Jongdae wandered the streets aimlessly, his arms firmly hugging his sides as he looked around for a place to stay. He knew it was natural for Korean teenagers to run away but he hoped he had been a little more prepared. In his adrenaline rush he had forgotten to grab some of the money that was always left on one of the side tables in the hallway. Instead, he only had enough money to buy a meal at a fast food place and have enough left over to buy a small snack. He groaned in hunger as his stomach rumbled slightly and promptly laid a hand on it. He hadn't had much of an appetite to begin with and now being alone with nowhere to go, it wasn't getting any better. 

Sitting down on a bench on a quiet road, he searched his pockets to see if there was anything of use. In it, he found a discarded paper clip and the blade from a sharpener. He stared at the cold blade and traced over his skin lightly with it. The familiar feeling of the bittersweet pain came back to Jongdae and he found himself pressing the blade into his skin, and pulling back, the cold air hitting his warm blood that dropped from his wrist. He hissed in pain and threw the razor on the ground. Although he remembered the pain well, he had forgotten the initial sting. He gripped his wrist lightly and tried to formulate a plan. He couldn't go back home - it'd be too risky. He couldn't go to Joonmyeon's - his father could be there and the scene they could make wouldn't be pretty. He finally settled on going to Baekhyun's house - the older only had his grandmother who adopted Jongdae as a second son doted on him. He sighed and grabbed a tissue from his pocket and wiped away the blood, wincing at the sting. From his current location, it'd take a half an hour walk to get to Baekhyun's and standing around moping about his life wasn't going to get him there. 

Getting up from the bench, Jongdae hid his wrist quickly and went about trying to get some food. He walked towards a small corner shop where he intended to buy a bag of chips to eat as he thought about what kind of plan to formulate. Buying the bag of chips he saw a bus roll lazily towards the bus stop. Jongdae looked and saw the bus' destination happened to be in a smaller and more easier walking distance of the Byun's home. Hoping to not to miss him, Jongdae began to run towards the stop with a brisk pace, trying not to miss it. Within the next twelve minutes Jongdae was sitting at the back of the bus, staring out of the window and heading towards the Byun home.

~

By the time Jongdae reached the door to the homely building the sky had darkened and the air had cooled. When Jongdae breathed in and out he could see the warm hair in grey wisps escape into the night sky. Shaking from the cold, Jongdae knocked on the door three times. The first being weak - using his bad hand, the second being stronger - switching hands to avoid the sharp and jutting pain and finally a third time which was the loudest - figuring that weak knocks weren't going to get him any where. He heard some shuffling behind the door and in a few moments the door flung open, warm air hitting him directly in the face, a sense of love essentially running through him. Jongdae looked up to meet the eyes of Baekhyun's grandmother who was smiling wamrly, her arms outstretched in the anticipation of a hug.

Jongdae smiled and hugged the woman who tightened her grip slightly, "Oh Jongdae! My, what are you doing out so late? Shouldn't you be getting back home? I could drive you if you want me t-"

Jongdae laughed and shook his head, "That won't be needed, thanks anyway."

Baekhyun's grandmother tilted her head to the side - a trait she shared with Baekhyun - and spoke in a worried tone, "Why not? What's the matter now?"

Jongdae shrugged, eyes finding their way back to the floor, "My father found out that me and his boss' son have a....thing for each other. He didn't like it and I maybe threw a bowl in his direction?"

The old lady laughed and shook her head, pulling Jongdae into another hug, "Kim Jongdae you really are something. You, a shy boy, throwing a bowl at your father? I would expect nothing less."

She leant in and whispered, "The shy ones always caused trouble in the best ways."

She pulled away and turned so she faced the hallway, "Coming in? I'm sure we could force Baekhyun to share his room, he wouldn't mind. Unless the giant's here again."

Jongdae chuckled as he followed the woman inside, closing the door after him, the cold immediately stopping and the warm air taking his body over. Although she came from an older generation, Baekhyun's grandmother was extremely supportive of same relations and tended to act like a teenage girl when she found out that either Jongdae or Baekhyun was seeing someone. At a very young age Jongdae had been unofficially adopted by the old lady, being treated as if he was her own son. Baekhyun's parents - his grandmother's only son and his wife - had been killed after overdoses of some drug or another, leaving Baekhyun's grandmother to adopt him, essentially becoming his mother. Obviously Jongdae had a rocky relationship with his own and when someone else's family member showed him the love they showed everyone else, it was a weird feeling. It was different to see a close knit family of two, a polar opposite to his divided one of six. Ms Byun had made countless offers to appeal to social services and show them she could give him a better life, but he'd always remind her that his parents would act all lovey dovey and play happy families so not a single piece of dirt could be found on their record. The two of them were in the media often and if it was found out that their son, their gay son, had been adopted by a woman who's son and daughter-in-law had died from an overdose, they'd be interviewed so much that it'd drive them crazy.

Although he had seen it many times, the pastel colour of the walls never seemed to fail to make Jongdae smile - they were reckless and had no real pattern, something Ms Byun was proud about. As they walked closer to the main living room the warmth of a lit fire hit him and it progressively intensified until he was standing in the pale cream room that was dimly lit by the fire  and had the TV on some K-Drama that Baekhyun sat in front of, cross legged and watching, his attention fully captivated.

Ms Byun coughed and Baekhyun's head naturally spun around, a large smile breaking onto his face when he was his best friend, "Jongdae~! What're you doing here? I don't think we planned any sleepovers..."

Although he was known for his ual knowledge, Baekhyun was still someone who had an innocent nature to which his grandmother laughed, "Baekhyun, he's not here for a sleepover. From what I can gather Jongdae's been kicked out of his home so he's gonna stay here for a while. I'm sure you'll have no problems with him sharing your room?"

A larger smile seemed to be etched onto his lips as he nodded excitedly, "Of course~! It'll be fun! It's like a daily sleepover."

Ms Byun shook her head and a small chuckle escaped , "No staying up all night though - you have finals soon."

Jongdae smiled internally as he sat down and got comfortable, it felt more like home than his house did. He had it figured out - the Byun's home was his home and his household was merely a house in which he lodged in when he wasn't with Baekhyun. He fished out his phone from his pocket, unlocking it and staring at the screen. His thumb threatened to diall Joonmyeon's number and stared at the lit up screen for a few seconds before deciding against it and putting the phone back in it's place of his jean pocket. He led back into the sofa that he had sit down and allowed himself to sink into it, allowing it to swallow him up. He loved the Byun's home, the feeling of unconditional love was there. The feeling that he was wanted, accepted and loved never leaved him, even when he thought about the place. He smiled again as he wrapped himself up and slowly fell into a sleep that was filled - for the first time in months - with some form of dream.