Chanyeol felt his heart pound against his ribcage as he watched Baekhyun let out a laugh as he lifted him from the floor of the boat, aiding him in his journey off the vessel. The moment Baekhyun's feet touched the hard wooden decking of the harbour Chanyeol was finally able to take a breath, the past couple seconds of his life were spent in slow-mo. Baekhyun's laughter was so beautiful that the photographer found himself wanting to hear it again, desperate to hear it again.

"I had so much fun today!" Baekhyun cheered pulling his arms down from the latter's shoulders and resting them against the boy's arms, his eyes widened as he naturally squeezed -feeling just how strong the boy before him arms were. Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun's face flushed in a pale pink blush coating the apple of his cute slightly chubby cheeks. 

The atmosphere surrounding them gradually got a little more tense in Chanyeol's opinion, his attention focused solely on his arms being around the latter's waist and Baekhyun's hands tightening against his biceps. Taking a deep breath to ground himself in the moment rather than what was going on in his mind, Chanyeol gently pulled himself away, not too quickly to spark a negative outcome from the newbie but just enough to make it seem natural. 

"I guess we better find your friend now, you'll have to leave soon right?" Baekhyun dipped his head in disappointment, his lips pressed into a thin line as he nodded his head. "I don't want to be the reason behind you leaving the island without accomplishing the thing that you came here to do." 

"I'm sorry about my situation Chanyeol, I wish we could spend more time together but I'd appreciate it if you stayed with me while I talked with my friend? Maybe we could fit in some extra time together before I have to leave?" 

"I'd like that" Chanyeol admitted, his cheeks lifting as a grin formed on his lips. "you just have to tell me the name of your friend and we'll work from there!" 

"Great!" Baekhyun giggled, taking the initiative and leading the way back to the harbour entrance. Chanyeol followed him close behind a wide smile on his lips as he watched the latter walk with a skip in his step. "My friend's name is Suho, he's a bit uptight but super sweet." 

Chanyeol let out a laugh once his steps matched Baekhyun's, the boy glanced up at him in confusion, a brow raised as he awaited for the photographer to explain his sudden gleeful outburst. He didn't need to wait long since Chanyeol automatically tried to explain through his giggles. 

"I know him" he finally managed to say after taking multiple false starts and breaths of air, which he quickly realised may have made him look like an idiot in the newbie's eyes. "he's actually dating my best friend, it's funny how small this world is." 

"He's dating your best friend?" Baekhyun wondered, he sounded generally interested in the topic. "I wasn't aware, how long have they been dating?" 

"Almost ten months now I think," Chanyeol considered for a moment before changing his mind again knowing how infatuated his best friend had been on the elder when he arrived on the island. "it might actually be eleven I'm not too sure." 

"Suho left our community a year ago, they got together quite quick don't you think?" 

"Well I mean, when it comes to love sometimes the mere meeting of one's gaze could be enough to tell that you'll both be together for the rest of your life.." Chanyeol rhymed off the words that somehow managed to stick in his memory from when Sehun told him about his fascination in the new boy on the island. The boy was a literature student and his words really made no sense any other time but since he was Chanyeol's best friend the poor boy just had to listen to his endless rambles, besides Chanyeol found himself finding something else to do whenever his friend was talking so it was fine. "or so says the guy your friend is dating." 

There it was again. 

The beautiful melodic laughter rung in his ears once again making his heart thump harshly against his chest, the sound was so mesmerizing that it caused Chanyeol to literally stop in his tracks, his action caused Baekhyun to halt in his own steps. He didn't look that surprised by Chanyeol's reaction, in fact he instantly looked down to the ground like he was ashamed of a natural occurrence. 

Suddenly getting overwhelmed with the feeling that the boy was very self-conscious about his laugh, Chanyeol stepped closer and gently coaxed his fingers through the latter's. "Would you believe me if I said that I only stopped because I wanted to get a good look at you before you leave me here all alone on this island, or is that as y as it sounded because it went a lot better in my head-" 

A pair of lips pressing against his cheek had Chanyeol's brain momentarily malfunctioning, his jaw dropped as he watched through wide eyes as Baekhyun tightened their interlocked fingers and began pulling him along until they reached the village. 

Chanyeol was quickly made aware of how strange the sight of him being pulled through the town by a tourist seemed and the fact that he looked like a deer caught in highlights didn't help him either. He quickened his steps which would allow him to walk next to Baekhyun rather than behind him, however his mind still hadn't fully understood what happened therefore the wide deer highlighted eyes remained. 

"As much as I would love to continue dragging your cute through your childhood village I have no idea where Suho and your best friend are at the moment and judging by the really dark clouds circling the sky right now I have a feeling it's going to start raining heavily really soon." Baekhyun huffed, turning his glance to the sky as he stopped by the town fountain. 

Chanyeol always had admired the formation of the stone structure because it was one of the few things he was able to keep his focus on, the others being his father's artwork in the library and a couple of his mother's lengthy bickerings about patients or coworkers from the hospital. The fountain was a classic three tier fountain decorated with different fish that spluttered water from all angles. 

"Chances are that Sehun was working with his father at the market place this morning since they were scheduled another load of fruit from the mainland, Suho stayed over last night due to the party and I know how crazy he gets for strawberries so I'm assuming that we went to Sehun to get some. Suho loves eating those strawberries in the library on top of the hill and if Sehun's father had anything to do with it he sent his son after him a little while later." Chanyeol blurted, surprising himself that he knew so much about his friend's lives. Although he simply had no idea where Jongin was after last night, Chanyeol expected his friend to be in some stranger's house still sleeping off his hangover but he didn't allow it to cloud his thoughts.

"Then you would bet your money on finding them at the library huh?" Baekhyun teased, his eyes sparkling as he stared up at the photographer whose cheeks were the reddest he had ever seen them in all the hours they've spent together.  

"Yep!" Chanyeol shrieked clearly embarrassed by his red cheeks since his hands pressed against them hoping that his cool temperate palms would somehow relax the burning. Baekhyun let out a laugh as the photographer took it upon himself to lead the way, walking just ahead of the boy. 

On their way up the hill towards the library (Baekhyun assumed since he hadn't gone that far into the village before) Chanyeol had noticed how dark and terrifying the clouds looked, the natural sailor within him panicked at the sight of the clouds and the looming thought of a powerful storm following them close behind. Naturally Chanyeol's steps slowed until Baekhyun was by his side again, his fingers reached out and curled through the smaller's holding him tight as they dark clouds continued their advance towards the island. 

Baekhyun would have internally screamed at the  way Chanyeol's hand would seek his out, however like the latter his gaze was locked on the sky. He nervously nibbled on his lower lip praying that his father would stay true to his time limit and not blow his fuse so early, knowing how impatient he could be whenever his children were involved. Frustration was building up in Baekhyun's chest his heart pounding against his chest as his hand unintentionally tightened around Chanyeol's, the photographer's face constricting in pain before realising how unsteady the latter's steps had become. 

 "Hey are you okay?" he gently asked, pressing his spare forefinger against the boy's chin coaxing Baekhyun to look back at him and not the sky. The poor boy looked terrified, his eyes wide and his lower lip bleeding for biting at it too harshly. "What's wrong?" 

"I guess I'm just scared of storms," Baekhyun laughed although Chanyeol had been around his mother long enough to know the difference between a genuine laugh and something forced, he knew Baekhyun was lying but he didn't want to say anything that would cost him the past couple hours they had spent together building on their friendship. "it's a childhood thing I haven't outgrown just yet." 

"I see" he agreed to play along, looking the boy in the eye. Baekhyun shivered beneath the latter's gaze causing Chanyeol to hold him closer thinking the boy was freezing with the sudden change in the temperature of the air around them, since they were now standing above the village. "let's get you into the library before the rains hit then hmm?" 

Baekhyun merely nodded his head, too lost in his thoughts to form any knowledgeable words. Chanyeol used their linked fingers to his advantage, he pulled the boy closer before wrapping his arm around the boy's waist which would have aided him in bringing Baekhyun into the library rather than dragging him in like he originally planned to do. 

The library was a warm and welcoming place that caused the tension in Baekhyun's shoulders to be lifted, he let out a sigh and allowed his body to lean against Chanyeol's as the photographer continued leading them both in the direction of Suho's common known resting place. The boy had an interest in animals therefore Chanyeol was able to locate him in the animal encyclopedia section when he and Sehun had a fight two months into their relationship, it was an awkward time for Chanyeol but he admitted to the couple that he was fine with their strange relationship. 

"Oh Chanyeol what are you doing here, I thought you finished up your assignments for next week?" Suho's motherly voice rang through the air forcing both of the boys to turn towards the bookshelves filled with books relating to tropical storms? "Who do you have there because he looks exactly like-" 

"Suho-hyung?" Baekhyun whispered, his voice cracking as he pushed himself away from Chanyeol's side and leaped in the direction of his friend, the photographer only wishing that he had his camera. 

"What's going on over here?" Sehun questioned appearing behind Chanyeol with a plastic bag of strawberries in hand. "Chanyeol? Dude do you have ears?!" 

"I feel like this is a trick question dude.." 

"He called you earlier while he was at the stall and you clearly didn't hear him otherwise you would have answered him but Sehun thinks you deliberately ignored him." Suho explained even though he was tightly holding Baekhyun close to his chest, the two of them embracing like they had to deal without the other for over five years rather than just one. 

Chanyeol tore his eyes away from the happy scene to glare at his best friend who had suddenly began scratching the back of his nape in nerves, his stupid goofy smile causing Chanyeol to roll his eyes. "Dude, I didn't hear you call for me." 

"Yeah I figured that.." Sehun admitted his voice low as he looked up at his friend through his long eyelashes. "Sorry." 

"We'll give you both some privacy." Chanyeol announced to the two embracing boys, Baekhyun pulling away from the hug to nod in his direction. Chanyeol responded with a smile before gripping Sehun by the collar of his shirt and pulling him out of the tropical storm section (that he didn't even know the library had). 

"Did you see the storm brewing outside?" Sehun asked once the two of them had seated themselves down at one of the tables between the bookcases, Chanyeol got himself comfortable unaware of how long the two boys would need to talk. 

"The darkest clouds I've ever seen," Chanyeol agreed with a nod of his head, he noticed how disheveled his best friend's clothing looked but decided that he'd save himself the embarrassment by not saying anything just in case. "a storm is definitely on it's way. I just find it hard to believe that the weather station hasn't reported it." 

"They haven't?"

Chanyeol noticed the sudden panicked look flashing through his best friend's iris', he didn't get enough time to question it since Sehun abruptly stood up and rushed back into the bookcases searching for his boyfriend and Baekhyun. Chanyeol wanted to follow him, he really did but something was forcing him to stay seated in his seat. 

A pull forced him to gaze up at the ceiling of the library, another one of his father's artworks staring back at him. The building's ceiling was long as it covered a wide expanse of space therefore it was the perfect canvas to paint a marvelous night sky. Chanyeol recalled various memories of arriving at the library with his mother all those years ago to visit his father who had so generously given up his time and effort to produce the masterpiece for free. 

"But Daddy why are you painting the night sky?" Chanyeol wondered blinking up at his father who was chuckling on top of the ladder.  

"Because" his father droned on with a proud smile on his face, leaving behind his work to step down the ladder until he reached his son. "one day you're going to look up at this and realise how important it's going to be in your future-" 

"Honey." Chanyeol's mother warned him with her wide eyes begging him through her stare for him to keep his mouth shut. 

"Look sweetheart" his father paused, bending down onto his knees so he was eyelevel with his son. "One day, in the far future you're going to realise that you have a very important role to play in the world. What I'm creating here right now is going to help you in your journey. But you don't need to worry about that right now because I'm still here by your side, right buddy?" 

"Hey, are you okay?" A single finger swiped against his cheek forcing Chanyeol to refocus on the world around him and not on the memories coursing through his brain, his head was still tilted towards the ceiling of the library but instead of seeing stars he saw Baekhyun looking down at him in worry. "You're crying.." 

"Oh it's nothing!" The photographer gushed, sitting up and wiping the left over tears he didn't even realise had been released. He noticed that his two close friends were no where to be found and before he could comment on it Baekhyun pulled out the seat next to him. 

"That wasn't nothing, you were spacing out. What happened?" 

"My dad" Chanyeol breathed out through a cough, feeling a wave of chills flow through his body forcing his arms to wrap against his chest in hope of feeling some warmth. "he finished painting the ceiling of this place when I was four or five, numbers kind of get fuzzy in my head from time to time." 

Baekhyun let out a gasp as he stared upward, his eyes going wide as he viewed the so called master-piece that Chanyeol's father created. The piece was beautiful and even though it appeared to be a simple black background with just a bunch of white dots covering the surface Baekhyun couldn't deny it's beauty. "It's beautiful Chanyeol, you must be really proud." 

The more Baekhyun stared at the painting the more he noticed, his eyes were able to join the stars and create various images. As his eyes travelled down the painting, he couldn't help but notice a bunch of symbols that he quickly noticed were written in Greek. 

Ο κόσμος θα οδηγήσει το δρόμο

"The cosmos will lead the way," Chanyeol read it out loud like it had been written in English or Korean, the only two languages taught on the island. At the sight of Baekhyun's shocked expression, Chanyeol felt his cheeks heat up and his gaze fell on the table. "I can read Greek.." 

"No !" The newbie laughed, hitting the latter against his bicep meaning to cause harm but inflicting none. "That is incredible Chanyeol, when did you learn?" 

"I haven't" the boy admitted, side glancing the pink head. "I've just always been able to read it." 

"You haven't thought that strange?" 

"Strange is just a usual occurrence in my life," Chanyeol laughed, keeping in mind to keep it quiet after all they were in a library. "I don't think there is anything that could truly surprise me anymore." 

"We need to leave right now!" Suho shouted, appearing from the aisles of bookcases looking as pale as a sheet of paper, Sehun was following him close behind looking as if he had just seen a ghost. 

"Why are you shouting this is a library!" Chanyeol hissed, failing to catch the seriousness of the situation. "Have you completely lost your mind?" 

"Chanyeol we need to leave, now!" Sehun said his body shaking as he forced his best friend from his seat, Baekhyun having already stood at Suho's command. 

"I'm so confused right now, what on earth is happening?" 

A loud scream rung through the building making the photographer's eyes go wide, the bookcases were falling like dominoes hitting into each other in a line until they fell back to reveal something that looked like it had just crawled out of one of Chanyeol's nightmares. 

A large muscular creature stood up from the collapsed bookcases snarling and groaning as it's hollow eye stared at their group, Chanyeol repeatedly blinked his eyes in confusion. The creature appeared to be human with it's legs and arms, a manly torso and an average sized head however the only things that made it different was the one eye in the centre of it's forehead and it way taller than your average human. 

"I stand corrected" he blurted, his voice a little higher than what he considered natural. "I am very easily surprised right now." 

"Time to leave!" Suho screamed, pushing his boyfriend in the direction of the library's entrance. Sehun's thin frame complying easily to his boyfriend's push although their efforts went to dust when Chanyeol wasn't easily pushed into running, instead the boy found his ground eyes locked with the monster who was loudly sniffing the air like he wasn't able to rely on his sight alone. 

"What in the hell is that thing?" Chanyeol wondered, his question directed at no one in particular. He turned his head to look at Baekhyun whose fingers had once again wrapped around his bicep, he looked as terrified as he did when they were outside the library gazing at the dark clouds. 

"It's a cyclops and we need to go.."