It's happening again.  

This always happens.

Why does it only happen to him? 

Why is it always him? 

Why can't they play with someone else? He's Kris's friend, too. 

The scowl written in the lines of Kris's face is anything but friendly. It's deep and impressive for a kid who hasn't even reached a decade old yet, but everyone knows why it's there.  It's obvious, isn't it?  What other reason would the Kris Wu have to be so jealous, envious?  With parents who love him and teachers who would defend his honor against all attacks, he hardly has much to be ungrateful for. 

But there is one thing, and everyone knows what it is. 

"Kris, why are you sitting by yourself?" The teacher asks, squatting down and pushing some of his overflowing black hair away from his eyes.  Angry eyes slowly came out of dagger mode, turning a personally-offended look to Joonmyun with all intentions of telling him exactly why he was alone, but he had already seen it, witnessed the scene that had this poor five-year-old near tears. "Ah, Baekhyun not playing with you again, huh?" 

"It's not fair." Kris seethes, a tiny lilt in his voice a tell-tale sign that he's a couple of angry words from tears.  For a child barely old enough to realize the world isn't centered around him, Kris is oddly observant of the outside world.  He might not understand it or truly hold any of it dear, but his acknowledgement of human emotions and intentions is as astounding as it is sweet. He might not be close with the other kids, might not be the smartest or the dumbest and might not be the most popular, but he knows them.  He knows what toys they like, what games they play, what times their parents come to get them.  

And he knows that Byun Baekhyun is his only true friend here.  He knows that he's the only youngster who will get off his seat at the playground and march over to drag Kris into games, knows he's the only child here who has the attitude to put other friends on hold and keep the one connection that has Kris Wu sane here.  It's cute in the same way it can be painful.  Because although Baekhyun can do fine by himself, he doesn't have the heart to just put off playing with other kids and focus solely on Kris, focus on the one kid in the kindergarten who managed to only have one friend. 

"I know," Joonmyun reassures, sitting down beside him.  "I know it's unfair, but you can't force him to come to you." He says, reclining back as he watches Jongdae and Chanyeol hog Baekhyun for themselves.  They're playing in the sandbox, creating sand castles and creating little motes to keep their creations safe.  Every now and again, one of them will lay siege on their friends', tumbling one of the structures to ruins just for the three of them to build it back up again. 

"But I want to play with Baekhyun!  Why does he have to play with them?" The hatred and jealousy is clear in his voice, defined by the dark look he sends Jongdae and Chanyeol, the way he huffs with such anger and selfish want that his face starts to turn a little red with a heated blush.  Anyone could tell that Kris is at his breaking point, he's at this point where his young eyes are starting to tear up and his tiny fists are clenched in rage, expression dangerous, but emotions troubled. 

Joonmyun gently pats his back, trying to still the rage while keeping eyes trained on the smile and laughs Baekhyun releases every time Jongdae pours more sand into his pile, offering over pretty stones he finds in the surrounding dirt for him to use as decorations.  He watches while Chanyeol clumsily falls between the three of them, giving out a fearful shout as he lands on the constructions and brings it all toppling down.  There's a moment of recognition, a moment where they all realize their creations have been destroyed, but the sadness Joonmyun expects is overwhelmed by the triumphant yells Jongdae and Baekhyun release just before they start to use little shovels and tiny hands to bury their remaining friend in sand. 

Kris just humphs and scootches closer to Joonmyun, crossing his arms over his chest, lips falling into a pouty frown as he apparently accepts that Byun Baekhyun is having more fun without him.  Joonmyun can do nothing but smile at him sympathetically, trying to rub the anger away. 

"I know it's hard to get free time with Baekhyun here, but you guys have play dates all the time, right?  Didn't your mom say that the two of you will be having a sleepover this weekend?  You'll have all the time in the world to play, just the two of you, then, right?"  Kris looks at him, face still pulled down in a frown. 

"So?  I want to play with him now."  

"I know you do, Kris, but you have to learn to share." Kris snorts. 

"But I don't want to share Baekhyun!  He's my friend!" Joonmyun sighs, not because of how difficult Kris is being, not because of how hopeless this situation is, but because he can't help but find it cute.  It's so hard not to see how cute the situation is.  

Young love, he sighs in his head, shaking himself mentally before lightly patting Kris's back again. 

"I know it's hard to share, but you have to.  If you just kept him to yourself, he wouldn't be happy, right?  He looks happy playing with them, right?"  Kris nods, though the look on his face turns a little more sour.  "See?  And doesn't it look fun, what they're doing over there?" Kris shakes his head, tries to argue the fact, but Joonmyun doesn't let him.  He slowly points at them, directs Kris's attention to the three. 

They've left the sandbox and now they're on the playground, playing with a little red ball that Joonmyun brought for a friendly game of kickball a couple days ago, a game that was postponed when Zitao fell on his face in the process of trying to kick the ball.  It was cute, but also dangerous and there wasn't much Joonmyun could do that day but call it off until things were settled and Tao no longer had a grudge on the ball. 

"No." Kris adamantly denies how fun it looks.  But Joonmyun can see the wheels turning as he watches them longer.  The child lets out a long, winded sigh and nods his head, admitting, "Yeah, it does." 

"You see? They're having fun.  And I'm sure they could use a fourth member." 

"But," Kris's voice is quiet, eyes downcast, "he didn't ask me to play."  Joonmyun wants to coo and hug Kris to his chest, squeeze him there forever and tell him to never change.  But he can't.  He has a job to do and it doesn't involve smothering kids.  

"I'm sure he wouldn't care if you asked to play, though.  He doesn't always have to be the one to ask, you know." Kris looks up at him, looking into his eyes as if to see if he's lying. 

"Watch out!" They both turn just in time to see the red ball come flying at them, Jongdae and Chanyeol standing with hands poised over their mouths in fear of who could've just gotten hurt, watching Joonmyun in worry they'll be in trouble.  

But Joonmyun is more focused now on Kris, watching as the little red ball flies over Tao and Sehun's head, watching as it looses velocity and slowly falls to the ground.  He watches as it comes bouncing to a halt right in front of Kris's feet, stopping right in front of him and waiting, like a gift from the gods. 

He smiles as Kris reaches down and lifts it up, looking at it in interest and curiosity.  He's so focused on it, on learning its secrets, that he doesn't even know someone had stopped in front of him until a tiny little hand reaches out from behind the little red ball, tugging at his sleeve and gaining his attention. 

Kris lowers the ball until Baekhyun's face comes into view, eyes narrowed in a warm eyesmile and hands outstretched, reaching for the ball.  Kris watches him, switching between looking at him and down at the ball.  He does this a couple times before he pulls the ball to his side, holding it against his hip as he reaches out his own hand. 

"Baekhyun...can I...can I play with you guys?" He asks, face blushing and voice shy.  Baekhyun looks stunned at first, eyes widening and mouth hanging open.  But it shuts just as readily, head nodding and hand taking Kris's in his own. 

"Of course you can, silly!" He takes a step closer, gently petting Kris's unruly black hair with a light, little laugh.  "You're my best friend, aren't you?  You can play with me any time!"  

The smile Kris lets out, the way his face scrunches up in such a loving smile, Joonmyun can't help but smile with him. 

He watches as Baekhyun and Kris run back to the field, hand in hand, laughing all the way. He chuckles to himself as Jongdae and Chanyeol accept Kris into the group, admire him for his skills at kick ball.  But Joonmyun is more enamored by the way Baekhyun smiles, the bright kind of smile that lights up the world and puts an equally blinding smile on Kris's face. 

He chuckles again.  "God, I hope they marry when they get older."