D.O.’s eyes narrowed as the tense silence in the room went on. It annoyed him that they were taking things so seriously. So Mushroom had gone missing – big deal! The guy wasn’t supposed to be included in the first place, and frankly he was a hundred percent sure that the er had just decided to stay at home to escape the hellish training. Besides it had only been one night – a few hours – and there was no telling if something important had come up at the kid’s house and that was the reason he hadn’t contacted them. D.O. himself couldn’t very much deny that he’d put his family before their measly alliance, so he couldn’t blame the brat if that was the case.

The stupid puppy on the other hand looked so sullen and betrayed as he played with the hem of his shirt that D.O. wanted to kick him. The intense atmosphere however told him that it might not be a good idea, especially judging by the mean glare the assassin had fixated at the floor, an unusual expression for the normally blank-faced or, lately, deviously smirking guy.

“…As soon as it’s past nine I’ll give Baekhyun a call… he should know.” Chanyeol murmured tensely, to which D.O. rolled his eyes; ever since the elder got back sometime around lunch the day before he’d been in a good mood, and all of a sudden very approving of the walking neutral zone. It was ridiculous.

“Would you all stop acting like this is some sort of disaster? Just because he didn’t let us know what’s going on it doesn’t mean that it’s something bad; he probably got caught up in some that’s none of our business anyway.” He grumbled, clicking his tongue at the dark stares he received. Kai even went so far as to actually kick his leg – a gesture he returned by slapping the back of the guy’s head, virtually toppling him over.

“He’s our friend, don’t be such an insensitive prick!” Said boy exclaimed, and D.O. couldn’t help but snort.

“I never said anything about being friends with any of you as far as I can remember.” He scoffed, leaning against the side of the couch almost lazily. It was still fairly early, and he planned to at least enjoy the free time they had due to the very convenient disappearance of Sehun. Kai didn’t seem to be of a mind to let him though, and he growled as the puppy poked his leg repeatedly.

“It’s not something you say – it’s a given when you spend so much time together! You might’ve known this if you stopped acting like a douche and got off your high horses to actually talk to people!” He felt a slight pang in his chest at the bold scolding, but displayed no sight of discomfort at the other’s insults. The fact that the guy had said it so seriously without knowing about him was enough to drive him up the wall, which was the reason to why he clenched his fists and jaws tightly in an attempt to keep from beating the light-weight though the floor.

“Kai, don’t start fights you can’t win.” Chanyeol appeared completely drained as he looked to both of them. It still ticked D.O. off how easily the second-year had accepted all of them despite their unceremonious way of barging into his home, and it didn’t exactly cheer him up to think that the guy appeared to be unnecessarily concerned about the missing friend of theirs either.

Another few minutes ticked by slowly, too slowly in his opinion, and he bounced one leg up and down restlessly as he stared out through one of the windows. Kai had for once heeded the upperclassman’s advice and given up on pissing him off further, at least intentionally – the way the puppy constantly shifted around on his spot on the floor with a displeased pout wasn’t much better than the incessant poking that had been taking place before it. Struggling to keep himself planted in his seat he too shifted a bit to sink further into the cushions, with little reward unfortunately, soon clenching his fists again. Why did he have to suffer through this brooding session with the rest of them when there were clearly better things for him to do? Wordlessly he got up, stretched, and left the room, hearing Kai mutter something just to be scolded by Chanyeol again. Serves the right.

The temperature outside was much cooler than it had been in the living room, and he in a deep breath of the fresh air, goose bumps appearing on his bare arms. The sun had risen well above the horizon and the sky was taking on a pale purplish blue hue where the orange ended, thick clouds still visible just by the horizon. This place was a clear upgrade from his own neighborhood, yet he found himself missing the cat by the dumpster and the loud groans of his siblings as they woke up.

With a deep sigh he fished his phone out of his pocket, frowning as he looked at the screen. One of his brothers had texted him almost an hour back, not long before he’d been rudely awakened by his temporary roommate. What concerned him with the message now that he read it, more so than the time he received it or the fact that it had been sent at all – his siblings had learnt not to contact him unless they had to – was the length of it. With one simple sentence it was the shortest text he’d received from his younger brother. ‘Call me.’ And so he did, waiting patiently for the other to pick up.

“…Hyung?” His frown grew darker at his brother’s weak voice, and he didn’t like the gnawing feeling that was making itself present in the pit of his stomach.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” He asked sharply, forcing himself to breathe slow and steady despite his growing anxiety. As his brother remained quiet on the other end he bit his bottom lip harshly and ran his free hand up across his face and through his hair once before repeating his question sternly. “Minsoo, I need you to tell me right now. What. Happened?” Another few seconds passed, and D.O. thought for sure he could hear a quiet sob in the background.

“It- … It’s mom…” He’d seen it coming, or should have in any case. They’d known for a while now, and he hung his head in shame for not being with his siblings right then.

“Is she…” He drifted off, not able to say the words.

“No… but…” His brother paused again, and if he still knew the kid as well as he’d like to believe he was deliberating on whether or not to tell him the truth or not. At the sound of a tired sigh D.O. knew he’d made up his mind. “She’s asking for you hyung.” He was cut off before even responding. “I know you’re busy and I really don’t want to bother you, but it’s important for her that you come. Please hyung, just come by and talk to her, she just wants to see you. I promise I won’t con-“

“Minsoo, it’s okay. I’ll go, right now, so just stay there. Tell her I’ll be right over.” He interrupted, and listened to his brother’s erratic breaths for a while. They finally evened out, and he waited for Minsoo to say whatever was still on his heart.

“Kyungsoo-hyung wh-…” He hummed as a sign for his brother to continue and another moment passed. “... It’s nothing. Just come as soon as you can. Please.” D.O. smiled wryly a let his breath out.

“Yeah, I’ll be on my way in a minute. Keep her company for me until then, alright kiddo?”

“…Okay... bye…” As soon as the call ended he dropped into a tired squat, resting his forehead against the outside walkway’s low cement wall, grunting appreciatively at the cold surface. Everything was going in the wrong direction for him – there was most likely no timing that could be worse than right now, yet there was nothing he could do to help it.

“Hey…” He jumped a bit at the sudden greeting, turning his head to glare over the shoulder at a certain ‘friend’, as the other boy would like to put it. He didn’t like the look of concern etched on the other’s face however, and stood jerkily with a huff. If there was one thing he hated more than being disrespected it was being pitied, especially by someone so utterly clueless they didn’t even know what they were feeling sorry about.

“Move.” He grumbled and shoved Kai out of the way to go back inside, heading straight for his bag in the living room to grab a thick hoodie. He could feel the others’ eyes on him, but chose to ignore them. “I’m going out for a while; don’t know when I’ll be back. Don’t call me, don’t look for me. I might be back for my stuff later.”

“Where exactly are you going?” Chanyeol’s deep voice reached him just as he was about to slip out of the room. The second-year and Tao were both staring at him blankly; a slight shiver went down his spine as he glared back.

“That’s none of your business.” He spat disrespectfully, watching the older boy’s placid face turn into a troubled frown.

“What do you mean none of our business?” This time Kai was the one to confront him, and he growled as the puppy got a bit too close for comfort. “Sehun is missing already – what if they’re trying to pick us off one by one? Then what? Do you have some sort of superpower we don’t know about?”

“No I don’t, but that’s not your problem is it? Now get out of my way before I make you.” D.O. snarled and tried to step around the other, very nearly throwing a fist at the puppy when he blocked his path again.

“Tao, Chanyeol, why aren’t you doing anything?” Kai asked and raised his arms in slight exasperation.

“I pondered the possible answers for a few seconds, and came to the simple conclusion that it was simply because D.O. could look after himself better than Sehun or the pup… He had hardly needed much of my help in the first place, and now he’s obviously very stressed to get somewhere. In the end it was just like the guy told us; it’s none of our business. I decided not to worry about it but focus more on the actual problem at hand.”Whilst the boy blocking his way just gaped in disbelief D.O. was feeling some sort of gratitude to the assassin for being so objective about things. Chanyeol nodded as well, although seemingly reluctant.

“Be back before Monday, alright? We’re gonna be in one hell of a bind if you’re not with us, now that Sehun’s gone off somewhere.” The sharp look he received might’ve been slightly intimidating otherwise, but at that moment he really couldn’t be bothered to think about the possible consequences for walking out on them.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can… no guarantees.” He felt complied to say as much, but was well aware that the chances of him getting back until then were slim at best. Pushing Kai aside forcefully he slipped his sneakers on, considering taking his bat with him for a few seconds but then shaking his head at himself - he wouldn’t even be let in if he walked around with it, not with all the scratches and faded stains of red that dyed the wood in any case.

“D.O..” He snapped his head up to glower at Kai – the guy was incredibly persistent. “I don’t care what those two say; if you disappear as well I want to know where you were headed at least.” He let out a frustrated sigh as he got to his feet; he didn’t have the time to mess around with someone who clearly didn’t get the message.

“This is the last time I tell you – This. Has. Nothing. To. Do. With. You.” He spelled out through gritted teeth, hoping the puppy might finally understand.

“But it d-“ With a growl D.O. grabbed the guy’s t-shirt, shoving him up so violently against the wall that the air went out of the kid’s lungs before leaning in towards him menacingly, their faces only inches apart. His patience was all but gone.

“If I say that it has nothing to do with any of you, that means you back the off, or you get hurt. If you ever… ever, get in my way again I will smash your face into the wall until there’s nothing left of it.” He hissed, meeting the other’s pained eyes with a cold glare of his own. It took a couple of seconds, but the puppy finally nodded, letting out a slight whimper as D.O. gave him one final shove against the wall, ripping open the front door to leave before being hindered again. He could feel eyes on his back for a moment as he closed the door behind him, but ignored the concern of his supposed friend.

When he reached the bottom floor after rushing down the stairs he took a few deep breaths whilst letting his gaze move across the small yard-like area. There were neither dumpsters nor cats anywhere near the building. Biting down on his bottom lip he broke into a run – he couldn’t waste time thinking about meaningless things when his family was waiting for him.

For now the alliance would have to deal with its without him.

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A/N: This was short. And about one person only. And it was pretty glum. This my dears was a necessary evil. Still, this leaves a bit more fun for the next chapter, right~? M'kay then. *victory pose towards sunrise because update is early*

I would gush a bit more about all of you awesome subscribers, but me haz not slept since the day before yesterday, and I has very tired. Yeah. Love you guys~ <3<3<333 And as always thank you lovely commentists~<3<333 *snuggles le fluffy snake*

Alright, I'll be going off to sleep now so I can think up a more betterer chapter until next time... bye for now sweets~ *half-dead smile*

~Fi