Your Villain (Part 1)
Title: Your Villain
Rating: R
Pairing:: Chansoo
Other pairings involved: Chanyeol/Kris, Kris/Baekhyun, Kai/D.O, Chanyeol/Kai/D.O
Length: 22,008 words
Summary: Magic has its rules. Real life is a little more complicated.
Chanyeol is a Magical Boy. Kyungsoo is his Watcher. With the two of them pledging into a prestigious fraternity, who whips who into shape is anyone’s guess.
Warnings: ex-members as major characters, slow character development, threesome
Notes: college a/u, Otherworldly U a/u. Some elements of this story borrow from the BTVS (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer”) universe. This is a work of transformative fiction, and I don’t own any of the boys nor any of the logos or brands that appear in the work.
This fic was originally submitted for the onemorechansoo fic fest that just wrapped this week!
Park Chanyeol was having The Dream again - the same one he had been having on and off for the last six years. The more he had The Dream, the more vivid and detailed it became.
It always started out the same way.
He was always twelve in The Dream and on his way to a Ferret Club meeting. Sometimes the meeting would be at the school playground, sometimes not. He would get a little lost on the way and would walk for what felt like forever. As soon as he got to where he was supposed to be, his pet ferret would wriggle out of his grasp and start running away. Chanyeol would chase after the ferret, which would lead him into a forest, and down a burrow.
The burrow was bigger from the inside than how it appeared on the outside, even though the inside kept changing to totally random rooms: his own dorm room, a diner, backstage at the University Auditorium, inside the men’s dressing room at a department store, the Sigma Mu House’s basement, a ballroom.
This time, it was a library.
“Excuse me,” Chanyeol said, approaching the librarian at the front desk. The librarian turned around and it was his pet ferret, blinking at him with his little ferret eyes.
It lifted its paw to its lips and shushed Chanyeol. “Shhh -this is a library,” it said.
“Yeah, but-“ Chanyeol started to reason.
“Shhh -this is a library,” the ferret repeated.
“I’m just trying-“ Chanyeol said, but was stopped again as the ferret held up a scroll in front of his face and with a flourish, shook it out. It unspooled itself over the table and spilled over onto the floor, circling the room. Chanyeol followed the movement of the scroll until it double-backed around the perimeter of the library and back to the floor in front of his feet. When he bent down to examine it, he was holding a quill.
The Dream always ended the same way, too.
It ended when Chanyeol signed his name at the end of the scroll as flames burned away the paper and crawled up his hand. Chanyeol never got burned and he never felt scared. Instead, he felt strong like he could do anything and be anything he wanted.
He always woke up laughing.
***
“So, who’s Ddori?”
When Chanyeol opened his eyes, Kris Wu’s face was looming right above his, his expression amused and curious. Kris was Chanyeol’s assigned Big brother at Sigma Mu, the fraternity at which Chanyeol was currently a pledge. Chanyeol’s not-quite-fully-awake brain took a moment to remind itself of the fact that Kris had wound up in Chanyeol’s bed after Bid Night at the start of the semester. Three months into the school year, and Chanyeol still wasn’t over it. It was far too early in the morning and a little too late in the game to decide if sleeping with one’s fraternity Big was an asset or a liability.
“Huh?” Chanyeol said, trying to get his eyes to focus. Man, Kris was crazy handsome. Kris Wu was a god on campus. He excelled at everything - he was a triple threat times three. He was runway model Paris Fashion Week good-looking, danced really well, and was part of the Sigma Mu Fraternity Acapella Group. On top of all that, he was also a rapper, and a painter.
Every pledge at Sigma Mu wanted Kris as their Big Brother, but Kris had picked Chanyeol - gangly, bow-legged, jug-eared Chanyeol, who was practically a nobody at school, to be his Little.
When Kris Wu had picked him out from the batch of pledge hopefuls, it became a game-changer for Chanyeol. This was his chance to be part of the cool group, for once.
Chanyeol’s freshman year was off to a promising start. SMTown, as the fraternity was known around campus, had a reputation for producing the most talented and handsome members.
He definitely had the talented half down pat - Chanyeol was a multi-instrumentalist who had been writing his own songs since he was twelve, on top of being a decent singer, an okay dancer, and a rapper that could hold his own at a freestyle battle.
The handsome half was subject to debate, though. Plus, there was that thing.
Chanyeol had a secret that he was determined to keep hidden from everyone in SMTown. Hell, he was determined to keep it hidden from everyone in his life.
“You kept saying that name,” Kris said, bringing Chanyeol’s thoughts back to earth as his leg found its way between Chanyeol’s. “Is she hot? Who’s Ddori?”
“Uh…” Chanyeol said, feeling Kris’s knee nudge his thighs open. “My…ferret?”
Kris let out a laugh, his mouth coming down on Chanyeol’s, lifting the morning haze from his head. On top of being the superstar that Kris was, he was also a most talented kisser. Chanyeol found himself chasing the last kiss with another one. His Big was only too happy to oblige.
“You’re so kinky,” Kris said, straddling Chanyeol and pinning his arms against the mattress. Chanyeol lifted his hips up against Kris’s and the other boy dipped his head low into the crook of Chanyeol’s neck, growling into his collarbone.
Chanyeol was so happy that his assigned roommate never showed up at the beginning of the school year. He liked having the room all to himself. Hashtag So Blessed.
Chanyeol counted his blessings in life as Kris kissed his way down Chanyeol’s body. Kris’s lips were amazing. Chanyeol rested his hands on top of Kris’s head and pushed him lower his body.
Life was good.
Life was so good that Chanyeol never even noticed the door inching open and a stranger wearing black from head to toe entering the room.
The stranger cleared his throat after a few minutes.
Kris turned around to see him standing by the door. “Holy shit!” he said, rolling out of bed onto the floor.
“What the hell?” Chanyeol said, grasping at his sheets to cover himself up. “Who are you? How long have you been standing there?”
Unperturbed, the stranger set his suitcases down in a tidy row at the foot of the vacant bed opposite Chanyeol’s. “Long enough,” he said. “I’m Do Kyungsoo. I’m your roommate.”
***
A good Watcher is never seen.
Do Kyungsoo was positive that the scenario he had walked into was not what the Watchers’ Council had in mind when The Watchers’ Five were created. These were the basic rules by which every Watcher, a guardian of magical beings, was supposed to live his life. Given the situation, Kyungsoo had to admit it was still appropriate.
Kyungsoo had walked in on his objective in flagrante delicto, which he found to be a very amusing turn of events. Here he was fresh out of training, a newly minted, full-fledged Watcher with a B.S. in M.S.S. (Magical and Supernatural Sciences) and his first assignment was to enroll as a student majoring in Library Science, which not only sounded dull and unoriginal, but terrifically cliché.
That, and to facilitate the training of one Class 5 named Park Chanyeol, a prospect that was getting more interesting by the second.
Kyungsoo had reviewed this Park Chanyeol’s dossier upon receiving it two weeks ago. The bio data ticker-taped through Kyungsoo’s head, as he stood unnoticed by the doorway.
Park Chanyeol - 19 years old, 1.85 m tall, 70 kgs. He had one sibling, an older sister. Both parents were still alive. His immediate family members were clear of any criminal record and they owned and operated an Italian restaurant franchise located at the edge of the city. He sounded entirely average and hyper normal on paper.
Kyungsoo had reviewed Chanyeol’s medical documents (unremarkable, except for the sessions with a child psychologist when he was twelve up to fourteen) and school records (below average performance, a D-student with grades bordering on abysmal except for Music), but these provided Kyungsoo very little about who Chanyeol was.
Definitely more interesting and important to a Watcher like Kyungsoo were the details left out from all official reports. For instance, when Park Chanyeol was twelve years old, he came across a creature bearing a magical contract, and that he had signed the said contract.
This wasn’t on any official record, but Kyungsoo knew this because The Watchers’ Council helped capture the creature once. As for the contract in question, it was never seen again.
Kyungsoo was already gathering new and more valuable information about Park Chanyeol and he’d only just gotten to his dorm two minutes ago. Kyungsoo could already tell that Chanyeol was very loud as well as very demanding. He seemed a little lazy and only too happy to let others do the heavy lifting. He liked routine, but was also eager to try new things. He made a show out of not wanting to do the things he was being told to do, but did them anyway. Once he got into a task, he gave his all, and was relentless in getting it right. He was a quick learner. He liked being praised for a job well done. He had stamina and a lot of energy. And he was limber, impressively flexible.
Another thing that wasn’t on any official record: Park Chanyeol was magical, dangerous and it was Kyungsoo’s job to protect him from himself.
***
As far as having to adjust to a new roommate, and embarrassing first meeting aside, living with Do Kyungsoo wasn’t half bad. Chanyeol found Kyungsoo easy to live with, albeit somewhat strange.
To an extrovert like Chanyeol, “strange” was defined by not having an active social life. Kyungsoo did not seem to have one as he was always by himself.
Having a monochromatic clothing scheme was also another way Chanyeol liked to define “strange.” The little dude owned nothing but black in his wardrobe. Sure, there were a lot of pseudo-Goths crawling the university with a penchant for the same color palette, but Chanyeol had a feeling Kyungsoo wasn’t choosing his wardrobe out of a sense of style.
Laughing to oneself without any apparent reason also put one in the “strange” category. Kyungsoo did this a lot. It was creepy.
At its worst, living with Kyungsoo was like living with the kind of portrait you felt had eyes following you wherever you went.
Legitimately strange or not, Chanyeol didn’t want to spend too much time worrying about Kyungsoo as he had other things on his mind, such as the upcoming Sigma Mu Showcase, which was V.B.F.D. - Very Big Fucking Deal.
All the SMTown pledges were required to rehearse for and contribute to the Showcase, but only the most promising ones who were guaranteed to become Sigma Mu brothers were allowed to perform and debut onstage. Chanyeol didn’t want anything screwing up his chances of being included.
He definitely had a lot on his plate what with SMTown stuff, the miserable state of his academic standing and the fact that he had been having The Dream more frequently. When he was younger, he would have The Dream about four times a year at most, but since the beginning of the semester, he was dreaming of that damn ferret almost every week.
On the upside, he always felt refreshed waking up from The Dream, but then he noticed other changes taking place too. Chanyeol noticed he could stay up for days without needing to sleep. While it was true that most college freshmen liked to make this claim; in Chanyeol’s case, it was more than an exaggeration. His batteries lasted longer than average.
Chanyeol noticed that he had preternaturally warm hands. He could boil water just by holding a mug for a full minute. The discovery had taken him completely by surprise. He had spaced out with a glass of water in his hand when he lifted it to take a sip. Chanyeol felt the water scald his lip, making Chanyeol curse and bang his knee on the edge of his study desk.
“Are you okay?” Kyungsoo had asked him, making Chanyeol jump. He didn’t even notice his roommate had been standing by the door, holding his Pororo toothbrush set, watching him. Kyungsoo had a habit of entering rooms without being noticed, something that Chanyeol tried to take note of.
“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, pretending everything was okay. “Yeah, sure.”
Kyungsoo walked over to his side of the room. “Fascinating,” he said to himself.
***
“What the hell is all this about?” Kris said, pointing at the tube of BB cream attached to a chain around Chanyeol’s and his co-pledge Oh Sehun’s necks one afternoon at the Sigma Mu house.
“We’re on BB cream pledge,” Sehun said. “Just in case any of you guys need a BB cream touch-up for emergencies.”
“I bet Baekhyun put you up to this, didn’t he,” Kris said, letting his eyes sweep over Chanyeol’s frame when he thought Sehun wasn’t looking. The tips of Chanyeol’s ears went hot. He loved and hated it when Kris did that.
As if on cue, Sigma Mu’s resident diva came sweeping down the stairs, clapping his hands in command. “BB cream! I need BB cream! You!” he pointed, spotting Sehun by the receiving area as he marched right up to Sehun’s face. Sehun obediently squeezed out a dollop of cream on his fingers to apply immediately.
“Really, Baek?” Kris said, raising an eyebrow at Baekhyun.
“What?” Baekhyun said as Sehun started patting BB cream on Beakhyun’s forehead, cheeks and chin. “I’m just being practical.” He opened an eye. “In fact you need a touch-up.”
Chanyeol had to nod in agreement.
“Ok,” Kris said. “Well, since I’m already here…”
Chanyeol popped open the cap off from his own tube of BB Cream and squeezed some out onto his fingers. Kris drew back as if singed when Chanyeol touched his face. “Ow!” he said. “That burns!”
“Oh, sorry,” Chanyeol said. He tried again on Kris’s other cheek. Kris drew back, his face twisting in clear irritation.
“Ow!” Kris said. “Seriously. It feels like hot oil!”
Chanyeol snuck a look at his fingers. The tips were red as a poker, and the smear of BB cream that was plopped on it was bubbling over. Chanyeol hid his hand behind his back. Shit, not this again. What do I do?
“Let me see this,” Kris said, inspecting Chanyeol’s tube of BB Cream. “Ugh, Baek. Next time at least get the pledges to go for a decent brand. None of this Nature shit.”
“It was on a five-plus-one promo!” Baekhyun said.
“I’m gonna wash this crap off,” Kris said. “Chanyeol, can you take my bag up to my room?”
Chanyeol let Kris ply on him his Tom Brown bag and his gigantic biology textbooks. He left Sehun and Baekhyun in the receiving area trading recommendations for BB cream brands.
Kris had a solo room in the Sigma Mu house. As a rule, pledges were not allowed to venture to the upper floors, except when their Bigs granted specific permission for them to come up.
Chanyeol set Kris’s things down inside his room and removed the chain with the tube of BB cream from around his neck. Lifting his hand up, Chanyeol saw that the BB cream on his fingers was now charred black. The good news was, the burning sensation was cooling down gradually.
He heard the door shut behind him, and Chanyeol turned his head to see Kris leaning against the closed door. “So,” he said, with a devil-may-care grin on his handsome features. “How’s your roommate?”
Chanyeol paled. “Listen, Kris, about that. I didn’t know he was-“ he said, and Kris shook his head, wagging his finger to quiet Chanyeol as he came closer to the other boy.
“Forget that,” Kris said, a wicked grin spreading over his flawless face. “Let’s just put it behind us, okay?” and he leaned in to give Chanyeol’s lips a soft, yet not-so-innocent kiss. “What time’s your next class?”
“I’ve got P.E. at five, but otherwise…” Kris didn’t wait for him to finish the sentence as he swept his lips over Chanyeol’s. “You know what, I can skip that.”
“You can have your P.E. right here,” Kris said, teasing and Chanyeol fought back the urge to roll his eyes. Kris was so corny sometimes when he thought he was being cool. The effect was inexplicably appealing, making Chanyeol want to bite Kris. Chanyeol gently nipped Kris where his collar hit, making Kris groan low in his throat. “By the way,” Kris said, lifting up Chanyeol’s chin with his finger. “Congrats. You made it to the Showcase. The brothers really liked that song you made so we’re putting it in the show. I’m making it official tomorrow at Pledge Night.”
Pledge Night was the party right before Hell Week, the final stretch of the application that ended with the SMTown Showcase.
So he had made it! Chanyeol couldn’t believe it. He still felt bad about his roommate walking in on them last time, and he had been worried out of his mind about making the best impression not just to Kris, but to the rest of the SMTown members as well.
“No!” Chanyeol said, his grin stretching into full teeth-rich mode. “For real?” Kris nodded, giving Chanyeol his most dazzling smile.
A minute ago, Chanyeol just wanted to make it up to Kris, but now he was determined to give Kris the best sex of his life. Gently pushing his Big onto his back on the bed, Chanyeol proceeded to run his palms up Kris’s thighs through his stylishly ripped jeans as he knelt on the floor between Kris’s legs.
“Hurry. I want your mouth on me,” Kris said, lifting his head up from the mattress to look at Chanyeol. “You’re so hot.”
Kris helped Chanyeol pull down his zipper. As Kris lifted his hips up off the bed, he pushed down his jeans. Chanyeol tugged them down to Kris’s ankles. Then, Kris unbuttoned his cuffs and lifted the hem of his shirt up to his chest so that it won’t get dirty. Cum stains were a bitch to get off.
Chanyeol reached into Kris’s briefs and pulled out his erection. Kris turned his head to one side, shutting his eyes and hissing at the sensation. His dick throbbed in Chanyeol’s hand. Chanyeol liked the way Kris’s dick leaned into his touch and how soft the skin around the shaft was. The longer Chanyeol stroked it, the harder Kris got. Chanyeol kept his eyes on Kris’s face, taking note of the changes in Kris’s expression. Kris’s eyes were now shut tight, and his hands were clawing at the sheets underneath him. Chanyeol waited for Kris to go quiet so he could hear every breath Kris drew get shallower and shallower. He loved seeing his Big unravel, get thoroughly wrecked.
“Aaaahhh…so hot,” Kris’s voice was a murmur, his head moving from side to side. His thighs began to tremble and lift off the bed, but Chanyeol kept him pinned. He quickened his pace and tightened his grip over Kris. “So hot…Chanyeol…it’s… too hot! It’s too hot! It’s too hot!”
Kris’s eyes flew open, and he pushed Chanyeol’s hand away. Shooting up from the bed and shoving Chanyeol away from him, Kris started hopping from one foot to the other, cupping his balls. Panic was written all over his face.
Chanyeol didn’t know what the hell just happened. One second he was in the middle of giving Kris the best hand job of his life and the next he was fanning at Kris’s crotch with an SMTown 2013 plastic fan.
“No! Stop fanning it! Water! I need water!”
Chanyeol reached for the half-filled water bottle on Kris’s bedside table and splashed its contents over Kris’s crotch. There was a faint “ssssss” sound of something being extinguished just in the nick of time.
“Oh shit oh shit oh shit! I’m so sorry!” Chanyeol said, tearing at his hair. “I’m so, so sorry!” He wanted to help Kris but he didn’t know whether to touch him or not.
Chanyeol did the only thing else that came to mind: run out the room, speed straight downstairs and rush out the doors of SMTown.
“Chanyeol! Wait!” Kris shouted after him. “Come back!”
Chanyeol kept running. He didn’t know where he was headed, and he didn’t care. He didn’t even notice that smoke was now coming out from both of his hands. All he wanted was to get as far away as he could from what just happened. He knew that whatever that was back there was his fault, but he didn’t know why.
***
A good Watcher sees what’s ahead.
Kyungsoo always had his nose buried in books, as he was busy making preparations. Based on his calculations, his Class 5 was about to become a Class 4 very soon.
The Watchers’ Council had devised classification for The Otherworldly, the collective population of all magical and supernatural beings and creatures known to man, and that included magical girls and boys like Chanyeol, which comprised a tiny fraction of the entire Otherworldly universe.
Class 5 was meant that there were no visible or physical manifestations of magic. It could be argued that most people fell under Class 5, even those who were generally regarded as “non-magical.”
Class 4 was considered a hybrid class. They had full power and consciousness regarding their own nature, but considered themselves wholly human.
Class 3 was “average” Otherworldy . These beings were magical since birth or creation, did not consider themselves human, but nevertheless had qualities like and/or behaved like them.
Class 2 was a little frightening. These beings often did not behave at all like humans. They did what they liked and did not like to be interfered with.
Class 1 almost never appeared in corporeal form, but their power was tremendous.
Some beings stayed in only one class their entire lives, but there were others who were able to change from one class to the next. Magical girls and boys had that capacity.
The thing was, Chanyeol had already gone far too long without a Watcher assigned to him. And though Chanyeol’s magical nature had thus far manifested sporadically, it would not be that way for long. The magical manifestations were becoming more apparent and frequent, indicating the end of the chrysalis period, which made Chanyeol very unstable.
It was crunch time for Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo’s objective was to secure a safe space and allow the transformation to happen without Chanyeol harming his own self or others. This was to be done with the aid of a number of spells and a special batch of water called Suho’s Splash, which was fairly easy to make. However, it took awhile to get ready and its preparation was tedious (as some enchantments tended to be, contrary to what many might think.)
Chanyeol was a ticking time bomb about to blow, and Kyungsoo’s next and most critical step was to wait for it to happen.
***
Chanyeol was hurtling through a dense, thick forest - he was going so fast he couldn’t feel his legs touching the ground. What he could feel were the branches snapping into his body and his face as he followed Ddori forward. He didn’t want to lose sight of the animal that was leading him farther into the forest. Stopping was the last thing he wanted to do even though his heart was beating so fast he felt like his chest was going to burst.
Chanyeol followed Ddori into a burrow. This time, instead of emerging in a room, Chanyeol found himself diving head first into cool, blue water. He didn’t even realize he was burning up from the inside until he felt the shock of water, soaking through his clothes and pulling him in deeper. The temperature of the water surrounding him was inconsistent - warm in some spots and cold in others.
For a second, relief coated him, until he realized he couldn’t see the bottom of where he was and that he was sinking further downward. It also didn’t help that his entire body was covered in blue flame. He was literally burning while he was in water. Fear gripped his heart as he opened his mouth to scream.
He felt, rather than saw something swimming towards him and he was pushed backward by a force that ran straight into his body. This same force now pulled him up.
When he opened his eyes, he saw his roommate Kyungsoo’s owl-like eyes gazing into his face. Chanyeol felt strong arms pull him up by the armpits, propelling him to the surface.
The next thing Chanyeol knew, Kyungsoo was pressing his lips against his.
Breathe, dumbass, Chanyeol heard Kyungsoo saying in his mind. I am trying to save your life. Chanyeol opened his mouth and gulped in as much air as he could. Minutes went by with Chanyeol breathing in the air that Kyungsoo supplied.
Breathing turned into kissing. He couldn’t help but notice how soft Kyungsoo’s lips felt against as they exchanged breaths. Chanyeol bit down on Kyungsoo’s lower lip, wrapping an arm around the smaller boy. Just keep breathing, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo’s voice echoed in his mind as Chanyeol was slowly but steadily pulled them both up to the surface. Kissing and breathing became one and the same thing.
Chanyeol noticed that a mark had blossomed over Kyungsoo’s right shoulder and that it was spreading all over his chest and arms. Chanyeol tried to make out the writing, but they were symbols he didn’t understand in the waking world. He watched the symbols fade into Kyungsoo’s skin.
Chanyeol was compelled to put his lips to the base of Kyungsoo’s throat because dream logic dictated that this was the next step, and that this was what the instruction that Kyungsoo’s body demanded of him. Chanyeol read Kyungsoo’s skin with his lips as they slowly surfaced.
Chanyeol felt his heart slowing down to a normal pace, a feeling of acceptance spreading over him. He felt safe. He felt amazing. He felt powerful. He felt like he could do whatever he wanted.
That’s when he woke up, laughing like he always did.
He was wrapped up in blankets like a larva in its own cocoon. He felt incredibly well rested and at peace.
He was also ridiculously hungry.
“Oh good,” Chanyeol heard his roommate say. “You’re awake.”
Chanyeol gave himself a second before sitting up. Already The Dream was fading. He knew he dreamed of Ddori again, but he felt this time it was different. He tried to chase the memory of what happened next after following the ferret down into the burrow, but there was nothing.
His mind was a complete blank.
Chanyeol saw his roommate standing at the foot of his bed, a patient expression on his face. He was dressed in a black turtleneck and black slacks, as per usual. A memory from The Dream flashed in his mind briefly. Did Kyungsoo show up in The Dream? Chanyeol was just about to say something when he got a face full of his own jeans.
"Get dressed. You're buying me breakfast," Kyungsoo said, turning on his heel.
***
To Chanyeol’s credit, he reacted better than Kyungsoo had expected.
Kyungsoo had trained as a Watcher for moments precisely like this one. He braced himself for rejection and had come prepared with an arsenal of facts to counter possible arguments Chanyeol would have raised against Kyungsoo.
Chanyeol didn’t even put up a fight, but he couldn’t stop laughing, and crying, for that matter.
Yes, Kyungsoo sounded insane, but what truth wasn’t?
Kyungsoo cleared his throat, confident that he could handle Chanyeol rolling like a buffalo opposite him in the diner booth. He was having some kind of tantrum, but at least the boy hadn’t threatened to call the police on him.
“I’m sure you have many questions for me,” Kyungsoo said.
“Oh, you’d better believe I’ve got questions,” said Chanyeol, snapping up from his bent-over position on the table. His face was red, streaked with tears and snot like a five-year old. “How about we start with ‘who are you?’”
Kyungsoo licked his lips. “Let’s order first. Maybe carbs will calm you down.”
***
“Oh my god, I love you right now,” Chanyeol said, through a mouth full of pancake and honey-cured bacon.
“Why? You’re the one springing for the tab,” Kyungsoo said, watching Chanyeol shovel complex carbohydrates into his face. Chanyeol was plowing through his third Big Breakfast Plate. Their table was filled with the detritus of hash browns and sausage links lost in The War of Hungry Magical Boy.
Their waiter, a freckled boy with lavender hair and a lip ring, sidled up to their booth. “Can I get anything else for you gentlemen?”
“Can I get a refill, please Minseok?” Kyungsoo said.
“Andyourmeddyufleaf,” Chanyeol said.
“Menu, sure,” Minseok said, not flinching. He’d been running the joint for so long he was fluent in all dialects of stuffed face. He’d seen worse. “I’ll be back.”
Chanyeol smiled at Minseok through bulging cheeks. He swallowed before answering Kyungsoo.
“No, I mean I’m supposed to be on a diet right now.”
“Trust me, you need those carbs,” Kyungsoo said, sipping his black coffee. “You burned a million calories and you slept for one week.”
Chanyeol choked. “What?”
“You burned a million calories and slept for one week,” Kyungsoo said.
“Shit!” Chanyeol said, standing up all of a sudden. “Fuck! What day is it?” I am so dead if it’s-
“Saturday,” Kyungsoo said. “It’s all right, Chanyeol. It’s a normal reaction-“
“Arrrrghhhh!” Chanyeol said, not hearing the rest of what Kyungsoo had to say. “I gotta go.” He reached for his wallet and started pulling out bills. “Sorry, but I gotta run, Kyungsoo. There’s just something I gotta do first, so can we pick this up later?” Rushing to leave, he slid out of the booth and got ready to sprint. He glanced at the wall clock over the counter. “I can still make it to the Showcase!”
“What in heaven’s name are you talking about?” Kyungsoo said, genuinely confused.
“The SMTown Showcase!” Chanyeol said. “If I don’t show up, I’m so dead.”
Kyungsoo was trying his best not to be annoyed. Chanyeol had just undergone a complete Class 4 transformation. And less than an hour ago, he had had his identity and his whole sense of being confirmed. There were important changes happening in Chanyeol’s body on a molecular level and all he cared about right now was some college event thing?
“Do you not realize-“
“Sorry, duty calls!” Chanyeol said, jogging out of the diner.
Kyungsoo was gobsmacked. What on earth had just happened? He watched Chanyeol make his way across the parking lot towards the bus stop back to the university. There was no way Kyungsoo was letting Chanyeol out of his sight.
Kyungsoo definitely had his work cut out for him.
***
All fraternities on campus held their own end-of-semester events, and the SMTown Showcase was one of the university’s most anticipated ones. The show they produced on their own as a fund-raising effort grew to become a ticketed event that was open to the public. Everyone loved SMTown, and the students (as well as some of their fans from outside the university) couldn’t wait to see the fresh new members take center stage for the first time.
Chanyeol showed up backstage at the University Auditorim ten minutes before the show opened, sweat pouring down his face. He spotted Sehun already in costume, clad in a brown Gregorian monk-type robe. Chanyeol waved at Sehun before running towards him.
“Oh my god! Chanyeol hyung!” Sehun said, his face momentarily breaking from its default state of resting bitchiness. “You’re alive!” The younger boy launched himself onto Chanyeol’s body for a relieved hug.
“Of course I am,” Chanyeol said, plastering a grin to his face and willing his heartbeat to slow down a bit. “Where do I get changed?”
“Hyung, what happened to you?” Sehun said, pulling back from the hug, his expression turning serious. “You had us really worried.”
Chanyeol made his way over to one side of the dressing room and started rifling through the wardrobe racks for his own costume. So he missed the formal announcement during Pledge Night - he had a legitimate emergency. Kris had already mentioned that Chanyeol was in, hadn’t he? The announcement would have been a mere formality. Chanyeol knew the choreography from start to finish, forwards and backwards. He had written all the rap parts (his and Kris’s) and had even helped with the song’s final arrangements. The Sigma Mu brothers had to let him go onstage!
Chanyeol started pulling out robes from hangers and holding these up against his body, checking which one would fit. He had missed the final fitting for the stage costumes on top of the announcement, but he was sure he could find an extra robe somewhere. The Sigma Mu brothers were always prepared for any sudden group member lineup changes.
“Hyung,” Sehun said, tugging on Chanyeol’s hoodie.
“Not now, Sehun, I gotta go get changed already,” Chanyeol said, brushing off Sehun.
“Chanyeol.”
It was not Sehun who called out this time. It was Kris. In his stage costume and makeup, he was resplendent and intimidating. He looked absolutely godlike with his hair brushed up and freshly retouched a golden shade.
His tailored blue sequined jacket that sat squarely on his broad shoulders was open at the chest, revealing his strong torso through a thin, body-skimming tank. Tight white jeans hugged his powerful legs. Chanyeol had to take a step back to catch his breath and train of thought.
Kris's handsome face had a stern expression as he fixed his stare on Chanyeol, waiting for the pledge to start explaining himself.
"Um...hi," Chanyeol said, wanting to punch himself in the face as soon as he said it.
Kris opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself, seeing that another pledge was present. "I'm just glad you're okay," he finally said, his voice tight.
Relief washed over Chanyeol, making him weak in the knees. "I am so sorry," he said. "I'm not sure I can explain everything right now, but-"
"Whoah, whoah, whoah!" Byun Baekhyun said, interrupting Chanyeol. Baekhyun swooped in between Chanyeol and Kris, pushing Sehun aside. "What is this?" He flicked his eyes at Chanyeol from head to toe before facing Kris. "What the fuck is this Kris?" Not even waiting for an answer, he turned back to Chanyeol. "What do you think you're doing, Park? Who said you could be here?"
"Baekhyun," Kris said, without much strength. "Come on. Chanyeol was going to be in the show anyway. I just didn't make the announcement."
“Your Little Brother here bailed on Hell Week.” Baekhyun's eyes narrowed in a sadistic manner, knowing that there was no way Kris was going to win in an argument against him.
"What is going on here?"
All heads turned to face the direction of the latest voice to join the discussion. It was the Sigma Mu Grand Omicron Kim Junmyeon. Junmyeon was a short person, way shorter than Kris, but Kris buckled when Junmyeon stepped in and asserted his authority. He never truly raised his voice, but he was the type who never had to.
Chanyeol had never come face-to-face with The Grand Omicron. Chanyeol swallowed, sweat now freely dripping down the side of his face. Junmyeon turned to his members Kris and Baekhyun. Baekhyun was first to speak up, and though the expression on his face didn’t change, his tone was more controlled now that he was addressing the Grand Omicron.
“Pledge Park Chanyeol has failed to meet the requirements needed to complete the pledging process,” Baekhyun said, fighting to keep the indignation from his voice. “He has no right to be here pending consensus among active members that he could participate in fraternity activities.”
Junmyeon looked at Kris, signaling that it was his turn to air his side. “Pledge Park did complete the requirements, save for attendance during Hell Week, but that is because-“ and here he stopped, faltering over what to say next, his eyes sweeping over Chanyeol momentarily.
“Because?” Junmyeon said, urging Kris to continue.
“-of a medical emergency,” Kris said. Baekhyun scoffed, outraged, and Junmyeon shot him a look, shutting him up for the meantime. “Pledge Park had a medical emergency. I vouch for him as his Big Brother.”
Junmyeon considered this before turning to Chanyeol. “Park Chanyeol,” Junmyeon said. “Weren’t you the one who contributed to one of the songs being performed tonight?”
“Y-yes,” Chanyeol said.
“And you’re all right to go onstage, considering you’ve had a recent medical emergency?”
“I’m good to go,” Chanyeol said.
Junmyeon nodded. “All right,” he said. “I will allow it. Pledge Park Chanyeol will participate in the Showcase.”
Chanyeol, Kirs and Sehun exhaled in audible relief, while Baekhyun stamped his foot.
“However,” Junmyeon said, lifting a finger. “He does not advance his status to Sigma Mu member after tonight. The brotherhood will reconvene and review his standing at a later time.”
Chanyeol shot Kris a confused look. What was Junmyeon saying? Kris nodded at him, reassuring him that this was as good as he would get for the time being. “Thank you, Grand Omicron,” Kris said.
“You’d better hurry and change then,” Junmyeon said to Chanyeol. “Curtains go up in five minutes.”
***
Kyungsoo settled into his seat not knowing what to expect from the SMTown Showcase. Around him, girls were holding up banners bearing the names of their favorite SMTown members, excited to see their crushes from the fraternity. Kyungsoo’s expression remained neutral as the house lights dimmed to signal the start of the show, his face and body language belying what was really going through his head as he watched.
The truth was, the “college event thing” he had been so quick to dismiss earlier was proving to be quite the revelation. Kyungsoo was transfixed by what he was seeing onstage. He had never experienced anything quite like what was in front of his senses at the moment. His small serving of nachos with cheese sauce that he had bought as a snack sat on his lap, untouched. His eyes were glued onto the stage as SMTown did what they were the best at.
The active members took to the stage in their glittery outfits, and the audience’s screaming intensified to a collective roar. It was as if someone had switched on some button inside their bodies that made them react that way. Kyungsoo remained seated until he could no longer see what was happening onstage. Only then did he stand up.
The Sigma Mu brothers were dancing to a song entitled “History” - their movements perfectly in sync with each other as they moved as one unit, each member having distinct parts that contributed to the whole. Kyungsoo was blown away by the dancers’ fluid yet powerful movements and he got goose bumps when he heard their voices harmonize. Kyungsoo’s eyes were careful to seek out Chanyeol from those onstage, but he had not been able to spot him so far.
Kyungsoo felt a thrill punch its way to his gut as a solo ballad was performed after the breathtaking opening number. He hadn’t realized that he had been holding his breath all throughout the song. When it ended, the group of girls next to him chanted “Kim Jongdae! Kim Jongdae!” and behind him someone else lost her mind screaming “CHEEEEEEEENNNNN!”
Kyungsoo had to give it to the guy. Chen could sing. Kyungsoo felt his thrill dull into a hollow pang as he brushed aside secret wishes that he had long ago decided to stop thinking about. Before his mind started to go into a direction he was sure was not going to be very helpful to his current objective, a familiar voice cut into his thoughts.
“Ayo waddup Krease?”
Chanyeol onstage, his hair held up by about a million bobby pins. So the big lug made it after all.
“AYO WASSSU-UP?”
This guy looks familiar, Kyungsoo thought. The person onstage with Chanyeol did a short spin and Kyungsoo went, “Oh! That’s right! Nice ass!”
The girl to his left poked his side and winked. “Isn’t Kris the best?”
Chanyeol and Kris volleyed the rap parts of the song. Chanyeol’s voice was a little shaky, and he covered this up by increasing the volume and force of his voice. The girls in the audience were screaming for Kris, but Kyungsoo could tell that Chanyeol had also captivated some of them. Kyungsoo felt a weird mixture of pride and possessiveness. He’s my roommate you know, he found himself thinking, catching himself before he said it out loud again.
Onstage, some fireworks went off and Kyungsoo jumped. The explosions had also startled Chanyeol and Kyungsoo saw nervousness flicker across his roommate’s face for a second.
The next number had everyone in one big elaborate dance number. Kyungsoo spotted Chanyeol crouched behind other Sigma Mu brothers in formation and was tempted to cheer for him, but held back. Kyungsoo still had a job to do, after all. He didn’t want to get carried away by the show. He was a professional.
There was not a trace of nervousness on Chanyeol’s face as he took his place onstage. From where Kyungsoo was watching, it looked like the group had formed a tree, with their arms gently swaying above their heads as the music kicked in. The crowd started chanting the members’ names one by one. Chanyeol’s name wasn’t called, but Kyungsoo knew that after tonight, the crowd would definitely start to.
The choreography for the final number was the most complicated one yet, and Kyungsoo had to make sure not be distracted by any other movement onstage. All the dancers onstage were holding light sticks in both hands as long as one’s forearm.
The dance was going smoothly until Chanyeol did a turn that had him up bumping into one of the members by accident. It disrupted the flow for about two seconds, but the group was able to bring it back to where everyone was supposed to be.
After the bump, Kyungsoo noticed that Chanyeol’s movements started to lag a second or two later than the rest of the group. An intense look of concentration was on Chanyeol’s face now, his brow furrowed. Kyungsoo felt a telltale tingle run down his spine. He had to be on full alert now.
More fireworks exploded around the front of the stage and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but feel annoyed this time. Considering he needed a clear view of the stage, the pyrotechnics was distracting. When some of the smoke from the fireworks cleared and Kyungsoo was able to focus on Chanyeol again, he saw a faint, yet distinct orange glow surrounding his roommate that he could not attribute to the stage lighting. The golden aura was getting larger and larger and even more pronounced, and the illumination from the light sticks Chanyeol was holding was growing more and more brilliant.
Oh dear, I must get him off the stage, Kyungsoo thought, making his way through across the seats and into the aisle. I must do something before -
“Baekhyun!” Kyungsoo heard someone from the audience yelling. “Oh my god! Help! He’s caught fire!”
***
It was on Youtube in about two minutes. By the end of the weekend, the original uploaded video for “Sigma Mu Showcase Stage Fire” had gotten near half a million views. Other reposted videos were found soon after under titles like “SMTown Fire Guy”. Edits were also posted with Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire” as background music.
The story went beyond the university quickly. Naver and Daum searches peaked for #SMTownFireGuy. Netizens were buzzing about it on Pann.
[+200, -0] Wow, it’s a good thing no one was seriously hurt! Guys, next time please double-check your stage equipment so that it doesn’t happen again! Great show, anyway, as usual! Fighting, SMTown oppas!
[+150, -60] SMTown always puts up a fantastic showcase but this time it just went too far with the effects! Simpler stage is always best!
[+115, -110] BEST SHOWCASE EVER. THE FIRE THING WAS FREAKING AWESOME!!!!
[+109, -50] Lots of cute new pledges joined in this year’s SMTown Showcase! That Byun Baek is always stealing the show, though. How could he be so stupid with the fire and all that?
[+106, -3] I heard that it wasn’t an accident, and that SMTown meant to do that. To be honest, they’re always pulling stupid, unnecessary shits like that for attention. I wish the university would do something about regulating those types of activities.
[+100, -100] Serves SMTown right. What a bunch of losers. Plus, their so-called fans and supporters are the worst. So immature!
[+9, -110] If you guys look at the video closely, there is something very weird going on with one of the members/dancers right before that one guy caught fire. Not sure if it’s a camera glitch, or a props malfunction, but super weird.
Kyungsoo closed Chanyeol’s laptop monitor shut.
“Hey!” Chanyeol said. “I was reading that!” He had been online searching under the #SMTownFireGuy tag for the last three hours and groaning to himself underneath a protective fortress of blankets.
“You have got to stop,” Kyungsoo said, rolling his eyes. “This isn’t healthy. We have a lot of work to do.”
“You don’t understand!” Chanyeol said, kicking his feet out. “My life is over! Everything I’ve worked for - poof! I was so close! So goddamn close to being cool!”
“You know you’re lucky things didn’t get much worse than singed hair extensions,” Kyungsoo pointed out.
“Much worse? Much worse?” Chanyeol said, incredulous. “SMTown is a total joke now! A laughingstock! Sigma Mu has become nothing more than a meme! Yeah! The bad kind! And it’s all because of me!”
“I didn’t realize there was a good kind,” Kyungsoo said, in all honesty. “Chanyeol, your friend could have suffered worse. It was a good thing your members had presence of mind before things got out of control.” It was a good thing I had presence of mind rushing to get you out of there too, he wanted to add.
Chanyeol snorted. “Yeah, whatever. Byun is not my friend,” he said. He paused, exhausting what he had to say for the moment. Kyungsoo sipped his tea, thoughtful. “So, what do we do now, then?”
Kyungsoo turned around, carefully set down his teacup on his study desk and pulled out a whiteboard marker from his drawer. Plonking himself down on Chanyeol’s bed, he started drawing tables and charts on the window next to the bed.
“You’re a mess of a magical boy right now,” Kyungsoo said, not unkindly. “You can barely control your powers that are manifesting more and more frequently at an alarming rate every time you get excited or agitated. Can’t have that, Park. You’ll have to learn what your triggers are so you can direct your energy.”
Chanyeol’s mind swam as he stared at the other boy drafting out a schedule on the dorm room window. Kyungsoo was muttering more to himself as he made revisions to formulas that only made sense to him.
“Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol said, momentarily breaking the trance Kyungsoo had put himself under. “Why are you helping me?”
Kyungsoo looked back at Chanyeol with his penguin eyes. “It’s what I do,” he said. “I mean, it’s my job.” The look on Chanyeol’s face urged him to say more, so Kyungsoo started from where he knew to begin, telling Chanyeol about The Watchers’ Council and other magical beings the Council was pretty much responsible for. Chanyeol listened intently; completely absorbed in everything Kyungsoo was telling him. It was all so new to him, yet so familiar at the same time.
Kyungsoo knew his secret.
Kyungsoo knew about Ddori, The Dream, personal things Chanyeol had never breathed a word of to anybody for fear that he would be regarded as crazy, a freak. The truth Chanyeol was hearing still sounded unbelievable and crazy, but it made perfect sense.
“I’m assigned to you,” Kyungsoo said. “I’m your Watcher.”
“Yeah, about that,” Chanyeol said, trying to fit all this inside his brain. “Who gets to decide that? Do either of us have a choice in the matter, even? Obviously, I didn’t get the memo here. Did your name and my name come out from a hat or anything like that? Was that magic, too?” He laughed at how dumb that sounded.
“The matches are purely clerical,” Kyungsoo said, shrugging. “Sorry to disappoint. Ironically, for a group so concerned with magical matters The Council is just as bureaucratic as any old government institution, hence the delay in the match. We were paired based on a number of factors like age, proximity, background, blood type.”
“But what if I don’t like you?” Chanyeol suddenly blurted out. “What if we don’t get along?”
Kyungsoo was taken aback. “Well,” he said, stiffening his shoulders. He was careful to answer. “I suppose The Council has to take compatibility into account somehow. I don’t think it’s ever happened, but a request for an assignment transfer can always be justified.” He paused. “I’ll get started on the documentation for you right away,” he said, as he started to raise himself up off from Chanyeol’s bed.
Chanyeol flinched, realizing his mistake. “No, no, that’s not what I meant,” he said, touching Kyungsoo’s knee, urging him to settle back down. The last thing he needed was to alienate the only person that seemed to understand what he was going through. “Sorry. I meant that in a general sense. You’re not so bad, Soo. Hey. Maybe we’ll make a good team.”
That earned him a genuine smile from Kyungsoo. It was the first time Chanyeol had seen his roommate do that. It made him look so harmless, yet terrifying at the same time.
Part 2 | Part 3
Rating: R
Pairing:: Chansoo
Other pairings involved: Chanyeol/Kris, Kris/Baekhyun, Kai/D.O, Chanyeol/Kai/D.O
Length: 22,008 words
Summary: Magic has its rules. Real life is a little more complicated.
Chanyeol is a Magical Boy. Kyungsoo is his Watcher. With the two of them pledging into a prestigious fraternity, who whips who into shape is anyone’s guess.
Warnings: ex-members as major characters, slow character development, threesome
Notes: college a/u, Otherworldly U a/u. Some elements of this story borrow from the BTVS (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer”) universe. This is a work of transformative fiction, and I don’t own any of the boys nor any of the logos or brands that appear in the work.
This fic was originally submitted for the onemorechansoo fic fest that just wrapped this week!
Park Chanyeol was having The Dream again - the same one he had been having on and off for the last six years. The more he had The Dream, the more vivid and detailed it became.
It always started out the same way.
He was always twelve in The Dream and on his way to a Ferret Club meeting. Sometimes the meeting would be at the school playground, sometimes not. He would get a little lost on the way and would walk for what felt like forever. As soon as he got to where he was supposed to be, his pet ferret would wriggle out of his grasp and start running away. Chanyeol would chase after the ferret, which would lead him into a forest, and down a burrow.
The burrow was bigger from the inside than how it appeared on the outside, even though the inside kept changing to totally random rooms: his own dorm room, a diner, backstage at the University Auditorium, inside the men’s dressing room at a department store, the Sigma Mu House’s basement, a ballroom.
This time, it was a library.
“Excuse me,” Chanyeol said, approaching the librarian at the front desk. The librarian turned around and it was his pet ferret, blinking at him with his little ferret eyes.
It lifted its paw to its lips and shushed Chanyeol. “Shhh -this is a library,” it said.
“Yeah, but-“ Chanyeol started to reason.
“Shhh -this is a library,” the ferret repeated.
“I’m just trying-“ Chanyeol said, but was stopped again as the ferret held up a scroll in front of his face and with a flourish, shook it out. It unspooled itself over the table and spilled over onto the floor, circling the room. Chanyeol followed the movement of the scroll until it double-backed around the perimeter of the library and back to the floor in front of his feet. When he bent down to examine it, he was holding a quill.
The Dream always ended the same way, too.
It ended when Chanyeol signed his name at the end of the scroll as flames burned away the paper and crawled up his hand. Chanyeol never got burned and he never felt scared. Instead, he felt strong like he could do anything and be anything he wanted.
He always woke up laughing.
***
“So, who’s Ddori?”
When Chanyeol opened his eyes, Kris Wu’s face was looming right above his, his expression amused and curious. Kris was Chanyeol’s assigned Big brother at Sigma Mu, the fraternity at which Chanyeol was currently a pledge. Chanyeol’s not-quite-fully-awake brain took a moment to remind itself of the fact that Kris had wound up in Chanyeol’s bed after Bid Night at the start of the semester. Three months into the school year, and Chanyeol still wasn’t over it. It was far too early in the morning and a little too late in the game to decide if sleeping with one’s fraternity Big was an asset or a liability.
“Huh?” Chanyeol said, trying to get his eyes to focus. Man, Kris was crazy handsome. Kris Wu was a god on campus. He excelled at everything - he was a triple threat times three. He was runway model Paris Fashion Week good-looking, danced really well, and was part of the Sigma Mu Fraternity Acapella Group. On top of all that, he was also a rapper, and a painter.
Every pledge at Sigma Mu wanted Kris as their Big Brother, but Kris had picked Chanyeol - gangly, bow-legged, jug-eared Chanyeol, who was practically a nobody at school, to be his Little.
When Kris Wu had picked him out from the batch of pledge hopefuls, it became a game-changer for Chanyeol. This was his chance to be part of the cool group, for once.
Chanyeol’s freshman year was off to a promising start. SMTown, as the fraternity was known around campus, had a reputation for producing the most talented and handsome members.
He definitely had the talented half down pat - Chanyeol was a multi-instrumentalist who had been writing his own songs since he was twelve, on top of being a decent singer, an okay dancer, and a rapper that could hold his own at a freestyle battle.
The handsome half was subject to debate, though. Plus, there was that thing.
Chanyeol had a secret that he was determined to keep hidden from everyone in SMTown. Hell, he was determined to keep it hidden from everyone in his life.
“You kept saying that name,” Kris said, bringing Chanyeol’s thoughts back to earth as his leg found its way between Chanyeol’s. “Is she hot? Who’s Ddori?”
“Uh…” Chanyeol said, feeling Kris’s knee nudge his thighs open. “My…ferret?”
Kris let out a laugh, his mouth coming down on Chanyeol’s, lifting the morning haze from his head. On top of being the superstar that Kris was, he was also a most talented kisser. Chanyeol found himself chasing the last kiss with another one. His Big was only too happy to oblige.
“You’re so kinky,” Kris said, straddling Chanyeol and pinning his arms against the mattress. Chanyeol lifted his hips up against Kris’s and the other boy dipped his head low into the crook of Chanyeol’s neck, growling into his collarbone.
Chanyeol was so happy that his assigned roommate never showed up at the beginning of the school year. He liked having the room all to himself. Hashtag So Blessed.
Chanyeol counted his blessings in life as Kris kissed his way down Chanyeol’s body. Kris’s lips were amazing. Chanyeol rested his hands on top of Kris’s head and pushed him lower his body.
Life was good.
Life was so good that Chanyeol never even noticed the door inching open and a stranger wearing black from head to toe entering the room.
The stranger cleared his throat after a few minutes.
Kris turned around to see him standing by the door. “Holy shit!” he said, rolling out of bed onto the floor.
“What the hell?” Chanyeol said, grasping at his sheets to cover himself up. “Who are you? How long have you been standing there?”
Unperturbed, the stranger set his suitcases down in a tidy row at the foot of the vacant bed opposite Chanyeol’s. “Long enough,” he said. “I’m Do Kyungsoo. I’m your roommate.”
***
A good Watcher is never seen.
Do Kyungsoo was positive that the scenario he had walked into was not what the Watchers’ Council had in mind when The Watchers’ Five were created. These were the basic rules by which every Watcher, a guardian of magical beings, was supposed to live his life. Given the situation, Kyungsoo had to admit it was still appropriate.
Kyungsoo had walked in on his objective in flagrante delicto, which he found to be a very amusing turn of events. Here he was fresh out of training, a newly minted, full-fledged Watcher with a B.S. in M.S.S. (Magical and Supernatural Sciences) and his first assignment was to enroll as a student majoring in Library Science, which not only sounded dull and unoriginal, but terrifically cliché.
That, and to facilitate the training of one Class 5 named Park Chanyeol, a prospect that was getting more interesting by the second.
Kyungsoo had reviewed this Park Chanyeol’s dossier upon receiving it two weeks ago. The bio data ticker-taped through Kyungsoo’s head, as he stood unnoticed by the doorway.
Park Chanyeol - 19 years old, 1.85 m tall, 70 kgs. He had one sibling, an older sister. Both parents were still alive. His immediate family members were clear of any criminal record and they owned and operated an Italian restaurant franchise located at the edge of the city. He sounded entirely average and hyper normal on paper.
Kyungsoo had reviewed Chanyeol’s medical documents (unremarkable, except for the sessions with a child psychologist when he was twelve up to fourteen) and school records (below average performance, a D-student with grades bordering on abysmal except for Music), but these provided Kyungsoo very little about who Chanyeol was.
Definitely more interesting and important to a Watcher like Kyungsoo were the details left out from all official reports. For instance, when Park Chanyeol was twelve years old, he came across a creature bearing a magical contract, and that he had signed the said contract.
This wasn’t on any official record, but Kyungsoo knew this because The Watchers’ Council helped capture the creature once. As for the contract in question, it was never seen again.
Kyungsoo was already gathering new and more valuable information about Park Chanyeol and he’d only just gotten to his dorm two minutes ago. Kyungsoo could already tell that Chanyeol was very loud as well as very demanding. He seemed a little lazy and only too happy to let others do the heavy lifting. He liked routine, but was also eager to try new things. He made a show out of not wanting to do the things he was being told to do, but did them anyway. Once he got into a task, he gave his all, and was relentless in getting it right. He was a quick learner. He liked being praised for a job well done. He had stamina and a lot of energy. And he was limber, impressively flexible.
Another thing that wasn’t on any official record: Park Chanyeol was magical, dangerous and it was Kyungsoo’s job to protect him from himself.
***
As far as having to adjust to a new roommate, and embarrassing first meeting aside, living with Do Kyungsoo wasn’t half bad. Chanyeol found Kyungsoo easy to live with, albeit somewhat strange.
To an extrovert like Chanyeol, “strange” was defined by not having an active social life. Kyungsoo did not seem to have one as he was always by himself.
Having a monochromatic clothing scheme was also another way Chanyeol liked to define “strange.” The little dude owned nothing but black in his wardrobe. Sure, there were a lot of pseudo-Goths crawling the university with a penchant for the same color palette, but Chanyeol had a feeling Kyungsoo wasn’t choosing his wardrobe out of a sense of style.
Laughing to oneself without any apparent reason also put one in the “strange” category. Kyungsoo did this a lot. It was creepy.
At its worst, living with Kyungsoo was like living with the kind of portrait you felt had eyes following you wherever you went.
Legitimately strange or not, Chanyeol didn’t want to spend too much time worrying about Kyungsoo as he had other things on his mind, such as the upcoming Sigma Mu Showcase, which was V.B.F.D. - Very Big Fucking Deal.
All the SMTown pledges were required to rehearse for and contribute to the Showcase, but only the most promising ones who were guaranteed to become Sigma Mu brothers were allowed to perform and debut onstage. Chanyeol didn’t want anything screwing up his chances of being included.
He definitely had a lot on his plate what with SMTown stuff, the miserable state of his academic standing and the fact that he had been having The Dream more frequently. When he was younger, he would have The Dream about four times a year at most, but since the beginning of the semester, he was dreaming of that damn ferret almost every week.
On the upside, he always felt refreshed waking up from The Dream, but then he noticed other changes taking place too. Chanyeol noticed he could stay up for days without needing to sleep. While it was true that most college freshmen liked to make this claim; in Chanyeol’s case, it was more than an exaggeration. His batteries lasted longer than average.
Chanyeol noticed that he had preternaturally warm hands. He could boil water just by holding a mug for a full minute. The discovery had taken him completely by surprise. He had spaced out with a glass of water in his hand when he lifted it to take a sip. Chanyeol felt the water scald his lip, making Chanyeol curse and bang his knee on the edge of his study desk.
“Are you okay?” Kyungsoo had asked him, making Chanyeol jump. He didn’t even notice his roommate had been standing by the door, holding his Pororo toothbrush set, watching him. Kyungsoo had a habit of entering rooms without being noticed, something that Chanyeol tried to take note of.
“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, pretending everything was okay. “Yeah, sure.”
Kyungsoo walked over to his side of the room. “Fascinating,” he said to himself.
***
“What the hell is all this about?” Kris said, pointing at the tube of BB cream attached to a chain around Chanyeol’s and his co-pledge Oh Sehun’s necks one afternoon at the Sigma Mu house.
“We’re on BB cream pledge,” Sehun said. “Just in case any of you guys need a BB cream touch-up for emergencies.”
“I bet Baekhyun put you up to this, didn’t he,” Kris said, letting his eyes sweep over Chanyeol’s frame when he thought Sehun wasn’t looking. The tips of Chanyeol’s ears went hot. He loved and hated it when Kris did that.
As if on cue, Sigma Mu’s resident diva came sweeping down the stairs, clapping his hands in command. “BB cream! I need BB cream! You!” he pointed, spotting Sehun by the receiving area as he marched right up to Sehun’s face. Sehun obediently squeezed out a dollop of cream on his fingers to apply immediately.
“Really, Baek?” Kris said, raising an eyebrow at Baekhyun.
“What?” Baekhyun said as Sehun started patting BB cream on Beakhyun’s forehead, cheeks and chin. “I’m just being practical.” He opened an eye. “In fact you need a touch-up.”
Chanyeol had to nod in agreement.
“Ok,” Kris said. “Well, since I’m already here…”
Chanyeol popped open the cap off from his own tube of BB Cream and squeezed some out onto his fingers. Kris drew back as if singed when Chanyeol touched his face. “Ow!” he said. “That burns!”
“Oh, sorry,” Chanyeol said. He tried again on Kris’s other cheek. Kris drew back, his face twisting in clear irritation.
“Ow!” Kris said. “Seriously. It feels like hot oil!”
Chanyeol snuck a look at his fingers. The tips were red as a poker, and the smear of BB cream that was plopped on it was bubbling over. Chanyeol hid his hand behind his back. Shit, not this again. What do I do?
“Let me see this,” Kris said, inspecting Chanyeol’s tube of BB Cream. “Ugh, Baek. Next time at least get the pledges to go for a decent brand. None of this Nature shit.”
“It was on a five-plus-one promo!” Baekhyun said.
“I’m gonna wash this crap off,” Kris said. “Chanyeol, can you take my bag up to my room?”
Chanyeol let Kris ply on him his Tom Brown bag and his gigantic biology textbooks. He left Sehun and Baekhyun in the receiving area trading recommendations for BB cream brands.
Kris had a solo room in the Sigma Mu house. As a rule, pledges were not allowed to venture to the upper floors, except when their Bigs granted specific permission for them to come up.
Chanyeol set Kris’s things down inside his room and removed the chain with the tube of BB cream from around his neck. Lifting his hand up, Chanyeol saw that the BB cream on his fingers was now charred black. The good news was, the burning sensation was cooling down gradually.
He heard the door shut behind him, and Chanyeol turned his head to see Kris leaning against the closed door. “So,” he said, with a devil-may-care grin on his handsome features. “How’s your roommate?”
Chanyeol paled. “Listen, Kris, about that. I didn’t know he was-“ he said, and Kris shook his head, wagging his finger to quiet Chanyeol as he came closer to the other boy.
“Forget that,” Kris said, a wicked grin spreading over his flawless face. “Let’s just put it behind us, okay?” and he leaned in to give Chanyeol’s lips a soft, yet not-so-innocent kiss. “What time’s your next class?”
“I’ve got P.E. at five, but otherwise…” Kris didn’t wait for him to finish the sentence as he swept his lips over Chanyeol’s. “You know what, I can skip that.”
“You can have your P.E. right here,” Kris said, teasing and Chanyeol fought back the urge to roll his eyes. Kris was so corny sometimes when he thought he was being cool. The effect was inexplicably appealing, making Chanyeol want to bite Kris. Chanyeol gently nipped Kris where his collar hit, making Kris groan low in his throat. “By the way,” Kris said, lifting up Chanyeol’s chin with his finger. “Congrats. You made it to the Showcase. The brothers really liked that song you made so we’re putting it in the show. I’m making it official tomorrow at Pledge Night.”
Pledge Night was the party right before Hell Week, the final stretch of the application that ended with the SMTown Showcase.
So he had made it! Chanyeol couldn’t believe it. He still felt bad about his roommate walking in on them last time, and he had been worried out of his mind about making the best impression not just to Kris, but to the rest of the SMTown members as well.
“No!” Chanyeol said, his grin stretching into full teeth-rich mode. “For real?” Kris nodded, giving Chanyeol his most dazzling smile.
A minute ago, Chanyeol just wanted to make it up to Kris, but now he was determined to give Kris the best sex of his life. Gently pushing his Big onto his back on the bed, Chanyeol proceeded to run his palms up Kris’s thighs through his stylishly ripped jeans as he knelt on the floor between Kris’s legs.
“Hurry. I want your mouth on me,” Kris said, lifting his head up from the mattress to look at Chanyeol. “You’re so hot.”
Kris helped Chanyeol pull down his zipper. As Kris lifted his hips up off the bed, he pushed down his jeans. Chanyeol tugged them down to Kris’s ankles. Then, Kris unbuttoned his cuffs and lifted the hem of his shirt up to his chest so that it won’t get dirty. Cum stains were a bitch to get off.
Chanyeol reached into Kris’s briefs and pulled out his erection. Kris turned his head to one side, shutting his eyes and hissing at the sensation. His dick throbbed in Chanyeol’s hand. Chanyeol liked the way Kris’s dick leaned into his touch and how soft the skin around the shaft was. The longer Chanyeol stroked it, the harder Kris got. Chanyeol kept his eyes on Kris’s face, taking note of the changes in Kris’s expression. Kris’s eyes were now shut tight, and his hands were clawing at the sheets underneath him. Chanyeol waited for Kris to go quiet so he could hear every breath Kris drew get shallower and shallower. He loved seeing his Big unravel, get thoroughly wrecked.
“Aaaahhh…so hot,” Kris’s voice was a murmur, his head moving from side to side. His thighs began to tremble and lift off the bed, but Chanyeol kept him pinned. He quickened his pace and tightened his grip over Kris. “So hot…Chanyeol…it’s… too hot! It’s too hot! It’s too hot!”
Kris’s eyes flew open, and he pushed Chanyeol’s hand away. Shooting up from the bed and shoving Chanyeol away from him, Kris started hopping from one foot to the other, cupping his balls. Panic was written all over his face.
Chanyeol didn’t know what the hell just happened. One second he was in the middle of giving Kris the best hand job of his life and the next he was fanning at Kris’s crotch with an SMTown 2013 plastic fan.
“No! Stop fanning it! Water! I need water!”
Chanyeol reached for the half-filled water bottle on Kris’s bedside table and splashed its contents over Kris’s crotch. There was a faint “ssssss” sound of something being extinguished just in the nick of time.
“Oh shit oh shit oh shit! I’m so sorry!” Chanyeol said, tearing at his hair. “I’m so, so sorry!” He wanted to help Kris but he didn’t know whether to touch him or not.
Chanyeol did the only thing else that came to mind: run out the room, speed straight downstairs and rush out the doors of SMTown.
“Chanyeol! Wait!” Kris shouted after him. “Come back!”
Chanyeol kept running. He didn’t know where he was headed, and he didn’t care. He didn’t even notice that smoke was now coming out from both of his hands. All he wanted was to get as far away as he could from what just happened. He knew that whatever that was back there was his fault, but he didn’t know why.
***
A good Watcher sees what’s ahead.
Kyungsoo always had his nose buried in books, as he was busy making preparations. Based on his calculations, his Class 5 was about to become a Class 4 very soon.
The Watchers’ Council had devised classification for The Otherworldly, the collective population of all magical and supernatural beings and creatures known to man, and that included magical girls and boys like Chanyeol, which comprised a tiny fraction of the entire Otherworldly universe.
Class 5 was meant that there were no visible or physical manifestations of magic. It could be argued that most people fell under Class 5, even those who were generally regarded as “non-magical.”
Class 4 was considered a hybrid class. They had full power and consciousness regarding their own nature, but considered themselves wholly human.
Class 3 was “average” Otherworldy . These beings were magical since birth or creation, did not consider themselves human, but nevertheless had qualities like and/or behaved like them.
Class 2 was a little frightening. These beings often did not behave at all like humans. They did what they liked and did not like to be interfered with.
Class 1 almost never appeared in corporeal form, but their power was tremendous.
Some beings stayed in only one class their entire lives, but there were others who were able to change from one class to the next. Magical girls and boys had that capacity.
The thing was, Chanyeol had already gone far too long without a Watcher assigned to him. And though Chanyeol’s magical nature had thus far manifested sporadically, it would not be that way for long. The magical manifestations were becoming more apparent and frequent, indicating the end of the chrysalis period, which made Chanyeol very unstable.
It was crunch time for Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo’s objective was to secure a safe space and allow the transformation to happen without Chanyeol harming his own self or others. This was to be done with the aid of a number of spells and a special batch of water called Suho’s Splash, which was fairly easy to make. However, it took awhile to get ready and its preparation was tedious (as some enchantments tended to be, contrary to what many might think.)
Chanyeol was a ticking time bomb about to blow, and Kyungsoo’s next and most critical step was to wait for it to happen.
***
Chanyeol was hurtling through a dense, thick forest - he was going so fast he couldn’t feel his legs touching the ground. What he could feel were the branches snapping into his body and his face as he followed Ddori forward. He didn’t want to lose sight of the animal that was leading him farther into the forest. Stopping was the last thing he wanted to do even though his heart was beating so fast he felt like his chest was going to burst.
Chanyeol followed Ddori into a burrow. This time, instead of emerging in a room, Chanyeol found himself diving head first into cool, blue water. He didn’t even realize he was burning up from the inside until he felt the shock of water, soaking through his clothes and pulling him in deeper. The temperature of the water surrounding him was inconsistent - warm in some spots and cold in others.
For a second, relief coated him, until he realized he couldn’t see the bottom of where he was and that he was sinking further downward. It also didn’t help that his entire body was covered in blue flame. He was literally burning while he was in water. Fear gripped his heart as he opened his mouth to scream.
He felt, rather than saw something swimming towards him and he was pushed backward by a force that ran straight into his body. This same force now pulled him up.
When he opened his eyes, he saw his roommate Kyungsoo’s owl-like eyes gazing into his face. Chanyeol felt strong arms pull him up by the armpits, propelling him to the surface.
The next thing Chanyeol knew, Kyungsoo was pressing his lips against his.
Breathe, dumbass, Chanyeol heard Kyungsoo saying in his mind. I am trying to save your life. Chanyeol opened his mouth and gulped in as much air as he could. Minutes went by with Chanyeol breathing in the air that Kyungsoo supplied.
Breathing turned into kissing. He couldn’t help but notice how soft Kyungsoo’s lips felt against as they exchanged breaths. Chanyeol bit down on Kyungsoo’s lower lip, wrapping an arm around the smaller boy. Just keep breathing, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo’s voice echoed in his mind as Chanyeol was slowly but steadily pulled them both up to the surface. Kissing and breathing became one and the same thing.
Chanyeol noticed that a mark had blossomed over Kyungsoo’s right shoulder and that it was spreading all over his chest and arms. Chanyeol tried to make out the writing, but they were symbols he didn’t understand in the waking world. He watched the symbols fade into Kyungsoo’s skin.
Chanyeol was compelled to put his lips to the base of Kyungsoo’s throat because dream logic dictated that this was the next step, and that this was what the instruction that Kyungsoo’s body demanded of him. Chanyeol read Kyungsoo’s skin with his lips as they slowly surfaced.
Chanyeol felt his heart slowing down to a normal pace, a feeling of acceptance spreading over him. He felt safe. He felt amazing. He felt powerful. He felt like he could do whatever he wanted.
That’s when he woke up, laughing like he always did.
He was wrapped up in blankets like a larva in its own cocoon. He felt incredibly well rested and at peace.
He was also ridiculously hungry.
“Oh good,” Chanyeol heard his roommate say. “You’re awake.”
Chanyeol gave himself a second before sitting up. Already The Dream was fading. He knew he dreamed of Ddori again, but he felt this time it was different. He tried to chase the memory of what happened next after following the ferret down into the burrow, but there was nothing.
His mind was a complete blank.
Chanyeol saw his roommate standing at the foot of his bed, a patient expression on his face. He was dressed in a black turtleneck and black slacks, as per usual. A memory from The Dream flashed in his mind briefly. Did Kyungsoo show up in The Dream? Chanyeol was just about to say something when he got a face full of his own jeans.
"Get dressed. You're buying me breakfast," Kyungsoo said, turning on his heel.
***
To Chanyeol’s credit, he reacted better than Kyungsoo had expected.
Kyungsoo had trained as a Watcher for moments precisely like this one. He braced himself for rejection and had come prepared with an arsenal of facts to counter possible arguments Chanyeol would have raised against Kyungsoo.
Chanyeol didn’t even put up a fight, but he couldn’t stop laughing, and crying, for that matter.
Yes, Kyungsoo sounded insane, but what truth wasn’t?
Kyungsoo cleared his throat, confident that he could handle Chanyeol rolling like a buffalo opposite him in the diner booth. He was having some kind of tantrum, but at least the boy hadn’t threatened to call the police on him.
“I’m sure you have many questions for me,” Kyungsoo said.
“Oh, you’d better believe I’ve got questions,” said Chanyeol, snapping up from his bent-over position on the table. His face was red, streaked with tears and snot like a five-year old. “How about we start with ‘who are you?’”
Kyungsoo licked his lips. “Let’s order first. Maybe carbs will calm you down.”
***
“Oh my god, I love you right now,” Chanyeol said, through a mouth full of pancake and honey-cured bacon.
“Why? You’re the one springing for the tab,” Kyungsoo said, watching Chanyeol shovel complex carbohydrates into his face. Chanyeol was plowing through his third Big Breakfast Plate. Their table was filled with the detritus of hash browns and sausage links lost in The War of Hungry Magical Boy.
Their waiter, a freckled boy with lavender hair and a lip ring, sidled up to their booth. “Can I get anything else for you gentlemen?”
“Can I get a refill, please Minseok?” Kyungsoo said.
“Andyourmeddyufleaf,” Chanyeol said.
“Menu, sure,” Minseok said, not flinching. He’d been running the joint for so long he was fluent in all dialects of stuffed face. He’d seen worse. “I’ll be back.”
Chanyeol smiled at Minseok through bulging cheeks. He swallowed before answering Kyungsoo.
“No, I mean I’m supposed to be on a diet right now.”
“Trust me, you need those carbs,” Kyungsoo said, sipping his black coffee. “You burned a million calories and you slept for one week.”
Chanyeol choked. “What?”
“You burned a million calories and slept for one week,” Kyungsoo said.
“Shit!” Chanyeol said, standing up all of a sudden. “Fuck! What day is it?” I am so dead if it’s-
“Saturday,” Kyungsoo said. “It’s all right, Chanyeol. It’s a normal reaction-“
“Arrrrghhhh!” Chanyeol said, not hearing the rest of what Kyungsoo had to say. “I gotta go.” He reached for his wallet and started pulling out bills. “Sorry, but I gotta run, Kyungsoo. There’s just something I gotta do first, so can we pick this up later?” Rushing to leave, he slid out of the booth and got ready to sprint. He glanced at the wall clock over the counter. “I can still make it to the Showcase!”
“What in heaven’s name are you talking about?” Kyungsoo said, genuinely confused.
“The SMTown Showcase!” Chanyeol said. “If I don’t show up, I’m so dead.”
Kyungsoo was trying his best not to be annoyed. Chanyeol had just undergone a complete Class 4 transformation. And less than an hour ago, he had had his identity and his whole sense of being confirmed. There were important changes happening in Chanyeol’s body on a molecular level and all he cared about right now was some college event thing?
“Do you not realize-“
“Sorry, duty calls!” Chanyeol said, jogging out of the diner.
Kyungsoo was gobsmacked. What on earth had just happened? He watched Chanyeol make his way across the parking lot towards the bus stop back to the university. There was no way Kyungsoo was letting Chanyeol out of his sight.
Kyungsoo definitely had his work cut out for him.
***
All fraternities on campus held their own end-of-semester events, and the SMTown Showcase was one of the university’s most anticipated ones. The show they produced on their own as a fund-raising effort grew to become a ticketed event that was open to the public. Everyone loved SMTown, and the students (as well as some of their fans from outside the university) couldn’t wait to see the fresh new members take center stage for the first time.
Chanyeol showed up backstage at the University Auditorim ten minutes before the show opened, sweat pouring down his face. He spotted Sehun already in costume, clad in a brown Gregorian monk-type robe. Chanyeol waved at Sehun before running towards him.
“Oh my god! Chanyeol hyung!” Sehun said, his face momentarily breaking from its default state of resting bitchiness. “You’re alive!” The younger boy launched himself onto Chanyeol’s body for a relieved hug.
“Of course I am,” Chanyeol said, plastering a grin to his face and willing his heartbeat to slow down a bit. “Where do I get changed?”
“Hyung, what happened to you?” Sehun said, pulling back from the hug, his expression turning serious. “You had us really worried.”
Chanyeol made his way over to one side of the dressing room and started rifling through the wardrobe racks for his own costume. So he missed the formal announcement during Pledge Night - he had a legitimate emergency. Kris had already mentioned that Chanyeol was in, hadn’t he? The announcement would have been a mere formality. Chanyeol knew the choreography from start to finish, forwards and backwards. He had written all the rap parts (his and Kris’s) and had even helped with the song’s final arrangements. The Sigma Mu brothers had to let him go onstage!
Chanyeol started pulling out robes from hangers and holding these up against his body, checking which one would fit. He had missed the final fitting for the stage costumes on top of the announcement, but he was sure he could find an extra robe somewhere. The Sigma Mu brothers were always prepared for any sudden group member lineup changes.
“Hyung,” Sehun said, tugging on Chanyeol’s hoodie.
“Not now, Sehun, I gotta go get changed already,” Chanyeol said, brushing off Sehun.
“Chanyeol.”
It was not Sehun who called out this time. It was Kris. In his stage costume and makeup, he was resplendent and intimidating. He looked absolutely godlike with his hair brushed up and freshly retouched a golden shade.
His tailored blue sequined jacket that sat squarely on his broad shoulders was open at the chest, revealing his strong torso through a thin, body-skimming tank. Tight white jeans hugged his powerful legs. Chanyeol had to take a step back to catch his breath and train of thought.
Kris's handsome face had a stern expression as he fixed his stare on Chanyeol, waiting for the pledge to start explaining himself.
"Um...hi," Chanyeol said, wanting to punch himself in the face as soon as he said it.
Kris opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself, seeing that another pledge was present. "I'm just glad you're okay," he finally said, his voice tight.
Relief washed over Chanyeol, making him weak in the knees. "I am so sorry," he said. "I'm not sure I can explain everything right now, but-"
"Whoah, whoah, whoah!" Byun Baekhyun said, interrupting Chanyeol. Baekhyun swooped in between Chanyeol and Kris, pushing Sehun aside. "What is this?" He flicked his eyes at Chanyeol from head to toe before facing Kris. "What the fuck is this Kris?" Not even waiting for an answer, he turned back to Chanyeol. "What do you think you're doing, Park? Who said you could be here?"
"Baekhyun," Kris said, without much strength. "Come on. Chanyeol was going to be in the show anyway. I just didn't make the announcement."
“Your Little Brother here bailed on Hell Week.” Baekhyun's eyes narrowed in a sadistic manner, knowing that there was no way Kris was going to win in an argument against him.
"What is going on here?"
All heads turned to face the direction of the latest voice to join the discussion. It was the Sigma Mu Grand Omicron Kim Junmyeon. Junmyeon was a short person, way shorter than Kris, but Kris buckled when Junmyeon stepped in and asserted his authority. He never truly raised his voice, but he was the type who never had to.
Chanyeol had never come face-to-face with The Grand Omicron. Chanyeol swallowed, sweat now freely dripping down the side of his face. Junmyeon turned to his members Kris and Baekhyun. Baekhyun was first to speak up, and though the expression on his face didn’t change, his tone was more controlled now that he was addressing the Grand Omicron.
“Pledge Park Chanyeol has failed to meet the requirements needed to complete the pledging process,” Baekhyun said, fighting to keep the indignation from his voice. “He has no right to be here pending consensus among active members that he could participate in fraternity activities.”
Junmyeon looked at Kris, signaling that it was his turn to air his side. “Pledge Park did complete the requirements, save for attendance during Hell Week, but that is because-“ and here he stopped, faltering over what to say next, his eyes sweeping over Chanyeol momentarily.
“Because?” Junmyeon said, urging Kris to continue.
“-of a medical emergency,” Kris said. Baekhyun scoffed, outraged, and Junmyeon shot him a look, shutting him up for the meantime. “Pledge Park had a medical emergency. I vouch for him as his Big Brother.”
Junmyeon considered this before turning to Chanyeol. “Park Chanyeol,” Junmyeon said. “Weren’t you the one who contributed to one of the songs being performed tonight?”
“Y-yes,” Chanyeol said.
“And you’re all right to go onstage, considering you’ve had a recent medical emergency?”
“I’m good to go,” Chanyeol said.
Junmyeon nodded. “All right,” he said. “I will allow it. Pledge Park Chanyeol will participate in the Showcase.”
Chanyeol, Kirs and Sehun exhaled in audible relief, while Baekhyun stamped his foot.
“However,” Junmyeon said, lifting a finger. “He does not advance his status to Sigma Mu member after tonight. The brotherhood will reconvene and review his standing at a later time.”
Chanyeol shot Kris a confused look. What was Junmyeon saying? Kris nodded at him, reassuring him that this was as good as he would get for the time being. “Thank you, Grand Omicron,” Kris said.
“You’d better hurry and change then,” Junmyeon said to Chanyeol. “Curtains go up in five minutes.”
***
Kyungsoo settled into his seat not knowing what to expect from the SMTown Showcase. Around him, girls were holding up banners bearing the names of their favorite SMTown members, excited to see their crushes from the fraternity. Kyungsoo’s expression remained neutral as the house lights dimmed to signal the start of the show, his face and body language belying what was really going through his head as he watched.
The truth was, the “college event thing” he had been so quick to dismiss earlier was proving to be quite the revelation. Kyungsoo was transfixed by what he was seeing onstage. He had never experienced anything quite like what was in front of his senses at the moment. His small serving of nachos with cheese sauce that he had bought as a snack sat on his lap, untouched. His eyes were glued onto the stage as SMTown did what they were the best at.
The active members took to the stage in their glittery outfits, and the audience’s screaming intensified to a collective roar. It was as if someone had switched on some button inside their bodies that made them react that way. Kyungsoo remained seated until he could no longer see what was happening onstage. Only then did he stand up.
The Sigma Mu brothers were dancing to a song entitled “History” - their movements perfectly in sync with each other as they moved as one unit, each member having distinct parts that contributed to the whole. Kyungsoo was blown away by the dancers’ fluid yet powerful movements and he got goose bumps when he heard their voices harmonize. Kyungsoo’s eyes were careful to seek out Chanyeol from those onstage, but he had not been able to spot him so far.
Kyungsoo felt a thrill punch its way to his gut as a solo ballad was performed after the breathtaking opening number. He hadn’t realized that he had been holding his breath all throughout the song. When it ended, the group of girls next to him chanted “Kim Jongdae! Kim Jongdae!” and behind him someone else lost her mind screaming “CHEEEEEEEENNNNN!”
Kyungsoo had to give it to the guy. Chen could sing. Kyungsoo felt his thrill dull into a hollow pang as he brushed aside secret wishes that he had long ago decided to stop thinking about. Before his mind started to go into a direction he was sure was not going to be very helpful to his current objective, a familiar voice cut into his thoughts.
“Ayo waddup Krease?”
Chanyeol onstage, his hair held up by about a million bobby pins. So the big lug made it after all.
“AYO WASSSU-UP?”
This guy looks familiar, Kyungsoo thought. The person onstage with Chanyeol did a short spin and Kyungsoo went, “Oh! That’s right! Nice ass!”
The girl to his left poked his side and winked. “Isn’t Kris the best?”
Chanyeol and Kris volleyed the rap parts of the song. Chanyeol’s voice was a little shaky, and he covered this up by increasing the volume and force of his voice. The girls in the audience were screaming for Kris, but Kyungsoo could tell that Chanyeol had also captivated some of them. Kyungsoo felt a weird mixture of pride and possessiveness. He’s my roommate you know, he found himself thinking, catching himself before he said it out loud again.
Onstage, some fireworks went off and Kyungsoo jumped. The explosions had also startled Chanyeol and Kyungsoo saw nervousness flicker across his roommate’s face for a second.
The next number had everyone in one big elaborate dance number. Kyungsoo spotted Chanyeol crouched behind other Sigma Mu brothers in formation and was tempted to cheer for him, but held back. Kyungsoo still had a job to do, after all. He didn’t want to get carried away by the show. He was a professional.
There was not a trace of nervousness on Chanyeol’s face as he took his place onstage. From where Kyungsoo was watching, it looked like the group had formed a tree, with their arms gently swaying above their heads as the music kicked in. The crowd started chanting the members’ names one by one. Chanyeol’s name wasn’t called, but Kyungsoo knew that after tonight, the crowd would definitely start to.
The choreography for the final number was the most complicated one yet, and Kyungsoo had to make sure not be distracted by any other movement onstage. All the dancers onstage were holding light sticks in both hands as long as one’s forearm.
The dance was going smoothly until Chanyeol did a turn that had him up bumping into one of the members by accident. It disrupted the flow for about two seconds, but the group was able to bring it back to where everyone was supposed to be.
After the bump, Kyungsoo noticed that Chanyeol’s movements started to lag a second or two later than the rest of the group. An intense look of concentration was on Chanyeol’s face now, his brow furrowed. Kyungsoo felt a telltale tingle run down his spine. He had to be on full alert now.
More fireworks exploded around the front of the stage and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but feel annoyed this time. Considering he needed a clear view of the stage, the pyrotechnics was distracting. When some of the smoke from the fireworks cleared and Kyungsoo was able to focus on Chanyeol again, he saw a faint, yet distinct orange glow surrounding his roommate that he could not attribute to the stage lighting. The golden aura was getting larger and larger and even more pronounced, and the illumination from the light sticks Chanyeol was holding was growing more and more brilliant.
Oh dear, I must get him off the stage, Kyungsoo thought, making his way through across the seats and into the aisle. I must do something before -
“Baekhyun!” Kyungsoo heard someone from the audience yelling. “Oh my god! Help! He’s caught fire!”
***
It was on Youtube in about two minutes. By the end of the weekend, the original uploaded video for “Sigma Mu Showcase Stage Fire” had gotten near half a million views. Other reposted videos were found soon after under titles like “SMTown Fire Guy”. Edits were also posted with Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire” as background music.
The story went beyond the university quickly. Naver and Daum searches peaked for #SMTownFireGuy. Netizens were buzzing about it on Pann.
[+200, -0] Wow, it’s a good thing no one was seriously hurt! Guys, next time please double-check your stage equipment so that it doesn’t happen again! Great show, anyway, as usual! Fighting, SMTown oppas!
[+150, -60] SMTown always puts up a fantastic showcase but this time it just went too far with the effects! Simpler stage is always best!
[+115, -110] BEST SHOWCASE EVER. THE FIRE THING WAS FREAKING AWESOME!!!!
[+109, -50] Lots of cute new pledges joined in this year’s SMTown Showcase! That Byun Baek is always stealing the show, though. How could he be so stupid with the fire and all that?
[+106, -3] I heard that it wasn’t an accident, and that SMTown meant to do that. To be honest, they’re always pulling stupid, unnecessary shits like that for attention. I wish the university would do something about regulating those types of activities.
[+100, -100] Serves SMTown right. What a bunch of losers. Plus, their so-called fans and supporters are the worst. So immature!
[+9, -110] If you guys look at the video closely, there is something very weird going on with one of the members/dancers right before that one guy caught fire. Not sure if it’s a camera glitch, or a props malfunction, but super weird.
Kyungsoo closed Chanyeol’s laptop monitor shut.
“Hey!” Chanyeol said. “I was reading that!” He had been online searching under the #SMTownFireGuy tag for the last three hours and groaning to himself underneath a protective fortress of blankets.
“You have got to stop,” Kyungsoo said, rolling his eyes. “This isn’t healthy. We have a lot of work to do.”
“You don’t understand!” Chanyeol said, kicking his feet out. “My life is over! Everything I’ve worked for - poof! I was so close! So goddamn close to being cool!”
“You know you’re lucky things didn’t get much worse than singed hair extensions,” Kyungsoo pointed out.
“Much worse? Much worse?” Chanyeol said, incredulous. “SMTown is a total joke now! A laughingstock! Sigma Mu has become nothing more than a meme! Yeah! The bad kind! And it’s all because of me!”
“I didn’t realize there was a good kind,” Kyungsoo said, in all honesty. “Chanyeol, your friend could have suffered worse. It was a good thing your members had presence of mind before things got out of control.” It was a good thing I had presence of mind rushing to get you out of there too, he wanted to add.
Chanyeol snorted. “Yeah, whatever. Byun is not my friend,” he said. He paused, exhausting what he had to say for the moment. Kyungsoo sipped his tea, thoughtful. “So, what do we do now, then?”
Kyungsoo turned around, carefully set down his teacup on his study desk and pulled out a whiteboard marker from his drawer. Plonking himself down on Chanyeol’s bed, he started drawing tables and charts on the window next to the bed.
“You’re a mess of a magical boy right now,” Kyungsoo said, not unkindly. “You can barely control your powers that are manifesting more and more frequently at an alarming rate every time you get excited or agitated. Can’t have that, Park. You’ll have to learn what your triggers are so you can direct your energy.”
Chanyeol’s mind swam as he stared at the other boy drafting out a schedule on the dorm room window. Kyungsoo was muttering more to himself as he made revisions to formulas that only made sense to him.
“Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol said, momentarily breaking the trance Kyungsoo had put himself under. “Why are you helping me?”
Kyungsoo looked back at Chanyeol with his penguin eyes. “It’s what I do,” he said. “I mean, it’s my job.” The look on Chanyeol’s face urged him to say more, so Kyungsoo started from where he knew to begin, telling Chanyeol about The Watchers’ Council and other magical beings the Council was pretty much responsible for. Chanyeol listened intently; completely absorbed in everything Kyungsoo was telling him. It was all so new to him, yet so familiar at the same time.
Kyungsoo knew his secret.
Kyungsoo knew about Ddori, The Dream, personal things Chanyeol had never breathed a word of to anybody for fear that he would be regarded as crazy, a freak. The truth Chanyeol was hearing still sounded unbelievable and crazy, but it made perfect sense.
“I’m assigned to you,” Kyungsoo said. “I’m your Watcher.”
“Yeah, about that,” Chanyeol said, trying to fit all this inside his brain. “Who gets to decide that? Do either of us have a choice in the matter, even? Obviously, I didn’t get the memo here. Did your name and my name come out from a hat or anything like that? Was that magic, too?” He laughed at how dumb that sounded.
“The matches are purely clerical,” Kyungsoo said, shrugging. “Sorry to disappoint. Ironically, for a group so concerned with magical matters The Council is just as bureaucratic as any old government institution, hence the delay in the match. We were paired based on a number of factors like age, proximity, background, blood type.”
“But what if I don’t like you?” Chanyeol suddenly blurted out. “What if we don’t get along?”
Kyungsoo was taken aback. “Well,” he said, stiffening his shoulders. He was careful to answer. “I suppose The Council has to take compatibility into account somehow. I don’t think it’s ever happened, but a request for an assignment transfer can always be justified.” He paused. “I’ll get started on the documentation for you right away,” he said, as he started to raise himself up off from Chanyeol’s bed.
Chanyeol flinched, realizing his mistake. “No, no, that’s not what I meant,” he said, touching Kyungsoo’s knee, urging him to settle back down. The last thing he needed was to alienate the only person that seemed to understand what he was going through. “Sorry. I meant that in a general sense. You’re not so bad, Soo. Hey. Maybe we’ll make a good team.”
That earned him a genuine smile from Kyungsoo. It was the first time Chanyeol had seen his roommate do that. It made him look so harmless, yet terrifying at the same time.
Part 2 | Part 3