a semi, kinda, sorta fairytale [4/5]
His blood is pounding in his ears and he feels lightheaded. He can barely breathe but Chanyeol refuses to stop and keep his lips from moving over Baekhyun's again and again and again. He angles his head, making the kiss deeper, hotter. Chanyeol can feel Baekhyun arch against him, the fabric of his shirt crumpling beneath the shorter man's hands clutching onto his shoulders. His own hand travels to his best friend's waist, drawing him closer while the other cups the side of Baekhyun's face, his thumb caressing the flushed skin of his cheek.
Baekhyun, Baekhyun, Baekhyun, his mind chants like a mantra as the first kiss turns into the second and then the third until they both lost count of how many times their lips met and clung to each other. It's as if the world is spinning too fast and the only thing steady Chanyeol can hold onto was his best friend-the same person causing the wild rush of excitement in his veins. It's alright, he thinks as they fall into the couch and further lose themselves into each other. It feels right.
He doesn't ever want to stop.
"Stop," Baekhyun says hoarsely and the word doesn't register immediately because Chanyeol's still too busy planting open-mouthed kisses along the elder’s jaw and neck. "Chanyeol, stop."
The taller male feels the hand on his nape tighten, forcing him to pause and pull a few inches away. He looks down at Baekhyun who was splayed beneath him on the couch, his best friend's eyes dark and glassy; lips slightly parted, swollen and tempting. Byun Baekhyun is so beautiful and Chanyeol's stomach dips as invisible strings start to pull at him relentlessly. He gets the overwhelming need to capture that mouth with his own again.
He finds himself leaning down once more, his lips brushing gently against Baekhyun's. He feels more than he hears the slight hitch in the other man's breathing.
"Stop, please," Baekhyun whispers.
Chanyeol's brows furrow. Why is Baekhyun asking him to stop? He appears to be affected as much as Chanyeol is. He looks like he wants this, too, so why is he trying to push Chanyeol away?
"I'm not him," his best friend says.
He can hear the strain in Baekhyun's voice and can see helplessness in the way he stares at Chanyeol. He's asking him to stop but the look in his dark brown eyes says otherwise.
Baekhyun reaches up and tenderly swipes Chanyeol's fringe to the side. "I'm not him. We shouldn't be doing this."
"What do you mean?" he asks. Chanyeol doesn't really understand what's going on inside Baekhyun's head. All he knows is that he wants to kiss him again and so he lowers his head to do just that. Seeing his intent, the shorter guy straightens up into a sitting position and Chanyeol reluctantly lets him. He doesn't go far, though, and still stays hovering over his best friend. "Byun, what is it?"
"Your soul mate, Chanyeol. I'm not him." And this time Baekhyun sounds almost angry. "Remember? I'm just Byun Baekhyun you were so sure I'm not him. What was it you said? Oh yeah, 'Don't be ridiculous, Baek.'"
The man stands up, fixing his clothes, the top buttons of his shirt slightly undone. Chanyeol watches, mesmerized, as he remembers that he had his own lips pressed earlier against those very same collarbones Baekhyun is now trying to cover up. But then Baekhyun is walking away and so he stands up, too and grabs onto his wrist to stop him.
"Why do you keep walking away, damnit?" he blurts out and he immediately realizes it's possibly the worst question in the world to ask because there's a whole lot of hurt in Baekhyun's gaze when he looks back at him.
"Because I'm not the one you're looking for and I know I'm not and you're confusing and you're very fickle and you have to make up your mind but I don't really have the right to ask that because I'm just-I'm not-but you are-" Baekhyun's shoulders slump. He pulls his arm away and this time Chanyeol lets him, the taller guy shocked at his best friend's reaction.
"I'm what?" Chanyeol asks, trying to make sense of what is happening.
"You're an idiot." The fire dies in Baekhyun's eyes and it's replaced by a tired smile. "But I guess I'm an idiot, too."
"Baek-"
"Park," his friend cuts him off, "Forget about it and just rest, okay? We have to drive early for our appointment tomorrow-"
"I kissed you and you kissed me back," Chanyeol bites out, immensely irritated that Baekhyun's choosing to go when they need to talk about this, "do you honestly think i can forget about it just like that?"
"Last time I heard, you weren't in love with me so that kiss means nothing," Baekhyun turns away and his voice falters at the next word, "right?"
Love? When did it even begin to be about love? He loves Baekhyun, no doubt about that. But is he in love with him? Does the desire to kiss him and hold him and be with him equal to that? Or was he just afraid of losing Baekhyun because he doesn't know how to live without him by his side? He's not certain and the silence stretches as he stares at the back of the smaller man's head. All he's sure of is, "I don't want to lose you, Baek."
"I told you, you're not going to lose me. Best friends for life, Park, didn't we promise that?"
Then Baekhyun's out the door and he’s left in his office, lost because Best friends for life should've been enough to assure him and not leave him feeling like he wants something more.
He's running.
Find me, a distant voice urges and Chanyeol runs faster.
The pathways seem to go narrower and narrower as he plunges further into the maze. The air is thin and with each step he takes, it gets harder to breathe. It's dark, the only light is coming from the moon up ahead, the only guide he has to reach him.
Find me.
The voice is closer and this time it sounds familiar-a full and yet soft voice that has always been his favorite melody. And so he hurries up even as his lungs and his legs start to protest. There's no time to rest. He knows if he doesn't get to him, he'll lose him forever and if he does... If he does, he can't take it.
He nearly stumbles as the path becomes more treacherous-the ground is filled with sharp stones; long, claw-like branches block his way and tear at the sleeves of his suit. But Chanyeol needs to reach him no matter what so he continues to go straight down the path he's in, believing that he was at the end, waiting for him.
And sure enough, he catches sight of an angel, standing not too far in front of him. He's glowing just like he was before and Chanyeol's heart stops for a second before it lurches into frantic beats. His hair is still as dark as midnight, his skin, fair and shimmering and though unmoving, he still looks graceful. Beautiful.
But this time, Chanyeol's jaw slackens in surprise because he sees his face clearly and the tall man was filled with wonder, joy and contentment washing over him. Chanyeol recognizes that face, knows that beloved curve of his jaw, that adorable button nose, that tiny mole near his upper lip. There's a name that his mouth is begging to speak but before he can call out to him, the angel turns his back and starts to walk away.
No, not again!
Chanyeol runs and extends his arm but it seems that for every panicked step he takes, the distance between them just widens. To his horror he sees his angel slowly fade into the moonlight, leaving him in alone in the darkness.
Hell, no.
He pauses, takes a deep breath and prepares to throw all the strength he has left in running after his angel. But before he can even move forward, the tall man collides with something very solid and Chanyeol falls on his back, the air knocked out of him. He eyes rounds in surprise because not a second after, he sees a large smiling face peering down at him and it gets more weird because... those are fucking huge ears.
Mickey Mouse just tackled him to the ground.
"Chanyeol, wake up."
And is telling him to wake up.
"I'd pull your ears off if you don't wake up, I swear to god."
And threatening to pull his ears off. What the-?
Chanyeol blinks and he wakes up disoriented, completely forgetting about his weird dream when he sees Baekhyun leaning over him, wearing a concerned frown.
"I thought you were never going to wake up. You were thrashing around while you slept," the older guy says before settling back on the driver's seat and avoiding his eyes.
Chanyeol shakes his head and straightens, wincing as he rubs the stiffness from his lower back and neck. He had not intended to doze off on their way to their next (and last) candidate but he couldn't help it, not having enough sleep the night before. He stayed up rolling around in his office couch-uncomfortable, tired and annoyed at everything.
This morning, Baekhyun, who slept in his own office on the same floor, knocked on his door and left a new set of clothes on his table, not even bothering to greet him or say anything except a quiet, "We're leaving in 15 minutes."
Chanyeol glances at his assistant, noting the dark bags under his small eyes and he feels a bit of satisfaction knowing that Baekhyun probably didn't get enough sleep, too. The other guy is wearing casual clothes, much like what he brought Chanyeol. The pastel colored shirt and black denim jeans fit him perfectly. Although he looks troubled sitting there and ignoring Chanyeol, he remains bright and beautiful.
I want to kiss you again.
And that's the crux of the matter, right there. A week ago, Baekhyun was just his best friend, his assistant, his closest confidante. The shorter man is still those things but now... now Chanyeol wants to kiss him until he forgets that he's not supposed to feel this way about him. Baekhyun is right. He should make up his mind because he was so certain he found his soul mate the night of the ball but why, then, does he want to just erase the past few days and be with Baekhyun?
Does that even make sense? Be with Baekhyun? They've been together all these time, joined at the hip since they were toddlers. He is with Baekhyun. Always. What was different? Was it really just because Jongin is threatening to take him away? Chanyeol's not all too familiar of this possessive side of him.
Nothing is irreplaceable, that's what the Park heir has always believed. He wasn't a sentimental person. He has never cried over a toy being broken, a relationship going sour or a business deal failing. Why concern yourself about it when there are a million things out there to replace them with?
But then this thing with Baekhyun-it's different. Somehow everything about Byun Baekhyun is different.
"We're here."
"Huh?" Chanyeol sends his assistant a questioning look. He looks out of the window and sees they're parked in front of a classy apartment building situated in the middle of the city.
"The last candidate, he lives on the 27th floor. He's expecting us--you," Baekhyun explains and Chanyeol glowers because the older guy still isn't looking at him. "I can just stay here and-"
"Byun," he says, exasperated. "I'm here, beside you, and I'm hurt that you'd rather look at the car wipers than at me. I don't think I look that bad." Baekhyun looks startled and a little sheepish as he turns his head towards the taller man. "And no, you're not escaping that easily. You're coming up there with me."
"I-"
"Seventh grade, Byun. Do you remember?" Chanyeol asks. He pouts and hopes he looks adorable doing it and not as stupid as he feels. "English class. Ms. Jung holding up a bouquet of roses and reading aloud a very cheesy poem from a secret admirer."
He can see his best friend's eyes widen and the cute blush stealing over Baekhyun's cheeks.
"Then that loser what's-his-name telling the class that he saw you placing them that morning on her table. Everyone laughing when they found out," he continues. "You looked like you were ready to cry so even if it was embarrassing as all hell-heck, who even crushes on a nerd looking teacher-I told everyone I asked you to do it for me. And later that day, on the car on our way home you told me you owed me your life."
"I'm pretty sure I said I owe you ice cream," Baekhyun replies.
"Just the same. You still owe me," he insists.
"The thousands of times I took you out for ice cream didn't count?"
Chanyeol shakes his head no. Baekhyun looks incredulous but then the younger man can see a small smile graze the elder's lips and he feels relieved because it means everything will be all right, won't it? They'll be all right.
Of course his brain chooses that moment to say, I still want to kiss you.
Chanyeol mentally groans as he barely stops the urge to hit his head on the dashboard for his wayward thoughts. Since when did making Baekhyun smile become more important than meeting his soul mate?
The short guy who answers the door is nothing short of stunning.
He has a very pretty face-all soft features and a gorgeous smile. He welcomes them graciously inside his apartment with his slightly-accented Korean and asks them to sit on the sofa while he prepares tea.
Chanyeol looks around the place, hands tapping nervously on his thighs. Because he felt it-that little flutter in his stomach the first time he saw the young man. Could he be the one then? Could he be the angel he was looking for?
He hears Baekhyun hum absently beside him and the fluttering disappears when he glances at his assistant's profile. His gaze is caught by the shape of Baekhyun's nose and it's nothing spectacular but he can't seem to take his eyes off him. There is no fluttering even if he stares and stares, instead there's that warmth spreading across his chest that makes him want to do something very rash... like kissing him right there and then.
He's in trouble because Baekhyun shifts his head and faces him and the urge to kiss becomes a compulsion. He frowns and struggles to control himself. So screwed, he thinks because he needs his best friend to look away but Baekhyun stays in place, staring back at him.
"The tea is ready," the pretty boy, Lu Han, says from the doorway, holding a tray of porcelain cups and a teapot. He places them on the ornate coffee table before sitting across the two best friends.
Chanyeol thanks the man silently for returning quickly and effectively stopping a possibly disastrous moment. He smiles as he introduces himself again as Park Chanyeol, current Executive Vice President for Finance at Park Industries and his assistant, Byun Baekhyun. The other man grins and admonishes him teasingly about being so formal.
This candidate, Chanyeol learns, is the Chinese ambassador's son who's here in the country as a student. He's currently taking classes on Korean literature which explains his fluency in the language. Lu Han's a very good conversationalist and has Chanyeol and Baekhyun feeling relaxed in no time. He's very well mannered, has impeccable taste and he's smart. Simply put, he's perfect.
Chanyeol just wishes he felt a lot more enthusiastic about it.
An hour and a delicious plate of biscuits later, they still haven't discussed anything about the ball, the necklace and Lu Han being his potential soul mate. Perhaps that's why, Baekhyun gave Chanyeol's thigh a warning squeeze before he spoke.
"I do need to make a phone call. Please excuse me." Baekhyun stands and walks out the glass sliding doors leading into a balcony. Without meaning to, Chanyeol's eyes follow his best friend and they linger in the direction he disappeared to even if he's already out of sight.
"So," Lu Han begins. "Maybe it's time we discuss why you're here?"
Chanyeol reluctantly returns his gaze to the other guy and nods hesitantly. "Ah, yes. How do I say this... Did Baekhyun already tell you?"
"About your search for your soul mate?" Chanyeol nods. "Yes we did discuss it a little when he called to ask for an appointment. Though he didn't really say anything more than you are looking for someone you saw at your ball and I'm potentially that person. Anything else I know about it, I got from the news. Which I presume is more gossip than anything?"
"Yes," the taller man answers with a sigh. "According to them I’m hiding seven children all around the country and have had more than a hundred lovers. They publicized my search as if it was a game show and I bet my mother is already on her way to suing all of them."
"That's very unfortunate. But still," Luhan says, smiling winsomely. "On the upside, I heard your stocks went up."
Chanyeol chuckles. "Yeah, there is that. I have no idea why."
The other male shrugs and even that action was pretty. "In any case, your search brought you here and I'm really curious... Do you think it's me, the man you're looking for?"
Chanyeol's caught unaware and he doesn't know how to answer. Does he tell him about the small flutters? "I'm still not sure," he admits.
Lu Han laughs lightly. "Are you really not sure? Because, well, the second I opened the door earlier, I was itching to ask you why you are still searching for your soul mate when it looks like you've already found him."
"I'm sorry?" Chanyeol chokes.
Lu Han raises a brow. "Please don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about."
"Uh, I don't know what you're talking about."
The man sighs and leans forward, resting his forearms on his thighs and looking intently at Chanyeol. "I've read this story once... long ago, the Emperor of the Heavens called on the three animals he saw in the forest-a fox, a turtle and a rabbit-and said he was hungry. They were promised a reward for the best offering that would be presented. So the three animals went away and searched for the food that will win them the prize. The fox came back with the choicest meat he could bring and the turtle returned with the most delicious looking fish he could find. The rabbit arrived with nothing but a few dried branches. He lit up the wood and when the fire was high, he jumped in."
Lu Han eyes Chanyeol expectantly. "Uh, that's very tragic."
"Yes, it is. Do you know then who gets the reward?"
Of course he does. Everyone does. "The rabbit," Chanyeol replies. "Because he offered himself and he was given a place on the moon then was given the privilege to make food for the Moon goddess. Thus the ‘rabbit on the moon’ every Chuseok. This is child stuff."
"Good." Lu Han grins in approval.
"I'm sorry but what does this have to do with anything?"
"Nothing, really, just me testing if you have a sound mind. And yeah, you do have one." Lu Han stands up and offers his hand. "It was really very nice meeting you, Park Chanyeol and I hope to see you again the future."
Chanyeol follows suit, and accepts the handshake, puzzled. "I still don't have any idea what you're talking about."
Lu Han laughs, louder this time. "I'm not your soul mate. Although, you're really handsome and I would've come to like you if we get to know each other better, but I think that's messing up with fate and destiny and all the hoo-ha, so I'll not even try."
"How can you be so sure?" Chanyeol asks, not in disappointment but more out of genuine curiosity.
In a bold move, Lu Han walks up to Chanyeol and hugs him tightly, arms going around the taller's neck, their bodies flush against each other.
There's nothing. Not even the tiny fluttering earlier.
"Does this answer your question?" Lu Han whispers.
"Yeah," Chanyeol says and he surprisingly hugs Lu Han back. "You know what, you're very easy to talk to," he confesses. "I think I would've liked you, too, if I weren't already in love."
Wait. Wait, what?
Chanyeol pulls back in a daze and Lu Han gives him a knowing look. "Bingo."
The young heir is still in a stunned stupor during the drive to a nearby hotel. It was late when they left Lu Han's apartment, the man offering them an early dinner. Chanyeol didn't remember accepting the invitation but then he wasn't exactly aware of what was going on around him at the time.
In love. He was in love? Oh god.
He buries his face in his hands and stays like that for a while. This changes everything! Every-fucking-thing. He peeks at his friend in between his fingers. Baekhyun's been quiet all afternoon and hasn't said a thing even when they were finally alone in the car. He looks serious and somber.
Am I really... with you?
Chanyeol tosses the question over and over inside his head. What he told Lu Han was more like a careless reply than anything else. What if he wasn't referring to his best friend? What if he was just talking about his angel-his soul mate who he thinks doesn't even want to be found.
Where the fuck is he anyway? He knows he's sounding stupidly mean but really, where is he? If he truly was his soul mate, shouldn't he be looking for Chanyeol, too? Shouldn't he have felt his presence in the maze? Shouldn't he have felt his world turn upside down when Chanyeol was just a few feet away? Because Chanyeol's certainly did.
Now, he's back to being confused. Is it possible to feel so strongly for two completely different people? Two soul mates? One happily messing with his head while the other, with his heart. Great. Just great.
He's turning cranky and he feels he'll go crazy any second now. Fortunately, the hotel receptionist greets him and Baekhyun with a very welcoming smile and he gets distracted for a second. He watches as Baekhyun signs in the check in form and, rolls his eyes when, for protection against nosy reporters, he signs it Mickey Byun.
The elevator ride is short, both men standing on opposite ends of the small carriage, occupied with their own thoughts. Baekhyun got them a moderately-sized room with two single beds, most probably so as not to attract attention since the media hounds sniffing for them will expect Park Chanyeol to stay in VIP suites.
Once inside, Chanyeol goes straight to the bathroom. He washes his face and the cool water kind of helps soothe his now throbbing temples. Thinking is so very tiring. He stares at his reflection on the mirror above the sink, and he looks worn out. Not the image he was expecting because didn't they say people glow when they're in love?
He looks as if he got run over by a car and has been left for dead. An exaggeration but at the very least, that's how he feels. Run over by fate again and again. Then he realizes that he'll be spending the night in one room (two separate beds but in one room, nonetheless) with Byun Baekhyun-the man he may or may not be in love with. He feels himself go hot then cold then hot beneath his collar. Oh god, really, because all the possibilities that suddenly flashed through his brain weren't innocent at all.
Stop it, he's your childhood friend, you perv.
With a final disgusted look at himself, he turns away and slowly goes out the door. The room is dim, only the two lamps beside each bed the source of light. He doesn't immediately see Baekhyun and he panics. But then he spots a movement at the corner of his eye and he releases a relieved, albeit a shaky breath, when he finds his best friend in front of the tall windows, holding onto the balustrade and looking up at the night sky.
Chanyeol wonders, is it the moonlight? Because Baekhyun appears to be shining standing there. Or has he always been like this, so beautiful it hurts? He feels himself being pulled in, helplessly attracted to the same boy he grew up with, the very same boy who smiled at him with paint-covered face and missing front tooth while he hooked their dirty pinkies together after a particularly enjoyable game of 'Paint the Park Library Red.' That moment, he promised to be his best friend forever even as they both cried because Mrs. Park cruelly grounded Chanyeol and they couldn't see each other for a day.
The memory startles a silent laugh from Chanyeol although it fades when he accidentally notices that patch of skin just below Baekhyun's left ear. The air whooshes right out of his lungs and he feels himself gravitating towards Baekhyun. The pull is so strong; he doesn't dare to deny it. Chanyeol wants him and he blindly walks closer, long arms ready to wrap around the smaller man's frame, ready to bury his face at the crook of Baekhyun's neck and feel that smooth skin against his lips. And maybe he won't ever let go.
If he never finds his soul mate again but he's with Baekhyun... he's beginning to believe it won't be so bad.
"Baekhyun," Chanyeol says when he reaches him, bending down and ready to make all that he has imagined come true. But he stops because he feels Baekhyun tense in his arms.
"I guess it's another failure."
"Lu Han? Yeah, I suppose it is. But don't worry about it," Chanyeol reassures him, by now on his way to convince Baekhyun that maybe they could be together and they could make it work.
"I'm sorry," the older guy whispers. Baekhyun turns and to Chanyeol's surprise, he looks up at him with tear-brightened eyes. "I'm so sorry, Chanyeol."
"It's not your fault, Baek."
"But it is," the shorter guy insists. "Because you see, I know who your real soul mate is. I've known from the start."
"What are you saying?" Chanyeol's arms fall to his side and he steps back astonishment, mind reeling.
"There was this necklace I saw on a display case in a jewelry store. And it was so beautiful, Chanyeol, so pretty. One of a kind, the jeweler said. I wanted it badly but it's so extravagant, I couldn't possibly buy it. Because I'm a practical person and I have no use for pretty stuff," Baekhyun says-his tone and voice painting the picture in Chanyeol's mind of an excited Baekhyun and of the droop of his lips when his practicality wins over it. "But it was still so beautiful and I stood there staring at it for close to an hour before I forced myself to walk away."
Baekhyun hugs himself and continues. "I still felt its pull even when I got outside so I turned around, finally deciding to hell with everything, I'm going to buy it. But when I got back there was this guy who already had the necklace bought and wrapped. He smiled at me while he was waiting for his receipt and I thought he looked handsome, such a pretty face, so perfect for the necklace."
"I watched as he signed his name on the slip, and even as he walked out of the store. I let him take something I really wanted." Baekhyun pauses, running his hand through his black hair. "And so when you told me that you were going to marry the owner of the necklace you found-the same necklace I let go-I felt insanely possessive because it's unfair. He's taking another thing I've wanted for myself."
Chanyeol's lips open in shock.
"I want you more than that necklace, Chanyeol," his best friend admits hoarsely. "I've been in love with you for so long, I don't even know how not to be."
i // ii // iii // iv // v