The morning air was crisp and fresh. Even though winter was behind them, the chilly breeze still nipped at Baekhyun’s cheeks, turning them a bright shade of pink. Quickening his pace, Baekhyun linked his arm with Chanyeol, trying his best to slow the Giant.

“Why are we out here so early?” he whined, rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of his free arm. Five o’clock in the morning seemed like quite a ridiculous time to be out and about; it was still dark and Baekhyun missed his lovely warm bed. In fact, he had every intention of cuddling up to Chanyeol’s side and sleeping until noon.

Five o’clock was certainly not noon.

He whined again when Chanyeol did not respond before prodding his Giant sharply in the side. “It’s cold. I’m tired. Can we go home, please?”

Chanyeol’s lips curled up into a small smile. It had taken quite a lot of effort to drag Baekhyun out of bed so early in the morning, so he wasn’t the least bit surprised that his Bunny wanted to go back home to sleep.

“No, Baek,” he murmured, his warm breath crystallising in front of his eyes as he spoke. “We’ve got something to do this morning.”

Baekhyun frowned. “This isn’t morning,” he huffed, scuffing the surface of the footpath with the toe of his shoe. “It’s still dark. Even the birds are still sleeping – and they wake up very early!” With another huff, he fell silent, allowing himself to be guided through the silent streets of the city.

A low fog clung to the city, culminating around the tall buildings and settling into the parkland that resided on the outskirts of the metropolis. As they neared the parkland, a broad smile crossed Baekhyun’s face. Two silhouettes stood next to a particularly large pine tree, hand in hand.

“It’s Joonmyeon!” he grinned, squinting through the fog at the shadowy outlines. Raising his free hand, Baekhyun pointed at the two figures. “See, Mister Giant? See? Right there! It’s Joonmyeon and Jisoo!”

Chanyeol arched his brows in amusement. “Joonmyeon you say?” he mused. “What makes you think that is him?”

Falling silent, Baekhyun contemplated this quickly, mulling over his reasoning before offering his Giant a one shouldered shrug. “He’s short. It’s Joonmyeon.”

A small chuckle escaped Chanyeol’s lips as they drew nearer to the pair. “Why don’t you see for yourself, Bunny?” he murmured, turning his attention to the figures under the pine tree. “Good morning, Jongdae. How have you been?”

One of the figures turned a familiar smile on their face. “Ah, you’re here! Joonmyeon is over by the lake with Kris and the others – you should  let him know you have arrived.”

“Will do,” Chanyeol replied with a nod. Guiding Baekhyun away from the pair, he nudged his Bunny softly. “You might want to pick your jaw up from the ground,” he whispered, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “I thought you would have been used to others growing by now?”

Baekhyun remained silent, absolutely dumbfounded – and proud. Jisoo obviously returned Jongdae’s feelings and Baekhyun couldn’t be happier for the pair, but he only wished that somebody had told him about it sooner.

Returning Chanyeol’s nudge playfully, Baekhyun pointed towards the lake. “Now that is Joonmyeon, right?” he asked, his tone determined.

“Of course,” Chanyeol laughed. Stopping a few feet away from his friend, Chanyeol turned to face his Bunny. “Do you know why we are all out here so early?” he asked. Baekhyun shifted uncomfortably – everyone else seemed to know, but he did not. Sensing Baekhyun’s uncertainty, Chanyeol continued: “It’s the anniversary.”

The atmosphere in the cemetery was somber – heavy. Each tombstone told a story; some lay forgotten, weeds wrapping their way around the discoloured marble headstone, some decorated with little ornaments left by loved ones.

On their way to the cemetery, Baekhyun had stopped a great deal of times, picking as many flowers as he possibly could in hopes of presenting Mister Kim with a beautiful bouquet. But with each forgotten headstone he passed, Baekhyun found himself dividing up his bouquet of wildflowers, placing one atop each grave and offering his condolences and, by the time they finally reached Mister Kim’s headstone, Baekhyun was left with only one wildflower.

Placing it at the base of the marble headstone, Baekhyun took a quick step backwards; his heart was aching, his eyes stung. Lifting his head, he turned to Chanyeol for comfort, his eyes widening when he saw his Giant glassy eyed, his cheeks streaked with tears.

Drawing in a sharp breath, Baekhyun wrapped his arms around Chanyeol’s waist and almost immediately, his Giant broke down. At his side, Kris and Jongdae had their arms wrapped around Joonmyeon and Jisoo, comforting them; seven tiny figures stood at the base of the tombstone, their heads bowed in respect.

 “He loved you all,” Joonmyeon said after what felt like an eternity of silence. “To him, you were family and I’m sure he is proud of who you have become today – each and every one of you.” Joonmyeon paused, trying his hardest to regain composure and, when he spoke once more, his voice and heart were breaking. “He used to say that sometimes, the smallest of things were the greatest of wonders, that they could change a person’s life for the better – and that was exactly what you did when you all came to stay with Jisoo and I. I’m sure he would like to thank each and every one of you, and to let you all know just how much he appreciated everything you did for Jisoo and I. And so, I would like to do it on his behalf. Everyone, from the bottom of my heart, thank you – thank you for everything.”

Baekhyun wasn’t exactly sure how or when it happened, but when he finally managed to turn his head away from Chanyeol’s chest, he was met with a sight he did not expect to see. His friends stood in a cluster, consoling one another, their heads still bowed out of both respect and sadness.The breath caught in Baekhyun’s throat, an amazed squeak escaped his lips.

It took for Mister Kim’s legacy - his love, his thanks; his absolute gratitude – for them to realise just how much they meant to him and how much he meant to them. It took for Joonmyeon’s words before they truly felt as though they had meant something – that they had belonged. After al, it was because of Mister Kim that they had come together. He was the reason for their happiness – the very beginning of it, to be exact. Without him, they would all be alone, never having met and never knowing true happiness.

 It was because of this feeling, this sense of belonging, of being loved by the one person that meant the most to them that they had grown.

Each and every one of them.

Second last chapter guise.
Whooooooo~~~~

Is a sad-happy ending for this fic okay with you?
Because that's what it will probably be.
Yeah. 
c:

Not much else to really say.
One more chapter to gooooo~
And then I'd of finished the longest thing I've ever written.
This author is lazy, aha.

Speaking of lazy ...
Close enough, right?
Right.

Pinkychu is the coolest Ponymon.
Gotta catch em all, right?