I think I forgot to say everyone is aged up, like, six years in this.. .Anyway, as mentioned, most chapters won't be like the last one: most will be like this one, told from Phichit's point of view. When I write Seung Gil's chapters, it's very close to my own voice so writing Phichit chapters is different and fun XD The tone of this story is very different from my last one; I hope you enjoy it anyway! Also, I'll be spelling Yuuri with two u's this time since Yuri Plisetsky shows up more in this one and I don't want to confuse anybody hahha I appreciate everyone who reads and reviews and such :3


By the time I pull up to the station parking lot, the sun has long since turned in for the night. Days are becoming shorter and shorter, reducing the amount of daylight I see to only a few hours every afternoon. I'm used to it: I've had this schedule for three years and lived in this city long before that. The stars aren't easy to see from this part of town; the lights are so bright that only the moon is visible. A cold gust of wind whips around me as soon as I step outside. "Back off, wind." I zip my quilted jacket up all the way and rush to the building. My hands fumble through my bag, searching for my wallet in the dark. "Where are you?" I know it's in here…ah, I've found it! I hold it up to the scanner by the door, waiting for the beep of the card reader, and pull the door open to save myself from the autumn breeze. When I worked here during the day, the door was left unlocked; since my hours aren't the same now, I work with the security system on and only turn it off when I go home. Not to say that this is a dangerous part of town, but if I had to bet on where a crime would be committed in this city, I'd probably bet nearby. I hang my coat up on the rack, stuffing my wallet back into my bag and walk past the front desk. I'm running just a tiny bit late; okay, maybe more than a tiny bit? The red light is on above the booth door: Mr. Eros is still live on the air. As soon as a commercial break comes up, that light will turn off and I can get to work! Since I'm stuck out here, I might as well have some fun. I step over to the window, easily spotting my best friend wearing big headphones at the mic. When he's live, he sets his glasses aside; he says it helps him get into character, and I say whatever helps him do his job. His warm brown eyes catch mine, glaring through the glass. With a laugh, I wave at him while he wraps up his show. The red light turns off and I make my way to the door. "Evening, Mr. Eros!"

Instead of a warm greeting, I get an eye roll. "Eros is done for tonight. What's your excuse this time?"

"Yuuri." I hold my hands up, already on the defense. He puts his glasses back on, but the glare is still around. "I could have sworn that I left my keys on the hook, but when I was leaving, they weren't there, so I was searching my apartment, up and down and back again, and do you know where I found them?"

There's the smallest trace of humor in Yuuri's eyes: at least I'm not in trouble. He scoffs and checks his phone. "Gee, were they in your purse?"

It's my turn to roll my eyes. "It's not a purse, it's a tote bag." I do have purses, but this obviously isn't one of them. "And yes, it was in here. How'd you know? You could've saved me ten minutes of an endless treasure hunt."

He smirks, pocketing his phone and folding his arms over his chest. "That thing's a black hole. Remember when my glasses were in there? I couldn't even help you look for them." While we laugh, his phone goes off again. Yuuri smiles at the screen. "My ride's here." He gestures over his shoulder. "Commercial's almost over, so get settled in. And I won't mention you were late at the meeting tomorrow, but seriously, Phichit? Get here on time." Yuuri squeezes my shoulder with a nod. I exhale and smile gratefully.

"Thank you. I'll be on time tomorrow, I promise."

"Good." Yuuri returns the smile. "I'll pick you up then at eleven thirty. If you're not ready, I'll leave without you."

It isn't a joke, but I laugh anyway as Yuuri walks past me. "Oh really?"

"See you tomorrow!" He waves over his shoulder. I shut the door and get comfortable, resting my bag on top of the mini-fridge. I take my tablet out and find my notes on today's talking points, taking a deep breath as I adjust my headphones.

The small red light over the door flashes on: time to get to work. "I'm glad you've tuned in to listen to P. Chu talk you through your issues tonight! I'll take calls in a moment, but I wanted to give some background on tonight's topic so you know why it matters." I think today's topic is pretty interesting; I once counselled a group of siblings where this issue was the biggest problem in their relationship. A lot of people can relate, I think. "Envy and jealousy are two very similar things, right? But they aren't the same thing. When you feel envious, you want something someone else has. When you feel jealous, you're afraid something will get taken from you." My next note says to elaborate and spell out the difference. I need an anecdote that will make it easier for my listeners to understand. When in doubt, I talk about myself. "When I was in school, I befriended my roommate pretty quickly." It's no surprise that many of my anecdotes involve Yuuri; we've been best friends for years and I have a lot of material! "He had these big glasses back then, like, these thick framed geek chic glasses, and I thought he just looked so cute in them. Now, I have perfect vision, so I don't need glasses or anything, but I wanted to look adorable like him. I envied his nerd glasses, and his cuteness. I mean, we all have that friend we envy, right? Either they have cuteness, smarts, success or something that we want and don't have." Now for the jealousy part. "When I'd drag him out to a party, you should've seen how many looks he'd get the moment he walked through the door!" I laugh at the memory of Yuuri's shy charm catching nearly every gaze. "Of course, he never noticed, but it was so easy for strangers to be jealous of their partners and potential partners because they gave their attention to my best friend and not them. Who wouldn't feel threatened?" I mean, Yuuri can switch to Eros in an instant, so you can't blame those poor onlookers, but still: my point is made. "So they were jealous. Back to envy: we all feel it now and then. We're human, and we have wants and needs. When those wants and needs aren't getting met, it makes us feel a certain way." Next, I have to explain why we get up in our feelings and why it's super normal. "When we don't have something we want, it makes us feel bad about ourselves. We feel insecure and often wallow in this bitterness because we think we should have what we want. It's not necessarily that we're upset at them having more, but that we don't have enough." My favorite part is next: taking callers! I already see some listeners are on the line, and it's first come, first serve on this show. "Are any of you having trouble with overcoming envy, or even jealousy? The line's open and I'm taking your calls."

My show is the only talk show on the station. It's been this way for ten years, seven of which I have been the host of. It wasn't until I got my Master's that it became something of a therapy session, but we've always gotten many listeners. This station is the most popular in this region, so I'm never at a loss for callers. I hit the button to let the first one through. "Hello?"

"Hey!" I smile. "You're on the air. Who are you tonight?"

These listeners know that when they're on the radio, it might not be best to give away their real identity. "Um, Struggling, I guess?" The male voice responds. I nod, accepting his alias.

"Okay, Struggling. What brings you here?"

He starts with a sigh, sounding more aggravated than confused. "I don't…I don't normally call shows like this, or anything." That's what they all say. "But I don't know how to deal with this and I don't think anyone would understand."

How intriguing! "What is it that you're dealing with, Struggling?"

"I have a problem with my sister." Struggling scoffs at himself. "It's stupid, but she…well, we're really close. We always have been. We used to tell each other everything, but now she doesn't talk to me as much. I didn't understand why until my friend, our friend, mentioned that my sister has a girlfriend." He pauses a moment, and I'm not sure if he knows what to say next.

"Do you think you're struggling with losing your sister as a confidant, or struggling with her having a relationship?" I won't even get into her orientation; one thing at a time.

"I guess…both? I mean, she didn't even tell me! I had to find out through our friend."

"Do you have any idea why she wouldn't tell you in person?" I press Struggling, but all he does is sigh. "It could be that she didn't know how you'd take the news, or maybe she wasn't sure about the status of it yet."

"But she always told me about her other relationships! She picked the worst men."

Hmm. I tap my chin in thought, piecing Struggling's sibling relationship together. Sister makes bad choices, brother disapproves of choices, sister keeps relationship a secret; sounds like someone was tired of being judged. "Struggling, do you trust your sister's judgement?"

"What do you mean? She's brilliant! She doesn't do stupid things." Defensive; he's clearly a protector. "She just…she just likes dumb men."

"Well, this time it's not a man." I chuckle. "Your sister can make her own decisions, right?"

"Of course!"

I wince at his volume, shaking it off. "She may have kept this a secret because she didn't want you to attack her decision. It may not have anything to do with wanting to keep you in the dark, but rather wanting to learn on her own."

"She still should have told me. I don't want her getting hurt."

I shrug, knowing he can't see me. "That's commendable, Struggling, but you're always going to be her brother. She can turn to you whenever she needs to, but only if you let her know that you'll always support her and not try to control her choices." I don't want him thinking I'm coming for him, so I have to clarify. "As a sibling, you have to allow the other to feel comfortable going to you for help. Feeling jealous of her for leaning on her girlfriend won't get you anywhere. It's good to want the best for her, but you also have to trust that she knows how to get that on her own. Does that make sense, Struggling?"

He thinks this over for a minute, huffing out an exhale as though he's a pouting child. "I guess. It sucks that she doesn't want to come to me with that, and…I don't know, I wish she would."

"If you tell her that you felt left out and sad about being out of the loop, she'll better understand that you only want what's best, and that you want to support her. As long as you don't start with an attitude or anger, the conversation can move forward in a healthy direction."

"Okay, that makes sense."

"Tell me, Struggling: now that your sister has a girlfriend to turn to, who do you go to for support?"

This takes longer than I expected; I'd assumed he'd have an answer, but he stays silent almost long enough for me to ask again. "Our friend. Well, my friend. He…he's a good listener, I guess."

Oh, he guesses? It sounds like there's more to this story, but there probably isn't enough time in the show to get through it all! I find myself smiling, seeing a solution Struggling failed to consider. "Is your sister upset that you have a friend, aside from her, that you turn to?"

"She's not a jealous person! She's fine with that." I give him a second to connect the dots: even if you're best friends with a sibling, that doesn't mean you can't have other friends. "So…I should be fine with her girlfriend."

"Well, it's healthy to have other relationships outside of siblings. You'll always be there for each other, so let that be known and you'll always have a place to turn to. Okay?"

Struggling makes a sound, sort of like a chuckle and a snort. "Yeah, thanks. That…that helps."

"Glad to help! Be happy and live your life, Struggling." As long as I can be of any help, I've done my job. I take Struggling off the line and switch to the next caller. "Who else is bearing the burden of envy?" This is the part where my next caller introduces themselves. All I'm getting is dead air. "Hello? Are you still on the line, listener?"

"Hello?"

My shoulders relax. "Yes, you're on the air. Who are you tonight?"

"What? My name's Seung Gil Lee, if that's what you're asking."

It takes real effort to not laugh into my mic; I settle for a quiet giggle. "Brave soul, callers typically use a code name to keep their identities safe."

"Why?"

"It keeps things anonymous, but if you're comfortable giving out such information, I can't stop you." I shake my head; this is clearly a new listener.

"Oh."

Um, okay then. "Are you a new listener, Mr. Lee?" I smirk, resting my chin in my hand.

"A year. I mean…about a week."

Very new! "Well, I'm glad to have you on! What brings you here?"

"I want to ask you some questions." Did he just slur his words?

"Go ahead, Mr. Lee. I'm all ears." This isn't the first time I've gotten a caller who wanted to do all the asking; some people benefit from talking more than others, and I can roll with that.

He clears his throat. "Do you know what you're talking about?" I immediately frown, confused as hell. My head cocks to one side, and I have no time to actually respond to this. "I've been listening to you drone on about this and that for days." Drone on? Is he joking? "It's fine if you have an interest in psychology and if you like talking and helping people, or whatever, but—" Mr. Lee hiccups in the middle of his sentence. Do I have a drunk caller on the air? Live, on the air?! My heart thumps in my chest, agitated. "I mean, how can you do this to people? They trust you with their secrets and their problems, and I don't think you're even a real doctor! It's wrong to take advantage of people who are down on their luck. It's wrong."

He ceases his rant long enough for me to intervene. "Are those all your questions and concerns?"

"For now."

"First: yes, I do know what I'm talking about. Second: I'm delighted that even though you have doubts about my credentials, you keep tuning in every night to my show!" I can't help the grin from forming on my face; if it's audible, I'm not worried. "Third: I absolutely have an interest in psychology and in helping people; I love helping people. Fourth, and fifth: I'm not taking advantage of anyone, and I'm grateful that my listeners trust me; I couldn't guide them through their issues if they didn't. I am incredibly offended that you think so lowly of my listeners, however; they are not all 'down on their luck' and they certainly aren't as naïve as you make them out to be." I won't mention what sounds like a drinking problem, but there's one more thing I have to address. "Last: I never once claimed to be a doctor."

"At least you're honest about that."

"Oh, absolutely, Mr. Lee. I'm not a doctor. But I do have a Bachelor's degree in counseling as well as a Master of Science in marriage and family therapy with a combined four years of both supervised and independent counseling of families and couples, but as a licensed professional counselor, I cannot say that I'm a doctor." I don't know who this guy takes me for, but I am no fool or fraud. Anyone who knows me understands that I will absolutely stand up for myself, should the need arise.

"Oh…well, I didn't know that."

I arch an eyebrow, smirking again. "Do you have a pen?"

"Yeah?"

"Write this down." I spell out my first and last name somewhat slowly.

"That's…"

"My name." I think I'm just about through with this caller. He doesn't have another remark, so I shrug to myself. "Feel free to look me up if you want to learn more about my credentials, Mr. Lee." I hope and pray that no other caller tonight will be such a nuisance. I have the next caller ready to go, and my fingers are crossed. Only six more hours to go.

Nearly all of my next callers start out with an apology on Mr. Lee's behalf; they tell me that he's envious of my talent and skill, that he needs help, that I'm good at what I do and et cetera. I appreciate them standing with me and lending kind words, but it's really not a big deal to me and I've already put it behind me. Well, for the most part. During my last segment, I take care of my dinner garbage and start packing my things away. After I introduce the next show, a commercial block begins: my cue to go home. I step out of the booth, waving at two of my coworkers. "Hey, good morning, Phichit!" Mila greets me with a bright smile. Her cohost, Yuri, simply nods. He is not to be confused with Yuuri; they're like night and day.

"Hey guys." I yawn. "What's the weather like today?"

Yuri rolls his green tinted eyes. "Cold and windy. Again."

I sigh, dejected at this forecast. "Great. I gotta go try to catch some sleep. I'll see you both this afternoon."

My boss, the station owner, is at the front desk. His eyes follow me like a hawk while he re-ties his long ponytail. "Don't forget the meeting at noon." He has this warning tone to his voice, but I haven't even done anything to warrant that; not yet, anyway. I give him a big smile, turning on the charm with a little wave. "Be there on time."

"I'm getting a ride with Yuuri. How can I be late?"

"I mean it, Phichit."

"Me, too!" I laugh, zipping my coat on. "I'll see you, Ciao Ciao!" Most people call him Celestino, but I'm not most people. When I open the front door, I regret everything: this jacket is not enough to keep me warm in this wind! I rush to my car, rush home and rush to bed. What feels like a second later, I'm up again, staring at my groggy reflection in the mirror. "Five hours is not enough." I groan, washing my face to wake myself up and clean the smudged liner from around my eyes. I don't bother reapplying mascara; I slip on a pair of large sunglasses, wrap a huge scarf around my neck and face and hop into Yuuri's car when he pulls up. "Why is it so windy today?" I shiver in the front seat, straightening up to take a quick selfie: (hashtag) coldbutcute

"The weather's getting ready for winter." Yuuri shrugs.

Every year this happens; I should be used to it, but I'm never quite prepared for the windy days of late autumn. From the car, we run into the office so we won't be in the cold for too long. I laugh when Yuuri trips up and almost pulls me down to the office floor. "Be careful!" I drag him to the breakroom to sit around the rectangular table with the other three. "Sà wàt dee, pêuan." I greet my coworkers, too tired to be formal. I see Ciao Ciao and Yuri, but no Mila. "Where's Mila?" I notice that it's Minami's show time, but he's sitting right across from me.

"She's covering for me." Minami smiles, stirring his coffee with a straw. He's roughly the same stature of Yuri, but he has about three times as much energy; he doesn't even need caffeine.

I nod, and Yuri shrugs. "I'll fill her in." He pulls his dark knit hat further over his blonde hair; we may be out of the wind, but it's still relatively cold in here. His leopard print hoodie is layered under a leather jacket for extra warmth: proof we need to fix the heating of this place. A shudder runs through me, my scarf having fallen away from my neck.

"Ciao Ciao, can we please get the heater fixed?" I bat my lashes at our boss; he's not amused.

Luckily, I have my best friend to back me up! "Yeah, it's pretty cold and it's not even winter yet." Yuuri adds.

"I'm freezing to death in here." Yuri scowls, burying his face in his coat.

Minami just sips his coffee; Celestino sighs. "I'll look into it."

"Oh, Yuuri: I listened to some of your show when I went home." Minami pipes up with a small smile. "You had a really good set around seven!"

Yuuri's face turns pink; he's a little shy when discussing his show when off the clock. "Thanks."

"He better be good." Yuri mutters. "That's our second most listened to show."

Mine is ranked last, but only because it's at an odd hour; when I first started out, I had Yuuri's time slot. I mean, I think I'm still as good as back then. Frowning, I recall a certain comment from last night: I 'drone on.' Do I really? "Do any of you think I talk too much?" The blank stares I receive should be answer enough, but I pout anyway. "I mean on my show."

"Your show is only talking." Yuri rolls his eyes. "That's all you do."

"I listen, too!"

"Maybe you could listen more?" Minami offers, tentative.

Ciao Ciao flips through his notes, stuck to a clipboard. "Or shorten your intros to give more callers air time." My jaw drops as I lean towards him, just to make sure I heard him correctly.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

My boss sighs, setting his notes down. "Phichit, I'm not criticizing you. It was only a suggestion, and you're the one who asked. It might be something you can try, and if you don't like it, you can go back to how you normally do your show. Now, can we start this meeting?"

It turns out that we're still the top radio station in the area, but our overall social media presence needs work. Being the selfie snob that I am, and the last one Celestino scolded, I've been given the task of pestering my coworkers to post at least five times a week: two selfies, a work pic and two station promo pics. I'm also told to encourage my callers to follow up on their issues, but that's not really in my control. I take notes on my tablet, realizing that my vision is slightly unfocused. Am I honestly that tired? Well, I'm yawning, so I guess I'm sleepier than I realized. When our boss is satisfied with the meeting, he excuses himself from the room. I sigh, resting my forehead on the table. "I need sleep."

"Well, you've got all afternoon." Minami pats my shoulder on his way out. "I'll see you all later!"

We say our goodbyes shortly before Mila arrives. "Who's hungry? I'm buying lunch!" She announces. I turn to look at her, yawning in place of a response.

"Starving." Yuri sighs. "Let's go. Are you two coming, or not?" He asks Yuuri and me.

"Yeah, I'll go." Yuuri's thumbs fly over his phone's keyboard. "Phichit?"

I shake my head. "I'm not hungry."

"I'll drop you off first, then." Yuuri turns to the other Yuri who's busy tugging Mila's sleeve out the door. "Text me where and I'll meet you guys."

"Sure thing." Mila pushes Yuri in front of her. "We'll get something for Minami and Celestino, too." She waves with a grin. "Sweet dreams, Phichit!"

Yuri's grumpy voice can be heard from the hallway. "Let's go already!"

I follow Yuuri to his car just as soon as he can pry me from the breakroom chair. Not that it's particularly comfortable, but my ass is tired and standing isn't high on my list of things to do at the moment. I stretch in the passenger seat, careful not to block Yuuri's vision while he's driving. "I feel like I didn't sleep. I had such a weird night." I adjust my scarf, not wanting to sound like I'm mumbling.

"You didn't sleep well because you had a weird night, or you had a weird night because you didn't sleep well?"

It takes me a second or two to comprehend his question. "Oh." I blink a few times, shaking my head. "No, I had a weird night and then hardly slept. I've had so many callers in my career, and I've never had one like last night."

"What happened?" Yuuri frowns. I pat his shoulder; he worries too often.

"It's nothing serious, hon." I reassure him. "This guy called, and he started asking me if I knew what I was talking about and like, why I was claiming to be a doctor when I'm not." Now I'm frowning, too. "He was acting like I was posing as some kind of clinical therapist, and said it's wrong of me to take advantage of people by pretending to help."

He scoffs, shaking his head. "Since when have you been claiming to be a doctor?"

"Never!" I turn to him. "I don't know why he came at me like that. It sounded like he might've been drinking, but still: what the hell?"

Yuuri shrugs. "No idea. Did you correct him?"

"Thoroughly." I sigh. "I'm not really upset, or anything, but it was so random. People can be so bizarre sometimes, I swear." My other listeners were right there to stand up for me; remembering that makes me smile. "Pretty much all of my callers after that apologized for him and were really sweet. Some of them even thanked me for being so open and available to them." Even if my friends weren't around, I certainly felt loved.

Yuuri smiles at me, eyes bright. "That's because they know you're a good person. You'd never lie to anyone."

"It's really more trouble than it's worth." I laugh. Lying is so messy and cruel; I have no time for that. Once at my apartment parking lot, I give Yuuri a hug. "Thanks for the ride. Have a good lunch, okay? Don't get Minami anything with onions or red meat; he's going through another phase." I smirk, reminding him of our flighty coworker. His current phase also involves his bangs being dyed red. I mean, it's cute, but it probably won't last. Yuuri nods.

"Got it. Go get some rest, P."

He doesn't need to tell me twice: I'm back in my bed, pajamas on and makeup off, in mere minutes. I have laundry to do, breakfast to make, dinner to pack, pets to feed, clothes to sort, three miles to run and a shower to take before going back to work in eight hours. Is it doable? Absolutely. Do I want to do any of it? Not today. I pull my plush comforter over my head, adding to the darkness my blackout curtains provide, and bury myself further into the bed. With a sigh, I shut my eyes and embrace the drowsiness I've been fighting all morning.


BTW, this is also on AO3 and I can be found on Tumblr as thefloralfox; I read comments on Thursdays and update on Mondays :D You can always HMU here, there, wherever hahha Also, Phichit said 'hello, friends' in Thai, being informal and slightly impolite XD Oh, and keep an eye on Phichit's callers; you might recognize them! Hope you liked this chapter, and keep an eye out for the next one in a week~