For the first time since the accident there was laughter heard in that old, tiny apartment. For the first time since the accident the owner of the house could say that he was happy. Awfully and very much happy. For the first time since the accident his life regained its colors.

Yixing and Jongdae were in the bakery. When the morning came Yixing went to make breakfast for Jongdae, but this time Jongdae joined him too; just to see him work. That didn’t make much sense but it felt nice. Yixing wanted to make omelet, but Jongdae insisted that he wanted to eat the fruit salad-bread Yixing made him some time ago. Yixing couldn’t argue with the puppy eyes (they were far too powerful) and begun working. He was mixing the flour with the water, when Jongdae came and stood right behind him. His eyes were concentrated on Yixing’s movements and when Yixing asked if he wanted to try Jongdae nodded quickly. Yixing chuckled at that as he instructed the over-excited Jongdae to wash his hands properly and come to stand in front of him. Jongdae quickly put his fingers in the mix and begun giggling. He was too cute. Yixing put his hands on Jongdae’s and showed him what he was supposed to do. Yixing couldn’t keep his giggles every time Jongdae tossed the mix around and insisted that he made Yixing’s portrait. They added the rest of the ingredients and waited for it to bake. While they were waiting Jongdae blew on his hands to clean the flour on it, but as he was standing right in between Yixing and the oven, it flew right to Yixing’s face. Yixing grimaced and scolded Jongdae with his eyes. Jongdae instead blew on his hand again. This time it was very intentional. Yixing took a handful of sugar and attacked Jongdae with it. Jongdae didn’t give up easily - counterattacking with a handful of flour. The fight ended in draw as they needed to take the bread out of the oven. It smelled amazing; even better than the first one Yixing did. He wanted to give it to Jongdae to eat as soon as it got cold, but Jongdae insisted in sharing it with his dad.

“But we can make another one. You should eat this one. Or even better; you can eat this while I’ll make the other one.”

“Where’s the fun in it?” Jongdae was pouting. “You know if you really don’t want to give it to my dad I can understand. I just want to see him. I have something important to tell him.”

At the last sentence Jongdae was pointedly looking at Yixing.

“What?”   

“That the treatment is working,” said Jongdae beaming.

Jongdae’s smile could rival the sun in its warmth. Yixing knew that Jongdae changed a lot since he appeared, but hearing it from Jongdae was even better.

“Alright, Mr. Kim’s house it is then.”

 xxx

Mr. Kim’s eyes watered as soon as he saw a pair of smiles on his doorstep. He hugged Jongdae tightly and kept saying ‘thank you’s. Yixing was standing behind Jongdae with a proud smile. Everything was great and Jongdae was happy what else he could want.

 xxx

There is an interesting thing about tragedies – they are always meant to happen when the rain is pouring down and the storm is raging, but actually most of the humanity’s story the greatest tragedies happened on sunny days. It is the false sense of security, of nothing being able to go wrong, that makes the tragedies even worse. No one expects to have their life destroyed on a sunny day, but it’s usually what happens. That had happened to Yixing too. Twice already.

Yixing and Jongdae spent their afternoon at Mr. Kim’s. The old man was very happy to be in the company of his son, especially after he had become better. In the evening when the sun was still in the horizon, the couple decided to head home after some grocery shopping. The weather was nice and so they strolled through the city. The city was beautiful. They reached the railways which were right beside the picturesque river, when suddenly Yixing heard his name. He kept walking thinking his sensors needed a check, when the voice sounded again – clearer and closer.

“Hey, Yixing, don’t you dare to ignore me!” said the voice half playfully, half demanding.

Both Yixing and Jongdae turned to look at the source of the sound and saw none other than Luhan. He had two other boys standing by his side; none of them looked half as friendly as Luhan, and to be honest at that moment neither did Luhan. There was something wicked in the way he was smiling at Yixing and he instinctively stood in front of Jongdae, as if trying to shelter him. Jongdae seemed worried too.

“Yixing, let’s just go,” Jongdae pulled his sleeve.

“Not so fast. It’s the first time I’m seeing my best friend after the accident,” Luhan was coming closer and closer and so were the other boys.

“I’m sorry, but you are mistaken. We aren’t friends,” said Yixing.

“Not friends, huh?” Luhan’s smile seemed different. It was somewhere between pain and sarcasm. “Anyways, I’m sorry, but I have to take your charming companion with me.”

Jongdae started pulling Yixing’s sleeve with more force.

“I won’t let you!” Yixing wanted to control himself but he was panicking.

“You are far too skinny to do much. I’m really sorry for doing this to you, my friend, but I have to sell him,” Luhan would sound apologetic if his words weren’t so cruel.

“I won’t let you!”

“Think for yourself; two against three. It never ends well. Just let me take him, Xing. I don’t want to hurt you. Be a pal and just tell him to come with me.”

“I know that you were friends with the human Zhang Yixing, but I’m an android that is helping Jongdae. You’re confusing me with him,” said Yixing.

Luhan snorted.

“The only one confused is you, my friend.”

Just as Yixing wanted to ask Luhan to explain himself he heard a scream. Jongdae. One of the boys held him by his waist, as the other was holding him with a rope around his neck.

Yixing lost himself. He punched the guy who was holding the rope and wanted to get the other one but he was turned around and punch right in his jaw. It was Luhan. He punched back with all his might. Luhan went back a few steps, touched his face and looked at the blood on his hands.

“You goddamn idiot!”

He attacked Yixing again, but this time he managed to get Yixing pinned on the ground while he restlessly punched his face.  

“Wake up you idiot!”

He punched again.

“Snap out of it!”

And again.

“How long are you going to pretend?!”

The last punch was so strong that made Yixing hear a scream, or was it just Jongdae? Everything turned black, but then he saw the familiar set of hands. They were handing fresh baked bread to a little girl in yellow skirt. Then he saw Jongdae in front of him with teary eyes saying that if he was that useless and stupid, Yixing should break up with him. Jongdae’s face soon changed and he saw a half-damaged dog growling miserably while staring at him across the alley. He saw himself crouching in front of her and telling her that he could repair her, that he would help her. Then he saw Jongdae in the airport.

“Do even know what hunger means? Can’t you see that I’m doing this for us?” Yixing’s voice was strained from shouting so much. He couldn’t care less about the other passengers staring at him.

“Maybe you are doing this for us, but the only opinion you care about is your own. I’m tired of this and I’m tired of you!” shouted back Jongdae.

Yixing’s heart sunk low, but his anger was too much to keep quiet.

“Fine! Then I don’t need you either! I don’t need you or anyone else. Just go to hell!”

“If it means getting away from you!”

Jongdae turned around angrily not even bothering to say goodbye to his dad and uncle, who were the silent witnesses of the situation.

The next vision that flooded in was the most painful. Yixing saw the airplane form the windows of the airport. It flew steadily for a few seconds but then the tail of the plane begun burning. It reached one of the engines on the wings and soon the airplane exploded.

Airplane exploded with Jongdae in it.