Be the Light

14. The Stars

TW: mild blood play at the end of the chapter, it's a bit disgusting

*****

Although they couldn't wait to climb up on the roof and spread out, Yunho showed them the safest route up onto the flat concrete building. Wooyoung stood on a windowsill on the third floor for a few minutes, handing bags from below to Yunho above. The sun bore down on him to heat his dark hair and somehow, the same tasks he did without effort before had become so taxing under its insistent light. As soon as the last bag found its way into Yunho's hands, Wooyoung groaned with relief. 

When Yeosang guided Mingi to the window, Yunho swung down to stand by Wooyoung's side. The trader leaned into the gap between them and, though he made a face at the pain, it was quickly washed away by the never-ending awe for the sky. It just hovered behind them now, darkening with the time of day as the sun disappeared to blush the blue in pinks and oranges.

Seonghwa assured them the sun would be back for the next day and though his explanations sounded lunatic, Wooyoung got used to that quirk. Now that the world looked this peculiar, none of their explanations applied anymore. 

"Here you go, grab the ledge," Yunho instructed Mingi once he squeezed between them. Together, they lifted him up and, with a groan, Mingi rolled onto the rooftop. He lay there, panting, until Jongho and Yeosang clambered up after him. While they fretted over their cursing trader, Hongjoong hovered in the window uncertainly. The two men standing above him intimidated him, but he was also curious to follow the group.

"You want to join? We are looking at the sky again," Wooyoung offered. He held out his hand and Hongjoong glanced back at the computer room. Seonghwa had closed the doors for his safety, though the facility remained ghostly silent. Since he couldn't return to his infatuation, Hongjoong rather stuck to the rest. Although their first day with him was chaotic, he seemed pleased they didn't hurt him.

Hongjoong was so light Wooyoung could have lifted him himself. When they flung him up, he toppled over from his momentum, but Yunho came after him in time to make sure he didn't fall on his face. 

Once Wooyoung joined, they spread out their blankets and mats on the roof. Jongho sat down first, and everyone willfully ignored his leg and its festering wound. It was a concern for tomorrow. Today, they wanted to celebrate the breathtaking success of Seonghwa's win.

Mingi cushioned his head on Jongho's thighs and mindless fingers massaged his scalp while the others got comfortable. They spread out snacks and drinks to replenish their strength, and Yunho opened his last bag of nuts and raisins to share with everyone. Wooyoung purposefully took the nuts he knew Yunho liked least and left those he liked most. When Yunho caught him, he sent a blinding grin.

With the night, the air cooled, so everyone tucked into their jackets and looked up into the dim twilight of the sky.

"Maybe we should make a fire," Yeosang suggested, concerned for his patients. Somehow, without the clouds covering the sky, the air felt colder and goosebumps danced across Wooyoung's arms.

"Wait a while longer," Seonghwa advised them from the speaker nearby. "It will be prettier this way."

In breathless anticipation, Wooyoung stared up. He didn't know what he was searching for, only that its vast expense seemed to swallow him whenever he angled his head. 

Everyone fell silent as they stared in mutual wonder. Wooyoung and Yunho sat shoulder to shoulder and their anticipation had them tremble. Would there truly be stars? Would they shine in the night and sparkle against the dark sky? Were all those stories of the old world accurate?

Wooyoung didn't know how to react, now that he made it here. Yunho and he joked about this for so many years, gritting through every day by deluding themselves there was something bigger out there.