6 Years Ago (Age 29)

To: Chanyeol

Guitarman04@yahoo .com

Well, today is a busy day. I type that like it's nothing, but literally I am worn out and right now working from another man's computer. I successfully babysat for the very first time, and I didn't kill the child. Hooray!!

I knew I should never have made other friends in this world, other than you of course, you who are too far across the globe to make such requests of me. But, I figure I owe this guy enough times. Still never thought the nicest guy I'd ever meet in a bar would turn out be straight, married, and have a two-year-old son. Actually I'm still not sure which of those three is the weirdest, but possibly the fact that I've been over playing the 'good uncle' babysitter while Sehun and Sara go out on a kid-free date is the least of my worries. She's about to have a second one too, so God knows what my life will be like NEXT year!!

See the attached photo. This is me and baby Tao. He turned 3 last week. Isn't he precious?? Why am I gay? I want about 10 of these!! While they're sleeping of course. Awake and crying is... worse than when Luhan and Minseok were kittens and they mewled and threw up all over the place. In some ways I like my cats better. And then Tao does something sickeningly cute and yeah.. At least they're paying me for my time in a week's worth of home-cooked meals. My poor mother doesn't have worry about my eating habits for the following week at least.

Speaking of my mother and my giant empty house for the summer (again), how goes our crazy plan??

To: Yixing

Layxingwriter@aol .com

I feel like I should commend you on spending your precious Saturday babysitting. Rather you than me though! Hey I'm just glad you have some decent friends! Other than me of course. :D

Plans. Plans. PLANS!!

Just give me confirmation dates and I'll buy my tickets next week after I get paid. Seriously why has it been so long? Some people just pop all over the world whenever they feel like it, and it's taken us years just to plan this far?

Let me know!!

Chanyeol

To: Chanyeol

Guitarman04@yahoo .com

You want to know the reason? It's called money. Money which is a direct co-relation to lame jobs which do not allow for enough vacation time. 

And this is why I got a second job. Babysitting. So that I don't have to spend as much money on food... Yeah that's a poor excuse. So what do you want to do when you get here? Disneyland? (Please don't say Disneyland.)

Dear Chanyeol,

I write to inform you that I am in no way excited about getting to meet you. In fact, I have hated you all these years and definitely do not want to continue this relationship in a face-to-face capacity.

Do you believe me? No? Well good because that's a lie! Really this is just an exercise in patience because I will probably hyperventilate before you even get off the plane, or just completely forget how to speak. Should we practice more over the phone before you get here? I feel like we need some practice, in whatever form we can get. 

My parents left yesterday for China. Next week I get my work schedule and will know if they can give me the time off I asked for. It'll be completely horrible if they reject it after all this planning. I may go on strike, or call for a mutiny. Should I start cleaning my house yet? I know it's still two month away, but I have this urge to pretend that I'm a neat freak so that when you arrive I can berate you for having an (apparently) filthy, disgusting house - according to everything Joon said. But, I'm kidding. Maybe

Speaking of my ex-boyfriend, I kind of heard about him and your friend. Well, that must have been nice while it lasted. I spoke with him a couple of days ago. Not to say anything about your best friend, but Jongin always did seem like kind of a drifter, and I think I know more than anyone that Joon only wanted to settle down in one place. Should I mope for a little bit that circumstances meant it couldn't be with me? No, I'm over it. I think I've got a good life now anyways, my parents' house, a stable job, some friends and a kid on the way. Or, well... their second kid on the way. I think I'm good with my cats right now, and the prospect of your visit. Not to sound too excited, of course. 

Write, call, e-mail, fly here, do whatever you like!

As long as it's soon,

Yixing

Dear Yixing,

Glad to know you don't want to meet me, because I definitely don't want to meet you either! And now that we've gotten that out of the way, no thank you, you're saved, because I don't want to go to Disneyland. Just drive me around so I can see the palm trees and we get check out a beach just so I can stick my toes in the water and say I've felt the water on the other side of the Pacific Ocean! Otherwise, I don't even mind staying inside your house the whole you, because I know you're a bum. Just don't set me up babysitting, and we'll be fine.

And yeah, about Joon and Jongin... I don't know what else to add? I don't see him much since he's been busy doing stuff to get ready for that  choreographer's job he's taking abroad. Guess I need to find myself some new friends too. Friends without kids? Nah, what do I need friends for when I've still got you!

See you soon!

I get to actually say that! How cool is that!

Chanyeol

                                       *phone ringing*

                                       -

                                       -

                                       -

                                       Chanyeol! What's up

                                       -

                                       -

-                                       

-                                       

                                       Chanyeol?

                                       -

                                       -

                                       Are you alright?

-                                       

-                                       

No... not really....                                       

                                       -

                                       -

                                       -

                                       What's the matter? Tell me.

Dear Yixing,

I'll probably call you before this even gets to you. So many methods of communication, and the only one I wish I had right now was to talk to you and apologize in person. Maybe this really wasn't meant to happen this year? I just borrowed a rolling table/tray from the hospital room where my mom has become suddenly ill. They say it's a heart attack but there are so many other complications to deal with right now that I don't even know the words to write them. She seemed so fine just a week ago. I'm not sure what happened! I think she and my dad having been hiding some of the complications from me though and that makes me absolutely sick to know. As if they didn't want to upset me or make me have to change my plans for the summer, they were just going to let me go and not say anything, only this happened, and now she's so so sick, and there's just no way I can leave now when I don't even know if she's going to be alright today, tomorrow, in a week or anything. 

My sister and her family have moved back now and are staying in my apartment, so in the meantime I'm going to move back in with my parents. I feel so lost and useless. I'm not even sure what I can do right now. The doctor is supposed to come and talk to us soon. 

Forgive me for not coming this summer? 

I'm going to fold this, probably scrap it, and just call you. Later this evening probably.

I'm so sorry,

Chanyeol

                                       *phone ringing*

                                       -

                                       -

                                       Hello?

-

Hey, Yixing. 

                                       Yeah?

How... are you...?

                                       I'm doing fine, Joon. What's going on? What's up with you?

Uhh, well right now, nothing much...

You sound weird though. Are you sick?

                                       What? No, I'm not sick. I'm just.. tired I guess.

Maybe I shouldn't be bothering you. 

You should get some sleep.

                                       What? No, that's okay. I can talk.

                                       What's going on?

                                       -

                                       -

                                       Joon?

-

-

Huh? Oh. Uhm. Not much.

                                       You said that already.

*nervous chuckle*

Oh, yeah. 

-

-

I heard about Chanyeol's mom.

                                       Did you? How so?

Jongin mentioned it to me.

                                       You still see him? 

Not so much actually. Just ran into each other the other day.

He's about to fly out to England next week

                                       Hmm, I heard. 

And I'm...

-

-

                                       -

                                       -

                                       You're what?

                                       -

                                       -

                                       Joon, you're what...?

-

-

I'm coming back to California.

Surprise!

Apologies that I'm so behind on this update. I started writing a bunch of other random things this last month and a half, and around when I was going to update this, my hands started spasming and got really swollen so I haven't been on the computer writing as much as I want to be. Did this chapter freak anybody out? They actually planned to meet, but of course we already knew it wouldn't happen yet. Here's one of the reasons why. And also, Joonmyun isn't out of the storyline yet either. 

Rosie

​(P.S. The Sehun/Sara characters are a veeeery vague non-canon nod to another au in which I wrote them)

Here are some other fics I've written/or started writing. I hope you'll check them out. :)

• A Man of Distinction - Xiukai, oneshot
• Together We Made 50 - Xiuhan, oneshot
• It Depends on the Strawberries - Xiulayhan, oneshot
• The Well of Emerald Waters - Xiuhan fantasy (with Kaibaek and Sesoo) ongoing chaptered fic. 

(Can you tell I really like Xiumin?? Hahaha)