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From the corner of his eye, Kris idly watched as Tao sighed after speaking to an equally exhausted lady over the phone line. His fingers proceeded to dial another number - one that even Kris was familiar with - speaking in a more comfortable language after the first ring. Kris carried on reading the magazine in his hands, eager to finish it before dinner. 

"Urgh." He threw the innocent phone against the wall, intentionally smashing it into a thousand pieces. 

"It's the third one this month, Tao." Kris shook his head as he lazily walked over to pick up the pieces of plastic. "Isn't the whole point of Wushu learning how to control your anger?"

Tao ignored him, burying his head into the soft of his pillow. Kris sat on the edge of the bed after disposing off the remains of the phone, soothingly patting the panda's fluffy ball of a mess he called hair. "What's the matter?"

Tao groaned in reply, shying away from the older boy's touch as he curled into a ball. "Wushu is a form of self-defence, you idiot." He muttered.

"So..." Kris started, unsure. "Why was the phone charged?"

Tao pulled out an extra pillow with a free hand and flinged it at Kris' face. "Not the phone, you idiot! My parents!"

"Your parents are in jail?" 

Tao sat up immediately, running a hand through his hair, messing it even more. "Gosh, you're such an idiot, Kris."

"Which is exactly why you love me." Kris flashed him a goofy smile. "Tell me about it, and this idiot will try to help you."

"You can't, not unless you have the patience of a Joonmyeon." Tao snorted.

"I can always get him to help." He grinned a wicked grin, which earned him a slap on the shoulder. 

"I take that back. Even Suho-hyung is useless in a situation like this." He flopped back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I bought my parents a Tablet the other day, and it arrived last week."

"Isn't that good?" Kris asked, unable to comprehend. "I don't see you buying me lovely gadgets for my birthday."

Tao pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from under his mattress and shoved it in Kris' face. "Look."

"Your phone bill," He pointed out. "What about it?" 

Tao rolled his eyes, patience at his limit. "Bottom right."

"Shoot me dead!" Kris exclaimed when he saw the digits. "How did you manage to spend so much?! That's like a year's worth of beef for the whole of EXO!"

"And so I bought a tablet for them, hoping they would use it to contact me." He kicked the buffalo off his bed. "BUT THEY WON'T, AND IT'S ANNOYING THE OUT OF ME."

Kris rubbed his sore back, wincing when his hand came in contact with the bruise. "They can't read?" It was the only excuse he could think of.

"Can't read?" Tao laughed maniacally. "Anything but that! They read perfectly fine!"

Kris retreated to his bed, back aching really badly now. "Get straight to the point, Tao."

"They refuse to use the darned Tablet, sprouting crap like they're too old for modern technology or heaven's on its way to pick them up,"Tao scowled. "Why are they so prepared at this age? For goodness sake, I gifted them a tablet, a tablet, that tiny little screen that costs more than your facial products altogether-"

"Hey-"

"That stinking thing that will cheer any homeless kid from his misery, that square that connects you to your son for free."

"It needs the wi-fi to-"

"Free." Tao repeated sternly. "AND THEY FREAKING REJECTED IT."

Kris heard shrill yelps of joy from the kitchen, and figured dinner was ready. Oh well, the magazine could wait. 

"I guess I don't have a choice," He mumbled to no one in particular. With a louder voice, he said, "I'll talk to them later, TaoZi, let's have dinner first." 

Tao hopped out of bed, pumped his fist in the air, before jumping over to the dining room, all the while with a big smile plastered on his face. 

"You're the best, Ge!"