HE DIDN'T KNOW WHY BUT HIS FACE FLARED WITH A GIDDY GRIN. Just earlier this morning, he had himself woken up before the sun even rose from its long slumber. Excitement seemed to overload his thoughts and electrify his thoughts that his sleepiness didn't get the best of it. His mother was also in shocked, rightfully guessing that he had another date with the same lad from before.

Renjun didn't want to admit and just went along the elder women, helping her with cutting the large onions and broccoli. It was supposed to be his second date with Chenle, after the one they had around three days ago, but a little lad was just desperate to tag along. Eugene was the one that came in the picture, and Renjun couldn't ignore that. After all, it had been a while since he saw the small first grader.

That all led to where he was now, in the Zhong's fortune household, sat on one of the deluxe leather couches. He was clearly nervous. This was the first time he's meeting Chenle after his indirect confession, can he even call it a confession? And the past three empty days, Jaemin was there to accompany him, while Chenle had fun in his last moments with his football team. That didn't stop the latter from sending sweet morning and good night messages. He couldn't stop thinking on how embarrassment took over him whenever he felt a vibration from his phone.

To add to his humiliation, he wasn't alone in the living room. Oh no, Ms. Yu wasn't the one to accompany him while Chenle and Eugene got ready. Rather, the mistress herself, sharing a lovely cup of green tea complimented with stunning sugar cookies.

She was so lovely, just as Renjun thought. Mrs. Zhong was very much like Chenle, having her loose lips spill out anything he wouldn't have been brave to ask for. She even apologised to her son's weird behaviour to which Renjun shrugged of saying he wouldn't have met Chenle if it wasn't for his abnormal decisions. Of course, she looked ageing, but the fact that her sense of fashion seemed super elegant and pretty much soft in Renjun's eyes made her look young at heart.

"Thank you so much for adoring my son," She said, quite suddenly as the tea cup in his hand furthered away from her lips. "It's been a while since I saw him this bright and excited from him." 

Renjun cheeks flared even more, just timidly smiling at the mother.

"I hope you won't get too shocked by Chenle's naïve personality from time to time," Mrs. Zhong cleared, "He's just not the one with much experience."

"I don't mind it much," He mumbled to his hot drink, "I enjoy taking it slowly but not losing it,"

The aging women simpered, "You should really come over for dinner sometime."

A long trail of loud stomping echoed through the marble walls followed by a high pitched screech that seemed to pierce his ears. Renjun flashed his eyes to the spiral staircase, Eugene was speeding down each steps, only to get scolded by the black haired male that was behind him. The small latter didn't seem to care, as he hopped from the second last step and landed on the bottom floor, and when his eyes landed on the soon to be graduate on the couch, he squealed and raced away with his short legs.

Latching himself to Renjun's waist, and nuzzling his nose on the elder's stomach, Eugene let out a squeal of bliss. The elder couldn't hold himself back and engulfed the kid, he missed him a lot even if it was just a few weeks, Renjun was used to his bubbly presence.

Chenle, who had just reached the bottom of the staircase couldn't help but let out a guffawed laugh. And to his luck, he didn't miss his mother's eyes, gleaming unbearably with sparks, as if hundreds of stars had fit behind her thin lenses. Catching herself out of her thoughts, she looked at her son with a buoyant simper.

The jet black haired nodded. He's the one making Eugene want to stay with us, he's the one that convinced Eugene that his mother still loved him. Renjun was Eugene home. He remembered how those words struck his mother just a few months back.

"Since we're all ready, who want to see the stingrays?"

Eugene didn't held back any of his excitement and climbed Renjun's back, "Me!"

Maybe it was because of Eugene. For the past two hours of them roaming around the enormous aquarium, the youngster just couldn't stop bursting into screeches of excitement and pure glee. Every time they encountered a sea creature that Eugene knew about he wouldn't hold back and spit every single fact he knew about the creature. But from time to time, he would just let his eyes droop, jaw dropped to his feet while he pressed his cheeks on the glass wall and just stare in amusement. Chenle would then be too busy chasing after the younger that Renjun seemed a bit mute.

Or maybe it was because of Chenle himself. He was never the best at splitting his attention, and he really had to watch over the youngest. The place was pretty dark, and the only source of light would be from the small display tank as well as the blue light that turned their white bright, almost neon that he couldn't catch most of Renjun's activities, other than whenever Eugene pulls him to see the starfishes that sat comfortably on their rock beds.

Or maybe it was just Renjun himself