The aspect of control employed simple mechanics for little to apparent reasons. Much like a person who pinched themselves to awaken from an uncontrolled dream; as the dream was not desired, the person was not in control and therefore, not pleased. And while Minho was fully aware of people like this, he could not help, but to understand that he, himself, was one as well.

Minho had gotten up long before his alarm clock went off. A practice that he employed to show that: he was still in control. Today was no different...in some ways. He showered, dressed and drank tea as quietly as he could, just like any other day, but not before hearing the racket that was, indeed, Key's welcoming household.

"Get back here you brat!" Promptly following the voice was a crash, bang and boom.

A quieter, more soft-spoken voice lit up, coming down the stairs at a slow speed. Lack of sleep was obvious both from the way the boy spoke and how Minho had woken him up last night...accidentally, of course. "I was never running away, you idiot...your feet are so heavy...it's hard for you to catch up~"

"What did you say?!"

"You heard me..." Mir scowled pacing past the dining table before stopping, backtracking and looking in at Minho's back as he sipped his morning tea. "Minho-ssi? Good morning!"

"No!" Another, much more...annoying, and diva-like voice cried "My house! Don't ruin the house! They've stopped funding me for repairs!"

"Oh shut up!" Yoseob yelled back.

Mir the door and closed it, muffling some of the background banter "Minho...I didn't realize you were up already~..." He then grimaced "It's not time for another check-up is it?"

Minho chuckled. "No, Mir. You got it yesterday, that's fine."

"...Oh. Yeah."

The silence filling the space thereafter spoke of Mir's remorse towards the issue of his beloved ankle. After all, he had been partly at fault, it wasn't just Yoseob and Mother Nature. "I'm alright, aren't I...?"

"Of course, Mir. Your health no longer concerns me as of now. As long as you keep your foot elevated and stay off of it, it should heal in no time." He said firmly, as if concern for another left a bad taste in his mouth.

Mir raised a brow at the doctor's behavior. Minho was always a strange one. He was hard to decipher and often had motives that remained hidden. The boy had to wonder if his staying at Key-umma's house was a motive within itself.

Moving to the opposite end of the table, Mir knelt in attempt to engage in conversation. He wasn't one that often spoke much either, but he was curious as to why Minho was here. And that alone was enough to make him question the enigma. "Sounds to me like Yoseob and me were an excuse to get away." He paused "What are you running from, Minho-ssi?"

"My own shadow..." he mumbled. After all, it might as well have been. Taemin was a seventeen year old boy, just wishing to make it through high school. Who was he to judge the boy when his sins were so much worse? "What is a murderer to you, Mir...?"

Mir's eyes widened in curiosity, the bridge of his nose scrunching against the force of his brows. He knew what a murderer was "I don't think you'd like to hear my answer."

"At this point...there's nothing I'd like more."

"Jonghyun." Mir blurted out, face pallid with forced emptiness. Underneath the void, Minho could see anger, sadness, and fear. "...a man that steals hope, happiness and peace...that is a murderer."

The conviction the boy said such words with had Minho beside himself. This boy went through so much more than anyone could possibly ever know. The hate in his eyes ran deep, the hurt in his heart, even deeper. How did he stay so smiling and happy all this time...?

Minho nodded. "...steals hope, happiness and peace." Somehow, I don't believe Taemin could do either of the three.

"I'm sorry if I missed the point, Minho-ssi. But why the sudden question?" It was hard to understand what Minho was thinking, even at the best of times no one could understand what dangers lurk in the solemn man's mind. Though to say he was solemn now...didn't quite do justice.

When Minho started smiling so much more was a mystery. Mir wanted to give the credit to Key with how infectious he could be to everyone around him. But...while that was true...it didn't seem entirely true. Like there was something missing in between the pages. Or someone, rather. "Is...someone else involved?"

Minho glanced at Mir, the shakiness was evident in the boy's voice. "Involved...with me or us?" He sipped back the question.

"I-? Both...either."

"Us? No. Me? Yes, but not by choice. More like accid