"We are here. Get down." Ythan parked his two-wheelers beside a boulder on the cliff. He took his bag and waited for the kitten and puppy to follow him.

With a few things still bothering his mind, Zach nonchalantly rode off the bike. He picked up his sleeping Little D from the basket and woke him up gently by removing his helmet and scratching his flaccid ears.

As soon as the puppy felt Zach's small hands, his eyes shot open. He wagged his tail together with his tongue, and his whiskers seemed to jive along an invisible rhythm. The enthusiasm overflowing from his soul gradually affected Zach.

Ythan shook his head as the scene unfolded in front of him. He plucked Zach's bike and put it beside his own.

Zach was about to express his gratitude when he remembered Ythan's words. Don't feel too grateful if you know you deserve it. He pondered it, reflecting the things the young master had done for him. Do I really deserve Ythan's kindness?

Little D struggled to get down from Zach's grasp. When his pseudo-mother released him, he scooted to his pseudo-father who nestled down on the cliff's eroded portion.

Knowing what his puppy wanted, Ythan acquired Little D's favorite food and fed him. Six beef jerkies magically disappeared on the ground in one minute. "You've developed quite an appetite." He rubbed Little D's belly, eyes searching for the little kitten.

Behind the boulder, Zach was crouching. He shoved ten packs of biscuits down to his throat, as the sound of thunder rumbled in his stomach. He was hiding from the young master's sight, embarrassed of such special talent he and Sabrina cultivated.

However, the crunch Zach produced while chomping the crackers rambled within Ythan's earshot. The young master looked at Zach's delicate back then at Little D's protruding belly. "Now I know where you acquired such appetite." He smirked.

After Zach chugged down a bottle of water, he burped like a mosquito. He sashayed toward Ythan with a renewed spirit and a satisfied tummy.

"I'm ready!" he announced. "What should I do first? The egg, the cube, or the exercises? I think I need to do the egg first. Yesterday was an achievement, right? The egg spun for two seconds, and I managed to hold it for three seconds more. I was able to do twelve squats, eight push-ups, and plank for twenty seconds. And oh gosh, the cube. I don't know what to do with it, but I'll still do my very bes—"

"Stop babbling and sit beside me first," Ythan interrupted with a stoic face. Though inside his heart, he found Zach's stuttering, flustering, and babbling cute and disarming.

"O-okay," Zach stammered after hearing such remark. It pushed Ythan's cold heart to its melting point.

"Zach." Ythan pointed the blue horizons in front of them. "What do you see?"

Zach never noticed it before, but now, he could view it a little clearer.

He squinted, as a thin line separating the sea from the sky appeared in his vision. Five faint colors were curving and hanging on the heaven. The cold air caressed his face, as a whiff of saltwater breezed into his nose. The melody of the waves crashing against the stones slowly washed out his tension. "This place is beautiful." He smiled, indulging himself in this rare scenery.

After a few meaningful moments, Ythan replied, "Yes, it is." He straightened his legs and leaned back on his shoulders. "Take this moment to loosen up. Rest is one activity I forgot to include." He sucked in a breath of fresh air and continued, "It will take place here."

Together with Little D, whose ears flapped along with the wind, Zach closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He could not remember the last time he was in tune with nature. There was only him, his foster family, Little D, school, and his imaginary world where he could escape—away from his dreadful fate.

When he would turn eighteen, eight months from now, Mama and Papa Chen told him that he would move into a different place. They said he had already a job waiting for him after graduation, and he needed to transfer immediately after his birthday for an internship.

Though they said that Xander and Sabrina would be with him, he was still anxious about the possibility that everything was a lie—a fabricated story to cover up the truth. The reality that they were tired of the weakling he was; the heavy baggage he had always been.

All his life, he tried to be obedient. He religiously performed his household chores, helped Mama and Papa Chen earn a living during summer, and excelled in school for the scholarship.

But he was afraid that they weren't enough—scared that nothing would be ever enough for the people he loved the most to love him back.

"Zach?"

Zach opened his eyes. He could still see the blurry ocean in front of him, yet he felt a pressure on his right cheek.

"You fell asleep on my shoulder," Ythan said.

Zach immediately sat straight and rubbed his eyes. "I-I'm sorry."

"What did I say about being sorry?" Ythan asked, petting Little D on his lap.

"Don't apologize if you know you've tried your best." Zach wiped the drool on his mouth. "But-but I think I didn't try my best... I fell asleep so quickly." He pouted.

Ythan snorted. Then at this precious moment, Zach finally saw and realized how dazzling Ythan's laugh could be that it could penetrate and blind the shadows lurking inside everyone's heart. "You certainly did fall asleep within thirty seconds."

"Did I say something embarrassing?" Zach turned scarlet.

"Yeah... Something about penis..." Ythan laughed even more, turning Zach into an embarrassed mushroom.

"I have something to give you," Ythan said. He brought out a box from his backpack and gave it to Zach. "Open it."

As Zach unboxed the carton, he discovered Collins Technologies' latest mobile phone model. "Yo-you're giving this to me?"

Ythan hummed.

"But-but this is too much. I can't accept this, Ythan."

"Aside from helping me in my assignments, how about helping me in studying too? I think that will be fair as a payment."

"As much as I love to accept this, but I just can't, Ythan. Mama and Papa have always reminded me about how distracting phones can be."

"I revamped the system for you. That phone can't install games or any social media applications. You can't also open any video streaming sites," Ythan said. "This way, we can communicate about the training even if I'm away through calls and texts. I've also charged up your credits for a year."

Zach pursed his lips and stared at Ythan. "How?" He heaved. "How could you know these things about me? How could you know the things that I want?"

Ythan looked at Zach with a gaze which could weaken one's knees. "Do I need to answer that?"

Zach avoided Ythan's eyes. Before blurting more nonsense, he first thoroughly searched the words to say, not just within his mind, but within his whole being. And after a while, maybe he found what he was looking for—the words of inexplicable silence.

"There's one more thing in that box," Ythan added.

Zach's heart thumped in his chest. He was not used to surprises, but Ythan gave him three in just one day. Fidgeting, he lifted the box's first layer, and two small, circular, transparent items greeted him.

"Looks familiar?" Ythan asked.

"Th-these are contact lenses." Zach remembered the times when he wore these things in his childhood. "I'm okay now, Ythan. My vision is already somehow normal, so I think I won't need these anymore."

Ythan retrieved the box and cleaned his hands with a sanitizer he got from his bag. "I'll help you wear these."

"A-are you sure about this?" Zach had second thoughts.

"You should have trusted me by now." Ythan stuck a lens on his fingertip. "Open your eyes properly."

Following his gut instinct, Zach obeyed the young master.

Ythan quickly applied the lenses, not wanting for these blue eyes to catch him off guard. Little did he know that these aquamarines he despised the most already crept into his heart.

The application was painless. It was different from what Zach had usually felt when the lenses made their contact. He had expected a stinging sensation, but he felt nothing after blinking a few times.

As he slowly opened his eyes and adjusted his vision, he saw things in a different light.

The oceans sparkled liked diamonds, shimmering in more distinct colors. The arc of five different hues now painted two new shades, ornamenting the skies.

"What... is... this..." Zach saw more unbelievable sights, as he turned around and appreciated the brighter colors of the trees, flowers, and mountains. They were more vivid, more alive.

As if on cue, Emperor Markus ran toward Zach from Ythan's bag. The scorpion king had trained him not to expose himself as long as the need didn't arise. However, he can't help himself, Zach's honey aroma became stronger and sweeter. It was as compelling as Ythan's dark chocolate scent.

At the sight of Markus, Zach giggled, laying his arm on the ground for the Emperor to climb up. "I've seen him before in your room. What's his name?" he asked Ythan.

Ythan sighed on how hard-headed his scorpion could be. "Markus."

"He has different eyes unlike before," Zach said as he came face-to-face with the scorpion.

"He has red eyes. The color of strength and power."

"But..." Zach smiled. "It is also the color of love."

The inexplicable silence once again enveloped the ambiance.

"It can be," Ythan replied. He tossed the Rubik's Cube to Zach. "Try to solve it now."

Excited to see a hundred thousand new things, Zach solved the cube within twenty seconds. His hands shook, feelings indescribable. He then looked back at Ythan who gave him a thumbs up.

And with that simple action, with the intensity of his emotions surging, carrying him along, Zach wrapped Ythan in his arms.

It was so tight, so warm, more than enough for a block of ice to melt and break apart.

Today was the birth of Zach's most fantastic point of view—a moment of red letter.

With him were the scorpion, the puppy, and the person who showed him a whole new world.

A/N:

ADVANCE HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here's my new-year gift to all of you! 2 chapters within a day! YAY!

Can I just say that I died a few times writing this fluff? Someone send me an ambulance or I might go to the BL heaven soon.

Watch out for the next chapter. As requested by one of the captains of our ship, an_abstract our little cinnamon rolls will be having an interview with their daddy as the interviewer of course! AHHH! If you have any question to all of them, comment it and I will try my best to purge the answers out of my babies. Haha!

Don't forget to vote and leave a lot of comments!  

See you next year and bai-bai!