JINKI »
Things had been a little strained since the news had broken. Even though it was as handled as it could be, the aftershocks were still factoring in... and it was far from being over and done with, unfortunately. Kibum's temperament had evened out over the years, and it had been quite a few since they'd had a real scandal to concern themselves with, so it was a crapshoot as to just how reactive he might be. Luckily, he had been given the chance to have his reactions in private first, where he could go through the cycle of emotion without simply lashing out with his first response; frustration. Instead, Kibum had spared him, perhaps, with the gift of silence. If that was considered sparing, knowing how serious something was to earn that.
Still, naturally, he was frustrated. They'd had plans, a schedule, activities that were difficult to simply cancel. When that had made itself clear, Kibum had expected Jinki to go ahead with them and face this head-on with them at his side. Maybe it was selfish of him to want that, but he could never understand this response of going into hiding and letting the ugliest voices control the situation. It was only once he and Taemin had arrived at the airport alone that he realised that really was exactly what Jinki was doing. He said nothing about it, the only window into his real feelings making appearances during the concerts they held without him, where the stress of the situation pushed him deeper into his emotions than he wanted to be. Still, he tried to be a bright and cheerful moodmaker. And still, he said nothing. Not until they were home.
It finally happened when they were alone together. It was possible that Kibum had orchestrated such a moment to free his mind, but he would never admit that. It was almost casual, the way he broke that silence, as if it had been a non-issue all along. Except, the chill in his voice broke that illusion. "... So, everybody missed you at the Dome concerts. It was like it was your birthday or something. It's a pity you missed it."
