Minseok sat not-so-patiently on the stairs, staring at the door that was left wide open. He was waiting for a short, skinny, old little lady to walk through the door. He even was waiting for a his father, which surprised the boy. Minseok wasn't as close to his father as he was to his mother, yet he missed both extremely bad.

First came Zitao's parents. They just screamed rich with their brand name clothes and dirty scowls. They are intimidating, just like their son.

Next came Oh Sehun's parents. They dressed normally. They both looked tired, with slight dark circles under their eyes. Minseok wondered why, but his thoughts were dismissed when the maknae led his parents out of his sight.

Then there was a young, beautiful woman. She had a slim figure, pale skin, and dyed blond hair that matched perfectly with the dress she wore, holding onto her bag for dear life. The woman glanced at Minseok when she entered, quickly looking away in disinterest. Yixing gave her a hug, and the oldest boy wondered if that was his mom. It couldn't be though, she was to young, probably in her early twenties.

He proceeded to watch as more families piled in.

Kyungsoo's mom. Then came Jongdae's parents. After was Baekhyun's family. And finally, their was Junmyeon's parents. All the families came within the first 20 minutes. 

Minseok was left waiting. Anticipation was killing the boy. With no other option, the boy let his mind wonder to those families that didn't show up. Jongin's family wasn't here. Minseok remembered about the younger boy's drug addiction, but was that the actual reason they didn't show up? Chanyeol was left alone, likewise, so was Yifan and Luhan. Although, Minseok knew why Luhan's parent didn't show up. He remember Luhan's confession during the first day he was here. It still made him shiver in thought.

30 minutes. The clock read 3:30. Conversations were now full blown, everyone talking, their voices over lapping. Minseok tried to eavesdrop on a conversation from where he was sat on the stairs. The closet was Tao. He heard the boy flaunt about winning a bet against one of his friends, but when Zitao's parents asked about his grades, the boy shut up.

Minseok snapped his attention back to the door when he caught sight of his old woman. She was in a dress, wearing sunglasses that covered her eyes. She took small, hesitant steps in, scanning the room until she found her son.

The woman stood still for a second, and even though Minseok couldn't see her eyes, he knew what she felt in that moment. It mirrored his own.

None of them being able to say anything, he ran up to her, not caring if the boys would make fun of him later for this, and he gave his mom a bone crushing hug. She was so fragile, but Minseok was just so sad, and so happy to see her again after a long time. The boy was sure he was crying.

"Omma." Minseok found the strength in him to say, his voice hitching. "I've missed you so much."

They hugged, for what seemed to be an eternity, but in reality, was only a few minutes. Once the boy stepped back, he could see the tear traces on his moms cheeks.

"Lets go outside?" 

His mom nodded, leading the way. They sat on the chairs that were on the front porch, silence overwhelming them.

"How have you been?" His mom asked, taking off her sunglasses to reveal red, puffy eyes.

"It's.... it takes some getting use to. This is definitely not home. The days are longer, and some of the boys aren't that nice, but it's good." 

"Are some of the boys being mean to you, Minseok?" His mom leaned forward, placing her hand over his in concern.

"No! No, it's not like that." Lie. Minseok couldn't tell his mom about the constant teasing though. It would break her. "They aren't mean, as long as you don't try to talk to them. But that doesn't matter, because I've made some friends." He only made one friend to be correct, but this answer gave his mom a smile.

"I'm glad. I couldn't stop worrying about how you were doing."

Minseok noticed the missing family member. His heart shaking. "Omma, where's dad?" He asked quietly, immediately regretting the question afterwards.

His mother looked down, removing her hand from her sons. Her eyes grew sad, well, sadder. "He left."

The boy didn't say anything. He expected this, he really did. Minseok knew that his father had another family, a family he loved more than him and his mother. Still, the frail woman took her husband back every time he apologized. Minseok knew that this would happen, with all the fighting, it was bound to.

"Did he..." Minseok took a second, controlling his voice from breaking. "Did he, go back to her?" Her, as in his dad's mistress. The woman he spent half Minseoks childhood with, the woman who stole him, the woman who made a family with his father.

"Yeah. One day, she just called, and he left again." His mother was crying. "I couldn't stop him. And he didn't want to come. I'm sorry, there was nothing I could do."

Minseok leaned over, taking his hand and putting it on her forearm that was clutching her face. Minseok brung her arm down, taking his mothers hand in his. 

"It's not your fault." Minseok had to be strong. He couldn't cry again. "If he left, thats his own problem. Omma, I'm telling you now, this is not your fault."

His mothers eyes were shut in pain. "I let you down-"

"No! You didn't!" Minseok's voice was wavering. "He let me down, because he left! But omma... look at me, please." He waited, searching for his moms eyes. When they meet his, the boy found the courage to continue. "Omma, you're the one that stayed. The one that always stayed."   

was formed in a tight line. Her eyes glossed over with pain. She didn't believe him, deep inside she still felt guilty. Guilty because she wasn't a good enough wife to keep her husband from leaving. Guilty because she wasn't a good enough mom to keep her son safe.

"I didn't mean for this to happen, sweetie." She looked down again. "I didn't want this to happen." That was all the woman said. She couldn't handle all the feelings. They were drowning her all at once. She couldn't show it, not now, not in front of her son. 

Minseok held his moms hand, squeezing it tightly till the woman resolved in hiccups. He found himself just having to wait today, but the boy didn't mind. His mom was here for him, just like always, and that's all he ever needed in life.

After she calmed down, eyes softening, Minseok took his mom to the kitchen. He served her food, and even gave her some food he made himself that day.

"You have to try a lot of this omma," he said, pouring a lot of the food on her plate. "I made it, so it should be really good."

The short woman laughed. "Wow, my Minseok actually cooked for once? I thought the day would never come."

He smiled. Minseok was happy, all the tears from earlier washed away, his father forgotten in this moment that he held close. 

The two talked. Minseok talked of the only thing interesting in his life now, school. And he asked his mother all types of things. How her friends were doing, how her sense in style had changed, and even in the thought that she should get a dog to keep her company in the now empty house she lived in.

"I'm thinking a cute dog, Shiba?" Minseok suggested, earning a small and playful kick.

"Yay! You know I don't want any dogs!" His mother responded, both laughing.

"I know, but wouldn't it be great? It can keep you company, not to mention, they are cute!" 

"I've spent around half my life raising a kid, I don't need to spend anymore raising a dog!" She objected.

"I'm just saying, I would personally love to have a dog. I haven't even seen one in a couple of years!" Minseok grinned, all his teeth showing. The boy and his mother almost forgot where they were, until the clock reached 7:50 and Heechul politely warned those left that time was almost up. 

The sun was down, and the weather was cool. Minseok and his mom stood up from their seats on the porch. 

"Omma--"

Without getting a chance to say anything else, the woman embraced her son in another bone crunching hug, but this time, she was the one who hugged tightly. Minseok leaned down some, wrapping his arms around the petite woman.

"I'll see you very soon, okay?" She whispered in her sons ear, arms still around his neck. "Be good, so I can see you next week."

Minseok smiled, shuddering when his mom let go. "I'm gonna miss you." He said

Bidding their goodbyes, his mom followed the stairs down and onto the sidewalk. She opened her car that was on the street, giving her son one last air kiss before she got in. She hasn't done that since Minseok was a little kid. He would always catch it, and this time was no different. Minseok lifted his arm up, his hand clutching on the the 'kiss', and stored it in his pocket, just like old times. 

He watched as she left in her blue car, watching until he could no longer see it. His smile faded, pain settling in again.

While Minseok was cleaning up, a chore they had to do, the boy caught sight of Luhan. Not that Minseok cared, but he hasn't seen the younger all day, this being the first time. It was weird, because Luhan was always around.

When they guys were done, they all went to their rooms to get ready for bed. Minseok sat alone, playing with his hands while Luhan took his shower. He was bored, and there was not much to do in this house besides homework or chores.

"So," Luhan said, Minseok looked at him. The younger was drying his soaking wet hair with a towel. "Your mom showed up."

Way to state the obvious. Why did Luhan feel the need to mention this? Why did he care? Nonetheless, Minseok nodded.

"Yeah, she did."

"But your dad didn't." Minseok froze at those words. How did Luhan notice? Where was he that he payed so much attention to the older.

"Why?"

"What happened to him?"

Minseok was shocked. He knew that Luhan said what he felt like, no regards for others feeling, but why did he want to know?

"He left." That was it. He left, like he so often did. 

"Why did he leave?" This was the most the two boys spoke without Luhan throwing an insult the older's way, and honestly, it scared him.

Minseok contemplated. He was tired of pretending. He had to pretend around everyone, his own mother now too. "He has this other family," Minseok continued, Luhan taking a seat on his bed, looking straight ahead. "He prefers them over my mom and I. Every time his mistress dumps him, he comes crawling back to my mom, and she takes him back. Then, after some time, the other woman calls back and he just..... leaves, like we are nothing. It's always been that way, I can't remember it any other way. And at the end of it, omma is the only one who gets hurt."

"That's stupid." Minseok looked down from the ceiling, realization of who he was talking to slapped him in the face. "If you're mom really cared about you, then why didn't she just leave him? It hurt you, and mothers should do anything to protect their child, not hurt them."

Anger boiled inside Minseok. He flung his legs over the side of the bed, gripping onto the mattress tightly. 

"She does care, okay? My father is the one who didn't care, he left! My mom? She stayed! She took care of me all by herself-"

"And look at how you turned out." Luhan cut the older off rather calmly. "You're in a group home." His words stung, mostly because those words were undoubtedly true.

"So?! That's my own damn fault!" Minseok bit his tongue, cooling down a little to keep from shouting. "It's not like someone like you could understand. Parents aren't suppose to leave their children, children aren't suppose to kill their parents." Or anyone, in fact.

Luhan's jaw dropped. "Wow." He felt like saying so many things, all scrambled in his head. "You got some nerve."

"What? It's true." Minseok wasn't sorry, not one small bit. 

"You're right. I killed my mother, and my father too. But unlike you, I've learned to accept it."

"You've learned to live with it? Trust me, I have never once felt unloved by my mom. She was always there when my dad wasn't!" His voice rose again, but he quickly gained control. "If you accepted who you are and what you did, then why did you ask about my family in the first place?" Luhan was at a loss for words this time. "Since you're so curios about me, then what about you? Why did you kill your parents? Come on, if you really accepted who you are, then it should be no problem, right?"

When Luhan didn't respond, the older felt like he won. That was a first. Minseok never felt like he could yell at Luhan like he just did. The anger blinded him. 

Just as Minseok was going to lay back down, he heard the younger say something, and this caught his attention.

"I killed my mom the day she gave birth to me....."

***

Ohh.. I feel like I'm getting into this plot a bit to fast:/ btw, I wasn't going to end the chapter this way, but I thought I would just split it into two parts instead, and the next chapter will focus on Luhan! Hoped you enjoyed! :p