Be the change you want

That's what Heechul told him the other night and Key had been deeply contemplating the piece of advice to see what it meant to him and how he could implement it. He’d been in sort of a funk for the past year and he was tired of living like this. It didn’t feel good when people called him a brat or told him that he was just plain mean, even cruel sometimes. That was not who he wanted to be or how he wanted to be seen, and now that he was part of a family, a wonderful family that was absolutely where he belonged, he wanted do everything possible to ensure that these next few years, even the rest of his life, was going to be the happiest and best.

Be the change you want to see, Key thought to himself with his eyes closed. He lay on his back in bed with his hands folded over his stomach while he undertook some deep thinking. First of all I just need to stop being a show off and just be nice…but I don’t know how to be nice.

His frowned deepened as he tried to think of someone he knew that was genuinely nice, someone that in every possible situation spoke with kind words and kept a cool and calm attitude. Heechul was off that list; if someone did something wrong, he would be the first to tell them off and belittle them. He wanted to say Donghae was genuinely nice, but Donghae had stolen the last ice cream in the freezer after Key had specifically written his name on it. That was definitely not nice. Mir for sure wasn’t on the list because he was an immature brat.

I guess Kibum is a genuinely nice person. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him be mean to anyone or do anything bratty, selfish, or mean. I still don’t like him, but…

He wanted to be genuinely kind like Kibum.

Passionate and loving like Heechul.

Open-hearted like Donghae.

And…Well, he wasn’t sure there was any quality that he wanted from Mir.

He was sure that somewhere down the line when their relationship improved that there would be some spark in the younger boy that he would appreciate and be inspired by. Until that day came, he was going to make this situation the best it could possibly be. He was going to be friendlier, more outgoing, and just so fabulous that the others would be drawn back to his persona like that had been over the summer, only this time it was going to be ten times better.

“Key, hurry up in the bathroom and come down to eat before it gets cold!”

Key huffed in annoyance as he leaned over the bathroom sink, staring intensely at his reflection in the mirror as he lifted his hand and began to evenly trace a line of black eyeliner over the top of his eyelid. When he reached the end he pulled away and recapped the pencil before tossing it back in his makeup bag and then checked his appearance in the mirror. His newly colored pale-blonde hair was stunning and the eyeliner gave him an edgier look; not to mention that his shirt was a shade of blue that looked excellent on him. He felt like a new person with this makeover, someone fresh and stylish that had the world waiting for them.

He smiled at himself before turning away and leaving. As stepped out of the bathroom he was hit with the warm scent of freshly brewed coffee and a breakfast of eggs and bacon wa