Hunted

There was something oddly comforting about the place. Maybe it was all the testosterone, or maybe the laid-back atmosphere surrounding those guys. Of course it could have also been Kyun's friendly attitude that put Julian at ease. It had been a long day with work, the soccer game, and the mess in his apartment - it had left him so worn out - but he was in a good mood anyway. Not to mention envious. He'd have loved to live with a group of friends like that!

Takuya had gone into another room and Luo had just come out of the bathroom wearing some sort of martial arts outfit. Somehow Julian had ended up on the couch with the friendly Kyun. It was much easier to relax on the couch, and he was very happy about that. The night was good, and all he had left to be worried about was when it ended he'd have to go back home. Then again, that was the part he hated of every day.

He sighed lightly and leaned back, gazing idly around the room before letting his attention land on the ceiling. Maybe there'd be an ice cream place he could stop by before he went home. Would there be any open at night? Thoughtfully, he glanced at Kyun and tilted his head. "It's quiet now."

The apartment door went shut behind the spiky-haired youngster as his companion in the couch brought a hand up to graze his cheek. "Yeah... listen, I wanted to ask you something." Kyun hesitated a little, then appeared to come to a decision. "We can't let Rick get away with that shit, right? Do you mind if I tell the others about it?"

"Tell them?" Julian's brow furrowed in confusion. He couldn't imagine what those guys would do about it or if they would even be bothered with someone else's issues. He considered saying no, but the other man's concern was enough of a reason to go along with it. "Alright, you can tell them, if you think it's a good idea. I'm not exactly excited about seeing him get off scot-free."

Kyun smiled, then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. As he turned over to their third companion - the bigger, messy-haired fellow - he was raising his voice; perhaps just in case the guy's head leant back meant he had fallen asleep. "Hey, Choi, listen up!"

As soon as the guy leant over, resting an elbow on the table, Kyun continued. "Remember that dick from the bowling and basket yesterday? He went and trashed Julian's place! He doesn't get to do that!"

Choi's smirk widened momentarily, and he blinked for a few times. When it was obvious nothing more would be said, he spoke thoughtfully. "Back up to the beginning. What did he do, and how do we know it's him?"

That was a hard question to answer. Julian hesitated before speaking up. "Well, I don't really know that it was him. But I can't think of anyone else who would break into my apartment without taking anything. He's the most obvious choice after what happened yesterday. He's made it obvious that he thinks I'm to blame for losing that grand."

As the purple-haired guy felt an arm wrap more tightly around him, he saw the larger Korean lean forward and fold his hands. Choi gave him a reassuring nod, then appeared to consider things for a bit. "So what do you know about him? Where do we find him?"

He glanced at Kyun briefly before looking back to Choi. "Well I know where he works. I go there every single day, but I don't know him very well... Have never really paid much attention to him, so I don't know much else." He sighed and absently ran a hand over Kyun's arm.

Choi leant back again, gazing at the wall for a bit. When his gaze returned to the couple in the couch, he shrugged lightly. "I guess we should pay him a visit. Maybe we'll catch him there, or maybe we can figure out where he lives."

"Really? You'd do that?" He had thought it was hopeless, but hearing that they'd even so much as consider trying was enough to make him very happy. If he was any closer to the recliner, he'd have hugged Choi, but figured it probably wouldn't be very appreciated. "I'm really sorry for involving you in this. I know I shouldn't burden other people with it, but... thanks." Julian flashed a bright smile and brought his arms around Kyun in a firm hug, adding a quick kiss on the cheek for good measure.

Resting both hands on Julian's shoulders, the Korean looked him in the eyes. "It's not your problem," he said with weight, "it's our problem. We were three people playing that basket game, and just because he chooses to go after you, doesn't mean you're on your own."

He turned towards the other Korean. "You don't mind an extra person sleeping in here, do you?" With a smile, Choi confirmed rather quickly that he didn't, and Kyun shifted his attention back to Julian. "You can sleep here tonight if you want. We've got spare mattresses, and if I recall correctly, Choi doesn't snore."

Didn't expect that, but maybe he should have. Kyun struck him as a fairly considerate man. He couldn't help but smile at both the statement that he wasn't on his own, and the offer of a safe place to sleep. Looked like the ice cream would have to wait until morning, but he was happy about that. "Are you sure the others wouldn't mind? That'd be great anyway." He glanced at Choi and smiled sheepishly. "You guys are unbelievable."

"The others?" The smaller Korean shrugged and returned his smile. "You'd sleep out here with Choi, so Takuya and Kiyoshi can just fuck off. It's ultimately Luo's call, but you can leave him to me!"

---

"Luo..."

They had gone to bed a while ago, but Kyun couldn't sleep that easily. He had just spotted the spiky-haired youngster scratching his leg, and concluded that he wasn't asleep either, so he took the opportunity to talk.

With a little groan, Luo rolled over to face him. It was strange, really. He was sure that if he really wanted to, he could talk himself into sex, right there. Even though it had been several months since last time. But of course, he didn't want that, even if that naked, Korean body next to him was more than attractive. Kyun had simply had quite an overload of being on the bottom, and nowadays the mere idea turned him off. Besides, Julian might not fancy the idea of sharing as much as the gang had back in Korea.

Still, there was a stronger feeling of safety around the guy than anybody else. He might be the least skilled of the three martial artist friends, but that was like saying the Indian Ocean was the smallest of the world oceans. It would be true, but it didn't mean the Indian Ocean was small by any stretch of the word. Perhaps it was the fact that they had slept together countless times, or perhaps it was that Luo was someone he could understand, unlike the other two. He trusted all three of them, no doubt, but still... now that two of the three were travelling, he couldn't help but feel grateful that his spiky-haired friend was the one left behind.

"What are we going to do?"

Kyun saw his question confuse Luo for a couple of seconds, then the other youngster seemed to understand what he meant. After seeming to think for a bit, the taller Korean sighed and attempted a shrug. "We'll head over to where that Rick guy is working tomorrow, right? Thought that was what we agreed."

With a sigh, the smaller Korean nodded. Well, there was no point in beating around the bush. "I didn't mean about Julian; I meant about Kiyoshi."

Again, hesitation. There was a slight annoyance to be spotted, but it disappeared soon, and it was easy to forgive. Who wanted to be cross-examined when they were trying to sleep? When Luo finally spoke, his voice was calm. "We agreed to stick together, for safety's sake. I'll go with him to the arcade if he wants to go."

"Sounds good..." It was really nice of Luo to offer to do that; Kyun knew he hated those places with a passion. Probably too crowded, too noisy or a combination of the two; he had never bothered to ask. Still, nice or not, it was not enough. "We have to get back at that guy, Luo. I don't want Kiyoshi beaten up again..."

After sighing, the spiky-haired Korean shook his head and gestured with his hand. "We don't know his name, we don't know where he lives, we don't know where he'll go. What do you suggest we do?"

Perhaps a prompt he should have expected, but he didn't have an answer. "We've got to do something!" Kyun demanded, almost childishly stubborn.

Luo immediately raised his voice and rammed his eyes into his. "Yeah? Like, beat up someone random that he'll hear about, real badly? That would work. He'd be much less inclined to bother us after that. But you know what? That would make us them."

That was not what Kyun meant, and he knew Luo knew that as well. Nevertheless, he didn't have a comeback. His demand of action was unreasonable; what could they do? In the frustration, he took comfort in the fact that Luo wouldn't do what he just said. So without thinking, his hand delved up to brush over his taller friend's side, and he smiled weakly. "I know." He paused for a bit, then added, "we'll think of something else."

It was going to be a long night.

~~~~~

This is a collab, written together with Chlover. You can find her author profile here: http://original.adult-fanfiction.org/authors.php?no=26260