Raised voices followed Myungsoo as he hurried out the front door, shutting the too flimsy barrier behind him with his shoulders hunched and head bowed.  Pausing on the threshold, indistinct, angry words filtered through to abuse his ears as he hid his downcast face behind the messy curtain of dark brown bangs.  They were at it again, like usual.

                Slender fingers found their way into his hair, nails scratching against his scalp while he glanced up into the morning atmosphere.  His clothes were too warm for the weather of mid September, but loose blue jeans and a comfortable shirt under the ragged long coat let him feel hidden, even if he knew it was a lie.  Not like it’d be any different than usual since his parents barely acknowledged he existed.  With a deep breath, he hefted the worn strap of last years backpack over his shoulder, feeling the weight settle into place comfortably.

                “Aish.  They’re so stupid,” he mumbled as he stepped off the sturdy porch and walked on the concrete path, eyes glued to the gray material in front of him.  Not a single blade of grass dared touch the path, reminding him yet again one of the failings in his life.  They took better care of the damn yard than they did of him, keeping up false appearances for the sake of…  Ah .  He didn’t even know anymore.

                As a sophomore in high school, it hardly mattered since he had just about three more years to survive before he could get the hell away from his parents.  Running would be stupid and it wasn’t like school was all that hard.  Quitting it would just put him under his parent’s watch that much more so at least this way he had some freedom.  Until then though, it was one miserable day after another.  This one just happened to start with an argument about whose house it really was, his mother’s or his father’s, and his neighbor poking her head out to grab the daily paper off her porch.

                Movement in his peripheral vision caught Myungsoo’s eye and he looked over to see the older woman stooping to retrieve the plastic wrapped document.  Engulfed by a light blue robe, she was unusually covered for the weather as well, though her brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail so he could clearly see her face.  He met her eyes with a blank expression, giving nothing away on his face while she looked at him for a moment.  By the look she gave him, he almost thought she was going to say something, but it passed and she ducked her head to step inside, leaving him alone again.

                Weird lady.  They didn’t talk much though he knew his parents tried to be ‘proper’ neighbors and interact with her or her husband when they were in the yard.  Myungsoo just thought she was odd; especially because she always wore sleeves, no matter the weather.  A heavy sigh escaped him when his mocha eyes peered across the street to see the cookie cutter housing on the other side, complete with manicured lawns, neatly trimmed hedges, and washed and waxed cars.  On most accounts, this was paradise and he was a blemish in it.  He couldn’t quite help the smirk that pulled at his lips in knowing just how out of place he looked, unkempt as he was, and reveled in the fact.  Take that, lousy parents.

                His smirk promptly disappeared when he heard voices approaching up the way to his left, giving him just a hint of warning that the idiot neighbor kids were heading his direction.  While he didn’t know where they lived, Myungsoo knew it was further up the street and maybe over on one of two of the nearby blocks, but they used this one as it led straight to the school.  Looking out of the corner of his eye, he paused just before the main walkway and waited for the group of five young men to walk by.  All of them bore the signs of happy home lives: respectable clothes, cut and trimmed hairdos, designer sneakers, and even new backpacks for the school year.  They were also dressed for the weather in lighter attire and no jacket whatsoever.

                Their boisterous conversation fell a couple notches when they drew close, casting him cautious glances as they made their way by.  “What are you looking at?” he snorted uncharitably with a bored roll of his eyes, inviting their criticism.

                A couple of them scoffed outright and the greasy Woohyun looked him up and down with pitying eyes.  “Nothing worth worrying about,” he answered, shrugging lean shoulders in a fluid motion.

                “You’re one to talk,” Myungsoo laughed amidst the resultant snickers at his expense.

                Offended, Woohyun opened his mouth to retort but the littlest, and newest, one among them smacked him gently on the shoulder and shook his head, drawing their attention.  “Don’t even start, Woohyunnie,” Sungjong laughed, flashing an innocent smile that felt a bit sharper than it should have.

                “But he started it,” the taller boy pouted, very much put out by being reprimanded.

                 “And we’ll be here all day if you keep on,” Hoya laughed, clapping the equally tall young man on the shoulder before he purposefully started guiding him forward.

                “School waits for no one,” the long haired Dongwoo added, shaking his index finger and nodding along as he followed suit, though he did glance over at Myungsoo with a curious look in his eyes.

                Unimpressed, Myungsoo shifted his weight to his other foot, mouth quirked to the side in annoyance.  He felt Sungyeol’s gaze on him, also pensive and searching, but the typically quiet young man didn’t say anything, which was just fine by him.  “See you in class, Myungsoo.”

                Caught off guard by the simple statement, Myungsoo blinked in surprise and frowned at the all too cheerful Sungjong as the delicate young man actually waved at him, his earnest gaze flickering over Myungsoo’s shoulder once before looking ahead.  “What the hell…?” he muttered under his breath, still wearing the perplexed expression while he watched them walk away.

                It wasn’t unusual that they accosted him in some manner like this morning but he would never get used to Sungjong speaking to him.  There was something about the new kid and it wasn’t just because he was beautiful – like girl pretty but with more sense.  The other four adopted the boy almost immediately as soon as he enrolled and somehow or other, he’d ended up in the same elective as Myungsoo: photography.

                Maybe the freshman didn’t get it yet, since he had just arrived this year and all, but Myungsoo didn’t want to be friends with anybody.  People were more trouble than they were worth and he did just fine on his own.  Better than his lame parents living in a loveless marriage and refusing to get a divorce because it wasn’t “proper” in this day and age.  Never mind he was sure his mother was screwing some on the side anyway.  Now that he thought about it, his dad probably was too with all his late nights at the office; he wasn’t that much of a workaholic.

                “Bunch of spoiled rich kids,” he mumbled watching the group continue on their way as he stood dumbly in front of his house while cars continued to pass by on the road, filled with families or other individuals on the way to work and school.  With another curl of his lip, Myungsoo started after the boys, slow enough that he wouldn’t catch up but still at an adequate speed to arrive at school before he would be considered late.

                On the way, he grabbed the pack of pop-tarts from his bag and started eating them to quiet his annoyed stomach.  They spent so much goddamned time arguing, neither of his parents got around to making breakfast and he was happy enough to just avoid them since they were doing the same for him.  Never should have told them he was gay.  It had backfired entirely.  Instead of getting angry at him and turning their ire his direction, they just yelled at each other more, throwing blame for conspiring to have a “” for a son like it was some sort of punishment against them.  The pastry tasted dry in his mouth and he swallowed the unheated, sugary substance with a grimace.

                He was almost to school and on his last bite of breakfast when Myungsoo noticed an underfed puppy nosing about a knocked over trashcan pitifully.  It was one of the last houses before the residences fell away to the school and the owners were notoriously grumpy.  The school had been built after they’d moved in and they did not like the proximity of so many kids near their house.  Even now, he could see the old man glaring through the curtains with his customary scowl.

                It didn’t take long for the owner to notice him and Myungsoo tossed him a careless salute with a bland expression before he squatted down near the puppy with his hand outstretched and the other holding the last bit of food close.  “Hey you,” he murmured in a soothing tone, letting the dirty, brown and white mutt sniff his fingers before it whined and wagged a whipcord tail at him, head hung low and huge, watery eyes staring at his snippet of food.  “This what you want?” he said, inching the fragment closer to the obviously starved creature, noticing ribs he could count in a lean body that had a lot of growing left to do.

                Immediately, the puppy stretched his neck as far as he could, at the tidbit so he could take the morsel without having to get too close.  As soon as he plucked it from Myungsoo’s fingertips, the food disappeared down his throat and he was back, searching for more with hopeful anticipation.

                “Oh, now you like me,” Myungsoo chuckled, the hint of a smile playing on his lips as the pup placed his paws on his bent legs and every available patch of skin he could reach.  He groaned in annoyance when the old man finally opened the door to harass him, as he’d half expected.

                “Hey!  You there!” he railed in a grumpy voice, standing in the safety of his entryway as if Myungsoo was some wild animal to be regarded with care.  That was fine by him.  Myungsoo regarded the home owner with a perturbed thinning of his lips and ignored him as he continued to pay attention to the puppy.  “Go on now!  Get off my lawn,” he huffed, obviously searching for something to accost his perceived intruder with.

                Myungsoo patted the pup on the head once more and stood up, roughing the back of his hair.  “I’m not on your lawn,” he reminded the old codger without looking at him before he waved dismissively and started to head for the school.

                “Don’t you talk back to me!” he barked impotently, amusing Myungsoo further.

                Some days he was just fun to annoy and others he was damn irritating; today was a mix of both.  Taking a deep breath, Myungsoo checked both sides of the street, noticing an opening in the traffic which he took and jogged across, holding his bag steady with one hand so it wouldn’t bounce too hard.  He ran his tongue over his front teeth, swiping away the worst of the sugar, and then eyed the unknown figure lounging against the gate at the front of the school.

                The young man didn’t seem too much older than him, though he was wearing a black suit – tuxedo really - which made him look even more out of place than Myungsoo.  His arms were crossed over his chest and one foot rested on the railing behind him while he looked down, apparently waiting for someone.  As Myungsoo got closer, he noticed easily that the man was shorter than him and he dismissed him almost immediately.  At least until the stranger lifted his head of sandy blonde hair and peered at him with nearly nonexistent eyes.

                Myungsoo looked the stranger up and down with suspicious eyes and then shifted to move past until he heard a surprisingly unique voice emerge.  “You know, I had thought you might’ve gotten some sense over the summer but it looks like you’re determined to be a stubborn fool again this year,” he chuckled as he shook a finger at the taller male.

                “Excuse me?” Myungsoo responded, completely baffled by the words.

                “You heard me,” the stranger grinned, his expression and demeanor utterly disarming.  “I’ll give you credit for playing the irritable, silent type, but you’re a softy underneath,” he chuckled with a nod to himself as he remained on the wall.  “And you only hurt yourself in staying alone.”

                “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Myungsoo snorted before he shifted his bag and moved as if to head in.  The tittering of a couple girls while they whispered to each other made him pause and he flashed a steely glare their direction when he realized they were talking about him acting weird.  They shut up immediately, rushing to get past him, but his hackles were up already as he turned a similar glare on the stranger.

                “There’s absolutely nothing unusual about you talking to yourself,” he winked when he stepped off the gate and promptly walked towards the street.

                Baffled, Myungsoo followed his progress with a perplexed look until he realized the stranger wasn’t going to stop as cars continued to drive by.  “Hey wait!” he called in alarm, lurching after the stranger when he walked right into traffic.  “Yah!” Myungsoo yelped, coming to a halt as the oncoming car went right through the strange male who swayed on the road and waved back at him before gesturing towards the school.  Myungsoo immediately became aware of a couple other stragglers giving him strange looks and he coughed in embarrassment, ducking by the side of the road to pretend to tie his shoes.

                When he glanced up to check on the stranger again, he flinched to see the puppy from earlier bounding towards him.  “Don’t look so surprised,” the puppy spoke, his lips with a wink.  “I just copied his form,” he explained with a nod back in the direction of the real puppy wandering down the sidewalk.  “People respond better than this one,” he added, imploding into a tiny hamster that waddled the rest of the way, struggling valiantly to climb onto the curb so he could look up at Myungsoo with beady black eyes and a twitching nose.

                “I have lost my mind,” Myungsoo sighed, a pained look dominating his face.  He huffed when he realized the hamster’s fur was the exact same color as the stranger’s hair.

                “Not really, but you are the only one that can see me,” the hamster spoke even as he imploded again and became the man once more, standing over Myungsoo.

                At a loss, he had no idea how to respond to that statement, but it became a moot point when Myungsoo heard the bell for school ring.  “!” he gasped, jumping up and rushing towards the gates, both angry at the figment of his imagination for making him late and grateful to be getting away.

                First period found him winded and annoyed as he slumped into his seat and stared out the window next to his desk on the first floor.  Nobody paid him much mind but there were more whispers and strange looks sent his way than usual.  on his teeth, he kicked his feet out over the top of his desk and leaned back, tilting his face towards the ceiling while he waited for the teacher to arrive with his hands stuffed in his pockets.  Today was going to .

                “Hm?” he hummed when he heard the clink of something hitting the floor nearby.  Myungsoo started and almost fell out of his chair as he noticed the stranger perched on the top of the desk in front of him, grinning mischievously.

                “Um…” the young woman seated in front of him murmured nervously while she caught her bottom lip between her teeth and peered under his chair with a worried look.

                “What?” he snapped at her, doing his damndest to ignore the figment that was now following him around.  When she didn’t immediately respond, he looked closer at Sunyoung with a glare which had her ducking in her seat and tracing strands of black hair behind her ear.

                “My pencil,” she managed, pointing under his seat before chewing on her lip again.

                Myungsoo’s glare shifted minutely to the stranger who shrugged with questionable innocence.  A deep sigh escaped him as he peered beneath his chair to spy the offending utensil sitting on the floor.  His jaw clicked to the side before he reached under to flick it her direction.  “Happy?” he mocked, settling back into his original position.

                “That’s not very nice,” the stranger chided, giving Myungsoo a warning chill.

                He looked up just in time to notice Sunyoung reaching for her pencil while the stranger swung his foot towards the leg of her chair.  With a wink at Myungsoo, he kicked it, causing the chair to go sliding and Sunyoung to lurch towards the floor with a startled yelp.

                “Watch out!” Myungsoo called much too late as he flailed to right himself enough so that he could keep her from crashing into the ground.

                For the briefest of moments, the room erupted into gasps and low cries as he somehow managed to grab Sunyoung by the shoulders, steadying her enough until she could regain her balance.  “Sorry!” she cried immediately, staring at him with wide eyes and frozen in place.  “Thank you,” she added quickly as she swallowed hard and began to regain her senses.  “Sorry?” she tried once more when Myungsoo remained silent.

                Amidst the growing whispers in the room, Myungsoo straightened his jacket and fell back into his chair, pretending not to notice the stranger while utterly aware of him at the same time.  He was rewarded with a small golf clap before the young man imploded and disappeared, leaving him even more perturbed than before.  Yep.  Today was definitely going to .

                Myungsoo was given a moment of peace when lunch time rolled around and he took his tray of food to sit by himself in a corner.  Away from people as usual.  At least until the damn stranger showed up again.

                “You could have let her fall,” he sighed, appearing beside Myungsoo with his elbow on the table, head propped up on his palm.  Determined to ignore him this time, successfully, Myungsoo continued eating in silence.  “But you’re not that bad a guy.  Despite what you want everyone else to think,” he added, tapping the taller male on the nose.

                “ off,” Myungsoo growled with a murderous glare at the stranger that did nothing other than frighten the guy on the other side of him who just happened to notice when he glanced over.

                “Not gonna happen,” was his laughing response.

                “What are you?” Myungsoo muttered behind his food, using it to shield his mouth so people wouldn’t think he was talking to himself.  Again.

                The stranger shrugged and then imploded into his hamster form so he could watch from the table.  “Call me what you will, but I’m here to help you, Myungsoo.”

                His derision was palpable.  “I don’t need help.”

                “Hah!” the hamster barked, rolling onto his back in amusement.  “You need so much help it’s not even funny.  That or I’m not called Hamster-Gyu!” he announced with startling enthusiasm, actually jumping up on two legs to hold a hamster paw into the air.

                It was too ridiculous.  Myungsoo couldn’t help but stare, blinking at the absurdity of it all.  “Hamster-Gyu?”

                “Yep!” Gyu nodded, imploding to sit beside him as a man once more.  “It used to be a nickname of mine so I figured I’d run with it.”

                Again, Myungsoo found himself staring at Gyu until he realized that someone else was standing nearby, a bemused smile on his lips while he held a tray in his hands.  “Do you have a pet hamster named Gyu?” Sungjong asked as he tilted his head to the side, waiting for a response with black bangs neatly bisecting his pale forehead.

                For a split second, Myungsoo honestly thought Sungjong could see the little bastard too, but then common sense kicked in and he kept his mouth shut before he made a total fool of himself.  “No,” he answered in monotone, looking away to not encourage further conversation.

                “Oh,” Sungjong sighed with a hint of disappointment.  “I thought it might make a good picture if you did.”

                Myungsoo’s eyes flickered up, noticing the open look on Sungjong’s face, but he glanced away again.  Mutely, he shrugged and took another bite of food.  “Oh, you’re pathetic,” Gyu blinked with squinty eyes as he continued to stare at his companion, well aware of who was nearby.

                “Okay.  Well.  I’ll see you in class then,” Sungjong waved, giving Myungsoo another smile as he turned to take his place among the four he’d arrived with.  It was one of the few times they were all together since most of them fell into different grades with Dongwoo in his last year, and Hoya, Woohyun, and Sungyeol following as juniors.  Sungjong was a freshman they’d latched onto and Myungsoo couldn’t exactly blame them.

                Squinty eyes continued to peer at him and when Gyu spoke again, his tone was ominously serious.  “So you’ve got a ty home life and you think you don’t need anybody.”  Myungsoo stuffed another huge bite of food into his mouth and glared back.  “People .  I’ll give you that,” he admitted, gesturing with a hand as he indicated the rest of the cafeteria.  “But just because you’re afraid of getting hurt, doesn’t mean you can’t let someone else in.”

                “I’m not afraid,” Myungsoo mumbled around his food, looking away.  He’d actually prefer if his parents beat him or something.  At least then they’d pay attention to him.  At least then he could call social services.  At least then he’d have a reason for running away.  When he looked back to tell Gyu as much, the young man was gone, leaving him to his turbulent thoughts.  No longer hungry, Myungsoo pushed his food away and got up, more than ready to leave.  At least photography was next.  There was something he could look forward to.

                Taking pictures was one of the few things Myungsoo actually considered himself good at.  His teacher thought so too and though he refused to smile in class, a smirk when he was praised was pretty commonplace.  The smirk disappeared when he heard their next project was group oriented…

                “Alright, alright.  You’ll need to be in groups of two or three so go ahead and pick your partners,” Professor Lee instructed as he pushed his black rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose, peering at them expectantly.

                Unhappy about needing another person to complete his grade for this project, Myungsoo stayed exactly where he was, leaning over the tabletop with his chin pillowed on his hand.  He watched everyone else scramble around and then frowned when he happened to notice Gyu in the corner of his eye.  The little bastard grinned and waved at him before disappearing around Professor Lee.  Considering he was relatively short, if compact, that was an accomplishment.  Not that he’d want to pair off against the martial arts master in his spare time…

                “Ayah,” he exhaled, getting up to find a partner reluctantly.  There were a couple stragglers pointedly not looking his direction so it appeared as if he would get whoever was unlucky enough to be alone at the end.  Or maybe he’d get lucky and Professor Lee would just let him do the project by himself.   Not looking where he was going, he snatched his camera off the tabletop and turned, only to run immediately into Sungjong.

                “Oh!” the shorter male gasped, awkwardly flailing to try and grab something as it fell from his hands.  Myungsoo reached out reactively to catch Sungjong’s arm and held him in place as the camera he’d been holding fell on the floor with a crack while a couple pieces skittered away from the body.  “Oh no,” Sungjong murmured with a crestfallen look on his face as he knelt down to pick up the pieces.

                Discomfited by what had happened, Myungsoo rubbed the back of his neck and took a step away, trying to put some distance between them.  “Smooth,” Gyu hummed as he appeared beside the taller male, using his shoulder as a prop for his elbow.

                “Are you alright, Sungjong?” Professor Lee asked as he hurried over to inspect the broken camera.

                “Yeah,” he answered in a pitiful voice.  “It fell out of my hands when we bumped into each other,” Sungjong explained with a gesture towards Myungsoo.

                “You should watch where you’re going next time,” he rushed out, shifting in place nervously as all eyes turned to him.

                “Uh oh,” Gyu chuckled, imploding when Sungjong’s gaze hardened perceptibly.

                “You bumped into me,” he reminded the taller boy matter-of-factly, surprising Myungsoo with the unexpected forthrightness and… heat.  He was far more used to apologies and mumbled responses.

                Myungsoo cleared his throat and scratched his jaw, looking away.  “I didn’t see you.”

                Sungjong opened his mouth to respond but Professor Lee interrupted instead, “Hmm.  Looks like the lens is cracked.  I don’t think you’ll be able to get a good picture with this one, Sungjong,” he explained gently, though his gaze settled on Myungsoo.  “Why don’t you pair up with Myungsoo and you can use his camera in the meantime?”

                “Eh?” Myungsoo blinked, surprised by the outcome.  Apparently, so was Sungjong.

                “Yeah.  It’s good quality and he might be able to give you a couple pointers on taking pictures in the meantime,” Professor Lee nodded confidently, looking between the two.

                “But Professor…” Myungsoo reached a hand up to forestall the decision and then flinched as he was overridden.

                “Thank you, Professor.  I think we can work that out,” Sungjong agreed with a perturbed look at Myungsoo.  For someone so small, it was strange how intimidating he could be when he wanted to.

                “Wonderful!” Professor Lee grinned before he turned around and headed back towards the front of the class.  “Okay!  So lets all have a seat and we can move on to the next part!” he instructed, paying no attention to the rest of them as they noisily settled into place.

                “Normally, when someone makes a mistake, they apologize,” Sungjong muttered as he took the seat next to Myungsoo without looking over at him.

                “Ouch,” Gyu chuckled, appearing on his other side with unbridled amusement.

                Like a chastised child, Myungsoo glanced over at Sungjong and ducked his head.  “I didn’t see you,” he restated in as close to an apology as he was going to get right now.

                He thought Sungjong might berate him more on it, but a sidelong glance from the petite male ended with him shaking his head.  “Never mind,” he sighed, toying with his broken camera in front of him.

                Myungsoo played with his fingers in his lap, well aware of Sungjong’s slumped shoulders and unhappy expression.  Without saying a word, he reached up to push his own camera closer to the young man and pulled his hand back.

                Sungjong perked up at the new device and he offered a hesitant smile when he reached over to accept it, inspecting the dials and buttons with interest.  “Thanks,” he added, looking up to meet Myungsoo’s eyes for just a second before the taller male dropped his gaze again.  Mutely, Myungsoo nodded once as the corners of his mouth twitched in the beginnings of a smile.