A/n: Eyy yo! Final chapter is up. Instead of featuring Kai's college years, I focused on the Halloween theme. Again, keep your expectations low. This is pure randomness and an effect of missing my KaiLu babies so much. I'll add a special chapter if given a chance. For now, I need to get back to my other fics. kekeke

I hope you enjoy nevertheless.  ^_^ BYE! *hides in the cave and thinks of KaiLu all night* LOL

"TRICK OR TREAT!"

A bunch of kids with various Halloween costumes herd in front of Kim's residence. Kim Shinye opens the door and gives them the candies they want. They swarm and excitedly grab more sweets for themselves, making the woman lost her balance and slump on the door. A boy who looks like the oldest among them immediately says his sorry for his friend's misbehavior. Shinye is impressed. "What's your name, boy?"

He stands straight and extends his arm for a handshake like a grown up, "Hello. My name is Shixun."

"Nice to meet you," says Shinye while shaking his hand. "How old are you, Shixun?"

"I am eight."

"I see. Because you are a polite boy, here are some more candies for you." The woman gives the boy a handful and receives a thank you from him in return. Just when she thought the boy will put it all inside his basket, he walks towards a tiny boy behind his friends who are now unwrapping the candies and eating happily. The little boy, Shinye believes he is a lot younger than the kids, looks up to Shixun.

"Take these candies, Xiaolu. I know Taotao stole yours on our way here." Shixun drops the candies inside Xiaolu's empty basket and brings him closer to Shinye. "He is my best friend. His name is Xiaolu and he is six."

"H-hello," greets the younger boy timidly. "T-thank you...for the...the ca-candies."

The woman can't help herself. She sits on her heels and cups Xiaolu's chubby cheeks, "You're welcome, little boy. I'll give you some more for being so cute!"  She looks back and calls for her son to come. "Kai, bring me more candies!"

Kim Kai, who is now eighteen years old, sporting a bright blonde hair and an earpierce, ignores his mom's call. He is lounging on the coach in the living room while browsing his phone.

"KAI! I SAID BRING ME MORE CANDIES!" Shinye is now practically screaming, scaring Xiaolu. Shixun holds his tiny hands to protect him. Other kids stop eating their sweets and watches as a young man emerges from the living room, carrying a bag of candies and a scowl on his face. 

Shinye rises to her feet and places her hands on her waist. Instead of handing her the bag, Kai approaches the kids outside. 

"Greedy kids. Aren't those candies enough for you?!"

Xiaolu's lips curve in fear and he quickly hides behind Shixun. 

Kai examines their faces one by one, "Who is the greediest among you? Huh? Tell me. Who is asking for more candies?!"

The other boys point at Xiaolu.

Doe-eyes. Pinkish, round cheeks. Gentle expression. Suddenly, Kai is hit with deja vu.  "Hanhan-hyu--

Kai-ah, I am really sorry I didn't have the chance to say goodbye.

Please forgive Hanhan-hyung, okay? Like what I said, if fate permits, we'll see each other someday.

" no." Kai snorts loudly, about to spill insults to the young boy who reminds him of someone special. However. before he can utter a word, Shixun puts a hand in the air, acting like a big brother. "No. That's not true. Xiaolu is not greedy. Don't scare him please."

Kai doesn't stop, "Oh? He's not? But look at those chubby cheeks."

At this point, Xiaolu burst into tears while hugging Shixun. He pulls the latter's shirt, telling him to leave. Shixun pats his head and nods. He glares back at Kai and points at him, "Your mom is kind but you are different. Bad person!" The kids run away from him and vow to never return.

"What did you do?!" Shinye whacks his head. "When you were a child, no one treated you like that when you go on trick-or-treating. They are just having fun and now you ruined it for them."

"They deserve it for being greedy-OW!"

"Say that again and I will split your head in half! Ahhhh! I can't believe my son grew up to be a rascal. You're lucky your father is not home yet or he will pinch your dingdong like the old days."

The teen shakes his head and walks away. 

"Hey! Your mother should be the one shaking her head for having a son like you! OH GOD!" Shinye dramatically leans against the wall and sighs. 

~

"So, are you coming with us to Naeun's birthday party?" asks Chanyeol to Kai while on their way to theuniversity. The tall boy years ago has gotten even taller. Unlike Kai who has a striking hair color, he has a dark brown curly hair. Their fashion sense are opposite to each other. While Kai usually wears ripped jeans and a plain shirt, Chanyeol likes to dress up based on Korean models he sees in magazines. It is still a mystery to Kai how they are still friends when Chanyeol always cuts the last piece of his patience with his prying . "I bet  you are preparing something special for her..hm? hm?" Chanyeol grins, eyebrows move up and down in a teasing manner. Kai just shakes his head in response, "No. I'm not going."

"WHAT? But why? I thought the two of you are dating!"

"No we're not."

Chanyeol halts, his face distorted in disbelief while watching Kai parks his bicycle in the front gate of their school. "B-but I saw the two of you in the park last week being all sweet and cuddly. Did something happen? Did she break up with you? Did you break up with her? YOU HAVE TO TELL ME, KAI!"

"I don't like her. I just went to the park with her because of Baekhyun's dare that I can't avoid. That's it."

"What the hell?!"

"Stop asking so many questions. You are really annoying me, Chanyeol. If you want to know the whole story, ask Baek."

Chanyeol does shut his mouth after Kai's warning. But that only lasted for five seconds. "Why do I feel like you're avoiding girls? You need to get your shiz together, go out and date! You're eighteen and this is the right time to have fun!" Kai rolls his eyes and doesn't answer back, knowing that the conversation will never end if he does. However, Chanyeol grew up to be the kind of person who cannot read between the lines. He trails behind Kai and asks a question he regrets right away. "Don't tell me you are still head-over-heels with Hanhan-hyung?!"

Veins slowly map along Kai's forehead while Chanyeol continues to blab. 

"Ahhh time flies so fast! That was eight years ago but I still remember your expressions whenever you see him. I wonder where he is now. Maybe he got married and has a family. What do you think?"

Kai turns around and is about to beat the hell out of Chanyeol for bringing up the name he has been avoiding to hear when Baekhyun appears and pulls the taller one away from him- just in time before a fist lands on his face. "Zip your mouth, Yeollie!" whispers the shortest boy among them. "You pushed the wrong button, you idiot! Now he's mad." Chanyeol finally discerns what he did. With Baekhyun in his arms, they slowly take a few steps away from the glaring Kai.

"I-I ddddidn't mean it, Kai-ah," Chanyeol mumbles with a shaking voice. "I didn't know you're still mad at him."

Mad at him.

Kai's shoulders are stiff as a rock. He glares at Chanyeol, ready to attack. This scares Baekhyun to the point that he closes his eyes when Kai moved, not wanting to witness a fight between his friends. Instead of a blow, Baekhyun hears Kai walking away from them. He slowly lets out the air he has been holding for a while. 

"That was scary," states Chanyeol while tapping his chest and sighing in relief. 

"I knew it," Baekhyun watches Kai as he blends in with other students in the university hall. "He's stuck in the past."

~

"Pfft! Who cares is he's married now? Who cares if he's with someone he loves? Who cares if he's happy? I DEFINITELY DON'T." Kai rambles to himself. He sits by the wooden platform connecting the lake house to the water. He skips from his afternoon classes and stays there with a lot going on in his mind. Though he denies it, Kai secretly goes to the lake house when he misses Lu Han. 

Yes.

He misses Lu Han a lot.

"I don't," he argues with his mind like a mad man. "I don't miss him. Well, maybe just a bit. But not too much! Definitely not too much."

A pebble plops in the water and there's nothing but tranquility thereafter. Kai lets himself be captivated by the beautiful fiery sky of the autumn season. It's cold but he doesn't care. He plunges his feet underwater to distract himself from sad thoughts. If he has a way to get inside the empty lake house, he will go and stay inside to keep himself warm. And drown himself in the memories of that one person he adores eight years ago til now.

~

Shinye slurps the last strand of her ramen and spills the news to the men eating with her in the dining room, "Have you heard the news? Our town will hold a Halloween party at the lake house on the twelveth." 

"Really? That would be fun for the kids," says Junsik.

"Not only for the kids. Adults like us can join, too, as long as we have a costume for the party."

Junsik examines his wife's face, "Are you trying to tell me that we're coming?" The woman grins, "All of us will join the party!"

"What the heck? I am not going!" Kai opposes. 

"Come to think of it. It can be a family thing for us, right Shinye?"

"Your father's right. We'll have fun there."

"No." Kai drops his chopsticks, wipes his mouth messily with a crampled table napkin and leaves the table. "I am not going no matter what you say." He motions towards the stair and hurriedly climbs up to his room until his mom drops another news in a form of a subtle question. 

"Even if someone is coming back to join the party?"

Kai halts.

Shinye knows she hit the mark and continues, "I heard he is coming back on the twelveth because of work. He will be a speaker in your school and will talk about photography."

Kai looks back at her, waiting for more explanation.

"I believe he is a famous photographer and a traveller. According to a boy I know eight years ago, he has visited a lot of places in Europe and Asia. That young boy, I heard, wants to marry this man when he grows up." Shinye giggles. "I wonder if it changed."

"Don't mess with me, eomoni," says Kai; his voice sounds pleading.

Shinye stops giggling and smiles sincerely, "I am not. Lu Han is coming back, sweetheart. You will see him again after those years. Your wish during your eleventh birthday is coming true."

"How did you know about his wish? I thought he was angry at Lu Han for leaving him that time?" asks Junsik innocently. His wife turns to him and winks, "I am a mother. Don't underestimate my guts to know my son's true feelings." While his parents are talking, Kai quickly goes to his room and locks the door.

"He's coming back. Lu Han is coming back." He is balling his fist, trying to control his heart that is beating wildly.

"If fate permits, we will see each other again."

~

Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Chen are standing in front of the lake house, waiting for their friend Kai to arrive. They couldn't believe the latter is actually coming, unaware of the news about Lu Han's return. The four of them decided to wear superhero costumes like the old days; Baekhyun as Spiderman, Chen as Batman and Chanyeol as a rangy Superman. However, Kai surprises them when he appears with a wizard's hat and a long, black cloak. "Let's go inside," says Kai as he passes by them. No one dares to speak and just follows him quietly.

The lake house is transformed into a horror house for the party-spider webs, skeletons and pumpkins everywhere. There is a long table in the living room for candies and other Halloween-inspired snacks. Some kids are dressed like their favorite cartoon characters while the older folks settle with costumes inspired by monsters and characters in movies. Kai spots his parents with their Romeo and Juliet attire. There is Naeun in his ty kitty dress, talking to a guy next to them. He avoids them and goes to the back door where it is overlooking to the lake. His friends already lost him when they passed by the mob of minion-dressed teens.

Kai finds a rocking chair in the veranda and wishes to sit there if not for a person lying comfortably on it. The area is spared out from the lights, making it hard for him to see clearly. He searches for a way to go back to the living room when he notices the rocking chair stops moving. There's a tinge of fear in his chest when he sees a shadow reflected on the wooden floor. A person, Kai assumes it is a boy, rises from the rocking chair and stretches his arms up. Kai freezes on the spot. He then hears a yawn- a long, airy yawn that tells exhaustion. It takes a little while before Kai manages to take a step away. It's not like him being a scaredy cat but there is no use hiding it. He has to go back and join his friends. In a hurry, he scampers and bumps into a solid material on the floor. A loud clang catches the attention of the other person in the veranda. Kai can see him approaching in the corner of his eyes. 

"Who's there?" asks a muffled voice, drowned by the party songs.

Kai crawls away on his knees when he takes notice of the material he bumped into.

"A luggage?"

The moment the young man looks up, he gets blinded by a heartbreaking familiarity. "Kai, is that you?"

Kai wonders how he was able to stand up despite being weak-kneed. In front of him is Lu Han, his Hanhan-hyung who left eight years ago. His face looks the same. Under the moonlight, Kai sees those twinkling orbs and the warm smile that forms wrinkles under his eyes. He wears a grey turtle neck and a long, dark blue cardigan-a sophisticated look. Lu Han looks a lot smaller now that Kai grew up to be six footer young man. Face to face with the person he has admired for more than eight years, Kai stands motionless.

"It is you," says Lu Han, breaking the silence between them.

Kai is melting inside but holds a strong expression. "Why did you come back?" Those unwelcoming words come out instead of an I miss you phrase that is hanging on his tongue. Despite the coldness in the young boy's voice, Lu Han remains calm and pleasant. "I came back for work. I found a job in Seoul. You may not know but I become a professional photographer. I was invited by your university to have a lecture about photography on Monday. I am not sure how long I will be staying in this town though."

Kai looks away, "Is that all?"

Lu Han doesn't answer. Instead, he compliments Kai, "You changed a lot. You are bigger than me now. And look at that hair color. I guess it's the trend for young men like you nowadays. I wish I can have that on my hair, too." Lu Han giggles.

*silence*

"Hyung."

"Yes?"

"I have a question."

"What is it?"

"I- I am just curious."

"Go ahead."

Kai looks straight in Lu Han's eyes and asks nervously, "Are you...married to someone?"

Lu Han blinks innocently, "Married? No I am not. What's with the sudden question?"

"How about a lover? Do you have one?"

"Kai, I don't underst--"

"Just answer me."

 "No. I don't have a lover."

"Good." Kai is relieved. He draws closer to Lu Han and steals a kiss on the latter's lips. "I haven't changed much, you know. I still feel the same towards you."

Though surprised,  Lu Han stays calm. He waits for Kai to say more but when the silence envelopes them, he smiles kindly. 

"When I told you that I wanted to marry you, you didn't take me seriously because you think that I am just a blabbering ten-year old. But you're wrong. I meant those words," Kai whispers as he embraces Lu Han. "You might think it's impossible for me to fall in love with you because I haven't seen you in years. You're wrong again. This lake house is a constant reminder of your presence. Every thought of you makes me fall harder. I was mad at you for not saying goodbye. I turned into a jerk, hurting other people's feelings because I thought that would make me stronger. But I can't fool myself. You were far away from me and there are nights when I cry, wondering where you are. I missed you and that's the reason why I can't stay mad at you. Tell me, hyung. Did you miss me, too? Be honest."

Lu Han nods without second thought, "Of course I missed you. Your silliness. Your enthusiasm. The way you make me feel special through your innocent little ways. I'm glad I took photos of you when we went on a boat ride one time. I captured the glow on your face and it makes me happy whenever life is tough for me. But falling in love is something I don't expect from you."

"Why? You are a beautiful person. It's not impossible for me to love you."

"Don't get me wrong, Kai-ah. I am just worried. My life is a constant journey, different from yours. All I wish for is to discover the world and capture its beauty through my lense. I haven't think of loving someone because I don't stay in one place for too long. It will just make it harder for me if the time comes when I have to leave. I usually don't go back to places I have visited already so relationships won't work. But the funny thing is, somehow, I ended up here again."

Kai tightens his arms around Lu Han's body, "Isn't that because of fate? You told me that if fate permits, we'll see each other again. And it did. Isn't this a good sign?"

Lu Han murmurs, "Maybe it is fate."

"We will chase our dreams together. I am not here to clip your wings and force you into a relationship. I just want you to give me a chance to prove myself. It doesn't matter if I am too young or if you are a lot older than me. I can wait for another eight years if that's what you want."

"Really?"

"No. That's not fair. Another eight years would be too much agony." Both of them giggles. "But seriously. I mean it. Just a chance to prove myself and I'll show you what it means to fall in love."

"Hm...that's a tempting offer, young man. I just hope you won't regret this."

Kai playfully kisses his cheek, "Are you kidding me? How can I regret this when I have been in love with you since I was eight?! Silly, Hanhan."