11.

Andromeda

Something changed within Chen's being as he watched Minseok grab for the door after hearing a knock. The way his friend held himself, anxiety palpable between them, he knew something bad was about to happen.

A woman stepped into the room. Her coat still specked with snow. She had harsh eyes that Chen could imagine being soft before, a pale face and lipstick brighter than was good for her. Her arms were crossed as she scanned the room. "Who's this?" She eyed Chen.

Minseok seemed frozen in time. His gaze was fixed on his new couch, trying to find words to please his mother. Chen decided to take matters into his own hands. "I'm-"

"You know what. It doesn't matter. When are you going to get your grades, Minseok? I thought it was today."

"Tonight." A whisper escaped from his lips. A cold breeze touched Chen's cheek.

"Then why am I here? I thought that was why I was to visit you today." His mom had noticed the shoebox underneath the heating lamp. Her face turned even harder. Something twisted inside her head, knuckles showing white. "You got another bird?"

"I..."

"No." Chen replied. "You got it wrong." he started shaking. It was the first time he had lied to someone's parent. "It's my bird. I took it with me because I stayed over."

"Good." She glared at Minseok. "No more birds, Minseok. We both know what-"

"I know."

Minseok shot Chen a grateful look and grabbed the ends of his sweater with both hands. He was madly uncomfortable around his mother. Chen did not blame him. There was something wrong with her. The anger she held inside of her seemed like it would escape her body all in one blow; a massive supernova on a destructive path.

Regardless, Minseok cooked something for her and after a good hour, she left the dorm. Minseok seemed phased out after and needed time to find himself. He was on his bed, looking at Cecil, thoughts somewhere far away.

"Why is your mom so against the bird? You said you had one for so long."

"That's the problem." His eyes were still fixed on the shoebox, showing something Chen had not seen before. They were horrified. "I told you that before my dad died, my bird died first."

Chen nodded and sat down on the couch, wrapping a blanket around him.

"My dad...he killed my bird."

"He..." Chen shivered. "are you serious?"

"He did. It was an accident. My dad suffered from...all kinds of demons. He took medication and... was in a bad place. I don't want to talk about how it happened. It was bad. I was shocked to my core. My bird... meant a lot to me."

Chen felt a shiver race down his back. He stayed quiet, knowing that if Minseok heard his voice, he would shut down again.

"He never meant to do it. My mom says it's one of the reasons why he....you know...did it. Out of guilt."

"That's no reason to forbid you to get another bird, Minseok." He heard his voice echo through the room. Other than their breathing, there hung an incredibly quiet atmosphere around them. They could almost hear the snow falling from the sky like soft whispers.

"I