost sighed in relief upon noticing he looked alright─not that he was expecting bruises or an angry look or anything of the sort.

"Hey," Joshua responded as the other walked in, hesitating before asking the question he was very curious about. "How'd it go?"

"What do you mean?" the man asked with a raise of his eyebrow. But before he could get an answer, he seemed to have understood. "I explained things to Jonghyun and he was a surprisingly understanding man."

"You didn't do anything... rash, did you?" he asked quietly, not knowing if it would make Seungcheol upset but his anticipation took over his logic.

"Actually, no, we just talked and-" he was cut off by a hug from the American.

"Good job, I'm proud of you." At this point, he was no longer thinking about what he said like he usually would, but rather let his mouth run on its own.

"Really?" Seungcheol asked in a soft voice, putting an arm around the younger.

"Yes, really, I'm very proud of you," he confirmed as he pulled back. "I don't lie."

"I know you don't but it's just..." his voice began to trail off and he looked down. "Just surprising, that's all."

Joshua nodded in understanding and let the other go, walking back up to Jeonghan's room. Things were finally getting better slowly. Slowly but there was something.

Jeonghan fell asleep quickly, as he usually did, leaving the younger man to wander the house by himself. He didn't feel like sleeping just yet, wanting to do anything but that. Deciding to check up on Seungcheol, he stood in front of the door of his room and knocked.

"Who is it?" the man asked from the inside, surprisingly not asleep.

"Joshua," he answered and waited.

"You can come in if you want."

The American opened the door and walked in to see Seungcheol sitting on his bed with his laptop. Joshua couldn't see his legs that were covered with a blanket but he'd noticed the man had changed into a white t-shirt which made the muscles in his arms more visible. Curse those arms.

"Do you mind if I ask about what happened with Hayoung and... Jonghyun, was it?" Joshua asked hesitantly.

The elder looked up from the screen and shook his head.

"Not at all," he spoke, putting his laptop on the bedside table. "Though I don't know what there is to ask."

"Just... how'd it end up?"

"I probably ruined their relationship," he answered with a shrug.

"Oh. Well, I mean, wasn't it technically Hayoung who-" the American cut himself off and shook his head. "I hope it didn't hurt anything you had with Jonghyun though."

"Probably did," Seungcheol chuckled and stared at the younger. "I don't care though. Is that all?"

Joshua nodded and turned to walk out of the room but was stopped by the elder calling out his name.

"Hey, Joshua," he began in a quieter tone. "Do you mind if I asked you to... to stay? As in here in my room for the night. Not that you have to, it's just sort of hard to sleep now and I read that if there's someone else-"

"Of course," the American answered, smiling as he sat down besides Seungcheol. He found the other's nervousness amusing but cute, never having seen this side. Seungcheol was just full of surprises today. "Lie down."

The elder complied, Joshua following after. It was a bit awkward at first, seeing Seungcheol didn't know where to look or put his arms but the American only laughed it off as he guided his arms over his waist. Assuring the elder that he wasn't uncomfortable, he hummed lightly as he ran his hands through Seungcheol's hair since he'd always loved playing with hair. It wasn't silky the way Jeonghan's was but felt nice in its own way.

He hadn't even realized that the feeling had lulled Seungcheol to sleep.

"Adorable," he muttered to himself when the elder buried his face in Joshua's chest. He really wasn't so bad, just a huge softie with a 'bad guy' front. But sometimes even former gang leaders needed a hug. The American continued playing with the other's hair for a long while before falling asleep himself.