Blue. Light profound blue with cottony white clouds surrounded by rays of sunlight, so bright that elongated away from the circumference and blurred into the blue. The sun wasn’t just round and yellow –no. It was this bright luminescence that reined the sky.

It was nearly impossible to distinguish the shape of the sun within its radiant brilliance. But after looking at it, when Chanyeol closed his eyes, he could see the perfect sphere in the incandescent after image displayed against his eyelids. The after image may be smeared, but he could see a circle nonetheless.

Within the saddle of the steep mountains, the spring air felt fresh and dry. Bright evergreen trees of varied shapes and sizes populated the forest. There were tall oaks with thick brown trunks. Leafy and round shaped elms. The distinctive white lines against the olive colored trunks of the Manchurian maples created dissimilarity amidst the other trees. Dark cones, of the Korean spruce, contrasting against the vibrant green leaves -the cone’s bracts were opened, prepared to be pollinated. And the verdant fronds of the Chinese chestnut tree where freckled with white flowers, fully in bloom.

Oh the flowers, they were more beautiful up there at the surface than the replicate in the underground dome. Ranging from fuchsia to pale pink petals the plum blossoms scattered beautifully on the branches. Even the daisies on the grass looked ethereal under the sunlight. Every color of yellow, orange, rose and white evoked a dreamlike feeling to the forest, as they nestled between the crooks and nooks of rocks and leaves. Even the moss and lichen decorated the woods into a wonderland.

His surroundings were so marvelous and breathtaking, that he paid no attention to the massive flock of birds exiting the hole on the ground.  He didn’t care about the buzz of the insects flying out of the smoke. And when the earth shook for the last time, as D.O closed the aperture, Chanyeol didn’t fear the quake. He just stared mesmerized at the nature around him, at the luminous sky above him.

He dwelled on the feeling of being able to relax and not worry over his life anymore. Feeling the moist grass against the underside of his hands, he breathed pacifically and let his mind still. The bliss of thoughtless serenity, a state of mind he had never imagined he would ever feel. Could it be possible to feel so tranquil and carefree?

No more running around and fighting to stay alive. No more fear of trials and restless nights. No more witnessing your friends getting hurt. No more damn boggers. No more damn boggers.

He watched as the white cotton puffs floated away ever so slowly through the sky –rays of golden diffracted against its mist, shading the clouds whilst highlighting the yellow aura surrounding it. Chanyeol tried to picture images with their silhouettes, drawing imaginary lines to give the formless clouds boundaries that illustrate the figures he created in his mind. He felt in that moment that imagination was boundless. And somehow he could relate to that idea. Now he had broken the restraints of his past and felt as free as the clouds drifting above him.

His quietness was disrupted by a shadow covering his view. The presence sat down next to him and offered him an object.

“Here, you haven’t eaten anything yet,” said a muffled voice.

Blinking a few times, Chanyeol left his state of daze and focused on the person next to him. Baekhyun sat crossed legs, munching off a nutritional bar as he offered him one as well. Two water bottles on the grass leaned against his thigh.

Looking around, he remembered he wasn’t alone. At half angle to his left, Xiumin sat next to Tao –the cold boy was now wearing his light blue jacket. Both silently ate and drank as they rested on the grass. Luhan sat to Xiumin’s left, slightly further away. The telepath hugged his legs as he rested his chin on the top of his knees. He had a somber aura around him, as he stared distractedly towards the sky.

Probably feeling tired, Chanyeol excused.

Sehun sat at Luhan’s other side. He was calmly drinking water as Kai was sleeping with his head rested on Sehun’s thigh. Chanyeol would’ve thought the air bender would be a jolt of energy, cheerful and excited about being outside. But between Luhan and Kai, it was understandable that the boy would be more introspective about his sentiments. Once replenished with food and water, he knew the other’s mood would spark up.

Further to his left was Suho and Lay helping D.O out, with the assistance of the new guy. He still didn’t know his name but he noticed the other was wearing black gloves as he rummaged through a backpack.

Has he always been wearing them?

Stripped to his underpants, D.O stood awkwardly still as Suho used water to cleanse him. Without needing to touch the smaller boy, Suho rinsed his dirtied skin with his water manipulation. Simultaneously, Lay was healing the wounds scattered about his body. From bruises, to various sized cuts and nasty abrasions, one by one the blemishes began to disappear. Chanyeol hadn’t noticed how battered up D.O truly was –not even his shoes survived the excavation, for they were tossed to the side completely tarnished. But given that the other had literally dug his way out of the earth, it shouldn’t be such a surprise to have ended up marred.

D.O’s skin, behind all the dirt and bruises, was very pale. His legs slim and toned, though they looked rather smooth and not muscular. He wondered if behind all those scrapes and bruises his skin was as soft as it appeared to be. The other aspect Chanyeol noticed was how narrow his whole frame was. D.O’s torso had to be half of his own wide frame; even his shoulders were slender adding up to his petit structure. He realized D.O’s eyes widened its size and a lot of the sclera was visible.

Oh !

Chanyeol looked away, feeling rather embarrassed for being caught staring. He scratched his head in an effort to hide his face and looked to his right. Baekhyun was staring back at him with a judging look.

“Wow, how subtle,” he said sarcastically.

“I umm, I was just…”

“Staring?” he raised a brow. “Haven’t you ever seen a nearly guy before? Never checked yourself out in a mirror?”

“I have,” Chanyeol barked back embarrassed. “It’s just,” he looked down at the grass. “He’s all battered up.”

“Yeah, he is,” Baekhyun said lightly. “He looks like ,” he joked lightly in an attempt to soften the mood.

“We just met him yesterday,” Chanyeol said and looked back at him. “Well, a bit more. It’s been two crazy days and this guy is nearly as new as you to this group.”

“Where are you heading with this?” Baekhyun frowned.

“I just,” he felt loss of words as he looked back at said boy.

Now the new guy had given Lay’s spare pants for D.O to wear, he knew this because he was in charge of collecting supplies with Sehun and Lay, and neither of them three thought it would be necessary to store clothing for everyone. Besides, the pants were pink, Lay’s clothes were pink. They fitted D.O’s legs a little loosely; either Sehun’s or his spare clothes would’ve been too long for him. Without a spare shirt, D.O was given Kai’s black jacket to wear. It oversized his small frame, but it was better than walking around shirtless. He was left barefoot, for they had no spare shoes.

Chanyeol sighed and faced Baekhyun again. “I remember saying once that I didn’t want more people in this group. I thought we were too many and, at the time, we weren’t all getting along.” He smiled lightly, “But now... Now I couldn’t be more grateful.” He smiled even brighter, “We barely know him and he’s gone through a great effort to help us out. He was willing to endure the physical strain and hurt for us. It makes me feel,” he paused, searching for the right words. “His selflessness makes me feel so small.”

“Oh, shut up you big ball of sentimental goo,” Baekhyun reprimanded. Chanyeol looked at him utterly baffled. “If you’re so grateful of his good will, then just tell him. Show him how thankful you are. Don’t pity yourself in comparison and glorify his feat.” He swallowed some water, “It’s pathetic,” he added.

Chanyeol couldn’t muster the effort to feel offended, he knew Baekhyun was right. Accepting the other’s words, Chanyeol nodded silently in agreement.

“Good,” Baekhyun nodded and lifted his hand towards him, he was still holding onto a nutritional bar.

Chanyeol smiled as he imagined that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance that Baekhyun could be acting out his words and be showing his appreciation for getting him out of the trials with the small offering.

“Thanks,” he said gratefully. He noticed how elegant Baekhyun’s hands were as he received the snack. “Wow.”

“What?” Baekhyun questioned as he passed him the second water bottle.

“Your hands.”

He furrowed his brows as he looked down. “What about them?”

“They’re so beau-” he stopped mid sentence as he realized how embarrassing he was about to sound.

Baekhyun just stared at him questioningly and then examined his hands further. Turning his palms up, his frown turned to a pensive state as he picked the tip of his forefinger with the nail of his thumb.

“I didn’t think you’d notice them,” he said softly. “They’re ugly, aren’t they?”

Chanyeol frowned confused -he had thought the complete opposite about the other’s features. He moved closer to tower over the smaller boy and then he saw it, nearly indistinguishable against the fair skin of Baekhyun’s hands. Inquisitively, he reached forward to hold the smaller hand in his and moved it closer to his eyesight. With the proximity Chanyeol was able to see the lighter skin on the tip of Baekhyun’s fingers, small and perfectly circular.

“These are scars?”

“Y-yes,” Baekhyun looked back quixotically. “I thought you noticed them before.”

Chanyeol shook his head in reply as he examined the miniscule scars. Using his own finger to probe, he felt a foreign hardness under the smooth skin. It wasn’t like a callous, not at all. It was something that had been inserted into the tip of Baekhyun’s fingers.

“What?” He pressed harder against the scar, “What is that?”

Baekhyun pulled his hand away and hugged it with the free one. “Biotech high powered micro-exa-diodes.”

“Say what?”

“They are mechanism that help me project laser. It limits diffraction by passing rays of light through a focalized aperture and modifying the spatial wave coherence to concentrate the energy,” Baekhyun explained.

“Oh,” he faltered as he tried to make sense of Baekhyun’s words.

“You’re confused, aren’t you?” Chanyeol nodded in response. Baekhyun ruffled his fringe as he puffed out air. “To put it simply, they are mechanisms that help me manipulate light to create laser.”

“Ah,” Chanyeol elongated the sound. “How energetic can it get?”

“Theoretically, from radio waves to x rays,” he drank some water.

“Damn, that’s a lot,” Chanyeol complimented as he lifted his bottle higher before downing some water.

Baekhyun smiled lopsidedly as he shook his head. “I haven’t been able to concentrate so much energy yet. I don’t really dare to, actually. My trials haven’t been,” he paused as he shook the bottle and watched the water swivel inside, “successful.”

Chanyeol placed his hand onto Baekhyun’s shoulder. “You’ve defeated shadow boggers on your first day out,” he deepened his tone, “That counts as more of a success than any trial they’d ever put you through.”

Baekhyun looked up at him with a small smile on his lips. His smile shifted as he casted his eyes down. “I don’t ever want to see one of those freaky things again,” he said as he rubbed his arm. “They’re terrifying,” he nearly whispered.

With an encouraging smile, “You won’t. If they didn’t burn, then they are surely buried deep.” Chanyeol lightly nudged his shoulder before dropping his hand. “Besides, they’re no match against you. You’re smart. It never occurred to me that light is a shadow bogger’s weakness. Now it sounds obvious since shadow is a dead giveaway.”

Baekhyun laughed. “Yeah, it is kind of obvious.” He sipped some water. “I thought you’d have some knowledge about light, since luminescence is a side effect of burning .”

“Burning ?” Chanyeol laughed while Baekhyun shrugged with a mischievous grin decorating his mouth. “Not always, but fire can cause light. I never studied much about it though, just the chemistry.”

“Really?”

Chanyeol lightly nodded his head, as he smiled. “I’m but a mere arsonist,” he humbly said.

Baekhyun chuckled and bit the tip of his tongue. “You make it sound poetic,” he complimented. “Though it’s true, you stink of smoke,” he scrunched up his nose exaggeratedly.

Chanyeol shrugged. “Side effect of burning ,” he copied, causing Baekhyun to laugh.

 

Chanyeol suddenly frowned as he realized something. He looked around and confirmed his suspicion. “Where’s Kris?”

Baekhyun crooked a brow. “Which one is Kris?”

“The tall guy with the eternally angled brows.”

Baekhyun snorted and laughed out loud. “Good one,” he giggled as he wiped the corner of his eye. “He’s been sitting on that tree since we’ve got here,” he pointed to they’re right.  

And surely there he was, sitting on the highest tree branch with Tawny perched beside him. He frowned as he tried to make sense of Kris’ hand movements. It was as if he was talking to the bird.

 

It felt like hours had gone by as now the sun was directly above them. Chanyeol felt well rested and full to his stomach with energy bars. The whole group sat on the ground forming a circle as they watched the elm tree seeds float around. Their feather like bodies flowed within the wafts of wind Sehun created. The air bender stood in the middle and blithely moved his arms directing the wind’s drift, pushing the seeds upwards in a small twister and then letting them cascade down until he pushed them up again. With his continuous motions, Sehun created a joyful atmosphere as the group was surrounded by the floating petal like seeds. Chanyeol had such a goofy smile as he let all thoughts disappear while he watched the boy in grey swivel around, air dancing with the seeds, until a thunderous sound broke through the peace. A thunderous sound indeed.

“!”

“Holly !”

“My ears!”

“What the hell?”

“Ah fushwa-a!”

Chanyeol looked at Lay with the most flabbergasted expression he could muster under his shock. “What?”

“I don’t know,” Lay said covering his ears. “I got scared.”

“What was that?” Sehun growled -his head covered with his arms. The seeds slowly descended to the floor as the small twister lost strength.

“Sorry, my bad,” Jongdae –or Chen, Chanyeol wasn’t sure yet- said as he rubbed the underside of his nose. “I just- I just- ah,” and then it happened again. He sneezed and a roaring thunder shook their state of mind.

Chanyeol kept his hand against his beating chest as he stared wide eyed at the new guy. How the can he be so loud?

“Someone stop it!” Tao yelled as he covered his ears.

“I’m a not an it. I’m a- ah,” Jongdae sneezed again and Chanyeol swore it was louder than the previous two. “My nose itches,” he whined and rubbed his nose with his gloved hands.

Lay perked up beside him and shuffled his way towards the horribly loud sneezer. Bluntly reaching forward as he knelt down, Lay cupped Jongdae’s face with his hands. To say that the other looked stupid and uncomfortable was an understatement, but Chanyeol felt that he disserved the awkwardness after scaring the out of them.

“There, all better,” Lay cooed as he patted Jongdae’s head.

“Th-thanks?” he looked away embarrassed.

“How did you do that?” Chanyeol asked curious.

“I, um,” he looked around to see all eyes on him. He puffed his chest out in an attempt to look confident. “I’m lightning.”

“Awesome, then I’m a freakin’ hourglass,” Tao mocked sarcastically.

Chanyeol heard a snort and looked at Baekhyun. He was covering his mouth to suppress his laughter. Chanyeol couldn’t help but chuckle along.

“Then Lay really is a unicorn,” Chanyeol joked.

“Of course I am,” Lay said straightforward, playing along.

“You are idiots,” Suho grumbled as the rest broke out into playful laughter. “Tao, what time is it?” Suho asked.

“Four thirty three,” he answered without missing the beat.

“We should get moving,” Suho suggested.

“Where should we go?” asked Xiumin, a smile still lingering on his lips.

“North west,” answered D.O lying on the grass.

“South,” Kris suggested, resting his chin against his bent knees.

“No,” D.O sat up and shook his head, “we have to go north.”

“Why north?” Luhan asked with a frown.

“Because I can feel a river, around 5 kilometers away” the other replied.

“The birds flew south.” Kris countered.

“We should use the river as a guide. Civilizations build around bodies of water,” D.O argued without wavering.

“I agree. We should try the river first and see if we find refuge. If it’s fruitless, then we go back,” Suho said and that was enough for everyone to follow.

“I do have one suggestion,” D.O continued. “Kris and Kai, I don’t think it’s smart for you guys to explore and wander off. We don’t know what is out there, and if normal people see you flying,” he pointed at the volitant boy, “or you popping out of thin air,” he turned to the teleporter, “we will get in unwanted trouble.”

“He does have a point,” Lay nodded.

“But teleporting in advance would be such an advantage,” Kai argued.

“You can barely stand without help,” Kris pointed out.

“Seriously Kai, take a break,” Sehun glared warningly. Kai frowned and mumbled unintelligibly under his breath.

“Maybe it is best if we keep our abilities to ourselves, as long as we know it’s safe,” Xiumin suggested.

 

As they were getting ready by storing the rest of the food into the backpacks and handing them to the responsible fellows of the group, Chanyeol saw Kris further away, alone with only the company of his owl.

“What’s wrong?” he asked his taller friend as he noticed the sadden expression on his face.

“Oh, Chanyeol. I didn’t see you there,” Kris said rather awkwardly. “I was just… I’ve been trying to,” he sighed deeply as he looked at the nocturnal bird. “I’ve been trying to let Tawny go and be free like the other birds. But he just won’t listen.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol voiced as he had no idea what else to say. “Um, do you really want him to go?” he asked cautiously.

Kris remained silent with a sad smile on his small lips. He petted Tawny’s brown and orange feathers softly with the back of his hand. The petit owl turned its head away and then turned back to look at its human friend. “It’s not really what I want. It’s what’s best for Tawny,” Kris finally said with determination.

And now Chanyeol really didn’t know what to say as he looked into the deep yellow iris of the bird’s perfectly round eyes. Man, he knew he was going to miss the little companion too, but he couldn’t imagine how hard this was for Kris.

“Well, well maybe he could stick around with us a little longer?” he suggested and Tawny agreed with a little hoot.

But Kris bit onto his bottom lip and shook his head. Words weren’t necessary for Chanyeol to understand that Kris had already made his decision and he needed to go through with it to move forward.

“We’re finally free,” Kris’ voice sounded rough and heavy. “He needs to be free too.”

Something in the way he said that pull a heart string too fast, making Chanyeol reach up to the sudden ache in his chest. He felt so useless right now. The only thing he could offer his friend was a compassionate pat on the shoulder.

“I’ll let you to it,” he bid, but didn’t manage to leave as a third joined their conversation.

“We’re ready to go,” his high tuned voice said. “What’s wrong?”

“Uh...”

“He won’t leave,” Kris answered distractedly.

“Huh?” Jongdae looked at Chanyeol curiously. Chanyeol shook his hand and then pointed at the bird. “Oh,” Jongdae said understanding that the unwanted person was in fact an owl. “You’re setting him free?” Kris nodded in response.

“He’s being stubborn,” Chanyeol added as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Maybe I could help,” Jongdae chirped. He raised his hands before him and took off the black glove from his right hand. “Said your goodbyes already?” Kris nodded. “Okay,” he smiled -a cat like smile as the curvatures of the ends of his mouth were quite prominent.

“Bye bye little birdie,” he sing song and poked Tawny with the tip of his finger.

The owl gave out a yelping hoot as it hurriedly flapped its wings and flew away. Tawny soared high in the sky and disappeared between the canopies of the forest. Just like that, in mere seconds, the Tawny owl left.

Chanyeol looked back at Kris with concern. The taller boy had his brows furrowed closely together as his big hand covered over his mouth and chin. He rubbed Kris’ shoulder concerned, but the other nodded in lieu of saying ‘I’ll be fine’.

 

Chanyeol turned his attention to the smaller boy and motioned him to follow.

“Let’s give him some space, Jongdae” he spoke softly as they left.

Jongdae scowled but followed. “It’s Chen,” he grumbled under his breath as he put the glove back on.

“I’m sorry, I thought it was Jongdae since, well, everyone else calls you that,” Chanyeol explained as they were out of Kris’ hearing range.

“It’s all because of that panda eyed guy,” he spoke fast. “It’s his fault everyone calls me differently. But my name is Chen.”

“Well, Chen,” Chanyeol took a second to keep up with the conversation, “the name Jongdae does suit you,” he tried to ease up.

“I guess it doesn’t really matter,” he shrugged, “As long as I have a name.”

“I’ve been wondering, where did you get the gloves?”

Chen or Jongdae looked up at him with a funny grin. “I’ve always been wearing them,” he said.

“Why?”

“I tend to be a shocker,” he smiled mischievously and left Chanyeol dumbfounded.

“Oh, looks like they’re about to snap,” he commented in his quick paced speech.

Chanyeol frowned feeling even more confused. But when he looked to the same direction Jongdae was, he immediately understood the other’s comment.

Luhan was standing in front of D.O, with his hands on his hips. He was glaring down at the boy who remained seated on the grass. D.O was glaring back at the telekinetic, a silent fight was occurring between them. Chanyeol wondered if they were speaking telepathically. His question was soon answered.

Luhan pulled on the strands of his hair as he looked frustrated. D.O’s face remained impassive as he kept his glare at the same level as Luhan’s.

“You, you haven’t disabled the chip,” Luhan accused, seething through his teeth.

“I did.”

“You liar! You haven’t disabled the ing thing,” Luhan raised his voice as he pointed disdainfully at D.O.

“I did!” D.O barked back. “I don’t know why you can’t use your ability on me. Maybe the chip still causes interference.”

Fearing the argument could get worse, Chanyeol walked closer to them.

“Disable it,” Luhan insisted.

“It is,” D.O countered.

“Then get rid of it,” Luhan demanded.

“I can’t,” D.O said dryly. “I can’t just pull it out of my head.”

“Luhan, don’t vent your frustration on others,” Xiumin reprimanded, walking up to them.

Luhan shook his head, “There’s something suspicious about you. I know it.”

“Really?” D.O said sarcastically. “Just because you can’t read my thoughts, makes me some sort of threat? That’s very insecure of you,” he mocked.

“Shut up!” Luhan threatened, raising his hand.

“That’s enough,” Chanyeol deepened his voice as he stood between the pair, hand out against Luhan’s chest.

Bad move.

As soon as Luhan’s attention turned to him, he knew that he was going to end up falling far away. No matter how many times Luhan had pushed him away it always felt unsettling. The pit of his stomach would rise uncomfortably as his body flew through the air. And the fall would always hurt, not matter how close to the ground he was.

Eyes shut tight, he felt as he was pulled to stop before hitting the ground. Carefully he was lowered to sit on the grass. Astounded, Chanyeol looked up at the force that stopped his fall and kept a firm grip on his arm.

“That was close,” Jongdae commented through his quick breathing and wide smile.

He blinked a few times as he tried to comprehend how Jongdae managed to slow down his fall. Furthermore, how the hell he managed to catch him so fast?

“Come on, you’re too heavy,” he complained whilst giggling, as he tugged Chanyeol’s arm many times.

Thoughtlessly he forced his legs to stand, aided by the smaller boy.

“Did you just run?” Chanyeol’s voice was out of tune.

“Yeah,” he shrugged and looked back.

Chanyeol followed suit and saw as Xiumin escorted Luhan away from D.O with Tao’s help.

“How did you stop me?” he wondered as he brought his attention back upon Jongdae.

“Second law of Newton, I was just faster than your fall,” he waved off as he quickly explained in a nonchalant way.

“You okay?” Lay said as he approached. “Are you hurt?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said distractedly.

“You sure?” Lay asked again.

Chanyeol didn’t pay attention. “How do you do that?” he asked to Jongdae instead. “How can you move so fast?”

“I said I was lightning,” Jongdae smiled mischievously.

A good squeeze on his was all it took for his attention to shift back to Lay.

“The hell?” he yelled as he held his buttocks.

“Not as firm,” Lay pointed out.

“What?” Chanyeol boomed as Jongdae broke into a fit of laughter.

“All well,” Lay smiled reassuringly as he waved off.

“I said I was,” Chanyeol whined, rubbing his bum.

“Oh, uh huh,” Lay nodded and chuckled along with Jongdae.

 

After recomposing himself, he proceeded to join the rest. Seizing his opportunity, he approached D.O who still was sitting on the ground, caressing the grass with his fingers.

“Need help?” Chanyeol asked as he offered his hand.

“Thanks,” the smaller boy said as he was pulled up to stand. Chanyeol noticed he still looked rather tired.

“I’m sorry about Luhan. He can be a bit… abrasive sometimes.”

“It’s okay,” D.O looked away.

“I’m sorry that we don’t have better clothes for you,” Chanyeol said a little nervous. “Will you be fine with those clothes?”

“Yes,” he immediately answered as he flapped his arms to his sides.

He looks so small with those clothes. Adorable.

“I feel rather colorful,” D.O mused.

“Really?” Chanyeol looked him down. “Even with black?”

He shrugged as he looked at the sleeves of Kai’s jacket. “At least I’m not monochromatic anymore.”

“Good point. Listen D.O, I,” he paused unsure how to start. Averting his eyes he looked down at the other’s bare feet. “You’re not wearing any shoes,” he pointed out.

D.O looked down at his feet and then looked back up at him expectantly. He crooked a brow upwards as he silently waited for the taller one to say something less obvious.

He knew he wanted to thank the other and maybe actions could be better than words. So Chanyeol followed the urge inside his chest.

“I want to take you.”

“What?” D.O looked at him oddly.

Chanyeol shook his head realizing how weird he sounded. “I mean, I want to carry you,” he corrected himself.

“Oh,” D.O rubbed his arm. “Thank you, but it’s not necessary. I, I can walk on my own. I’ll be fine.”

“You can hurt your feet walking like that and I know you’re still tired. Let me help you,” he said convincingly.

“I’ll be fine, honestly,” he said flustered.

“Look, you’re not the only who’s still exhausted,” Chanyeol pointed at Tao, the time controller had Kris helping him settle Kai onto his back. Further left was Lay helping Luhan walk by supporting his side. To the right, Sehun had his arm wrapped around Xiumin’s shoulders as they walked together. And up front Suho and Jongdae were leading the way.

“We’re a group, we help each other,” Chanyeol smiled encouragingly. “Just let me help,” he tried once more.

D.O bit his lip as he nodded, “Okay,” he said softly.

Chanyeol had to kneel on ground for D.O to easily climb onto his back. He saw Baekhyun nearing Xiumin and Sehun, and gave him a ‘thumbs up’.

“Wow! You’re so light,” he commented as he stood, holding onto the underside of D.O’s legs as the smaller boy held onto him.

“… Yeah?”

“I thought you’d be heavy as a rock, since you’re so strong,” he explained as he walked them towards the group. “But you’re just as light as you are small.”

“I’m not small,” he heard D.O mumbled near his ear. “You’re too tall.”

“You’re like an ant; tiny but strong,” he taunted some more.

“Shut up,” D.O grumbled and Chanyeol just found it amusing.

“You’re paradoxical.”

“I’ve got my arms around your neck,” he said darkly. “Keep this up and I’ll choke you.”

Chanyeol laughed at the other’s menace. Something in D.O’s voice made him know that the other wasn’t being completely serious about it, but complied nonetheless.

 

Within the shadows of the verdant forest, the sun was hidden by the canopy. Rays of light diffracted through the gaps between the leaves and branches. The day was warm, hot even, but the shadows gave solace to group as they hiked the steep mountain. Not that Chanyeol minded the heat, anyway.

The group advanced slowly, even if they didn’t feel as tired anymore the irregular ground made it difficult to walk with ease. The paths were rocky and hindered by tall plants, fallen branches and logs. The mountain was very hilly, they had to ascend the slopes and then walk down again. Up and down to move forward through the copious woods.

“Chanyeol?”

The tall boy sighed as he stopped walking for a moment.

“For the last time, no. En-oh, No,” he answered tiredly.

“But-”

“I’m not putting you down,” he stated and continued walking.

“I really have to go,” D.O insisted on his back.

“What? Go where?” he frowned.

“You know, go,” he cleared his throat, “Go pee,” he whispered.

“Oh, um,” Chanyeol turned to hide into the bushes and trees, away from the group’s sight. “I think it’ll be fine if you hide behind a bush, like here,” he stopped as he found a perfectly secluded place.

“For crying out loud, put me down,” D.O exasperated.

“Right,” Chanyeol flustered as he squatted for D.O to hop off his back.

The other staggered to the side as he tried to stand. The taller held his shoulders to keep him still.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just, sort of numb,” D.O frowned as he shook his legs awake. He took a few steps in place until he felt he could stand on his own. The smaller boy looked up at him. “Um, Chanyeol?”

“Yeah?”

“I little privacy?”

“Right.”

Damn, that was awkward.

 

Further away now, Chanyeol spotted a tall shrub with beautiful pink flowers –they were Roses of Sharon. Trumpet shaped with alternate oval petals opening like a star. The stamens at the center of the hibiscus flower were white with yellow tips covered in pollen. The quintet petals were light pink with dark fuchsia in the center, strikes of the darker pink spread outwards from the middle. Chanyeol reached forward and felt the smooth petal between his fingers.

“So soft,” he said to himself.

“They’re pretty,” he heard D.O say behind him.

“Yes,” Chanyeol smiled as he felt the softness of the flower. “It feels surreal,” he breathed in contently. “It feels surreal to be out here. I keep thinking that any moment Mama will appear to take us back.” He turned to face the shorter, “I’m so happy but at the same time it’s hard to believe that we’re free.”

“Yeah,” D.O said lowly. “It’s like it’s not real,” he said looking down at his hands.

Chanyeol forced a laugh to lighten up the mood. “Of course it’s real,” he said lively as he swung his arm down to hold onto D.O’s hand in order to gain his attention. “Thanks to you, that is. Without you we wouldn’t be here.”

“You’re right,” he said dryly. “We’re here because of me,” D.O smiled, but Chanyeol felt the emotion didn’t reach his eyes.

“We should go,” he suggested instead. Unsure of how else to interact with D.O’s odd side. He bent down for him. “Hop on,” he ordered.

“No. Seriously Chanyeol, I can walk,” he desisted.

“Not an option. No shoes, no walking,” he said with determination.

“Come on, I’ll be fine,” he insisted. “I’m not that tired anymore,” D.O tried to walk past him, but Chanyeol grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Ah, but you are tired,” the fire bender pointed out. “I want to help. Why are you so reluctant towards receiving help?”

“You don’t even know me,” he said looking down.

Something about D.O trying to fend for himself stirred uneasiness in Chanyeol. It made him think that the other was so used to being alone, that he didn’t even know how to let others help him.

“You barely know us and yet you helped us out,” Chanyeol said empathically, trying to get the other to feel more comfortable.

“That was different,” D.O said softly, looking up at him from under his dark bangs.

“How so?”

“I… I kind of did know you,” he admitted.

“What?” Chanyeol stepped closer.

“She told me who you were,” D.O explained.

“Mama did?” Chanyeol questioned.

“Yes, it was to gain time for the… trial. Look Chanyeol, how about you take a small break?” He tried to persuade.

“Why don’t you want me to help you? What did Kai do to get you to trust him so quickly? Huh?” Chanyeol challenged.

“He’s too kind,” D.O nearly whispered, as he looked down at the ground ashamed.

Chanyeol sighed exasperatedly. “You’re not alone anymore, D.O,” said boy looked up surprised. “You don’t have to keep fending for yourself. We’re a group and we trust each other, we trust you. So quit complaining and hop on,” he reprimanded

“Fine,” D.O said defeated.

A smug smile replaced his face, as D.O complied. Silently he walked back towards the cleared path to join the group. They had advanced quite a bit since their detour. He felt the boy on his back rest his head on his shoulder.

“Looks like they’re having fun,” D.O commented.

Chanyeol looked to his right, further in front. As D.O said the others were exploring within a safe distance –apart from Kris, who was carrying Kai, Suho and Lay with Luhan who walked rather slowly. They were slightly away from the path, as they looked between the trees and played around with flowers and berries. There were many plum trees, though the fruit wasn’t ripe yet. Either way, they were ecstatic to find a real food, instead of the nutritional bars they always fed off of.

Chanyeol did want to join the fun. The sole idea of being able to walk freely around the forest without worrying about a bogger jumping at you was reason enough for him to want to explore the verdant grounds.

“Wouldn’t it be more fun to hang out with them, than to be stuck with me,” D.O asked lowly.

“Stop,” Chanyeol warned.

Chanyeol was mulling over the idea of nagging D.O again about comradeship, or better yet, get Suho to sermon on his behalf, until he felt D.O rest his head against his shoulder again. But there was something different this time. Chanyeol felt very soft and smooth skin touch a small part of his exposed neck. Warm breaths feathered against his skin and it made him feel an inticing shiver run down his body.

“Never mind,” he felt D.O’s lips graze against his skin as he spoke. “Forget I said that.”

Chanyeol said nothing in return, his mind was too distracted with the foreign feeling of soft plump lips against his skin –even if it were accidental. The touch made something spark inside of him; a warmth building inside his chest.

“Hey guys!”

Shifting his attention to his right, he saw Baekhyun approach them with something red in his hands.

“Hey,” Chanyeol greeted back.

“We found wild strawberries,” Baekhyun announced as he showed them the said fruit in his hands. “Want some?”

“Hell yeah,” Chanyeol beamed.

“Umm,” Baekhyun looked at him quixotically. “Should I feed you?” he suggested, noting that Chanyeol’s hands were holding D.O’s legs.

“I can do it,” D.O answered instead and received three strawberries. He held onto Chanyeol’s neck carefully with the forearm of the hand holding the fruit, as he used his free hand to feed the other.

“They’re delicious,” Chanyeol commented joyously after devouring the second one. “You should try one too, D.O.”

“Yeah, try one,” Baekhyun chipped in as he munched off another succulent fruit.

“I’m fine,” D.O desisted as he fed Chanyeol the last one.

“Oh, don’t be such a killjoy,” Baekhyun complained. “Your weird glare is somber enough to ruin any mood.” Baekhyun reached up to hand him the last strawberry he had. “Just have a taste, will you.”

“Fine,” he heard D.O growl.

Chanyeol chuckled as he pictured D.O glaring at Baekhyun’s loud boldness.  

“So?” Baekhyun wiggled his eyebrows as he tiptoed to be closer to D.O’s level. “What’s the verdict?”

“It’s… nice.”

“Nice? Just nice?” Baekhyun insisted.

“I guess,” D.O mumbled.

“Geez, why did I even bother asking in the first place?” Baekhyun said dramatically, making Chanyeol laugh.

“Shut up,” D.O grumbled and hid his head behind Chanyeol’s broad shoulder.

 

They kept their pace as the forest began to clear off of the tall trees and they crossed to the northwest side of the valley. The sky had slightly darkened as the sun began its slow descent throughout the late afternoon.

 

“Baekhyun?”

“Hmm?”

“Did he fall asleep?”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun answered without looking up.

“Damn, he fell asleep so quickly,” Chanyeol commented as he noticed D.O’s body had gone limp for a while.

“It was expected,” Baekhyun shrugged. “Kai was worried he hadn’t rested. So he and Tao spiked the strawberry with something he had.”

“Must’ve been his tea mix,” Chanyeol thought aloud.

“You seem to be getting along with everyone well,” Chanyeol commented to Baekhyun, who had trailed next to them. “You’re adapting quite well.”

“It’s not like I have much of a choice,” Baekhyun ruffled his hair backwards. “I’m stuck with you guys anyway.”

“Is that bad?” Chanyeol asked feeling slightly offended.

“No,” he looked up at him with a broad smile. “Not at all.”

 

“The river!” He heard Xiumin yell.

Looking towards the direction the cold boy pointed at, he saw towards the lower part of the valley was a small creek. And surrounding the green prairie were beautiful vibrant Royal Azaleas. The bright roseate flowers abounded the vastness of the bumpy valley.

 

Pants rolled up and feet in the water. The boys enjoyed the freshness cool them off.

Kai sat at the shore with D.O sleeping next to him, resting his head on his lap. Luhan was reluctant to participate as well as Kris. And Jongdae was prohibited from entering the water, much to the lightning boy’s dismay.

Suho had walked upstream with ease –he never slipped on the algae covered rocks. He went off to explore for any sign of civilization as the rest of the gang stayed to play in the water, as if they were playing in the lake back at the underground dome.

Chanyeol was ecstatic playing in the river, joining the water splashing war with the rest. He teamed up with Sehun and Baekhyun to gang up against Tao. Annoyed from getting all wet, Tao stomped out of the creek to sit next to Kris.

Next up was an attack towards Lay and Xiumin, but the other pair was prepared to fight back. Pretty soon everyone was against everyone as they mercilessly splashed water at each other.

“Stop, Stop please,” Baekhyun begged through giggles as he covered his face. “Seriously Chanyeol, I’ve got something in my eye.”

Deciding to believe the other, Chanyeol ceased his attacks. Seeing the other struggle with whatever bothered his eye, Chanyeol walked up to his and cupped Baekhyun’s face with his hands.

“Look up,” he ordered as he examined Baekhyun’s reddened eye. He spotted a loose eyelash poking into his eye and, as careful as possible; he removed the pestering lash without touching Baekhyun’s eye.

“All gone,” he announced proudly.

“Thanks,” Baekhyun smiled whilst squinting his irritated eye.

Chanyeol felt so fond of him at the moment, that he thought it was appropriate to comb Baekhyun’s drenched hair backwards. The smaller boy looked at him confused, but smiled anyway.

 

“There’s a town further upstream,” Suho said as he returned to the river bank. “D.O was right,” he admitted.

“Did you see anyone?” Sehun asked.

“No, I didn’t get close.” He replied.

“Let’s go before the sun sets,” Kris said as he stood up from the grass.

 

And they did. The closer they got to the town, the more they realized how deteriorated it was. The closer they were, the stranger it seemed.

And when they encountered a lady at the street, they never expected the words she pronounced. Never in their wildest imagination would they have thought of such sentence.

“They’re here,” she said baffled.

 

  

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A/N: Hey guys. I'm sorry it took so long to update, I never intended for a whole month to pass by. I've been very busy lately with exams and assigments, and I didn't manage my free time well enough to finish this chapter sooner. I hope this chapter isn't dissapointing for all the wait. 

Oh and sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger *evil laugh*

Thanks to Beansprout11, BlAsian, WolfValerie and Kriskyu9 for subsrcring to my story.

I wish you all a great week and a fun weekened.

Annyeong!

-Blackie.