"Byungjoo's not feeling good so I'm here to make sure you do your work." Sanggyun stated to Hansol who was still stuck at the bar stools with a casual tone.
"Ew. I can watch myself."
"Not when you're about to fail." He took a seat across from him, then tapped at the papers that lay scattered all over the counter. "So where are you at?"
"Not far..." Hansol mumbled. "I just finished my science project, but Xero helped me on that..."
Sanggyun eyed him suspiciously. "Okay... So you're starting your history?"
"Yeah... But it's too much... My teacher gave me an entire packet of my missing assignments."
"History's easy dude. All's you gotta do is copy down. Look," He rounded himself to the corner beside the kid, pointing along his book as he spoke. "you see on the paper's it gives you the category and the chapter, so you flip to the chapter, and look for the category. Right there: your paper says 'Civil War: Blood Bath, chapter eighteen' and look, it's right here in your book. Chapter eighteen. Now all's you gotta do is read the questions, and skim through this section."
For the first time, Hansol smiled to Sanggyun. "Thanks..."

The skies crept into the dark and began shining far away stars. Hansol slammed his pencil down, his hand aching. "I'm done." He smiled to Sanggyun who sat at the couch, then to Xero, who was started for dinner. "I finally finished all of my work."
Xero's eyes squinted into a smile.
"So what's going on with Byungjoo?" He asked, sauntering next to Sanggyun.
"It's just... Not a good day for him."
"Will he be able to take me to school tomorrow?"
"Uh... Not sure... But I'll be there." Sanggyun smiled, sipping on his drink.
Hansol broke the quiet after a moments worth of nothing. "You know I still don't like what you said about the word gay."
"Why's that?"
"Because it opens old wounds." His tone altered into a high-pitched childish slur. "Like, you don't know what it's like to be gay."
Sanggyun pondered, nodding his head. "You're right."
"What?" Hansol was taken back by his sudden agreement.
"I don't know what it's like to be gay, and I've never been called gay either." He shrugged.
"Right..!" He hesitated, unsure of what to say, but proceeded to ramble anyways. "Cause like straight people, or heterouals, excuse me, is the norm. No one looks down upon them, it's always the gays, or bi's, trans, pan's, or 's that get ridiculed. That's why we don't appreciate it when you refer to things as gay and such."
"Okay, I can respect that. I'll try to uh... Censor myself around you." He patted his shoulder. "So don't get mad if it slips."
"Okay." He smiled.

 

　 　Perhaps, it was a presence of deja vu when Byungjoo sat next to Xero at the bus stop for the first time in eleven days. The air was thick between them: they avoided each other, but the awkwardness was eliminated once they laid their eyes on each other, laughing.
"So much has happened since we've first met..." Byungjoo said, rolling himself across the cold metal, closer to the boy.
Xero's smile became toothless, but never faded. He nodded.
Byungjoo huffed. "You know what I wonder sometimes?"
As usual, the boy tilted his head.
"I wonder what your voice sounds like."
And how the innocence of his thought bothered Xero. His smile left, closing the door behind it with no bother to return.
"I'm sorry... I guess I just poke around at touchy subjects with you huh..? What a curse."
He lightened up, creeping his fingers to Byungjoo's and folding them together. The bus arrived.

 

　 　"Sorry I couldn't show up at school today." Byungjoo spoke through the phone with his call on Hansol. "Did you turn in your work?"
"No..."
He let out a scoff of disappointment. "Hansol, why? You did all that work for nothing?"
"I guess."
"What's up with you?"
"Well I'm mad at you. You were being a jerk to me."
Byungjoo paused. "I was... And I'm sorry."
"You know not all rich people have it maid. We don't get beauty naps. We work just as hard as anyone else. Actually, we work more."
"Okay, ease up there buddy." He rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean it like that. My mind was somewhere else, and the things that came out of my mouth was just anger."
"Yeah? Well I was just trying to help!"
"I know..."

"Hansol?" Sanggyun questioned with out a single glance, but instead focused on the items that came out of his work bag.
"Hansol." Byungjoo pinched his temples, sighing.
"So? He mad?"
"Yup."
Nothing.
"You know who I realized I missed today?" Byungjoo said, strolling to face him.
"Who?"
"Xero. I sort of forgot about him."
Sanggyun laughed. "Yeah, it's easy to forget about him."
"Cause he doesn't talk! It's like he's not even there sometimes."
The other sat down. "Do you ever wonder if it's more harmful to be mute, than it is to talk?"
"At this point, I think it is." Byungjoo joined him. "Communication is important, it's how people can manage with each other."
"So. I guess try and get him to talk."
He chuckled. "Well that's going to be a struggle."