BALANCE || Hyunlix

Chapter 18 - Home

It was still dark outside when the annoying sound of the phone alarm echoed through the living room. The silver haired boy, who had been sleeping soundly on the sofa, grunted in frustration and tried to ignore the alarm for a while longer by burrowing deeper under the covers. Finally, he forced himself to stand up and shook a little as he felt a sudden cold. He squinted his eyes around the dark apartment, blindly searching for the light switch.

He was the first to get up, even though he and Chan had promised to get up at the same time. He decided to check on his friend so they could leave on time. First, he gently knocked on the door of Chan's room and when he heard no sound coming from inside, he decided to enter. He laughed softly at the sight so as not to wake Changbin who was sleeping in the next bedroom.

"Are you awake?" He asked in English between laughs.

Chan was lying motionless in bed like a corpse, only his face peeking out from the covers, his swollen eyes were fixed on the screen of his phone, which was attached above his head with some kind of holder, and he blinked slowly. Like he hadn't slept all night.

"Yeah." He muttered softly back and finally moved.

Felix decided to make a quick breakfast while Chan tried to wake up in the shower. He was pleased when Changbin also joined the breakfast, wanting to say goodbye to the boys this way.

"Will you miss him?" Felix asked Changbin that was watching his roommate. Changbin preferred not to speak until he saw Chan drink his coffee, it was very risky to inadvertently upset him in the morning. So he waited with his answer.

"Are you crazy? I am happy that I will finally have the apartment to myself. Plus, I'll see my family." Changbin said with a sneer, but when he later said goodbye to the Australian bros at the door, he hugged Chan tightly, saying, "Keep texting me and send a lot of pictures, Channie!"

A taxi was already waiting downstairs for Felix and Chan to take them to the airport. Felix let his older friend to lead the way because he had extensive experience traveling between Korea and Australia. Chan, on the other hand, was careful so his little friend didn't get lost somewhere. They really became a family in that short time. Felix looked up to Chan as an older brother who knew what he was doing, while Chan looked after Felix as his little brother to keep him safe.

They were both relieved when they found their flight, passed security without any problems, and now they were just killing the remaining time by browsing the shops. Both of them had already bought some gifts for their families, but Felix couldn't resist spending some more money on souvenirs and Chan was more than happy to help him. As they both sat and waited for the last few minutes to pass before the gate would be opened for them, great joy overwhelmed them. They really are going home.

***

Meanwhile, in the half-empty dormitory of the Academy of Performing Arts, the brunette was slowly waking up to the sunny morning. He didn't set an alarm and was glad to get a good night's sleep after a long and stressful period. He sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes. The second bed was already abandoned and made. Jisung also went home early in the morning. He would be lying if he wasn't a little sorry that he couldn't say goodbye to him properly. The morning without him was different, suspiciously calm and quiet. Hyunjin didn't experience that for a long time, but in a way, he was able to enjoy it. Finally, no morning fights and Jisung's inappropriate jokes when he's not in the mood.

Even so, he smiled as he read the short note Jisung left for him on a sticky note on the nightstand.

Hi Jiniret, (Jinnie + ferret, smart huh? Because you're so long and lanky, get it? That's what you get for calling me a squirrel.),

I hope you don't get bored without me. Why lie to ourselves? It's clear to me that you don't know what to do with your life now that I'm not in it. <3 enjoy your Christmas and text me!