Seungcheol blinked in the dim light of the morning. He sat up and let the sheet fall from his chest and looked around. He was alone. He'd been tired the night before but when Luda had called he had said she could come over and quickly kicked his dirty clothes under the bed to hide the mess. Now he didn't know where she was. The clock said 6:30am and he groaned when he realised he had ninety mintues of peace left. Ninety minutes until he had to be prepared for anything.

He rolled out of bed and found yesterday's pants and pulled them on without underwear. One hand rubbed his hair back from his face and the other itched at the annoying spot where his leg joined his groin and he sniffed hard with one blocked nostril before wandering out into his living area.

Luda was moving quietly around the kitchen making coffee and breakfast. He smiled as she handed him a mug and a plate of cut fruit and joined him on the couch where they ate in silence. She watched him gulp down the hot black coffee and silently got up to make another. She was like a gentle little moving doll so unobtrusively moving around his apartment and he leaned back with a grin when she handed him the second cup.

When Luda joined him on the couch again she leaned over and grabbed the tv remote. The obnoxious breakfast show was blasting celebrity gossip news and Seungcheol groaned. It was inevitable and he wasn't surprised when the topic of conversation was Jeonghan and his little baby. The female host was gushing over how cute Jeonghan was, how sweet and angelic, and how cute the kitten was. Seungcheol rolled his eyes almost into the back of his head.

If only they knew.

"What's he like?" Luda asked suddenly as Seungcheol put his arm casually around her shoulder.

Needy. Crazy. Sad.

Lonely.

"Nice." Seungcheol said as he kissed the top of her head. "Big day?" He asked as he got up and gathered the dishes. He tossed them into the sink with all intentions of washing them later. "Mmhmm..." Luda chewed the last of her toast and got up too. "Double wisdom tooth extraction this morning." Seungcheol made a face at her and she giggled.

Double wisdom tooth extraction almost sounded less painful than a day filled with Jeonghan's whims.

Seungcheol shook his head and got up. He called out a goodbye to Luda from the shower, dressed in one of his new black tshirts and pulled on yesterday's jeans again. They looked clean enough. And with his mind full of what if's he drove to his employers building with the radio turned up loud.

Seungcheol took a deep breath and opened the door. Silence. He walked in and stood still, waiting for Jeonghan to jump on his back from behind the doorway or appear half naked with his long hair hanging wild and free, but all he found was soft still silence.

There was no official schedule today but Jeonghan still had to work. He had a meeting with his stylist, a production meeting and a few hours in the dance studio. He would try to fit a few hours of songwriting in between all these tasks.

Seungcheol wondered if Jeonghan was even home. He tiptoed down the hall and when he saw the bedroom door cracked he couldn't resist peeking in. And there was Jeonghan, long fair hair spilled loose all over his pillow, sleeping soundly with Chan Chan on his chest. The gentle creep of golden light was just making its way through the blinds and the sun caught the two of them in a certain perfect way.

He really is beautiful....

Seungcheol moved on to the kitchen quickly before the moment was broken. He stared at the complicated looking coffee machine before finding a saucepan and filling it with milk for hot chocolate. He found two mugs and added chocolate powder while the milk heated and suddenly thought of something else. The bags with the cat stuff were sitting on the couch and Seungcheol found a little bowl and the carton of kitten milk in the bottom.

By the time he'd made the hot chocolates and used the saucepan to warm up the kitten milk Jeonghan was standing in the door way. He rubbed one eye lazily while the other arm cradled the kitten and when he saw what Seungcheol was doing he smiled and it was soft and real and genuine. "Cheollie you're sweet." Jeonghan put the kitten down on the kitchen bench and Seungcheol frowned. "No kittens on the bench Jeonghan," he said and moved the kitten and the bowl of milk to the floor.

Jeonghan took the mug of hot chocolate and bent down to pick up the kitten again. "No." Seungcheol said as he stopped him. "Leave him be for a bit. He'll drink the milk and come and find you." He took his own mug and led Jeonghan towards the living room. "You can't carry him everywhere like a baby."

Sure enough Seungcheol was right and the fat little tabby waddled into the room. "Aw look! He came to find his Daddy!" Jeonghan squealed and rolled onto the floor with him and Seungcheol decided he liked Jeonghan better when he was sleepy. The beast was waking up.

Jisoo let himself in and frowned when he saw the scene playing out in the living room. Jeonghan, dressed in only a pair of pyjama pants, was rolling around on the floor with the kitten and a little toy mouse while Seungcheol laughed at them both. "What's going on?" He snapped a little too angrily and Jeonghan jumped up off the floor. "Don't listen to Aunty Jisoo..." Jeonghan crooned at the kitten. "He's a grumpy bitch!"

Seungcheol never imagined his life would end up here.

He stood in the middle of the salon while apprentices and assistants taped black plastic over the windows. The kitten in his arms was sleeping soundly as Jeonghan settled comfortably in the salon chair. His stylist, a tall Chinese man called Minghao who barely looked at Seungcheol, was fussing over him like a Queen. "Are you sure about this?" He asked over and over. Jisoo was frowning in the corner. He had begged Jeonghan to reconsider. This was a big and bold move, the company wasn't on board, and neither was Jisoo. Jeonghan's hair was his trademark, his signature, and his most defining feature.

He looked over at Seungcheol nursing the kitten. "What do you think Cheollie?" He asked and his eyes begged for support. "It's only hair," Seungcheol said with a smile. "Life's short. Do what you want."

A slow smile crept across Jeonghan's face. "Fuck it." He said decisively to the hairdresser poised and ready. "Cut it off."

Two hours later Jeonghan's hair was chin length and platinum white with a pink tint. It was a huge change and Seungcheol couldn't help but think how much it changed his overall appearance. It somehow just enhanced his beauty rather than detracting from it. His eyes looked brighter, his features more delicate than ever, and Jeonghan was glowing with self confidence renewed.

"It's great. Isn't it?" He asked as he looked at himself from all angles in the mirror. "It's a win for me," Minghao said without looking up from his phone. "I can style your clothes more feminine now without you looking like a girl." Jisoo furrowed his brow. "I hope you don't regret this Jeonghan. It'll take a long time to grow back." Jeonghan looked at them both before turning to Seungcheol. He flashed his most beautiful smile, the real one, not that fake bullshit he dished up to the press and the company. "Do you like it Cheollie?" He fluttered his lashes and without all that hair hanging around them they looked even longer and more lush, his cheekbones more defined, his eyes more mesmerising.

"Yeah I like it," Seungcheol said and felt himself wrapped up in the warm genuine smile. Jeonghan walked over and took the kitten from his arms. "Let me carry him out to the car," he said and pulled his hood up over his fresh new hair.

The trio wandered out to the vehicle parked out the front and Jisoo went to open the driver side door. "Wait!" Seungcheol yelled out to stop him and ran quickly around to the other side. Stuck under the windscreen wiped was an envelope and when Jeonghan saw it his face crumbled. "Don't touch it." Seungcheol said as he pulled a latex glove from his back pocket and plucked it from the glass.

"No one is reading this," he said as he bagged it up in plastic from the pouch he wore on his belt. Once it was secured he hurried Jeonghan into the car and climbed in behind him. The shaking man shivered with fear and shock and Seungcheol took his jacket off and laid it over the top of his boss and the precious kitten.

"Jeonghan," he said as they drove though the city. "It's time to go to the police."