“So,” Chanyeol puts his elbow on the small dining table while leaning on his hand, “How was your day?”  Jongin snaps at Chanyeol’s mocking tone and throws his sweaty socks across the table.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little too mean to me today?” Jongin says while half of his face was laying on the table’s cold surface. His hair was crispy wet that was causing small puddles to form on the table. Chanyeol sighs and pulls out his phone, scanning through his contact book. The last time he called Sehun was a month ago--no, almost two months ago. Chanyeol felt a little guilty for forgetting him, but at the same time he figured Sehun was too preoccupied with his clingy boyfriend anyway.

Not that he didn’t like the guy, he just thought he was weird. Weirder than he himself was. Chanyeol couldn't tell if Luhan was a pure innocent angel or a demon that’s disguised behind his pretty face. Last time, he saw Luhan shooting daggers at a child and shoved his finger into the kid’s forehead. Not after that minute, he turned and gave another child a toy he got from the kid he just scolded earlier. Chanyeol thought Luhan was playing favorites but apparently not. Supposedly, the kid was being a jerk by stealing the other kid’s toy and Luhan just 'happened’ to be there. What a hero.

There were times where Chanyeol witnessed Luhan’s anger from Sehun’s distant and cold attitude towards him. He had to admit, it was scary. If Chanyeol ever scratched Luhan’s SUV by any chance, Luhan would have crashed Chanyeol’s car into a tree with a loopy grin on his face. Sehun on the other hand, was more calm and normal. He wouldn’t walk out of the apartment dangling some keys on his hand with a lopsided grin. He was more of the silent treatment kind of boy. One time Chanyeol accidentally mistaken vinegar for water and handed it to a choking Sehun. From that day on, Sehun drove home with Chanyeol with a stoned look. Chanyeol hated silent treatments because he hates those ringing sounds in his ear. It makes him even more restless and anxious.

Chanyeol had seen Jongin furious a few times before. Jongin would get infuriated with his so-called ‘stupid choreography’ and changes the steps every minute. Another reason why he gets utterly grumpy is when Kyungsoo is oblivious with the younger boy’s hints of affection towards him. He hasn’t made Jongin angry at him. Which was because he hadn’t done anything...just yet. Chanyeol has no plans for Jongin to give him the silent treatment like what everyone he knows does. Everyone does it everytime that it wasn’t even funny. He hated the silent treatment, he can’t even explain it by words--can’t even express it. Though he does know one person who doesn’t give him the silent treatment whenever he does something stupid to get someone mad. It was for sure Kyungsoo. In fact, he does the exact opposite of the silent treatment. Luckily, he wasn’t caught in Kyungsoo’s sudden burst he witnessed earlier while working with him at the center while Baekhyun was gone.

“Alright fess up, who hit her?” Kyungsoo growled as he gently rubbed circles on the young girl’s forehead. Chanyeol was busy so he hadn’t noticed the little fight the children had a minute ago. Kyungsoo immediately shot daggers at Chanyeol who set Jihoon down cautiously. Chanyeol swallowed hard and gnawing at his own lip. He was going to die.

“Chanyeol...I told you to watch them!” his voice cracked between his sentences and his eyes shot wide with anger. He could see Kyungsoo literally fuming at Chanyeol for being so irresponsible. If Luhan was scary then Kyungsoo was even more scary. He wouldn’t crash your car into a nearest tree (not that he had one), but he would threaten you. No food meant you starving for the rest of the day. Jongin would kill Chanyeol with the silent treatment. Or if Kyungdoo had that lopsided grin like how Luhan would, that meant Kyungsoo poisoned the food.

Chanyeol raised both of his hands, “I didn’t do anything!”

“That’s the point, you didn’t do anything. You freaking didn’t!” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and cooed the girl to stop crying. Chanyeol learned that getting Kyungsoo angry wasn’t a good thing to do. It’s a 50/ 50 chance that you’ll get out of his wrath alive.

"You made Kyungsoo angry, and now he’s pouring it on me.” Jongin whined and stomped his bare foot on Chanyeol’s. He winced from the pressure being forced on his foot so he kicked Jongin’s foot off of his.

“It wasn’t my fault Yejun butthead the poor girl on the forehead.” Chanyeol muttered under his breath.

Jongin looked at him bug eyed, “Yejun? As in the Baekhyun look-alike? Man, he’s the total opposite of Baek.”

Chanyeol raised a brow and sat up, “Honorifics? Where is your respect?”

Jongin waved his hand to dismiss the subject, “Baekhyun told me not to call him hyung. He said it makes him sound old.” Jongin mimicked Baekhyun’s voice as best as possible. Chanyeol frowned and leaned on the chair.

“When you think about it, Yejun does look like Baekhyun…”

Jongin puffed his cheeks and crossed his arms with an unsatisfied look on his face, “He’s the sassy version of him. The last time I took care of him he placed legos on the floor. I stepped on, oh, most of them..with bare feet! Do you know that hurts like crazy?”

Chanyeol chuckles and notices the sun setting slowly from the horizon. The blue sky deepened into a more vibrant orange with mixes of yellow and red. In 20 minutes the sky became completely black, with stars blazing bright on the dark sky. Jongin leaves the table first smiling dumbly at his phone’s screen, reading a messages that was most definitely sent from Kyungsoo, and if not Sehun. The giant shuts the door quietly behind him and takes a moment to enjoy the silence, letting the darkness sink into him. Waiting for his eyes to adjust to the pitch blackness of his room. He blindly reaches his hands out, walking through the small room, clinging unto the walls and bookshelves to keep him from falling onto his knees, sending jolts of pain up to his spine. He’s been getting better at it and he needs to get better at it. It’s not a choice, it’s an obligation. If he can’t depend on his eyes, then he needs to depend on his other 4 senses.

Chanyeol barely reaches to his desk and stares at the window across from his. Luckily there was enough moonlight to slip through the roofs of the house’s into his room. He’s there again, staring at the curtain and it looks half done. Chanyeol blanks out and leans on his hand, removing his glasses. All he saw was color and his eyes losing focus. He was turning blind, no doubt, but not this soon. The last time he went to the eye doctor, his eyes were pretty fine--seeing fairly normally without his glasses, but now he almost sees nothing. Without anything to help him see, he’s helpless. He hates being helpless, people always pitied him. He hated that.

Chanyeol’s head started to throb painfully from the constant thinking and stress he was feeling. Think positive he thought, “You’re not going blind,” Chanyeol mumbled to himself as he stares blankly at the night sky. As long he could see the stars from the distance, he isn’t going blind. Not yet.

The phone rings loudly, startling Chanyeol off his chair. He clumsily pulls his phone out and grins meekly at the contact name. Byun Baekhyun . He answers the call with no hesitation and cleared his throat before making an embarrassment out of himself.

“H-hello?”, his voiced awkwardly cracked. He mentally slapped himself on the forehead for being a total idiot.

He could hear the older boy chuckle, “Did I wake you up?”

Chanyeol smiled to himself and shook his head, probably knowing that Baekhyun can’t see him, “Uh, no. Actually I’m grateful you called.”

There was silence between the two of them and it was broken by Baekhyun who mentions his love for stars. Baekhyun loves the stars, so he tells Chanyeol to look at the skies with him that night. He told never ending stories about the GODS and GODDESSES that connect with various constellations. Chanyeol never knew that the stars carried deep stories about love, death, and forgiveness. He thought they were just huge rocks floating in space. Covered in flames and gas all in different colors. That gave him a little more magic in his life. When he couldn't sleep, Baekhyun advised him to count the stars or connect them like dots. He told him to create his own stories and destiny--make wishes and expand his creative thinking.

Baekhyun's sweet voice echoes into his ears, causing butterflies to flutter in chaos in his stomach. He leans on his desk and sets the phone on speaker to listen to more of Baekhyun's nonsense 'adventures' he'd experience in his University. The phone's light illuminates on his face as he sinks more into the room's darkness. The silence rings in his ears and listens to Baekhyun's yawns and chuckles. His eyes flutter shut as he hums to Baekhyun's responses.

"Chanyeol?", Baekhyun suddenly calls his name gently. Chanyeol's eyes flutter back open and scoots closer to his phone.

"Yes?", his voice sounding dry. Chanyeol waits patiently for Baekhyun's hesitant response.

"Chanyeol", There was a slight hint of hesitance in his voice, "Uhm...never mind."

He understands Baekhyun, so he doesn't force it out of him, "I understand."

They talk for another hour, his clock ticking away. He listens to Baekhyun's pencil scratching against the rough paper and his quiet hums and confused gurgle noises. He's coursing as a kindergarten teacher and it suits him very well. Chanyeol knew he loved children more than anything and it wouldn't surprise him if Baekhyun was coursing as a teacher. Chanyeol remembered the time he used to build dreams and thought anything was possible. He coursed in arts, photography and painting. He knew those things wouldn't take him far, but he believed that working for something you never enjoyed wasn't worth it--that it wasted your time and sweat. To him money didn’t really matter. He'd rather be poor than to be practical. 'Foolish', people say, 'Everybody is doing this for money. Not to enjoy it.'

Not Chanyeol.

He just enjoys his work and never expected a huge pay. Of course he needs enough money to survive--which he has. Chanyeol doesn't spend a lot of money to lose all of his savings. He buys cheap food, rents a cheap home, buys cheap clothes. No, he goes to the thrift stores and buy hand-me-downs. He's pretty much cheap, in a good way. Before he moved away from his family to become better use in the future, he remembered his mom telling him to value things more.

What do you mean by value? Chanyeol thought deeply. Value as in don't throw extra food away because one day you'll run out food and end up with nothing? Or, make decisions that will benefit you in the end? What was value to him? What was actually the meaning of value?

He thought time was valuable. He thought every second of ones life mattered. He doesn't have much time left, so he plans to use his time well. Right now he's really spending it well, with the help of Sehun. His annoying friend from the cities gave him life in this quiet neighborhood. Chanyeol thought he wouldn't fit in--lies, he fit in just well. He thought his noisy and disrupted personality will wipe the whole neighborhood out like a nuclear bomb--lies again. It actually gave life, especially the day care center across the street.

He loved that small building. He loved it's bold, colorful sign that stood next the door. He loved the smell of baby powder in the small room. He loved everything, from the yellow peeling walls to the dusty tiled floors. He loved the children and most of all he unconsciously loves Baekhyun. He loves him for his gentle touch, sweet angelic voice, genuine smiles, and the understanding look in his eyes. There wasn’t any pity. They were all sincere.

Chanyeol slowly drifts away and lays on his arms that settled on his empty desk . Baekhyun's still there, laughing softly and gently calling the tired man's name. He doesn't respond and Baekhyun sighs in content. Baekhyun doesn't want to hang up and he won’t hang up..

"Chanyeol, ah...should I sing you a song?", Baekhyun says to himself through the phone. Chanyeol gets himself comfortable and listens quietly with his eyes closed.

"I should...what should I sing to you? Kyungsoo and I used to sing this song...what was it called?" Baekhyun giggles and continues on,

"Anyway, when we audition, we sang this song. We won and got into this university. I should stop blabbering and start singing...I hope you don't mind."

Chanyeol's eyes furrowed as he moved his head again to get comfortable. Baekhyun takes a deep breath and slowly starts the intro. His voice softly and gently projects, his skills improving from his last song he sang a couple months ago. Chanyeol's eyebrows slackened and relaxed, his lips lifting up to a tight smile. His ears perked up and his tired eyes slowly open and listens to Baekhyun's lullaby dreamingly. Suddenly he stops. Chanyeol's stupid smile drops and leans on his hand.

"Ah...I forgot the rest. I hope you li-"

"You have a beautiful voice." Chanyeol suddenly butts in and stupidly ruined his cover.

Baekhyun shrieks in an embarrassed tone and replaces his embarrassment with dry laughter, "You heard that?"

Chanyeol chuckles and replies honestly. Baekhyun begins to talk frantically, barely breathing. He ends the conversation with a weak squeak, "Good night Channie and uhm...Bye!"

"Good night, Baek."

He ends the call causing Chanyeol's heart to flutter. The conversation lasted for 3 hours and his battery was completely drained. He replayed the embarrassed tone of Baekhyun and his angelic voice in his head and he forgets to remove his glasses, letting his heavy eyelids fall.

The next day, Jongin shakes him awake with his foot, scanning and breaking into Chanyeol's phone. He scruched his browa and looks into his recent calls section, "He must have been busy last night," he muttered to himself and continues shaking Chanyeol awake. As he stares curiously into his friend's phone, he feels it vibrate visiously on his hand. Startling him, he drops the phone on the floor, cringing at the loud cracking noises. Chanyeol sits up stiff, tracing Jongin's eyes unto the floor where his phone still vibrates.

"You dropped it?" he said groggly and wiped the drool with his sleeve. Jongin nods stiffely and hands Chanyeol the phone.

"Hello?" his voice was scratchy, "Hello?"

"Chanyeol?" Baekhyun calls out his name, out of breath, "Can you pick me up...because I ran out of money for the bus and Kyungsoo won't answer my calls."

Chanyeol who was still drowsy from the lack of sleep doesn't respond but stares at Jongin who looked at him, motioning him to speak. "Chanyeol?" Baekhyun repeats but this time in a desperate voice, "Channie this phone is going to die, and I forgot my charger at home."

Chanyeol blinks back to reality, "Oh-OH , I'm really sorry, I just woke up," his voice sounding huskier than the usual, he clears his throat and swallows his saliva that has piled up at the side of his cheeks. 

"Can you pick me up? I'm really sorry for bother you." 

Chanyeol chuckled and sighed tiredly, "Don't worry, I'll be there in uhh...an hour since your school is pretty far." 

He knew where Baekhyun goes to. That was because he used to go to that school, coursing in arts. He's bound to meet his old friends that hadn't graduated yet, which he doesn't mind. He stretches and hisses at the pain from the back that traveled to his neck and rubs his eyes to clear his vision. Jongin is still staring at him with his mouth open, grimacing at the sight of Chanyeol's phone. 

"Hyung.." Jongin trailed off ,"Have you noticed your phone?" 

Chanyeol stops and looks back at Jongin, squinting and biting the side of his cheek and looking back at his phone. It took him 10 seconds to process the fact that his phone was totally cracked, and that it was absolutely hideous now. Chanyeol doesn't flinch and laughs dryly at Jongin who chuckled along with him. Not a moment later, he slings an arm around Jongin's neck, head locking him tightly until Jongin is coughing and gagging up from the lack of air. Jongin slaps Chanyeol's arm, "That's enough!" 

"You little-" Chanyeol keeps his mouth clean by ruffling Jongin's hair. 

Jongin falls unto his knees and rubs his neck soothingly with two hands, he gasped for air, coughing desperately for air. If Chanyeol didn't let go, he was going to die. If he died that meant leaving Kyungsoo. Leaving Kyungsoo will be devastating and if he died he would have haunted Chanyeol for life and at the same time stalk Kyungsoo. 

"You would have killed me!" he snapped at Chanyeol who started laughing and slapping his thighs. His left eye twitched while his brown hair bounces along with his jerking movement. 

Chanyeol takes a deep breath and place his hands on his hips, "Well wouldn't you like that? So you could stalk Kyungsoo?"

Jongin scoffs and dusts the dust off his pants. Chanyeol stops and doesn't look back, "You owe me a phone. Except I want the Galaxy. Exactly the one that barely came out." 

Jongin whips his head into his direction, "You want what? I have no money!"

Chanyeol shrugs and slings a clean towel on his shoulder, "Well child labor is what it's called."

"Hyung!" 

"Don't use aegyo on me...please you know I have low tolerance on that." Chanyeol whines and walks away to the bathroom and smirks at the pitiful scene of Jongin sliding off his bed. 

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A/N: Anyway...new chapter? I have to say Happy Belated Birthday to my bestiee <3