"Shhh," Auntie Byun puts a finger to her lips.

"Wha--oh." Auntie Park's eyes widen as she sees her son and Baekhyun, curled up together on the floor, sleeping peacefully. Baekhyun's small head was tucked under Chanyeol's chin, and his short arms clinging onto Chanyeol like a koala bear. Chanyeol had his arms draped over Baekhyun casually, and Auntie Park knew that her son was drooling, as he usually does when he sleeps.

Baekhyun shifts in Chanyeol's hold and Chanyeol shifts accordingly. It was as though they were connected by an invisible magnetic field; if one moved, the other would move to accommodate.

Auntie Park grins as her friend holds up her phone and snaps a few pictures of the sleeping duo.

"Send me the pictures on Whatsapp!" Auntie Park calls out in a whisper, and Auntie Byun makes an "ok" sign with her hands.

Chanyeol would have wanted to visit Baekhyun everyday after school, but as he grows older and his school workload becomes heavier, Chanyeol finds that it has become almost impossible to visit Baekhyun everyday.

Chanyeol is turning 15 years old and it is Chanyeol's last year in middle school. Exams are fast approaching and everyone is studying for them in order to get into a decent high school. WIthout exception, Chanyeol is studying hard too--which means Chanyeol isn't able to visit Baekhyun everyday. 

On good days, when Chanyeol doesn't take any extra tutoring lessons or music classes, he runs home (Baekhyun's home actually), to play with Baekhyun for a solid 30 minutes, before going to his actual home to do his homework.

Baekhyun squeals when he sees Chanyeol leap across the fence from the window, and Chanyeol smiles as he sees Baekhyun toddle to the front door to open the door for him.

Baekhyun is more fluent with his words now, and he gabbles excitedly when the door opens and Chanyeol scoops Baekhyun in his arms. "Channie-hyung! Channie-hyung come play!" Baekhyun screams. 

"Noo, its Chanyeol-hyung." Chanyeol corrects, but Baekhyun doesn't seem to listen. Baekhyun smiles and plants a kiss onto Chanyeol's cheeks. 

"Channie-hyung kiss Baekhyun." Baekhyun says (it's more of an instruction), and Chanyeol obeys, kissing Baekhyun on the forehead. Baekhyun leads Chanyeol to his pile of toys in his cot, and shows them off one by one, but he is almost always holding onto Chanyeol's birthday gift to him, the brown-coloured teddy bear (that has become dog-eared from Baekhyun's constant hugging and sometimes chewing), in his arms tightly. Baekhyun even gave the teddy bear a name too (he called it Teddy, no big surprise there) and Chanyeol smiles and kisses him and laughes and hugs Baekhyun till the toddler got sleepy and Chanyeol goes home to finish up his homework.

They don't notice Auntie Byun smiling at them from the kitchen door while they play, too immersed in their own happy world to care about anything else.

On bad days, however, when Chanyeol has tutoring classes and music lessons, he doesn't get home till sunset, and by then it's time for dinner for the both him and Baekhyun. Chanyeol hears Baekhyun calling his name ("Channie-hyung!") from inside when he walks past Baekhyun's house, and even though Chanyeol feels a pang of sadness and crushing guilt when he sees Baekhyun's disappointed look through the window, Chanyeol shakes his head at Baekhyun and goes back to his own house.

One day, Auntie Byun brings Baekhyun over to Chanyeol's house while Chanyeol is studying. "I didn't want to interrupt your studying," Auntie Byun says apologetically, "but Baekhyun kept pestering me to bring him here to see you..."

Baekhyun struggles out of Auntie Byun's arms and runs to Chanyeol. "Channie-hyung play?" Baekhyun hugs his leg and looks up hopefully, eyes wide and shining. Chanyeol feels his heart bursting as Baekhyun hugs his legs tight and presses his cheek against his calf.

"Sorry, Baek, not today." Chanyeol removes Baekhyun from his leg. "Channie-hyung has to study."

Chanyeol feels immensely guilty as he sees Baekhyun's devastated face. Tears collect in Baekhyun's eyes, and Chanyeol hurriedly wipes them off before they could flow down his face. 

"But Channie-hyung always play with me!" Baekhyun cries, hugging Chanyeol's leg again. 

"I'm sorry..." Chanyeol apologises again and again to the crying Baekhyun, and his heart wrenches at the sight of him crying. "Chanyeol promises to play with you when exams finish, ok?" Chanyeol tries to comfort him. "Chanyeol promises, ok?"

Baekhyun, only half-comprehending Chanyeol's promise, nods and slackens his hold around Chanyeol's leg. Chanyeol ruffles Baekhyun's hair and Auntie Byun ushers Baekhyun out of the house, apologising again for interrupting Chanyeol's study time.

During the exam weeks, Chanyeol studies like he has never studied before. He makes notes and concept mindmaps (even though he is usually not a meticulous person), and he stays up till late in the night to re-read all his notes again. His mum makes him late-night refreshments and he is grateful for that, and Auntie and Uncle Byun wishes him good luck every morning as Chanyeol makes his way to school.

Baekhyun wishes him luck too. "Channie-hyung good luck!" He repeats after his parents and kisses Chanyeol on the cheek.

Chanyeol kisses him back on his forehead and smiles.

Baekhyun always makes his day better.

Chanyeol keeps his promise.

The second his exams finally end, Chanyeol runs home immediately, instead of hanging out with his friends to celebrate the end of his exams (actually, he really only had one friend, Kris, and anyway Kris wasn't really the type to celebrate or hang out after exams). 

He runs along the street to Baekhyun's house, his brown hair tousled from all the running, and he finally reaches Baekhyun's doorsteps. He hears a happy shout of "Channie-hyung!" before the door opens, revealing Baekhyun, holding Teddy. 

"Channie-hyung play?" Baekhyun hesitates, his arm half-reached out to hug Chanyeol, and half-retreating. It's such a cute sight that Chanyeol wants to kiss and hug him (which Chanyeol always does anyway, because Baekhyun is the cutest baby he has ever seen, or maybe that was just because he's a little biased).

Chanyeol swoops down to engulf Baekhyun in the most bone-crushing hug he has ever given him. "Yep, exams are over, so Chanyeol can play with Baekhyun alll day!" He tickles the toddler playfully, and Baekhyun squeals in delight and lets go Teddy as he tries to defend himself against the tickles.

Auntie Byun appears out of nowhere (Chanyeol wasn't really looking) and smiles at the duo. "Exams are finally over, huh?" Auntie Byun teases lightly, and Chanyeol nods happily. "How do you think you'd fare?" She asks again, but Chanyeol gives her a rueful look.

"Don't worry, you studied so hard, I'm sure that you will do fine." Auntie Byun reassures. "I'm glad your exams are over though, because Baekhyun has been pestering me all week." She sighs in exasperation.

Chanyeol's eyes widen. "Really?" He asks, arms still holding Baekhyun. Baekhyun looks perfectly contented in his arms, snuggled up in Chanyeol's coat (he hasn't took it off yet) and Teddy lies down on the floor beside them, abandoned in favour of Chanyeol's warm body.

Auntie Byun nods and pulls a face. "It was terrible. He would ask me everyday if your exams were over. And he always whined and cried when I told him you were studying. I'm so glad that it's over now." Auntie Byun laughed as she added the last part.

For some ridiculous reason, Chanyeol felt happiness bubbling inside of him. "Really?" He asks, this time the question directed more to Baekhyun in his arms than to Auntie Byun. He brought Baekhyun up to face him. "Did Baekhyun miss hyung?"

Baekhyun kisses Chanyeol on the cheek (he seems to like doing that a lot nowadays... but Chanyeol wasn't complaining) and Chanyeol kisses him back on the forehead (seriously, Chanyeol loves kissing his forehead... Baekhyun's forehead is smooth and warm and Chanyeol loves the way his forehead feel against his lips, and he also loves the way Baekhyun snuffles when he does that... No Chanyeol isn't a creep, he swears). 

"I'll just leave you two here to enjoy yourselves then. I'm cooking dinner to celebrate the end of your exams today! Invite your parents, okay?" Auntie Byun instructed, before disappearing into the kitchen. 

Chanyeol spends the rest of the day fooling around with Baekhyun, playing with Baekhyun's toys and watching baby shows on the television. They share kisses and laughs and playful tickles (mostly Chanyeol tickling Baekhyun) and Chanyeol wonders how he could have so much fun with a toddler 14 years younger than him.

Evening approaches and the two families eventually gather at the Byuns' dining table. Auntie Park takes pictures of the food (she could never cook food as delicious as Auntie Byun), while Uncle Byun and Uncle Park chats about the latest soccer match and financial investments. Chanyeol and Baekhyun are together, as usual, Baekhyun occasionally reaching out to touch the food and Chanyeol bringing his hand back, telling Baekhyun "don't touch the food, later it'll be dirty. Use the utensils, ok? Hyung will get the food for you later."

"Channie-hyung eat with us!" Baekhyun chirps happily, his small hands waving around. 

"Chanyeol-hyung." Chanyeol corrects him. "Repeat after me. Chanyeol-hyung. Yeol."

Baekhyun doesn't seem to listen. "Channie-hyung." He insists.

Before Chanyeol could argue with him, he hears the collective shout of "Let's start eating" from the adults. Both of their attention turns to the food, and the issue of Baekhyun's pronunciation becomes forgotten as the two families indulge in the food in front of them.

"I'm so glad that we're still so close, like this." Chanyeol's father slurs. (Chanyeol suspects that his dad drank too much canned beer.) 

"I know." Uncle Byun takes his own sip of beer out of a can. "Even after so many years, we're still in close contact."

"We're neighbours, of course we would be." Uncle Park scoffs, but there is a soft look in his eyes as he looks at the table. "But it's nice this way, watching our children interact, and just eating together, like the old days."

There are nods of agreement around the table. (Chanyeol feels a little left out of the conversation, since the adults are being all nostalgic about the past again, but he settles for playing with Baekhyun's small hands and sniffing the scent of Baekhyun's baby shampoo.)

"Everything is perfect now... We're neighbours, and our children are playing together, just like what we'd wished for when we were in high school." Auntie Byun quietly says, and Chanyeol's mother agrees. 

"Everything feels so perfect now..." Auntie Byun starts again, "... but will it be this perfect forever?" She furrows her eyebrows in worry. "I mean, I feel like something bad is going to happen..."

"Oh, there you go again, being such a worrywart." Auntie Park pushes her shoulder teasingly. "Can't you just let us enjoy this moment?"

Auntie Byun relaxes a little. "Yeah, you're right. I'm worrying too much." She laces her hands in Uncle Byun's. "Everything is perfect now, and that's all that matters."

Chanyeol agrees silently together with all the adults at the table. But he sees Auntie Byun casting one last worried glance at the rest of the table, briefly he wonders, what if something bad really happened? Could everything really be so perfect?

But he immediately shakes those thoughts away as he sees Baekhyun nodding off tiredly in his arms. 

Nothing bad could possibly happen. Chanyeol has his parents, and Auntie Byun and Uncle Byun. 

He has Baekhyun too.

And that is enough.

He kisses Baekhyun on the forehead again, one last time for the day, before Auntie Byun carries Baekhyun to his cot to tuck him into bed.

yeppp i'm back

and i'm kinda tired ughhh i kinda rushed the later half of this chapter because i felt so bad ;A; pardon me for any grammar mistakes ugh i'm really not a fluent english speaker/writer

and i got a part time job! so i can't really update now zz but i'll try (thats all i can promise for now lol)

and can someone tell me when to use 'has' and when to use 'had' i'm kinda confused i need english lessons ugh

sorry this chapter isn't long. 

but there's foreshadowing at the back.

oooooh.

i will be back. hopefully soon, but maybe not

bye i needa sleep

and oh, i love all of your comments ok? ;_: and to those who upvoted me omg i love you all <3333333 like seriously

i have a tumblr (but i'm too tired to link it so pls go to the previous chapter to see it T__T) and you can ask me anything there lala