Chanyeol descended the steps to the first floor of the house, he was relieved it was quiet which meant his father wasn't home and they can loiter around without being cautious of their every move. 

He made a bee line through the sparce living room heading for the kitchen, he passed by his mom's old piano but stopped in his tracks his back facing it. Over the years of not being used and Chanyeol feeling guilty and heartbroken everytime he looked at it, it has grown rickety and old. Dust accumulated over it like a blanket and there were some dents in it from years ago. He turned around and was surprised to see his stepmother sitting on the bench,

Chanyeol hadn't been paying attention and didn't noticed her, she was so quiet but he guessed it's because everytime she speaks his father would yell at her. He slowly makes his way over to the piano, she just sat there hands folded in her lap as she stared at the keys, Chanyeol didn't know what to do or say. Did she want to be alone? Should he ask her if she's hungry? He looked at her small petite frame and thought that would be best she looked like she hasn't been eating much and that worried Chanyeol. 

"Mina?" he questioned bending to the side a bit to catch a glimpse of her face. 

Her face was expressionless as she stared at the keys, she must not of heard him. He brings hand up and lays it gently on her shoulder, Chanyeol regretted doing that as she jumps high and swiftly turns around shock and fright in her eyes, for some reason that look brought up a different image surfacing to the front of his mind, of Baekhyun's expression when he woke up to see him. He has tried not to think about that day much as he felt like he should've never step foot in that classroom, he had taken him to ''Mrs. Bees' because he didn't know what else to do in that moment but go somewhere he could maybe calm the boy down and rid his face of that despair. But it turned out to be stupid as it seems Baekhyun didn't want anything to do with him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" Chanyeol apologized.

"oh, Yeollie. It's alright" she turns back around and Chanyeol takes a seat. 

They fell into silence and Chanyeol snuck a glance at his step mom who went back to staring in space. Chanyeol didn't know what to call his relationship with his step mom, he didn't hate her, he didn't love her, he just wanted to protect her from everything. From his father, from the judging looks of passerbys, and lastly from himself that kept dragging her into things. Like that time she covered for him, he had gotten drunk and had called home thankfully she picked up and drove the car to come pick him up, his father had went to a friends house. It was miracle they made it back in time, she helped him up the steps to his room even though she was weak and he probably weighed a ton. And just as dad came through the door, he had confronted her on why she smelt like alcohol and she had said she went out to a bar, Chanyeol knew she had suffered that night and he had felt guilty.

Why do I keep getting others into trouble? He had thought.

 When Chanyeol first met her she was all smiles and sunshine, she had this glow about her. Before she became his step mom and before she married his father and before he found out he liked guys more than women, he would be lying if he said he didn't have some sort of feelings for her then. Chanyeol knew it was wrong but everytime they would talk and she would smile at him it made his stomach tie up in knots and he couldn't help smiling along. He looks at her grim expression now, Chanyeol didn't think he's seen her smile in so long. He sighs,

"wanna learn how to play?" he suddenly says and she faces him confused. 

He gives her a smile "well you can't just sit here and not play it" he said

"oh! no, I could never, this was your mothers" she saids timidly waving her hand. "plus I have no clue how to play a piano"

Chanyeol chuckles and she looks at him in wonder, her eyes were a light hazel contrast to her straight black hair but fit her soft round features. 

"okay, how about I play you something?" he offers

"really?!" he noticed how her eyes lit up in anticipation and even if he were to change is mind, how could he? this is probably the most excited she's been in a while.

"yeah. I'll play you something my mom taught me, something she played when I was feeling down" he takes a deep breath.

Let's see if I still know how to do this he thought. He poised his fingers over the keys and started to play 'the river flows in you' by Yiruma.

Mina watched as her stepson played the piano, the sound that escaped the beautiful instrument, she since wished she had learned how to play, flowed around the room in a calm and relaxing, gorgeous melody. As she watched Chanyeol's fingers glide across the keys she felt all her worries fade away with each note, her body swayed from side to side. And for the fist time in years she felt an overwhelming burst of happiness and with that her cheeks suddenly lifted and a smile slowly painted it's way across her face.

Chanyeol was lost in the music but he was aware of the radiant feeling coming from his stepmom. He felt good to have made her feel this joy, he played more enthusiastically and as the music burst through he started to felt like his mother's presence was right there next to them, he felt her hand on his back urging him on, his eyes were closed now and soon it was just the two of them. He felt like he was floating on a cloud as the song reached its peak, mom? Do you hear me? Do you hear our song? But it all too soon came to an end. 

"WHAT THE IS GOING ON HERE!?"  Chanyeol heard a squeal come from his step mom beside him and he too was startled, he ended up pressing the wrong key and the song came crashing down into shambles. 

They both looked towards the entrance of the living room and sure enough there was his father. He felt the dread settle over them in a matter of seconds and Chanyeol wished he had not skipped out on school today, he had woken up late and decided not to go but he knew he should've just went even if he would miss first period. 

"honey" Mina said timidly "you're home" she tried to smile but it didn't come as easily as before all that showed up was a slight slant of , she looked over at Chanyeol and he too looked scared. She should stop this before it escalates. 

She gets up and goes over to her clearly angry husband, why he was so angry? she didn't know, she never knew. "honey, come into the kitchen" she places a hand on his chest "I'll make you something to eat" she says. 

"you pig" he snarls and his hand connects painfully hard against her cheek, her head snaps to one side and tears spill despite her will to keep them in. 

"you're crying again!? Don't you have any ing dignity?" he grabs her by the front of her shirt and shakes her. She didn't know what to do, nothing she does ever pleased him and she's learned that the hard way. 

She is suddenly released and she stumbles back "stop" she looks at the back of her handsome stepson. 

He has always been protecting her, for once she wishes she could protect him, he may not love her as a real mother since he has already had his own but she loved him like her own son. She always wanted a baby but she was infertile. 

"stop this! How much longer are you gonna make your own family scared of you?!" Chanyeol shouted holding his fathers fist. 

"family!? Family!?" he questioned shaking off Chanyeol's hand before clamping a hand around his throat. He coughed at the sudden pressure. "you aren't family, you're just a bunch of UNGRATEFUL RATS!" he yelled, his hand squeezing tighter. 

Chanyeol grabbed at his hand trying to loosen it from around his neck, he looked into the enraged eyes of his father and his blood ran cold, would he really choke him out?

"YOU WERE NEVER MY FAMILY YOU BASTARD, YOU WERE HERS!" the pressure grew and grew and soon Chanyeol was gasping for breath.

"please, stop" he gasped out, his father had backed him up to a wall. 

"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST LIVE HERE AND RUIN MY LIFE!?" his father reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter. 

The sneer that crossed his face was frightening. He lit up the light and brought it close to Chanyeol's face, he tried to force his head back away from the lighter.

"no what are you doing!?" Chanyeol heard his step-mom from behind them, he waved with his hand for her to go up to his room, his father is not going to let them leave even if they tried. 

"STAY OUT OF THIS !" he shouted over his shoulder "THIS IS BETWEEN MEN!" his eyes met Chanyeol but it was only a cold and empty stare. 

Chanyeol was running out of breath, he had to do something fast and his father still had the lighter too close for comfort near his face. But before he could do anything he heard a loud 'whack' and was soon stumbling away, free. 

"WHAT THE HELL!?" his father growled. slumped over noticeably in pain. 

Chanyeol saw his stepmom standing there with a chair from the kitchen table, he took this opportunity to grab her hand and dash upstairs before his father recovered. He hussled her inside his room, shut the door and locked it. Both of them stood in the silent bedroom breathing heavily, Chanyeol felt lightheaded and slide down to the floor, his back against the door. 

"you alright?" he asked her, she was standing front of him looking at him in shock and worry. Please don't make that face.

She kneels to the floor in front of him "forget me, what about you?!" she touches the forming bruise at his neck.

"I'm okay, that was nothing"  Chanyeol said but he knew she wouldn't believe that obvious lie. He looked into her now watery eyes.

"don't-" he started but was stopped by the loud bang against the door, he felt it push against his back. 

"GET THE OUT HERE! " his father yelled "GET OUT HERE NOW!" he banged harder on the door.

Chanyeol could see his step mom was trembling in fear as if the door would break and he'd be let in. He raised his arms motioning to her "come here" he whispered his throat hurting and his head pounding. 

She slowly crawled to toward him, planting herself beside him. Chanyeol wrapped his arms around her and she ducked into his chest,

"I WILL KILL YOU! GET OUT HERE NOW! I WILL KILL YOU JUST LIKE YOU KILLED YOUR MOTHER!" every bone in his body froze as he heard those words, images came flashing violently in his mind and pure rage errupted inside him, along with a round of sadness, regret and guilt. Chanyeol suddenly felt like he was being crushed, he shook his head vigorously trying to remove everything from his mind.

He ducked his head toward his stepmom and whispered "it'll be okay, we're okay" Chanyeol felt her shaking, he new she was crying. 

"OH, SO YOU GUY'S HAD THIS KIND OF RELATIONSHIP?! FINE, HAVE HER, HER WHILE SHE'S STILL NICE" he laughed disgustingly,

Chanyeol's blood heated up more as he heard his words, how can he talk about his her like that? The anger was eating away at his stomach but he knew it would do no good to lash out at him now. The banging continued, hard and determined but the two stayed there huddled together. 

---------

Chanyeol slowly opened his eyes into the dark room. It took him a minute to recollect everything and as he did he realized it was silent, the banging had stopped.

He looked at the clock, 9:40. It was that late? Did they fall asleep? He looks down and there was his stepmom buried in his arms, sleeping. 

He lightly tapped her shoulder and she slowly opened her eyes, "huh? Where-?" she starts but looks into the face of hher stepson and everything came rushing back. "is he still out there?" she asked as they got up, stretching their limbs 

"I don't know but the banging has stopped so most likely and I'm sure he went out to a bar" Chanyeol said going to his closet and rummaging before producing two duffel bags, throwing them on the bed. 

"what are you doing?" she asked feeling at her cheek knowing that it's bruised. 

"we are leaving for a while" he says throwing some of his clothes in one of the duffel bags. 

"what? We are? Where will we go?" Mina goes over to the bed confused by the boys sudden antics. 

"I know a place" Chanyeol says simply. 

He zips up his duffel bag and shoulders it "we need to get out of this house or something worse than what happened today will go down" he reasons,

Mina places a hand on her stepson's arm "I know" she says.

Chanyeol smiles at her, she's so understanding and of course even if she objected out of fear of her husband, Chanyeol would personally carry her out. "let's go get some clothes for you" he says. 

And so they packed the other duffel bag with her clothes, they cleaned themselves up and applied some makeup over their bruises and snuck out the house. Chanyeol was right, he wasn't home which made it easier. Mina followed Chanyeol as they walked up the big hill and further passed fields of grass and other houses until they came up to a familiar one. They climb the steps and Chanyeol knocks against the door, he knew it was late but also knew they would still be up.

"Chanyeol are you sure they're home?" his stepmom asked and just as she did the door opened and there stood Jeongsuk in his pajamas.