Chapter Twenty-Five: Disarray

disarray: a state of disorder; confusion

~*~

"Did Jongdae give you this?"

Baekhyun turned around to see what his mother was referring to -- the plastic rose that Jongdae gave Baekhyun for Valentine's Day. Blood rushed to Baekhyun's cheeks. "Why are you going through my stuff? And yes, he did."

Suhyun chuckled, placing her free hand on her son's shoulder. She set the vase back on the bookcase, "You displayed it for everyone to see. I'm just casually looking around."

Baekhyun held out a stapled packet to his mother. He took a seat on his rolling chair while she sat on the edge of his bed, staring down at the packet. Baekhyun scrunched his face at his mother's expression. "What?"

Suhyun read the title of Baekhyun's paper, "One, Two, Three -- Someone Kill Me?"

"It's a rough draft, a default title of mine. The real title's still a work in progress."

Suhyun proceeded to read aloud her son's paper while Baekhyun followed along with his own packet with a blue pen to take notes of any mistakes or changes he needed to make. His mother was bored on her day off and offered to help Baekhyun. When she finished reading the last page, Suhyun tsked. "Where's your Work Cited page?"

"I didn't print it to save paper."

"I need to see that too. What if you made a huge error?"

"It's okay, Mom."

Suhyun nodded and handed the packet back. "When did you want to take your driver's license test? You are old enough, you know."

"Yeah," Baekhyun responded. He'd thought about it numerous of times, but school and other business got in the way. Baekhyun already knew the basics of driving, thanks to Baekbeom. It shouldn't be difficult for him to take the tests. "When I get to it."

"And when is that?"

"I don't know. Whenever I get to it."

"All right then, I'm going to schedule you an appointment sometime during your summer break." Suhyun grinned and exited the room.

How wonderful.

---

The lights went out, along with the oscilliating fan and Baekhyun's laptop charger. Ignoring the power outage, Baekhyun continued tapping away at his keyboard. He had a math paper due tomorrow. Yes, a math paper. A paper, for math.

By the time he proofread his essay, he realized he wouldn't be able to print or send his essay anywhere. Panicking, Baekhyun unplugged his laptop and picked it up, carrying it with him out his bedroom, but he stopped dead in his tracks, frozen at the top of the staircase as his mind imagined all sorts of dark creatures and the unknown lurking downstairs. He ran back into his room and locked the door, setting his laptop on the desk and turning it off -- after clicking the save button about ten times just in case. He'd wait until the power came back on.

He retreated to the safety of his bed, wishing his mother was home with him. Of all the days she chose to go out, it had to be the evening their power went out. About half an hour later, Baekhyun remained in the darkness. To distract himself, he hit speed dial on his phone, hoping he'd get a real person on the other end and not a machine.

"Hello?"

Baekhyun grinned, "Hi, Sweetie."

"Aren't you supposed to be working on your essays?"

"I already finished."

"Both of them?"

"Both of them."

"You usually don't call, what's up?"

"Are you busy right now?"

"Not really, I'm just organizing my room. I really have a lot of junk."

"So you don't mind if we talk?"

"Nope. I'll just put you on speaker."

Baekhyun exhaled in relief.

"What's the sigh for?"

"The power went out and I'm alone in the dark. It's been over an hour."

"Aww, is my baby scared of the dark?

"Shut up."

---

Baekhyun's laughter ceased when he heard a voice calling his name from downstairs. He swore if it wasn't actually his mother, he'd have a heart attack. "Can you hold on for a second?" Baekhyun said as he hopped off the bed and cracked his door open just a little. "Mom?"

"Baekhyun? Did we have a power outage?" his mother called from downstairs. Baekhyun heard her pulling the key out the door.

"Yeah. There's no murderer here or anything... at least I don't think."

"Come down here and help me carry the bags in."

Baekhyun sighed before speaking into his phone, "Did you hear that? I have to go. Thanks for keeping me company, Sweetie."

"Are you sure it's your mother? What if it's a ghost?"

A cold chill ran down Baekhyun's spine. "Why?!" he shouted at his phone. "Don't ing say that! God, you're trying to kill me! Now I don't want to go down..."

"Baekhyun! What are you doing? Hurry up!" Suhyun shouted.

"What are you more afraid of -- your mom or ghosts? Hahahahahah--"

Baekhyun hung up on Jongdae and searched for his flashlight app before he slowly crept downstairs where the front door was wide open and several bags were set on the ground. He slipped on his flip-flops and joined his mother outside. Together they carried everything out the trunk and into the home.

"How long has the power been out?" his mother asked as she locked the front door.

"I don't know. About two hours."

"Huh," Suhyun said as she glanced at her phone. "The idiot must have forgotten to pay the electricity bill. Ha, yup."

"How long is it going to take? I think all our food's gone bad. The ice cream's probably all melted by now. And my essay!" His fears forgotten now that his mother was home, Baekhyun sprinted upstairs for his laptop, carrying it with him to the kitchen where he connected to his neighbor's wifi as he'd plan to earlier. He would have gone to his parents' bedroom, but it was too dark and creepy. His mother was in the kitchen and that made him feel a lot safer. Baekhyun called Jongdae once again and put the phone down on the table after hitting speaker.

"Baekhyun?"

"Yes, it's me."

"Oh, I thought you died. Too bad."

"Shut up. I need your help. You have a printer right? I need to send my essay to you and have you print it out for me. You'll do that, right?"

"Of course, Baby. After all, you just survived the darkness."

Baekhyun's face flushed and his ears burned in embarrassment as his mother chuckled from where she crouched near the fridge. "Hey, you're on speaker. Don't call me names."

"Is your mom there? Hi Mrs. Byun!"

"Hello, Jongdae! What did I say about calling me Mrs. Byun?" Suhyun chuckled in amusement.

Baekhyun attached the document to the email and sent it to Jongdae. "Did you get it?"

"No. Yeah. Umm, I think you sent the wrong file."

"What do you mean?" Baekhyun rechecked the document. He groaned, rolling his eyes. "Sorry, that's my rough draft. Let me send you the real one."

"Imagine if I hadn't noticed, Babe. You're lucky you sent it to me instead of someone else. By the way, I'm planning to tell my parents soon. You don't need to be there, I'll just call you before and after I tell them, all right, Babe? You okay with that?"

God, stop embarrassing me.

"Did you want me to peer edit your paper?"

"No," Baekhyun said. "I mean yes and no. Go ahead and tell them if that's what you want, but don't waste your time editing my paper."

"But it's never wasting time when it's with you, Babe. You know that."

"Well, Sweetheart, I value your time and mine. Don't spend it unnecessarily on my stupid paper because then I'll have to make the edits and that's more work for me. I sent it again."

"Got it."

"Good, now print it and give it to me tomorrow. Don't forget it. Love you. Bye."

Baekhyun hung up before Jongdae had the chance to say anything. His mother hid a smile as she shut the fridge and started folding the plastic bags away. She eventually turned to him and shook her head, "That wasn't very nice of you, Hyunnie. You need to learn how to be nicer, or act nicer at least."

"What happened to being true to myself?"

~~~

Jongdae peered into the kitchen where his mother was busy chopping something green and his father stood in front of the stove drinking a cup of coffee while stirring the contents of the pot. Jongdae cleared his throat and leaned over the counter, "Mom, Dad. I have something I need to tell you." Both his parents glanced up with expectant gazes. Jongdae suddenly felt small and the fear of rejection gnawed at his brain. "Umm..." Jongdae cleared his throat again.

"What is it?" Taehyun asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

"It's about me," Jongdae panicked.

You , of course it's about you.

He was so grateful for the counter's support, otherwise he would have fallen over because his knees were knocking together. Jongdae felt worse than the time he had to break up with Yoonmi. This was his mother and father and he was going to reveal that he had been dating in secrecy for about seven months with his best friend, who also happens to be quite the opposite of a girl.

"Okay," Haeun exchanged a brief glance with her husband.

Now or never. Just say it, Jongdae. Just say it. Tell them--

"I have a boyfriend," Jongdae announced, the words slipping off his tongue with much difficulty. He hadn't meant to reveal that much; he'd only meant to say he was attracted to guys. The way his parents froze made Jongdae regret everything. His mother had set her knife down, the green peppers remaining half-chopped; his father had placed his coffee down and turned off the stove. Jongdae slowly pushed himself away from the counter.

The laughter that cut through the silence only made matters worse. "That's hilarious," his father said. "You're funny."

Jongdae gulped, hoping he wouldn't choke on his own saliva, or maybe he wished he would. "I'm serious."

"Jongdae. Stop."

This isn't going well. This isn't going to end well at all.

"I'm telling the truth," Jongdae tried again. "I have... a boyfriend." He swallowed the large lump in his throat once again, the air suddenly dry and sweltering, yet he dared not to make any sudden movements, like prey cornered by its predator.

"You lost a bet? Is this your punishment?"

Jongdae dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands. Why wouldn't his parents believe him? "No," Jongdae whispered, not even sure if they heard him. "I'm not lying, why would I lie to you about something like this?"

The look in his father's eyes would have been enough to kill him. "Why? Who gave you the idea you can do whatever you want with whoever? I didn't raise you to fool around with boys."

As much as Jongdae wanted to argue that his father practically stopped raising him when he was eight, Jongdae knew better than to aggravate his father. Instead, he replied, "We don't fool around. We care for each other."

"Who's the bastard?"

"Dad! Please--"

"Get out of my house." His father's voice was a quiet rumble.

Jongdae looked to his mother, but her eyes were lost in a troubled daze; it would be like talking to a wall. Jongdae wished his father would yell or his mother would scream. The silence from his mother and the low tone of his father's voice scared him senseless. He wished he never said anything, but at least he was grateful Baekhyun wasn't there as Baekhyun had suggested before. Jongdae didn't want to think about what his father would do to Baekhyun if they had revealed their relationship together.

Jongdae tried once more, "Please, just list--"

"Get. Out."

Jongdae thought he knew how it felt to be hurt. Rarely did he cry in front of his parents. Jongdeok had always told him he had to be strong, especially in front of their parents. They shouldn't be incompetent nuisances. When Jongdae wanted to cry, he had better go do it alone in his room, and silently so even the dead couldn't hear him. Despite Jongdeok's words, it was Jongdeok who cried more frequently. Thus, Jongdae learned to hold his tears until the time was right from years of gently patting his brother's back. When Jongdeok wasn't strong, Jongdae had to be and likewise, but Jongdae was alone and he couldn't do it, not alone.

Tears springing from his eyes and trailing down his cheeks, Jongdae left. He didn't bother grabbing his phone or retrieving a jacket to protect him from the pouring rain outside that was ready to welcome him with open arms, something his parents had failed to do.

---

Baekhyun rummaged through his closet for an empty hanger. Just as he placed his jacket over it, the hanger snapped. Baekhyun begrudingly knocked on his parent's bedroom door for help, "Dad, you have a free hanger?"

"Just a sec," came the reply. "Door's unlocked." Knowing his father, Baekhyun remained outside. The man may be half-dressed and Baekhyun was not going to walk in on that.

Obtaining the hanger he needed, Baekhyun could finally cross the laundry off his to-do list. Taking a look around his bedroom, Baekhyun was practically done cleaning. The rain beat against the walls of his room, a rhythmic melody to Baekhyun's ears. The repetitive sounds always calmed him and he hoped for a thunder-free night. Sitting down at his student desk, Baekhyun took out a journal to write his thoughts, but nothing came to mind. His head was an empty void. He was waiting.

Bleep.

Hoping it was from Jongdae, Baekhyun instantly reached for his phone. Finding out it was only Chanyeol, the corner of Baekhyun's lip twitched.

Yeoloser: Hey Baek, do you have any plans tonight?

Baekhyun: it's raining and yes i do

The young man sighed, laying his head down on his desk. He was waiting for Jongdae to contact him about the news. Every time his phone went off, he couldn't help but check, and every time, it was never Jongdae. A knock came by on Baekhyun's door. "I'm leaving now. Don't do anything crazy. Your mother called, said she'd be delayed by half an hour or so. Rain's pretty thick."

"Got it," Baekhyun grumbled, head still resting on his desk. He sharply exhaled, wondering what was taking Jongdae so long. Why hadn't Jongdae texted him? If everything went smoothly, Jongdae would have contacted Baekhyun over fifteen minutes ago. Baekhyun didn't want to assume that things didn't go as planned, but the worry loomed over his head and refused to go away. Baekhyun could only assume the worst.

It shouldn't take that long.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Baekhyun shot up, scrambling downstairs and, after checking the monitor, opened the door. Standing outside on the doorstep dressed in nothing but a tee and pair of sweats was Kim Jongdae, shivering and drenched in rain. One look and already Baekhyun expected bad news. If not for Baekhyun dragging his boyfriend inside the house, Jongdae would have remained glued to the front porch.

"Stay here," Baekhyun ordered before fetching some clean towels and spare clothing. Once Baekhyun returned, he noticed Jongdae wasn't wearing any shoes.

The two exchanged no words as Baekhyun helped his boyfriend out of the heavy, drenched clothing into the clean, dry ones. Finally, as Baekhyun finished towel drying the brunet's hair, Jongdae croaked out, "Don't tell my parents I'm here."

"Sit down. Let me see your feet," Baekhyun said, despite how queasy he would get. Jongdae did as told and allowed Baekhyun to peel away the socks -- which were unmistakeably torn and ruined -- to inspect his bruised and blistered feet. Baekhyun cringed, "Did you walk all the way here from your house only wearing your socks?"

"I forgot."

Baekhyun told Jongdae to stay put before leaving to get whatever ointment he could find. When he returned, his mother had arrived, a look of panic on her face. She looked from one boy to the other, "What happened?"

Relief washing over him, Baekhyun rushed to his mother's side and held out the ointments he had gathered from the bathrooms, "Which one do I use on his feet?"

Even after the ointment was applied and bandages wrapped around Jongdae's feet, the young brunet refused to reveal what had happened. Locked in the safety of Baekhyun's bedroom, Jongdae simply wrapped his arms around Baekhyun's waist and buried half his face in Baekhyun's shoulder.

"Are you cold?" Baekhyun asked, already pulling up the covers.

Baekhyun felt misplaced. He wasn't one to comfort. He had no idea what to do, but recall back to the times Jongdae was there to take care of him, and one thing that Jongdae always did was remain silent until Baekhyun spoke first.

"I don't think I should have told them," Jongdae whispered faintly, tears rolling down his cheeks. He had managed to convince himself that his parents would be okay and that was made what it hurt all the more. Jongdae was facing reality and it wasn't what he preferred. He believed -- truly believed -- that even if his parents disapproved, they would still respect his decision.

"They were probably just caught off guard," Baekhyun rested his cheek atop Jongdae's head. "They need time to absorb the information."

Jongdae swiped at his face, "They're my parents, Baek, what am I supposed to do? I don't want to go back home."

"You can just stay here."

The two laid back on the bed, Baekhyun staring up at the ceiling while Jongdae closed his eyes. Baekhyun could feel Jongdae's fingertips softly tracing circles on his chest. They listened to the rhythmic sounds of the rain beating against the walls and ceiling, allowing the rain to fill in the silence.

"What were you doing before I came here?" Jongdae asked, placing his hand flat against Baekhyun's chest. His hand rose and fell in sync with Baekhyun's breathing.

As Baekhyun spoke, his voice resonated within his chest and tickled Jongdae's ear. "I finished my chores. I was--" Baekhyun paused, feeling the young man's trembling body. Baekhyun shifted in the bed so that he faced Jongdae, "Are you cold?" Realization finally struck Baekhyun and he reached out to feel the brunet's forehead.

"I'm sick from all that rain, aren't I?" Jongdae pouted, Baekhyun's cheek with the back of his index finger. "I should stay away from you."

Before Baekhyun could protest, Jongdae entangled himself. A soft sigh escaped Baekhyun's lips. Under ordinary circumstances, Baekhyun would have kept a good distance from Jongdae -- yes even Jongdae, Baekhyun's loveable and perfect boyfriend. Baekhyun rarely saw Jongdae cry; it was always Baekhyun. Jongdae took such good care of him that Baekhyun saw him as the stronger one in their relationship. It scared him to see Jongdae so helpless and broken.

"Jongdae, wait. You... your feet. Don't go."

---

Jongdae sat quietly in the living room as he took small sips of the tea Suhyun had prepared. Jongdae wasn't a fan of tea, but he needed something to warm his insides and it would be rude of him to refuse her hospitality. He was having difficulty keeping a grip on the mug, however, and in the end, for fear of spilling hot tea all over himself and the couch, Jongdae settled the mug on the coffee table. Clasping his shaking hands together, Jongdae breathed deeply to calm his nerves, but all that did was make him dizzy.

Running all the way to Baekhyun's house in the pouring rain. What else could Jongdae expect?

Baekhyun knelt down on the floor as he tried to work the portable heater. They hadn't used it in awhile, but Baekhyun was hoping it would still work. "Sorry, this isn't working. Do you want me to get you another blanket?"

"That's all right," Jongdae replied. "I think I have a fever, so even though I feel like I'm rolling in the snow, I shouldn't bundle up."

Baekhyun sat beside Jongdae in defeat. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible. My hands won't stop shaking."

Baekhyun covered Jongdae's hands with his own. Frowning, Baekhyun asked, "They weren't shaking earlier, were they?"

"They were," Jongdae replied, "just not as bad. I'm feeling really cold, that's all."

"How are you feeling?"

Jongdae swallowed, sensing the threat of tears rising up his throat. With a nervous smile, the brunet nodded, "You already asked me that."

"Different context."

When Jongdae's eyes landed on Baekhyun's shoulder, Baekhyun took the initative. He reached out and pulled Jongdae closer beside him, allowing Jongdae's head to rest against his shoulder. Trying his best not to cry, Jongdae answered Baekhyun's question to the best of his abilities. "I'm worried what's going to happen to me. I've heard stories of parents throwing their kids out and even disowning them and... th-therapy treatments too."

Why won't he stop shaking? What do I do? Help me, I don't know what I'm supposed to.

"It's... going to be okay," Baekhyun whispered, although he honestly had no clue.

I don't know what to do.

~~~

Jongdae was torn in his decisions -- to hide away from his parents at Baekhyun's or to return home. He would rather stay in bed and avoid his parents. Jongdae had his timeline all screwed up. It had been only one night but to Jongdae it felt like he had run away days ago; in comparison to the punch his father had thrown at him which seemed like hours ago. Wait -- did his father punch him?

Dazed and confused, Jongdae lost focus of his surroundings. Jongdae felt the bowl slipping from his fingers, but he was unable to prevent it from crashing onto the floor. Jongdae stared at the bowl as it fell and a loud shattering noise rang in his ears. It didn't register that the bowl was broken and that it was he who broke it, until a few seconds later. On his hand and knees, Jongdae attempted to retrieve the broken pieces of the bowl all the while fighting back his tears. Seeing the shards and fragments of what used to be whole made him hurt more than he had expected. The bowl had served its purpose, but one mistake and it was destined for the trash.

Baekhyun burst through the door, his shoulders slightly easing once he saw Jongdae was okay. Kneeling beside the brunet, Baekhyun helped sweep up the pieces, "Let me do it."

Jongdae ignored Baekhyun and continued his business until their fingers touched. Baekhyun gently held onto his hand, the warmth barely spreading through to Jongdae's fingers. Jongdae lowered his eyes as he allowed the physical interaction to distract him from his task.

"I want to go home, Baek," Jongdae whispered.

Baekhyun stopped what he was doing to look at Jongdae, "Are you sure? You can stay longer, it's no bother." Jongdae bit the insides of his cheeks and nodded in finality. With a soft sigh, Baekhyun reluctantly agreed it was for the best.

Kim Haeun arrived several minutes later. Mouthing her words of thanks to Suhyun for giving her son refuge, Haeun took her son back under her wing. Jongdae's mother would have ran out and searched for her son, had Byun Suhyun not called her.

They went to the hospital for a check up before arriving home. How eerie it felt to step into their dark house. Jongdae wasn't sure what day it was; he'd lost track of time as the only moments he could recall were summoning the courage to tell his parents, running to Baekhyun's, and his mother retrieving him.

"How long was I away?"

"You left Friday evening. It's Sunday night, now."

"No," Jongdae gasped, "it can't be. I only left hours ago."

Haeun shook her head while she hung her rain coat on the rack. "Check your phone if you don't believe me." That was exactly what Jongdae did. The panic settled in as he realized he'd only have a few hours to complete his weekend homework. He clumsily ran to his bedroom, ignoring the screaming pain from his feet with each step he took.

"Jongdae!" Haeun followed after her son. Jongdae was digging through his backpack, hauling out workbooks and folders. "Son, what are you doing?"

"I have homework to do."

Fighting back the sudden urge of tears, Haeun knelt beside her son, stopping him by taking his hands in hers. "Don't. You're sick, you have to rest. Even the doctor recommended it."

"I can't. I have school tomorrow."

"You have the flu; there's no way you're going to school."

Exasperated, Jongdae pulled his hands free and continued to open his books. "That doesn't change the fact that I still have homework to do."

"Jongdae!" Haeun shouted, startling not only Jongdae, but herself. She burst into tears, hands reaching out for her son's once more. She squeezed tightly, her fingernails slightly digging into Jongdae's flesh. How cold Jongdae's hands were, how shaky they were, unless that was just her, but Jongdae had the flu and wasn't even aware that he'd spent almost two days at the Byuns. "Go change and get into bed. I'm going to make something for you to drink, by the time I get back, your better be in the bed."

Jongdae obeyed and after several minutes, he crawled into his bed. How easily his eyelids closed. He hadn't realized just how exhausted and cold he was. Even with fuzzy socks on and sweatpants and a sweatshirt, Jongdae still felt cold. When he heard the kettle screaming from downstairs, he knew his mother would appear not soon after.

Haeun entered with two white mugs, steam rising from the contents within. She gestured for Jongdae to make room and joined him, setting the tray over her lap. Neither spoke in the timespan from when they began drinking to when Haeun took the empty mugs downstairs and returned. Jongdae was expecting a talk, so it was no surprise when she did return.

Haeun hesitated, but she needed to talk to her son about what he said Friday evening. "So... you have a boyfriend?" Jongdae nodded. "How long?"

"Seven."

"Weeks?"

"Months."

Seven months and she was unaware her son was dating? Haeun mentally slapped herself. Nervously wetting her lips, she s her arm around Jongdae's shoulders, "It doesn't happen to be Byun Baekhyun, does it?" Jongdae's nod comfirmed her question. She had figured as much, seeing how often the two were together. She had believed they were merely close friends and nothing more... how wrong she had been, but over half a year? "And you... like him?"

Jongdae nodded, "I love him."

Haeun broke into a smile and reached out to embrace her son. Resting her chin on his shoulder she asked, "Do you, now?" Again, Jongdae nodded. She sighed, gently rubbing her son's back as she searched for words to say.

Frankly when Jongdae had announced out of the blue that he had a boyfriend, she was stunned in shock. Had it not been for her sudden paralysis, perhaps she could have prevented her husband from lashing out. Her son had summoned the courage to finally reveal a part of his life to them and they forced him out the house to seek shelter from another. Haeun sighed again; how awful a mother she was to Jongdae.

Jongdae pulled away, "I do, Mom. I do love him.  My feelings are real. Our feelings for each other are real."

Hurt, mixed with anger, swam in Jongdae's eyes and tainted his tears, from what his mother could see. Haeun held her son closer against her and whispered, "I-I know, sweetheart. You misunderstood me. I'm tired, we all are. I just -- your father and I -- we just need time. I'm sorry, baby." She had always dreamt of her sons marrying beautiful wives and having their own family. She wanted to be a grandmother, even a great-grandmother, but Jongdeok was still single and Jongdae was still young... and now... "I will love you no matter what, baby. I was so scared when you left and didn't come back. You didn't take your phone, you didn't bring a coat, you didn't even put your shoes on. It was raining so hard and you just left."

Truth be told, Kim Haeun felt uncomfortable with the idea of her son dating someone else's son. She couldn't find the words to describe her feelings, but she wasn't horrendously disgusted, nor was she completely satisfied; she was somewhere stuck in the middle. Haeun gently patted Jongdae's back, quietly listening to the sniffles coming from her son.

"I'm sorry," Jongdae choked out, unsure of what he was apologizing for. Was he even in the position to apologize? He was the victim; it was their fault for sending him out in the storm. "I'm sorry for making you cry, Mom. I didn't meant to."

---

Kyungsoo heard briefly about Jongdae's situation from Baekhyun the day before. He understood he would have to babysit alone. He was used to it anyway, but he didn't understand why Sooyeon's parents asked him to babysit when Dongbin was more than capable of watching over himself and his little sister. Kyungsoo disliked it over at the place. The ghost -- yes, Kyungsoo was firm in the belief that there was a ghost, the kids even said so -- was most especially annoying and terrifying. Kyungsoo frequently found himself glued to Sooyeon's side, as if he needed her more than she needed him.

He couldn't recall drinking that much to have to relieve himself every twenty or so minutes, but back and forth Kyungsoo went to the bathroom and the living room. Dongbin's friends came over, like usual. They were always there -- Taemin, Jongin, and Sehun. They were always stuck inside Dongbin's room if they weren't going out, most likely because Dongbin had a large flat-screen TV in his room. Kyungsoo would sometimes hear them laughing and shouting whenever someone lost in a round of whatever-the-hell they were playing.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Kyungsoo said as he stood up.

"You have to pee? Again?" Sooyeon said. "I think you need to see a doctor."

"I just drank too much before I came here," Kyungsoo chuckled. He wandered into the hallway without flipping the lights on. The bathroom was the first door on the left and the light from the living room was bright enough for him to move without tripping. The first door in the hallway to the right was Dongbin's bedroom, where he and his friends were hanging out. Kyungsoo walked past, but froze when he felt something cold and soft kissing his neck. Kyungsoo's first reaction was to slap the skin like one would after a mosquito bite. Then, everything told him to abandon his mission and run back to where Sooyeon was in the living room.

He would have, too, if his legs hadn't given way beneath him. He quietly slumped to the floor and vigorously rubbed the back of his neck as if to erase the kiss he'd felt. Then he heard something, something that made his heart leap up his throat. It left him horribly confused and shocked. Kyungsoo rushed to his feet and sped to the bathroom before he wet himself and choked on his own vomit.

Thanks, ghost. Thanks.

-151216 (T)