The door creaks open, and in the dim lighting, Baekhyun can see relent overshadowing most of Jongdae’s expression. Baekhyun’s by the window seat now, looking out at the world and overthinking a few matters that he doesn’t have the power to change. He moves to the bed when Jongdae steps closer, shuffling in under the covers when Jongdae does the same. 

 

Jongdae scoots closer till he feels the comforting warmth Baekhyun radiates press on his skin. Then he closes his eyes and let out a sharp huff as a sigh. He tries to go to sleep but he can’t.

 

“I still can’t sleep,” Jongdae says.

 

Without a word, Baekhyun turns over and switches the nightlight off. Turning back to Jongdae, he makes sure to pull the other closer to him to snuggle into him. Jongdae whines when Baekhyun’s sharp chin digs into his shoulder but quietens down anyway when Baekhyun doesn’t respond.

 

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about, you know?” With only the moonlight to help Jongdae see, he tries his best to make out the expression on Baekhyun’s face. “He doesn’t know any better.”

 

“Doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.” 

 

“Of course.” 

 

It goes silent, Jongdae not knowing what to respond and Baekhyun not knowing what to do. Jongdae’s possibly thinking back to hours ago when Minseok had insulted him too, and Baekhyun can’t let the younger one trap himself in such unpleasant thoughts. An idea crosses Baekhyun’s mind, and he grins before turning over onto his back. Jongdae has always loved it when he shares the stories of his past.

 

“There was this one time I lived as a King.” Baekhyun knows Jongdae’s listening so he carries on either way. “I had servants, I had followers, I had everything. But then, someone in the palace thought that I wasn’t fit for King. He had to constantly fight against my words. At one point, the others in the palace told me to just get rid of the guy but I didn’t. I don’t know why. One night, I woke up to someone screaming at me, telling me the whole palace was on fire. It was him, the one that didn’t like me. I asked him why he didn’t just leave me and act like it was too late to come get me, and he said it was because he didn’t hate me. He didn’t like me as King, but he liked me as a person, as myself. That’s when I realised that maybe I should stop trying so hard to prove to him I’m something and just let him see me as someone.” 

 

Comes Jongdae’s small voice, “What did you do next?”

 

“I passed the title of King to my successor and I left the country. I wanted to restart, you see, so I looked for Chanyeol.”

 

Jongdae’s quizzical eyes prompts a smile of mirth from Baekhyun. He really is like a baby, so young and still learning how to control his element. Baekhyun sees himself in Jongdae, struggling to live even though they can’t reach death, still struggling to get a grip of his own identity. Maybe Chanyeol saw himself in Jongdae too. Maybe that’s why he’s grown so close to Jongdae in the short period of time that he’s been here. 

 

“We have this agreement where we die together. Always. If I couldn’t go find him, I’ll die first and he’ll do the same shortly after. If he dies first, I’ll follow him soon enough.” Baekhyun picks a fallen eyelash off from Jongdae’s cheek, only to be met with the younger one beaming up at him. “What?”

 

“That’s so cool!” Jongdae’s voice booms in the whole room, maybe the whole floor could hear him too. 

 

True enough, someone in the room next to Baekhyun’s, which is Sehun’s room, pounds the walls impatiently. Baekhyun shifts up a little to reach the wall and punches it. That’ll make Sehun shut up.

 

“Can I be a part of this agreement?” Jongdae asks, hopeful eyes looking up at Baekhyun’s sleepy ones.

 

“Ask Chanyeol tomorrow. Let’s go to sleep.” Baekhyun shifts again on the bed, facing Jongdae now.

 

“Okay!” Jongdae chirps. “Goodnight, love you.”

 

“Hmm,” Baekhyun can’t help but to feel elated at Jongdae’s little statement, “love you, too. Goodnight.”

 

          “What do you mean you don’t know what you were? It was just one lifetime ago.” Jongdae’s voice grows louder by the second and Baekhyun chooses to ignore him in favour of reading today’s news.

 

The click of heavy boots invades the living room, and the next thing he knows is Chanyeol plopping down on the couch by his outstretched feet. Jongdae then tumbles over Chanyeol’s long feet, crashing his whole body down on the both of them. Baekhyun groans, his newspaper now crumpled under the weight of Jongdae’s upper body. Poor Chanyeol, he probably got kicked in the chin or something. 

 

“I don’t think three large men are supposed to be positioned like this on one small couch.” Baekhyun can’t quite figure out whether that was Sehun’s voice or Jongin’s voice.

 

“Well, I don’t think you’re supposed to just stand there and do nothing,” Baekhyun calls out in a sing-songy tone. “Please help us. Or me, to be specific.” 

 

Baekhyun yelps at Jongdae’s little smack in response. He tries his best to glare at Jongdae but the latter has his head turned to the figure looming above them. It’s Sehun who pulls Jongdae up and Jongin who helps Baekhyun sit up into a position that’s less… bone-breaking. 

 

“What were you three even doing?” Sehun just had to ask.

 

“I was running after Chanyeol because he won’t tell me what he was in his past life,” Jongdae grumbles out.

 

“I told you, I don’t know what I was. I walked around and explored Earth, that’s it.” Chanyeol shrugs, wanting to let the matter go because he suddenly realises Sehun and Jongin’s presence in the room.

 

“It can happen, you know, Zhongda? Sometimes, we like to take a break away from civilisation and spend our lives in the wilderness.” Baekhyun sighs. “We don’t have to always live as someone.” 

 

“What are you even talking about?” Jongin chirps in. Baekhyun almost forgot he was there. “What past life?”

 

Jongdae falls silent, not knowing how to respond to Jongin, and Baekhyun stays mute because he suddenly can’t think of the right thing to say. He’s grown so used to the people in the house ignoring the questionable things he says and does that he’s forgotten how to escape from the peering questions. Luckily, Chanyeol laughs it off and explains that they were talking about a game. Baekhyun breathes a little easier knowing Jongin’s not the brightest kid around.

 

“Oh, talking about games,” Sehun starts, “we were gonna go to the town up ahead and get our game console fixed. Wanna come?” 

 

Jongdae’s a er for adventures and Baekhyun knows that the younger would start begging to let him go. To save Jongdae’s time and energy, Baekhyun agrees to come along. Chanyeol, surprisingly, wants to come too, and Baekhyun thinks it’s because literally everyone in the house who he’s more comfortable with is going. 

 

“Let me change into a nicer outfit first.” Jongdae jumps to his feet. “Don’t leave without me!” 

 

Jongin and Chanyeol runs up to their rooms to do the same, finding their outfits lacking in something. Sehun then crosses the room to his favourite window seat and plops himself down on the cushions. 

 

“Will you ever tell me what you are?” Sehun asks. 

 

Baekhyun’s had a hunch a long time ago about Sehun knowing he’s not human. This doesn’t surprise him. Sehun would always side-eye him when he says something weird like referring to everyone in the house as “you humans” or simply having weird conversations with Jongdae about his past lives. The fact that Jongdae always calls him an old man is weird too. 

 

“I’m human,” Baekhyun says nevertheless. It’s fine if people know, but he doesn’t want to be the one telling them. 

 

“Past lives and remembering all of it… Are you immortal?” Sehun tries once more. 

 

“I’m human, like you,” Baekhyun responds, smiling at the exasperated look Sehun shot him. “At least, that’s what I want to be.”

 

          They stand side by side, watching Sehun tease Jongdae about something and listening to Jongin laughing along. Once their whole group steps out of a warm shop, Sehun and Jongin shudder at the cold that devours them. Baekhyun snorts at that, glancing at Jongdae who decided to leave the house with just a hoodie. Chanyeol’s even worse, wearing only a thin shirt like last time. Baekhyun on the other hand, decided to at least put on a coat over his shirt this time around.

 

“How are you guys not cold?” Jongin pins his stare on Chanyeol, specifically on the lack of clothing that he should have on. “I don’t get it.”

 

Sehun slings an arm around Jongin’s neck. He peers over his shoulders at Baekhyun’s cold stare before turning back to Jongin with a suspicious smile. 

 

“You shouldn’t ask the questions you don’t want an answer to. Haven’t you noticed something about Baekhyun and Jongdae at least? These guys are psychos.” Jongin dumbly blinks up at the mirth twinkling in Sehun’s eyes. Sehun winks.

 

On his other side, Jongin snaps his head to face Jongdae who had sidled up against him. “Or have you forgotten the day I came back home wanting to see the look of pain on your pretty lit