Solace For Me...

Solace For You

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/52489672.

Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Category: M/M
Fandom: พิษเบบ | Pit Babe (TV)
Relationships: Kenta/Kim (Pit Babe), Babe/Charlie (Pit Babe)
Characters: Kenta (Pit Babe), Kim (Pit Babe), Babe (Pit Babe), Charlie (Pit Babe),
Way (Pit Babe), Alan (Pit Babe), Jeff (Pit Babe), Dean (Pit Babe), Sonic
(Pit Babe), North (Pit Babe), Tony (Pit Babe)
Additional Tags: Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Smoking, Sneaking In, injuries, Punishments,
Child Abuse, Car Accidents, Accidents, Mates
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2023-12-24 Completed: 2023-12-29 Words: 20,783 Chapters:
6/6
 Solace For Me... Solace For You
by Rose_Moon94

Summary

Kenta didn't Remember the last time he cared about a person... Till Kim came to remind him
what was that like.

Notes

Don't Blame Me, Pit Babe drove me crazy

Series & Book Spoiler Alert!

 Chapter 1

Kim didn’t come all the way from Korea to be humiliated…

He had struggled high and low all over Asia to get to where he was now. While Thailand
wasn’t exactly Nascar, it was a very close second, considering what he was paid to come, and
considering all the media displays that currently had his face on it.

He was the new red team racer… the game changer… the one who came with Tony’s Money
and would stay because of the honor he would bring on himself once he managed to get
Winner to see beyond his ego and start being a real racer…

He was on every news outlet all over… Tony’s powers knew no bounds…

He had been dying to get his hands on the new top-notch cars and the garage where
everything was at the tip of his fingers, and everyone and everything existed for the ease of
his mind…

However, there was the X-Hunter Team, their main racers… and their tiny ones…

Babe was in top form, He had an apprentice, or rather a loyal dog that seemed to be following
him around the arena, and even to the gym…

Way was a close second to what Babe was… and then came the ones that usually made the
entourage… Sonic, Dean… and North…

Winner had taken him to their gym, more or less adamant about adding to the running show,
He didn’t give him much thought, minding his own business
 that was till Babe walked in followed by the loyal dog he had been keeping… or rather the
fuck boy… the nice accessory on Babe’s arm.

and Winner just decided to run his mouth - like always - because all he could do was talk…

Kim let it happen and didn’t try to stop him because was slightly excited to size Babe up, to
see what he would be put up against, If he could take him down on the mat then the next
thing he would be able to race him and come on top.

but then the boy stepped up, not only that… the boy was an alpha… and not a bad one as
well...

So Kim had no other choice but to let him get his way, he was tough, the glasses and all gave
him a soft look, and he looked out of place in the gym, or even anywhere around Babe.

But Kim could feel the thrum of the energy that screamed alpha when he spared with him.

“How could you lose to that child?”

“You don’t tell me what to do…”

Kim knew it was by far not the end of it, and not even close to the end of it… Winner wasn’t
a racer, He was a big mouth and that was that…

Speaking to Tony wasn’t much help… It gave him all kinds of bad vibes and signals…

He was not there to race, and those people didn’t care one bit about his career and his
glory…
then the qualifier happened… Babe was no longer in his top form… things were going
wrong, and Kim’s mind screamed at him, he was being played and humiliated...

“I came all the way from Korea to race the great Pit Babe, but you are not up to that… step
up your game so that I can defeat you fair and square…”

and then everything went downhill from there…

it started in the aftermath of the first race of the season… He saw Way and Babe talking in
the lockers and he saw the lash on Babe’s face, saw the injuries on his back once he had
lowered his racer’s suit…

“What happened to you?”

“Someone attacked him, trying to prevent him from racing”, Way answered, his eyes carrying
a dark look.

“Do you know who did it?”

“As If I need to guess”, Babe grumbled, He and Way leaving the lockers…

-----

Kim didn’t have enough time to confront Winner about the attack on Babe, between toning
his own car, and getting ready for the next race, While Winner had been out and about
between the clubs, leaving the mechanics to do everything for him.

and if things could get any worse during the very next race, Babe’s car exploded…
Every Racer’s Worst Nightmare…

Kim had seen the car engulfed in flames, and Babe’s boy jumping over the fence to get to
him and get him out of the car…

Kudos to the boy, Kim couldn’t imagine fighting the fire like that for someone, and couldn’t
imagine someone doing the same for him…

Babe was so lucky with his people…

-----

Kim finished first…

While that was something to celebrate, he didn’t feel like celebrating, He felt like he was
played… and he didn't like it…

Babe was taken to the hospital and from the way He saw Alan and the rest literally leave the
podium and run out of the entire arena, he knew that there was a possibility it would be a life-
threatening situation.

He asked some of his people but no one seemed to know what exactly had happened…

“I have been in the industry for years… He couldn’t break… it was as obvious as daylight…”

Kim’s blood ran like ice in his veins…

Winner…
-----

Later that day, whatever had started as a celebration, ended up with Kim feeling like his
blood was boiling

He couldn’t help but punch Winner when he told him that he would bow to whoever had
messed with Babe’s car…

“I am not here to waste my time in pity fights… I am here to race… and I don’t play dirty
games…”

Winner had claimed that he hadn’t done anything… and Kim had been adamant about
clearing his own image and getting to the bottom of the issue…

No Matter What happened… Or Who was at fault…

-----

Babe would be out for the rest of the season at the very least…

Kim almost threw his phone against the wall at his condo when he heard that, he had lost his
chance in getting the honor and the glory he had been aiming to get.

The cars had been in the arena before the race, and whoever had messed with Babe’s car had
done so while the car was in the arena…

He contemplated going to Tony for it, but he doubted Tony would do anything about it, after
all, Tony did nothing when Kim went to complain about Winner’s behavior.
but first thing first he needed to see with his own eyes how injuried Babe was.

-----

Kim had just made it in time when Babe was making his way out of the garage being
supported by his speculated boy.

“Why are you here? Came to see for yourself the damage you had done?”

“I want you to know that I have done nothing… I wouldn’t do such a thing to win a race…”

“I don’t care…The Last thing I want is for someone like you to care about me…”

But Kim did… He was not going to stand idly by and let his honor be tarnished like that…

-----

His next stop had been the Hollow…

He asked the security to check their surveillance, and they didn’t really oppose it, but there
has been nothing there to be seen as well…

“Do you have a camera on the other side ?”

The man had shook his head but Kim could see a camera in the other corner of the Hollow’s
garage…
something was definitely up…

-----

Kenta was used to what Tony was like by now…

He had got all of them off the streets and fed them, dressed them, and sent them to the best of
schools…

but as expected he had favorites… More or less people with more powers, or rather more
abilities… could get him more fame or more power.

over the time and as Tony’s true colors had shown everyone had left… everyone but Kenta…

He had hoped that by staying he would grow in value for Tony… that he had appreciated
what he did for him…. that he had stayed when everyone had left.

But Tony didn’t want Kenta… He wanted the others, the ones who had walked away and left
him, He wanted them back at all cost…

and having Kenta there while everyone else walked away meant that Kenta was slowly
turning into a punching bag.

More times than not Tony had canned him, pushed him against a wall… straight forward
slapped him…

and that was when he was just angry… there were other times when Kenta had failed to do
something Tony had wanted…
those times came with punishments… He was carrying the marks of his failure Tony had
said…

and then there was Babe’s accident at the Hollow…

Kenta had been sure it wasn’t Tony’s doing, He was pretty sure Tony wouldn’t do that to his
favorite son…

And he was right…

“Get me the surveillance videos of those cameras, find out who did this, and punish him
accordingly… Fail to do so and there would be consequences…”

Hence he and his men were in the Hollows in the middle of the night…

-----

Kim had been a rebel long before he had been a racer, and while it was something long
forgotten, he still knew how to sneak around a place if he wanted.

The security guard had been lying… There was another camera, and He wanted to know who
had messed up with Babe’s car…

Because if it was Winner he was going to break his skull… Tony be damned…

He had jumped the fence, clad in all black, and tried to sneak into the Hollow’s security
area…

There were people inside… People who didn’t look like belonged in the Hollow.
and they saw him within minutes of him being on the premises…

“Hey! You! What you are doing here?”

and Kim bolted…

-----

Kenta heard one of his men shout from inside of the Hollow while he was waiting by the car
before he heard someone being chased…

He had been standing by the car and smoking, waiting for the men to get the surveillance
tapes…

He moved to intercept whoever was running… When he saw one of his men land a punch on
the boy’s face…

He knew it was a boy, the figure was unmistakable…

The Boy’s hood had slipped slightly and He could see his face…

Kim… The Korean Racer…

Kenta's mental alarms all rang, many questions passing through his head, till he concluded
that stopping Kim from getting hurt was a priority…

There’s no telling what Tony would do to him provided he knew about this incident.
Kenta moved around the building and Kim had been looking behind him, checking if he was
being followed when he ended up slamming head-first into Kenta…

Kenta wrapped both arms around him, pressing him to the wall and kissing him as he heard
men come his way…

“Sorry, Master Kenta… Oh… We will be… getting the tapes…”

Kenta pushed Kim’s head against his shoulder, effectively hiding Kim’s face and figure with
his own.

When the men had been far enough he whispered to Kim.

“What’s Khun Kim doing in the Hollow in the middle of the night…”

Kim pushed back against Kenta’s body and Kenta allowed it.

“You?!”

“Me! What are you doing here?”

“What are YOU doing here? With those men? Were you the ones who did that to Babe’s
car?”

“I could ask you the same question, I heard you are a fair man, What? Tired of being fair?”

Kim pushed Kenta and made to move away, but Kenta pushed him back against the wall…
“Where do you think you're going? If the men catch up with you again, they will deliver you
directly to Tony, and I don’t know about you, but I would rather keep this matter away from
him.”

Kim leaned his head back on the wall, and took a few deep breaths…

“What do you suggest then?”

Kenta dragged Kim to his car, unlocked it, and opened the door for him…

“Sit here and Wait, they won’t be able to see you with the black windows and I can take you
back to your condo once the men are done with what they are doing…”

“And What is that exactly?”

“I will tell you in the car, not that it’s any of your business…”

Kim looked at Kenta for a long moment before ending up getting in the car, Kenta pushed the
door shut and leaned on it as he had already been doing… lighting another cigarette…
 Chapter 2
Chapter Notes

In Honor of Christmas .... We have an early Chapter...

By the time The men had collected the surveillance videos from the cameras, Kim had fallen
asleep in Kenta’s car.

The men had searched the premises for the intruder and reported that he must have fled.

“All The Cameras’ tapes are there except for one camera at the corner… it’s broken…”

Kenta had frowned upon that but said nothing…

“Then I will check the tapes and report to the master, you are all dismissed for the night…”

He waited till he could see all men occupy their vehicles before he took his seat behind the
wheel of his own and left the Hollow.

He sneaked looks at the sleeping person in the passenger seat, He could see blood dotting his
lips from the split, and the corner of his mouth. A bruise would likely blossom on his cheek
as well…

Kenta looked back to the road, contemplating taking Kim to his own condo to check him
over before dropping him off at his own…

He was followed by his men anyway…

“You are a smooth driver…”

Kim’s quiet remark startled Kenta…

“I thought you were asleep…”

“Just resting my eyes, I was bored waiting for you and your men all that time…”

Kenta hummed before He felt Kim move in his seat, and took a look at the road before
looking at the navigation screen.

“We are not heading to my condo…”

“No, We are heading to mine, We are still followed by my men, I don’t want them to report
something off to Tony…”

“Is he your master, or your Pa?”

Kenta shrugged, Explaining what he was to Tony was a bit of a minefield…

“I will take you back to your condo once the coast is clear, Please steer away from causing
trouble, Khun Kim… Next time I might not be there to get you out of it…”

“I would have gotten myself out of it alright…”

Kenta smirked but said nothing…

Soon enough Kenta got into the parking lot of a nice condo building… He was not followed
by any of his men…

He parked the car and looked at Kim.

“Get out…”

“Thought you said you would take me back once the coast is clear…”

“I will, but that doesn't mean that we have to wait in the car… come up and wash your
face…”

Kim hesitated but Followed Kenta out of the car and into an elevator, Kenta produced a card
from his pocket and pressed it to a sensor panel, the elevator began moving…

“You don’t live with your Pa?”

“Curious, Aren’t you?”

Kim clamped his lips shut… staring into the monitor indicating the floor, once it hit the 10th
floor, the elevator stopped smoothly and the door opened into a floor with barely a couple of
doors.

Kenta moved first, walking out of the elevator, standing before a door, and entering a code
before the door unlocked…

“Please…”
Kenta held the door and waited for Kim to make his way into the condo, Kim looked at
Kenta for a moment too long before he walked in…

Kenta walked after him, closing the door behind…

-----

Kim looked at the mirror of Kenta’s guest bathroom after he had washed his face and
cursed…

He was sporting the beginnings of a nice bruise on his cheek, his bottom lip was split and
once he had washed his face it had started bleeding again.

That was going to attract so much unwanted attention…

He dried his face tentatively before opening the door to the guest bathroom to find Kenta
standing there and waiting for him.

“Damn, they got you real good…”

Kim flinched at the comment, that meant that everyone would most likely be able to see it the
next day.

“C'mon… Let’s get you some ice to that cheek, and something to drink…”

“You don’t have to, just drop me at my condo…”

Kenta shook his head…

“Not before I know what you were doing in the Hollow like that…”

Kim sighed… He might as well tell Kenta…

“Babe thinks the red team did something to the car… I am worried Winner may have done
something…”

Kenta nodded, He had the same doubt… Tony was going to raise all kinds of hell if it was
Winner’s doing…

“Then come, Drink something and I will drive you to your condo…Is your car near the
Hollow, I take you back to it if you want…”

“Didn’t use the car, asked a taxi to drop me a bit away and walked there…”

Kenta’s face was an image of surprise…

“That’s not your first time sneaking into a place, Is it?”

“Curious, Aren’t you?”

Kenta couldn’t help but smile…

-----

Kim sat there holding an Icepack to his cheek while Kenta prepared Tea…
Kenta’s condo was very clean, very calm, and cozy… He had a nice style about him…

“It’s a very neat place you got here…”

Kenta turned to him, putting the tray with the elegant tea cups and teapot in front of Kim.

“It’s my sanctuary… No one is allowed to come here actually…”

Kim nodded… He never liked people in his space, near his car… he never liked people
around him as well…

Kenta walked out of the kitchen and into a room at the end of the hallway, closing the door
behind him, and coming back a moment later, a hoodie in his hand and a first aid box in the
other…

“Here… Change into this…”

“Why?”

“For Starters, you were in my apartments… and If any of my men saw you in that black-on-
black while you went out there’s no telling what would happen…”

Kim nodded… taking the hoodie from Kenta and putting it aside…

Kenta opened the box and produced a cotton swap and some sort of a tonic, He wetted the
swap and moved his hand towards Kim.
“Sit Still for a second, It keeps bleeding…”

Kim followed him with his eyes, watching as Kenta reached out and touched the swap to his
lips.

Kim flinched when the sting of the tonic registered and Kenta seemed to flinch equally as
well…

“Sorry, It will hurt a tiny bit… It will stop the bleeding though…”

“I am not a child, you don’t need to talk me down…”

Kenta hummed, and kept patting the sweep to Kim’s lips till he deemed it enough, and pulled
back…

Kim barely managed to take his eyes off Kenta’s hand the entire time, swallowing hard when
Kenta’s hand retreated…

“Change and Let me drop you back… I believe you have to train bright and early… but I
would rather you hide for a day or two till your face heals…”

“What would I tell your Pa? That I got the sniffles?”

“He doesn’t care much about the red team… Don’t worry yourself about him…”

Kim raised an eyebrow, taking his black hoodie off and putting the much bigger hoodie on…
He could see Kenta eyeing him before averting his gaze…

“Then I might as well tell you now, Khun Kenta… I am sick with the sniffles…”
Kim mock coughed and Kenta smirked…

“Well Noted, Khun Main Racer… You may rest for a couple of days…”

Kenta ushered with his hand for Kim to proceed him to the door…

-----

Kenta knew he was up to his chin in trouble when he realized that the tapes were most likely
not going to get him anywhere… and he hated it…

Tony was not going to like it once he realized that Kenta was less likely to know who
arranged for the assault and now the car issue… Not going to like it at all…

That wasn’t the only issue on the agenda, The other day Tony had thrown a drink in his face
when he told him that the person they were lobbying with refused to cooperate with them any
further, someone paying him more…

“Cut the funds for the red team and collect all the cash that’s needed…”

The first thought that had come to Kenta’s mind once he had changed his shirt and screamed
his rage, was that Kim wasn’t going to be happy about that fund cut…

and then there was the other thing Tony had asked him to do…

“Did you find out who assaulted Babe and messed with the car?”
The negative answer was not met with a drink thrown in his face this time… it was met with
a punch…

Tony was not a weak man… neither did he tolerate weakness…

the lashes that followed and the hits were not unusual when Tony was not getting his way, or
his orders were not being followed down to the letter and then a bit more.

“Get yourself off my floor… I don’t want to see your face, you, failure…”

Kenta barely managed to get his legs under his body and got off the floor… he drove to the
condo in a haze… moving on autopilot and barely registering his surroundings.

He leaned on the walls till he reached his room and dropped face-first into the bed…

He should have gotten up, changed, and cleaned the laceration… but he couldn’t, the world
was crushing him and he couldn’t help but surrender to the weight and go under…

-----

Kim hadn’t heard from Kenta in days…

Despite Kenta promising to let him know about who messed up with Babe’s car…

He had made well on his promise and hid in his condo for a couple of days, allowing his face
to heal before he attempted to get back to training…

Winner had annoyed him about it plenty…

“One would think that even if you are sick you would still show up to train…”

Kim had left the message on read, and ignored Winner… He was all bark and no bite and
Kim wasn’t in the mood to put him back in his place…

He paced the length of his apartment contemplating what to do next…

The borrowed Hoodie sat on the vanity in his room, it smelled slightly of Kenta… smoke,
and cigarettes…

“It’s not the first time you sneak into a place, is it?”

Kim’s phone rang with a message in the red team’s group chat…

“No More Funds for the team till further notice…”, it was sent from the team’s financial
aid…

Kim cursed, throwing his phone across the wall…

He needed to talk to Kenta if not Tony himself, He didn’t come all the way from Korea to be
a pawn in someone’s game…

He grabbed the hoodie and walked out of the condo…

-----

Getting into Kenta’s condo was not rocket science…

All he had to do was to tell the doorman that he was Kenta’s boyfriend, the hoodie in his
hands making it all too easy…

“Good, Khun Kenta was just stumbling to his condo…”

Kim frowned when he heard that…

“Do you need help getting to his condo, Khun?”

“No, No, I am scared of Elevators and would take the stairs anyway… I will let myself into
the condo…”

The Man nodded his approval and that was all Kim needed…

He did make his way to the 10th floor, stood before the lock panel, and entered the code that
he saw Kenta input when he had taken him back that day…

Kim was used to looking over people’s shoulders, that was one of those times…

The door unlocked with a soft beep and Kim frowned deeply…

He walked into the condo expecting it to be empty, it was weird that Kenta didn’t react when
he heard the door unlock, considering that he said that no one came here…

“Kenta! Khun Kenta!”

No response… Not even a beep…

“Kenta… Are you here?”

He walked deep into the condo, checking the kitchen and the bathroom and finding no one….

That left the only place he hadn’t checked yet…

The main bedroom…

Kim padded slowly into the open room, and his eyes widened…

Kenta was in the bed, sleeping on his front in one of his all-black attires… but Kim could see
tears in the shirt… and blood…

Who attacked Kenta now? And was it the same person who attacked Babe?

Kim couldn’t just turn and leave even if he had wanted to, now that he had seen how Kenta
was…

He walked into the room and neared the bed… touching Kenta slowly and carefully so that
his hand didn’t come in contact with any of the lacerations he couldn’t see…

He called Kenta’s name a couple of times, He could see the sweat beading on his forehead,
He grumbled and burrowed further into the pillows…

“C'mon Kenta, Wake up…”

Kenta’s eyes opened slits and he looked at Kim…

“Kim?”

“Yeah Yeah, it’s me… What happened to you?”

Kenta groaned loudly and Kim had a feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer any more
than anything else that had been happening that day…

“Kenta… Where’s the First aid box?

Kenta didn’t answer him he was opening and closing his eyes sluggishly… Kim ended up
having to shake him to get an answer…

“Kenta? Answer me, Or I will have to call for an ambulance…”

The world ambulance seemed to get Kenta’s attention… He cracked his eyes open and
whispered the answer…

“No... No Ambulance… No hospital”

“Then Answer me, Where’s the kit?”

“Second drawer… Nightstand…”

Kim moved without hesitation and pulled the drawer he had just mentioned open to find the
all-familiar box lying there…

“Kenta! I need to take your shirt off… C’mon… Let me help you!”
Kenta shook his head…

“Leave…”

Kim was surprised to see the least…

“No… What’s wrong with you? I am not leaving you like that…”

Kenta shook his head again and Kim didn’t know what to do, but leaving was out of the
question…

“Just leave…”

The next thing Kim knew was that Kenta closed his eyes and faded away…

Kenta didn’t do pity… He didn’t pity anyone and He wasn’t going to allow anyone to pity
him…

He didn’t have the presence of mind to think how come Kim was in his condo, and didn’t
have enough energy to chase him out…

But he needed him to leave… He chose the worst possible time… Kenta had told him to
leave, and expected him to do so as well…

Everyone always did… Kenta was used to waking up from the aftermath of punishment and
tending to his wounds on his own.
Tony was expecting a correction and was not going to be merciful…

“Just leave…”

Kenta had closed his eyes and surrendered to the sleep that he knew would take away the rest
of his pain for the moment…

He certainly didn’t expect to wake up with another person in his room again…

He was sleeping on his side, minus a shirt and covered with his blankets, Kim was sitting on
the windowsill, not exactly looking anywhere, totally zoned out.

Kenta’s mind was still slow, but Kim’s profile looked ethereal to him, the city lights were
hitting his face and making his eyes shine…

But he was there… Kim didn’t leave…

He shifted on the bed trying to get up and Kim turned sharply to him…

“Kenta? Are you awake?”

Kenta’s slow mind was starting to catch up on few things, for starters He was shirtless, and
His lacerations was cleaned and bandaged…

Kim didn’t leave when Kenta told him to… He probably saw his back and chest and all the
markings there…

“I thought I told you to leave…”

Kim ignored the remark and went for the killer…

“Who did this to you?”

Kenta turned sharply to him, anger mixing with his pain and weakness…

“While I appreciate your help, I certainly don’t appreciate you breaking into my condo or just
not leaving when I asked you to…”

“Was it Tony? Is that why you wanted me to leave…”

He was too smart for his own good, and If Tony started noticing that, He was going to get
hurt…

“Is that the cause of the other marks as well? When I asked you if Tony was your master or
your pa, you never answered…”

“What’s in for you? Why don’t you do as you are being told for once?”

The questions weren’t stopping despite the bite to Kenta’s words, They kept coming and
Kenta wasn’t awake enough to be able to maneuver around them.

“Did you at least manage to know who tried to hurt Babe and messed with the car?”

Kenta stared at Kim for a long moment, He was not going to back down…

Tony would break him if he doesn’t, whispered a voice in his head.

“And why are the funds for the red team frozen?”

“You shouldn’t worry about that, it’s temporary and has nothing to do with you or your living
costs…”

Kim smirked…

“That’s not the reason I am asking…”

“I don’t see why you would have another reason…”

Kenta and Kim stared at each other down… Kenta ended up breaking eye contact when his
phone chirped…

He looked at the phone resting on its charger on his nightstand…

“Kim is missing… Find him, don’t let him get into trouble like that Winner idiot…”

Tony…

and Kenta’s entire body seized up…

“What is it? Did something happen?”

Kenta looked at Kim, his mind a swirl of terror and fear…

“Are you ok? Is something the matter?”

The concern and worry in Kim’s eyes gave Kenta a pause…

Hide him… Protect him…

“Someone let Tony know that you are not in your condo, He is asking me to look for you and
stop you from starting any trouble…”

Kim’s eyes flashed in worry before he shrugged…

“Well… You know where I am… and you know I am up to no trouble…”

Kenta narrowed his eyes at him

“How did you get into my condo?”

“Using the code, of course…”

Kenta stared at him till Kim talked again…

“I saw you putting it in the last time, and I kinda knew it would come in handy… thankfully
it did…”

“How did you pass the security desk?”

Kim shrugged…
“Well?”

“I was carrying one of your hoodies and told them that I am your boyfriend…”

“And they let you in? Just like that?”

Kim hesitated and Kenta could see it, He wasn’t going to like that answer any more than he
did the previous ones.

“I let it slip that I know you live on the 10th floor, and that I have the code to your condo and
would let myself in… they noticed you were not ok when you came in and kinda let me know
about it…”

Kenta cursed under his breath…

“I answered all of your questions… Isn’t it time to answer mine?”

“I don’t owe you any answers, I should take you back and report to Tony that you were not
missing…”

Kim’s eyes flashed with worry again… and Kenta wondered what he had done now to get
that look.

“I don’t think it would be safe to drive while you are in THIS state… I can stay here with you
for a bit so that you may know I am not doing anything… or I can take myself back to my
condo…”

Kenta looked at him and thought about it…

Having Kim there would grant him some peace of mind, but then again letting him go back to
his condo and report to Tony might grant him a night to himself…

He needed the rest…

“Where did you park your car?”

“A block away…”

Kenta sighed… Kim was making his life hard tenfold…

“Do I need to worry about someone attacking me next? Does Winner want to get me off the
team now?”

“Doubt it… It wasn’t Winner who messed with Babe’s car…”

Kim’s face perked in interest… Kenta liked that expression on him, like an eager puppy…

“Someone on Babe’s team, someone among the X-Hunter team did the deed…”

Kim frowned and had it been up to Kenta he would have reached out and smoothed the skin
between his eyes…

“Why would someone do that?”

“I don’t know, Jealousy?”

“They could have killed him…”

Kenta nodded… Babe could have been burned to ashes in that car…

“And What happened to you?”

Kim’s voice penetrated Kenta’s mind again, it was laced with worry…

“No one you should concern yourself about…”

Kim frowed…

“Why are you so cold about this? Someone hurt Babe, not once but twice, you are hurt as
well… and the red team’s funds are cut…”

“If you care about the X-Hunter Team so much maybe you should have joined them…”

Kim’s eyes flashed angrily at the outburst and Kenta knew that whatever had been holding
him back had just vanished…

Finally… No pity…

“I don’t give a crap about all of you, but it’s my reputation and dignity on the line… and I
worked too hard for that to leave it in the hands of people like you, Winner or even Babe…”

Kim stood from the windowsill, and made his way to the bedroom door in long angry
strides… He turned one more to Kenta before leaving… throwing the hoodie in his face…
Kenta heard the telltale sounds of his condo door being slammed shut…

He laid back on his bed, breathing hard as if he had been running a marathon… Dealing with
Kim and his hard head was like running a marathon… even harder…

He wiped his face with his hand, before covering his eyes with said arm…

Not long after He received a message from one of his men…

“Kim back at his condo, Unhurt…”

Kenta rolled his eyes before closing them altogether…

He could really use some sleep…

 Chapter 3

Tony didn’t care one bit about Kim… He bought him and could sell him… He was a card
Tony had played at some point in his war against Babe and the X Hunter Team.

Kenta could tell that Tony didn’t intend to sustain the red team for long, that if they made it
throughout this season they would be mighty lucky…

But there was no telling with Tony…

Kim needed to know that… He needed to leave before Tony would set everything on fire…
What Tony hated more than incompetence was to feel like he had wasted his money.

Because Tony would set it all on fire, and Kenta wasn’t sure Kim would be able to make it
out without harm…

Also, X Hunter’s Alan had a suspicion about who had messed with Babe’s car… and that got
Kim out of the issue… For Now… Since there was no telling how low Winner would stoop
by the time that entire issue was over.

All of that was one thing but the other thing that bothered Kenta was the fact that Kim didn't
talk to him again after that incident in his condo, not a peep since then…

Kenta had expected that Kim would pester him again about the tapes and his injuries, but
nothing… he didn’t…

And He didn’t know why but he missed the pestering… missed the nagging…

“He goes to the gym, the garage, and then back to his condo… He is not seeing anyone, but
several other garages are trying to reach out to him since his win over Babe…”
One of Kenta’s men had reported to him…Tony asked him to keep an eye out for the pair of
the racers in case they decide to raise any trouble.

Kenta had an itch under his skin since he woke up that day… Kim cared a bit too much, He
was a bit too good for his own - well - good…

It would only take Tony to be angry enough and he would cause enough damage… damage
Kenta didn’t know whether he could control or not…

Forcing Babe to come back was one thing, He wouldn’t hurt Babe, He had plans for him -
big plans He kept on saying, Tony wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone to get what he wanted…

He had done it before, and would most likely do it again if the need arose…

“Give the red team a warning, If they cannot win over Babe then I will pull out my support
by the end of the season and they won’t see another penny from me… and if they don’t
believe and start causing trouble then I will make sure the garage ends up being closed…”

Tony’s warning rang in Kenta’s ear and paralyzed him for a few seconds…

“I believe I gave you an order, Kenta!… and Get me all the info you could about that Pete
while you are at it… He is causing so much trouble…”

Kenta mumbled a tiny “Yes, Sir” Before Tony added…

“I would hate for you to fail again Kenta… but that's what you seem to be able to do best…
fail me…”
Kenta’s head was starting to hurt… His hands were fisted by his side… There was hardly an
encounter with Tony that didn’t end up with Kenta not wanting to tear his skin off…

“Now, Leave…”

Kenta bowed to Tony before taking his leave…

He needed to get to who Pete was, He already had a guess - something he wouldn’t dare
share with Tony, but most importantly He needed to warn Kim first…

Kim needed to leave… Kim needed to be safe…

—-

Finding Kim wasn’t hard, but getting him to talk to him or listen to him was… Because Kim
was nothing but stubborn…

Yet Kenta couldn’t for the life of him find it anything but endearing…

He found him punching a bag in a secluded room in the gym… Sweat dotting his forehead
and making his hair stick to his face, Kenta itched to touch it and push it back.

“Leave… Before I turn you into the punching bag”, Kim said in a curt tone once Kenta had
let himself in the space…

“I have something to tell you and then I will leave…”

“No… You will turn back and leave and never show me your face again… I believe you
wanted nothing to do with me… Why are you poking your head into my business now?”
“You have to listen… it’s important…”

Kim took his boxing gloves off, picked up his bag, and walked out of the boxing hall at the
gym, jamming his shoulder against Kenta’s painfully.

Kenta rubbed his shoulder, but he had no other way but to follow him…

He chased him till they both reached the garage…

“It’s important… Tony will…”

Kim turned to Kenta and his eyes shot fire… Kenta took a step back… the air permeated with
a toasty smell…

“Tony will, Tony this… Tony that… What's the matter with you? and why are you here?”

“I… came to warn you…”

Kim’s face had an even angrier look…

“Last I checked you wanted nothing to do with me and If I can recall, Helping you last time
was a good payback for helping me out of the hallow… you don’t have to warn me or help
me any further…”

“Listen to me…”

“NO! I won’t listen to you…”

Kenta moved without meaning to, he was driven by frustration… with an unfamiliar need to
protect…

He took hold of Kim’s shoulders and pushed him against the car… He needed him to listen,
needed him to be safe…

“LISTEN TO ME! Tony will hurt your career… He will make the entire red garage pay if
they fail to secure their wins against the X Hunters… cutting the funds was like the tip of the
iceberg…”

Kim looked at Kenta and his eyes were no longer shooting fire… He was looking at him…
just him…

He turned his head slowly and looked at Kenta’s hand on his shoulder before noticing that the
other hand was around his head - so that he wouldn’t hit the car…

Kenta dropped both hands and took a couple of steps back…

“I… I told you it was important…”

Kim looked stricken for a second too long before he looked at Kenta’s face again.

“Why do you care about my career? Why do you care to begin with?”

Kenta looked at him and the answer just didn’t come to him…

Why did he care?... Why did he come all the way and leave his job of finding who Pete was to
warn Kim?
“I… You don’t deserve what Tony could do… You should leave while you can… tell him
you had a better offer… fake an injury… anything…”

“Why do you care so much about what I do deserve?”

Kim looked at Kenta and Kenta couldn’t turn away… he couldn’t help but look into Kim’s
eyes… The warmth and curiosity were so captivating…

He had never seen it before…

Kim took a hesitant step toward Kenta…

“Why do you care if Tony could hurt me?”

The mere thought that Tony would get his hands on Kim and use him or even worse sent a
stabbing pain in Kenta’s chest…

He had seen what Tony could do… the hurt he could cause, hell he bore its marks.

“I am not going to leave… I am not going to run away…”

“Please do…”

“No… He brought me into this…and I am not leaving till I see it through…”

Kenta was not above begging him to leave… He didn’t know why though… but he couldn't
bear to think of Kim getting hurt…
Kim took a step back when he didn’t receive any answer from Kenta…

“You don’t know what to say… you don’t have to worry about me Khun Kenta… I know
how to protect myself…”

Kenta hated the wall that was back between them… before he knew it Kim was behind the
wheel of his car and out of his reach…

The question that Kim asked kept ringing in his ear…

“Why do you care, Kenta?”

—--

Kenta was surprised when Kim fell off the grid for the next few days…

He was avoiding Kenta and Kenta knew it…

“Why do you care, Kenta?”

Kenta had forgotten what caring about anything that was not Tony-related felt like, He
remembered a time when he had interests and hobbies…

He had people at some point… but it was a distant memory… so distant that it felt more like
a dream than a reality.
But the thing with Tony was that he could take anything away… including all the hobbies
Kenta had… all the things Kenta showed interest in… or people…

It was punishment, for all the things that Kenta couldn’t keep up with compared to the other
boys… and it was punishment because Tony didn’t have anyone else to punish…

there was a dark little voice whispering in Kenta’s head that Tony would take Kim away if
he showed that he cared…

and Kenta wasn’t sure he would be able to handle that even if he wanted…

He could swallow all the punishments and the insults, but he wasn’t sure he was going to be
able to swallow losing an entire person…

Losing… as if Kim was already his…

Kenta leaned back in his chair letting his mind wander further…

Maybe he could protect Kim… If Kim is so adamant about the truth and the fairness of
everything, it might be his chance as well…

Tony must be stopped at some point…

The first step though was to make amends…

—--

Finding Kim again wasn’t complicated… He hardly had anywhere to go or anyone to mingle
with…
So when he was told that Kim was sitting in a bar, Kenta thought that it might be as good as
any chance he was going to get.

He was calm, Kenta had noticed during all the encounters, even during the races he attended
with Tony…

Kim was calm, He didn't show his storm of emotions to anyone…

‘I will have whatever he is having…”, Kenta told the bartender as he approached Kim’s
seat…

Kim's hand that was moving on the rim of the glass he was holding paused for a bit before he
downed all of his drink and made to leave…

Kenta held his bicep and looked at him…

“We need to talk… Please…”

Kim met his eyes, he did that thing with his lips where he pulled them in a tight line…

“I don’t think we have anything to talk about…”

“Then let me get you a drink or something…”

Kim hesitated, looking at Kenta’s hand on his bicep again, and Kenta ended up letting go and
dropping his hand beside him…
“Fine… A drink…”

Kenta managed a small smile… A Tiny win…

—--

Kim wasn’t sure what made him sit with Kenta in the bar as the place emptied around them…

He was attracted to Kenta, and he didn’t know if it was mutual or not… but there have been
moments… fleeting moments since that day in the Hallows that he was pretty sure that it
must be…

“Now that we had that drink, What do we need to talk about?”

“For Starter, I think I know who did mess with Babe’s car if you still care to know…”

Kim shrugged…

“And?”

“And I… I think you can easily overcome Babe in any race…”

Kim raised an eyebrow at Kenta’s remark…

“What makes you say that?”

“I saw you train a couple of times… I think with the right car and without Winner, you can
easily overcome Babe… not that you would have to worry about him for the time being…”

Kim’s gaze darkened…

“I didn’t come here to have an easy win…”

“Why did you come then?”

“Why are you asking? So you can get me to leave…”

Kenta shook his head… He wasn’t sure he wanted Kim to leave, Not with the way he was
looking at him now…

Kim smirked but there was no bite to it…

“Trade a question for a question then?”

“And If I don't feel like answering?”

Kim smiled, and the smile had a childish quality to it, Like a cat that got the cream.

“A Shot for every question you or I don’t answer?”

Kenta nodded, anything for Kim's smile… and definitely for his stories…

-----
Kim ended up being the one who swallowed one shot after the other…

Kenta tried to answer, maneuvering around Kim's questions, and ended up barely drinking
anything…

because he might have been honest about many things, but when it came to Tony, He didn’t
feel like answering anything.

Kim avoided all the questions about his parents or where he came from…

Kenta noticed, and instead of pressing him, he indulged him in rather softer questions.

“How much do you like your car?”

Kim whined, and Kenta couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It’s not fast enough… I kept trying to tone it up but it’s not fast enough…”

“Do you want me to ask for a better car for you? Better mechanics?”

Kim smiled and Kenta was starting to get addicted to it.

“Special Treatment for me…”

“You are the best racer in the red team, you deserve to have the best car the money could
afford…”
Kim felt the heat creep up on his face… Was He blushing ?!

Kenta must have seen it and placed it as Kim being more drunk than he actually was because
he reached out and placed a very cold hand on Kim’s cheek.

“We should probably call it a night… you look too drunk…”

Kim leaned into the cold hand, he didn’t know why but it felt perfect against his heated
cheeks.

“Let’s go… I am going to take you to your condo…”

Kenta helped Kim off the bar stool… wrapping a hand around his waist.

“C'mon…Let’s go…”

Kim really was comfortable leaning into him…

-----

Kenta ended up driving Kim’s car to his condo, He could always send one of his men to get
his vehicle later, or he could ask anyone to pick him up.

But he felt a brewing heat in his chest the more time he spent with Kim.

Kim kept sneaking looks at him the entire way to the condo, his face red and he was too
quiet…
“How are your injuries?”

Kenta tensed, the heat in his chest growing even hotter.

“Better… You did help, I am sorry for what happened that day, I should be thanking you…”

Kim hummed, his eyes slipping closed

“It’s ok, I was protective of myself like that once…”

Kenta waited for him to elaborate but didn’t press him when he didn’t…

“Is that why you knew how to help me bandage my back?”

Kim hummed again…

“It was so painful to see you hurt… I really wanted to call the ambulance…”

The heat in Kenta’s chest became an overbearing warmth that spread to his entire body.

“I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt again…”

Kenta turned sharply to Kim to see his eyes open and look at him.

“Neither do I…”
Kim's smile was so cute Kenta started having ideas about kissing those smiling lips.

-----

Taking Kim up to his own condo was not rocket science… and Kim didn’t exactly fight to
keep Kenta from doing so.

The hand around his waist was cold, and comforting… drawing away the heat that had been
thrumming under Kim’s skin.

They both stood in front of Kim’s condo as Kim unlocked the door, Kenta hesitated for a bit
before speaking

“I should leave you to rest…”

Kim took hold of his arm, and let his hand slide till he was holding Kenta’s cold hand in his.

“I… Come inside for a bit… I am not as drunk, I promise… Maybe we can share a drink or
something… I don’t know about you but I want to order some Korean Food… Would you
like that?”

Kenta looked at him with an openly flabbergasted expression that Kim thought He had
switched back to speaking in Korean at some point.

He moved his thumb against Kenta’s hand in a soft motion, and Kenta looked at their
intertwined hands before meeting Kim’s eyes again.

“I would love to…”

Kim pulled Kenta with the hand inside the condo, locking the door behind them, still hand in
hand.

“Do you have any preference or would you rather I just order for you?”

Kenta looked at him, in the dim light of the condo his eyes seemed to grow softer, his hair
was looking softer without any styling and Kim wondered what it would feel like to card his
fingers through it.

“Whatever you order is fine…”

Kim nodded and fumbled in his pockets for his mobile phone, Kenta sneaked a look at their
intertwined hands again.

“I…I will go to the restroom…”

Kim looked at him and didn’t know what he exactly was asking for before it registered…

“Oh, The 2nd door on the left in the hallway…”

Kenta nodded, and Kim had no other option but to take his hand back, missing the cold touch
almost instantly.

He wrapped up ordering and looked to see if it would take at the very least quarter of an hour
to arrive.

He walked till he was in front of the open kitchen, reaching out to get a glass, and filling it
with water before leaning his head on the cold kitchen counter.
Kenta came from behind him, a cold hand resting on his arm.

“Are you sure you are ok?”

Kim looked at him, his gaze was laced with worry…

“I am fine… Just the shots probably…”

Kenta hummed, taking back his hand… Kim stood straight and led Kenta into his living
area…

“Make yourself comfortable, The food should be here soon…”

Kenta walked in and looked around the place, it was bare… elegant - since they had provided
Kim with the condo in one of the rather high-end buildings around the city, but it missed the
personalization of someone living in it.

Kenta looked near the TV and saw the trophy for the 1st race sitting neatly on a shelf, but it
was the only thing there…

“Why don’t you show off your other wins?”

Kim looked at him, taken back a bit…

“The ones in Korea are in my room, I keep that one here as a reminder that I practically
didn’t win yet, and that it was the only win since I came…”
“empty slat ?”

“More or less…”

Kenta chuckled…

“I can show you the other ones later…”

Later… As If there were other times and occasions when Kenta would be in Kim’s living
space again.

“Sure… I would love to see them…”

Kim hummed pleasantly before they were interrupted again with the door ringing.

Kim made quick work of picking up the food before both of them settled on the floor near the
coffee table.

The conversation wasn’t exactly smooth between them but they were talking nonetheless,
mundane things…

Kim felt his awareness increase by the moment, the Alcohol effect fading a bit once he had
started eating.

and Resolution solidifying as well…

especially when Kenta’s eyes lingered on his lips for too long.
“There’s a smudge on your lips…”

Kenta reached to touch Kim’s lips, cleaning the smudge with his fingers and Kim didn’t dare
even to breathe.

Kenta was so close now that Kim could count his lashes if he wanted to, smell the lingering
smoke on his clothes, and see the flicks of black in his brown eyes.

Kenta lowered his hand but they both stayed close, and it was Kim’s turn to look at Kenta’s
clear face and lips.

Before he knew it he leaned in and touched Kenta’s lips with his own, and Kenta didn’t pull
back, on the contrary, He leaned in and deepened the kiss, Kenta’s hand coming up to tingle
in Kim’s hair, not pulling only keeping him close, cushioning his head as Kenta moved to
straddle Kim’s lap.

When both of them broke the kiss for air - most unfortunately - Kenta’s eyes didn’t leave
Kim, the hand on his hair, came and cradled his face.

“I have been dying to get another taste of those lips ever since that day at the Hollows… ”

Kim smiled, He didn’t know what to say to that but he definitely wanted more… No… he
needed more…

“Kim? Tell me you are not drunk… Tell me that you won’t wake up tomorrow and regret
that…”

Kim leaned in and kissed the seams of his lips again, nuzzling his nose with his own.

“I am not drunk… I don’t get drunk that easily… and I want this… I want you…”
Kenta breathed deeply, it was all the permission he needed when Kim’s hands reached under
his black polo shirt and pulled it up.

Kenta leaned back once Kim discarded the Polo Shirt to catch his lips again, He paused when
Kim’s hand came in contact with the tender skin covering his injuries and scars.

“Do they hurt?”

Kim’s voice was tender and low, his eyes were creased in worry and Kenta felt like he
wanted to worship the guy, kiss him… give him the moon and the stars

“No… They don’t… Your Touch is the furthest thing from hurting me…”

Kim smiled and it was tender, lovely…

Kim pulled Kenta back to him and didn’t let go again.

-----

Kim slept for a bit… rather than let his mind wander while his body rested from his and
Kenta’s night of passion.

He liked Kenta, Liked him plenty, knew they had some sort of a bond between them, some
sort of attraction he couldn’t resist even if he wanted to.

He knew that because he had tried, but once Kenta’s hands were on his body and his hand
roamed all over Kenta’s skin, it felt like puzzle pieces finally falling into place.
And He never wanted him to stop, He couldn’t stop himself even if he wanted as well…

They kept at it till the sun was rising again on the horizon, before Kim made Kenta’s shoulder
his pillow and closed his eyes, feeling Kenta’s breath on his face and neck…

“You have a hold on me, Heart, Body and soul… I will protect you…”

Kim heard him as he fell asleep and held onto it and recalled it once awareness came back to
him.

Kenta was asleep on his side, deeply asleep… Kim was sleeping on his arm, the other arm
was resting around Kim’s waist.

Kim looked at Kenta’s relaxed face and couldn’t help but smile.

He looked years younger without his all-black clothes, and with his face relaxed into
calmness, hair all tousled and un-styled…

Kim’s eyes lingered on the scars again…

It didn’t take much brain power to figure out who could cause such lasting damage to
someone like Kenta…

“You are not the only one who can protect, Kenta…”

Something inside of Kim had been screaming for him to protect and shield already, his senses
had been honed by years and years on the streets fighting off the right and the wrong people
to get where he was told him something was ridiculously wrong with Tony and his entourage
and his enemyship with X Hunters.
And now being in bed with Kenta’s arms around him… Something else was screaming… Or
Rather Something primal

Mate… Protect…

It wasn’t the first time for him to be with someone, Alpha or not… but it was the first time
for him to feel like that…

Mate… In Danger… Hurt…

Kim leaned in and kissed Kenta’s forehead… Kenta leaned in further, and Kim decided he
might as well linger in bed a bit more…

The Whole Mate thing he could keep a secret now…

Couldn’t He?
 Chapter 4
Chapter Notes

SPOILERS ALERT !! SPOILERS ALERT!!

Kenta woke up rested… He hadn’t woken up without anxiety wrecking his nerves in so long
that the entire feeling was so foreign to him at that point.

and there were touches as well…

Someone was caressing his face and hair, someone was sleeping on his arm that he lost all
feeling in that arm…

Someone smelling like warmth and softness, yet very solid against him.

And then the entire previous night came back to him…

Kim… So mighty and Lovely Kim.

He opened his eyes, wanting to get his fill of his Kim…

His… Kim was his… his senses had been screaming it since that day at the Hollows… and it
scared him shitless, terrified him…

Tony would take Kim away from him the second Kenta showed he cared enough about him,
it was going to be a very delicate balance… and he would need to be truthful to Kim for it to
work as well…
He looked to see Kim, a soft smile playing on his lips, his skin glowing…

“Morning…”

Kenta hummed, He was yet to find his own voice, yet to do anything but be mesmerized…

The thrum of anxiety under his skin was the calmest it had ever been…

Mate… Yours… Protect…

He leaned in to catch Kim’s lips in another Kiss, He couldn’t resist it…

Kim was the Nectar, and Kenta was addicted…

Kim laughed softly against his lips and Kenta smiled, the arm on Kim’s waist pulled him
tighter against Kenta’s chest.

Kim leaned in it, wrapping his own arms around Kenta.

When Kim’s stomach grumbled loudly both of them chuckled…

“Breakfast?”

“Sure… We need to talk as well…”

Kim leaned back, looking Kenta in the eyes…

“One Condition…”

Kenta was trying really hard to resist but it was proving fruitless…

“Anything…”, Kenta breathed…

“Only the Truth… Nothing but the Truth…”

Kenta nodded, He wouldn’t wish for it any other way.

-----

Showering with Kenta was a repeated performance of what had happened the night before…
because Kim lacked all kinds of self-control… and it was scaring him.

Mate… Protect… Care

They both ended up sitting around Kim’s Kitchen table, eating their ordered breakfast and
having their talk.

Kenta spilled things Kim wasn’t even ready to hear, about Tony… about why Tony was Hell
bent on getting back at Babe…

He gave him a tiny rundown of what had led them all to that…
“Tony is dangerous, Kim… I don’t want you to hurt him…”

Kim, ever the righteous person, had to fight back.

“We cannot let him hurt the others as well, this is never going to end well, Kenta…”

Kenta nodded, and Kim knew that Kenta knew deep down that Tony wasn’t going to stop…
that he needed to be stopped one way or another…

“There’s another thing as well…”

Kim raised an eyebrow, He wasn’t sure he was ready to hear anything else…

“He cannot know about us… Tony cannot know about us…”

And then it dawned on Kim…

“You are scared of him, Aren’t you?”

“Kim, Listen to me… He had done horrible things before and he is not beyond doing even
more now…”

“How come no one is trying to stop him?”

Kenta shook his head feverishly…

“There’s no one strong enough to stand up to Tony, Kim… He is too powerful, Too
Wealthy… Even The Police will hardly have anything on him…”

Kim blanched, ending up reaching out to touch Kenta’s face when he grew too agitated with
the possibility of Tony knowing about them.

“Then He won’t know… I promise you… He won’t…”

Kenta pulled Kim against him as well…

He had lived in a world without solace for so long… and He was not going to go back there
again…

-----

Kenta was hardly on his own anymore…

After that Talk in Kim’s condo, they had reached an agreement that they would keep their
thing under the tightest of wraps, not only because Tony was a dangerous man, but also
because Kim didn’t want to be seen as a kissing ass for the red team…

“One for you, One for Me…”

They chose not to label the attraction between them, for one because it was so strong that
both of them were scared to place the actual label for it, and for the other because Kenta
wasn’t ready…

It was too much too sudden… He wanted to leave the door open for Kim to walk out if it all
grew too much.
and then the routine was established, Kim complained about his condo, asking Tony to
change it, settling on the same condo building where Kenta’s condo was in, so they would
always be within walking distance of each other.

Not that they needed it…

More nights than not one of them would find the other and they would fall into bed before
they both even knew it.

Kenta was looking for solace and companionship in Kim, and Kim was seeking the exact
same… if not more… he was clingy… Kim was so clingy

A Touch here and there when he was close… a hand lingering on Kenta’s skin when he was
doing something, a kiss on one of his exposed scars when they were showering…

The list went on and on…

Kenta was so glad he was, even gladder that he was not the kind - wasn’t even allowed - to
be around other Alphas, Omegas, or anyone in general…

He wouldn’t want his Kim to be jealous now, Would He?”

More times than not things went so bad for Kenta that he went back to his condo, only for
Kim to come and let himself in hours later, just sitting with him… cleaning his wounds if he
had any, or just letting him seek comfort with him…

He could see how hard it was getting for Kim to see him get hurt…

but it was rather him than Kim… always Rather him than Kim.
He knew it was taking everything Kim had not to go and slit Tony’s throat himself, not that
he would be able to get within a punching range of Tony without someone pointing a gun at
him.

That was until accidents started piling up on each other… X Hunter, The races… Other
things Tony related, Tony making it a point to regularly remind the red team who gave them
the money and so on…

But the breaking point came when Another Car almost went up in flames, this time actually
taking someone’s life.

Someone who had stood up to Tony…

and Kenta knew it was only a matter of time till Kim snapped and landed them both in hot
water…

Who would blame him…

-----

He didn’t expect it when Kim walked into Tony’s office early that day…

Kenta had been busy with the aftermath of the latest accident, and between Tony’s anger and
the other matters he was busy with, he hardly had time to go back to the condo… something
he hated with his entire being…

But to Find Kim sitting with Tony, fear had seized him and he knew without a doubt that this
meeting wouldn’t end well… and if it did… there would be consequences later.

He had tried to remain in the room - as usual - during the meeting but Tony had dismissed
him, and Kim - being as subtle about everything as he usually was, didn’t spare him a look…
but it wasn’t Kim, Kenta was worried about, Tony had given him a funny look when he
walked out of the room and Kenta couldn’t help but worry something was wrong…

He had stood nearby and tried to get himself steady enough to light a cigarette… but his
hands were shaking despite the hot day…

and the buffs of smoke filling his lungs and breathed out hardly helped

Kim hated it when he smoked…

He ended up throwing the cigarette away and busying himself with his phone while pacing
the length of the entire house…

Kim was there for a long time…

Mate… Protect…

Kenta felt his entire body seize in panic when he heard Tony’s laughter from inside the office,
before Kim stormed out, not looking at Kenta or anyone…

He was summoned shortly after…

Tony looked at him and said nothing… before ushering him close…

“I think… We ought to show our support to the team we sponsor now, shouldn’t we?”
Kenta didn’t answer, He had no way of knowing what was going to happen if he let a single
reaction slip.

“I was thinking maybe we can show up to one of their races soon… Show face and all…”

Kenta swallowed hard, wetting his lips before answering…

“I was under the impression you got bored of them, that you would rather be done with the
entire thing…”

“And miss seeing how Angry Babe would be once I am there… Not in a million years… He
is an idiot who thinks he could stand up to me… and NO ONE… Stand up to me…

Kenta nodded…

Something in the back of his mind whispered to him that Tony was hardly talking about
Babe…

-----

Pete’s request to see him in the abandoned warehouse was a surprise…

True to form, He had known who Pete was, probably from the start…

The eldest and the first Child Tony ever adopted.. or rather sponsored, and he had been
always hard-headed, and never the kind to just follow… He had run away once he was able
to, and asked Kenta to tag along… but Kenta was too afraid to even think about running
away…
He hadn’t heard about him since then… till he showed up, backed with enough money and
capital that he could stand toe to toe with Tony… and probably overpower him…

but telling Tony who Pete was… meant that Kenta might be discarding his last card to get out
of there alive and Kenta might be many things but he had no intention to discard what might
be the only card to get Kim out of harm’s way.

“Why do you want to meet me?”, Kenta said in a way of greeting…

Pete raised an eyebrow, He still retained his kind face and his softer demeanor…

“Help me… Help me end him…”

Kenta wasn’t surprised at the request, but rather surprised at the bluntness of it.

“No beating around the bushes I see…”

“No time for that, Tony has caused enough already…”

“Perhaps I am not the one you should be seeking… Maybe the other…”

“The Other person is already helping me… don’t worry about that, I have more allies on my
side than you can imagine…”

Kenta thought about that for a moment too long

“What makes you think that I won’t go back and tell him about that, expose the other person
as well, and get you all out of his favor?”
Pete smiled sadly…

“Because you didn’t tell him already that you knew who I am… and Because I know you…
Deep down you know he won’t ever like you as a father would like a son… and you don’t
deserve that Kenta….”

You Don’t Deserve that Kenta… Kim had said it multiple times already…

“I will give you time to think about it, but not for long… I can protect my people, Kenta…
but Tony will hurt everyone if he isn't stopped soon… trust me on this…”

Kenta looked at Pete for a moment before turning back and walking out…

-----

Kenta didn’t think about it, He pushed it to the back of his mind as he stood next to Tony in
the monitor room in the Hallows.

He could see everyone from there, wasn’t sure if they could see him back - him and Tony or
not, and it wouldn’t matter… It had been so long since he last saw Kim in his element.

He had seen him that morning before he left, kissed him on the cheek for good luck…

“I will be there today… I will be watching you…”

Kim had smiled at him brilliantly…

They had yet to discuss what Kim had told Tony that day and while Kenta was dying to know
what had happened, something about Kim told him that it wasn’t up for discussion yet.

and Standing there next to Tony watching as the drivers took their places behind their wheels,
something was starting to nag at Kenta’s senses…

Mate… In Danger… Protect…

It was so sudden that Kenta barely heard the shot announcing the start of the race, and by the
time he regained his focus again, he could see that something was off with Winner’s car…

Or Rather… Winner was not in control of the car…

He barely had time to point it out before Winner slammed his car on Kim’s passenger side of
the car… and Kenta felt his heart drop when he saw both cars pushed out of the tracks with
the force of the hit.

Tony had chuckled and Kenta’s blood ran like ice in his veins…

“Winner is always useless…”

Kenta looked at Tony and swallowed hard, He didn’t dare to ask what was happening… As if
what was happening needed an explanation…

“He couldn’t do a simple thing I asked of him…”

Kenta couldn’t breathe even if he wanted to, his lungs couldn’t draw in any oxygen… He
wanted to scream, to pull Tony and bite his head off
Mate… In Danger… Protect…

He didn’t register how shaky he had been till he tried to reach for a glass of water… his
hands were hardly steady so he forgo it all and put both hands behind his back, focusing back
on the view down…

The Crew had managed to get both drivers out of their cars… nothing exploded -
thankfully…

He could see Kim - Helmet Free - looking at Winner without moving… and Winner was
waving his hands to everyone that he had lost control of the car… that his car was tampered
with…

Liar… a bad one at that…

“You know what’s worse than Winner being incompetent, Kenta…”

Kenta met Tony’s eyes, He knew what had happened, He could guess it now… and it was the
nightmare that he had been avoiding since the start.

“He is a horrible Liar as well… No one is going to believe that car was faulty…”

Kenta didn’t want to speak, knew he shouldn’t speak… but he needed the confirmation, He
needed to prove to himself one final time that Tony was a monster…

Mate… In Danger… Protect…

“You… Asked Winner to hit Kim’s car?”

Tony shrugged…

“I gave him an order, I told him I would make him a star racer… but as you saw… he is one
more failure…”

“Why would you ask him such a thing?”

Tony turned to Kenta, something evil playing in his eyes.

“Then Who should I have asked? You? We both know that you are not the kind that would
have ended someone’s life… Kim has a big mouth and a self-righteous attitude… He thought
he could tell me what I was doing was wrong and that he would expose me… an idiot…”

Kenta wanted to scream…

“He should know that it’s just plain wrong to try to test me… Don’t you think so, Kenta?”

Kenta didn’t know how to answer without his voice betraying him.

His Kim was in danger… His mate….

 Chapter 5

Kenta drove like a maniac to get to Kim’s condo…

Tony had scared him, He wanted Kim gone and wouldn’t stop at anything to have him
removed…

“It’s just one more accident…” Tony had told him, to have Winner of all people jamming his
car against Kim’s during a race.

He had barely - just barely - managed to school his expression till he was out of Tony’s
place… and then everything came back alive… all his fears… all his terrors…

He had seen that Kim was likely unhurt but He needed to see him for himself, Needed to
know… Needed to touch him…

He couldn’t wait for an elevator to take him to his floor, he wanted to get there faster than
that… He took the stairs two at a time, and by the time he had unlocked the door to Kim’s
condo… He didn’t find him there…

He looked around the place… but there was nothing in there… It was like Kim didn’t come
back…

He walked out of the condo, and unlocked his… the sight that met him stopped him in his
tracks.

Kim was napping on his couch… clad in one of his t-shirts and sweats… his hair was
unkempt as if he had just changed and dropped asleep on the couch…

He must have been tired… Seeking Kenta’s smell for comfort…

Kenta breathed the first sigh of relief he had in hours before walking slowly into the condo,
dropping to the floor near the couch quietly… fingers coming up to caress Kim’s cheek
softly…

Our Mate… Safe…

Kim leaned into his touch before his eyes fluttered open slowly and lazyly…

“Sorry… Did I wake you?”

Kim looked at him, before sitting up and lowering himself to sit with him on the floor…

“I am sorry…”

“I am sorry…”

They both said it at the same time… Kenta for putting Kim in danger and Kim for landing
them directly under Tony’s gaze…

Kenta ended up pulling Kim to his lap… Wrapping his arms tightly around him, Kim
burrowed closer, resting his head in the crock of Kenta’s neck.

“Please tell me you are not hurt?”

Kim shook his head, dropping a feather-light kiss on Kenta’s shoulder, before leaning back
and meeting his eyes.
“Winner? He asked Winner to collide with me?”

Kenta nodded… He didn’t have the right words to say the entire truth, and He knew Kim was
smart enough to connect the dots.

Kim leaned back in, basking in the comfort of Kenta’s arms around him…

“Did you go to a hospital? Did they check you over?”

“The hit was on the other side, I hardly have any bruises… He was dumb enough to hit me on
the passenger side…”

Kenta nodded, Kissing Kim’s hair and falling back into silence…

Kenta was starting to think about Pete’s proposal… What would it cost him to place Kim
under Pete’s protection for the time it would take to take Tony down…

“Tony will hurt everyone if he isn't stopped soon”, Pete had warned him…

He had seen firsthand what Tony had done to Babe, to Charlie… what he was willing to do to
get what he wanted… and how he was going to hurt his Kim.

He was going to take Kim from him… He was going to rip Kenta’s heart and soul from him

“I… I have to hide you for a bit… He cannot know where you are, there’s no telling what he
would do…”

Kim didn’t lean back this time, Kenta would have guessed he had fallen asleep except for the
words he uttered a bit later.
“You are not upset I stood up to him?”

Kenta’s arms wrapped tighter around Kim’s frame…

“It was only a matter of time… I am only scared for your safety… I am… I don’t blame
you… ever…”

Kim kissed the side of Kenta’s face and rested his head on his shoulder.

“What do you plan to do now?”, Kim asked Kenta…

“I plan to protect you… whatever the cost would be…”

Kim sighed…

“I want you to leave Tony, Kenta… I want you to stay as far away from that man as
possible… He won’t stop…”

Kenta thought about it for a second…

“I am working on that… I need another day to get it underway…”

Kim nodded against his skin…

“Everything is going to be ok… I Promise you…”

-----

Kenta had ended up pulling Kim to bed and not letting him out of his sight…

He used a burner phone Pete had sent to him in case he had changed his mind, He texted
Pete, and told him that they needed to talk, and Pete only sent him a thumbs up….

Kenta would have to tread carefully now, they are already in deep trouble…

He couldn’t for the life of him guess what Tony would do to Kim any longer than he could
guess how Pete intended to plan for Tony to take the fall for his actions.

and then Tony called and asked for him to come to the mansion… His voice was calm… As
if it was like every other day…

Kenta looked at Kim’s sleeping form in his bed and hesitated for a second before He told
Tony that he would be there.

He breathed before leaning on Kim’s sleeping form, kissing his hair… Kim grumbled and
opened his eyes.

“I will have to go for a bit… Don’t open the door for anyone… and don’t leave the
apartment…”

Kim turned, smiled at him, and pulled him down for a lingering kiss…

“Don’t be late…”

Kenta couldn’t help but smile at him…

“I won’t… I will be back before you know it… “

Kim pulled him a bit too roughly and Kenta ended up being bodily on top of Kim…

“Mischievous I see…”

Kim hummed… His eyes crinkled in a smile that sent warmth across Kenta’s body…

“I won’t be gone for long… I will be here with you…”

“And Then?”

Kenta breathed, he knew what Kim was asking…

“And Then, I go and meet someone, Arrange for you to have a safe place till all of this is
over…”

Kim shook his head, his bangs moving left to right… Kenta smiled before tucking his hair off
his forehead, dropping a kiss there…

“What else do you want then?”

Kim smiled… leaning in and bumping his forehead with Kenta’s…

“You… Safe… Sound… With me…”

Kenta smiled, and hugged Kim tighter to him…

“I will do my best… I promise…”

Kim smiled… it was the best and the prettiest thing Kenta had ever seen…

Kenta waggled and Kim tightened his hold a bit more…

“You should let me go, I have to leave…”

Kim shook his head again, wrapping both his arms and his legs around Kenta playfully…
Kenta raised an eyebrow at Kim’s smile before tickling his side, littering his skin with kisses
till he let him go…

Kim was still giggling softly, and Kenta basked in it, as he got dressed for the day… bracing
himself for another day with Tony…

He said goodbye with a kiss on Kim’s lips…

“Come back to me… Come back to me fast…”

Kenta nodded before he made his way out of the condo…

-----

The first indicator that something was wrong was that Tony asked him to sit down.
“We haven’t talked or shared a drink for a while… you are still one of my sons anyway…”

Kenta thought his reaction during the race would grant him some sort of punishment now, So
he sat calmly, Tony handed him a small cup of tea… Kenta took it respectfully, falling silent
and waiting for the axe to drop.

“I have always thought that I taught you better than to hide things from me…”

Kenta schooled his expression his mind going first to his meeting with Pete and knowing
who Pete was…

“I… Dont…”

“Let me finish, Kenta… Before you waste my time with your justifications…”

Kenta nodded, eyes falling to his untouched cup of tea on the table… was it probably
poisonous? Was that how Tony planned to end him as a punishment?

“I knew you were not the brightest cookie in the jar… but falling in love with someone like
Kim, that was the stupidest thing you've ever done…”

Kenta felt his blood run cold in his veins… He swallowed hard, meeting Tony’s eyes… He
saw evil in them… darkness…

Something horrible was about to happen… and it was too late to be stopped…

“You falling for that stupid kid meant that he thought he could stand up to me, threaten me…
You allowed such a thing to happen by letting Kim in…”
Kenta didn’t dare look anywhere but at Tony…

“So whatever would happen to that boy, it would also fall on your shoulders…”

It was the only piece of truth Tony had uttered in a long time…

“He shouldn’t have dared to stand up to me, to threaten me to go to the police and report
me… He shouldn’t have thought he was strong enough to tell me that He wasn’t going to
stand idly by and see everyone get hurt…”

Kenta blanached…

“He went as far as telling me that He would free everyone I was keeping under my thumb,
including you…”

Only then, it dawned on Kenta that the reason Kim never disclosed what had happened with
Tony was the leak of info he had provided…

“And not only that… You believed that you could hide something like that from me… and
that I wouldn’t know the second you used the boy to warm your bed, I had let you do as you
wished because I knew you would come to your senses soon enough… but you didn’t… and
now consequences are in order….”

Kenta wanted to scream and beg … Beg Tony to punish him all he wanted provided that he
would leave Kim alone…

Someone walked into the office and Kenta didn’t dare to look back… before they leaned in
and whispered something in Tony’s ear and Tony’s face was decorated with a smile fit to
scare even the mightest of monsters.

“I think you should go, Kenta… go see for yourself the consequences of your wrongdoing…”
Kenta stood on shaky legs, taking steps back out of the study before opening the door and
running straight out of the mansion…

He has to get to his mate… He has to get to his mate fast…

-----

Way was asleep when Pete’s phone rang…

It had been a troubling couple of days, he hardly managed to stamp down his anxiety to
sleep… Which meant that he went on for days with the bare minimum of sleep…

So much was going on, they were all walking a fine line… and one mistake meant all of them
would be dead.

He found a bit of solace and comfort in being in Pete’s place from time to time, while he still
kept his distance and took his time… but it was slowly changing into needing to be in Pete’s
presence all the time.

Pete must have seen through him though because whenever he saw him… He always offered
to sit with him if he wanted to rest a bit.

“You should nap a bit, Way… I will be here… I won’t go anywhere…”

Way had nodded, He needed the assurance that he wasn’t alone… that everything going on
wouldn’t just crush him…

He ended up pillowing his head on Pete’s thigh and falling into a light slumber, lulled to it by
Pete’s hand carding in his hair.
That was till Pete’s phone rang pulling him out of his slumber…

“Kenta? What? Slow down… I cannot understand a thing…”

He felt Pete’s hand dropping from his hair before he felt Pete’s entire body tense under him.

Way sat up rubbing his eyes, He looked to see Pete’s face an image of worry and panic.

“Listen to me… Take him and leave… I will send someone to pick you up right away and
take you to a private hospital… or rather a clinic… They would take good care of him, I will
follow you shortly…”

Way looked at Pete and couldn't decipher what had happened with Kenta that would get such
a reaction out of the very calm Pete…

“All will be well, Kenta… Someone will be there for you in minutes…”

Pete hung up the phone and Way waited for him to tell him what was happening because the
things that were running around in Way’s mind were hardly pleasant…

“Pete? Was that Kenta?”

Pete nodded, looking worriedly at Way…

“What happened with him?”

Pete swallowed hard, pulling Way to lean in his arms…

“Remember When I told you Kenta was with someone… and that someone was most likely
someone we knew?”

Way nodded… looking at Pete… He was downright scared now…

“It was Kim… Kenta was with Kim… and apparently Tony had figured that out… after Kim
had stood up to him… He… He sent someone to shoot Kim in his condo… Kenta went back
to find him in a pool of his blood…”

Way jerked in Pete’s arm…

“That cannot be happening… Are you sure Kenta is not setting a trap for you or anything?”

Pete shook his head…

“They… They wanted to make it look like some sort of a robbery… He was bleeding a lot
from his head as well… and his condo is in shambles…”

“That cannot be happening… I… I don’t believe it… How… What…”

Way stood from the couch and started pacing the room length, running his hands in his hair,
trying to calm his heart…

“That’s why we have to start moving against Tony soon… There’s no telling what he will do
next…”

Way nodded feverishly…. Pulling Pete to his feet…

“Let’s go to Kenta… Now…”

Pete nodded, taking Way’s hand in his and walking out of his place…

They need to protect one of their own now…

-----

Kenta hasn’t spoken a word since Kim was taken away from him in the private clinic…

He had sat there covered in blood… Kim's blood… and his mind wandered to what he came
to his condo to see...

He had barely walked out of the elevator when he noticed the lights coming out from an open
door in the rather dim hallway…

Kim’s Condo… Open…

He ran to it, and could see that everything had been either broken or thrown aside…

That was until He reached The living area… and saw it with his own two eyes…

He would never be able to forget the scene of Kim lying in a pool of his own blood… He ran
to him and fell to his knees…

He collected him in his arms softly… calling his name in disbelief…

he was shot… twice… his tight and side were bleeding heavily… and his hair was matted
with blood from a wound on his hairline…

and He was barely breathing… Barely there… Kenta was losing him, and he had no idea
what to do…

The only thing that crossed his mind was that he should call for help and fast… really fast…

He couldn’t take Kim to a hospital, Tony would come or send someone to finish what he had
started already…

That could only mean one thing Or Rather one person…

Pete… Pete would know what to do…

He called Pete from his phone that time, He could break it later and tell everyone he had
dropped it somewhere, but getting Kim the help he needed was the most important thing…

He couldn’t lose Kim now… He couldn’t!

Pete told him about a private clinic, that they would be able to help his Kim… That he would
even send someone to get them there…

He had sat Kim on the ground and applied pressure to the gun wounds, calling Kim’s name
and begging him to stay with him…

“Don’t leave me alone, Love… Please…. Please stay with me…”

He didn’t know how much time had passed but he heard his name being called before he saw
several men…

“Master Kenta, We came to take you to the clinic…”

Kenta had nodded, one of the men offered to carry Kim, and Kenta almost snarled at him…

No one was going to touch his mate but him…

You failed your mate… You didn't protect your mate.

They had sneaked out of the emergency exit of the building where a car was waiting, He sat
with Kim cradled in his arms in the back seat… as the men sped through the city, till they
reached their destination…

Within seconds Kim was taken out of his arms and onto a stretcher that was wheeled into an
emergency room while he was asked to sit and wait in the waiting area…

“We have our orders already… We will take good care of him…”

Kenta didn’t dare nod, If he had opened his mouth he would have screamed his heart out…
He would have cried over his hurt mate… over his dying mate…

So He sat and blamed himself over and over again…

You failed your mate… You didn't protect your mate.

You failed your mate… You didn't protect your mate.

You failed your mate… You didn't protect your mate.

“Kenta?”

Pete was standing in front of him, Way was there as well, only he kept his distance… Kenta
didn’t have enough presence of mind to bounder on why Way was with Pete…

Kenta looked at him, and couldn't help the tears that were collecting in his eyes, and
cascading down his cheeks…

“You were right, Pete…”

Pete shook his head… Leaning in and putting an arm on Kenta’s shoulder…

“I am sorry… I am so sorry you had to go through that…”

Kenta could no longer hold his tears or sobs… Pete kept patting his back softly, Way made
his way slowly to him and sat next to him.

“Is any of that blood yours, Kenta?”

Kenta shook his head… All of the blood was Kim’s… oh how he wished that all that blood
had been his instead of Kim’s…

“Did they tell you anything about him yet?”

Kenta shook his head again before Way asked the next question…
“Was that why he almost had that accident on the hollows the other day?”

Kenta nodded… He told them what Tony had said… what Winner had done…

“That Dickhead…”, Way cursed quietly…

Kenta tried to collect himself to speak to Pete…

“I… I will help you… I will do anything and everything to take Tony down with you…”

Pete nodded sympathetically… taking a seat on the other side of Way…

All of them had to wait now…

-----

Kenta felt like screaming again when The doctor told him what had happened to Kim.

It was a couple of hours later, but for all Kenta knew it was like a couple of days or weeks…
or even years…

The doctor had walked into the waiting area, bowing respectfully to Pete before telling them
about Kim’s status.

“We managed to extract the two bullets without complications… but…”

Kenta couldn’t take it any further…

“But What? He is alive, isn't he ?”

The doctor nodded…

“The head injury and the blood loss caused some complications to him…”

“Meaning?”, Kenta asked fearfully…

“He is in a coma…”

Hadn’t it been for Pete’s hand on Kenta’s shoulder he would have fallen to his knees and
started wailing in despair.

Way - ever the practical one - looked at the doctor and asked him to explain to them further,
but it all flew past Kenta’s head as he kept trying to draw air to his lungs, to avoid the wails
that were threatening to spill from between his lips.

Pete kept a soft supportive pat on his shoulder - more like a brother comforting his nong…
and Kenta hated it and wanted it equally…

He was pushed back to take a seat, and both of them waited for him to collect himself before
they attempted to speak to him again.

“He is… he is not a lost cause, they just said that he would remain asleep for a bit and that
they don’t know when he would wake up, but he is strong and would pull through… He is
not a hopeless case…”
Kenta looked at Way trying to decide whether it was an attempt to manipulate him or he was
speaking the truth.

Force of habit…

Way had kept his hands shoved hard in his pockets, He was looking rather at Pete not at
Kenta… and Kenta knew without a doubt that Way hadn’t been trying to play him…

“Can I see him?”

Both nodded… He was soon led to a private ward… more like an ICU than a hospital room,
He could see the armed guards starting to litter the place.

Protection… But it was too late already…

He put his hand on the door handle and took a bracing breath before he pushed the door open
and walked in.

Kim was broken… More Bandages and Wires than a person…

Kenta didn’t dare swallow his tears this time, he let them fall…

You failed your mate… You didn't protect your mate.

He walked on shaky legs to the bed and sat on the comfy looking chair by it, he didn’t have
time to bounder whether it was placed there for him or not… he didn’t have time to think
about anything but the person lying in a coma in front of him.

Mate… Hurt… Our Fault…

Our Fault…

It kept repeating in his mind over and over, clouding everything else he was thinking about as
he reached to touch Kim’s hand…

He could see the amount of bruises covering his skin… The torn skin on his knuckles told
him that Kim had put up quite a fight…

How he longed to go back to the mansion and slit those men’s throats, leaving them bleeding
out as they had done with his Kim.

He reached out bodily and rested his head on Kim’s pillow… He could barely see anything of
his face with the breathing mask blocking most of it.

He didn’t know when he started crying again, or when he had started apologizing over and
over, his instants screaming and wailing.

He stayed till his mind started clearing, and his resolve started solidifying…

Tony had to be taken down… Tony had to be ended…

He moved and dropped a featherlight kiss on Kim’s forehead…

“I will be back soon… Stay strong for me…”

Before he walked out of the ward and into the waiting area…
-----

The thing with loss - Pete had come to know - was that it left people reeling in the worst
possible of ways. and with Kenta losing in such a cruel way, He had no way to tell what
would happen next.

He could see and recognize mates when he saw ones… and the devastation that He saw
Kenta go through definitely screamed it.

Mates… Even if they didn’t know it or didn’t acknowledge it.

“You are thinking loudly…”, Way had said calmly, looking at Pete…

Their hands were intertwined on Pete’s thigh, Way’s silent way of showing support… Since
they are still taking it slow with intimacy and touching…

He had allowed Way to be the one seeking the touches, never initiating them for fear of
pushing too much.

“I cannot help it… He was too devastated… and Tony is too dangerous now…”

Way nodded, sighing and letting his head drop on Pete’s shoulder…

“Still Tired?”

Way shook his head but Pete knew he was lying… He couldn’t sleep… and other than the
times Pete had “Helped”, He was hardly getting any rest on his own, mind filled with
nightmares and fears of what Tony would do by the time all of that was over…
and He had done plenty already… over the years…

Their calm bubble was busted when they saw Kenta make his way to them… a bit composed
that they had seen him all day.

Way had sat back upright and Pete almost cursed… before Kenta stood before both of
them…

“Tell me what I have to do to take down Tony…”

and Pete knew, Kenta meant every word he said…

 Chapter 6

Pete was a mastermind… Kenta had forgotten all about it…

Before Babe and his heightened senses, Pete had been the most beloved by Tony…

His plans were elegant… but instead of treating people like pieces on a chessboard, He
treated people like people.

He cared about his people…

He had let Kenta be for the rest of the day with Kim, letting him calm a bit before he brought
him up to speed about what would need to be done…

Kenta’s role in Pete’s plan was crucial, Yet He wasn’t the one doing anything with his own
hands, which meant that he was out of suspicion.

He had talked it long and hard with Pete and Way… both of them letting Babe know that they
were ready to move on with their plan but not filling him in on the details of who would be
helping them on the inside…

Because the fewer people knew, the better it would be…

But for starters, He had to go back to Tony… Tell him that Kim has died… and beg for
forgiveness…

He couldn’t bear the thought of seeing Tony’s face again, but it was necessary, it was
crucial…
Tony had welcomed him back with open arms… allowed him to fall to his knees before him
and beg for forgiveness, before patting his cheek

“Now that you are back to your senses… All will be forgiven… but remember Kenta… there
would not be more second chances…”

Kenta had nodded feverishly… tears cascaded down his cheeks…

There would definitely be no more second chances… at least for Tony…

------

Days passed in a blur… Kenta no longer knew what day it was… They were just passing…

True to word he had been even more of a loyal dog to Tony… and it helped Pete…

“Your help is making this way faster than before…”, Pete had praised him.

They had decided that they wouldn’t be meeting up till Tony’s wrath had subsided a bit, and
whenever Kenta could leave, he would go to his condo… change… hide his smell, and sneak
out to go see Kim…

Pete usually met him there if he needed to tell him something or wanted to hear something
from him. and it was where Kenta spent all of his free time outside of the mansion.

Kim’s status remained unchanged for the longest time… He was healing bodily… but had yet
to wake up…
“You have to be patient… He will be fine… but you have to be patient…” " The doctor had
told him…

Kenta didn’t do pity… and wasn’t going to start now… his mate needed him… he was his
only lifeline…

He had spent countless hours after that just sitting with Kim, speaking to him softly… telling
him all about what was happening… what they would do after Tony was gone for good…

How he would support his racing career and help him take it all over the world…

How he loved him… How he missed him…

However, Kim was yet to show a sign that he was listening to him… Hadn’t it been for the
soft rise and fall of his chest, Kenta wouldn’t even have believed that Kim was alive.

and so the days passed… and So Kenta waited…

-----

Pete was brilliant… He had always been as well…

They were all in the mansion… all there to see the downfall of Tony publicly… and it could
have ended horribly, they could all have been dead before the sun had gone down in the sky.

But Pete’s plan was bulletproof…

Kenta had allowed them all in… had allowed them all to take part in everything… He had
even let them collect all the documents they needed, and Pete made a public show of it
because the only thing that would effectively stop Tony was the truth… undeniable… clear
truth…

Kenta had come running when he heard a bullet being shot and could see Tony aiming the
gun at someone…

Babe… Tony was aiming the gun at Babe and Charlie…

All of them had moved at the same time, but Way was faster as the gun went off…

He could hear the collective scream of Way’s name from everyone… but Way seemed fine…
He was standing still…

Tony looked at all of them in bewilderment before He was hauled and forced into handcuffs.

They all…stood by and watched as Tony was led to a police car in handcuffs… Snearing at
Kenta and the others and promising that his wrath would end them all…

“In Your Dreams, Pa…”, Way had said it jokingly… before he collapsed in Pete’s arm… his
shoulder bleeding and soaking through his sleeves…

The Shocked expression on Babe’s face was enough to let Kenta know that Babe would
rather not lose his former best friend… and that the two would be on the mend in no time…

Pete had cleared it with the police before he put Way ever so softly in the car… Kenta looked
at him, took the car keys from his hands

“Be with him…”, Kenta said and he meant it…

Pete dared to blush… Before he turned to look at the others.

Babe and Charlie along with Alan and Jeff were already crumped in Alan’s car and ready to
go with them...

That was all the sign Ketna needed to take them all to the clinic with him.

------

Kenta missed Kim and it was eating his heart…

He kept sneaking looks in the mirror of Pete and Way… Way cradled against Pete’s chest,
obviously not asleep but not fully awake, Pete was whispering to him… wrapping him tightly
in his arms…

When their eyes met in the mirror it was Kenta who looked away first… but He stepped on
the gas harder…

Once They had arrived at the clinic it was more or less a flashback to Kenta, of Kim’s broken
body being taken away from him.

But this time it was Pete who was soaked in blood, not him…

Pete had followed Way inside till he could follow him no more… once again all of them
cruming the waiting area… While Pete paced in front of the emergency room.

Everyone was silent… for the longest time till Jeff - ever the one without a filter looked at
Kenta so intently that he wanted to hide…
He had forgotten how penetrating Jeff’s gaze could be…

“He is here? Isn’t He? Jeff wasn’t even asking… He was rather reciting information

Charlie looked between him and Kenta before asking the obvious question.

“Who is here?”

Jeff’s gaze didn’t waiver… and Kenta felt the need to tell the truth… there was no point in
saying anything else…

He could see Pete had stopped pacing and was looking at all of them.

“Kim… He is here… in a coma…”

Babe’s eyes widened comically, He looked between Charlie and Alan before he asked the
most obvious question.

“Why? What happened?”

Kenta sighed, Pete came around and patted his back…

“Tell them… They would understand… “

Kenta looked around the room… and something inside him confirmed what Pete had said…

So he told them everything…

It felt cathartic… He felt a load lighter…

They had all looked understandingly at him… Babe even nodded a few times… before he
turned and looked at Charlie… and fond yet pained look in his eyes…

But Jeff was by far not done…

“He is going to wake up soon… Better be with him for it… but I don’t think you will be able
to make it…”

Kenta raised an eyebrow at Jeff, but Jeff just smiled at him and said nothing…

-----

Way wasn’t in any life-threatening situations… and while that had been a relief… it also
meant that all of them would be required to go to court and testify against Tony….

Several times…

They had all gone through rounds and rounds of interrogations and questions, spilling their
life stories and everything little thing that had happened to them ever since each of them had
landed with Tony.

They even went as far as asking Kenta to bare his skin to collect evidence…

His Scars… His marks for his failures, except that they no longer felt like that, they felt more
or less like the rope that would wrap tightly around Tony’s neck…
The day of announcing the court decision was a tense one… Till Tony was sentenced to life
in prison…

It was barely enough for all that he had done… barely even a scratch to the surface of what
he had done, but it was better than nothing…

“Now What?”

Way asked, His arm was still in a sling and everyone seemed to be a load lighter…

“We have races to race… Garage to run… Cars to fix…”, Alan said lightly and all the Hunter
X nodded, Even Pete…

And then Pete seemed to recall something….

“Oh, By the Way, Kenta… Do you know that since Tony is going to rot in prison, you would
be entitled to s share of his capital and estate…”

Kenta’s brows shot up in surprise… He definitely didn’t expect such a thing…

It had all been a blur but he had announced a witness, a victim not an accomplice… and it
had changed everything…

Too Bad Kim wasn’t there to see it for himself…

“Yeah, I will send you one of my lawyers to clear it up with you…”

Babe leaned in and asked playfully…

“What are you going to do with all of that, Kenta?”

Kenta dared to look playful as well, borrowing some of Kim’s mischief that he had missed all
those days and weeks…

“Well, I am going to kick Winner out of the garage… sponsor the red team and kick your
ass…”

Babe’s booming laughter was all the confirmation he needed that he would be most welcome
to do so…

Kenta had never thought about it before but now that he had said it… it sounded like a
perfect idea…

Provided that Kim would wake up and heal….

Jeff took a sudden hold on Kenta’s arm and Kenta fought the urge to pull it back…

“Go… It’s time… You will be late… you cannot keep him waiting now…”

Kenta blanched, gone was all the playfulness and all the fun… all of them were looking at
Jeff with clear curiosity…

“Go, Kenta… He is waiting…”

Kenta practically Ran to the car, and drove off to the clinic…
-----

The Thing with injuries was that they were unpredictable…

So when Kim felt the first shot pierce through his thigh, practically rendering him unmoving
for the other shot to go easily in his side… he knew he was likely not to make it…

and there was the hit on his head that made all of that possible to begin with…

He had changed into some of his lounge clothes once Kenta left and sneaked to his condo to
collect some of his stuff and take them back to Kenta’s…

But he didn’t have time for that. Someone had hit him with a butt of a gun over his head
before they slapped him with said butt…

and everything was spinning…

He tried to fight his way out of the condo… but it was hard with all the dark spots playing in
his vision…

He could hear other men wreaking havoc with his condo… but he couldn’t care about any of
that, He fought and fought and fought… and when he was close to making it out… The first
shot came in…

He dropped to the floor clutching his tight, trying to crawl away from the assault that he
knew was coming…

and then the other shot… and everything exploded in pain… his last thought was that He
would leave Kenta alone…
and everything went dark… and stayed dark for the longest time…

He knew he must have died, but then voices trickled in like water between stones…

a voice he loved… a voice he missed…

His mate… His lovely mate…

He was always there, Kim heard him… Kim felt him, felt his touches, and knew he was
hardly left on his own…

but he was too weak… He couldn’t even open his eyes if he had wanted…

How he longed to see Kenta, to be wrapped again in his arms… to smell him…

Mate… Our Mate.. He came and saved us…

and then suddenly… He tried to open his eyes for them to actually open… He was assaulted
by bright hospital lights and a nurse announcing to a doctor that he was awake…

The poking and prodding were annoying as well…

Mate… Our Mate… Where is he?

He heard someone throw an order around for someone to call Pete… Who was Pete and
where was his Kenta…
They had helped him wet his lips and it helped to voice his question….

“We just informed them you are awake… I am sure your mate will be here in the blink of an
eye… He hardly left you, to begin with…”

Kim nodded… He knew that…

He was advised to rest… to remain rested…. but he didn’t want to rest…

He busied himself with checking the room around him…

Fancy… with a floor-to-ceiling one-way window that overlooked a perfect garden…

His eyes were starting to slip close again when he smelled it… the faint smell of smoke and
rain…

Kenta… His Kenta…

He burst through the doors before standing frozen still when Kim turned his face to him, Kim
could blurrly see the tears collecting in his eyes and falling on his cheeks…

He raised an arm, ushering Kenta close and Kenta took it with both hands…

He leaned in, covering Kim with his entire body as he rested his forehead on Kim’s…

No words were needed, the comfort and the relief were so big that it left no room for words
to be said…
Kim raised his other hand and started wiping Kenta’s tears with his fingers… slowly, he
could barely move as it was…

“You are back to me…”

Kim nodded… He was back to Kenta… Back for Kenta… there was no other way around
it…

Kenta dropped a kiss on his forehead… lingering there for a second before someone cleared
their throats…

Kenta jerked up and Kim barely had time to look who was at the door… and even when he
did, It was hardly anyone he knew…

“Hey… Ah… I am kinda keeping all of them outside, they want to see you… welcome you
back… ouch Way… stop pinching me…”

Kenta chuckled and Kim looked bewilderedly at Kenta…

“Oh Sorry, Kim… I am Pete… Kenta could probably do a proper introduction but I think for
now…. Stop it Way…. I will keep everyone outside till you both are ready to have visitors…

Pete pushed the door closed again and it was obvious - because of the grumbling sounds -
that he was not alone…

Kenta sat on the bed, taking hold of Kim’s hands, intertwining their fingers…

“Welcome back…”
Kim nodded again…

“You got me in time, didn’t you?”

Kenta’s face fell a bit, and Kim had had half a mind to jerk up to hold his cheeks in his hands,
attempting to do so wasn’t exactly successful…

“Careful, You are not exactly all healed yet…”

Kenta lowered Kim back to the pillows before moving around to raise the entire bed…

He sat back down again and faced Kim…

“I didn’t get to you in time… I was late… I was delayed on purpose…”

Kim hummed, He had guessed as much…

“What happened While I was asleep… and for how long was I asleep?”

Kenta smiled… it was a sad smile…

“Long time, Love… You were asleep for a long time… but the most important part is that
Tony would never see the light of day again…”

“You are joking… I cannot have slept for that long for you all to take Tony out…”

Kenta nodded, kissing Kim’s hand…

“But you did…”

Kim’s mind had another thought in it…

“You stayed with me… for all that time?”

Kenta’s eyebrows raised in suprise…

“How did you know?”

Kim shook his head, he was smiling, but it had a wet edge to it…

“I heard you… I heard what you said… I even heard you calling me… calling me Mate…”

Kenta’s face was eager… his movements were eager…

“I don’t know about you… But you are my Mate… I… I never felt like that… and I don’t
think I could feel it again for someone… You are my mate… if you would have me to be
yours… I… I would do anything and everything in my power for you…”

Kim felt his breath hitch in his lungs at the open admission…

“My Mate… Would you be My Mate, Kim?”

It was Kim’s turn to start crying now…

-----

Allowing everyone in the room after that declaration of love was so chaotic…

Because now that they knew what had happened, they all wanted to tease Kenta about it…
and Kim seemed to take great pleasure in that…

Who was Kenta to oppose seeing his Mate with a smile…

Orderly. and Like always, Alan took the lead, dragging them all out of the room… for Kim to
rest a bit…

“Hey, Alan… We are his people of course we are going to tease him endlessly…”, Babe
said… and it sent warmth across everyone’s chest…

Way shrugged but agreed anyway… while Pete looked at Kenta meaningfully…

“We are each other’s people…”

Pete practically dragged his own mate out of the room with the rest of the entourage, leaving
Kim and Kenta alone…

Kenta leaned in on Kim… kissing his cheek softly…

“Wanna rest for a bit, Mate?”

Kim smiled, and hadn’t it been how pale he was, it would have been the most beautiful thing
Kenta had ever seen.
“Only if you rest with me, Mate…”

Kenta smiled, pushed the covers, and made himself comfortable with Kim in the bed… Kim
burrowed into him once he was in bed… inhaling his scent like a drowning man.

“I missed you… Everyday… Every Second…”

Kim dropped a kiss on Kenta’s neck… nuzzling him a bit…

If the nurse came back to find them both asleep in Kim’s bed…

Well, it was expected from the two mates…

------

6 Month Later… The Hollows…

A Gunshot could be heard across the race track as the cars speed up filling the start line with
smoke in their wake…

Pete and Kenta were watching the race from the monitor room… both of them having drinks
in hand and fixated on the race below.

“Who do you think is going to win?”

Kenta side-eyed Pete, a playful smile playing on his lips…

“My Mate… Of Course…”

Pete chuckled, shaking his head…

It had been a rough couple of months… Kim needed time to heal, time to go to physical
therapy, and then time to come back to himself…

The share he practically inherited was invested alongside Pete because they were each other's
people…

and the rest was invested in the red team… after kicking Winner out… accusing him of
accessory to murder and letting him face the music for once.

Kim being his mate was the best thing that had ever happened to Kenta… ever…

He felt peace whenever he was with him… and Kim shared the notion…

They went to Korea once Kim was able because Kim wanted to show Kenta where he came
from… tell him all his stories and show him all the places he spent time in.

And When they came back they were welcomed by their people… because all of them were
stowaways… and they had better stick with each other…

The cheers of the cars crossing the finish line pulled Kenta out of his reverie…

“See… Your team came second… Mine came first…”, Kenta said proudly…
He was joined shortly by Babe… followed by Charlie… and Alan… because Babe had
decided he needed some time off… He needed to work alongside Alan to train new drivers…
So he ended up skipping the season…

“C'mon… Let's celebrate with the winners, Shall we?”

Kenta and Pete followed the rest down to the podium…

-----

Kim’s eyes were searching for his mate…

He knew He had been watching him from the monitor room… but winning wouldn’t feel like
one unless Kenta was there was him.

a Live wouldn’t be lived hadn’t it been for Kenta to begin with…

Recovery had been hard… getting back on track even harder… but Kenta was there for him
for all of it…

and now every win was dedicated to Kenta… because he was his mate…

His Mate…

He felt him before he saw him, felt his heated gaze on him before he could see him
physically, his inner instant thrumming calmly…

He was just awarded when he got down from the podium and fell into Kenta’s open arms…
Kenta wrapping his arms around him tightly…
“Brilliant as Always”

Kim pressed a hidden kiss against Kenta’s neck…

“Eww, No gift for the winner? Not a good move from you Khun Kenta…”

Kenta smiled sheepishly…

“I am sorry, darling… but I will give you your gift in private later…”

Kim raised an eyebrow before both of them were surrounded by the celebrating crowd.

-----

Kenta was smoking when Kim found him again…

They were separated in the celebration and while Kim was distracted he could feel Kenta’s
gaze on him all the time…

and came the need to change and shower before they would call it a day at the hallows…

He had found a note tucked along with his clothes when he reached out for them after his
shower…

“Come Find me… We are going out…”

It was then he noticed that it was not the same Shirt and Jeans He came in that morning, it
was something rather fancier…

but it was missing a jacket if Kim dared to say…

He dressed and walked out to find his mate pacing around, smoking…

Kim hated it when Kenta smoked, it was his tick when he was nervous about something…

What could he be nervous about now…

Kim walked up to him, pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, and dropped it to the floor…

Kenta smiled at him apologetically.

“Sorry…”

“Nervous?”

“No… No… Just excited… Turn around…”

Kim had then noticed that Kenta was holding his jacket… He helped him in it… and Kim
inhaled…

Mate… It smelled like his Mate… Smoke and all

“Where are you taking me?”

“It’s a surprise, but then again everything tonight is pretty much one surprise after the
other…”

Kim smiled at his nervous Mate… intertwined their hands…

“What are you waiting for then? Show me…”

-----

They drove on a road Kim was unfamiliar with…

Kim kept sneaking looks at his mate from time to time…

Kenta looked nervous but in a childish way, like a child waiting to open a gift… nervous in a
giddy way…

“Are you sure it’s a surprise for me? you are more excited than I am…”

Kenta smiled…

“I am excited to see the expression on your face… When you see what I have prepared for
you…”

Kim raised a single eyebrow…

“Oh Really? And what if I don’t like the surprise?”

Kenta looked from the road to Kim and Kim knew he said the exact thing Kenta wanted to
hear.

“I have back up plans… Don’t you worry…”

-----

Kenta unlocked the door to a very pretty house…

“C’mon in… You have to see it…”

Kim looked at him in wonder before stepping into the area…

After Kim was safely discharged from the hospital - because Kenta didn’t agree to let him set
foot outside the hospital until he was fully recovered.

But they couldn’t set foot in the condo building for Kenta more than Kim.

“I don’t want to stay in that place anymore…”

“Even your place… nothing had happened there…”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to hide there, that was a hiding place, I want to LIVE in a place…”

and With everything they had planned and their departure to Korea, they hardly managed to
have a place of their own, Pete had offered one of the properties he owned till they both had
things figured out.
“Is this? Yours?”

Kim looked at Kenta, the place was dark but as they walked in Kim could see that the living
area had rose petals on the floor and soft-smelling candles.

“It’s ours, mind you…”

Because everything was shared between mates, even the air in their lungs…

“Ours?”

Kenta nodded, looking at Kim with a twinkle in his eyes…

“Definitly ours… and there’s another thing…”

Kenta pushed Kim to sit on what appeared to be a mattress on the floor… before sitting down
next to him.

“I… I knew you were my mate since that day at the Hallows…”

Kim chuckled… it had a wet quality to it…

“You are my mate, in every sense of the word…”

“As you are mine, Kenta…”

Kenta smiled, leaning in to kiss Kim slowly…

Kenta took hold of Kim’s hand… and opened it to give him a wrapped pouch…

“It’s your decision now… I cannot make it for you…”

Kim looked at his hands, opening the pouch…

Mate Rings… Wedding Rings…

“Well?”, Kenta said in a small hesitant voice

Kim took Kenta’s hand and kissed his ring finger before slipping the band on it and giving
Kenta the other band

Kenta laughed wetly before he took Kim’s hand shakily and put the other band on.

Kim wrapped him in his arms and didn’t let go as both of them cried their happiness…

All was well…

------

Way was sitting next to Pete as the entire garage went out to party…

They were having their fair share of fun and Way was feeling a pleasant thrum under his
skin… and from the way Pete had an arm around him, the night seemed to only get better
from there…

He was too close to Pete that he felt when his phone rang in his pocket… Pete reached out to
pick it up, eyebrows rising when he saw the message was from Kenta…

He turned the phone to Way, and Way couldn’t help but smile when he saw the intertwined
hands and the bands that were decorating both hands…

Babe looked over their shoulders and expressed his surprise loudly at what he saw…

“Is that What I think it is?”

Pete hummed… looking at Way with a twinkle in his eyes… as everyone else whooped and
cheered…

“Shouldn’t it be our turn next?”

Pete whispered in Way’s ear and watched as a blush crept on his skin.

“Maybe…”

Pete hummed… sharing a look with Babe…

“Well?”

“Well, Don’t look at me… I am ready… But He is a studious bastard that wants to be a
racer…”

Charlie pouted and Babe kissed his cheek…

“What about you, Phi? Way?”

Way gave him a face… Their Friendly banter was back on track…

Alan intruppeted them…

“A toast for the mates then?”

Everyone clincked their glasses…

For the mates…

The end
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