Thankfully, Kris was too busy fighting on another front to bother exacting revenge for Lay's little card trick.

They were all lazing around after dinner, too stuffed to return to their rooms. Chanyeol had been roped into helping D.O. with the dishes while the rest idled in the living room. Luhan, Xiumin, Sehun and Kai were battling it out on a virtual soccer field, their eyes glued to the TV. Baekhyun was watching Taetiseo's new MV (for the n-th time) while beside him, Tao was thumbing through his new astrology book. It was, for the most part, peaceful. Lay knew such peace would never last.      

"Chen, could you please turn down the volume a little?" Suho called from the kitchen table. Pages of documents lay scattered across the checkered tablecloth and there was a tiny crease between his eyebrows.

"But I like the music. It helps me concentrate," Chen replied absently.

Suho bit his lip, looking pained. "Please? I'm trying to focus." Chen ignored him and continued to jab furiously at his DS, his stylus clicking a rapid staccato on the screen.

Kris slammed his hands on the table. "Turn it off, now!" he bellowed. Annoyance had contorted his face into an ugly snarl and his bulging eyes were lit with rage. Lay was surprised he wasn't foaming at the mouth.

"Okay, okay." Chen quickly flipped the DS shut and scampered to the opposite end of the living room to safety.

"Calm down," Suho said, patting Kris on the shoulder. "There's no reason to shout. If you just ask nicely-"

"Ask nicely?" Kris rounded on Suho. His eyes were underscored by heavy shadows, which meant he had somehow missed out on his beauty sleep. "Do you honestly think I could have gotten him to stop by asking nicely? God, this is exactly why you have absolutely no authority over your kids."

A veteran who has suffered through Kris's fits would know that now was the time to back down and walk meekly away. But then again, this was the ever-righteous Suho who preached benevolence and harmony on an hourly basis.

Suho slowly stood up and stared sternly down at Kris. "As a leader, I am responsible for the well-being of the entire team. Every member is important and should be treated with respect. Mutual respect, not authority, is what keeps a group happy and prosperous."  

"I don't see how it's very responsible of you, letting them do whatever the hell they want. And respect? They don't listen to a thing you say and instead of telling them off, you just sit back and do nothing."

"So what should I do? Scream at them until they do what I say? Your kids are scared to death of you. How can you expect them to work as a proper team when their leader is a merciless dictator?" 

The room fell as silent as a morgue as they all turned to watch the drama unfolding before their eyes. They all waited with baited breath for Kris's retaliation. His teeth were clenched and his face was an angry shade of red. No one, not even the lovable Tao, had ever had the guts to piss off a cranky, sleep-deprived Kris. 

Finally, Kris pushed back the kitchen chair and got to his feet. "Let's take this outside." Without a word, the two pillars of their team slipped on their shoes and left the dorm. As soon as the door closed, they let out a collective breath.

"Ooohh Mommy and Daddy are fighting," Chanyeol smiled gleefully as he tossed his sponge in the air. Sehun and Kai returned to their game while Baekhyun merely shrugged and went back to taking countless screenshots of the MV. Lay could see his own worried expression mirrored in the faces of his fellow M members. Kris wasn't known to be violent, but he had a knack for tearing people apart using only words and his trademark death glare.Lay just hoped Suho would come back in one piece.

Dying for a Cause

| Posted on May 4, 2012  | 7:33 pm |

S has yet to return after DZ kidnapped (okay fine, walked out with) him. The K team might not know this, but standing your ground against DZ takes a kind of bravery that's borderline stupid. Sure, we'd all like to give DZ a piece of our minds and maybe hurl a few insults (or sharp objects) his way, but at the end of the day, it's not worth the trouble. Dealing with a control freak does mean sacrificing some of your morality, but if you just bare with it, life goes on. I guess what I'm trying to say is that unlike S, I'm not cut out to be a martyr. Let's just say I'd rather live to a ripe old age than die for a cause. Call me a coward all you want, but let me just remind you that you don't have to see DZ's face every single day for the rest of your career.

As Viserys would say, you don't want to wake the dragon. 

Tags: survival, dragons

| 0 Comments  | ✚ Leave a comment  | ❤ Subscribe to RSS | ★ Laynicorn Project |

BLOGROLL

---