^^ I am so happy to be back with a sequel. You guys have no idea how inspiring you all are to keep me going. I love all of you! :)

I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but next chapter will be much more exciting. ^^

The chirping of birds radiated across the new morning air, a small, faint wind brushing the leaves against one another and causing a single branch to poke against the small stainless glass. The small male laying beneath covers of deepest red turned in his slumber, the noise reaching him in his deepest sleep and disturbing his sweetest of dreams.

"I love your fingers and toes and your eyelids and-" Xiumin reached his undersized hand down for Chen and easily covered the rambling boy's mouth. The pair was spending their Sunday morning together to escape the rain, finding solstice in simply being together, fingers loosely linked together as Chen laid his head in Xiumin's lap. Xiumin sat with his back against the large, brown oak headrest of his bed and smiled as he peered down at Chen, his hand covering the boys mouth. He could tell Chen was smiling just as much as he was.

"I love you," Xiumin whispered, hoping Chen had heard him. He removed his hand and saw Chen's lips curve into an even more infectious smile, the younger leaning up from his comfortable pillow to press a chaste kiss to Xiumin's lips. As he pulled away, Xiumin followed his movements and pressed their lips back together. He would never get enough of Chen's lips, his smile, the way he always took his hands in his bigger pair and  pressed them flush against the material of his shirt just to feel the palpitating of his heart, the beat Xiumin could feel in his very core. His heart carried the same tune of music. Chen laid his head against Xiumin's warm thighs, effectively breaking the connection between their lips.

"I think I like that the best," Chen murmured, Xiumin reading his lips and nudging the boy's head with a roll of his eyes. They spent that rainy morning under covers together, lazily slipping in and out of consciousness as their hands stayed tethered together."

"Chenchen," Xiumin mumbled in his sleep, the insistent chirping finally reaching the deep trenches of his mind and stirring him awake. Xiumin opened his eyes slowly, sitting up and brushing his hands against his face. He had cried himself to sleep the night before, and it seems the tears had yet to run dry. Sloppily wiping away the slow wet trail filling up as it ran down his face, Xiumin blinked and looked around. He was still not used to this environment, to the bare white walls that surrounded him and the cold air that radiated through the room. Kris' apartment had never been this cold, Xiumin had usually found himself complaining about how warm the rooms were year-round, how the heat irritated his toes.

But here, it's freezing and Xiumin isn't used to waking up to the sound of birds and his cousin calling him for breakfast. Initially, Xiumin felt like an intruder inside of Sungyeol's home, an outsider to his large house. Xiumin shoved the thick covers aside and pushed himself out of bed, the action sending an ache throughout his system and piercing the innards of his heart. When was the last time he had eaten? Xiumin was scared to think about it as he shuffled out of his room and into the hallway. He walked passed a few doors and to the last oaken door on the left to the bathroom. He could barely see, his vision slightly blurred from the buildup of tears and sleepiness.

"XIUMIN! HURRY UP!" Xiumin ignored the call as he turned the tap on the sink and watched the water run before drizzling right down the drain. The small, much paler male sighed and commenced to wash his face repeatedly, hoping that if he washed his plush cheeks over and over he could rid himself of the guilt, the pain, the empty column in his chest that festered and grew each day he stayed away. He had never meant to be there so long, almost a year had passed and it had been in the first two months that his hearing had been restored. Xiumin knew he should've returned by this point, but he was so, so scared. He was scared of what he would find once he arrived home. Through email, Kris had been the bridge back to his old life, feeding him updates on everything happening to Chen, how he had coping with their end. Chen had stopped singing so frequently, had stopped smiling, stopped laughing. He moved. Xiumin stopped asking about him after that. And then they stopped talking completely.

That was five months ago.

"I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!" And at times like this, Xiumin wished he couldn't. He didn't want to wake up to this voice in the morning. He didn't want to feel like such a lost child without so much as a familiar face to guide him. After brushing his teeth, Xiumin left the bathroom and trudged down the stairs to the dining room, Sungyeol already situated at the table with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Could you at least smile alittle?" Xiumin humored his much taller cousin by smiling and allowing the motion to drop just as soon as it came.

"Look, why don't you go home? We both know you belong there." Sungyeol was right, as usual, and it was the truth, but Xiumin had tried to go so many times before only to be held by a single thought. What if Chen has someone new? Wouldn't I just ruin everything by coming back and expecting him to be waiting? Xiumin would love to believe that Chen was loyal in that aspect, but he was a human being. He needed love and affection that Xiumin tossed aside, trust that Xiumin did not give in return. What right did he have to go back?

"Kris' boyfriend moved in. What home do I have there now?" Sungyeol shook his head in disbelief, heaving a small sigh before taking a sip of his Americano. To him, the answer was obvious, Xiumin was just being afraid for nothing. By the way he talked about this Chan?Cham?Chem?, the two had obviously built a bond that distance could not destroy, time could not alter. Xiumin needed to be home, and that was not here. Plus, he would find comfort in having his little Myungie over without the need to be quiet anymore.

"You don't have to go stay with my brother, go stay with, uhhh? Ken?" Xiumin's head snapped in the direction of his cousin, an uncharacteristic glare portruding from his light brown eyes.

"It's Chen, Yeol. And I don't know where he lives anymore. He moved . . . So . . . W-We're finished." Neither believed his words, Xiumin especially. He and Chen, Xiumin didn't know what they were, all he knew is what he wanted them to be.

"Then find him. You sitting here wasting time just means he's waiting even longer. So go find him. Don't be such a baby. If you love him as much as you say you do, you shouldve been gone months ago." Xiumin opened his mouth to reply, only for the small clash of cup against counter met his ears.

"Now that I've given you my words of wisdom, it's time for work!"

"The entrance to the facility was bulking, its stature large and frightening beyond compare. Lost to the sound of bustling feet, Xiumin walked towards the building with his throat clenching with each trembling step, his fear and hope intertwined as one. His heartrate spiked as he passed through the automatic doors, the cold air instantly hitting his sensitive flesh and causing a slow shiver to crawl through his skin. His plump cheeks flushed from the cold wind, reminding Xiumin of how much he wanted heat. He wanted someone to hold his hand.

He wanted Chen.

He needed him, and the pale boy felt foolish for thinking he could take this on all alone.

Shifting off to the side and out of the way of a wheelchair carrying a heavily pregnant woman, Xiumin walked closer to the front desk, thankful that there was no line to wait for. He gently tapped the blue speckled upon white desk to catch the lady's attention. She was American, her skin a fair tan and hair of deep chestnut brown. It was new to him, and if he were still a child he wouldve tried to touch her short locks. She eyed him before saying something much too fast for Xiumin to read without trouble.

For the sake of himself, Xiumin said some his reason for the arrival in sign language, hoping against hope that she had understood. Her head bobbed once before she signed back with the directions to the correct waiting area in order for the procedure to be carried out. Bowing slightly, Xiumin traveled deeper into the vast hospital, wrapping his arms around himself to try and gather as much warmth as possible. If Chen were here, he would holding his hand, talking in a pace he could handle, giving him gentle kisses to his cheek and brow. Xiumin shook his head to dispel his thoughts on the male he left behind. He did, didn't he? He left him standing at that airport with a heartbroken kiss pressed against his lips and tear staining his cheeks.

The small boy rounded a few corners before coming to the right section, finding it beyond creepy how he was the only person there and the fact that he couldn't hear, it all seemed a bit too close to a slasher movie. Sitting down in a worn brown couch against the stainless tiled wall, Xiumin huddling in on himself and waited. He waited for the cold air to stop stinging his vulnerable flesh, for the cold shiver scratching against his body to leave him. I wish Chen was here. With his head still perched downward, Xiumin caught sight of a pair of black shoes and raised his head to see a male doctor smiling at him. His eyes were a kind, warm moss type color, his hair a mixture of black and brown. His face was rather pretty, Xiumin mentally noted.

"You must be Xiumin," He signed,"Everything is ready for you. Just follow me and you'll be hearing just as good if not better than anyone else." I guess . . . This is it. Xiumin stood and rubbed his bare arms as he followed the doctor, who kept giving him side glances, down another large hallway and through a pair of double doors. Then there were little snippets of memories and a large dose of morphine.

Pain.

Excruciating pain.

The smell of strawberries.

A smile from a pair of thin, soft lips.

A bit more pain.

Eyes that resemble the purest of chocolate.

A haze of stinging.

Pain.

"Xiumin, I'll always love you." Chen?

It hurt so much. . .

"I have to go now." Chen, w-where are you going? Come back!

. . . So much 

"Xiumin . . . Goodbye." You can't . . . You can't leave me here all alone.

Then nothing. 

"Xiumin . . . Xiumin." Please, comeback.

"Xiumin . . ." Xiumin felt his mind fall into attention, his eyes fluttering open to see a blurry light beaming into his face and a few doctors with masks on surrounding him.

"Was it a success?" Xiumin heard- his eyes widened as the beeping of the monitor met his ears, the noise hurting his newly opened ear canals slightly. He could hear the air vent as it blew in more cold wind, the shuffling of feet and the moving of utensils from the operation. Tears brimmed his eyes as he realized he could hear, finally, after so long, Xiumin could hear."

~

The sun felt hot against Xiumin's skin as he walked along the sidewalk, each and every sound just as amazing as the first time he heart Pororo. Chuckling slightly, Xiumin thought back to watching the kids show with the subtitles on and Chen by his side, more interested in the show than he was.

"He really was a child at heart," Xiumin mumbled to himself as he crossed the street, his destination a few more blocks away, "But he was much more mature than me." I shouldn't have been scared like this, not when I know him. My heart knows Chen, it owes him for keeping it intact this whole time. I owe him for loving me when no one else could look passed our sound barrier, I owe him for holding me when no one else could bear to even touch me.

"And he was always so stubborn sometimes." Chen used to playfully tease Xiumin by refusing to let him go, or by tickling him when he was sleepy. He refused to let Xiumin rest for his own selfish reasons, not that Xiumin really minded being spooned in dangerous heat. He was overly sweet and concerned, always finding the time to say 'I love you' during the day, but he probably became such a love struck mess from Xiumin himself. Eyes dazed with memories, cheeks flushed from nerves, Xiumin shifted the bag hanging off of his shoulder and continued on, breathing in the fresh air as a plane flew just overhead, a burst of wind blasting everything below off to the side. Xiumin's long, light brown bangs blew into his eyes, having grown longer over time.  
"But, through everything I've done over these long months, one thing about me will never change . . .



How much I love him."

Chen bit back the bile building in his throat at he shoved another shot down his searing mouth. Two empty shot glasses lay before him and he reached for another one before the sting could fully evaporate. He picked up the small glass holding the clear liquid and pressed it to his lips, blinking back tears of frustration before downing the disgusting drink in one fluid moment. He usually never drank, he was a lightweight and even this small amount had his head throbbing with the beat of the loud music, but this was a special occasion. He was lying to himself, but he felt that lying was a sure way to keep him drinking. He was at a party, albeit forced by his friends, and he was trying his best to forget. He wanted to forget everything and everyone, the urge he had to makeup with Kris, the need to think of Xiumin during all hours of the day.

"He doesn't give a about me," Chen hissed to himself, demanding more shots knowing very well he couldn't handle the strong liquid much longer. The bartender gave him one more, stating Chen was not allowed anymore and Chen rolled his eyes and accepted the glass. He finished over his last small drink of the bitter alcohol before shoving the empty glasses further down the wide, glass counter and lying his head against his arms.

"I-I b-bet he n-never really c-cared about me." His shoulders began to tremble, his body shaking and his eyes beginning to sting. 

"H-He l-left me," Chen mumbled into his arms, tears pressing into the material of his sweater. He had never felt so pathetic, so used, as he did now. He began to weep softly, his heart cracking with each tear. Why didn't I see it coming? Who would want someone boring like me? There's nothing special about me, that's probably why he found someone better, someone a lot better than me. I hope he has. I'm nothing. As he continued to break himself down, a freshly blonde head looked his way and the tall beautiful male could see Chen was far too gone to still be at the party. He brushed off Kyungsoo's offerings to take Chen home and said he would do it himself. They needed to have a  talk, majorly, and it was long overdue. Stalking over with all his height and glory, Kris pried Chen from his stool only to uncover that the male had fallen asleep. He shook his head as he lifted Chen onto his back and bid his farewell to the birthday girl. Hyorin had never really given up.

"He's lighter than he used to be," Kris commented to himself, gently laying his ex best friend in the passenger side of his car. He buckled his sleeping frame in and slowly closed the door to produce less noise. Then he padded along the pack of the car to the other side and got in. The drive to his apartment was long and dawning, Kris was sure if Chen woke up he would refuse to go, so Kris simply decided speeding was okay since it was much too late for people to even be awake, let alone drive. He did make it too, luckily.

"Stupid . . . Liar," Chen mumbled in his sleep, turning on his side and pressing his body against the door. Kris parked in the driveway of his apartment complex and shut his car off. Chen continued to mutter out nonsense as Kris lifted him from the car and brought him to his apartment. The place had drastically changed, mostly due to Tao's love of shopping and his immense buildup of Gucci. Kris was even lucky to have the boxes thrown out, but he was willing to compromise, he accepted Tao and all of his quirks. Kris carried Chen to the only room left untouched, posters still hung all across the walls, everything left behind, even the covers. He tucked Chen into the bed and watched him instantly relax, reaching out for someone who wasn't there and settling for a pillow nearby. 

"Minnie," He sighed, rubbing his head deeper into the pillow that still had faint rays of Xiumin's scent.

"I'm waiting for him just as much as you are." And it was true.  

"Why are you with me?" Xiumin asked one day as they walked to the grocery store together, Kris was running low on the food they wanted most.

"I'm waiting until your vulnerable before I pounce."

"And do what?!" Chen laughed at the look on Xiumin's face, his big eyes widening to rival Kyungsoo as his cheeks fluffed up to rival a blowfish.