He's sure of the trouble he's getting himself into for doing this to his father's son, but punching him in the face seems like the right thing to do at that moment.

"!" The other cups a hand under his bleeding nose; Chanyeol looking at him with disgust. He wipes his neck, and turns to grab his change of clothes in his closet. Without looking back, he heads out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He quickly gets into his nightwear, subconciously walking in the direction of his mother's room.

It feels like deja vu; this irritation, this walk, this hallway, this direction; Chanyeol remembers his young self opening the door to his mother's room and walking in to the side of her bed. He remembers taking in her back facing him; how even in the darkness he has seen how it trembles every so often. A child's concern should have been why she's curled up in bed when she should have been downstairs bidding goodbye to daddy and the friendly woman, and why she isn't downstairs playing with their son. But what young Chanyeol has asked is why his dad is with another woman and who is that boy in their livingroom.

She has said to just play with his father's son, and leave her for a few minutes and she'll be there. He's taken in a few more pleads, but has denied everything; his attention solely to how her voice has sounded so broken and hurt. Chanyeol insists with his question, and she has finally given in to him.

Chanyeol stares at the lightless gap under her bedroom door, fearing the memory to happen again. He hurries to the door, only for his movements to be restrained and now he's in someone's face, throat constricted due to the strong clamp on the collar of his shirt. He groans, unable to form words as he is dragged away from his mother's room and into his own, back slammed to the door that is closed behind them.

"," he seethes when his back collides harder when the other presses an arm across his shoulder.

Chanyeol hates the way he smirks. "My, I didn't know that word existed in your dictionary."

Chanyeol gathers his strength to push the other away. "It does. So off, Kris," he growls.

Kris snickers, but doesn't say anything.

Chanyeol takes this moment to leave the room again, when a hand stopped the door he's holding. "Where do you think you're going?

"Out. Just enjoy the room to yourself tonight."

With that Chanyeol heads to the livingroom, too tired to even think, and when he slumps on the couch, he's out like light.

-

He wakes up with a sore back and a blinding light directly to his eyes from the open window. To his left he's greeted by an annoying smirk, and he grunts, wanting to just sink into the couch and wake up again without the kid in sight. He's stupid to think it's possible for what he sees when he uncovers his face is an even closer Kris. He thanks all gods his reflex is fast enough to cover his mouth just a second quicker before Kris can his breath.

"What? Too shy of your morning breath?" Kris smirks and leans in again, but Chanyeol pushes him away hard and stands up.

"Crazy ert," he seethes and then makes his way to the kitchen to find his mom. He calls her, but all he gets is silence followed by Kris' voice.

"She's out to buy some groceries-"

"You're adding to our expenses."

Kris seems like he's thinking about it, but what he says next is a big blow to Chanyeol. "My father is providing for our expenses."

Chanyeol stares at him, unable to form a remark. Unblinkingly he looks past him to the wall and his eyes widen when he sees that it's already past seven. All that crosses his mind is Baekhyun.

Kris turns his head to follow Chanyeol's line of sight; frowning a little as he sees Chanyeol panicking and hurrying up the stairs. He's confused; school should start in another half an hour and their house is not that far, so why is Chanyeol in such a hurry? He's still in his thoughts when suddenly there's a loud thud from upstairs and Chanyeol hurriying down the steps with his hands busily fastening the buttons of his uniform. He flings his bag over one shoulder and in a blink he's out of the house. Kris thinks he's only blinked after the door slams close hard.

He shrugs and chooses to go upstairs into Chanyeol's room. When he opens the door, the first thing he sees is the messy floor where Chanyeol has thrown his nightwear, then the messy bed he's slept on last night, and then his eyes land on the alarm clock that he's ripped its batteries out that is lying on the tousled sheets. Kris decides he should clean up before Chanyeol's mother comes back.

Between fixing the sheets and feeding the alarm clock with its food, Kris has spotted Chanyeol's mobile phone by the nightstand and immediately grabs it in his hands. Two unread texts flash before his eyes and he scans the sender's name before tapping them open. His grin grows wider with the possible adventure that awaits him.

-

Chanyeol realises he has little time to look for Baekhyun; he's probably went to class, but there's something that bugs him. He also notices that he's getting more than the usual looks from people he passes in the hallways. He chooses to ignore this as he continues to stride in the general direction of the cafeteria when his legs stop mid way and he turns to his right where the lockers are positioned.

He walks slowly pass the row of lockers and finally turns to where his is located, and there Baekhyun is, back leaning on his locker with his head hung down looking emptily at the floors. He has an apologetic smile as he walks up to his friend and when he's close enough, Baekhyun realises his presence. He smiles.

"You didn't come to class," Baekhyun says, eyes averting from Chanyeol's face lower down his abdomen. Chanyeol watches as his hands rise to hold the small of his shirt and bring him closer. He only realises what Baekhyun is doing when he giggles a small "you did your buttons wrongly." Chanyeol laughs and that is when the weight of last night and that morning come to him in the form of jolts of pain down his back and he slumps forward and manages to only catch himself after Baekhyun holds him fully under his arms. Chanyeol knows Baekhyun is also in pain because his back has also crashed against the locker doors with the force of Chanyeol's sudden fall, but all that comes out of Baekhyun are strings of words of concern.

Chanyeol grimaces at both the pain and Baekhyun's words. "I'm okay Baek; did I hurt you?"

Baekhyun puffs his mouth at this and lightly hits Chanyeol's shoulder "Idiot." He pushes Chanyeol back to free himself from his position pressed up between two obviously larger forms.

They lighten up after a chuckle or two. Baekhyun finishes fixing Chanyeol's shirt and Chanyeol removes his arm from either side of Baekhyun. "Let's go, we're already late for homeroom."

-

Not long after second period starts there's a knock at the door and in comes a woman with a paper in hand. "Can I see Park Chanyeol?" The class teacher scans the room and when he spots Chanyeol in his seat at the back of the room, he points an instructive finger and Chanyeol gets up to follow after the woman.

He's brought to the administration office, and there he sees Kris standing in his tall glory with his mother. The woman calls him over.

"Chanyeol, take Kris to your class and help him through his days here."

He can almost feel the dread of going to school in the next thirty days.