Taehyun followed Kittichai silently, only trailing behind him by a few feet. He silently followed him until he had sat down and spoke to himself. The artist went unnoticed until he walked down and sat on the lower stair in front of Kitt. He turned and gave Kitt a pat on the shoulder.
"You made the right choice Kitt, don't dwell on it." He tried to reassure Kittichai. Kittichai surprised him when he moved closer from behind and buried his face into Taehyun's shoulder, the action made his heart flutter a little.
"You know... I'm not very good at making decisions, especially when it comes to a person's well being. Who gave me the right to decide?" Kitt whispered into his shoulder.
"It wasn't about who gave you the right to decide what's best for other people, you have the right to decide what's best for you, and if another person's well being interferes with yours or even your friend's well being," he stated warmly. "I think you're right to choose to protect the people you care about before anyone else."
"You really think that?" Kitt asked softly and looked up at him.
"Yes, I admire that about you Kitt.. You're so selfless about everything. Not once have I seen you make a decision based on yourself, all the decisions you make revolve around the well being of everyone else." He looked at Kittichai and raised his hand, wanting to run his hand through Kitt's brown locks, but hesitated and put his hand back down. "Every decision you make depends on if it benefits everyone else. In the end you always make the right decision."
"Thank you." Kitt said, as he leaned his head back on Taehyun's shoulder.
He wasn't used to seeing Kittichai this vulnerable and simply let him sit like that for a few more minutes before Tae decided to stand up. He tousled Kitt's hair with a silly grin as the brunette gave him a puzzled look.
"Yah, why are you messing up my hair?" Kitt laughed and smiled up at the artist.
Instead of replying he simply held his hand out to Kittichai.
"It's about time we went back to the Penthouse, don't want to worry everyone.. Being gone so long and all that." He gave a boxy smile to reassure Kitt that everything would be alright. Kitt took his hand and was pulled to his feet. He pulled with a little too much force, causing Kitt to stumble into him. He couldn't support both of their weight and tripped backwards down the stairs. Luckily, Kitt had quick reflexes and was able to quickly gain a foothold while still holding onto his hand. Kitt pulled Tae's hand back towards him and steadied Taehyun before he could fully trip and fall. If he had fallen he knew he most likely would have injured himself, and with his luck it would've probably been something severe.
"Thanks Kittie, I probably would've needed crutches if you hadn't caught me." Taehyun half joked.
"You probably shouldn't try to pick people up anymore." Kittichai chuckled.
"When did I try to pick you up, huh? I pulled you up, there's a difference." Taehyun corrected as he tilted his head in confusion trying to make sense of Kitt's words.
Tae looked back at the brunette, in which Kitt gave a mischievous smile and winked before walking off towards the penthouse. Taehyun formed an 'O' with his lips as he realized what Kitt had been implying.
"Ya! I would never try to pick you up like that!" He whisper shouted as he jogged to catch up to Kitt.
Kittichai turned around just as Tae caught up to him, causing Taehyun to stop right in front of Kittichai. This caused the brunette to be uncomfortably close, so close that he could feel Kitt's breath on his face. Kitt's face was right there in front of him, so he couldn't stop himself when he scanned over his breathtaking features.
"Really? Never? Wouldn't even consider it kind of never?" Kitt asked while wearing a mischievous smile.
Taehyun's breath hitched in his throat, he couldn't tell if Kittichai was being serious or if he was just playing with him. His mind went blank as he tried to think of something more to say to the brunette.
"Uh... I..." He stuttered awkwardly causing Kitt to chuckle softly.
"I'm kidding with you, hyung." Kitt smiled sweetly as he turned and continued back towards the penthouse.
Taehyun stood dumbfounded in the same spot as a small blush crossed his face. "Never... Right?" He sighed as he held his hand over his rapid beating heart. He gathered his thoughts first before he followed after Kitt.
He must've taken longer to reach the penthouse than he had expected, because when he got there Kitt was already in a debate with the rest of the group.
"I don't think leaving is a good idea, Kitt." Jiwon stated.
"That vehicle might have some weapons. We can't just-" Kitt tried to speak.
"Why do we need military weapons?" Hanwoo asked sharply, cutting Kittichai off.
"To fight with, why else?" Kitt questioned Hanwoo, irritation becoming evident in his tone of voice.
"There is no need for us to go out there and raid a vehicle. We have everything we need in this building." Hanwoo stated calmly.
"And when we run out of food, then what?" Kitt challenged.
"It won't come to that, the authorities will take care of the issue before then." The pink haired detective responded.
"When?" Kitt scoffed.
"I don't know, I just know they won't abandon us." Hanwoo declared, but appeared to have a hard time believing it himself.
"It has been two weeks, Hanwoo-ssi, they haven't saved us yet." Kittichai stated as calmly as he could, but was visibly annoyed.
"I am aware of that Kittichai! My answer to going outside is still a no!" Hanwoo snapped.
"No? Why!? Give me one good reason why I can't go outside?" Kitt argued back.
"Because it's not-" Hanwoo began.
Taehyun couldn't remain silent any longer as he interrupted. "Last time I checked, the military is usually the last resort of the authorities... and correct me if I'm wrong, but military vehicles aren't naturally driven around towns or cities and left on the streets casually, right?". He paused before continuing. "Hanwoo-hyung, the military already came, they must've failed, which means the authorities failed, we appear to be on our own now." Taehyun stated factually to Hanwoo who remained silent.
"Can we now think about going to see what is in that vehicle?" Yeongsu questioned from the stairway. He looked like he just managed to drag himself out of bed because his dark green hair was sticking up in certain spots which made it seem as though he just woke up. It probably would've been something Taehyun would've laughed at if they were in a different situation.
"Yeongsu-hyung, you're even suggesting going to see what is in that vehicle? You think it is a good idea?" Hanwoo questioned.
"I don't see why it would be a bad idea." Yeongsu said nonchalantly and shrugged his shoulders.
"I won't allow it." Seojun entered the room. "You're willing to risk your lives to go out to that vehicle, that military vehicle that might have weapons on it?" Seojun chuckled humorlessly.
"Most military vehicles have some sort of weapons in them." Yeongsu stated.
"How do you know?" Seojun questioned.
"I already did my mandatory service, that's how." Yeongsu responded, seeming a bit annoyed. Taehyun was good at reading Yeongsu's emotions, especially since they were practically siblings and spent many years sharing the same bedroom.
"I don't approve of anyone going outside so just forget it." Hanwoo snapped.
"I mean we can't just stay here forever, we're going to have to leave eventually." Taehyun mumbled under his breath in annoyance.
"What was that?" Hanwoo asked irritatedly.
"Nothing." Taehyun lied.
"That's what I thought, after all you shouldn't even be a part of this conversation" Hanwoo remarked, "I mean you've practically been useless, you haven't even done anything for the group, you just follow Yeongsu or Kittichai around like a lost puppy." Hanwoo stepped closer causing Tae to shrink back due to feeling intimidated. "You sit back and relax just drawing all day, while everyone else takes care of you. You wouldn't even have to worry if you went out there, everyone else is basically your bodyguard. So why are you even in this conversation, when everyone knows that you aren't going to be the one going out there?" Hanwoo jabbed him in the shoulder harshly with his finger.
Tae looked down at his feet, embarrassed by what Hanwoo had said. He felt that the detective was right because he basically was useless. Clearly Hanwoo felt that he was nothing but a burden to the group. A tear fell from his eyes followed by a few more.
Taehyun sniffled softly as he tried to speak,"I- I'm sor.."
"Don't apologize Tae." Kitt interrupted him before he finished speaking and stepped forward, pushing Hanwoo away from Taehyun harshly. Kitt was now standing between him and the detective. Kitt turned to him and gave a small smile.
"He's righ...mpphh-" Taehyun began, but was silenced by Kitt's hand covering his mouth.
"No, he's not." Kittichai hushed him and turned to Hanwoo, "You need to back off. What gives you the right to decide whether he gets to be a part of the discussion or not? He is a part of this group and can participate in the decisions if he so chooses. And also just let me remind you who has done the most for this group so far, you know, since we are playing that card. The person who does the most is me, Hanwoo-ssi, I do the most. Does that give me the right to decide that you shouldn't be included in the discussion?" Kitt stated harshly.
"He would just be in the way if he went out there; there is no point in him being in the discussion when he doesn't even do anything inside the penthouse." Hanwoo argued back.
"You want to say that he doesn't do anything? Guess who found that military vehicle?" Kitt questioned in a challenging tone. Hanwoo, however, remained silent without answering. "I said guess." Kitt growled threateningly as the detective turned away stubbornly. "It was Taehyun-ssi!" Kitt shouted. "So don't you ever call someone useless again. Just because you don't see someone doing something doesn't mean they sit around doing nothing and if you think that they aren't doing enough how about try asking why they aren't helping. Maybe they don't know how to be of help, has that thought ever crossed your mind?"
"Kitt-ssi..." Tae grabbed Kitt by the wrist and pulled him slightly to get his attention.
Kittichai turned to the artist and questioned him in a gentle tone, "What is it?" The tone was the complete opposite of how he spoke to Hanwoo.
"Just let it go, it's okay... I'm used to it." He gave a half smile trying to reassure Kitt that it was fine.
"No, I won't just let it go. Being used to it doesn't make it hurt any less." Kitt responded softly.
Taehyun looked at Kitt surprised as the brunette turned back to Hanwoo. Having someone defend him was something foreign to him. He was used to being called useless and being compared to others. When he said it was okay everyone always believed him and continued to say those things carelessly, disregarding the thought that it might actually hurt him. So having the brunette defend him and say that it wasn't okay was completely new to him.
"You owe Taehyun an apology." Kitt demanded.
"I won't apologize." Hanwoo gave Kittichai the cold shoulder.
"Stop being a child. Instead of throwing a fit, next time how about you start by teaching everyone how they can be of use to the group. After all, who can teach them how to protect themselves better than a detective? So try to see that you are at fault as well, we are simple civilians with no combat training. How do you expect us to get better without a bit of guidance?" Kitt stated coldly before grabbing Taehyun by the arm and leading him out of the room away from Hanwoo who had gone silent.
"Kittichai." Taehyun said as he pulled his arm from the brunette's grip.
"What?" Kitt snapped as he turned towards Taehyun. His expression visibly softened as his eyes landed on Taehyun's saddened face. "What's wrong?" Kitt asked gently this time.
"I've never been told that before." Taehyun mumbled.
"Told what?" Kitt questioned.
"That just because I'm used to it doesn't make it hurt any less." Taehyun responded quietly as he sat down on the nearby couch. "It made me happy." He muttered softly as he covered his face with his hands.
"It's because I know certain things will always hurt no matter how much time passes." Kitt stated in a depressed tone as he sat beside him.
He wanted to know more about Kitt, but wasn't sure if he should ask about it. He began to rub his leg unconsciously as he considered whether to ask or not. He turned to the brunette who was silently observing his behavior as he was thinking.
"I lost my mother when I was eleven, and my father couldn't stand me." Kitt answered Tae's unasked question.
"Why couldn't he stand you?" He questioned cautiously his own father coming to mind as he asked.
Kitt locked eyes with him as he spoke. "I look too much like her."
Tae didn't know what to say to that other than to repeat it. "You look too much like her?"
"That's the last thing he said to me before he abandoned me." Kittichai said quietly as he responded to Taehyun. "I think since I was the last person she saw and spoke to, my father was resentful towards me. Since he abandoned me, I abandoned the name that he gave me. I go by Kittichai because it is the name given to me by my mother, who was from Thailand. I was born in Thailand and used that name until I moved here when I was eight." He explained. "Once we moved to Korea I went by the name my father gave me, since he is Korean. It was easier for people here to address me as Park Hosung than it was for them to address me as Kittichai Shinawatra."
"So he was jealous that you got to see her one last time, but he didn't?" Taehyun questioned gently, trying not to feel imposing by asking too much.
"Maybe." Kitt responded.
"May I ask how she died?" He queried, "If you don't want to talk about it that's fine too."
"She was hit-" Kitt started but was quick to shut up when Jiwon walked into the room.
"Kittiee~" Jiwon called dramatically as he bounced his way over to where Taehyun and Kitt were sitting on the couch. Jiwon sat down, squeezing himself between the two boys. Tae scooted over so that he was no longer touching the model, feeling strangely annoyed with the blonde for interrupting the conversation.
"Yesss Jiwonie~?" Kitt whined in an equally dramatic tone.
"You haven't spent any time with me lately." Jiwon pouted as he spoke.
Taehyun rolled his eyes and got up to leave.
"Hyung, where are you going?" Kitt asked him as he clearly ignored Jiwon.
"I'm a bit hungry, so I'm going to go see if I can find some food to snack on." He responded before he made his way back to the kitchen where some of the group was still at.
When he entered the kitchen Yeongsu was the first to approach him.
"Are you okay Taehyun-ah?" Yeongsu asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay." He answered nonchalantly.
"You seem annoyed, Kittichai wasn't mean to you again was he?" Yeongsu questioned as he obviously tried to look behind Tae for any sign of the aforementioned.
"No, no, Kitt wasn't mean to me at all. He's been really nice to me actually." He spoke with adoration.
Yeongsu raised an eyebrow at Tae. "Kitt has been really nice?"
"Yeah?" He tilted his head at Yeongsu. "Is that weird?"
"No, no, I just wasn't expecting it from him. Since when did you guys become so close?" Yeongsu asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Ya! We ain't that close!" He whisper shouted and smacked Yeongsu's shoulder.
"Okay, if you say so..." The fireman looked at him through the corners of his eyes before giving a mischievous grin, "but are you sure?"
"Hyung, what are you implying?" Taehyun gave Yeongsu a strange look as a smile formed on his lips.
"I think you know." Yeongsu winked at Taehyun.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He played dumb as he avoided eye contact with Yeongsu.
"Okay." Yeongsu clicked his tongue as if annoyed before giving another mischievous grin. "Kitt-ah!" He called out as he began to run away acting like a five year old.
"Hyung!" Taehyun called after him and tried to grab his arm before he was out of the kitchen.
"You'll never stop me now!" Yeongsu gave an evil laugh as he dodged Taehyun and made his way towards the living room.
"Yeongsu-hyung!" Taehyun shouted at him, causing him to stop in his tracks.
Yeongsu frowned guiltily. "Taehyun-ah, you know I'm just playing."
He latched onto Yeongsu's arm playfully. "Haha! I got you now."
"That's not fair, you're evil!" Yeongsu pouted.
"But you love me anyway." He giggled, giving a boxy smile.
"I'll show you love." Yeongsu grabbed Taehyun in a headlock, giving him a noogie. "Tell me you surrender!" He began moving his hand faster over his head.
"Ah, hyung, I was wrong!" Taehyun cried out dramatically.
"It's good that you know you were wrong, but that's not what I want to hear." Yeongsu chuckled evilly.
"Okay, okay, I surrender!" He pleaded through laughter.
"Alright I accept your surrender." Yeongsu said as he ceased giving him a noogie, but continued to hold him in a headlock. "Ehh on second thought, one more time!" He began rubbing his head once again.
"Hyung~ Hajima~" Taehyun whined with a pout.
"Awww Taehyuniee~!" The older cooed as he released him and pinched his cheeks. "You're too cute."
"I'm not cute.." The artist mumbled.
"Eh Hem." KZ cleared her throat as she tried to enter the kitchen from the living room.
"Oh sorry." Yeongsu released his cheeks and stepped back to let her through.
"Thanks." She shot Yeongsu a small smile as she passed by going into the kitchen. Taehyun watched as Yeongsu's ears turned a slight tint of red and gave a knowing grin as he inched closer to Yeongsu, step by step.
"She's pretty don't you think?" He whispered to Yeongsu.
"Yeah..." The fireman agreed. "Wait, what?"
"I think you know." Taehyun winked as he went back to the living room where Kitt was sitting by himself, he appeared to be lost in thought as the artist walked towards him.
"What are you doing? Where is Jiwon?" He asked as he approached Kittichai.
"Ah, I was waiting for you, come here." Kitt patted the couch next to him.
"What's going on?" Taehyun questioned curiously, but felt a bit giddy that Kitt was waiting for him.
"I have an idea." The brunette stated. "How about you, me and Yeongsu go check out that vehicle?"
Tae tilted his head in doubt; his lips forming into a line. "Yeongsu won't allow it."
Kitt gave Taehyun a small nod before suggesting something completely bizarre. "Then how about just the two of us go? What do you say?"