Hyuk leaned against the trunk of a tree, his eyes closed and his posture relaxed. Xia lay on his back on a wide branch about six or seven feet off the ground, just above the brunette's head. They had been sitting this way, in a calm, easy silence for several minutes, just enjoying each other's company and the calm day. The sky was clear, the sun was bright, and there was a brisk autumn breeze blowing through the air. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either. Finally, Xia twisted himself so that he was laying on his stomach and spoke.

     "Did you want to talk to me?" he asked, looking at the younger boy curiously. Hyuk hummed lightly, opening his eyes.

     "Yeah," he said, speaking slowly. "I just... wanted to ask you some questions, I guess."

     "Go for it," Xia said with a shrug. "I'll answer you if I can."

     Hyuk bit his lip before speaking again. "Xia... Kyung said that you and Max and... Jaejoong have a... reputation. What- Well, what did he mean?"

     Xia sighed. "Let me explain this as well as I can." He paused for a second before continuing. "We don't like outsiders. You... you're a special case. Jaejoong's cool with you, so we're cool with you."

     "But you were being nice to me before you knew that I knew Jaejoong," Hyuk interrupted, sitting up to look at Xia more clearly. Xia shrugged.

     "You were just some transfer kid in the office that Jess asked us to bring to his first period class. There wasn't any reason to be mean to you. Besides, Jess asked us to, so..." He shurgged. "But aside from all of that, the three of us are like brothers. No one comes in between that, and anyone who tries gets... shut out. Anyone who picks on any of us... well, let's just say that it doesn't end well for them and leave it at that, shall we?"

     Hyuk nodded, understanding what Xia was hinting at. "Alright. I understand. I'm not sure I want any more details."

     Xia nodded, a faint smile touching his lips. "Probably not. Next question?"

     Hyuk bit his lip. He wasn't quite sure how to ask this, and more than that he wasn't sure how his new friend would react. "I... I know it's not really any of my business, but..."

     "Not to interrupt or sound rude but if you already know that it isn't any of your business why are you bothering to ask?" Xia's tone was harsh, and Hyuk fliched slightly, biting his lip harder. Seeing his reaction, Xia sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so... well, mean. I just have issues with people sticking their noses in where they don't belong. But seriously, if there's something you're worried about, feel free to ask and I'll tell you what I can, okay? Just.. don't pry. Or I will get mad at you."

     "O- okay..." Hyuk swallowed nervously, no longer sure if he should even be asking this question. But it was something that had been bothering him, so he mustered his courage and spoke up. "I just... I'm worried abou Jae."

     "Why?" Xia asked, tilting his head in mild confusion.

     Hyuk shrugged. "It's just... he's acting kinda... weird. I- Earlier, he