where stars land | haobin

two.

"I don't know what I was expecting when you told me he was rich, but this definitely surpasses it," Hanbin gapes, eyes shining, illuminated by the Parisian street lamps lining the driveway to Krystian's estate. "Ricky might have some competition."

The New Years' party is, as always, thrown by the unofficially elected richest kid amongst the incoming third-years. Krystian was never one to brag about his wealth, but some way or another news had gotten out that there were escalators in his house, and he'd never quite lived that down since.

"There were foam machines and a live band at last year's party," Zhanghao says. "You think he'll outdo that?"

"Oh, who threw that party again? Was it Giselle-sunbae?" Hanbin muses. "Trust me, Krystian will have something crazy in there. He's got a pool, right?"

"Think so. Pity it's, you know, the middle of goddamn winter."

"Pity indeed. Why can't New Years' Eve be in the summer?"

"Do you hear yourself?" Zhanghao despairs. "Go live in Australia if you want a New Years' pool party so bad."

"Can't," Hanbin answers immediately. "You'll miss me."

"Loud and wrong," Zhanghao laughs, bumping the front door open with his shoulder. Noise floods towards them from the inside of the house; it's dark, most of what they can see lit only by blazing colored lights, the kind that would be sure to give you a headache if it caught you in the eye for even a second. The massively bass-boosted music seemed to be streaming from all around them, and he wonders for a second if Krystian's house has actual speakers built into the floors.

"Don't let go of my hand," Hanbin says, tightening his grip. "There's so many people here it'll be hard for us to find each other if we get separated."

Zhanghao nods, ducking his head to avoid the flashing lights as he heads for the other end of the foyer to escape the crowd. The bright fluorescent of a popcorn machine lights up the corner of what looks to be a living room, someone manning a cotton candy wheel next to it.

"Zhanghao-hyung!"

Ollie squeezes his way over with two clouds of cotton candy clutched in one hand. "You're here! And Hanbin-hyung too. Ricky and the others were looking for you earlier, but I think they're playing beer pong outside now."

"Ollie, why're you here?" Hanbin laughs, snatching a piece of cotton candy before the younger boy can pull away. "Isn't this party for third years only?"

"Krystian invited us," Ollie answers, grinning. "Yujin's here too, but Gyuvin took him away earlier. I was waiting for him to come back, actually."

"Krystian invited you?" Zhanghao sighs. "There's alcohol here, you know. What was he thinking..."

"Hao, relax," Hanbin cuts in. "This happens every year, remember? Plus, they're not kids anymore. It'll be their turn next year."

"They're kids to me. Come on, let's go find the others," Zhanghao answers, with a certain sense of finality, and turns towards the back doors with Ollie in tow. "And you, don't drink any alcohol tonight."

The three of them locate the rest of their friends on the back deck playing beer pong, Ricky and Jay on one side, Krystian and Matthew on the other. Someone catches sight of them and the game pauses temporarily as they gather around to welcome them.

"You're here!" Krystian greets, tipping a plastic cup half-filled with something in their direction before downing it. "Enjoy the party. How long more till midnight, again?"

"Half an hour give or take," Ricky answers. "I should go remind the DJ to start the countdown stuff on time."

"I'll come with," Jay pipes up, handing the ping-pong ball in his hand to Hanbin. "You two lovebirds can take our places. Have fun!"

Jay and Ricky disappear into the crowd, heading for the general direction of the house, and Hanbin turns his attention to the table. "You hired a DJ?"

"Go big or go home," Krystian smiles, and it's the kind of smile that reminds everyone why he's never been displaced as one of the most popular guys in their year. "Or in this case, go big at home. It's the biggest party of the year, I thought since I'm the one organizing it I should go all out."

"Props to you," Gyuvin salutes him with a thumbs up as he passes by out of nowhere, drink in one hand, Yujin in the other. "Zhanghao-hyung, don't remind me not to let Yujin drink, I already know know know know know...."

"I'm tired of these people," Zhanghao gives up. "Let's play."

They end up winning, an unsurprisingly easy feat considering Krystian is drunk enough to stumble when he walks and Matthew spent most of the time laughing at him instead of playing with any degree of seriousness.

"It's five minutes to midnight," Hanbin says, the lockscreen of his phone lighting up for just a second. "Almost time. Are you ready?"

Zhanghao smiles. "Are you?"

"Of course I am."

"Then so am I."

The most important event of their lives awaits them. In just five, no, four more minutes, they'll see their soulmate star. Every person in the world is born with an assigned soulmate. At midnight on New Year's Day of their eighteenth year they'll be able to see their star and the golden string that connects them to it for the first time in their lives. From then on their soulmate star will be their compass in the darkness, their lighthouse in the storm; the closer their soulmate is to them, the brighter the star will shine, and the further they are from each other, the dimmer the star's glow.

Whatever happened in their youth no longer matters. Tonight is the day their lives truly begin.

"One minute to midnight!" The DJ's voice booms over the outdoor speakers and Hanbin wonders vaguely how the neighbors haven't called the police on this party yet. "Fifty-nine, fifty-eight..."

Their hands find each other, as they always do. Zhanghao's hand is warm against his palm, warm in the stark December chill, a lifeline. As the crowd counts down the seconds to the end of his youth, he knows that one thing will never change.

"Twenty-one, twenty, nineteen..."

"Forever?" Hanbin doesn't even have to look over to know Zhanghao's exact expression. There'll never be anything more familiar than his smile.

Zhanghao presses their shoulders together to keep him close. "Forever."

"Three, two, one, happy new year!"

Hanbin's eyes glow deep, churning hazel in the illumination of a thousand stars.