Friday Evening

Kris threw his cell phone to the ground, causing the device to shatter into tons of pieces. "That son of a !"

Chanyeol looked down at the phone with a blank expression. He nudged some of the pieces with his foot, kicking the others back in Kris' direction. The blonde joined in on the kicking. The pieces flew everywhere when his foot came down on them, and Chanyeol wouldn't be surprised if the fool kicked a piece into someone's face.

"You know," Chanyeol began, "Kai isn't going to buy you a new phone."

"Shut up!" Kris spat. "Just shut the up! Your damn butler! You'd think that he'd stay here and wait for us! But no, no! He goes off somewhere else, and now we'll never find him!"

Chanyeol had no desire to fight with Kris right now. He shrugged off the string of slurs following the blonde's initial outburst, trying to put himself in his happy place. Although it was hard, he was managing somehow not to snap. But from this day forth, it would be known that there was one person that could take the 'happy' out of the happy virus. Wu ing Yi Fan.

Chanyeol walked a few steps in front of Kris, not really wanting to stand beside him and make conversation. There was nothing he wanted to talk with his ex boyfriend about. He was sure mighty glad that he ended the relationship, though. Why exactly did he even like Kris in the first place? He was a self absorbed, conceited , and Chanyeol commended Tao for being able to put up with him.

Kris' complaining just wouldn't stop as they walked around the perimeter of the Falls' park. They searched around the place over five times, becoming so desperate that they even broke into the sewer to see if Jongdae had somehow fallen in. By the time they'd gone around for the upteenth time, the park was about to close for the day.

Kris punched a tree they passed by, bloodying his knuckles. "That...imbecile! When I get my hands on him, I'll--"

"You'll what?" Chanyeol whipped around, his deep voice booming as he phrased the question. "What will you do to Jongdae? Whatever you do to him, I'll do to you."

"Is that a threat?" Kris asked. He pressed himself against Chanyeol, their faces inches apart. The anger radiating from the both of them seemed to burn the other's skin. "Yeollie decides to act like a man for once? Why? For Jongdae? Or to act like a man in front of his ty Baekhyunnie?"

Chanyeol grabbed Kris' collar. "Don't you ever say anything about Baekhyun that is so much as offensive. I will destroy you."

The sudden personality change scared Kris to the core. Chanyeol's usually bright face darkened, his vibrant eyes dimming to a shade that resembled a night sky with no stars. The younger pursed his lips and pushed Kris away. Wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, Chanyeol continued walking.

Kris snickered. "You don't scare me, Chanyeol." He fell into step beside him, walking backwards so they faced eachother. "How can I not offend Baekhyun? He's a pathetic excuse for a man. No man wears as much eyeliner as he does. He looks like a girl trying too hard in a video."

Chanyeol's eyes flashed and he grabbed Kris again. "I dare you! I dare you to say one more thing about Baekhyun! I'll castrate you!"

Kris fisted Chanyeol's hair and pulled his head back. "And I'll slit your neck if you do that. Is that a deal?"

Chanyeol's first instinct, being in this position, was to get out of it. He his knee into Kris' stomach. Kris held the spot with both hands, letting Chanyeol go in the process. The accountant aimed a fist at Kris' face, pounding it into his cheek. Kris stumbled backwards but did not fall. He slumped as he tried to regain his balance, raising his head to look at Chanyeol with a smug smirk.

"Come on," he teased. "Let's see how strong you really are, Yeollie. Show Baekhyun that you're a man, excuse me, the man in the relationship. I mean, he is the after all."

"Shut up!" Chanyeol cried. People were starting to gather to watch the fight. "I'll kill you! You breathe another word about him and I'll kill you, you pathetic son of a !"

Seeing Chanyeol so provoked was frightening and yet amusing. Kris straightened himself out back to his original height. With a flip of his hair, he clenched his hands into two fists and held them up boxer style. He bounced a little as if he was winding up to attack. With another smirk, he motioned for Chanyeol to come closer.

There could be no better invitation for Chanyeol. The crowd of people around them cheered him on as he continuously punched Kris in the face, each time releasing the anger from everything Kris had said about Baekhyun and done to him himself. Kris' calm facial expressions only fueled his anger. He didn't care how mad Tao would be about the bruises he caused on Kris' face. He was too pissed to care.

He was about to throw another punch Kris' way when he saw the toil of people cluttered around them. He pulled away and let go of the older. Kris' back hooked as his strength failed him. Chanyeol gently straightened him out and started pulling him away from the crowd of spectators. Some little boys booed when the fight was over.

Chanyeol flung Kris onto a nearby bench. The blonde melted into it, unable to keep himself sitting straight on his own. The accountant stood beside the bench, watching Kris' every move. He wanted Kris' ing mouth to open again and say something against Baekhyun. That way, he would have a pretty good reason to kill him.

"Alright," Kris breathed, "fighting isn't going to get us anywhere."

"No , Sherlock," Chanyeol hissed. He folded his arms and locked his gaze on a tree in the opposite direction from Kris.

"Listen, Watson," the blonde continued, "if you were Jongdae, where would you go? You know him better than I do so..."

"While that is true," Chanyeol said, "I cannot assume his decisions. What I think he might do could be different from what he actually did. Like, I think he's dead right now. Hopefully that's not true."

"Why do you think that?!" Kris demanded. "Just...cross him out now? No hope?"

"He's suicidal, you bafoon," Chanyeol snarled. "That's why I'm worried that if we don't find him in the next few hours, that'll mean he's, you know," he stopped here to run a finger across his neck to show he was beheading himself.

Kris nodded and sighed. The butler seemed difficult to find. And from what Chanyeol just told him, they didn't have much time. This was a perfect opportunity for someone like Jongdae to end his life without anybody stopping him. And even though Kris had known the butler for only a short while, he wouldn't be able to live knowing he caused himself harm.

Chanyeol slumped down onto the bench beside Kris, flashing the older a brief apologetic look. Ok, so maybe beating up Kris wasn't the best of his intentions. It wouldn't really get them anywhere, just as the older had said. Chanyeol ran a hand through his mass of curls. He reached into his pocket then and pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Jongin," Chanyeol started, "we can't find him anywhere. He's not at the Falls anymore. He left on his own."

There was a pause. "I was in such a wonderful mood until you called, Chanyeol. Now I feel like bashing your head in."

"That sounds like a great idea, sir. End all of my troubles. But seriously, where else should we look? We have no idea where he could be..."

"Around! Aish, how can you even behave in front of Baekhyun if you don't use your head?! Focus, Chan, focus!" The line went dead.

Chanyeol shut off his phone. "Why does everyone use me acting around Baekhyun against me?"

"Because you act like a fool around everyone but him," Kris replied, rubbing his head. It ached after having receieved so many blows. "You didn't even act with me the way you do with him. You must really like him."

Chanyeol looked down at his fingers and smiled. "I do." He raised his head back to Kris. "And you must really like Tao. You're nicer to him than you were to me. I didn't even know your heart could beat for someone else."

"Why are you saying such ridculously cheesy things?" Kris breathed. "Aish. What are you, a poet?"

Chanyeol smiled his usual, creepy grin. "Hyung, let's be friends. The past is behind us." He held his hand out to his ex boyfriend.

Kris looked at Chanyeol's hand for a moment before grasping it firmly. "Sure. Sounds good."

Chanyeol pried his hand away and wiped it on his jeans. "Great! Um, let's go look for Jongdae now..."

~*~*~

Jongdae followed Ms. Hattie and her group of children at a respectable distance. He watched her urge the little ones forward. Once or twice, some of the kids tried to break away from the group, and Ms. Hattie would gift them with a gentle smack on the bum. Jongdae bit his lip everytime she did. He knew it didn't hurt, but that wasn't the right way to treat children.

Tommy and Max, the red headed twins, walked in the way back behind everybody else. Jongdae noticed they seemed to be having a very important conversation, whispering to eachother in hushed tones and sneaking glances at Ms. Hattie, as if to see if she was watching them or not. Jongdae smirked a little. Bad boys.

The chubby orphanage caretaker walked the children up the steps of a very small building. With a key hanging from a chain around her neck, she opened the front door. The kids piled inside, and as soon as Ms. Hattie went in, she shut the door behind herself. Jongdae stuffed his hands in his pockets and scurried to the closed door.

He read the sign over it. Ms. Hattie's Home For Orphaned Children. Seemed like a reasonable name. Jongdae took the steps two at a time and hesitantly reached to knock on the door. It soon occurred to him that he had no idea what he was doing. Why was he here? What business did he have with children?

Jongdae realized that for some reason, the kids brought him solitude. Watching someone be happier than him usually made him jealous, but with kids, it only made him feel happier too. The butler rested his forehead against the door and closed his eyes. Childhood was such a golden thing. He wanted it back so much. Not as much as Joonmyun, but still...

The door opened and Jongdae stumbled forward from the lack of support. Ms. Hattie stared up at him with her fist on her chunky hip. She glared at him, her eyes piercing through her oval shaped glasses at him. Jongdae bit his lip as hers pursed into a thin line. He smiled sheepishly at her, rubbing the back of his neck.

"May I help you?"

Jongdae took a step back. "I...I...."

Ms. Hattie folded her arms over her large bust. "Are you looking to adopt?"

Jongdae rocked back and forth on his heels. "Sure..."

"Please, do come in then!" She smiled at him and moved out of the doorway, gesturing with her hand for him to come on in.

Jongdae took a look around at the tiny orphanage. There was one large room where all the children were currently playing. It was filled with toys donated by people who didn't want them anymore, as well as miniature pieces of furniture the kids could actually use. Another room branched off the main one, filled with bunk beds. Ms. Hattie's office was attached to the bedroom.

Jongdae bit his lip for the hundredth time at that moment. The kids had stopped playing and were all staring up at him. He gave them a little wave, and their eyes seemed to gleam at him like the little aliens in the Toy Story movie. He was their claw. Someone was going to be 'grabbed' by him and taken out of this pathetic place.

"May I know your name, sir?" Ms. Hattie asked. Jongdae nodded.

"Chen." He gave her a crooked smile when she looked at him expectingly, awaiting a last name. "It's my nickname. Just Chen."

"Now that I look at you," she started, tapping her chin, "you look a little young to be adopting, no?"

"The law says you have to be eighteen. I'm over eighteen."

Ms. Hattie nodded. "In that case, boys and girls! This is Chen. Please be polite as he takes a look around. I'll be in my office if you need anything or are interested in any child, sir."

He gave her a curt nod and watched as she walked away into her office. He then turned back to the children. They were all still looking at him as if he were some kind of god. And even though that flattered Jongdae very much, it also creeped the out of him. They looked like they were about to devour him or something of that sort.

He laughed nervously and started pacing around the room, observing. The children resumed their activities timidly, occasionally glancing at him to see who he was watching. They knew from experience that the child who the parent stares the longest at is the one who was going to get adopted. After all, that's what happened to Ruby Sue last week.

Jongdae looked at Tommy and Max. They were sitting side by side in the corner, eyes on him. They were doing more observing than he was. Jongdae gave them a little wave just like the one before. Tommy formed a peace sign with two fingers, and Max gave him a thumbs up. They started waving him over, and Jongdae timidly obliged.

"You're Asian," Tommy said when Jongdae sat down onto the floor beside them. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you always this rude?" Jongdae asked. He draped his arms over his knees which he hugged to his chest. "Maybe that's why you're still here."

Tommy turned to give Max a 'is he kidding?' look. Max shrugged and looked down at his fingers without a response. Jongdae watched then as Tommy leaned over and cupped Max's ear, whispering something into it. There they went again with the whispering. Something in the pit of Jongdae's stomach told him that was a bad thing.

"We're sorry, sir," Tommy apologized suddenly after ceasing the conversation with his brother. "We haven't really spoken to adults before. Please forgive us. Friends?" He offered Jongdae his hand, and the teen didn't hesitate to take it.

As soon as he grasped the boy's hand, however, something electrifying went through Jongdae's own. His body started shaking, and something raged through him in currents. His ears started buzzing, and through it he could hear the laughter of the brothers in front of him. He pried his hand away, and as soon as he did, it stopped. Tommy hooted with laughter and held up his hand, showing Jongdae a buzzer attached to his palm.

"You little punk!" Jongdae hissed. The hissing soon turned into laughter. He smacked his own knee. "Ok! I admit it! That was pretty good. You got me there."

Tommy and Max shared a high five. Jongdae rolled his eyes at them before standing up to continue his examination of the place. They looked like they were going to ask him to sit back down, but then shut their mouths. Jongdae smiled at them and began to walk around again. Those punks. Planning to hurt adults like that.

He passed by a little girl drawing in another corner of the room. She was by herself, painting a very small canvas. The pig tails on her head swung from side to side as she dipped her paint brush into the paint. Jongdae watched her apply of the paint onto the paper, scowling when she didn't get it to look the way she wanted. She caught him staring and held her brush out to him.

"Paint with me, oppa!"

Jongdae blinked. "Oh, you speak Korean." He sat down beside her. The table was low enough for him to be able to see over it in this position. 

"I don't speak English," she told him. "I don't play with the others 'cause they don't understand me and laugh at me."

Jongdae accepted her brush and began painting the corner of the canvas. "That's not very nice. Oppa will paint with you then. What's your name?"

"Mihee." Her pigtails bobbed along as she waved at him with both hands. They were covered in paint. "Annyeonghaseyo~"

Jongdae snickered. He stopped painting himself so he wouldn't take up the whole paper. Mihee shook her paintbrush and the paint scattered all over the canvas in little dots. If Jongdae squinted hard enough, it looked like fireworks. Mihee then drew a large circle and smashed her brush in two spots. Eyes, apparently. A curve followed to form a smiley face.

She pointed to it, then to Jongdae. "Oppa."

"That's me?" he asked. "What are all the dots for?"

"Chicken pox," she told him as a matter of factly. Jongdae nodded in understanding.

"I have chicken pox?"

"Now you do."

They sat like that for a while. Mihee kept putting a new page on the canvas, and the two of them would fill it up quickly. Tommy and Max soon joined in, Mihee giving them their own brushes and blank page so they could go crazy. Jongdae found out the boys turned out to be pretty good artists. The two could draw guns and military tanks better than he could.

"Oppa!" Mihee squealed, holding up her latest painting. The angle caused the paint to start flowing down and drip off. "Look!"

Jongdae sat her on his lap and she rested herself against his chest. "What is it?"

Two stick figures were displayed in the artwork. For such a small child, it was actually quite a high quality painting. Mihee couldn't be more than six years old, and she was already able to draw stick figures that greatly resembled humans. They had fingers and toes and everything! Not to mention, they actually had clothes.

"That one's me," she told him, pointing to the person on the right. It was the shorter of the two. "And that's oppa." 

Jongdae laughed. "Me? You really lik