Never Judge

"Wh–wh–what?" Angelo asked as he gave Yu Zimo a confused look.

They pulled up into the driveway of a luxurious apartment complex

"It's a complicated story, I didn't know that Ilya was involved with Colin Jao until recently." Yu Zimo answered with a shrug as he led Angelo through the apartment complex.

The apartment Ilya stayed at was on the fifth floor in one of the inner buildings.

Angelo was ceratin that this was a safe house that Yu Zimo had initially prepared for himself or his loved ones since it seemed to have many potential escape routes and and was quite well hidden.

They stood in silence before of a non-descript door.

Yu Zimo raised his hand to knock but hesitated.

"He won't harm a child." Angelo said as he realized that Yu Zimo was most likely worried about Ilya's kid.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Yu Zimo said with a sigh as he gathered his courage and knocked on the door.

"A moment Zimo!" A man with a thick Russian accent called out from the otherside of the door.

Angelo raised his eyebrow at Yu Zimo, but didn't say a word.

"Uncle Zimo is here! Uncle Zimo is here!" A young boy's voice cheered.

"Not so loud, Nikolai, we don't want the neighbors to complain in his early thirties wearing a shirt and an apron.

In his arms was a little boy that shared the same blue eyes and again." Angelo heard Ilya telling his son as he unlocked the door and opened it to greet Yu Zimo and Angelo.

As the door opened, Angelo and Yu Zimo were greeted by a tall man in his early thirties wearing a shirt and an apron.

In his arms was a little boy that shared the same blue eyes and caucasian skin as his. The only difference between them was that the father, Ilya, had light brown hair and the child's was black.

"Yu Zimo, this is a surprise, and you brough a friend, come in, come in." Ilya said as he invited the pair inside.

Angelo felt quite awkward as he knew the next day he and Al would have to interrogate this man.

"An!" Yu Zimo called out, pulling Angelo from his thoughts. He knew that his companion was referring to him as they had previously agreed not to use Angelo's real name.

"Coming, sorry about that." Angelo said as he entered the apartment, closing the door firmly behind him.

Angelo was stopped in his tracks as the little boy, Nikolai, looked up at him with his eyes wide with curiosity.

"Are you Uncle Zimo's friend?" Nikolai asked in a small voice, full of wonder and curiosity.

"I am, yes." Angelo said with a nod. "You can call me Uncle An."

Nicolai nodded and smiled before running up to Angelo and hugging his leg.

"I think I like you Uncle An!" The child bravely declared, making Angelo frown even more.

In front of him, Yu Zimo and Ilya looked at each other with a confused expression. It seemed that what Nikolai was doing now was out of the ordinary.

"Why?" Angelo asked as he looked at the two men before him.

"Nikolai generally don't like new people." Ilya explained as he carefully watched his son who refused to let go of Angelo's leg.

"Generally?" Yu Zimo asked with a hearthy laugh. "He hates people. He didn't even like me when we first met."

"Maybe he is growing up?" Angelo suggested as he picked Nikolai up into his arms.

The little boy continued to hug him, refusing to let go.

"Odd indeed." Ilya commented as he slowly turned away and led them to the living room.

"I like you!" Nikolai bravely declared.

"I like you to kiddo." Angelo replied with a guilty smile as he sat on one of the couches with the child in his arms.

"Why are you here, Zimo?" Ilya asked as he kept a close watch on Angelo and his son.

"I was in the area with my friend, An." Zimo explained. "I thought I'd drop by to check on you guys. It's been a while since I visited since I'm busy with work. You know how much I love that kid."

Ilya wordlessly nodded.

He seemed to buy whatever Zimo told him. It was clear that Ilya had no idea who Yu Zimo truly was.

"Actually you dropped by at the best time possible!" Ilya declared as he tured to look at Yu Zimo.

"We did?" Yu Zimo asked as he preteneded not to know that Ilya had a very dangerous meeting the next day.

Ilya's expression turned serious as he began to explain what he wanted today.

"I have to go on a business trip tomorrow, I don't know how long I'll be gone." Ilya told Yu Zimo, making Angelo look at the other man.

Angelo was surprised to see Yu Zimo looking unbothered by the news, as if this was a normal occurrence for them.

"You want Nikolai to stay with me I'm guessing," Yu Zimo said as he looked at the child.

"You're the only one I trust."

Most people would feel guilty if someone had just handed their son so willingly to the enemy, but Angelo felt none of that.

It was most likely due to the fact that he knew Yu Zimo would care for the child.

It was also due to his exposure to the Lawrence family, there were some things they did that would truly break a person's will.

"When do I pick him up?" Yu Zimo asked Ilya as he feigned innocence.

"Can you take him with you now?" Ilya asked as he gave his son a loving glance. "I don't think he will throw a tantrum, he seems to like your friend."

Ilya emphasized the word friend as if he was trying to suggest that Angelo and Yu Zimo were more than that, making Angleo frown.

He didn't think Yu Zimo was gay, but it was possible. As the nephew of the head of an underworld organization, Yu Zimo needed to act the part, and being perceived as soft could undermine his authority.