“We need to talk,” is the first thing Kris has said to Chen since they started cleaning. Sighing, Chen nods and follows Kris. Stopping by Tao first, he kisses his forehead and tells him that he’ll be home in a little while. “Go be with Min Seok while I’m gone, okay? I’ll leave it up to you to make sure he doesn’t eat the rest of the junk food.” The younger boy nods before quickly going off to find Xiu Min. Turning back to Chen, he tells him to follow.

As Kris leads him away from the dorm, turning right at the first corner they see, and then turning left three corners later, he knows exactly where they’re going. “Must we really talk there, Yi Fan?”

“Yes. It’s where I go now when I need to think, or when I need quiet, or when I feel things need to be said. Right now, all three of those sound good, so that’s where we’re going.”

A few minutes later, each of them taking a seat on an empty swing, Chen starts twirling in his right away, looking up and watching the chains tangle together. Lifting his feet from the ground, he lets out the breath he’s been holding as the swing starts to quickly spin him around. When it finally stops, he turns to Kris. “So… what now?”

“I’m just sitting here thinking while I wait for you to talk.”

“What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about you not talking.”

“So… you don’t want me to talk? Or you do? Giving me mixed signals here, Yi Fan.”

“Talk. I want you to talk. I want you to talk until you just can’t talk anymore. Because something’s going on with you. I can see it every time I look at you. You don’t realize it, but I watch you during the day. And it’s like you’re not even there. If someone isn’t talking to you, it’s as if you block everything out. You sit there with this look on your face, and your eyes glass over, and you just… you completely space out, Jong Dae. And if you aren’t spacing out around us, it’s because you’re just not around. You just seem to go off by yourself whenever you get a chance. You’re starting to worry me.” Chen, wanting to fill in the awkward silence that suddenly fell over them, mumbles something. “What did you say?”

Quietly sighing, he says it again, a little louder. “You’re still mumbling, Jong Dae.”

Grunting this time, getting frustrated, he says it even louder. “I said! I’m surprised! You even! Noticed!”

Recoiling a little at Chen suddenly yelling, Kris can only seem to blink, finding himself rendered speechless. “What do you mean you’re surprised?”

“I just am, Yi Fan. I almost regret having Zi Tao come here that day. I’m glad that you two are talking again, and that you’re even together and whatnot, but it’s like… I feel like I got dropped. It’s like I lost my best friend.”

Reaching to his right, Kris grabs the chain closest to him on Chen’s swing, pulling him closer. Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, he squeezes him close to his side. “You didn’t lose me. You’ll never lose me. I’ll always be here, Jong Dae. I… I admit I got a little caught up in Panda, but it doesn’t mean I started liking you less or anything.”

Shaking Kris’s arm off of him, he stands up and starts making his way back to the dorm. “Good. Then that’s settled. Shall we go back?” Without waiting for an answer, Chen’s slow steps turn into faster ones, those turning into a slight jog, and that turning into a sprint.

------------

Walking through the front door, a bag in each hand, Kris yells out that he’s home. He can hear Tao before he sees him; a tiny squeal followed by the sound of running feet. A few seconds later, and Tao’s clinging to Kris, hugging him close. The movement causes the bags Kris is holding to shake, drawing Tao’s attention to them. “Oh boy! Bags! That means shopping! What is it, gege? What is it? Is it for me? Is it clothes? Oh my god, is it cake!?”

“Slow down, Panda. I just stopped by the store on the way home to get a drink for everybody because I’m glad that we’re all together again.”

Grabbing the bags, Tao runs towards the kitchen, putting the bags down and digging around inside. Pulling out a yellow and pink bottle, he turns to Kris. “Is this for me? It’s pretty. I bet it’s for me.” Kris nods, and Tao squeals, totally overcome with excitement.

“Go tell the rest to come get theirs.”

“Yes, sir!” Before leaving the kitchen though, he turns around and walks back over to Kris, an innocent smile on his face. “Um… duizhang. Can you… open this? Pretty please?” Rolling his eyes, Kris takes it, opening it in seconds, and then sends Tao off again.

As Kris hands his drink to D.O, the rest of the members already taken care of, he asks him to send Chen in. “I can’t send Jong Dae in though.”

“Then take this to him,” Kris says as he hands the orange and white container to D.O.

“Can’t do that either, hyung.”

“Argh, why not? You just grab it, walk to Jong Dae, and hand it to him.”

“Yah! No need to be sarcastic, buttface. I can’t do it because he isn’t here.” Putting the bottle on the counter, he gives Kris a look he thinks is intimidating, but really just… isn’t.

Following D.O out of the kitchen, he surveys the room, seeing only 10 heads, before checking the rest of the rooms. “Hey, where’s Jong Dae?” Kris asks as he makes his way back to the front room.

“He was with you last. Why are you asking us?” Kris wastes no time in rushing out of the dorm. He can hear Kai thanking him for the drinks as he leaves.

------------

The first place he searches is the gym; open all day, every day, it seems like a safe bet. Making his way through the front door, he heads to the spots that Chen and him frequented only a week ago. He can’t believe it’s only been a week; it feels like it’s been months. “Maybe I have been neglecting him,” Kris thinks to himself as he makes his way to the locker room, hoping he has better luck there. Unfortunately though, the luck he hoped to have there was nonexistent. Apparently bad luck is the only kind of luck he’s lucky enough to have.

Leaving the locker room, he makes his way over to the treadmills, taking the third one from the left. It was the one Chen was always using. He hoped using it would make him think like Chen. He knew how stupid that sounded, but he didn’t know what else to do, or where else he could even check.

Turning the machine on, he quickly sets it to the fastest speed he can handle. While using Chen’s treadmill doesn’t make him think like him, he finds that it does help him clear his mind, allowing him to think about this without stressing himself out. Almost instantly, he knows right where he should look. Without even bothering to shut off the treadmill, he gets off of it and leaves the gym.

------------

“Kim! Jong! Dae!” Kris yells Chen’s full name, taking a deep breath between each syllable. “Do you have any idea how worried I was!? If you weren’t gonna go straight home, you could’ve at least told me!”

Turning around, he can see Kris slowly walking towards him. It’s dark outside, but he can see him clearly. The sheen of sweat on Kris almost makes it look like he’s sparkling, drawing your eyes right to him. Turning back around, he refocuses his gaze. He stays silent until Kris sits down beside him, panting as if he’s just ran ten miles to get here. “People are always talking about how the sea looks like it goes on forever, as if it’s endless. I never really saw the appeal. But sitting out here in the dark, just staring out and seeing where the sky meets the sea, I can see it. It’s nice. It’s like the sky and the sea are part of a never-ending kiss. It’s kind of calming. It’s like…if the sky and the sea, two separate things that are miles apart, can meet up like that, it gives you hope that it can happen to you too.”

“I… guess? I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Until you brought me here, neither had I. Ever since then, it’s what I think about the most. Which is why I always have that ‘glassy-eyed look’you so kindly pointed out earlier.”

“But why would you think about stuff like that all the time? That just seems like it’d be depressing.”

Shaking his head, Chen disagrees. “Like I already said, I find it calming. That’s why I’ve been coming here when I’m not with you guys. It’s like… it’s like it’s my place.” Looking at Kris, he corrects himself. “Or at least, it was.”

Turning to look at each other, an awkward silence falls over them again. It’s like they can feel it threatening to choke them if one of them doesn’t break the silence first. They each want to look away from each other, but it’s as if their bodies won’t let them.

“You hate me, don’t you?”

“Of course not, Yi Fan.”

“It seems like it. You look like you’d rather be anywhere but here right now. And earlier it was like you couldn’t wait to run away from me. If you hate me, you can tell me. I’m not a child.”

“I already said I don’t hate you, hyung.”

Kris scoffs, finally turning away from Chen. “You have absolutely no idea how forced that sounded just now, Jong Dae.”

Sighing, Chen gets up, reaching behind him to brush away the sand that’s stuck to his pants. “If that’s what you want to think, then that’s fine. I’m not in the mood to sit here and convince you otherwise.”

Getting ready to run off again, he falls over when a hand grabs onto his ankle and yanks his leg out from under him. Without letting go of Chen’s ankle, he crawls over to him, sitting himself down on his stomach. “Not this time, dongsaeng.”

Closing his eyes and letting out a frustrated sigh, he just lets his body relax under Kris. “Sit there all you want, hyung, but I’m done with this tonight. I have no problem laying here for the rest of the night. You, on the other hand, have a body at home you need to go take care of.”

Surprising both him, and the younger guy he was currently sitting on, Kris slapped him. Hard enough that anybody within a mile had to have heard it. “ing snap out of it. Where’s the Jong Dae that helped me when I was confused? Where’s the Jong Dae that did all that he could to keep my mind off of my problems? Where the is the Jong Dae that helped make me happy again?”

If Kris had slower reflexes, Chen might have gotten a couple punches in before he answered, but Kris had stopped his arms before they even seemed to move. “He left. He saw a happy Yi Fan and decided he wasn’t needed anymore, so he left. He saw a smile on your face and left because he didn’t wanna make you stop smiling. He left because he just didn’t wanna be there anymore. And then that Jong Dae died the second you slapped him.”

Sighing, Kris looks down at the guy he has trapped beneath him. “Look, I’m sorry about that. I just… I just want my best friend back. I was hoping I’d slap some sense back into you.”

“Well your plan backfired. Now will you just go?”

“Only if you come with me.”

“I’m not going home right now, Yi Fan. So just go. I’ll be there later.”

“And I’ll be going with you.”

“! Wu Yi Fan! Just let me go!”

“Wu… Yi Fan? Did you just call me Wu Yi Fan?” He’s completely caught off guard when that happens, and Chen, using this distraction to his advantage, kicks Kris off of him and runs away.

----------

It’s almost one in the morning when Kris finally gets home. After Chen left, he just sat there. Sat there and did nothing. He was so lost. He wanted to find out what was wrong with his best friend, but he just wouldn’t let him in. He finally just went home, the breeze coming from the sea being too cold for him to handle.

Half expecting to see everybody together when he walks through the door, he finds himself becoming sad when he finds himself alone with all of the lights off. First Chen was mad at him, and now everybody else was just... gone. Even Tao wasn’t waiting to greet him like some puppy that missed their owner.

The first room he checks is Xiu Min’s, the oldest member looking comfy and warm under his blankets. Skipping over Lay and Chen’s room, he goes to check on Lu Han. Peeking through the cracked door, he can see that Se Hun decided to stay here instead of their hotel; he’s currently wrapped around Lu Han. Removing his shirt, he opens his door, ready to just lay down with Tao and sleep this night off. That, unfortunately, looks like it isn’t going to happen.

“Yi Xing. Why are you on my bed, Yi Xing?” Kris asks, lightly shaking him as he does. Lay, just wanting to sleep, swats Kris’s hand away without even opening his eyes. “Yi Xing! Why are you on my bed?” He asks in a harsher tone while being as quiet as he can, not wanting to wake Tao up.

“Ugh, Yi Fan. Stop that. Jong Dae came home and pretty much kicked me out of the room and locked it. Zi Tao was still spooked because of the movie, so I decided to sleep with him since you were gone”

Sighing, Kris pulls his shirt back on. “Just go back to sleep. I’ll check on Jong Dae.” Making his way to the room Chen shares with Lay, he knocks on the door, calling out for Chen. When that goes on for five minutes with him getting no answer, he wastes no time in going around outside. He’s about to tap on the window when he decides to try opening it himself first. Good luck finally being on his side, it slides up as he lifts it. Crawling in through the window, the first thing he does is goes to Chen’s bed. He’s about to grab onto each shoulder and shake him awake but, remembering how something like that went down last time, decides against it. Instead, he lightly pats his stomach.

Groaning, Chen turns onto his side, facing the wall, his back to Kris. “I wish you’d just listen to me and go away, Yi Fan. Are you really not getting that I don’t want to talk to you right now, or are you actually that daft?”

“Because of you, Yi Xing is on my bed. You can blame yourself for this.”

“Yes, because when I kicked him out earlier, I was planning on you sneaking through my window to pat my stomach while I tried to sleep. Go tell him he can come back then.”

“Will you at least tell me what I did before I leave?” he asks as he grabs onto Chen’s shoulder, turning him to face him before he leaves.

“I told you earlier, Yi Fan, but you just won’t listen. You didn’t do anything. This is all me. Jong Dae is having problems with Jong Dae, and that’s all.”

“Then will you at least tell me what’s troubling you? You’re my best friend here, Jong Dae. You helped me when I was confused about Panda. Now let me try to help you. Okay?”

“Aish! Will you just leave me alone if I tell you what’s wrong with me? I’ll beg you if that’s what it takes. I will literally get on my knees and beg you to just leave me alone.”

“You don’t have to do all of that, Jong Dae. Just let me know what’s going on. That’s all I ask.”

Bringing his hands up to his head, he slowly rubs his temples, groaning as he does. “Fine, but when you find it out, you just remember who it was that wouldn’t leave me alone about it.”

He starts nodding so fast that he could easily give himself whiplash. He promptly stops when Chen reaches out with both hands, putting them behind his neck, pulling the older man’s lip to his. Instead of feeling shocked though, he finds himself leaning into the kiss instead.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: I started early tonight! Got about an extra 1k words in this time. :]

You all ready for Exo-K/M on Inkigayo tomorrow!? Joey is~~~! I'm so stoked. :D

@VitaminBuns - For some reason, I just really enjoy making everybody pick on HunHan. ROFL. I'm so mean. I modeled D.O after myself for that one. xD  When I watched the movie and saw her, I was sitting there fanboying. Not much Lay this chapter! But I still had him talking a little, just for you. ;D
@aznmusiklife - Yay! If you haven't already watched it, you can watch it on YouTube (here) if you want. It's also on DramaCrazy. :]
@ChoKyute - Fishy Chen indeed! D;
@fluffcloud & @bogobogo - Updated! Silly curious people. :P
@T-exoticblackjack - Right now, I have a ton saved up because I didn't wanna distract myself by reblogging them while I was writing. Lol. The second I post this, that's where I'm going.

Now then!
As always, if you have a Tumblr, feel free to follow me here.

Hope you enjoy this chapter! :]
-Runs off to Tumblr to mass reblog Exo and B.A.P-