Random Rambles: Oi oi oi, chapter 7 already?? Why is it that the 'Exo' chapters are always so long? ^^; I'd like to know what you guys think so far, so comments are appreciated. Thank you~!

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INNOCENT CHICKENS WOLVED DOWN - FARMERS OF HANWOL IN AN UPROAR. E.T. CORP DEVELOPING SAFE & ECO-FRIENDLY SECURITY SYSTEM. 

Suho gnawed on his bottomlip as he read the headlines of the morning newspaper, his usually handsome face scrunched up as he read the articles. He subconsciously growled under his breath when he read something he didn't like. Upon realizing what he was doing, he cleared his throat, sheepishly grinning if he happened to see a few people looking at him. 

He checked the time at the coffeeshop and continued gnawing on his bottomlip, focusing on the newspaper again. His right leg twitched up and down out of impatience, snarling at the clock when he realized that the person he was waiting for was late. He wasn't usually this easily agitated, but the effects of the moon always got to him. He couldn't wait until it shone in full in the sky, but until then, he'd have to bear with it. 

Furiously biting on his bottomlip, Suho let his eyes fly over the newspaper articles, feeling the urge to rip it apart when he saw the Extraordinary Technologies story. 

"You know, if you're that hungry, I know a place where we can get some fried chicken. I bet it'll taste better than your lip," Kris slid easily into the chair opposite of him, adjusting his cap and taking off his sunglasses. "Or I can get you a muffin, if you want."

"You're late," Suho immediately accused, scanning his face. "We're you sleeping?!" 

Caught, Kris let out a nervous chuckle and leaned back into the chair, afraid that Suho was gonna hit him. "Hey, it's Sunday, and I need my sleep, alright?"

"You're the one that wanted to meet me here, remember?" Suho complained, in disbelief that his older brother was so irresponsible. Though, upon second thought, he should've seen this coming. 

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. I'm here now, though," Kris shrugged, stretching as he spoke. 

"Well, while you were off dozing, I've been doing a little reading," Suho slid the newspaper towards Kris, who picked it up with ease, reading the headlines. Suho watched at how calm and collected he was, while he was feeling anxious and restless. Was he really reading the articles or did none of it sink in?

"Oh, well. Damn," Kris eventually reacted, putting the newspaper down. Suho stared at him wide-eyed. 

"That's it? That's your reaction?" he asked in disbelief. 

Kris suppressed a yawn and shrugged, casually meeting Suho's panicked gaze. "So a few farmers lost a bunch of chickens, that kinda tends to happen here, big deal. You need to learn to calm down and not fuss over everything. You'll age fast," the blonde said wisely, but Suho scoffed, annoyed at seeing Kris so calm. 

"How- what even-, argh!" he grunted out of frustration, planting his forehead against the table. 

"Eh, Suho?" Kris called, repositioning himself in his chair, a little embarrassed as people had starting looking at them. Chuckling nervously at the curious glances, he poked Suho's head. "Hey, get it together, man," he urged in a whisper, smiling sweetly when a waitress passed by, a questioning look on her face. "Wild night last night," he answered smoothly, the short explanation enough for the girl to leave. 

"Ugh," Suho groaned against the table. "How do you do it?" he asked, voice muffled. 

Kris frowned and leaned towards him to be able to hear what he was saying. "What are you talking about?" 

Sighing, Suho lifted his head from the table, a napkin sticking miserably against his forehead. When the youth made no attempt to remove it, Kris did so instead and was met with sad puppy eyes. This time, it was his turn to groan out of frustration, as he couldn't stand seeing Suho pull a face like that. "Alright, what is it? You want me to get you chicken? Muffins? A puppy?" he immediately asked, willing to do anything as long as Suho would stop with that expression. 

"How do you do it? Stay so calm and controlled? Look at you, it's as if you're not even affected, while I'm an emotional wreck, constantly worrying about everything and everyone and feeling restless- I didn't even get to sleep last night because I was thinking so much and you! You show up here all cool, "ayo, I'm Kris, I'm suave and awesome and I sleep a lot, yo"-"

"I do not sound like that," Kris protested in between Suho's mental breakdown.

"-and I'm tired, and no one takes me seriously and they always think I'm overreacting when I'm actually really scared, and ugh..." Suho's head fell against the table again. "I don't know what to do anymore," he whimpered dramatically. 

Kris made sure not to make any sudden movements when Suho was done talking, waiting to see what would happen next. Suho's sudden outbursts were something he never anticipated and could never get used to. He was always a little lost and unsure about what to do. 

"Ah, I see. It's that time of the month, uh?" he said a little awkwardly, looking around a moment to make sure no one was paying attention to them. He should've known that that would affect Suho, and took a bit of pity on him. Kris was one of the very few brothers that really had no issues when that time of the month was nigh. He figured it was probably because he was way too cool to be affected. 

Suho had whimpered in response and Kris couldn't help but pat the younger guy endearingly on the head. "Okay, first thing you need to do is get yourself together. If people from our school happen to walk past and see you like this, I'm gonna forever pretend that I don't know you," he started, causing Suho to shoot up in response. "Good. Second, you need to calm down. I don't even know why you're worrying so much, okay? Breathe," he waited until Suho did as he was told and Kris briefly clapped his hands. "There we go. Now, talk to me." 

"Me? But you wanted to meet," Suho reminded him, running a hand through his hair. 

"Yeah, but you seem to have a lot you need to get off your chest, my thing can wait," Kris said, propping up his feet on the vacant chair next to Suho. 

Recomposing himself, Suho grabbed the newspaper, admittedly feeling more calm with Kris around, and pointed at the headlines. "This really doesn't concern you? You obviously know what time of the month it is, and you honestly cannot tell me that you don't suspect the younger ones having something to do with this. They're still getting used to everything," he started, as Kris listened. 

"Come on, we all know that they can get a bit rowdy- that goes for all of us -, but they wouldn't be that irresponsible. Sometimes a wolf is just a wolf," Kris answered, playing with a toothpick and speaking quietly, his deep voice humming through the air. 

"Maybe," Suho shrugged. "Then, what about this?" he pointed. 

"E.T. Corps, huh? That's the thing Xiumin mentioned at the gym that day, the thing that gave Sehun bad vibes, right?" Kris remarked, reading the article again. 

"The article says that because of the recent attacks on livestock, they plan to work together with the community by developing so-called animal friendly security systems that would keep predators away from livestock," Suho recapped. 

"So? That doesn't sound all too bad," Kris shrugged. 

"The eventual plan is to catch whatever wild animal dares to come near a farm. Can you imagine what would happen if they happen to catch a wolf?" Suho questioned, emphasizing the word 'wolf', since it was something else he meant. He could tell that Kris caught on when his lips were formed into a distinctive "oh". 

"Maybe that's why Sehun got worried," Kris mused, nodding to himself. "You still shouldn't worry too much about it, though. We'll just be more careful." Kris spoke easily, but Suho wasn't all too sure. Everything had always been peaceful on the island, until things started changing. It was subtle at first, but the feelings and hunches grew stronger. In truth, there were a lot of things he had picked up, but hadn't told the others. He felt it was his duty to protect them, so he only shared what he thought they could handle. Lately, however, Suho felt like there was too much for him to worry about, and he was gonna burst if he didn't tell anyone. But, who could he tell? He didn't want to burden one of his brothers. 

"Hey, are you okay? We can do this some other time, you know," Kris woke him from his thoughts and Suho quickly recovered. 

"No, it's fine. So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked. Kris watched him a moment as though he was making sure and then he nodded. 

"There was something that was still kind of bothering me, after you and Sehun told us about his bad vibes," Kris started and they both leaned on the table to keep the conversation as private as possible. "I mean, I believe the both you, don't get me wrong, but I keep thinking about Kai. His expression, what he said. And when I thought about that, I started thinking about all those nights we went hunting because we thought we finally caught the right scent," he trailed off, adjusting the snapback on his head. 

"What are you saying, Kris?" Suho asked, wanting him to get to the point. 

"Ever thought about Kai maybe having a point? I mean, yeah, all of us are somewhat like mysteries and yeah, our memories are vague and there should be an explanation to why we are the way we are, but have you ever thought to just accept the way we are and leave it at that?" Kris was obviously struggling in finding the right words to say without offending Suho. He was met with a disappointed sigh. Suho could handle his younger brother questioning him, but not Kris. He thought that of all other members Kris was the one that would understand their cause the most, so to see him doubting it, was a little painful to see. 

"Are you saying that you're completely satisfied with the vague and blurry memories, with us being the way we are without an explanation?" Suho shot back, knowing that his agitation had something to do with the time of the month, though he felt genuinely annoyed. 

"Well, you know... We have a pretty good life here, right? All those memories, they're from a vague past that has already happened. They may seem important, but I'm not sure anymore if they are," he said quietly, the both of them shutting their mouth when a waitress stopped by to ask them if they wanted to order something. Kris took the initiative to order both of them some iced tea and a chocolate muffin for Suho, even though he hadn't asked for one. When the waitress left, Suho immediately spoke up. 

"I know that all those memories are vague, but there has to be a reason why we all have them," he stated definitively. "Besides, your memories are different from mine. All of you have vague snippets or flashes of images, a multitude of them. I just have the one," he said, hearing the voice in his head again as he recalled the memory, how safe and secure he had felt. 

I know you'll take care of me as well as you take care of your brothers. I am honored to be in your hands. 

Kris had a look of comprehension when Suho spoke. "You really want to keep looking for this thing, huh?" 

"Yes. I know that it's insane, but it feels important to me. I get the feeling that if we find it, then everything will be explained, and maybe-," Suho abruptly shut his mouth when he found out that he was saying too much. Kris, however, caught on.

"Maybe... what?"

Suho sighed and leaned back when the waitress came back with their order. The boys thanked her and Suho tried to change the subject. "This muffin is too big for me, let's split it, okay?"

"Suho," Kris called, looking at him. Giving in, Suho put on a smile, like he usually would and broke the muffin in half, handing one part to Kris.

"Maybe, if we find whatever it is we have to find, I can finally stop being so restless," he confessed, though the smile on his face never faltered. Kris didn't need to see that it was really bothering him, though he had to admit that it felt rather good to be able to say it out loud. 

Kris blinked at him a moment before nodding his head slowly. "That restlessness isn't just because of the time of the month, huh?" 

Pursing his lips together, Suho nodded. "I need to know where I'm from. I want the pieces of the puzzle to fit," he said softly. 

The blonde sighed deeply. "Guess that means I'm not going to get a lot of sleep tonight, huh? Want me to round up the others?" 

Suho's eyes widened slightly when Kris started eating, a smirk on his face. He smiled back in gratitude. "You know what, you're right. It's Sunday, everyone should be allowed to sleep. We can go tomorrow," he was about to take a bite from the delicious treat when a flash from outside caught his eye. A pair of moving trucks drove past, catching the attention of most people on the street. Suho frowned himself since it was somewhat of a rare sight to see moving trucks coming to Hanwol, instead of moving out of it. 

"Check it out," he mused, prompting Kris to turn around. "New neighbors..."

"Hm, probably a retired, elderly couple deciding to spend the rest of their lives here," Kris noted, unimpressed. Suho nodded absently as he followed the trucks with his eyes until they were out of sight. He squinted when he noted the logo of E.T. Corps on the last truck.

Elderly couple. Right...