The seconds after the words slipped from his lips seemed to pass by exponentially slowly. Jin wasn’t sure what had possessed him to say them, and out loud too, but his head was starting to hurt. Not as badly as the ache in his chest was about to be though as… Ahn-Bo didn’t answer. Frustration flickered across Jin’s face until finally the handsome wolf said something and— it wasn’t what he’d expected. Not even close.

Blinking once, then twice, Jin let out a humorless little laugh of disbelief. He didn’t know why he’d expected the truth to change anything. There was nothing to change. They were still trapped in the same stupid situation; they still had no more privacy or space than before. And they were still well and truly forbidden by Yeom to fraternize in such a way. Jin could have kicked himself for being so dumb.

He turned away abruptly and dropped to the ground the robe that had been scrunched into his fist. “I need another drink,” he muttered, making towards the staircase they’d come down what felt like a decade ago now. Another them from another life, before this had all blown up in their faces.

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