Dull [Book III]

Envy

"Hyung, are you sure you'll stay here?"

Lay crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on his seat as he nodded at Kai, smiling a little to reassure the younger boy that he would be fine waiting at the hospital lobby. He wasn't really sure why he was there now that Jiyong arrived to take care of Soojung. It just felt like the right thing to do.

"Well, we'll go home now." Kai smiled. "If you need anything, I'll be a dial away."

"Hurry and leave." Lay stated. "Let Kris kill me without involving you."

"Yeah, he had been eyeing us for too long. It's starting to get uncomfortable." Kai agreed, standing up. "I'm pretty sure Suho hyung will reprimand me for this when we arrive at the house."

"See you at school." Lay nodded.

Just as predicted, Kris sat next to Lay when K left, and the M leader wasn't looking pleased. To keep him from saying anything that would cause a fuss between them, Lay put his hand up in a 'stop' gesture and shook his head.

"It's not a good time for your hissy fits." Lay said and Kris glowered at him as if trying to eat his soul. "Please. I'll let you beat me up on Monday. Just let me off now. I have a lot on my mind."

"Yeah, well, seeing you talking to them gave me a lot too." Kris spat in a low tone, so that only Lay would hear. "For how long have you been keeping this from me?"

"Not long, I just saw Jongin smoking cigarettes once at the hideout and we had a good conversation." Lay sighed. "And it was real too, not one of those betrayal things whatsoever like you think. I miss them, you know. There was still one point in our lives where we're all brothers and nothing can change that."

"That brotherhood doesn't exist now." Kris huffed. "Tell me, are you the only one talking to them behind my back? How do I not know of this?"

"You're being paranoid." Lay shook his head and patted the leader on the shoulder a few times. "I don't know about the others, but I see nothing wrong if I engage in casual chatter with them. After all, we all belong in the same class and if it's meant to be, we'll all belong in the same university. There's no escaping."

"We've been friends for years and yet you still don't understand." Kris shook his head. "You know how horrible of a person Joonmyun is."

"I wasn't talking about him." Lay replied and glanced at the M leader for a second. "I meant Jongin and Baekhyun, Sehun and Chanyeol and Kyungsoo. You had issues with Joonmyun, I get that... but those who had nothing to do with it, K except for him and M except for you... we suffer in silence."

Kris didn't answer. Instead, he gazed upon the glass doors of the hospital because he knew that Lay had a point.

"Tell me, do you not miss it when Kyungsoo cooks your favorite meal or when Jongin and I attempt to teach you how to dance properly together?" Lay smiled, reminiscing in his own thoughts. Somehow, the words reflected on him, turning to memories that made his body lighter. "Don't you like hearing Chanyeol and Baekhyun's silly jokes, or when Sehun turns to you for advice because he thinks you're the coolest hyung among us?"

Kris gulped and stared at a distance. "Those are just things we left behind."

"Those are things you are trying to leave behind, but really can't. It's impossible." Lay corrected. "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't miss it... then I'll believe you."

Kris bravely straightened up and looked at him, but Lay waited for a good minute and he still wasn't saying a word. It was a pretty long wait for a few words, but it seemed like they were weighing the M leader down to the ground.