A/N: Welp, this took longer than expected, sorry for the wait! Yes, this is The One Where Kris Leaves, or, the alternative title: "Famous Last Words".

I wrote this chapter while listening to Frank Ocean's 'We All Try' on repeat. I don't know if this is gonna improve the reading experience but hey, I think it builds the mood quite nicely, so give it a listen if you can.

May 12, 2014

Luhan runs into Kris a few minutes after two pm, as he hoists the ice bucket under his arm a little higher up. The rapper is still fully dressed, typing away on his phone as he walks towards the elevator at the end of the hallway.

“Yo Kris, wait up!” Luhan calls out as he quickly pads over to his band mate, the thick hotel carpet muffling his steps. “Where are you going?”

Kris looks tired and a little surprised to see Luhan. “I was just going downstairs to make a call. Chanyeol’s asleep already and I don’t want to wake him.”

“Ah. Your mom?”

“Yeah.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yep. So why are you still up?”

Luhan taps the empty bucket he's carrying. "Gonna go down to the bar to get this filled up."

“... Why.”

“Because Minseok sneaked in an excellent bottle of gin and we wanted to celebrate our comeback properly, unlike the rest of you .”

"There's this neat little thing called room service," Kris says as they both step into the empty elevator. He pushes the ground floor button.

“Please, I’m a young guy in my prime - I don’t mind taking a short trip downstairs,” Luhan answers brightly.

“There’s an ice machine at the other end of the hallway.”

Luhan pats Kris on the back. “Where’s your sense of adventure, old man!”

“Oh, I get it. Ice. The perfect excuse to sneak down to the bar without a manager looming over your shoulder. You’re so desperate,” Kris chuckles.

“You know me, I’m a er for romance.” Luhan clutches his bucket a little tighter.

“You think you’re going to find romance at this hour? Good luck picking up a decent girl past midnight.”

“Shut up. I have impeccable taste in women, thank you very much.”

The elevator stops moving and the doors slide open with a cheerful ping. Luhan immediately steps towards the bar in the back of the marble-covered hall. “Will you be joining us later? Room 411,” he yells over his shoulder.

“I don’t think so, thanks.”

“You’re missing out. Say hi to your mom from me!” Luhan shouts back.

“Good luck with your women!” Kris grins.

May 15, 2014

Their dressing room is buzzing, with managers walking in and out, smartphone in hand as they make frantic calls to their press contacts and the main office, all the while trying to ward off random journalists (and one very insistent camera crew), who have sneaked their way into what should be a closed off hallway. The security backstage at most broadcast stations is poor, and the most insistent vultures, press or sasaengs alike, always find a way to slither through the cracks, leaving their managers in charge the only ones standing between them and the band. They're all there for the same reason today - to be the first one to get a reaction from the other EXO-members after the news of Kris' sudden departure broke. Most of their regular staff were ushered out of the room after EXO wrapped up their performance in a paranoid attempt at damage control.

"Why can't we just go already?" Sehun presses the heels of his hands against his eyes, addressing no one in particular as he's slouched back, looking paler and smaller than usual against the dark worn-down leather of the couch.

It's the second time Sehun asks, in a span of five minutes. No one acknowledges him.

Kyungsoo has barely spoken a word since they came back up after the recording, his lips pressed into a thin line as he fiddles with a tangled set of earphones. A few feet away, Jongin is standing by the tilted window, hands sneaking down the small gap, as if trying to cool his fingertips on the breeze outside. He's barefoot, slowly rocking up and down by alternately flexing and pointing his feet, a stretch routine that, as Jongin claims, 'helps him clear his head'. His jacket from today's stage outfit is lying in a heap on the seat of the same chair where Kyungsoo had carefully draped his own jacket over the back. No one had scolded Jongin for it, and no stylist had scurried after him to hang up the garment properly.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun sit side by side across the room, both of them fixated on their phones, occasionally whispering something to each other Kyungsoo can't make out.

Joonmyun is sitting at the large table in the center of the room, talking to Minwook with a steady, confident voice, in contrast with the deep frown etched on his face and how his knuckles have turned white with how tightly he's gripping his pen, jotting down notes as Minwook relays instructions from the management.

Their manager's phone rings again, and Joonmyun bites his lip looking over his scribbles as Minwook takes the call before ducking out of the room. They’re all alone, for now.

"Hyung," Sehun stretches out his leg, tapping his sock-clad foot against the side of Joonmyun's thigh. "Can we go?"

Joonmyun sighs, not bothering to turn around and face the youngest member as he answers. "You know we can't, Sehun."

They can't, because they're expected to stay around for today's winner ceremony by the end of the broadcast. Band members suddenly jumping ship isn't a valid reason to break contractual obligations - not even a valid reason to show any sign of distress, breaking through their polished-to-perfection shell. When news of the lawsuit reached the band, the first instructions they received were short but straightforward: don't communicate with anyone about the lawsuit, continue business as usual, keep a straight face.

Joonmyun was even bossier than usual, personally checking each member's appearance after they put on their outfits for today's performance, insisting to get a third dry rehearsal after the first two lackluster tries. Any mention of Kris or EXO-M quickly got shot down by their leader, always steering the topic back to today's schedule. "Schedule first, talk later." Joonmyun repeated it like a mantra and somehow, it worked well enough to get the other five boys focused enough on the comeback stage rather than the lawsuit.

The screaming from the fans outside, gathered near the entrance of the venue, can be heard, and they seem to be louder than usual.

Sehun stands up, crossing the room to join Jongin by the window. He opens the window a bit wider, trying to peek out. The yelling intensifies as the fans spot him, and among the high-pitched screams another chant rings through clearly: Kris, Kris, Kris. The repetition of the name has Sehun recoiling as if he's been slapped in the face, leaving the window wide open as he turns on his heels and strides back to the couch. Jongin quickly shuts the window, and in the suffocating silence that follows, the elephant in the room is too big to ignore any longer.

Chanyeol is the one to acknowledge it first. “We’re gonna have to go out there soon. , do you think they’re gonna shout his name like that during the concert too?”

Baekhyun groans, dropping his head in his hands. “I still can’t believe he bailed on us right before the concerts.”

Jongin sighs. “Well, we’ve been rehearsing without him for the past two days. We should be fine, choreography-wise.”

“Kris has been gone for less than a day and the only thing you can t