Finding the wall banner under his bed has Taemin on edge. All day he's done nothing but look over his shoulder for said demon. Jumping at every suspicious shadows, eying suspicious characters, anything that so much twitched has Taemin react out of proportion.

Key is not amused. “You didn't finish your book report.”

Taemin bit into his sandwich instead of answering. It's not something that he can say or explain without Key giving him that signature look of his. Even if he does explain, Key wouldn't believe a word of it.

“It's because you didn't go to Onew's yesterday, is it?”

Taemin blinked, his mouth open with his lunch full trying to reply. He received a disgusted look from Key in response.

“I don't need to work today so we can stop by,” Key twirls his fork over his lunch. “We will be doing our homework there, not just the book report, so I expect half the report finish. Is that understood?”

Taemin nodded, giving a full grin that had Key pretending to retch over his lunch.

School couldn't be over fast enough as Taemin eagerly led the way with Key trailing behind. Past the fruit and vegetables market, past the playground where children play, all the way to Onew's Cafe where the sweets can bring a smile everyday.

The tingle from the chimes above announces Taemin's arrival. “Onew hyung~ Taemin is here!”

Onew staggered with his tray of drinks from Taemin's loud surprise call. “You don't have to do that every time you come here,” he said, without looking in Taemin's direction. “Just grab a seat, I'll be with you in a sec.”

Taemin just sat down in a booth when Key finally comes by and sits in front of him. “Yah! Why did you leave me behind?”

“You were taking too long, hyung,” Taemin pouted. “And I wanted to get a place to sit before this place fills up. You know the cafe gets popular at this hour.”

“No excuse.” Key turned away with his nose up. “I was in the middle of a business transaction. You are a bad dongsaeng to your hyung, Taemin-ah. Which is why I won't be sharing the snacks I bought, only sharing them to Onew-hyung.”

“Hyung~”

Onew comes up to them with their usual. Iced americano for Key and orange juice for Taemin.

“We are in a cafe but you get that?” Key frowned while sipping on his drink. “Anything would be better – Onew, don't you feel offended by this?”

“It's healthier than the coffee you drink,” Onew smiles over at Taemin. “How did you like it? It's freshly squeezed today.”

“I love it!” Taemin sends a smile of his own. “Thank you Onew-hyung!”

“Your welcome, Taemin-ah. Do you want to try this new dessert I'm testing? It's tofu pudding drizzled with dulce de leche topped with blueberries.”

“That sounds delicious! I'll try it.”

“I'll be back to get it then.”

With Onew left to get the dessert, Key gave Taemin an unimpressed look. “You don't know what a dulce de leche is, don't you?”

“Not a clue.”

Key sighed, taking out his laptop. “C'mon let's get started on your homework. Your book report is your top priority. The sooner you finished, the sooner you can try Onew's dessert.”

Taemin pouted but didn't complain as he did what he was told. They work diligently on their schoolwork while the sound of the cafe lulled as background noise. Onew had came by with the dessert but left them alone soon after to serve the other customers.

Key narrowed his eyes, finding Taemin's behavior complacent. Taemin's dessert plate is finished clean, catching his hand sneaking towards Key's plate for a bite. “What do you think you're doing with your hand?”

Taemin looks up from his laptop, feigning surprise. “Oh wow. I didn't know you feel that way about me, Kibum. I love you like my momma but I just don't feel that way about you.”

“Love you too baby but taking care of you has shaved a few years off my life.” Key lightly shoves Taemin's hand back. “I'll let you have a bite if you show me what you have on your book report.”

“Uhhhh... I'm still working on it so I can't show you.”

“...you didn't even start on it.”

“Untrue, look.”

Taemin turns the laptop around, only one word is showed up on screen. It had Key twitching his left eye mad, close to an aneurysm. With Key distracted Taemin swipes a bite from Key's dessert plate.

“Uh uh no way you don't deserve this,” Key pulls the dessert close to him. “After all this time you only have one word?!”

Taemin cleans the dulce de leche off his lips, turning the laptop around back to himself. “This is a lot of work already, look at how fancy it looks. You said if I show you my book report, I can have a bite.”

“Don't you dare twist my words, brat!”

By now there are more people entering the cafe, mostly girls who just get off from school. Taemin looks over at Onew whose busy tending to customers.

“Hey Key, is it just me or Onew is the only one working at the cafe?”

“It is his cafe so what do you expect – hey where are you going?!”

Taemin had got up and gone over the counter to get an extra apron intending to help. It's right on time as Onew gave a relieved smile and briefed Taemin on what he needed to do. Taking orders, delivering food, cleaning up, etc.. He had helped around the cafe occasionally so he didn't have much trouble.

When the last customer finally left and Onew turns the close sign, Taemin dropped down on the booth with a heavy thud.

“I'm exhausted,” Taemin's voice is muffled on the cushions. “How can you deal with this everyday?”

“I usually had help but Mir is sick today,” Onew said exhausted, sitting next to Key whose eating another desert. “Thanks for your help Taemin-ah.”

Key shakes his head. “Taemin only helped because he doesn't want to do his book report,” Key takes out his snack and handed to Onew. “Got you the bibimbap flavor, it's new. Just don't share with Taemin, the boy left me behind when I was paying for it.”

It earned a indignant sqwack from Taemin and a chuckle from Onew. “I think I'll let it slide,” Onew opens the snack. “Taemin helped out today. There's actually more people today because of him.”

Key glances over at Onew whose feeding Taemin a piece like a baby bird. “Maybe you should hire another person to help around the cafe.”

Onew shakes his head. “Nah, I can handle it. I have enough energy for someone old as me. And if anything, Taemin can always come help this poor old man.”

Taemin's eyes light up at that idea. “Of course I will. How about I quit school and - ”

“Yah brat, education is very important!”

“Boy you better be kidding.”

The three chatter about their day until it's time to go. Key and Taemin exited with Onew closing up shop. “Be careful on your way home!”

They walk to the bus stop across the street just in time for the bus to arrive. It was a fairly quiet ride as the busyness of today has wear them out. That also means not enough energy to cook for tonight's dinner, for Taemin at least.

Taemin shakes Key's shoulder to rouse him. “Hey. I'm going to get off early at this stop for 7-Eleven. I craving for hamburgers.”

If Key has his normal amount of energy he would have lectured him about how hamburger is not a good sustenance. Instead Key scoffed at the thought and waved him away. “Don't come crying to me if you ever get fat.”

Taemin sticks out his tongue at him as he gets off. As he approaches the store he feels an ominous chill in the air. “It shouldn't be this cold now,” he said, tugging his coat tighter to his body. He quickly hurries to the store, only a bored store clerk present at the counter. He goes straight to the food section and here lies the dilemma.

“Damnit! No more hamburgers!”

Taemin goes the counter. “Excuse me. There's no more hamburgers.”

“So?” The bored clerk looks up unamused. “There are other foods there that you can choose from.”

“Yeah but I was craving hamburgers,” Taemin said. “Is it possible for you to restock?”

“Company policy,” the clerk responded. “We don't make anything new after this hour.”

“You're just making that up, aren't you?!”

Little did they know that their petty squabble would be the least of their problems. Two people have entered the store but with malicious intent. One of them pulls out a gun from the inside of his jacket, aiming in the direction of Taemin and the clerk.

“Nobody move!”

The clerk screamed and Taemin gasped in fear, stumbling back and hitting the counter. A gunshot rang out, hitting the wall between Taemin and the clerk.

“I said nobody move!” the gunman yelled, he gestures the clerk with his gun. “Quickly, give me the money!”

Taemin has his hands raised to eye level as he was pushed to the side by the other gunman. His self-preservation must be nonexistent when he raised a concern.

“Wait wait wait wait a minute,” Taemin said, causing both the gunmen and the clerk to stop what they are doing and looked at him. “You said nobody should move and then you said to give you the money. Which is it? Don't get me wrong I don't like writing and grammar stuff, and yet for some reason you saying out loud just doesn't feel right for m– ”

He got a sudden right hook for his outburst making him stumble into the counter shelf, hitting his head. There was a muffled scream, by who is unclear. He doesn't get a chance to recover when he receives a hard kick to his stomach, the wind knocked out of him and blood drips out the corner of his lips.

“Shut up!” one of the gunmen spat. “Are you stupid or what?!”

“Please don't hurt him!”

He received a kick into his face, his head rebounding hard into the edge part of the shelf. His vision hazed over as he received another beating. He must be getting a hard beatdown when he starts to hallucinate. A form of dark mist swirls by his feet as his vision turns dark.

Taemin's head feels heavy, weighing down with his chin touching his chest. His eyes closed and his ears filled with white noise. A sharp clack of leather shoes echoes in the expanse until it reaches in front of him. His head is too heavy to lift up and his body couldn't move.

An off-colored hand reaches out and tilts his head up using two fingers. A pair of lips could be felt on the corner of his mouth, spreading a coppery taste.

“Let's play together, little one.”

A blaring alarm woke Taemin up groggily, dragging his feet to the bathroom. Getting the toothbrush from his cup holder, he lifts his head up and his flawless face greets him in the mirror.

“My face is so puffy,” Taemin whined, poking his right cheek and winced. He must have slept wrong last night because the side of his face hurts.

Finishing his morning routine he goes to the kitchen for breakfast. He unconsciously made two helpings of breakfast when his phone rang.

He sees the caller id Key and answers the phone. “Good morning, my Key.”

“Taemin-ah! Are you ok? Are you hurt?”

“Well my feelings are hurt if that's all you meant to saw,” Taemin replied as he continues to make his breakfast. “If it's about my book report, don't worry I'll take care of it this weekend.”

A sigh of relief is heard on the other end. “Oh my god I was so worried,” Key answered. “I thought something happened to you.”

This got Taemin to pause at the thought. “Eh? What do you mean?”

“You went to 7/Eleven yesterday before you went home.”

“Well yes, I was craving for hamburgers.”

“...did you get them?”

Taemin frowned. “Well I'm not sharing if that's what you want. It's digesting in my stomach.”

He finishes making his breakfast as he waits for Key to respond. He's ready to dig in when Key finally responds.

“Forget it,” Key said. “I'll see you on Monday.” And hangs up.

Taemin puts his phone away, ready to eat. He's about to bite into his food when he suddenly stops.

He puts his fork down and takes out his phone. What Key had said bothered him, he looks up the local news on his phone. The photo and headlines makes him tensed.

Robbery Gone Wrong at 7/11

Suddenly Taemin wasn't feeling hungry, numbly puts the fork down. The pictures were gruesome as it shows the places destroyed being recognition. Three people dead, one of them is the clerk. One of the photos shows police officers standing over a sheet covered body on the ground.

This was the 7/11 he had visited last night.

He remembered going to the store, going up to the counter when there wasn't any hamburgers left. Two people came in, looking dangerous. After that, blank. For some reason he doesn't remember what happened or how he got home. A whisper floated up at the back of his mind.

Lets play together, little one.