Meters above the buildings, deep into the sky, birds whirled themselves along the arms of the air to prepare for home landings as the drips of a thunderstorm were just around the corner. Byungjoo sat at the service counter at his work, resting his head in his palm, bored and tired. Sanggyun walked the empty lobby, stacking a box onto a nearby surface. The two were by themselves that day.
"So what's new?" He asked.
Byungjoo sighed. "Honestly, I've been thinking about Taeyang."
"Who is that guy anyway?"
"He was one of the kids in my foster home."
"Were you guys friends?"
"Yeah. He was my only friend but one night he ran away, and I hated him ever since."
"Hated?" Sanggyun arched his brow.
"Hated." He nodded. "He was the oldest one, and then I was the second. Everyone else was way younger so we just... Got along. He was the only thing that kept me company but when I caught him packing his stuff I got so angry and just... Lost it."
"And do you hate him now?"
He looked down. "No... I understand why he did it... But it still hurts to think about it..."
Sanggyun knew there was more to the story than what he was telling, but he let it be, giving him time to compose himself for when the tale would speak itself. "Do you wanna find him?"
"I do..." He looked back to Sanggyun. "But I don't know how."
A toothless side smile wiped his face. "We'll find him. It's only been a few days since he stopped by. He can't be too far."
Byungjoo paused. "Thank Sanggyun... For everything..."
He chuckled, then proceeded with his work.

 

　 　Was it safe to wander Kasper Avenue in the dark with a downpour patting the cement? Who knew. Sanggyun followed Byungjoo's tracks from the other side of the street. The headlights of the cars gave off just enough brightness to be able to see in the mist.

Byungjoo walked along the railing where Xero once stood just a few weeks ago. His heart skipped and panic ran through his throat as he thought he saw him again, but it was only a trick his mind played. He stopped for a moment to just breathe, then hurried in between the distance of passing cars to his brother, suddenly frightened by the memory that haunted him.
"Let's go look in the woods over there." Byungjoo pointed as they neared the end of the bridge.

It was where the dog house was located—the dog house Taeyang once told Byungjoo about. He knew he wouldn't be there, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to look. Their feet stomped on broken twigs and dead leaves as their eyes studied the length of their flashlights in each direction it aimed to, hoping for only a movement that could give them some sort of lead.
They walked down the slant near the water as they searched, circling over each others paths to double check. Byungjoo reached the border of the land, where the waters waved with power, reaching up the cement wall, and it was then his frustration channeled into worry. 

Taeyang.

"Sanggyun I found him!" His voice overpowered the heavy rain, barely loud enough to echo into Sanggyun's ears.
"Where?" He twirled his flashlight to find Byungjoo with a careful run down the wet slant.
Taeyang rested his back against a tall tree hardly conscious; his eyes half open.
"Taeyang!" Byungjoo knelt infront of him, slapping at his cheek to gain some sort of focus from him. "Taeyang wake up!"
"Huuuu..." The elder managed, hardly able to grasp the sense of knowing someone was there.
"Sanggyun help me lift him up!" His voice cracked. He didn't bother to hide his cry.
Sanggyun finally made his way to his brother, stopping him from wasting his energy to pick the other up by himself. "We'll lift him on three." They both gripped his arms. "One, two, three..!"
With a grunt escaping their mouths, they held Taeyang over their shoulders, struggling to find footsteps up the branchy hill. They soon made it to the main road, where its flat surface lifted pounds off of Taeyang, making it easier for the two to carry him. And finally, just at the end of Kasper Avenue, they could set him in the back of Sanggyun's parked car, muting the tumble rain from their headaches.

 

　 　The next morning held wonders for Byungjoo as he laid Taeyang on his couch that night, allowing him for a comfortable rest. He cleaned the dirt from his face with a rag: the stench from his clothes were an ignored annoyance. 

It was only within a quick hour Taeyang's eyes opened. He flinched, sitting himself up; a frantic pain in his mind as he questioned where he was. Byungjoo settled him.
"Hey, Taeyang it's okay..." He reached for his hand. The elder looked to him and held his stare, motionless. "It's me... B-Joo... Do you remember..?"
Byungjoo could see his chest wave in and out before he spoke. Taeyang embraced him in his arms with a deep sob that shattered Byungjoo into a million pieces. "B-Joo..!"
"I swear I thought I lost you." He pulled away, his lips trembling. "I thought I'd never see you again... Why... Why'd you go?"
Together, they went back to that night, when Byungjoo watched Taeyang lace his shoes with a bookbag over his shoulder, and climb out of the window. "I'm sorry..." He shook his head. "There wasn't nothin' left for me there B-Joo. No one wanted me. I was sixteen. And I couldn't stand that place anymore."
"But I was there!"
"I know..."
Byungjoo controlled his breath, but the sting in his eyes still lingered. "You need to eat..." He prepared a quick meal on a plate, then sat next to him on the couch, watching him scarf his food to settle his starvation. He smiled into the silence. "I'm glad you're okay."