Chapter 20: No Longer of Service

A/N:Ending soon~ OuO

First Onew, he began being trusted by himself (despite his klutz nature still going strong) to be honest it was way past time for him to be trusted. After all he was an adult now, then after Onew it was Taemin. Despite Taemin being the youngest he was one of the most mature especially compared to Minho and Jonghyun who had childish squabbles with eachothe regularly. The middle two mostly arguing over Key or games, competive natures driving them mostly however eventually the two followed suite in being trusted to look after themselves. Their parents praised Key saying it was all thanks to his influence and saying what a good job he had done helping the lot to grow up and act their ages at last. But it sounded all so numbing, the words seemed to drown out before they hit his ears, it was like he was susberged in water and everything sounded so different. All he could think was of was the fact that it was over. It was all over and he had lost his link to them, he could forsee it with clarity, the distance it had already begun to happen before the last session with them even occured. 

It hurt to hear those words 'no longer of service', they were so cold and harsh sounding. No matter how many times he heard them, it was a term he heard too often with children growing up and such. But still for some reason this time hurt the most, he had connected and grew fond of so quickly of this lot far more than he had with any other of his client's children. Even more than Yoogeun even and he had formed a strong bond with that kid. Their good-byes sounded so hollow, the hugs as they said goodbye it was all muffled as if he was submerged in that water. Their mouths were moving but only the sound of water he could hear which downed them out. 'This was the end' that cruel phrase kept repeating itself along with the fact he was no longer of service. No longer needed, no longer wanted.

When he returned home it seemed empty, it felt odd being in such an empty place without the sound of people in the background as it always was in the home of Onew, Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin. There had always been someone laughing or a television blaring giving a constant hum of background noise which back then had annoyed him considerably but now... he missed it. He missed it now it was no longer there, typical isn't it? He found himself just watching the phone waiting for it to ring and to hear one of their voices. It never rang. Days passed, and days turned into weeks. He buried himself back into his studies. To block the rest of the world out, tune it out there was less hurt that way, but no matter what he did he still missed them. It was just pushed to the back of his mind sometimes when he was doing his studies. He gave up on babyitting it just didn't feel the same anymore and as if he was cheating on the boys. Study, eat, sleep. That was his schedule mostly now, occasionally he picked up the phone to ring them but the line was busy, no one answered and then the number was not available anymore. Did they truly had enough of him, was he worth so little so not to make contact with?

Key sighed, he had grown too attached he should have predicted it but he hadn't really and when he did. It was already too late... it hurt. He missed them too much. Make it stop, pull him out of the water he found himself in. Someone please do so.