Welcome to the Rodeo [1/2]
Title: Welcome to the Rodeo
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 15k+
Summary: Chanyeol has spent the past few years doing nothing but partying and getting high. When his parents finally catch on to how bad his drug habit is, they send him away to his grandmother's farm for the summer before he starts college, hoping it will help him kick his habit. Chanyeol expects nothing good to come from this summer, until he meets Junmyeon, a cute boy his grandmother hires to help out on the farm.
Warning/s: Drug use/drug abuse (non-explicit, mostly mentions of smoking weed, taking pills/acid); swearing; unprotected sex (frotting, blowjobs, handjobs)
Notes: This is the first fic I've finished in a long time, and to the requester, I hope it meets everything you wanted, and to everyone else, I hope you enjoy! Sorry it's so corny lol;;
When his parents sat him down at the dinner table an hour before Chanyeol was supposed to leave for Baekhyun’s first day of summer party, Chanyeol immediately began blocking out anything they had to say. The second his dad opened his mouth, Chanyeol’s mind was already on the party, thinking about the acid Baekhyun had promised to give to him, thinking about how likely it would be that he and Jongdae would end up sharing a molly in Baekhyun’s bedroom. (There was no doubt about that last thought. It was definitely going to happen. It always did.) Jongdae’s hands were already halfway down his pants in his mind when the phrase “sending you away for the summer” had Chanyeol crashing back into reality.
“Wait, wait, wait. What the fuck?” It slipped out before Chanyeol had a chance to censor himself. Not that he really cared and not that either of his parents’ glares phased him at this point, but he figured it would have at least been polite. “Sending me away? To where? Can you really do that?” Chanyeol knew they could; he honestly just really liked complaining. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time his parents threatened him with some bullshit ultimatum only to never go through with it. His father’s heavy sigh was grating against his ears.
“Yes, Chanyeol. We can and we are. You’re going to spending the summer at your grandmother’s house. We’re taking you there tomorrow morning.” The exasperation was clear in his father’s voice, and more than anything, Chanyeol found it irritating.
“Whoa. Let’s back this fun bus the fuck up. Grandma’s house? Just to be clear, we are talking about the same grandma that lives in the middle of fucking nowhere, a.k.a. the most boring place on the face of this planet, and probably in the entire universe. The same grandma that lives in a town without a fucking Wal-Mart? That Grandma? What about me? My friends? My happiness and general state of well-being? Does any of that actually matter to you guys? Or not really?” With each sentence that came out of Chanyeol’s mouth, his father’s annoyance grew clearer, seemingly matching Chanyeol’s own.
“What about you, Chanyeol? This really is for your own good. Your mother and I are worried about you! We think it would be best if you got away from here for a while before college. Slow down a bit, help your grandmother on her farm, and kick your drug problem.”
“Wait, what. What drug problem? It’s not a problem; it’s never been a problem. And if it was, I certainly wasn’t aware of it. And I mean, you think I would be, considering it’s my supposed drug problem.”
“It is a problem! That’s the thing! You were passed out in a field for two days, Chanyeol, after taking God knows what! That’s clearly a problem!” Chanyeol scoffed, eyes rolling into the back of his head and arms folding over his chest as he leaned back in his chair.
“Okay, I’ll give you that, but also, consider this. It is not my fault that Baekhyun happens to qualify for the biggest dick of the century award and thought it would be funny to drop me off there while I was asleep. If anything, you should be sending him away to Grandma’s farm.” Oops, Chanyeol accidentally just gave his parents another reason to hate Baekhyun. As if they didn’t have enough already.
“It may be Baekhyun’s fault that you ended up in that field, but it was definitely your fault you were passed out for two days. Grow up and own up to that, at least, Chanyeol. Take some responsibility for once.” Those were the first words Chanyeol had heard from his mother all night. They were vaguely reminiscent of the sound of glass shattering. Chanyeol hadn’t even taken a chance to look at her, so he hadn’t seen how haggard she looked. Both her and his father, really. Regret was a weird feeling, Chanyeol found. Especially having not felt it in years. It was oddly suffocating.
“Chanyeol, please.” His father’s pleas were lost to the background as his mother’s words still rang loudly in his ears.
“Yeah. Okay,” was all Chanyeol could manage to say while dumbly nodding at the other man before standing and leaving for his room. He ignored his parents calling for him and numbly fell onto his bed. The thought of sneaking out to Baekhyun’s party anyway and camping out at his house all summer briefly crossed Chanyeol’s mind, but he couldn’t even find the energy to pull the covers over him, let alone escape to Baekhyun’s house.
The exchange with his parents must have taken longer than he thought, because when he finally mustered up the energy to check his phone, there was several panicked texts from Baekhyun, each one less coherent than the last, wondering where he was. Chanyeol finally managed to type out a meager “sorry, in trouble” and set his phone aside in favor of staring blankly at the ceiling. He didn’t even bother to the text from Jongdae. Chanyeol couldn’t remember the last time he was completely sober, and he had no clue what to do with himself, letting the night and his racing thoughts consume him.
When he was shaken awake by his mother the next morning, she let him gently know that they would be taking his phone away for the summer, and that if he ever needed to call, he could use his grandmother’s landline. Being sent back to the 90's. Nice.
Even while half asleep, Chanyeol suspected that they thought he would probably end up calling his numerous connects behind their back while he was away. They were right. He really should have snuck out to Baekhyun’s last night was what Chanyeol immediately thought next. But the time for that had long since passed. Instead, he tried his best to squeeze in one last phone call with his best friend after his mom left, thanking God that for once in his life, Baekhyun actually answered the fucking phone.
“Dude!! What the fuck happened?” Baekhyun didn’t even give Chanyeol a chance to say hi and sounded surprisingly alert for someone who was definitely fucked out of his mind last night (and probably still was).
“My parents are so mad at me right now, Baek. They’re saying I have a drug problem and they brought up that time you dumped me in the middle of a field with Sehun and Jongin-”
“Ha! Oh yeah! Man, Chanyeol, that was so awesome honestly. I really wish you could have seen yourself that day. Like the way there was drool all over your face...it was incredible. I should have taken a picture.”
“Yeah, thanks for that, asshole.” Chanyeol hissed. “But they’re sending me away to literally the middle of nowhere to stay with my grandma all summer. They’re taking away my phone and everything too.”
“Holy shit, really?” The question was accompanied by a barking laugh and Chanyeol had never been so irritated by Baekhyun’s laugh in his whole life. “Welp, sucks to suck, Chanyeol! See you in college!” The line went dead before he could say anything else and Chanyeol could not wait for the summer to end, if only for the sake of beating the shit out of Baekhyun. He sighed and tried calling Jongdae, not at all surprised when it went straight to voicemail.
“Man, I got in serious trouble, so I’m gonna be gone all summer without my phone. I’m gonna miss you so much. Not Baekhyun though. Make sure you tell him that. Also tell him I said ‘fuck you’. Maybe punch him in the stomach so he gets the message. Kick him in the back of the knees? Honestly, anything. Just fight him for me.” Chanyeol hung up and two minutes later was greeted by a new text from Jongdae.
to pcy:
aww boo ;-( now who am i gonna go down on @ parties
to kjd:
i’m sure you’ll manage to find someone lol
to pcy:
duh lmao i already got plenty of ppl lined up xoxo ill miss u tho. cant wait til u come back a homely lil farm boy
to kjd:
1) you’re disgusting 2) fuck off
to pcy:
eagerly awating ur return fighting lmao ;-*
Chanyeol really was thankful to have Jongdae as his other best friend, especially when considering what a huge ass Baekhyun could be. He was also thankful for the head they gave each other sometimes, but mostly the friendship.
A half hour of pleading found Chanyeol without his phone for the summer and he had to admit, he was disappointed. He really thought the tears would work the way they used to when he was a kid, but his mom just rolled her eyes and snatched the phone from his hands. It was a cruel world.
As he was packing, Chanyeol found himself regretting every stupid decision he had made in the past four years that led to him having to go back to the most boring small town the summer before starting college. The summer that should have been the ultimate party summer was now going to be the summer of sobriety, and where was the fun in that. He figured his dumbest was getting caught, and second to that was smoking all his weed the weekend before so he had none to sneak with him. He had no fucking clue how he and his friends managed to smoke a whole fourth in one night, but they did it. The sky really was the limit.
Begrudgingly, Chanyeol threw his bags in the car and as he settled into his seat, he passively wished for death to take over, just for these two months and then he could revive, ready to get fucked up once more.
Death did not come, but sleep did. And after waking from a blissful dream of massive bong rips, Chanyeol wished he had never opened his eyes. With each step he took toward his grandmother’s house, reality settled heavier on his shoulders. The guilt from earlier came rushing back, washing over him when he saw his grandmother waiting on the porch for him, waving excitedly. The bone-crushing hug she enveloped him in cracked his spine in ways he didn’t even know were possible and he tried to give one last pleading, pathetic look to his parents, lips jutting out and silently begging for them to change their mind. They were already back in the car, waving goodbye enthusiastically. Traitors.
The house hadn’t changed at all in the four years it had been since he last set foot in it, Chanyeol noted as his nose was assaulted by that weird peach and inherently old smell he remembered from his childhood. Glancing around, Chanyeol’s eyes landed on the dish of butterscotch candies by the front door, just as full as it was the last time he had seen it. He really wanted to know how old those were considering he had seen it there as a child and had never seen the amount of candy in the bowl change. Actually, he wanted to know where his grandmother had even bought those disgusting candies, because he had never seen them anywhere else in his life. Their only point of existence was at grandma’s house and that was a little unsettling.
When his grandmother launched into a short speech about how much she missed him, how excited she was to have him here, and how great it was that he wanted to help with the farm work, Chanyeol swore he felt his soul leave his body. He was so relieved his parents didn’t tell her the real reason he was here, because she would probably have a heart attack if she ever heard about the field incident. Chanyeol really didn’t want that looming on his conscience. That guilt that had suddenly manifested on his shoulders sometime in the past few days was more than enough.
“You know, I bet Junmyeon will be really excited to meet you!”
“Who?” Chanyeol had never heard of any Junmyeon before and he had been coming to his grandmother’s place every year up until high school started. As he thought about it, Chanyeol realized it was probably some random middle aged guy that his grandmother had hired to help her, because God knows she didn’t really have it in here to do the heavy farm work anymore. Chanyeol’s nose wrinkled in distaste; he prayed he wouldn’t have to hear any dad jokes at all this summer.
“He’s someone I hire during the summertime.” Bingo. It’s tough being right all the time. “He’s been helping out for a while. Actually, I think I first hired him the year you stopped coming.” His grandmother gave him a pointed look, one Chanyeol knew was supposed to make him feel guilty and he was a little bitter that it worked. “He should be coming by in a bit. He’s usually here earlier, but I think he got caught up with something. So you can go ahead and get settled in and meet him whenever he shows up.” His grandmother pulled him into one more hug, a much gentler one, and Chanyeol wrapped his long arms around her, feeling surprisingly comforted by the action. “I really did miss you.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
As Chanyeol unpacked, the guilt still lingered, refusing to detach from him. It was as if all the guilt he had been avoiding for years suddenly piled on him all at once, trying to completely crush him. With a heavy sigh that only made his chest feel heavier, Chanyeol looked around the room he had spent summers in as a child. Virtually unchanged. Just like the rest of the house. Just like the whole damn town. Something painful wrapped around his heart and his throat tightened. Maybe he hadn’t changed either. He really was still just a kid, trying to escape from unpleasant things but finding himself surrounded.
The sudden ring of the doorbell kept Chanyeol from wallowing in self pity for too long, and he had never been more thankful. An existential crisis really wasn’t that appealing, especially not within the first hour of the next two months.
Chanyeol walked into the living room, confused when there was no old man in sight, but a boy about his age.
“Wait...this is Junmyeon?” Chanyeol asked, incredulously looking the other boy up and down. He was so tiny compared to Chanyeol and he had the friendliest but most handsome features Chanyeol had ever seen in his life, managing to look ethereal and stunning all at the same time. In short, he was really dreamy. Uh-oh.
“Yep, that’s me.” Junmyeon laughed softly, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck under Chanyeol’s intense gaze.
“Uh, hey.” Chanyeol held his hand out, and marveled at how tiny the other’s hand was compared to his own when he took it. “I’m Chanyeol. Uh, sorry.”
“For what?" Junmyeon cutely tilted his head, a confused expression decorating his face. Chanyeol just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, trying to keep his cheeks from heating up. "Hey, Ms. Park, I think I'm gonna start showing Chanyeol around if that’s okay?”
“That’s fine, Junmyeon. I was going to suggest it anyway, so I can start making supper.” Junmyeon flashed a radiant smile and Chanyeol swore this boy could have a horde of angels trailing behind him at all times and it would make perfect sense. Chanyeol followed Junmyeon outside, surprised when he actually began talking with the intent of showing him around, like he had never been here before.
“So over there is the chicken coop-” Oh God, he sounded like a tour guide.
“Junmyeon, it’s okay. You don’t really have to give me the guided tour.” Chanyeol quickly cut the other boy off. “I used to come here all the time so I know where everything is. We could just, walk around and talk or something.”
"Alright. My bad." Junmyeon flashed a sheepish smile at Chanyeol, eyes crinkling in the corners. "Can I ask you a question first, though?" Junmyeon paused and waited for Chanyeol to shrug nonchalantly and nod. "So if you came here all the time, how come I’ve never seen you? You think with how long I’ve been working here we would have met at least once.” Wow. Chanyeol really should have seen the one question he wanted to avoid coming. Junmyeon looked trustworthy enough though, so what was the harm in telling him.
“Okay, so everything I am about to tell you, you absolutely cannot tell my grandma, okay? We just met, but I will not hesitate to fight you. Do not doubt me on this Junmyeon.” Thankfully, Junmyeon knew how to take a joke and any apprehension Chanyeol had about trusting the other boy vanished. “So, when I started high school I ended up partying a lot. And naturally, I ended up drinking and doing a lot of drugs, as is customary to do at parties. Mostly drugs though. But like, it wasn’t anything too bad. Honestly, I just smoked a shit ton of pot. Though, I did take pills and acid occasionally.” After catching Junmyeon’s wide-eyed stare, Chanyeol made sure to put a lot of emphasis on “occasionally”. It seemed to placate Junmyeon. “And I guess my parents caught on eventually, ‘cause I did end up doing a lot of stupid shit. So they sent me here with no way to contact the outside world to kick the drugs.” Junmyeon’s hand suddenly on Chanyeol’s shoulder was surprising, comforting, and a little patronizing, all at once.
“Well, let’s look on the bright side. At least it’s easier to quit smoking weed than it is meth.” Junmyeon said with a somber face and a casual shrug of the shoulders. Chanyeol couldn’t help but snort, gently knocking his shoulder against Junmyeon’s own.
“Shut up.” Junmyeon’s easy laugh relaxed Chanyeol, and he was grateful that Junmyeon was taking it better than he thought he would. That would suck if the one human being besides his grandmother he was going to be in contact with for a whole summer couldn't stand him. They fell into an easy silence as they walked around, Chanyeol admiring the simplistic beauty around him. (a.k.a. Junmyeon)
“So...have you ever been high before Junmyeon?” The question caught Junmyeon off guard and he stumbled, grabbing onto Chanyeol to support himself, looking up in surprise.
“Clearly not.”
“Did you ever want to?” Chanyeol's eyebrows playfully shot up and down. Maybe if he was lucky, Junmyeon could at least point him in the right direction of a dealer this summer, and if he was even luckier, he would have someone to smoke with.
“Nope." Well, there went that plan. And then, to add insult to injury, Junmyeon asked "Is it really that great?”
“This is so terrible, but yeah? I mean, I don't know, I really liked it. Like the feeling of being disconnected from the earth while still feeling whole is amazing. I was stoned like, all the time." Junmyeon let out a low whistle.
“All the time, huh?”
“Yeah, I used to hide my weed in the pouch of my rilakkuma plush, so I could always have it with me.”
“You used to hide your weed in your rilakkuma plush.”
“Well, yeah. Who would honestly suspect that beneath that bear’s sweet little exterior is a dank eighth. It’s foolproof.” Junmyeon looked mildly horrified, as if he couldn’t believe the atrocities Chanyeol’s favorite rilakkuma plush had been subjected to. Whatever.
“Honestly, it’s a good thing you’re getting off drugs, if only for rilakkuma’s sake, good lord. How much has that poor bear suffered, Chanyeol.”
“Fuuuuuuck off.” Junmyeon’s laugh rang pleasantly in Chanyeol’s ears, and for a brief moment, Chanyeol thought this summer wouldn’t be so bad.
He was wrong. Dead wrong. Junmyeon was literally the only light in this black pit of a summer. It had only been two weeks and Chanyeol had stepped in more cow shit than he ever thought possible, seen more hens laying eggs than he ever cared to, and bored Junmyeon to death with his complaints a million times over. Twice as much when he was feeling extra annoying.
“Junmyeon-hyung. I’m not gonna last. There’s really nothing to do here. I can only stand milking the cow so many times and I honestly think she hates me. She gives me a funny look every time I come near her. She might be plotting my death.” Chanyeol sighed, leaning up against a bale of hay, looking wistfully at the sky and Junmyeon’s ever pleasant laugh signaled that he was listening to Chanyeol as he continued sorting the eggs. “A day feels like a year. I’m truly going to die here. I’m going to to be 80 tomorrow morning, Junmyeon-hyung. I’ll be the hyung! This is going to be the last time you see me so young and beautiful, so cherish it while you can.” It wasn't an exaggeration. Time passed so slowly and Chanyeol didn't even have the luxury of being high to make it bearable. Chanyeol heard a loud snort and turned to face Junmyeon, meeting a fond smile paired with a raised eyebrow.
“You’re overdramatic.” The fond smile urged a matching one to appear on Chanyeol’s face, his tongue gently poking through his teeth.
“You love it though.” Chanyeol’s playful smile only grew when Junmyeon rolled his eyes.
“Ehhh. Besides, if you stopped complaining for a bit, you’d see that’d plenty to do around here.”
“Like what.”
“For one, you could actually work.” Ignoring Chanyeol’s over the top retching sounds, Junmyeon continued on. “But for real. You know there’s the pond, right? We could go swimming or fish. There’s the farmer’s market. Sometimes they bring in really cool food, and I know you love to eat.” Chanyeol could hear the implied ‘you fucking stoner’ in that sentence and resisted the urge to shoot back a snarky comment. “The county fair comes in a few weeks; we could always go camping; there’s actually endless things to do; you’re just whiny.”
“Um, rude.” Chanyeol draped his arm casually around Junmyeon’s shoulder. “As payback for being so mean to me just now, you should take me to the pond so we can actually do something fun.” Junmyeon chuckled and patted Chanyeol’s arm.
“Fine. But at least help me finish cleaning the coop before we leave. It won’t take that long.” Junmyeon looked as if he got some pleasure from Chanyeol’s long, agonized groan and he made a small mental note to get him back for that later.
“I told you it wasn’t that bad.” Chanyeol bitterly looked at Junmyeon from the passenger seat and gestured to the bird poop on his shoulder, causing Junmyeon to try and stifle a laugh. “That wasn’t even from one of the hens so I don’t know why you’re mad. It’s not my fault a flock of geese flew overhead while you were cleaning and they pooped on you. I could not have predicted that they would have such amazing accuracy.” Junmyeon's knuckles were white from where he was clutching the steering wheel, trying not lose it.
“Whatever.” Junmyeon glanced over when they were at a stop sign, and at the sight of Chanyeol pouting, he couldn’t contain his laughter any longer. “Hyung!” Chanyeol exclaimed indignantly. “It’s not that funny!” Junmyeon tried to catch his breath, all but wheezing, and Chanyeol’s lip jutted out more.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s not funny.” Junmyeon managed to get out in between peals of laughter.
“Your constant laughter betrays your true thoughts.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It's hilarious."
“God, hyung.”
“Don’t worry, Chanyeol. You won’t have to suffer any longer,” Junmyeon snorted. “We’re here.”
“Finally,” Chanyeol muttered bitterly, but his eyes lit up upon seeing the massive pond. “Holy shit, I forgot how big this pond was. Come on, Junmyeon, hurry up!” Chanyeol was already halfway to the edge of the pond, bouncing eagerly on his feet when Junmyeon finally stepped out of his truck.
Chanyeol grinned as Junmyeon approached him and walked around behind him, covering the other’s eyes with his hands.
“Hey Junmyeon-hyung, keep your eyes closed. I got a surprise for you.” Junmyeon laughed and covered Chanyeol’s hands with his own.
“Wow, already? You shouldn’t have.” Sliding his hands away from under Junmyeon’s and sneakily making sure the other’s eyes were still closed, Chanyeol quickly scooped Junmyeon up into his arms. “Wait! Wait Chanyeol! What are you doing!” Junmyeon’s arms flew from his eyes and around Chanyeol’s neck and Chanyeol’s deep laugh echoed through the trees surrounding the pond.
“Payback.” was all Chanyeol said before making a motion to throw Junmyeon into the pond. Junmyeon shrieked and his grip around Chanyeol tightened, causing Chanyeol to laugh harder and pull him back into his chest. “Just kidding, hyung.” The offended gasp and soft strike to Chanyeol’s shoulder had him dying, almost doubled over.
“Chanyeol!” The apples of Junmyeon’s cheeks were stained a pretty pink. “I really almost had a heart attack.”
“And I really almost was ready to dunk you.” Junmyeon’s soft glare elicited more chuckles from Chanyeol as he gently put the other boy down. “Sorry, hyung.”
“No you’re not.” Junmyeon accused, pouting up at Chanyeol, making the younger want to pinch his cheeks, though he figured that would add insult to injury. But that never stopped him before, and so he reached out, gently squishing Junmyeon’s cheeks between his fingers.
“Aw, cutie hyung,” Chanyeol softly cooed, snickering as Junmyeon swatted his hands away.
“I’m not cute,” Junmyeon huffed, turning away from Chanyeol. “I’m tempted to just leave you here, to be honest.”
“Awww, hyung, no, don’t be mean. Let’s stay and have fun together.” Chanyeol draped his torso over Junmyeon’s back, making sure to put on his cutest pouting face. “And you’re so cute, c’mon don’t lie.”
“I know, I was just messing with you. I’m clearly the cutest person here.” Junmyeon wrapped his arm around Chanyeol’s waist, mischief twinkling in his eyes. Chanyeol's pulse momentarily spiked at the contact.
“Well, I don’t know about cutest, because have you seen me.”
“Yes, I have and that definitely makes me the cutest.” Junmyeon gave a hearty laugh before slipping out from under Chanyeol, pulling his shirt over his head and throwing it off to the side. As Chanyeol’s heart jumped into his throat, he conceded. Junmyeon was definitely the cutest one here. And also the hottest. He was a little disappointed that the shorts stayed on, but good god everything else. The heat he felt definitely wasn't from the burning sun. Chanyeol had to stop himself from admiring the gentle curve of Junmyeon’s back, his nicely toned arms, his subtle abs that looked like they were delicately carved from the finest marble and oh, god he was waxing poetic. There was no hope for him.
Gulping, Chanyeol quickly discarded his own shirt and shoes, and ran right into the pond, making a point to make the biggest splashes possible, hoping to splash Junmyeon. The cool water provided relief to his burning skin and helped steady his racing heart, so he relished in it. But when he looked back, Junmyeon was nervously inching into the pond, teeth chattering. Chanyeol curiously waded back over to the other boy.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s freezing!”
“No...it’s pleasantly cool on a hot day.” Chanyeol laughed as Junmyeon rolled his eyes at him. “You know, the more you roll your eyes, the more you look like my friend Sehun.”
“I’m sure he’s charming.”
“Yeah, actually. You’d really like him. You’d probably baby him too. He’s so good at getting his way, though. It’s a little scary.”
“He sounds a lot like my friend Zitao then. Sometimes, I think Zitao really thinks he’s my son.” The fond smile and faraway look in Junmyeon’s eyes made Chanyeol’s chest grow warm.
“Looks like you think so too.” Junmyeon's nose cutely scrunched up as he laughed.
“A little bit." He admitted. Chanyeol grinned and held out his hand for Junmyeon, eye slightly twitching with happiness when he took it.
“Anyway, time for you to stop being a baby and join me.”
“Shut up, it really is freezing, Chanyeol.”
“Whatever, hyung.” Chanyeol slowly pulled Junmyeon deeper into the water, mischief dancing in his eyes. Once they were about chest deep, Chanyeol immediately let go of Junmyeon's hands, suddenly pushing him beneath the water. Junmyeon sputtered as he came up and slapped Chanyeol on the arm, making Chanyeol laugh loudly. “See, it’s not that bad! This is the best way to get used to the cold anyway. You do it all in one go to get over it.”
“No it’s not! This is the absolute worst way. I’m even more cold now than I was before.” Junmyeon exclaimed through chattering teeth. Chanyeol just hummed nonchalantly before pulling Junmyeon into his chest and raising his eyebrows with a grin.
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to keep you warm then.” Junmyeon momentarily stiffened in surprise before relaxing into the hug and resting his head on Chanyeol’s chest, soft laughter shaking his shoulders. Looking down at the older boy, Chanyeol realised one thing. His heart had no chance in hell at surviving this summer, not with how endearing Junmyeon was.
“Guess so.” was all Junmyeon had to say, leaving Chanyeol’s poor heart stuttering.
Nighttime had already fallen when the two boys were clambering back into Junmyeon’s truck, Chanyeol exhausted from playing so hard. Junmyeon had gotten Chanyeol back for dunking him underwater by tickling Chanyeol's thigh with a long, slimy piece of grass, making him think some creature was trying to drag him down to the bottom of the pond to steal his soul. Chanyeol's shriek had echoed so loudly that it ended up scaring a flock of birds away from one of the nearby trees.
“I still can’t believe you own a truck, Junmyeon-hyung. You’re such a stereotypical farm boy it hurts. Do you also own a pair of assless chaps?” Chanyeol said it trying to get a rise from Junmyeon, and he was honestly expecting Junmyeon to choke on his spit and shriek at him with bright red cheeks, maybe slam on the breaks. He was not ready for the sly sideways glance and amused, flirtatious smirk.
“Maybe one day you’ll find out.” Chanyeol was the one who ended up choking on his spit and it took all of Chanyeol’s power not to pass out then and there. God, he didn’t have to worry about drugs killing him at this point, but clearly Junmyeon was out to do that anyway. As Chanyeol sat there dying, Junmyeon’s gorgeous laugh resounded in the truck, managing to restore life in him.
“You really take pleasure in my pain, hyung.” Chanyeol didn’t realize how much weird subtext that sentence could contain until it escaped his lips, and his cheeks immediately began burning. Thankfully, Junmyeon didn’t bring it up, just continued chuckling at him.
“Funny that you would say that when you were mean to me how many times today?” Chanyeol puffed out his still-burning cheeks at Junmyeon, nose scrunching up.
“It’s not my fault you’re so cute when I tease you.” he muttered, and god, has he ever been this blatantly enamored and corny in his life. Never and it’s slightly disgusting.
“I could say the same for you.” The way Junmyeon gently ruffled his hair left a funny feeling in Chanyeol’s stomach, and he felt like he was going to combust from how hot his skin was burning and the incessant movement of the butterflies in his stomach. But in a good way.
A comfortable silence fell over them and Chanyeol stared out the window, focusing on the stars glittering in the sky and the warm buzz thrumming beneath his skin. He had no clue when the last time he had a crush like this was and it felt kind of nice? Like the warmth spreading through him was vaguely reminiscent of the warmth he felt whenever he got high, but much better. Maybe because he didn't have to detach from himself to feel it.
“What are you smiling about?” Junmyeon’s soft words cut Chanyeol out of his reverie and caused him to sheepishly look up at the other.
“I don’t know. This kind of reminds me of how me, Baekhyun, and Jongdae used to hang out.” It was a quick excuse but it wasn’t a lie. “Oh, those are my best friends, by the way. But like, when it was just us, when we weren’t partying, we would just drive around at night for a while. I mean, we would still smoke together but, it was a lot more personal. We weren’t trying to get fucked out of our mind, but we were just having fun, hanging out, you know? Being friends. Like, you’d probably like Jongdae. He’s so fuckin’ funny. Baek too, but he’s kind of an asshole, so he’s a bit jarring at first.” The memories of the three of them just driving around all night with no purpose, lights of the city racing by brought a fond smile to Chanyeol’s face and tugged slightly at his heart.
“I think my favorite thing was we always switched off on who got to play the music for the night, and it was so much fun ‘cause we would just be driving around singing to these songs together, not really worried about anything. And, oh God, Baek would always put on Girl’s Generation, no matter what. He eventually started making mixes that only had a few of their songs on it instead of playing their entire discography in one sitting, but it was still every time without fail. I’ll never forget the first time I heard him shrieking along to ‘Gee’, and before you say anything, I definitely mean shrieking.” Chanyeol glanced up through his bangs, and the sight of Junmyeon’s small smile as he focused on the road urged him to continue on.
“I remember one night, I think this was after Jongdae first got his license, we somehow ended up listening to a metal station on the radio and there we were, three sixteen-year olds stoned as shit, randomly headbanging to some shit we’ve never heard before and it was so stupid but it was so much fun. Jongdae kept imitating the death growls all night too. I remember he couldn't talk right for like three days.” Resting his head against the cool glass of the window, Chanyeol let nostalgia pleasantly wash over him. “I miss them so much.”
“I’m sure they miss you, too.”
“They fuckin’ better,” Chanyeol muttered playfully, no animosity in his tone. The rest of the car ride was spent in relative silence, the only sounds coming from the radio playing softly in the background. When they finally pulled up at his grandmother’s house, it felt like it ended too soon. Chanyeol had to try to quell the disappointment swelling inside of him. After all, they still had all summer.
When Junmyeon got out of the car to walk him to the door, Chanyeol swore he could hear the sound of someone flatlining. Oh yeah, him. He had no clue how he developed such a massive crush so quickly, but with Junmyeon's never ending list of charms, it made sense. Chanyeol was sure that if he had a little bit more confidence, he would kiss Junmyeon good-bye at the door. Instead of acting out his sudden sappy, romantic impulses, Chanyeol just pulled the other into a one-armed hug and simply said,
“We should do this again sometime.”
“Well, it’s a good thing we see each other every day, huh?” Junmyeon winked up at him and chuckled, leaving Chanyeol with fire licking his insides. “See you tomorrow, Chanyeol.”
part two
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 15k+
Summary: Chanyeol has spent the past few years doing nothing but partying and getting high. When his parents finally catch on to how bad his drug habit is, they send him away to his grandmother's farm for the summer before he starts college, hoping it will help him kick his habit. Chanyeol expects nothing good to come from this summer, until he meets Junmyeon, a cute boy his grandmother hires to help out on the farm.
Warning/s: Drug use/drug abuse (non-explicit, mostly mentions of smoking weed, taking pills/acid); swearing; unprotected sex (frotting, blowjobs, handjobs)
Notes: This is the first fic I've finished in a long time, and to the requester, I hope it meets everything you wanted, and to everyone else, I hope you enjoy! Sorry it's so corny lol;;
When his parents sat him down at the dinner table an hour before Chanyeol was supposed to leave for Baekhyun’s first day of summer party, Chanyeol immediately began blocking out anything they had to say. The second his dad opened his mouth, Chanyeol’s mind was already on the party, thinking about the acid Baekhyun had promised to give to him, thinking about how likely it would be that he and Jongdae would end up sharing a molly in Baekhyun’s bedroom. (There was no doubt about that last thought. It was definitely going to happen. It always did.) Jongdae’s hands were already halfway down his pants in his mind when the phrase “sending you away for the summer” had Chanyeol crashing back into reality.
“Wait, wait, wait. What the fuck?” It slipped out before Chanyeol had a chance to censor himself. Not that he really cared and not that either of his parents’ glares phased him at this point, but he figured it would have at least been polite. “Sending me away? To where? Can you really do that?” Chanyeol knew they could; he honestly just really liked complaining. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time his parents threatened him with some bullshit ultimatum only to never go through with it. His father’s heavy sigh was grating against his ears.
“Yes, Chanyeol. We can and we are. You’re going to spending the summer at your grandmother’s house. We’re taking you there tomorrow morning.” The exasperation was clear in his father’s voice, and more than anything, Chanyeol found it irritating.
“Whoa. Let’s back this fun bus the fuck up. Grandma’s house? Just to be clear, we are talking about the same grandma that lives in the middle of fucking nowhere, a.k.a. the most boring place on the face of this planet, and probably in the entire universe. The same grandma that lives in a town without a fucking Wal-Mart? That Grandma? What about me? My friends? My happiness and general state of well-being? Does any of that actually matter to you guys? Or not really?” With each sentence that came out of Chanyeol’s mouth, his father’s annoyance grew clearer, seemingly matching Chanyeol’s own.
“What about you, Chanyeol? This really is for your own good. Your mother and I are worried about you! We think it would be best if you got away from here for a while before college. Slow down a bit, help your grandmother on her farm, and kick your drug problem.”
“Wait, what. What drug problem? It’s not a problem; it’s never been a problem. And if it was, I certainly wasn’t aware of it. And I mean, you think I would be, considering it’s my supposed drug problem.”
“It is a problem! That’s the thing! You were passed out in a field for two days, Chanyeol, after taking God knows what! That’s clearly a problem!” Chanyeol scoffed, eyes rolling into the back of his head and arms folding over his chest as he leaned back in his chair.
“Okay, I’ll give you that, but also, consider this. It is not my fault that Baekhyun happens to qualify for the biggest dick of the century award and thought it would be funny to drop me off there while I was asleep. If anything, you should be sending him away to Grandma’s farm.” Oops, Chanyeol accidentally just gave his parents another reason to hate Baekhyun. As if they didn’t have enough already.
“It may be Baekhyun’s fault that you ended up in that field, but it was definitely your fault you were passed out for two days. Grow up and own up to that, at least, Chanyeol. Take some responsibility for once.” Those were the first words Chanyeol had heard from his mother all night. They were vaguely reminiscent of the sound of glass shattering. Chanyeol hadn’t even taken a chance to look at her, so he hadn’t seen how haggard she looked. Both her and his father, really. Regret was a weird feeling, Chanyeol found. Especially having not felt it in years. It was oddly suffocating.
“Chanyeol, please.” His father’s pleas were lost to the background as his mother’s words still rang loudly in his ears.
“Yeah. Okay,” was all Chanyeol could manage to say while dumbly nodding at the other man before standing and leaving for his room. He ignored his parents calling for him and numbly fell onto his bed. The thought of sneaking out to Baekhyun’s party anyway and camping out at his house all summer briefly crossed Chanyeol’s mind, but he couldn’t even find the energy to pull the covers over him, let alone escape to Baekhyun’s house.
The exchange with his parents must have taken longer than he thought, because when he finally mustered up the energy to check his phone, there was several panicked texts from Baekhyun, each one less coherent than the last, wondering where he was. Chanyeol finally managed to type out a meager “sorry, in trouble” and set his phone aside in favor of staring blankly at the ceiling. He didn’t even bother to the text from Jongdae. Chanyeol couldn’t remember the last time he was completely sober, and he had no clue what to do with himself, letting the night and his racing thoughts consume him.
When he was shaken awake by his mother the next morning, she let him gently know that they would be taking his phone away for the summer, and that if he ever needed to call, he could use his grandmother’s landline. Being sent back to the 90's. Nice.
Even while half asleep, Chanyeol suspected that they thought he would probably end up calling his numerous connects behind their back while he was away. They were right. He really should have snuck out to Baekhyun’s last night was what Chanyeol immediately thought next. But the time for that had long since passed. Instead, he tried his best to squeeze in one last phone call with his best friend after his mom left, thanking God that for once in his life, Baekhyun actually answered the fucking phone.
“Dude!! What the fuck happened?” Baekhyun didn’t even give Chanyeol a chance to say hi and sounded surprisingly alert for someone who was definitely fucked out of his mind last night (and probably still was).
“My parents are so mad at me right now, Baek. They’re saying I have a drug problem and they brought up that time you dumped me in the middle of a field with Sehun and Jongin-”
“Ha! Oh yeah! Man, Chanyeol, that was so awesome honestly. I really wish you could have seen yourself that day. Like the way there was drool all over your face...it was incredible. I should have taken a picture.”
“Yeah, thanks for that, asshole.” Chanyeol hissed. “But they’re sending me away to literally the middle of nowhere to stay with my grandma all summer. They’re taking away my phone and everything too.”
“Holy shit, really?” The question was accompanied by a barking laugh and Chanyeol had never been so irritated by Baekhyun’s laugh in his whole life. “Welp, sucks to suck, Chanyeol! See you in college!” The line went dead before he could say anything else and Chanyeol could not wait for the summer to end, if only for the sake of beating the shit out of Baekhyun. He sighed and tried calling Jongdae, not at all surprised when it went straight to voicemail.
“Man, I got in serious trouble, so I’m gonna be gone all summer without my phone. I’m gonna miss you so much. Not Baekhyun though. Make sure you tell him that. Also tell him I said ‘fuck you’. Maybe punch him in the stomach so he gets the message. Kick him in the back of the knees? Honestly, anything. Just fight him for me.” Chanyeol hung up and two minutes later was greeted by a new text from Jongdae.
to pcy:
aww boo ;-( now who am i gonna go down on @ parties
to kjd:
i’m sure you’ll manage to find someone lol
to pcy:
duh lmao i already got plenty of ppl lined up xoxo ill miss u tho. cant wait til u come back a homely lil farm boy
to kjd:
1) you’re disgusting 2) fuck off
to pcy:
eagerly awating ur return fighting lmao ;-*
Chanyeol really was thankful to have Jongdae as his other best friend, especially when considering what a huge ass Baekhyun could be. He was also thankful for the head they gave each other sometimes, but mostly the friendship.
A half hour of pleading found Chanyeol without his phone for the summer and he had to admit, he was disappointed. He really thought the tears would work the way they used to when he was a kid, but his mom just rolled her eyes and snatched the phone from his hands. It was a cruel world.
As he was packing, Chanyeol found himself regretting every stupid decision he had made in the past four years that led to him having to go back to the most boring small town the summer before starting college. The summer that should have been the ultimate party summer was now going to be the summer of sobriety, and where was the fun in that. He figured his dumbest was getting caught, and second to that was smoking all his weed the weekend before so he had none to sneak with him. He had no fucking clue how he and his friends managed to smoke a whole fourth in one night, but they did it. The sky really was the limit.
Begrudgingly, Chanyeol threw his bags in the car and as he settled into his seat, he passively wished for death to take over, just for these two months and then he could revive, ready to get fucked up once more.
Death did not come, but sleep did. And after waking from a blissful dream of massive bong rips, Chanyeol wished he had never opened his eyes. With each step he took toward his grandmother’s house, reality settled heavier on his shoulders. The guilt from earlier came rushing back, washing over him when he saw his grandmother waiting on the porch for him, waving excitedly. The bone-crushing hug she enveloped him in cracked his spine in ways he didn’t even know were possible and he tried to give one last pleading, pathetic look to his parents, lips jutting out and silently begging for them to change their mind. They were already back in the car, waving goodbye enthusiastically. Traitors.
The house hadn’t changed at all in the four years it had been since he last set foot in it, Chanyeol noted as his nose was assaulted by that weird peach and inherently old smell he remembered from his childhood. Glancing around, Chanyeol’s eyes landed on the dish of butterscotch candies by the front door, just as full as it was the last time he had seen it. He really wanted to know how old those were considering he had seen it there as a child and had never seen the amount of candy in the bowl change. Actually, he wanted to know where his grandmother had even bought those disgusting candies, because he had never seen them anywhere else in his life. Their only point of existence was at grandma’s house and that was a little unsettling.
When his grandmother launched into a short speech about how much she missed him, how excited she was to have him here, and how great it was that he wanted to help with the farm work, Chanyeol swore he felt his soul leave his body. He was so relieved his parents didn’t tell her the real reason he was here, because she would probably have a heart attack if she ever heard about the field incident. Chanyeol really didn’t want that looming on his conscience. That guilt that had suddenly manifested on his shoulders sometime in the past few days was more than enough.
“You know, I bet Junmyeon will be really excited to meet you!”
“Who?” Chanyeol had never heard of any Junmyeon before and he had been coming to his grandmother’s place every year up until high school started. As he thought about it, Chanyeol realized it was probably some random middle aged guy that his grandmother had hired to help her, because God knows she didn’t really have it in here to do the heavy farm work anymore. Chanyeol’s nose wrinkled in distaste; he prayed he wouldn’t have to hear any dad jokes at all this summer.
“He’s someone I hire during the summertime.” Bingo. It’s tough being right all the time. “He’s been helping out for a while. Actually, I think I first hired him the year you stopped coming.” His grandmother gave him a pointed look, one Chanyeol knew was supposed to make him feel guilty and he was a little bitter that it worked. “He should be coming by in a bit. He’s usually here earlier, but I think he got caught up with something. So you can go ahead and get settled in and meet him whenever he shows up.” His grandmother pulled him into one more hug, a much gentler one, and Chanyeol wrapped his long arms around her, feeling surprisingly comforted by the action. “I really did miss you.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
As Chanyeol unpacked, the guilt still lingered, refusing to detach from him. It was as if all the guilt he had been avoiding for years suddenly piled on him all at once, trying to completely crush him. With a heavy sigh that only made his chest feel heavier, Chanyeol looked around the room he had spent summers in as a child. Virtually unchanged. Just like the rest of the house. Just like the whole damn town. Something painful wrapped around his heart and his throat tightened. Maybe he hadn’t changed either. He really was still just a kid, trying to escape from unpleasant things but finding himself surrounded.
The sudden ring of the doorbell kept Chanyeol from wallowing in self pity for too long, and he had never been more thankful. An existential crisis really wasn’t that appealing, especially not within the first hour of the next two months.
Chanyeol walked into the living room, confused when there was no old man in sight, but a boy about his age.
“Wait...this is Junmyeon?” Chanyeol asked, incredulously looking the other boy up and down. He was so tiny compared to Chanyeol and he had the friendliest but most handsome features Chanyeol had ever seen in his life, managing to look ethereal and stunning all at the same time. In short, he was really dreamy. Uh-oh.
“Yep, that’s me.” Junmyeon laughed softly, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck under Chanyeol’s intense gaze.
“Uh, hey.” Chanyeol held his hand out, and marveled at how tiny the other’s hand was compared to his own when he took it. “I’m Chanyeol. Uh, sorry.”
“For what?" Junmyeon cutely tilted his head, a confused expression decorating his face. Chanyeol just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, trying to keep his cheeks from heating up. "Hey, Ms. Park, I think I'm gonna start showing Chanyeol around if that’s okay?”
“That’s fine, Junmyeon. I was going to suggest it anyway, so I can start making supper.” Junmyeon flashed a radiant smile and Chanyeol swore this boy could have a horde of angels trailing behind him at all times and it would make perfect sense. Chanyeol followed Junmyeon outside, surprised when he actually began talking with the intent of showing him around, like he had never been here before.
“So over there is the chicken coop-” Oh God, he sounded like a tour guide.
“Junmyeon, it’s okay. You don’t really have to give me the guided tour.” Chanyeol quickly cut the other boy off. “I used to come here all the time so I know where everything is. We could just, walk around and talk or something.”
"Alright. My bad." Junmyeon flashed a sheepish smile at Chanyeol, eyes crinkling in the corners. "Can I ask you a question first, though?" Junmyeon paused and waited for Chanyeol to shrug nonchalantly and nod. "So if you came here all the time, how come I’ve never seen you? You think with how long I’ve been working here we would have met at least once.” Wow. Chanyeol really should have seen the one question he wanted to avoid coming. Junmyeon looked trustworthy enough though, so what was the harm in telling him.
“Okay, so everything I am about to tell you, you absolutely cannot tell my grandma, okay? We just met, but I will not hesitate to fight you. Do not doubt me on this Junmyeon.” Thankfully, Junmyeon knew how to take a joke and any apprehension Chanyeol had about trusting the other boy vanished. “So, when I started high school I ended up partying a lot. And naturally, I ended up drinking and doing a lot of drugs, as is customary to do at parties. Mostly drugs though. But like, it wasn’t anything too bad. Honestly, I just smoked a shit ton of pot. Though, I did take pills and acid occasionally.” After catching Junmyeon’s wide-eyed stare, Chanyeol made sure to put a lot of emphasis on “occasionally”. It seemed to placate Junmyeon. “And I guess my parents caught on eventually, ‘cause I did end up doing a lot of stupid shit. So they sent me here with no way to contact the outside world to kick the drugs.” Junmyeon’s hand suddenly on Chanyeol’s shoulder was surprising, comforting, and a little patronizing, all at once.
“Well, let’s look on the bright side. At least it’s easier to quit smoking weed than it is meth.” Junmyeon said with a somber face and a casual shrug of the shoulders. Chanyeol couldn’t help but snort, gently knocking his shoulder against Junmyeon’s own.
“Shut up.” Junmyeon’s easy laugh relaxed Chanyeol, and he was grateful that Junmyeon was taking it better than he thought he would. That would suck if the one human being besides his grandmother he was going to be in contact with for a whole summer couldn't stand him. They fell into an easy silence as they walked around, Chanyeol admiring the simplistic beauty around him. (a.k.a. Junmyeon)
“So...have you ever been high before Junmyeon?” The question caught Junmyeon off guard and he stumbled, grabbing onto Chanyeol to support himself, looking up in surprise.
“Clearly not.”
“Did you ever want to?” Chanyeol's eyebrows playfully shot up and down. Maybe if he was lucky, Junmyeon could at least point him in the right direction of a dealer this summer, and if he was even luckier, he would have someone to smoke with.
“Nope." Well, there went that plan. And then, to add insult to injury, Junmyeon asked "Is it really that great?”
“This is so terrible, but yeah? I mean, I don't know, I really liked it. Like the feeling of being disconnected from the earth while still feeling whole is amazing. I was stoned like, all the time." Junmyeon let out a low whistle.
“All the time, huh?”
“Yeah, I used to hide my weed in the pouch of my rilakkuma plush, so I could always have it with me.”
“You used to hide your weed in your rilakkuma plush.”
“Well, yeah. Who would honestly suspect that beneath that bear’s sweet little exterior is a dank eighth. It’s foolproof.” Junmyeon looked mildly horrified, as if he couldn’t believe the atrocities Chanyeol’s favorite rilakkuma plush had been subjected to. Whatever.
“Honestly, it’s a good thing you’re getting off drugs, if only for rilakkuma’s sake, good lord. How much has that poor bear suffered, Chanyeol.”
“Fuuuuuuck off.” Junmyeon’s laugh rang pleasantly in Chanyeol’s ears, and for a brief moment, Chanyeol thought this summer wouldn’t be so bad.
He was wrong. Dead wrong. Junmyeon was literally the only light in this black pit of a summer. It had only been two weeks and Chanyeol had stepped in more cow shit than he ever thought possible, seen more hens laying eggs than he ever cared to, and bored Junmyeon to death with his complaints a million times over. Twice as much when he was feeling extra annoying.
“Junmyeon-hyung. I’m not gonna last. There’s really nothing to do here. I can only stand milking the cow so many times and I honestly think she hates me. She gives me a funny look every time I come near her. She might be plotting my death.” Chanyeol sighed, leaning up against a bale of hay, looking wistfully at the sky and Junmyeon’s ever pleasant laugh signaled that he was listening to Chanyeol as he continued sorting the eggs. “A day feels like a year. I’m truly going to die here. I’m going to to be 80 tomorrow morning, Junmyeon-hyung. I’ll be the hyung! This is going to be the last time you see me so young and beautiful, so cherish it while you can.” It wasn't an exaggeration. Time passed so slowly and Chanyeol didn't even have the luxury of being high to make it bearable. Chanyeol heard a loud snort and turned to face Junmyeon, meeting a fond smile paired with a raised eyebrow.
“You’re overdramatic.” The fond smile urged a matching one to appear on Chanyeol’s face, his tongue gently poking through his teeth.
“You love it though.” Chanyeol’s playful smile only grew when Junmyeon rolled his eyes.
“Ehhh. Besides, if you stopped complaining for a bit, you’d see that’d plenty to do around here.”
“Like what.”
“For one, you could actually work.” Ignoring Chanyeol’s over the top retching sounds, Junmyeon continued on. “But for real. You know there’s the pond, right? We could go swimming or fish. There’s the farmer’s market. Sometimes they bring in really cool food, and I know you love to eat.” Chanyeol could hear the implied ‘you fucking stoner’ in that sentence and resisted the urge to shoot back a snarky comment. “The county fair comes in a few weeks; we could always go camping; there’s actually endless things to do; you’re just whiny.”
“Um, rude.” Chanyeol draped his arm casually around Junmyeon’s shoulder. “As payback for being so mean to me just now, you should take me to the pond so we can actually do something fun.” Junmyeon chuckled and patted Chanyeol’s arm.
“Fine. But at least help me finish cleaning the coop before we leave. It won’t take that long.” Junmyeon looked as if he got some pleasure from Chanyeol’s long, agonized groan and he made a small mental note to get him back for that later.
“I told you it wasn’t that bad.” Chanyeol bitterly looked at Junmyeon from the passenger seat and gestured to the bird poop on his shoulder, causing Junmyeon to try and stifle a laugh. “That wasn’t even from one of the hens so I don’t know why you’re mad. It’s not my fault a flock of geese flew overhead while you were cleaning and they pooped on you. I could not have predicted that they would have such amazing accuracy.” Junmyeon's knuckles were white from where he was clutching the steering wheel, trying not lose it.
“Whatever.” Junmyeon glanced over when they were at a stop sign, and at the sight of Chanyeol pouting, he couldn’t contain his laughter any longer. “Hyung!” Chanyeol exclaimed indignantly. “It’s not that funny!” Junmyeon tried to catch his breath, all but wheezing, and Chanyeol’s lip jutted out more.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s not funny.” Junmyeon managed to get out in between peals of laughter.
“Your constant laughter betrays your true thoughts.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It's hilarious."
“God, hyung.”
“Don’t worry, Chanyeol. You won’t have to suffer any longer,” Junmyeon snorted. “We’re here.”
“Finally,” Chanyeol muttered bitterly, but his eyes lit up upon seeing the massive pond. “Holy shit, I forgot how big this pond was. Come on, Junmyeon, hurry up!” Chanyeol was already halfway to the edge of the pond, bouncing eagerly on his feet when Junmyeon finally stepped out of his truck.
Chanyeol grinned as Junmyeon approached him and walked around behind him, covering the other’s eyes with his hands.
“Hey Junmyeon-hyung, keep your eyes closed. I got a surprise for you.” Junmyeon laughed and covered Chanyeol’s hands with his own.
“Wow, already? You shouldn’t have.” Sliding his hands away from under Junmyeon’s and sneakily making sure the other’s eyes were still closed, Chanyeol quickly scooped Junmyeon up into his arms. “Wait! Wait Chanyeol! What are you doing!” Junmyeon’s arms flew from his eyes and around Chanyeol’s neck and Chanyeol’s deep laugh echoed through the trees surrounding the pond.
“Payback.” was all Chanyeol said before making a motion to throw Junmyeon into the pond. Junmyeon shrieked and his grip around Chanyeol tightened, causing Chanyeol to laugh harder and pull him back into his chest. “Just kidding, hyung.” The offended gasp and soft strike to Chanyeol’s shoulder had him dying, almost doubled over.
“Chanyeol!” The apples of Junmyeon’s cheeks were stained a pretty pink. “I really almost had a heart attack.”
“And I really almost was ready to dunk you.” Junmyeon’s soft glare elicited more chuckles from Chanyeol as he gently put the other boy down. “Sorry, hyung.”
“No you’re not.” Junmyeon accused, pouting up at Chanyeol, making the younger want to pinch his cheeks, though he figured that would add insult to injury. But that never stopped him before, and so he reached out, gently squishing Junmyeon’s cheeks between his fingers.
“Aw, cutie hyung,” Chanyeol softly cooed, snickering as Junmyeon swatted his hands away.
“I’m not cute,” Junmyeon huffed, turning away from Chanyeol. “I’m tempted to just leave you here, to be honest.”
“Awww, hyung, no, don’t be mean. Let’s stay and have fun together.” Chanyeol draped his torso over Junmyeon’s back, making sure to put on his cutest pouting face. “And you’re so cute, c’mon don’t lie.”
“I know, I was just messing with you. I’m clearly the cutest person here.” Junmyeon wrapped his arm around Chanyeol’s waist, mischief twinkling in his eyes. Chanyeol's pulse momentarily spiked at the contact.
“Well, I don’t know about cutest, because have you seen me.”
“Yes, I have and that definitely makes me the cutest.” Junmyeon gave a hearty laugh before slipping out from under Chanyeol, pulling his shirt over his head and throwing it off to the side. As Chanyeol’s heart jumped into his throat, he conceded. Junmyeon was definitely the cutest one here. And also the hottest. He was a little disappointed that the shorts stayed on, but good god everything else. The heat he felt definitely wasn't from the burning sun. Chanyeol had to stop himself from admiring the gentle curve of Junmyeon’s back, his nicely toned arms, his subtle abs that looked like they were delicately carved from the finest marble and oh, god he was waxing poetic. There was no hope for him.
Gulping, Chanyeol quickly discarded his own shirt and shoes, and ran right into the pond, making a point to make the biggest splashes possible, hoping to splash Junmyeon. The cool water provided relief to his burning skin and helped steady his racing heart, so he relished in it. But when he looked back, Junmyeon was nervously inching into the pond, teeth chattering. Chanyeol curiously waded back over to the other boy.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s freezing!”
“No...it’s pleasantly cool on a hot day.” Chanyeol laughed as Junmyeon rolled his eyes at him. “You know, the more you roll your eyes, the more you look like my friend Sehun.”
“I’m sure he’s charming.”
“Yeah, actually. You’d really like him. You’d probably baby him too. He’s so good at getting his way, though. It’s a little scary.”
“He sounds a lot like my friend Zitao then. Sometimes, I think Zitao really thinks he’s my son.” The fond smile and faraway look in Junmyeon’s eyes made Chanyeol’s chest grow warm.
“Looks like you think so too.” Junmyeon's nose cutely scrunched up as he laughed.
“A little bit." He admitted. Chanyeol grinned and held out his hand for Junmyeon, eye slightly twitching with happiness when he took it.
“Anyway, time for you to stop being a baby and join me.”
“Shut up, it really is freezing, Chanyeol.”
“Whatever, hyung.” Chanyeol slowly pulled Junmyeon deeper into the water, mischief dancing in his eyes. Once they were about chest deep, Chanyeol immediately let go of Junmyeon's hands, suddenly pushing him beneath the water. Junmyeon sputtered as he came up and slapped Chanyeol on the arm, making Chanyeol laugh loudly. “See, it’s not that bad! This is the best way to get used to the cold anyway. You do it all in one go to get over it.”
“No it’s not! This is the absolute worst way. I’m even more cold now than I was before.” Junmyeon exclaimed through chattering teeth. Chanyeol just hummed nonchalantly before pulling Junmyeon into his chest and raising his eyebrows with a grin.
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to keep you warm then.” Junmyeon momentarily stiffened in surprise before relaxing into the hug and resting his head on Chanyeol’s chest, soft laughter shaking his shoulders. Looking down at the older boy, Chanyeol realised one thing. His heart had no chance in hell at surviving this summer, not with how endearing Junmyeon was.
“Guess so.” was all Junmyeon had to say, leaving Chanyeol’s poor heart stuttering.
Nighttime had already fallen when the two boys were clambering back into Junmyeon’s truck, Chanyeol exhausted from playing so hard. Junmyeon had gotten Chanyeol back for dunking him underwater by tickling Chanyeol's thigh with a long, slimy piece of grass, making him think some creature was trying to drag him down to the bottom of the pond to steal his soul. Chanyeol's shriek had echoed so loudly that it ended up scaring a flock of birds away from one of the nearby trees.
“I still can’t believe you own a truck, Junmyeon-hyung. You’re such a stereotypical farm boy it hurts. Do you also own a pair of assless chaps?” Chanyeol said it trying to get a rise from Junmyeon, and he was honestly expecting Junmyeon to choke on his spit and shriek at him with bright red cheeks, maybe slam on the breaks. He was not ready for the sly sideways glance and amused, flirtatious smirk.
“Maybe one day you’ll find out.” Chanyeol was the one who ended up choking on his spit and it took all of Chanyeol’s power not to pass out then and there. God, he didn’t have to worry about drugs killing him at this point, but clearly Junmyeon was out to do that anyway. As Chanyeol sat there dying, Junmyeon’s gorgeous laugh resounded in the truck, managing to restore life in him.
“You really take pleasure in my pain, hyung.” Chanyeol didn’t realize how much weird subtext that sentence could contain until it escaped his lips, and his cheeks immediately began burning. Thankfully, Junmyeon didn’t bring it up, just continued chuckling at him.
“Funny that you would say that when you were mean to me how many times today?” Chanyeol puffed out his still-burning cheeks at Junmyeon, nose scrunching up.
“It’s not my fault you’re so cute when I tease you.” he muttered, and god, has he ever been this blatantly enamored and corny in his life. Never and it’s slightly disgusting.
“I could say the same for you.” The way Junmyeon gently ruffled his hair left a funny feeling in Chanyeol’s stomach, and he felt like he was going to combust from how hot his skin was burning and the incessant movement of the butterflies in his stomach. But in a good way.
A comfortable silence fell over them and Chanyeol stared out the window, focusing on the stars glittering in the sky and the warm buzz thrumming beneath his skin. He had no clue when the last time he had a crush like this was and it felt kind of nice? Like the warmth spreading through him was vaguely reminiscent of the warmth he felt whenever he got high, but much better. Maybe because he didn't have to detach from himself to feel it.
“What are you smiling about?” Junmyeon’s soft words cut Chanyeol out of his reverie and caused him to sheepishly look up at the other.
“I don’t know. This kind of reminds me of how me, Baekhyun, and Jongdae used to hang out.” It was a quick excuse but it wasn’t a lie. “Oh, those are my best friends, by the way. But like, when it was just us, when we weren’t partying, we would just drive around at night for a while. I mean, we would still smoke together but, it was a lot more personal. We weren’t trying to get fucked out of our mind, but we were just having fun, hanging out, you know? Being friends. Like, you’d probably like Jongdae. He’s so fuckin’ funny. Baek too, but he’s kind of an asshole, so he’s a bit jarring at first.” The memories of the three of them just driving around all night with no purpose, lights of the city racing by brought a fond smile to Chanyeol’s face and tugged slightly at his heart.
“I think my favorite thing was we always switched off on who got to play the music for the night, and it was so much fun ‘cause we would just be driving around singing to these songs together, not really worried about anything. And, oh God, Baek would always put on Girl’s Generation, no matter what. He eventually started making mixes that only had a few of their songs on it instead of playing their entire discography in one sitting, but it was still every time without fail. I’ll never forget the first time I heard him shrieking along to ‘Gee’, and before you say anything, I definitely mean shrieking.” Chanyeol glanced up through his bangs, and the sight of Junmyeon’s small smile as he focused on the road urged him to continue on.
“I remember one night, I think this was after Jongdae first got his license, we somehow ended up listening to a metal station on the radio and there we were, three sixteen-year olds stoned as shit, randomly headbanging to some shit we’ve never heard before and it was so stupid but it was so much fun. Jongdae kept imitating the death growls all night too. I remember he couldn't talk right for like three days.” Resting his head against the cool glass of the window, Chanyeol let nostalgia pleasantly wash over him. “I miss them so much.”
“I’m sure they miss you, too.”
“They fuckin’ better,” Chanyeol muttered playfully, no animosity in his tone. The rest of the car ride was spent in relative silence, the only sounds coming from the radio playing softly in the background. When they finally pulled up at his grandmother’s house, it felt like it ended too soon. Chanyeol had to try to quell the disappointment swelling inside of him. After all, they still had all summer.
When Junmyeon got out of the car to walk him to the door, Chanyeol swore he could hear the sound of someone flatlining. Oh yeah, him. He had no clue how he developed such a massive crush so quickly, but with Junmyeon's never ending list of charms, it made sense. Chanyeol was sure that if he had a little bit more confidence, he would kiss Junmyeon good-bye at the door. Instead of acting out his sudden sappy, romantic impulses, Chanyeol just pulled the other into a one-armed hug and simply said,
“We should do this again sometime.”
“Well, it’s a good thing we see each other every day, huh?” Junmyeon winked up at him and chuckled, leaving Chanyeol with fire licking his insides. “See you tomorrow, Chanyeol.”
part two