My star

They were staring at each other awkwardly when the old man smiled at them. He noticed what they were about to do, and it was obvious it was their first time here.

"You don't have to pay. It's free. You should just enjoy it," he said and let them go in. Yixing and Huobai were both surprised. But they thanked him and entered the park. For them, almost nothing was free and even the kindness of people could be bought. 

"What do you want to try first?" Huobai asked Yixing, and smiled at him. The small lights were helping them to see the way, but when Yixing looked up, he could see stars that weren't visible normally in town. 

"So beautiful," he said, and looked down at Huobai. The same thing couldn't be said about him, now only in the dim lights, the flushed face from the way there. He could be described as ethereal. 

"Yes, it is beautiful. We can lay down and watch them just like this if you want." Huobai looked down at Yixing, who nodded.

Before they went in, they had looked at the map. There were actually a lot of things that could be done during the day there but at night. The skies were the main reason why to be there.

There were some lone stargazers standing by the telescopes, so they went further away. They found one completely free stargazing bench, so they laid down next to each other.

"It's really beautiful. I haven't seen so many stars like this before," Yixing smiled. The main reason for that was that he always looked down on the ground. He never had the confidence to look up and admire the beauty. 

And it was mainly because of his own father. 

"Thank you for taking my side today," Yixing whispered, unable to look into Huobai's eyes. He was too ashamed that Huobai had to see that side of his family. 

"I'm sorry. I still can't. I know it sounds bad, but I have to ask. Are you even his son?" Huobai sighed, but Yixing chuckled. He looked at Huobai, leaving the beautiful stars up in the sky to look at the beauty of life down on the earth. 

"You have no idea how often I thought the same. But he was waving DNA test results right before my eyes whenever I was bad at something. Not saying when I got a really bad grade in English. he almost tore it." Huobai looked at Yixing, shocked. 

"Then how can he be like this? I have known you for a few months in real life and... even I know more about you!" he exclaimed. It made Yixing chuckle again. 

"He was never there for me when I was young. After my mother died, the only people that cared for me were the nanny and my driver. Now, I have only you, Chao, and Yitian." Yixing looked back at the sky and was searching for something. 

Huobai was speechless. They had similar lives. Rich, similar age. But how different they could be. For Huobai, that had obviously shown that money didn't always bring happiness. If the person is rotten from the inside, no money would help him to make him better.

"I'm sorry," Huobai could only mumble. He felt really bad that Yixing had to go through that as a child. 

"Don't be sorry. I was actually happy. My nanny was a kind old lady. She sometimes took me home, baked cookies with me, and was really taking good care of me." Huobai was astonished. How he could be still so cheerful and positive after an upbringing like this. 

"Then how come you are such a terrible cook?" Huobai asked, laughing. Especially when he remembered the accident with the burned ramen. 

"I said baking, not cooking. I had once made a fire in the kitchen when I put eggs in a microwave. Since then, the nanny hasn't let me near the kitchen ever again." They were both laughing while stargazing and Yixing had never felt such a comfort. Laying down just like that was something he had never done before. 

"Can I know why you were afraid to tell my father your name?" Yixing asked after a long silence. That was the only question going through his head since they left the cemetery.

"I-... Can I not say it? I'm not sure I should," Huobai said evadingly. But Yixing just nodded. He was curious about it, but he didn't want to make Huobai uncomfortable by asking about it. And he had to have some reason for sure.

On the other hand, Huobai felt bad. He wasn't telling him. But he was afraid. What if he would trigger some bad memories telling him that their moms were friends? What if he would hate Huobai for being rich and not telling him beforehand? 

But for Yixing. It was the first time ever, nobody poked his nose into his business. Yixing was just quietly laying down and not saying anything. 

And they laid there in silence, feeling just their presence for a long time. 

"Look, I finally found it!... I think…" Yixing shouted so loud Huobai jerked himself. He looked at him and saw that he was pointing upward, showing something.

"I think that's Leo. My star sign.'' He was showing him so proudly, with a big smile plastered on his face, that Huobai's heart was racing, how cute he was.

"Let's go," he said, grabbing Yixing's hand and dragging him away from where they were until now. 

In the corner of the park, was a small observatory. They entered and Yixing instantly saw the stars on the ceiling of the small atrium. 

The constellations were marked in the skies, named, helping them to learn what was where. They sat down and Yixing's ears got red. Because the stars he was showing were on a completely opposite side from where Leo was.

"Mine is almost next to yours." Huobai still held his hand and pointed up at the ceiling with his other one. 

Somehow, he wasn't ready to let it go. He wanted to make Yixing feel better. He wanted him to feel the warm feeling that he hadn't felt for a long time. He wanted him… to feel loved. 

That feeling was something completely new to him. It was something he hadn't felt before. And it was something that scared the hell out of Huobai. 

He wasn't ready. He didn't know the results of the histology yet. He wasn't ready to love someone he could lose. But today he wanted to do something a bit more.

"Yixing. I'm really glad I met you," he said and hugged him.