[2:42am] you wake up to the sound of your phone ringing and you reach for it with closed eyes, answering without looking at the screen because the ringtone is too loud for you now. you donât even get to ask whoâs this before words flood from the other end.
âthere was so many of them. the whole arena was filled with them. they were there for us, werenât they?â
you sit up hearing chanâs shaky voice and your heart squeezes in your chest when you realize heâs crying. âof course they were there for you, channie. stays did it all for you,â you assure him quietly, letting him breathe into the phone as he tries to calm down.
âthis doesnât feel real, i feel like iâm going to wake up alone in the dorms againââ his voice cracks and itâs breaking you.
âstop that right now. youâve waited seven years for this and you deserve all of it, you hear me? you all do, so cut it out. iâm so sorry that i couldnât be there but iâm still so proud of you. you said so yourself, this is just the beginning, captain. youâre going to do fine,â you say, smiling when he chuckles at the nickname.
this time when he answers, he sounds a little more calm and sure of himself. âthank you and sorry for waking you up, i just really needed to talk to you.â
you stay on the line with him for another hour, smiling as he tells you all about the first show. you know youâre going to be tired later but it doesnât matter. what does matter is that his voice holds all the happiness in the world.