Myungsoo gave Sungyeol’s shoulder a squeeze as if he was telling Sungyeol that he knew what was up but wasn’t going to say anything about it. It was one thing Sungyeol liked living with Myungsoo. He never forced anything out of Sungyeol and would wait until he was ready to talk about whatever it was that was bothering him.

Suddenly, Sungyeol grabbed Myungsoo and pulled him into a hug. Myungsoo’s body was tense out of surprise, but only for a moment, before Sungyeol felt Myungsoo wrap his arms around him.

After awhile, Sungyeol pulled away. “Thanks.”

Myungsoo ruffled his hair. “I’m still hungry, you know.”

“You’re impossible,” Sungyeol said, chuckling and shaking his head. He started to make his way out the door but stopped at the doorway and turned around and said, “Go shower. You smell horrible.”

Myungsoo grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at Sungyeol. “Shut up!”

Sungyeol ran to the living room where their small couch was covered by a mismatch of pillows, ones they received from friends who were moving or just ones they picked up along the way. He hid behind the largest pillow just as he felt one flying dangerously close to his face.

“You’re too tall for your own good!” Myungsoo exclaimed as the top of Sungyeol’s head peeped out from behind the couch. Just as Sungyeol looked up to look at Myungsoo, Myungsoo dropped a pillow on Sungyeol’s face.

“Ow! That’s cheating!”

“Is not.”

“Is too!”

“No breakfast for you.”

Myungsoo pulled on his puppy dog face. “…Fine. I cheated.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“So, I was thinking something like French toast or cinnamon buns or something,” Myungsoo said as he pushed Sungyeol into the kitchen and laughed at the silly expression on Sungyeol’s face.

---//---

Sungyeol grabbed the chunk of metal, responsible for so many people’s death, and slipped it into his jacket pocket, hidden from view. He got out of the car and fixed his black cap, pulling it down further to cover more of his face. He could see his breaths coming out in short puffs in the air.

He took another quick look at the picture before he ripped it into pieces and tossed it into the nearest trash. He took purposeful steps to the house, isolated from the rest of the small city in the slopes of the hill, large, white, and obviously too expensive for anyone’s good.

It was still early in the morning, and the owner of the house (apparently) went on a run, as he did every other morning. Sungyeol punched in the passcode to the house (which has father also had knowledge of) and snuck into the house. Opposite from the outside, the furniture and many of the walls were black. He saw a large picture of his soon-to-be-victim hanging on the wall in the living room, a good-looking room and a good-looking guy.

Hidden from view, Sungyeol waited for the son of his first victim to come. His dad had told him to stop being a baby when he thought the guy was too young. He looked around the same age as Sungyeol, and he didn’t think it was very fair for one of them to have to die because of the family he was born into.

When he heard the door opening, his legs shook and his hands started sweating. He didn’t want to. He really didn’t want to do this again.

Wasn’t there any way to keep him alive but make him dead to the rest of the world?

---//---

Howon was just finishing up with practicing as Myungsoo walked into the practice room. The stench of sweat filled the room, and Myungsoo knew Howon had been practicing for hours again and was probably really hungry.

“Go was up. Let’s go get something to eat,” Myungsoo said as he tossed a towel to his friend.

Howon nodded and made his ways to the showers, body worn out and tired.

Myungsoo turned to the piano and played a few notes of his favorite song. He closed his eyes and let the music flow through him, letting himself go and allowing the music to take control. The notes bounced off the walls and lingered around his body, lifting him up and sending him to paradise, utopia. The last note rung through the room, echoing and evanescent.

He opened his eyes when he heard Howon clapping. “That was great. I never knew you could play so well. I thought you only played guitar.”

“Hidden talent.” He stood up from the short piano chair. “Ready?”

--

Some time into dinner, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. When he pulled it out to look at the caller id, he saw that it was his mom, but something within him, maybe a sixth sense, told him that it wasn’t just a regular call.

He placed his chopsticks down and carefully answered. “Mom?”

Instead of a reply, he heard his mom crying softly.

“Mom?” he said, more alarmed. “What’s wrong?”

“Myungsoo, I think you should come back home.”

“What happened? Did something happen…” Please, God, no.  “Did something happen to dad?”

His mother cried harder. “Your father… He’s dead.” 

Is it too late to update...? :'( I promised to have it up during the week, but I had a lot of work from school and couldn't work on it! But but I worked on it! See~~ hahah Anyways... How about I try to update once a week? Sometime near the end of the week or weekends? Does that sound okay to you guys?