but still, can we? [1/2]
title: but still, can we?
pairing/s: baekhyun/chanyeol, others (you'd need a microscope to see it)
genre: romance, hp!au
rating: r
length: twoshot, 10K exactly lol
warning/s: All the fail. Really.
summary: The Slytherin sex god and Gryffindor prefect had always rubbed each other the wrong way.
an: written for fara-nim for csc fic exchange with the prompt ”Chanyeol as the slytherin sex god and Baekhyun as the uptight gryffindor prefect”. I am extremely sorry and I believe this is everything you never wanted. And I can’t do sexy times to save my life. I’m sorry.
an2: thanks to my captain for always helping me because I’m a useless potato and to ella who is the baek to my baek lol.
an3: I’m retiring after this. Bye world!
They had always rubbed each other the wrong way.
Well, Park Chanyeol had at one time wanted to rub himself all over the uptight Gryffindor boy but it was just a fleeting thought. Getting into Byun Baekhyun's robes was too much of a hassle when he could have anyone else he fancied. Be it a Gryffindor, a Ravenclaw, a Hufflepuff, or a fellow Slytherin-Chanyeol could get them easily in his bed (or in any surface) and have them begging with just a seductive half-smile or a smouldering look. He could make them tremble with need with just a simple touch and his deep voice whispering naughty things into their ears. Byun Baekhyun was undoubtedly cute with his small dark brown eyes, button nose and pink mouth but Chanyeol believed he wasn't worth the trouble.
All he got from Baekhyun were disdainful looks and disapproving frowns, which only intensified when the shorter male became a prefect back in their fifth year. There were many times that Chanyeol had lost points for his house when the slightly older male used his position to dock points by virtue of Park Chanyeol having no virtue. He didn't know why the professors let Baekhyun get away with it; it was a blatant abuse of power! It wasn't his fault that people throw themselves at him. He was the greatest Beater the House of Slytherin had ever seen in over a century, not to mention being the owner of the most handsome face in the castle.
Now, the brunette was glaring daggers at him again after catching him outside after curfew hours, making out with a girl (he didn't even remember if she was a Ravenclaw or what) under one of the staircases leading to his dormitory. Chanyeol knew the fuming prefect enough by now-having entered Hogwarts the same year as him-to know that he was about to get another lecture on morality. He wasn't disappointed.
"Seriously, Park Chanyeol. Seriously?" Baekhyun scowled up at him, straightening to his full height which wasn't much, Chanyeol thought, as the tops of the elder's head just only reached an inch above his chin. "Only a few months left to graduation and you're still pulling stunts like this? Have you no shame? What kind of example are you setting for the lower years? For unfathomable reasons, they look up to you!"
Chanyeol remained smirking, knowing full well that this would only rile Baekhyun more. It did.
"You are hopeless! You're really as dumb as a bludger! One day I'd like to get a hold of your own bat and hit your head with it!" Baekhyun hissed.
"Woah, there's no need for this hissy fit, babe. I can let you hold my bat any time. I'll even let you stroke it as many times as you want," Chanyeol teased. He watched in glee as Baekhyun's eyes narrowed even more and his cheeks suffuse with a pretty shade of pink, skin illuminated by the candlestick he was holding.
"You are promiscuous and a disgrace to the name of our school!"
Chanyeol couldn't say he wasn't affected by the smaller boy's words. He was somehow always affected. That was probably why he didn't think before answering back with a few jabs of his own. "Well, little boy, at least I'm having fun. Unlike you who are too stuck up to enjoy life. You're sucking the joy out of everyone around you. And guess what? No one will want you and you'll end up alone-a sad, dried up virgin-"
Chanyeol abruptly stopped. It was the first time he saw Byun Baekhyun's face like that. His expression appeared to be blank but there was a tell-tale trembling of his soft mouth and the candlelight shone on his suspiciously bright eyes. Baekhyun blinked and two tiny drops of diamonds slid down his cheeks. The boy quickly wiped them with his slender hands and stepped back. Chanyeol felt all sorts of awful. Clearly, he had a big mouth and a stupid brain to go with it.
"Baekhyun, I-"
"Twenty points off, Park Chanyeol," Baekhyun said, voice a little broken. Then he was gone.
"Fuck," Chanyeol said with gritted teeth, annoyed and angry with himself. Not for the lost points but for the loss of the light in Baekhyun's pretty eyes.
How hard could it be to make things right with Byun Baekhyun? Apparently, really, really hard because Chanyeol had tried to approach the Gryffindor prefect every day for the past week and it was either he couldn't find him or Baekhyun was outright avoiding him. To top it all off, he was always with his friends and Park Chanyeol drew the line at apologising with an audience. It was bad enough that he felt like a slug for what he said; he didn't need for other people to know about it.
Chanyeol wasn't even sure why he was so intent on being forgiven in the first place. It wasn't as if Byun Baekhyun was his friend. Honestly, this got the strict prefect off his case. He hadn't gotten any deduction for Slytherin for seven straight days. And this was with Chanyeol going about as usual: breaking curfew, flirting with everybody and-just like earlier-laughing obnoxiously loud in the Great Hall. He was free yet he still found himself craning his neck this way and that, waiting for the sound of Byun Baekhyun's light footsteps, his adorable scowls and his stern "Park Chanyeol!"
"You're spacing off again," his friend, Oh Sehun, commented from across the table. "Something bothering you?"
"It's nothing. Just thinking about the upcoming match on Friday," he lied.
"Since when do you worry about our next matches?" The blonde Slytherin chaser stared at him curiously. "And it's just against Hufflepuff. We can beat them even with our eyes closed."
"Huh... It's probably better if you do close your eyes. I saw them all a-twinkle while you were watching their game against Ravenclaw last week. You'd probably fall to your death if that baby-faced chaser so much as smiles at you during our game," Chanyeol said dryly.
"I won't!" Sehun replied indignantly. "I was just studying his moves so when we're up against them, I'd know what to do."
"Yeah sure, of course that’s what you were doing."
Sehun huffed. Chanyeol chuckled but his attention was diverted when a piece of folded parchment floated in front of his face before it settled down on top of his outstretched palm. He opened it and read the short message inside. Chanyeol felt a smile spread across his lips. This was perfect.
"So who're you going to meet this time?" Sehun asked with a knowing smirk.
"The Jung girl from Gryffindor. I'm going to meet her right in front of their dorms later," he answered smugly.
"Woah, there. Hold up, Gryffindor? Are you asking for your own death? You want that Byun guy to cut you to pieces? You're practically going to break the rules in front of your archenemy's doorstep!"
Chanyeol nodded. Exactly. Then Byun Baekhyun couldn't possibly ignore him, could he? He'd be forced to speak to Chanyeol. The taller boy would be able to see his cheeks redden in anger again while he bit on his lower lip. Curious, how Chanyeol remembered the exact shape of Byun Baekhyun's mouth even after not talking to him for some time. He felt something pull at his stomach and he immediately cast off thoughts of what those lips would look like after a thorough kiss.
He found himself looking forward to his midnight rendezvous more than necessary. It was a bit unsettling how much he wanted to see Baekhyun. He just felt guilty, he told himself, and it was definitely not because he missed the Gryffindor boy.
Chanyeol was getting bored.
Soojung was really a very pretty girl and she was obviously willing to put out but Chanyeol couldn't find it in himself to take advantage of the not so subtle invitation she was sending him. Her hands were running up and down his chest and she was smiling up at him seductively but Chanyeol was too distracted to notice. They were in a semi-dark corner; just a short distance away from the Fat Ladywho Chanyeol could feel was giving them the stink eye. He didn't care. He was busy watching out for the short brunette who kept on invading his thoughts.
Where was he? It had already been fifteen minutes. Surely, Baekhyun had already finished his rounds. He needed to get here now. The girl in front of Chanyeol was becoming bolder; her hands were already unbuttoning the tops of his shirt. The tall boy didn't want to have to reject her so it was with immense relief that he heard nimble footsteps get closer. Byun Baekhyun.
Chanyeol pulled Soojung into the light the exact moment Baekhyun reached the landing. The Slytherin boy turned and saw the prefect standing a few feet away, wearing a pair of deep red pajamas that did amazing things to his fair skin and raised havoc inside Chanyeol's head. Baekhyun’s hair was damp at the edges and he was hugging his folded robes to his chest. Chanyeol thought he could smell the faint scent of strawberries. Byun just got back from a bath.
He suddenly felt warm at the thought. Which was weird. He didn't have much time to wonder about it because Soojung already began spouting improbable explanations on why she was loitering in the dark with the notorious Slytherin sex god. Based on the cold look he was giving them, Baekhyun was not buying any of it. The short boy held up his hand which cut off the useless excuses.
"Get inside, Soojung. Fifteen points off Gryffindor," Baekhyun said.
The girl threw Chanyeol a longing look then reluctantly gave the Fat Lady the password. The painting swung open and soon Soojung was inside, leaving Chanyeol and Baekhyun alone. This was his chance, Chanyeol thought, eyeing the prefect in anticipation. He was completely expecting to be reprimanded. Baekhyun couldn't possibly let this pass. But the older boy didn't even spare him a glance and continued on his way to his dormitory.
The younger male couldn't just let him get away. Chanyeol had been waiting all week for this. In a flash, he was behind Baekhyun and grabbing onto his arm. "What? No deductions for me? Slacking on your job, Mr. Prefect?" he said. It was meant to be teasing but the words sounded harsher somehow.
"Let go," the shorter male replied.
This wasn't going the way Chanyeol imagined it. By now he should have been able to say his apologies and probably suffer fifty points off his house. He expected Baekhyun to be looking at him like he was a fucking idiot, like he always did, but instead, his expression was completely emotionless and empty as if Park Chanyeol didn't even exist, didn’t even matter. His hold unconsciously tightened on the small arm he was holding. "Baekhyun."
It was then that Baekhyun turned to look up at him. "What are you doing?"
Chanyeol opened his mouth. The answer was easy enough. I'm sorry, he wanted to say. Except as he gazed down at Baekhyun-at his vacant eyes and the thin line of his lips-he couldn't seem to say it. What was he doing?
"I don't know."
Baekhyun's expression became more shuttered. He tried to jerk his arm free but Chanyeol's grip was still unrelenting. "You should step away. I wouldn't want to suck the joy out of you."
At that, Chanyeol let go. He hadn't understood how deeply he had offended Baekhyun with his careless words until that moment. He suddenly didn't think that saying sorry was enough.
Baekhyun let out a resigned sigh, like he was tired of Chanyeol and all his shit. The taller boy felt even lower than a slug. "Off with you, Park Chanyeol."
Chanyeol didn't like how final Baekhyun's words seemed. It felt like Byun Baekhyun was writing him off his... life. He shouldn't really be affected this much but he was. Chanyeol was so confused. He stood there long after Baekhyun had gone, wondering since when did he care.
Getting help from Byun Baekhyun's best friend was even harder than scoring his first lay. Kim Jongdae drove a hard bargain. Chanyeol had to utilize all his charms (which had been seeing little action since two weeks ago, thanks to an inexplicable preoccupation with a certain boy) and had to buy two galleons worth of sweets from Honeydukes to get him to talk.
Despite his bribes, Jongdae still made Chanyeol wait while he sampled the sweets before giving him his attention. Chanyeol was getting impatient, to say the least. He just wanted everything back the way it was. He hadn't been his usual self lately and even his friends had noticed it when he passed on a chance to make his move with Dara, the Ravenclaw Head Girl who he had been pursuing since the start of the term. He was quickly losing his reputation. What was a sex god without a steady stream of conquests?
"What did you even say to piss Baekhyun off?" Jongdae asked, words garbled as his mouth was full of Pink Coconut Ice. He was sitting comfortably on a bench in the school courtyard while Chanyeol was pacing in front of him. "He didn't tell me anything."
Chanyeol stopped and looked at the other. "You don't need to know. I just... What should I do so Baekhyun would forgive me?"
Jongdae crossed his arms over his chest. "Was it much worse than what you did seven years ago?"
"What?"
"Hogwarts Express, genius."
"Oh, that." Chanyeol rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I guess?"
"Really?" Jongdae gaped at him. "Tsk. Then this will be harder than I thought."
"I already spent the whole of my allowance for the month, Kim Jongdae."
"I wasn't trying to get more!" The shorter boy refuted. Jongdae looked thoughtful for a few seconds then his eyes widened. "Hey, why are you so keen on having Baek forgive you? Oh no. Do you-I won’t have you corrupting him!"
"I don't want to bed him!" Chanyeol said vehemently. "Nothing of the sort! It isn't like that."
"Well, why not?"
Chanyeol came up blank once again. He hadn't seriously thought of hitting on Baekhyun even if he thought him attractive. He hadn't ever wanted him as a notch on his bedpost. "It's just different, okay?"
Jongdae studied his face before nodding. "Okay. Just making sure. This is my best friend we're talking about here. Still this is new. The Park Chanyeol failing to charm his way out of trouble."
The guy took his sweet time returning to unwrapping a candy box, stretching Chanyeol's patience thin. "Are you going to help me or are you just going to waste my time?"
"Patience, man. I'm thinking." Jongdae popped a toffee in his mouth and chewed loudly much to Chanyeol's annoyance. "This obviously calls for the big guns."
Chanyeol raised an eyebrow. Big guns?
"Here's what you need." The shorter boy took out a quill and parchment from his satchel and began to write. He finished with a flourish and he handed it to Chanyeol. "Just follow everything there."
Chanyeol read the directions in disbelief. This was it? Yeah, it did require some rule-breaking but it seemed all too easy. "Are you sure this will work?"
"No. But at least you'll get a chance to talk to him." Jongdae shrugged.
A chance. Fine. Chanyeol would take it. Just so he could get rid of this inconvenient, nagging guilt that had been eating at him for too long now. That was what it all was. Just an inconvenience.
"I'll be taking my leave or Baek would look for me. Thanks for these," Jongdae said while shoving all the candies in his satchel. "Good luck, Park."
The tall Slytherin read through the piece of parchment again then patted his sorely empty pockets. He'd need to get more money for another trip to Honeydukes.
As it turned out, it wasn't until four days after that Chanyeol could act upon Jongdae's instructions. He had to promise to help Sehun get the Hufflepuff Beater in exchange for a few Sickles. That was easy. He also had to make sure that there were no other prefects or professors (or Filch or his cat or the headmaster or-Why is this list so long?) around to catch him. Chanyeol glanced at the big grandfather clock in the common room. Five minutes after midnight. Perfect.
"Lumos," he whispered and his wand (11 inches, cedar with a dragon heartstring core) let out a soft blue light to guide him through the shortcut the other seventh years had been using-they wouldn't be Slytherins if they didn't sneak out at night. He clutched a small package to his side as he went up a narrow staircase. He needed to turn right and go up three flights more to get to the fifth floor. Chanyeol had to be extremely silent for this so he only had his socks on, making it also easier to pretend that he was sleep walking just in case someone caught him. Ha!
The castle was indeed scarier at night, the light from Chanyeol's wand cast horrific silhouettes across the corridors. He unconsciously quickened his footsteps and was only able to breathe easily when he finally saw the statue of Boris the Bewildered. That meant he was near.
Sure enough, four doors down, he saw the one for the Prefect's bathroom. Kim Jongdae told him that Baekhyun spends some time every other night here-the Griffindor boy finishes his rounds, waits for the other prefects to clear the area before he goes in to bathe. Jongdae's instructions were to go a few minutes after midnight so Baekhyun would be done with his bath and Chanyeol would be able to talk to him without any interruptions.
Chanyeol took out the light from his wand upon reaching the entrance and whispered the password, courtesy of Choi Minho, his Quidditch captain (Apparently, they were just picked from the name of the bath salts inside and this week it's 'Languorous Lavender'). The door swung open quietly, much to his relief. Chanyeol cautiously made his way inside, careful to stay hidden in the shadows. He didn't want for Baekhyun to see him immediately and give the boy a chance to turn him away.
Crouching low, he went to a small space in between a wall and the first bathroom stall and peeped from behind it. The scent of strawberries filled his nostrils. He was early.
Baekhyun was facing away from him and was still neck deep into the bubble-filled pool. From time to time a slender hand would appear, catching a bubble before the boy would blow it into the air. Chanyeol couldn't hold back a surprised smile when Baekhyun started to sing lightly. He didn't even know the prefect had an amazing voice! Even the mermaid on the stained glass window in front of the pool approved.
Loathe as he was to disrupt the impromptu concert, Chanyeol had things he must do. He stepped out from his hiding place and was about to call Baekhyun when the other male swam towards the pool steps and started to rise from the water. Chanyeol could feel his jaw promptly drop but then who wouldn't?
Byun Baekhyun was gloriously naked. Chanyeol could only see from the back but the view was no less spectacular. All that fair and smooth skin. His eyes eagerly followed the rivulets of water that fell from his shoulders and ran down the contours of his petite frame. His attention particularly got caught on one drop that traced the delicate spine lovingly from the nape to the sweet curves of his backside. It looked soft and firm at the same time and he thought dazedly that they would fill his large hands quite well.
He swallowed thickly. The temperature inside the bathroom rose and he started to sweat. He was burning. This definitely wasn't part of the plan. There wasn't an instruction regarding Byun Baekhyun's body. He felt everything getting out of control. Chanyeol needn't look down to see the beginnings of the totally inappropriate hard-on he was sporting right now. Fuck.
As if he wasn't already suffering enough, Baekhyun bent down to get a folded towel from a low stool, affording Chanyeol a provocative view of his ass and shapely thighs. Then Baekhyun began drying himself, rubbing the fabric against his bare limbs. Chanyeol couldn't have stopped the strangled moan from coming out. He watched in wide-eyed horror as Baekhyun stopped and his shoulders tensed.
"Who's there?"
The Slytherin boy quickly cowered back into his corner and closed his eyes, heart beating incredibly fast.
"I said, who's there?"
What was he doing? Why was he hiding? Sex god Park Chanyeol would have used this moment to his advantage. It wasn't the first time that he had walked in on a nude person. He even scored once or twice because of it. But now, he couldn't seem to move. He was turning into a freaking wimp!
Baekhyun's footsteps came closer. He was so screwed.
Well, at least open your eyes and face him like a real man, you fool, Chanyeol scolded himself. It was a good idea except his knees wouldn't work.
"Hey, lover boy," a giggling voice whispered near his ear and Chanyeol's eyes opened in shock. He was face to face with a bespectacled ghost of a girl, smiling mischievously at him.
"Myrtle."
"Whatcha hiding here for?" She he giggled, loudly this time. Chanyeol winced. There was no way Baekhyun hadn't heard that.
"I heard you, who's there?" Baekhyun called out.
The ghost flew up, eyes still fixed on Chanyeol who was shaking his head no. Myrtle laughed and moved toward the prefect, stopping him from advancing further. "It’s me, tiny Gryffindor boy."
Chanyeol heard Baekhyun let out a sigh of relief. "You almost scared me."
"But why?" the ghost asked in her high-pitched voice. "Is Myrtle scary? Isn't Myrtle pretty?"
Baekhyun chuckled. "Of course you're pretty. I just thought someone sneaked in here. How are you?"
The prefect's voice was coming from some distance now and Chanyeol figured it was by then safe to peek so he would know what was going on. He stuck half his head out, seeing Baekhyun by the pool, listening to Moaning Myrtle's reply while putting on his pajamas. You are not supposed to feel disappointed, Chanyeol told himself. Yet he still was.
"Oh, that's good then. What are you doing here, though?"
Myrtle danced in the air. "Nothing. Just thinking about fools in love." She sighed dreamily. "And watching you bathe, of course."
Baekhyun shook his head laughingly at the girl's confession. "Hope you enjoyed then."
"I did. I love watching you take a bath." She leaned in closer to the Gryffindor boy and stage whispered, "I know someone else who loves watching you bathe."
Chanyeol almost choked at the ghost's teasing tone. Baekhyun looked up at the girl in confusion. "Huh?"
But Myrtle just cackled and twirled around and around Baekhyun. Chanyeol fortunately had enough sense left to realize this was his chance to escape. While Baekhyun was distracted with the ghost, he made a dash for the door and didn't stop running until he reached his room, out of breath and still clutching on the small package.
He knew it. It had looked so simple on parchment but it wasn't. Chanyeol fell on his back and stared unseeing at the canopy of his bed for a long time. He couldn't get the image of Byun Baekhyun rising from the pool out of his thoughts. The way Baekhyun's wet body glistened under the candlelights--and Holy hell he was feeling out of his wits again, his own body reacting beyond his control. This wasn't happening, he groaned.
Except it certainly was. He wanted Byun Baekhyun.
Chanyeol recalled the mousy looking boy he met all those years ago on his first train ride to Hogwarts. He really should have known that this was inevitable. After all, he had tried to deny it but he wanted Baekhyun for himself even then.
part ii
pairing/s: baekhyun/chanyeol, others (you'd need a microscope to see it)
genre: romance, hp!au
rating: r
length: twoshot, 10K exactly lol
warning/s: All the fail. Really.
summary: The Slytherin sex god and Gryffindor prefect had always rubbed each other the wrong way.
an: written for fara-nim for csc fic exchange with the prompt ”Chanyeol as the slytherin sex god and Baekhyun as the uptight gryffindor prefect”. I am extremely sorry and I believe this is everything you never wanted. And I can’t do sexy times to save my life. I’m sorry.
an2: thanks to my captain for always helping me because I’m a useless potato and to ella who is the baek to my baek lol.
an3: I’m retiring after this. Bye world!
They had always rubbed each other the wrong way.
Well, Park Chanyeol had at one time wanted to rub himself all over the uptight Gryffindor boy but it was just a fleeting thought. Getting into Byun Baekhyun's robes was too much of a hassle when he could have anyone else he fancied. Be it a Gryffindor, a Ravenclaw, a Hufflepuff, or a fellow Slytherin-Chanyeol could get them easily in his bed (or in any surface) and have them begging with just a seductive half-smile or a smouldering look. He could make them tremble with need with just a simple touch and his deep voice whispering naughty things into their ears. Byun Baekhyun was undoubtedly cute with his small dark brown eyes, button nose and pink mouth but Chanyeol believed he wasn't worth the trouble.
All he got from Baekhyun were disdainful looks and disapproving frowns, which only intensified when the shorter male became a prefect back in their fifth year. There were many times that Chanyeol had lost points for his house when the slightly older male used his position to dock points by virtue of Park Chanyeol having no virtue. He didn't know why the professors let Baekhyun get away with it; it was a blatant abuse of power! It wasn't his fault that people throw themselves at him. He was the greatest Beater the House of Slytherin had ever seen in over a century, not to mention being the owner of the most handsome face in the castle.
Now, the brunette was glaring daggers at him again after catching him outside after curfew hours, making out with a girl (he didn't even remember if she was a Ravenclaw or what) under one of the staircases leading to his dormitory. Chanyeol knew the fuming prefect enough by now-having entered Hogwarts the same year as him-to know that he was about to get another lecture on morality. He wasn't disappointed.
"Seriously, Park Chanyeol. Seriously?" Baekhyun scowled up at him, straightening to his full height which wasn't much, Chanyeol thought, as the tops of the elder's head just only reached an inch above his chin. "Only a few months left to graduation and you're still pulling stunts like this? Have you no shame? What kind of example are you setting for the lower years? For unfathomable reasons, they look up to you!"
Chanyeol remained smirking, knowing full well that this would only rile Baekhyun more. It did.
"You are hopeless! You're really as dumb as a bludger! One day I'd like to get a hold of your own bat and hit your head with it!" Baekhyun hissed.
"Woah, there's no need for this hissy fit, babe. I can let you hold my bat any time. I'll even let you stroke it as many times as you want," Chanyeol teased. He watched in glee as Baekhyun's eyes narrowed even more and his cheeks suffuse with a pretty shade of pink, skin illuminated by the candlestick he was holding.
"You are promiscuous and a disgrace to the name of our school!"
Chanyeol couldn't say he wasn't affected by the smaller boy's words. He was somehow always affected. That was probably why he didn't think before answering back with a few jabs of his own. "Well, little boy, at least I'm having fun. Unlike you who are too stuck up to enjoy life. You're sucking the joy out of everyone around you. And guess what? No one will want you and you'll end up alone-a sad, dried up virgin-"
Chanyeol abruptly stopped. It was the first time he saw Byun Baekhyun's face like that. His expression appeared to be blank but there was a tell-tale trembling of his soft mouth and the candlelight shone on his suspiciously bright eyes. Baekhyun blinked and two tiny drops of diamonds slid down his cheeks. The boy quickly wiped them with his slender hands and stepped back. Chanyeol felt all sorts of awful. Clearly, he had a big mouth and a stupid brain to go with it.
"Baekhyun, I-"
"Twenty points off, Park Chanyeol," Baekhyun said, voice a little broken. Then he was gone.
"Fuck," Chanyeol said with gritted teeth, annoyed and angry with himself. Not for the lost points but for the loss of the light in Baekhyun's pretty eyes.
How hard could it be to make things right with Byun Baekhyun? Apparently, really, really hard because Chanyeol had tried to approach the Gryffindor prefect every day for the past week and it was either he couldn't find him or Baekhyun was outright avoiding him. To top it all off, he was always with his friends and Park Chanyeol drew the line at apologising with an audience. It was bad enough that he felt like a slug for what he said; he didn't need for other people to know about it.
Chanyeol wasn't even sure why he was so intent on being forgiven in the first place. It wasn't as if Byun Baekhyun was his friend. Honestly, this got the strict prefect off his case. He hadn't gotten any deduction for Slytherin for seven straight days. And this was with Chanyeol going about as usual: breaking curfew, flirting with everybody and-just like earlier-laughing obnoxiously loud in the Great Hall. He was free yet he still found himself craning his neck this way and that, waiting for the sound of Byun Baekhyun's light footsteps, his adorable scowls and his stern "Park Chanyeol!"
"You're spacing off again," his friend, Oh Sehun, commented from across the table. "Something bothering you?"
"It's nothing. Just thinking about the upcoming match on Friday," he lied.
"Since when do you worry about our next matches?" The blonde Slytherin chaser stared at him curiously. "And it's just against Hufflepuff. We can beat them even with our eyes closed."
"Huh... It's probably better if you do close your eyes. I saw them all a-twinkle while you were watching their game against Ravenclaw last week. You'd probably fall to your death if that baby-faced chaser so much as smiles at you during our game," Chanyeol said dryly.
"I won't!" Sehun replied indignantly. "I was just studying his moves so when we're up against them, I'd know what to do."
"Yeah sure, of course that’s what you were doing."
Sehun huffed. Chanyeol chuckled but his attention was diverted when a piece of folded parchment floated in front of his face before it settled down on top of his outstretched palm. He opened it and read the short message inside. Chanyeol felt a smile spread across his lips. This was perfect.
"So who're you going to meet this time?" Sehun asked with a knowing smirk.
"The Jung girl from Gryffindor. I'm going to meet her right in front of their dorms later," he answered smugly.
"Woah, there. Hold up, Gryffindor? Are you asking for your own death? You want that Byun guy to cut you to pieces? You're practically going to break the rules in front of your archenemy's doorstep!"
Chanyeol nodded. Exactly. Then Byun Baekhyun couldn't possibly ignore him, could he? He'd be forced to speak to Chanyeol. The taller boy would be able to see his cheeks redden in anger again while he bit on his lower lip. Curious, how Chanyeol remembered the exact shape of Byun Baekhyun's mouth even after not talking to him for some time. He felt something pull at his stomach and he immediately cast off thoughts of what those lips would look like after a thorough kiss.
He found himself looking forward to his midnight rendezvous more than necessary. It was a bit unsettling how much he wanted to see Baekhyun. He just felt guilty, he told himself, and it was definitely not because he missed the Gryffindor boy.
Chanyeol was getting bored.
Soojung was really a very pretty girl and she was obviously willing to put out but Chanyeol couldn't find it in himself to take advantage of the not so subtle invitation she was sending him. Her hands were running up and down his chest and she was smiling up at him seductively but Chanyeol was too distracted to notice. They were in a semi-dark corner; just a short distance away from the Fat Ladywho Chanyeol could feel was giving them the stink eye. He didn't care. He was busy watching out for the short brunette who kept on invading his thoughts.
Where was he? It had already been fifteen minutes. Surely, Baekhyun had already finished his rounds. He needed to get here now. The girl in front of Chanyeol was becoming bolder; her hands were already unbuttoning the tops of his shirt. The tall boy didn't want to have to reject her so it was with immense relief that he heard nimble footsteps get closer. Byun Baekhyun.
Chanyeol pulled Soojung into the light the exact moment Baekhyun reached the landing. The Slytherin boy turned and saw the prefect standing a few feet away, wearing a pair of deep red pajamas that did amazing things to his fair skin and raised havoc inside Chanyeol's head. Baekhyun’s hair was damp at the edges and he was hugging his folded robes to his chest. Chanyeol thought he could smell the faint scent of strawberries. Byun just got back from a bath.
He suddenly felt warm at the thought. Which was weird. He didn't have much time to wonder about it because Soojung already began spouting improbable explanations on why she was loitering in the dark with the notorious Slytherin sex god. Based on the cold look he was giving them, Baekhyun was not buying any of it. The short boy held up his hand which cut off the useless excuses.
"Get inside, Soojung. Fifteen points off Gryffindor," Baekhyun said.
The girl threw Chanyeol a longing look then reluctantly gave the Fat Lady the password. The painting swung open and soon Soojung was inside, leaving Chanyeol and Baekhyun alone. This was his chance, Chanyeol thought, eyeing the prefect in anticipation. He was completely expecting to be reprimanded. Baekhyun couldn't possibly let this pass. But the older boy didn't even spare him a glance and continued on his way to his dormitory.
The younger male couldn't just let him get away. Chanyeol had been waiting all week for this. In a flash, he was behind Baekhyun and grabbing onto his arm. "What? No deductions for me? Slacking on your job, Mr. Prefect?" he said. It was meant to be teasing but the words sounded harsher somehow.
"Let go," the shorter male replied.
This wasn't going the way Chanyeol imagined it. By now he should have been able to say his apologies and probably suffer fifty points off his house. He expected Baekhyun to be looking at him like he was a fucking idiot, like he always did, but instead, his expression was completely emotionless and empty as if Park Chanyeol didn't even exist, didn’t even matter. His hold unconsciously tightened on the small arm he was holding. "Baekhyun."
It was then that Baekhyun turned to look up at him. "What are you doing?"
Chanyeol opened his mouth. The answer was easy enough. I'm sorry, he wanted to say. Except as he gazed down at Baekhyun-at his vacant eyes and the thin line of his lips-he couldn't seem to say it. What was he doing?
"I don't know."
Baekhyun's expression became more shuttered. He tried to jerk his arm free but Chanyeol's grip was still unrelenting. "You should step away. I wouldn't want to suck the joy out of you."
At that, Chanyeol let go. He hadn't understood how deeply he had offended Baekhyun with his careless words until that moment. He suddenly didn't think that saying sorry was enough.
Baekhyun let out a resigned sigh, like he was tired of Chanyeol and all his shit. The taller boy felt even lower than a slug. "Off with you, Park Chanyeol."
Chanyeol didn't like how final Baekhyun's words seemed. It felt like Byun Baekhyun was writing him off his... life. He shouldn't really be affected this much but he was. Chanyeol was so confused. He stood there long after Baekhyun had gone, wondering since when did he care.
Getting help from Byun Baekhyun's best friend was even harder than scoring his first lay. Kim Jongdae drove a hard bargain. Chanyeol had to utilize all his charms (which had been seeing little action since two weeks ago, thanks to an inexplicable preoccupation with a certain boy) and had to buy two galleons worth of sweets from Honeydukes to get him to talk.
Despite his bribes, Jongdae still made Chanyeol wait while he sampled the sweets before giving him his attention. Chanyeol was getting impatient, to say the least. He just wanted everything back the way it was. He hadn't been his usual self lately and even his friends had noticed it when he passed on a chance to make his move with Dara, the Ravenclaw Head Girl who he had been pursuing since the start of the term. He was quickly losing his reputation. What was a sex god without a steady stream of conquests?
"What did you even say to piss Baekhyun off?" Jongdae asked, words garbled as his mouth was full of Pink Coconut Ice. He was sitting comfortably on a bench in the school courtyard while Chanyeol was pacing in front of him. "He didn't tell me anything."
Chanyeol stopped and looked at the other. "You don't need to know. I just... What should I do so Baekhyun would forgive me?"
Jongdae crossed his arms over his chest. "Was it much worse than what you did seven years ago?"
"What?"
"Hogwarts Express, genius."
"Oh, that." Chanyeol rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I guess?"
"Really?" Jongdae gaped at him. "Tsk. Then this will be harder than I thought."
"I already spent the whole of my allowance for the month, Kim Jongdae."
"I wasn't trying to get more!" The shorter boy refuted. Jongdae looked thoughtful for a few seconds then his eyes widened. "Hey, why are you so keen on having Baek forgive you? Oh no. Do you-I won’t have you corrupting him!"
"I don't want to bed him!" Chanyeol said vehemently. "Nothing of the sort! It isn't like that."
"Well, why not?"
Chanyeol came up blank once again. He hadn't seriously thought of hitting on Baekhyun even if he thought him attractive. He hadn't ever wanted him as a notch on his bedpost. "It's just different, okay?"
Jongdae studied his face before nodding. "Okay. Just making sure. This is my best friend we're talking about here. Still this is new. The Park Chanyeol failing to charm his way out of trouble."
The guy took his sweet time returning to unwrapping a candy box, stretching Chanyeol's patience thin. "Are you going to help me or are you just going to waste my time?"
"Patience, man. I'm thinking." Jongdae popped a toffee in his mouth and chewed loudly much to Chanyeol's annoyance. "This obviously calls for the big guns."
Chanyeol raised an eyebrow. Big guns?
"Here's what you need." The shorter boy took out a quill and parchment from his satchel and began to write. He finished with a flourish and he handed it to Chanyeol. "Just follow everything there."
Chanyeol read the directions in disbelief. This was it? Yeah, it did require some rule-breaking but it seemed all too easy. "Are you sure this will work?"
"No. But at least you'll get a chance to talk to him." Jongdae shrugged.
A chance. Fine. Chanyeol would take it. Just so he could get rid of this inconvenient, nagging guilt that had been eating at him for too long now. That was what it all was. Just an inconvenience.
"I'll be taking my leave or Baek would look for me. Thanks for these," Jongdae said while shoving all the candies in his satchel. "Good luck, Park."
The tall Slytherin read through the piece of parchment again then patted his sorely empty pockets. He'd need to get more money for another trip to Honeydukes.
As it turned out, it wasn't until four days after that Chanyeol could act upon Jongdae's instructions. He had to promise to help Sehun get the Hufflepuff Beater in exchange for a few Sickles. That was easy. He also had to make sure that there were no other prefects or professors (or Filch or his cat or the headmaster or-Why is this list so long?) around to catch him. Chanyeol glanced at the big grandfather clock in the common room. Five minutes after midnight. Perfect.
"Lumos," he whispered and his wand (11 inches, cedar with a dragon heartstring core) let out a soft blue light to guide him through the shortcut the other seventh years had been using-they wouldn't be Slytherins if they didn't sneak out at night. He clutched a small package to his side as he went up a narrow staircase. He needed to turn right and go up three flights more to get to the fifth floor. Chanyeol had to be extremely silent for this so he only had his socks on, making it also easier to pretend that he was sleep walking just in case someone caught him. Ha!
The castle was indeed scarier at night, the light from Chanyeol's wand cast horrific silhouettes across the corridors. He unconsciously quickened his footsteps and was only able to breathe easily when he finally saw the statue of Boris the Bewildered. That meant he was near.
Sure enough, four doors down, he saw the one for the Prefect's bathroom. Kim Jongdae told him that Baekhyun spends some time every other night here-the Griffindor boy finishes his rounds, waits for the other prefects to clear the area before he goes in to bathe. Jongdae's instructions were to go a few minutes after midnight so Baekhyun would be done with his bath and Chanyeol would be able to talk to him without any interruptions.
Chanyeol took out the light from his wand upon reaching the entrance and whispered the password, courtesy of Choi Minho, his Quidditch captain (Apparently, they were just picked from the name of the bath salts inside and this week it's 'Languorous Lavender'). The door swung open quietly, much to his relief. Chanyeol cautiously made his way inside, careful to stay hidden in the shadows. He didn't want for Baekhyun to see him immediately and give the boy a chance to turn him away.
Crouching low, he went to a small space in between a wall and the first bathroom stall and peeped from behind it. The scent of strawberries filled his nostrils. He was early.
Baekhyun was facing away from him and was still neck deep into the bubble-filled pool. From time to time a slender hand would appear, catching a bubble before the boy would blow it into the air. Chanyeol couldn't hold back a surprised smile when Baekhyun started to sing lightly. He didn't even know the prefect had an amazing voice! Even the mermaid on the stained glass window in front of the pool approved.
Loathe as he was to disrupt the impromptu concert, Chanyeol had things he must do. He stepped out from his hiding place and was about to call Baekhyun when the other male swam towards the pool steps and started to rise from the water. Chanyeol could feel his jaw promptly drop but then who wouldn't?
Byun Baekhyun was gloriously naked. Chanyeol could only see from the back but the view was no less spectacular. All that fair and smooth skin. His eyes eagerly followed the rivulets of water that fell from his shoulders and ran down the contours of his petite frame. His attention particularly got caught on one drop that traced the delicate spine lovingly from the nape to the sweet curves of his backside. It looked soft and firm at the same time and he thought dazedly that they would fill his large hands quite well.
He swallowed thickly. The temperature inside the bathroom rose and he started to sweat. He was burning. This definitely wasn't part of the plan. There wasn't an instruction regarding Byun Baekhyun's body. He felt everything getting out of control. Chanyeol needn't look down to see the beginnings of the totally inappropriate hard-on he was sporting right now. Fuck.
As if he wasn't already suffering enough, Baekhyun bent down to get a folded towel from a low stool, affording Chanyeol a provocative view of his ass and shapely thighs. Then Baekhyun began drying himself, rubbing the fabric against his bare limbs. Chanyeol couldn't have stopped the strangled moan from coming out. He watched in wide-eyed horror as Baekhyun stopped and his shoulders tensed.
"Who's there?"
The Slytherin boy quickly cowered back into his corner and closed his eyes, heart beating incredibly fast.
"I said, who's there?"
What was he doing? Why was he hiding? Sex god Park Chanyeol would have used this moment to his advantage. It wasn't the first time that he had walked in on a nude person. He even scored once or twice because of it. But now, he couldn't seem to move. He was turning into a freaking wimp!
Baekhyun's footsteps came closer. He was so screwed.
Well, at least open your eyes and face him like a real man, you fool, Chanyeol scolded himself. It was a good idea except his knees wouldn't work.
"Hey, lover boy," a giggling voice whispered near his ear and Chanyeol's eyes opened in shock. He was face to face with a bespectacled ghost of a girl, smiling mischievously at him.
"Myrtle."
"Whatcha hiding here for?" She he giggled, loudly this time. Chanyeol winced. There was no way Baekhyun hadn't heard that.
"I heard you, who's there?" Baekhyun called out.
The ghost flew up, eyes still fixed on Chanyeol who was shaking his head no. Myrtle laughed and moved toward the prefect, stopping him from advancing further. "It’s me, tiny Gryffindor boy."
Chanyeol heard Baekhyun let out a sigh of relief. "You almost scared me."
"But why?" the ghost asked in her high-pitched voice. "Is Myrtle scary? Isn't Myrtle pretty?"
Baekhyun chuckled. "Of course you're pretty. I just thought someone sneaked in here. How are you?"
The prefect's voice was coming from some distance now and Chanyeol figured it was by then safe to peek so he would know what was going on. He stuck half his head out, seeing Baekhyun by the pool, listening to Moaning Myrtle's reply while putting on his pajamas. You are not supposed to feel disappointed, Chanyeol told himself. Yet he still was.
"Oh, that's good then. What are you doing here, though?"
Myrtle danced in the air. "Nothing. Just thinking about fools in love." She sighed dreamily. "And watching you bathe, of course."
Baekhyun shook his head laughingly at the girl's confession. "Hope you enjoyed then."
"I did. I love watching you take a bath." She leaned in closer to the Gryffindor boy and stage whispered, "I know someone else who loves watching you bathe."
Chanyeol almost choked at the ghost's teasing tone. Baekhyun looked up at the girl in confusion. "Huh?"
But Myrtle just cackled and twirled around and around Baekhyun. Chanyeol fortunately had enough sense left to realize this was his chance to escape. While Baekhyun was distracted with the ghost, he made a dash for the door and didn't stop running until he reached his room, out of breath and still clutching on the small package.
He knew it. It had looked so simple on parchment but it wasn't. Chanyeol fell on his back and stared unseeing at the canopy of his bed for a long time. He couldn't get the image of Byun Baekhyun rising from the pool out of his thoughts. The way Baekhyun's wet body glistened under the candlelights--and Holy hell he was feeling out of his wits again, his own body reacting beyond his control. This wasn't happening, he groaned.
Except it certainly was. He wanted Byun Baekhyun.
Chanyeol recalled the mousy looking boy he met all those years ago on his first train ride to Hogwarts. He really should have known that this was inevitable. After all, he had tried to deny it but he wanted Baekhyun for himself even then.
part ii