Great Friends (1/1)

The night air was brisk as Xiumin made his way home. The park was more than halfway from his house but he didn’t want to go into specifics. As long as Chen didn’t know where he lived then he was fine with it.He took his usual route down back alleyways instead of the main road in order to get to his house. Very few lights were on so the streets were mostly dark; but that was nothing new to him.When finally he made it to the house he saw that all the lights were off. Sarah must already be asleep. Just as he made his way to the door his cell phone rang. He answered it quickly without looking at the caller ID as he pulled out his keys to unlock the door. “Yeoboseyo?” He answered.“Did you make it home yet?” Chens’ voice asked from the other end of the line.“I am now.” Xiumin finally inserted the key in the lock, turning the knob and walking inside. He could hear a low noise from the TV in the other room. He closed the door, locking it back up and sliding the key into his pocket. He felt exhaustion beginning to overtake him; he had had a long day and now he was ready for sleep. “I’m going to bed now. Goodnight Chen.”“Goodnight Baozi.” Xiumin smiled tiredly as he ended the call. The last part may have been just a whisper but he was pretty sure that Chen had called him Baozi again.  Who did he think he was, giving Xiumin a personal nickname like that. He chuckled to himself. It wasn’t like he could stop him from doing it anyway.Xiumin made his way silently into the other room, noticing the TV on, but the volume turned down to almost nothing; and there lay Sarah on the couch. She was sleeping peacefully, papers scattered around the floor, a pen not far from her hand. She looked to have fallen asleep while in the middle of writing.He took off his jacket, setting it in the corner area where he kept his stuff before walking around the couch, slowly and gently picking Sarah up and taking her into the bedroom. She rolled over when he laid her down on the bed and covered her with the blanket that was there. She looked so calm; yet, even in her sleep she looked as tired as he felt.Xiumin smiled as he sat down beside the bed. He was thankful to have found Sarah; she was a person who had been through a lot, much like he had. He chuckled to himself; if they put their lives together it could be like an action drama.He moved a strand of hair from her face; he noticed the dark circles that were under her eyes. He had always noticed that Sarah was always up before him because she made breakfast every morning, and she would come home after him, or at least on most occasions. Xiumin was sure that she was pushing herself to her limits, but she probably didn’t see it that way.He lay his head down on the bed. When it was just him and Sarah life seemed so simplistic, everything from the outside world disappeared with her smile, and brightened with her laugh. How someone who went through hell and back again yet could smile afterwards was incredible.Sarah moved in her sleep, her hand coming to rest atop his which was on the bed; her warm hand transferring heat to his cold one.His mind wandered. How he wished that he had fallen for someone like Sarah; instead of someone who was practically a stranger to him, even though he tried to convince himself he wasn’t falling for the person. But seeing as how the mob also wanted Sarah dead both situations seemed to be a bad idea. But at least Sarah knew who to run from and how to hide. The other person on the other hand couldn’t tell who was his friend and who was his enemy.Xiumin knew he had a job to do, even if he believed that it was wrong; but in the mob, you didn’t have much choice. He let out a sigh as he rested his head on the bed beside his and Sarah’s hand. As long as he took it day by day he knew he could do what he needed to.Closing his eyes, he let his body relax and slowly drifted off to sleep.~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~Xiumin woke up the next morning with an aching back. He had slept in the same position beside the bed the whole night. When he looked up he noticed that Sarah was no longer lying on the bed. He sat up, rubbing his eyes as he stretched and yawned.“Oh, good morning. I was just coming in to wake you up.”  Xiumin looked up at Sarah who smiled down at him. She leaned down and took his face between her hands. “Awww, you look so tired, why did you sleep on the floor?”He looked at her through tired eyes. He didn’t actually know why he had slept on the floor, maybe it was because he was too tired to go to the couch after he had sat down. In the end he just shrugged.“Well come on,. It’s time for breakfast.” She helped to slowly pull him up.“What time is it?” Xiumin asked.“It’s about 4:05 AM,” she replied, walking over the stove, grabbing the skillet and scooping whatever was on it onto two plates as Xiumin sat down. “Did you sleep alright?” she asked, setting a plate in front of him as she sat down across the way.“Well, as good as sleeping on the floor gets me.” He smiled as he stretched. “Omo,” He looked down at his plate, “You made rice with eggs?”“Are you surprised? She laughed.“I thought you were only capable of making American breakfast.”She gently smacked his arm, “Aigoo, I only lived in America for a little while, you should know.”“I’m sorry, I’m sorry” he held up his hands in surrender. “I know, I’m just judging by appearance.”“She laughed, “Well, judging by your appearance you look like Oliver Twist.”“Who?” He was confused.“You know; the poor boy with the bowl and — n-never mind. I’m just saying that you look like a beggar.”He pretended to look offended. “Heyyy. A beggar with an amazing wardrobe.” He scoffed jokingly.“All thanks to mwah.” Sarah took a bite of her food with a smirk of self-satisfaction while he rolled his eyes and also began to eat.~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~After he was done eating he quickly got ready, hugging Sarah before running out the door.He liked the fact that the days were beginning to get shorter because it was brighter in the mornings but he did not really care for the cooling weather that accompanied it.As always he stopped by Baek’s coffee hut. Baekhyun much like himself was not enjoying the weather getting colder with the coming seasons. Xiumin laughed at him when he saw that Baekhyun was wearing a sweater already.From there Xiumin headed off towards the ChenMin firm. He found himself smiling. Even though he hadn’t had the best sleep in the world today was starting off as a good day.~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~When he arrived he found only a couple of the office ladies there. They greeted him as usual and he returned it with a quick bow as he progressed further into the office. He could see the steam rising from the coffee cup as he walked down the unusually cold hallway.  ‘Huh,’ he thought, they must not have turned on the ventilation yet.’Without hesitation he came to Chens’ office door and turned the knob, turning on the light as he entered the room. He walked over to the desk; just as he had many times before, reaching into his bag to retrieve his pink sticky notes as always. His eyes grew wide when this time he reached into his bag and found that the pouch they were always carried in was empty.He panicked for a moment, searching frantically around in his bag. They were nowhere to be found. “Dammit.” He scolded himself. He never forgot anything before.Well, maybe Chen had some in his desk. He began rummaging around in the bottom right hand corner and working his way up, doing the same with the other side.  When he came to the top left drawer he had a little trouble opening it, it seemed to be slightly stuck. He used a little more force and finally got it open.His eyes widened when he saw what the drawer held.  The drawer was filled with pink sticky notes that he had written on. It looked as if it had been organized so that the message on each one was showing. They covered the entire drawer, all the sides and even the bottom. The only thing in the drawer other than the sticky notes were pencils and pens, paper clips, in a tray along with a paper weight and a miniature notebook that was open and empty.He closed the drawer but his eyes didn’t move from where they had been looking in the drawer. Chen had saved all the notes. Every. Single. One. In a way it looked like he had an obsession; like a school girl who received something from her crush and kept it forever.Looking around he couldn’t find any sticky notes so he took a piece of paper that  had been lying on the desk, he ripped off a small piece of the corner, writing the same message as always before taking a piece of tape and wrapping it in on itself and placing it on the back of the paper. He then stuck it to the coffee cup so that the tape didn’t show.He was curious; he wanted to know if Chen really did keep all of the sticky notes. Did that mean that Chen had liked him before they had even met?Once he set the coffee cup in the same place; he gathered his things, shut off the office lights and went to his cubicle.He sat down, spinning in his chair once before turning to look for the file that was usually on his desk. His eyebrows rose when he found no file on the desk. He looked down and around his desk just to make sure that it wasn’t anywhere on the floor; but nothing was to be found.Xiumin tapped his fingers on his desk. what was he supposed to do now? He didn’t have any work; should he just go home?Just as he was about to get up and leave he heard Chanyeols’ voice coming from down the hall; but not only was it Chanyeols’ voice, but Chens’ voice also. ‘That’s weird; they never really come in together.’ He thoughtHe heard Chanyeol excuse himself from Chen before Xiumin heard him take off somewhere else. Xiumin heard Chen walk down the hall. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Chen walked by and to his office, opening the door and going inside.Xiumin heard Chen moving around his office, the sound of a desk drawer opening and closing again before he sat down. ‘To leave or not to leave.’  Xiumin contemplated to himself.Suddenly Xiumins cell phone rang. He flipped it open, looking at the number, it was familiar but he didn’t know it off the top of his head. “Yeoboseyo?” He answered.“Hey Xiumin.” ‘Chen.’ Xiumin slowly made his way to Chens’ office door as he spoke. “Do you think that maybe you could come into the office today and–”Chens’ voice stopped wen Xiumin turned the knob and opened the door. Chen looked up and their eyes met. “No,” Xiumin smiled and joked, “I don’t think I can.”The corners of Chens’ mouth went up as he ended the call and put his phone down. “Well in that case… come in, sit down.” He motioned to the chair in front of the desk. Xiumin closed the door behind him slowly before making his way over and sitting in the chair.“What do you need?” Xiumin asked.“Well, I have many files that I need to take notes on and there is other information that I can’t put in because I wasn’t there, but since you were on the case I thought that it would be better to have you help me.” Chen chuckled. “Cause, you know, Chanyeol is never any help.”Xiumin chuckled with him. No statement about Chanyeol had been more true.“Sure.” Xiumin shrugged. It wouldn’t hurt any to stay in the office for once. The mob jobs had quieted down so he had just been mostly laying low.“Great.” Chen smiled brightly.~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~For the next couple of hours Xiumin helped Chen with all kinds of paperwork; writing notes for an addition to what had already been written. Some of the papers looked to have been a copy of his reports. Even though he was making the additional notes he left out minor things that happened on cases, for instance; getting shot and almost hit by a car.As they worked Xiumin found himself taking quick glances at Chen when he wasn’t paying attention. He found himself looking up at Chen once again, his eyes taking in Chens’ long eyelashes and smooth skin. ‘He looks so fake.’  Xiumin thought to himself. Xiumins’ eyes travel down Chens’ neck, they stopped when he noticed the mole that was there, he had never noticed it before.He didn’t realize how long he had been staring Until Chen stopped writing and looked up. Xiumin smiled quickly at Chen who smiled back. His cheeks suddenly felt warm. He wasn’t blushing, no way, there’s no way he could be blushing from being caught staring; he lied to himself.***Chen found himself smiling as he worked along with Xiumin. He had never seen Xiumin work before, it was very intriguing.He would glance out of the corner of his eye at Xiumin, only looking for a moment each time as to not get caught. At one point Chen saw Xiumin lift his head and look in Chens’ direction; at that moment Chen looked up, his eyes locking with Xiumins’. They sat still for a moment before Xiumin gave a quick smile and looked back down at the paper he had been writing on.Chen also looked down at his paper, noticing that when he glanced back up Xiumins’ face was a shade of red.He couldn’t believe that he had never been had Xiumin work with him before. Not only was he fast and efficient but he was also good to look at.~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~For the remainder of the time they worked in silence. Finally it was about time for Xiumins’ work shift to be over. He said goodbye to Chen and headed for the elevator.As if perfectly on cue Xiumin got in the elevator as it opened and Chanyeol stepped out. Chen watched Chanyeol greet Xiumin who only nodded in return. The doors closed and Chanyeol walked over.“Did you get the assignment done?” Chen asked.“Yep,” Chanyeol came to stand beside Chen. “Everything went perfectly, they all agreed, well,” Chanyeol chuckled, “except for the eldest man who didn’t seem pleased with the bureau having a lot of younger employees.”Chen chuckled. He’d gone to many meetings where the older men had said that he was too young to have a firm. Not to mention that they would always ask him about his marital status, seeing as how they had all been married about five or more years, not to mention that some also had kids.He, on the other hand, was neither married, nor had kids. He kept mostly quiet, setting aside the fact that he was mostly batting for the same team; but leaving out that detail wouldn’t hurt anyone, knowing as how he knew they would all disapprove of him after if he told. He know that they would all look at him differently after that, and probably never listen to another idea from him, regardless of how good it may be.This was one of the reasons he was glad he had Chanyeol. Regardless of gender Chanyeol seemed to support Chen in whoever he chose; although… he did have his obvious favorites.“How late do you plan on staying today?”  Chanyeol asked, pulling Chen from his own thoughts.“Oh, ummm.” He thought for a moment. He hadn’t really planned on how long he would stay. He had just assumed that he would work until he got tired, then head home. “I don’t really know.” He began walking to his office, Chanyeol following behind. “Maybe I’ll go home early today.”When they arrived in Chens’ office Chanyeol flopped himself down on the couch. “Every time you say that you always stay until everyone has left and you are all by yourself.” Chanyeol complained.Chen hadn’t really thought about it before but Chanyeol was right. He had done that every time he had said he was going to go home early.“Well…” Chen tapped his chin with his index finger. “Then I guess I’ll leave everything to you for the night.”“What? Me?” Chanyeol sat up surprised.“Yeah, I think you can handle it.” Chen smirked, walking over to pat Chanyeol on the back.Chen packed his things and headed out the door. “Don’t forget to lock the door. And shut off the lights when you’re done!” Chen called.“Alright! I got it!” Chanyeol called back.Chen smiled as he hopped into the elevator. He had had a good day; he was thankful for Xiumin, not just for being his hard working secretary, but also for being a person he could talk to who was easy going.The elevator door dinged and he stepped out. He felt like changing his schedule. From now on he was going to work in the office with his secretary every day. Yes, he liked that plan very much. He nodded to himself; catching the bus and heading home.***For the next week Xiumin found himself working in the office with Chen. He liked just taking time and sitting in an office for once, actually doing what normal people were supposed to do when they worked in an office building.Xiumins phone suddenly rang when he arrived home. “Yeoboseyo?” he answered.“Xiumin.” It was Sehun’s voice. That was weird. Why would Sehun be calling him?“Sehun, why are you calling me?”“The Dom wanted you to come to the compound. He has a special assignment for you.“Oh? When does he want me to be there?”“Come within an hour, he wants the assignment to be done tonight.”“Okay, I’ll be there soon.” He hung up, not waiting for an answer before placing his phone in his pocket and walking inside.“Sarah?” he called.“In here!” He heard her voice coming from the kitchen. He immediately smelled something baking, a sweet scent like honey, sugar and cinnamon.When he walked into the kitchen he saw all kinds of cakes, cupcakes and even pies spread throughout the kitchen. He also noticed a person sitting on the counter eating one of the frosted cupcakes. He realized that it was the girl he had met earlier, the one he had initially thought was a boy.He didn’t know why, but he felt weird having someone besides just him and Sarah there. This had been like their safe haven for just the two of them and now someone was intruding. Not that he particularly minded since it was a friend of Sarahs’ and not a complete stranger, the atmosphere just felt a little bit different.“What are you doing?” Xiumin asked.Sarah turned around from where she had just put a pan in the oven.“Well the girls were throwing a party for a belated birthday and Amber asked me to help cook,” Xiumin looked up at the person sitting on the counter shoving her face with another cupcake.“Yo.” She raised the hand not holding the cupcake, her mouth was still full.“And… I went a little overboard.” Sarah looked at all the cakes and cupcakes.“When was the party?” Xiumin asked.“Tonight, wanna come?” Sarah smiled, handing him a frosted cupcake.“Well, I actually had plans…” He didn’t know how to say it without openly saying that he worked for the mob. “Come with me for a second, I’ll tell you while I get ready.” He grabbed Sarahs’ hand turning to Amber for a moment, “We’ll be back in a moment.”Amber nodded and grabbed another cupcake as they walked into the other room.“Is something wrong?” Sarah asked, looking concerned.“Well, I didn’t wanna say this in front of her,” Xiumin motioned with his head to the kitchen, “Because she wouldn’t understand.“Yeah? Is it with the-?”Xiumin nodded. “I have to go out tonight for the mob, I will probably be back late.” Sarah followed him as he quickly changed his clothes.“Just make sure you come home safe alright.” She smiled at him as she tied his black bandana around his arm.He smiled and nodded, pulling on a jacket. “I will. Have fun at the party okay.”“Of course! I wish you could go with me, but I know how important this is. I’ll see you later on okay.”“Okay.”She walked back with him past the kitchen. He waved at Amber who gave a casual wave back as he passed by.“See you soon!” Sarah gave him a quick hug.“Alright” Xiumin waved, turning and taking off and disappearing around the corner.~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~Xiumin made his way through the city, feeling the air getting cooler as the sun was setting.When he finally made it to the compound he didn’t hesitate at the main doors, simply staring down the guys on either side. They stayed silent as he walked right by and inside.He went straight to the doors that led to the Doms’ office. He stopped, knocking twice and waiting for an answer.“Business?”  He heard from the inside.“It’s Xiumin.”“Enter.”He took a deep breath before turning the knob and walking in. He was surprise to see Kyungsoo sitting in one of the chairs across from the Dom; while Sehun stood behind the Dom.Was he late? Sehun had said to come within an hour, but he was here almost half an hour early.“Sit.” The Dom motioned to the other chair beside Kyungsoos’.He sat down, looking over at Kyungsoo for a moment, catching a glance from him before they turned to the Dom who proceeded to speak. “There is an item that I need you to acquire. It is something that we will be using in order to gain the alliance of one of our rival gangs.”Xiumin was still slightly confused; if this was his mission then why was Kyungsoo here too? “Who all will be involved on this assignment?” Xiumin asked.“It will be you, Kyungsoo and Sehun.”“What is our objective?” Kyungsoo asked. Xiumin glanced at Kyungsoo then back at the Dom.“I need you to break into the Pandorium owned by the Reds gang and steal this.” The Dom slid a picture forward that was of an expensive looking emerald and gold necklace; something that could be fit for a queen.Xiumins’ ears caught the words ‘reds gang.’   They were supposed to steal from another gang within their community. Couldn’t that be dangerous? He mentally shook his head; he wasn’t going to question the Dom. The Dom had known what he was doing for all these years; he must know what he was doing now.“I have produced a fake that you will have to put in place of the other that you will bring back to me.” He motioned towards Sehun who took a step forward, pulling out a velvet looking box, opening it to reveal an exact match to the picture that sat before them.Xiumin had to take a double look from the necklace to the picture and back again. It looked exactly alike. Xiumin nodded, seeing out of the corner of his eye as Kyungsoo did the same.“You can leave in half an hour. Follow Sehun, he knows where to go and what to do.” They all nodded. “Now go.”Xiumin and Kyungsoo stood up, walking out of the room, followed by Sehun. Once the doors were closed Sehun turned to them. “Follow me.” Without another word he turned around and walked down the hall closely followed by Kyungsoo and Xiumin.They followed Sehun down different corridors of the compound; the corridors all looking much the same as the last. Finally they stopped; Sehun took out a set of keys and unlocked the doors.The room was dark with no windows to let in any light. Sehun walked in, motioning for them to follow. Once they were all inside he closed the door and switched on the lights.“Woah.” Kyungsoo and Xiumin looked around as they spoke in unison. All around the room were different types of gizmos and gadgets, some in glass and other items covered with white sheets. This room almost looked as large as the Dom’s office.“What is all this?” Kyungsoo asked.“All kinds of inventions created by people the Dom hired. Most everything works but some things have been left to collect dust because… well, let’s just say, their time was up before they finished.” Sehun explained as they followed him through the room.Xiumin  and Kyungsoo looked at one another, their minds both jumping to the same conclusion and they internally shuddered. Poor guys probably bit the bullet for something small too.“Ah, here we are.” They stepped infront of what looked like a wardrobe. Sehun slid the lock that was holding the doors together, each hand opening both doors together.When  they looked inside all they saw were a collection black square bags and flat shoes along with clothing such as long sleeved black shirts and pants.Sehun took out one item of each, handing the first set to Kyungsoo and the next to Xiumin, taking another set for himself. “Put these on; keep your shoes in the bag until we get there.” Xiumin noticed when he was grabbing the shoes was that the whole bottom was about two inches of foam.They changed quickly, Xiumin placing his bag inside the wardrobe along with their clothes before Sehun re-locked it.“Alright, let’s go.” Sehun pulled his pack on, Xiumin and Kyungsoo following. They exited the room, Sehun locking it behind them.From there they went farther down the corridor, taking a side door out of the compound. The cool night air hitting them immediately in contrast to what the air inside was.They followed Sehun down many different alleyways, keeping as quiet as they could as to not be detected since they were now in enemy territory.As they made their way suddenly Sehun stopped, holding out his arm to stop Xiumin and Kyungsoo from going farther. “Here we are.” He whispered.They all looked up, taking in the building that stood not far from them. It almost looked like a warehouse. From what the Dom said Xiumin had imagined it as maybe a museum; but he knew not to judge a book by its cover seeing as how the compound itself looked like an abandoned building on the outside, but on the inside it was like an elaborate mansion or some high class building with many corridors.“We could practically walk in.” Kyungsoo joked, pretending to take a step forward.“Not so fast shorty.” Sehun put his hand up to stop him. If they were in a different situation the satanic stare Sehun received from Kyungsoo would have been laughable. Sehun on the other hand had his eyes trained elsewhere.Xiumin followed Sehuns’ stare and noticed how, some of the shadows of the buildings were moving. Taking a closer look he noticed a couple people that he had not seen before.They watched as Sehun took out what looked like a slingshot and a couple small marble like spheres. He turned to Xiumin and Kyungsoo. “I’m going to distract those people,” He pointed to some of the guys standing by the door on the bottom level, “we’ll go over there and then I’ll distract the guy on the upper level as you climb the ladder.”“Wait, what?” Xiumin thought he had been following along perfectly until Sehun said they they were supposed to climb to the upper level. He thought they were just going to go through the bottom level door. “Why not go through there?” He pointed to the door.“Only if you want to be shot on sight once you enter.” Sehun scoffed. They watched as Sehun brought out his slingshot; aiming toward a place opposite of them. Then Sehun repeated what he was doing, giving a signal for Xiumin and Kyungsoo to run and to hide in certain places.Finally the last man moved away, leaving the space they needed to go completely open. They took off, silently scaling the ladder, Sehun not far behind. Once he had joined them he proceeded to remove the vent, one big enough to fit a full sized person inside. “I’m going first so follow me.” He handed the vent cover to Kyungsoo, “pull this back on when we get inside.”Kyungsoo nodded silently.Without another word Sehun crawled into the vent, followed by Xiumin and Kyungsoo. The vents were like one large maze; the three turning this way and that. Xiumins’ mind wandered as they kept moving; he felt as though he was practically following someone blind, here he was, just following someone in a place he had never been; yet he was putting his trust in that person. He thought back to Sarah; she had put her trust in someone else, and look where that had gotten her.Suddenly he felt a flick on his arm. “Ow.” He held the place where Sehun had flicked him with his finger.“Pay attention.” Xiumin nodded, noticing that they had stopped and were kneeling around a vent that faced downward. Sehun removed the vent and leaned down, followed by Kyungsoo and Xiumin.Sehun pointed as he went on to explain what they were going to do. “Xiumin, Kyungsoo and I are going to hoist you down over that case there, take this,” Sehun pulled out an object that looked like a laser pointer and handed it to Xiumin, “Use it around the base of the glass on the case , it will disable the triggering mechanism for the alarms, and you’ll need to wear these,” Sehun handed him a pair of white gloves, “It’ll keep your fingerprints off the glass.”Xiumin nodded before they all took off their packs, Sehun  and Kyungsoo putting on their harnesses. Sehun then helped Xiumin put on a full body harness; Sehun and Kyungsoo then attached their clips onto the back of Xiumin harness. “When you take off the glass case we’ll hoist you back up so that you will have an easier time putting our copy in the case so that no one will be able to tell the difference.”Xiumin nodded.“Here we go.” Sehun moved to one side of the vent as Kyungsoo moved to the other. Xiumin kneeled down, hooking his hands on the edge of the vent, and then slowly lowered himself down. He flattened himself out so that his weight would be evenly distributed. As he was being lowered he felt like the main character off some of the spy movies he had seen. The only difference in this case was that he was technically the bad guy.When he was finally close enough to the case he took out the laser pointer object and did as Sehun had told him, flipping the on switch (even though it looked as if it was not even working) and took it slowly around the base of the glass.He slipped the pointer back into his bag and took out the gloves. Dawning them, he then proceeded to remove the case. It was light and felt delicate in his hands.He was then hoisted back up, Sehun taking the case (he was wearing a pair of gloves now too) and handing Xiumin the replica of the necklace. This time when he was hoisted down he noticed something silver glint on the floor; his eyes followed it and he realized that there were trip wires; everywhere. Now it all made sense as to why they didn’t just come in through the door.With his nimble fingers he quickly replaced the priceless piece of jewelry with the fake one, moving it so that it was on the exact same position as the other one had been. From there he placed the genuine necklace inside the side pocket of his backpack. He was then hoisted up where Sehun handed him the glass case. “Now, in order to re-enable the sensor on the case you have to flip the switch down.”Xiumin nodded once before being dropped back down. He fixed the necklace on the stand, making it sit perfectly before he set the glass back down, flipping the switch on the flashlight gadget down and copying what he had done first, in order to remove the glass.Once that was complete Xiumin signaled towards the vent and was pulled back up. They closed the vent and quickly took off their gear, placing it back into their bags and following Sehun back to the exit vent. They changed their shoes before exiting the vent.They notice that the people from before were still nowhere to be seen.  When they listened closer there were rustling noises farther off accompanied by some voices. Sehun motioned for Xiumin and Kyungsoo to follow him as he scaled down the ladder and took off around the corner.They kept going, not stopping until they hit the edge of an alley, attached to the main road. They took a moment to catch their breath, seeing as how they had run half the way back.When they were ready to move again they began walking back the direction they had come to the alley.“Hey, you’re not allowed here!” They abruptly turned around, seeing three guys with red bandanas standing not far from them.“Run.” Sehun whispered. They could not be caught now or else everything they had just done would go to waste. Without a second thought they all turned on their heels and ran; knowing that the others were following not far behind.Xiumin wished that they had been warned beforehand because then he would have brought a pair of pants that wouldn’t fall off like the ones he was wearing now. He knew that if he was having trouble then Kyungsoo most definitely was too.Just when they thought that they had gained some ground Xiumin turned his head just in time to see Kyungsoo trip and fall. Almost as if on autopilot Xiumin steered himself back around just in time to stop one of the guys from hitting Kyungsoo with his fist.He was about to help Kyungsoo up when suddenly he received a kick in the stomach. Out of nowhere Sehun appeared, flying over Xiumins’ head as he sent one of the guys flying backwards with a kick.The third guy came up fighting Sehun head-to-head. The other two; each going after Xiumin and Kyungsoo. Xiumin found himself dodging attacks from the man he was fighting as he watched out of the corner of his eye as Kyungsoo crawled up onto the dumpster, wrapping his legs around the neck of the guy he was fighting and flipping himself forward so that the man ended up on his back.‘Wow Kyungsoo,” Xiumin thought, ‘I didn’t know you had that in you.’ Xiumin suddenly found himself being hauled up and thrown backwards into the wall. He scrambled to his feet, reaching over to grab the lid from a metal trash can; dodging a punch thrown by the other man and slipping around him so that when he turned around Xiumin bashed the lid against the man’s head.The man staggering backwards; falling on his butt for a second before he reached over, grabbing a glass bottle and smashing the bottom of the bottle against a wall as he stood up.Xiumin looked back up slowly, now the tables were uneven. The man was quick to attack, missing Xiumin only at the last second when he dodged away. Xiumin held up the trash can lid as a kick pushed him backwards. He threw the lid, hitting the man right in the middle of his forehead; he shot forward, taking the man out at his knees. The man fell, Xiumin then taking the chance to reach for the glass bottle in the mans’ hand. They struggled, both trying to take hold of the dangerous object; the man thrashing about and managing to cut Xiumin across the cheek.He felt blood beginning to run down his cheek as he swung around in a circle, coming around to kick the guy in the head as he had begun to stand up. This caused him to pass out instantly and slump sideways on the ground.Xiumin turned around, seeing Sehun bash the guy he was fighting in the head with his backpack before picking him up and throwing him against a far wall, watching as he fell into the pile of garbage at the bottom, from which he did not emerge. Kyungsoo ended his fight by head locking his victim in his arms, his arm against the mans’ throat until he lost consciousness; Kyungsoo watching as he fell to the ground.They all looked at each other in the sudden silence for a moment before Sehun motioned for Xiumin and Kyunsoo to follow him.When they were finally out of enemy territory they began to talk again; Sehun  complimenting Kyungsoo on the fighting skills no one knew he had.“Xiumin,” Xiumin looked up to see Kyungsoo and Sehun looking at him. “Your face is bleeding.” Kyungsoo said. Xiumin reached up absentmindedly to wipe at it, only managing to smear the half dried blood even more across his cheek.“Yeah, the guy broke a bottle and got me.” He chuckled.Kyungsoo and Sehun smiled. “But you finished him off.”  Sehun chuckled.   Xiumin nodded. “Speak for yourself,” Kyungsoo cut in, “If I wasn’t so fast the guy back there could have sat on me and crushed me.” He motioned with his thumb in the direction they had just come from.They all chuckled as they headed back towards the compound.~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~It took them no time at all as they quickly changed their clothes, returning back to the Dom to give him what they had stolen.The Dom was pleased with them for having done a good job so quickly, and with only minor injuries; he added with a chuckle when referring to Xiumins’ cut cheek.From there Xiumin and Kyungsoo left the compound, leaving Sehun and the Dom in his office. Then Xiumin said goodbye to Kyungsoo and headed home.As he arrived he noticed that there was a corner of a blanket hanging over the edge of the roof along with a ladder propped against the side of the house. “Sarah?” He called.“Oh!” He heard her voice coming from the roof. “You’re home” She leaned her head over the edge and smiled.“What are you doing up there?” Xiumin asked.“Just looking at the stars.” She disappeared from view as he heard rustling noises, then the sound of footsteps coming down the ladder.Sarah smiled as she walked up to him; he saw that she had a backpack on, it looked heavy. Then suddenly he saw Furgus pop out unexpectedly and poke his head over her shoulder.She stopped smiling when she was close enough to see the blood on his face. “What happened?” She asked, reaching up to lightly touch his face.“Just a couple kids trying win in a fight against me, Kyungsoo and Sehun.” He chuckled awkwardly.  She looked concerned for a moment before she smiled again.“Well, I assume you won.” He nodded as she took his arm and pulled him behind her into the house. She then pulled him into the bathroom, sitting him on the toilet as she reached into the medicine cabinet over the sink.She pulled out a cloth along with a bottle of clear looking liquid which could have been water. She also brought out a flat piece of cotton that was in the shape of a square.Sarah cleaned the wound with a little bit of soap and water, being careful when Xiumin would wince. After it had dried, she took the clear liquid in the bottle and put some on the cotton square.“What’s that?” Xiumin asked, motioning with his chin to the bottle.“Witch-hazel” She replied. When he looked confused she explained. “My mom always brought some with us wherever we would move; she had someone from America send some every year.” He nodded. He kept forgetting her ties to America.She pressed the cotton square with the witch-hazel against his cheek and he hissed. “Sorry if it hurts, it’s a disinfectant.”“It’s okay, just a little surprised, that’s all.” He smiled back at her as she quickly cleaned until there was no longer a burning sensation with the cold substance. She then applied an ointment before applying a skin colored Band-Aid.“There,” She stood back, hands on her hips with a satisfied smile, “All better. Hey, wanna come look at the stars with me?” She asked. “Sure.” he smiled, following her back outside, but this time following her up the ladder. He was surprised to find a blanket laid out; a miniature cooler, and a small telescope lying on top of the blanket. As he climbed up farther he saw that there was a half-eaten sandwich and a soda can also sitting out.“How long have you been up here?” he asked, watching her set down her backpack to let Furgus out; Furgus immediately curling up on the blanket.“Only a couple hours.” She smiled, picking up her sandwich and rewrapping it before setting it back in the cooler, removing a full one and handing it to Xiumin along with an unopened can of soda as he sat down.“hours?!” but it’s so cold out.” He stated, pulling his jacket closer to his body, noticing how she had a mere sweater on.“I’m used to it,” she shrugged as she sat down, “After my mom passed my dad and I would always take time to go out and watch the stars together; in memory of my mom since she loved the stars.”He remembered doing that with his grandparents and their help when he was a child. He smiled as he remembered that he would always complain that it was too cold and that the little girl who helped around their house would make fun of him but would always wrap him in her blanket with her to keep him warm.Xiumin hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he had eaten his entire sandwich and drank all his soda.“Hungry much?” Sarah teased.“Just a little.” He joked back.He lay down on his back, just as Sarah had, feeling Furgus move in-between them to lie down on his side.“Here,” she handed him the small telescope, “try this.” She pointed out different star constellations, telling him their names and the stories behind them. “My mom taught me about all of them so that wherever we were we could always have a game between just the two of us about how many we could name the fastest.”Xiumin slowly set down the telescope. She cared a lot for her parents, even if they were no longer around; he could tell that her heart still held a place for them, just like his now held a place for her. She was his family now and he wouldn’t trade that for the world.He looked over and saw her smiling up at the stars; he imagined that she was remembering back through her memories. He liked seeing her smile; even if it was for something that was kept only in her heart it was precious to him. He looked back up at the bright twinkling of the stars. Luckily this was in the darker part of town and the stars were more visible from here.Minutes passed, silence was the only sound apart from the chirping of the crickets that surrounded them. Many thoughts ran through his head, one of them was that, although Sarah was like a sister to him he felt that he didn’t know her as well as he wanted to, even with the small talk that passed between them. Without looking away from the sky his voice broke the silence.“Hey sarah?”“Yeah?” she asked. Not moving.“Can I ask you something?”“Sure.” He could hear the gentle smile in her voice. No matter what he had asked, or when he had asked she would always answer his questions.“What’s the first thing you think of when you wake up?”She turned her head and smiled as he turned his head to meet her gaze. “That’s easy. You.” He was slightly surprised, if not stunned, why him? “Every morning I wake up and thank god that I have someone who is like family to me, someone who understands what I’ve been through and is willing to accept me for who I am and not what everyone expects me to be.” She reached out her hand to him and he clasped his with hers as they smiled at one another. “I wish upon every star that every day will be just like it is right now at this point because,” she paused, “I don’t know what I’d do without you, brother.”He couldn’t help himself from smiling. If this was what true family was like then he never wanted to lose her. “Same here sister.”They looked back up at the stars, their hands still clasped together. “Oh look,” Sarah pointed towards the sky where a white streak flashed for a second and then was gone, “a shooting star, close your eyes and make a wish.”He watched her close her eyes and look as though she was mentally telling herself something, he knew she was making a wish. He closed his eyes and let his heart make the most hopeful wish he could think of.***For the next week Chen found himself taking off from work earlier than usual due to Chanyeol bugging him that he should go home earlier and not stay at the office all the time. With this request Chen left Chanyeol in charge of the office for the last hour before closing time.When Chen arrived home today he dropped his bag on the floor. What was he supposed to do now? He was not used to being home before the sun set.He grabbed his laptop, relaxing on the couch as he waited for it to load. When he looked back at his screen he realized that it was still a picture of him and his ex. He really needed to change that.He scrolled through the news online, not really paying attention to what any of the words actually said. He was tempted to call Chanyeol at the office but he knew Chanyeol would probably point out the fact that he had literally only been out of the office for ten minutes but still wanted to know what was going on at the office; so he refrained.After a while he got bored so he chose to check up on his ex with social media. He saw that she was yet again in the Caribbean on a cruise with friends. He wasn’t surprised. He scrolled through her various posts, finally getting sick of seeing her so care free while he was here, working his ass off and still single; not that the last part mattered much, seeing as how the bottom line was that he could actually care about someone other than himself, unlike her.Chen shook his head as he closed his laptop with a deep sigh. ‘No more of that for me.’  He told himself, getting up and heading into the kitchen to make some food for himself, which later resulted in half burned ramen that he ate anyway since he knew he couldn’t make anything better with his terrible cooking skills.   ‘Maybe I should hire a maid or something’; he thought to himself, He had enough money right? He thought about this for a second then decided it probably wouldn’t be a good idea; yeah he would appreciate a warm home cooked meal once in a while, but due to his erratically late working hours and not to mention when he came home drunk after staying out, the maid would probably quit because he would forget to pay her or something. Not only those things, but also the fact that recently he had not been coming home alone seven days out of the week like he previously had been, and how awkward it would be if the maid was there when he did bring someone home.The maid would probably also be a little freaked out if Chen brought home his current interest, seeing as how it was a guy and not a girl. Chens’ mind wandered to his red headed secretary with his fiery spirit and quick wit.  He smiled to himself. Even though Xiumin looked like a rough and tumble mutt sometimes he seemed to have a place deep in his heart for others, seeing as how he always took care of his friends, at least, all but Lay; but that was a different story.Maybe he would call Xiumin; it would be nice to talk to him since they hadn’t really spoken for a week. He reached over, grabbing his phone out of his jacket and dialed Xiumins’ number.He listened to it ring before getting the voicemail. He hung up and tried again, getting the same outcome. He didn’t know why, but he did this a couple more times before he got ‘this phone is out of the service area.’ Finally he hung up for good, maybe he would try again later; he might have more luck then.~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~          ~For the next couple of hours Chen occupied himself with cases from work that he had brought home with him. He may be home early, but he wasn’t going to slow down on his work. He didn’t get to this position from nothing.Finally Chen found himself getting tired as the hours became late. He put away all his work, something that would be finished at a later time. From there he changed clothes before slipping into bed, his phone in hand.He knew that it was late, but he was going to do as he had thought earlier and call Xiumin again. He waited this time, half in anticipation for Xiumin to actually pick up and half for the voicemail to pick up.Once again he found himself listening to the voicemail telling him to leave a message; this time, he did.“Hey Xiumin, its Chen… come help me in the office again tomorrow, see you then… bye.” He hung up, unsure why he felt suddenly nervous calling Xiumin at this hour, even if he didn’t actually answer.Chen set his phone on the nightstand, slipping farther under the covers and closing his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly. ~ ~ ~Sorry for the long wait. I know it has been a couple months since my last update but I have been extremely busy. Thanks for all of your patience I really appreciate it  ^^. So the other day I was reading something about an author incorporating themselves in their story without saying that they would, but I just wanted to clarify that the character Sarah is in no way, shape, or form me, apart from me making her up in my mind. Anyway, I'm sorry if the story sounds a little choppy here and there, I had to switch back and forth between a notebook and my computer so it got a little confusing in places. Hope you enjoy and look forward to the next chapter ^_^.  Thanks so much~