Say anything (but say what you mean) for coley_merrin [2/4]
Chanyeol's idea of developing a great partnership is mimicking Kyungsoo's every move in the zombie zoo. He pops out from a haystack instead of a box, though, and manages to convince Kyungsoo to do the 'crawling thing' with him. "More authentic. Less…" Chanyeol gestures with his hands, worrying his bottom lip as he tries to find his words. "Less fake. Whatever. Isn't it creepier when zombies come out from a normal-looking object? Cool, right?"
"I think boxes are common enough things," Kyungsoo replies, straight-faced, but a hint of a smile tugging up at the corners of his lips. Chanyeol pinches him in his side and drags him down to the floor.
Kyungsoo is usually more agile, quick to elude arms wrapping around his waist or his shoulders, but they're in a new zombie costume today - Jongdae's birthday gift, five months advanced - and they haven't had much practice with it yet. He almost tripped on his new feet when they tried moving around in it and went for a light jog around the zoo, and Chanyeol fell flat on his butt, complaining as soon as they god out of the costume. Now, with the dull ache of his previous falls still plaguing his muscles, he struggles to get Chanyeol off of him, kicks his feet and tries to move his arms around to gain ground. Chanyeol is stronger, though, completely in control of his limbs in a costume that has been tailor-made for him, and he pins Kyungsoo to the ground, hands on his wrists, eyes locked onto Kyungsoo's own.
"What are you doing?" Kyungsoo asks, voice cracking a little. He clears his throat - it's the work of the nasty cold that has hit the office, not the weight of Chanyeol's stare.
Chanyeol doesn't answer, doesn't move, just stays rooted there in his spot and holds Kyungsoo's gaze. The scare journey isn't set to start until fifteen minutes after and he's sure no one will walk in on them like this, but there's nothing wrong about it, is there? Chanyeol is just teaching him a lesson, making him shut up, exercising his power over Kyungsoo in the most physical way possible. There's nothing wrong about getting a bit physical during break time. It's not as if they're violating any work code or any bro code. Chanyeol is harmless; Kyungsoo is just looking for an adventure, and Chanyeol just happens to be there.
"We're doing the popping out from the ground thing," Chanyeol reiterates through gritted teeth, then loosens his grip. Kyungsoo takes this as an opportunity to push Chanyeol off of him and down on the ground. Chanyeol has that toothy grin on his lips, the one that makes him look half-puppy and half-legs. It sends a sickening kind of turn to the pit of Kyungsoo's stomach.
Later, when the siren sounds off and Chanyeol's already walking over to his spot, the same silly grin on his lips as he lies flat on his stomach, on the ground, Kyungsoo realizes that he hadn't really said 'no'.
☻ ☻ ☻
Zitao arrives from his two-week trip to Japan with a bag filled with presents. Several trips around the world and too many souvenirs from Zitao after, Kyungsoo thinks he's gotten this pinned down - half of the bag is probably filled with all sorts of Japanese desserts for Zitao, Sehun, and Jongin to share stories over, and the other half has the 'good stuff' that the rest of them can enjoy. This time, it's Osaka's specialty tea for Joonmyun, a Hokusai printed scarf for Jongdae, and two stuffed toys for Kyungsoo.
"Rilakkuma and Hobbang Man, really?" Kyungsoo asks, genuinely curious but also genuinely amused, and Zitao hits him on the arm once before proceeding to sit on his hands.
"It was a limited edition Hobbang Man, okay! I thought it was cute!"
Chanyeol doesn't get introduced to Zitao; he introduces himself, even extends a hand, and Zitao immediately takes a liking to him. Ten minutes and a few stories after, Chanyeol finds his pockets stuffed with small Japanese treats that Zitao insisted he take with him. "He's really nice," Chanyeol says through a mouthful of whatever he's popped between his teeth. "Who even gives strangers food these days?"
"Didn't even cross your mind that he might've been planning to poison you?" Kyungsoo takes a deep breath and frowns when he looks up at Chanyeol.
Chanyeol has that look on, the come on, you can't be fucking around with me look. He hasn't seen this in a while, not in the past week. There hasn't been a clearer image in his mind but that of Chanyeol's soft smile and that split-second of uncertainty on Chanyeol's features. And the childish grin that shows all ten thousand of his teeth. "You're shitting me," Chanyeol mumbles, then groans when a small smile breaks across Kyungsoo's features. "I trusted you, Kyungsoo! I feel so betrayed!"
"You don't know me well enough."
Chanyeol pinches him in his side. "You won't let me."
Kyungsoo takes a step back, narrowly avoiding the another assault of pinches from Chanyeol.
It's not supposed to be easy, though, getting to know someone, wrestling information out of him like backing someone up against the wall and asking nicely, what's your favorite fruit? What's your poison? How would you like your heart served - rare, medium rare, or well-done? It doesn't work that way. Not in Kyungsoo's realm, at least, where he's gotten accustomed to having to spend an ample amount of time with someone and going through some sort of life-changing experience with him. With Jongdae, it was working on their thesis that brought them together. With Zitao, Jongin, and Sehun, almost missing work because they had to stay up and play Assassin's Creed. With Joonmyun, it started as idol worship that eventually turned into Kyungsoo assuming the responsibility of making sure Joonmyun took his vitamins.
"Let's play a game, then," Kyungsoo declares. Chanyeol stops in his tracks and tilts his head a little. "Well, not really a game. Just... Ask me and I'll answer as truthfully as possible."
Chanyeol snorts. "You're really bad at this 'thinking of how to talk about myself' thing, aren't you?"
Kyungsoo shrugs, doesn't meet Chanyeol in the eye. He knows Chanyeol's smirking, though, just by the light swaying of his body. "I'm trying, you know," he admits, then rushes, "C'mon. For the sake of this partnership."
"Just for this partnership?"
He looks up now, meeting Chanyeol in the eye. The corners of Chanyeol's lips are quirked up and his eyes are bright, fucking twinkling like he's up to no good or he's trying to get Kyungsoo into the grave he's dug for the two of them. Kyungsoo feels his throat tighten, his chest constrict. His fingers twitch when he parts his lips, poised to speak, then snaps them together again. Chanyeol starts to giggle and crosses his arms over his chest. "Don't tell me you have an issue with being honest as well."
"No, I don't," Kyungsoo retaliates, slaps Chanyeol on the arm and resumes walking. The change in scaredule means the zombie zoo scare stint will get cut in half, but that they'll have to explore the Plants versus Zombies plan with Sehun. It also means Chanyeol will be looking at him for direction, clinging to him like a leech or any object high on Mighty Bond. It sends a funny feeling to the tips of his fingers. "And fine, you're actually pretty useful in the house so I guess I'm not just doing this for the partnership."
Chanyeol purses his lips for a while, but the upward tug on his cheeks remains. Soon, he's grinning, canines peeking and pink gums greeting Kyungsoo. When Chanyeol asks about Kyungsoo's favorite color (black), favorite hairstyle (anything that's comfortable), and favorite type of clothing (underwear is most useful), he answers as truthfully as possible, keeps his fingers and toes crossed that Chanyeol won't ask anything weird.
"And your favorite person in the world?" Chanyeol asks as they bend their knees simultaneously, prepared to lie flat on their stomachs on the ground. Kyungsoo blinks twice, breathes noisily through his nose, then fixes his eyes on the door where the scare takers will be coming in.
"Myself," he answers. The siren sounds off. "And anyone who can make me smile."
☻ ☻ ☻
Friday evenings, Chanyeol leaves earlier than the usual. Closing isn't until ten in the evening, when half of them might as well be dead with fatigue and simply running on reserve energy. "Early shift tomorrow," Chanyeol whispers in Kyungsoo's ear, bends his knees like a fucking gentleman because tiny people shouldn't tiptoe for me, then pinches Kyungsoo in his side. "I'll see you?"
"You two are going out tomorrow?" Jongdae asks, eyebrow cocked and a small smile on his lips. Kyungsoo shakes his head and waves him off, then makes his way to the closet to return his costume. "How do you feel about company outings?"
"Hopeless," Sehun offers. "We haven't had one ever since." Jongin bursts into laughter and turns to Sehun for a high-five, but Jongdae kicks them in their calves faster than Sehun could react. "I'm just saying, what are the chances of us getting time out when we haven't gotten one in years? I'm being realistic."
Jongdae pouts, but turns on his heel and makes his way to the door. He holds up an accusing finger at Sehun and says, "No bonuses for you, ever."
Chanyeol hasn't left yet, still leaning against the frame of the door, eyes on Kyungsoo. He's wiggling his eyebrows like he's waiting for an answer to something he hasn't even asked yet, and Kyungsoo only tilts his head in response. It takes no more than a few seconds, but Kyungsoo feels as if he's been thrust into a romcom of sorts where the male protagonist cuts through the distance to grab the other male protagonist by the wrist. Then they'd run away, frolicking in the fields, except Chanyeol hasn't dragged him out all the way yet. Chanyeol's looking down at him, eyes wide and smile tugged up all the way. Chanyeol is close, close enough that Kyungsoo can count the pimples on his cheeks if he wanted to, or his eyelashes, or the number of times Chanyeol bites his lower lip.
The rest of the group is just a few feet away, and they're pressed so close together. Relationship-building, Kyungsoo reminds himself.
"Sssh. Keep quiet," Chanyeol whispers after a while, then slips a piece of paper in Kyungsoo's hands. "I will see you, right?"
Kyungsoo tears his gaze from Chanyeol's. "I'll have to check my fridge."
"Great! I get off at 4 p.m.."
"I'm telling your girlfriend!" Jongin calls out after Chanyeol, and Chanyeol just sticks up his middle finger in reply. When Kyungsoo opens his fists, he catches Chanyeol's hurried writing on the paper - his cellphone number and a smiley at the end.
He stuffs the paper in his pockets and gulps hard. He tries not to smile.
☻ ☻ ☻
Kyungsoo leaves his house later than the usual the following day. He'd sort of promised to meet Chanyeol after his shift, but only because he has a lot of things to pick up from the supermarket - pork, more instant noodles, yellow radish, maybe a couple of bottles of beer if he's in the mood for it. It's not like he's planning to feed a legion. It's just been him and his laptop across the table all these years, after all, catching up on dramas over the weekend and maybe shedding a tear or two over well-executed drama scenes.
"Sometimes I wonder how you manage to set aside time to, well-" Chanyeol gestures at the vegetables in Kyungsoo's cart. A few milk cartons have somehow made their way there, just beside the lettuce and carrots. "Cook for yourself when you always come to work early and get home so late."
Kyungsoo shrugs, then hands the cartons back to Chanyeol. Chanyeol shakes his head, only grins at him and giggles. "I do all my cooking in the evening and pack my lunch before I go to bed. That way, I won't have to get up early." Chanyeol slips a pack of bubblegum in the cart, and Kyungsoo quickly swats his hand away. "Get your own cart!"
"What? You're going to make me unpack your stuff later and I won't even get paid for it. The least you could do is buy me stuff."
Kyungsoo groans. "I'm not your mom."
"Definitely not my mom," Chanyeol replies, laughing a little. He ruffles Kyungsoo's hair and continues, "Too tiny. Less grumpy, but definitely cuter."
Kyungsoo steps on Chanyeol's foot but misses by a few centimeters. Chanyeol runs off, laughing, but picks up a couple of items from Kyungsoo's to-buy list.
The drive to Kyungsoo's house is more smooth-sailing this time, without rain pelting down on the streets and blurring their view. Chanyeol talks about Jongdae applauding their Plants versus Zombies act with Sehun and Zitao, and Kyungsoo only rolls his eyes and says that maybe, maybe they can work on that a bit more. "It's a crazy idea, to be honest, but if it works..." Kyungsoo voice trails off and he shrugs, then throws his head back into the head rest. Chanyeol's car smells nice - much like a spa, except the scent is tamer, doesn't lull him to sleep but calms his nerves just enough that he doesn't mind entertaining an idea of doing a sequel to their initial Plants versus Zombies act.
Chanyeol hits the brakes when they reach a red light, then turns the radio down just a little. Kyungsoo opens one eye, peeking at Chanyeol. "I love crazy."
"Not surprised," Kyungsoo replies. He sits up again when the light turns green. "You seem exactly like the type."
Only the second time that Chanyeol's been to Kyungsoo's apartment and he already seems to be at ease, moving around the kitchen like his feet know where to take him. The bowls of instant ramyun are neatly stacked, labels facing front, and Chanyeol ganders at his work with a grin on his lips. Chanyeol then proceeds to arrange all the contents of Kyungsoo's cupboard, and that's when he starts fussing - Chanyeol's rearranging his life in tiny cans without even asking permission. It's like a violation of personal space without actually toeing the line. "Hey."
"Ssh." Chanyeol waves him off. He's kneeling on the counter now as he arranges the canned goods. "I'm arranging your cans by color, by height. I accept food as payment."
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, but his fingers haven't stopped twitching yet. "How does kimchi jjigae sound?"
Chanyeol looks over his shoulder, eyes wide, a soft smile on his lips. His eyebrows are lightly furrowed, like there's confusion or surprise that he's trying to temper. "Really good."
Chanyeol hums while he works, not a single moment of silence save for when he moves from one song to the next. At one point, Kyungsoo pulls up a playlist on his phone and blasts songs on his speakers, loud enough to fill the white noise but not too loud to drown out Chanyeol's voice. Chanyeol has a smooth tone, low and warm, like a quilt wrapped around your shoulder on a cold winter afternoon. Kyungsoo finds himself humming as he stirs the broth, then adds the pork and onion leeks. The rice cooker sounds off. Bless Samsung and their devices.
"Don't you have anything better to do?" Kyungsoo asks after a while, once Chanyeol has come down from the counter and has rolled up his sleeves. His hands are covered in suds, and his eyes are twinkling with something Kyungsoo can't quite pinpoint yet. Kyungsoo hates it, not being able to decipher Chanyeol's movements, the password to cracking Chanyeol's heavily encrypted code. It's been more than a month since they've started working together and Chanyeol already knows more about him than he should. He should keep up, do something to even the playing field. He can't lose to Chanyeol.
"Well, I do," Chanyeol replies, then turns on the tap. Water pressure is good today, produces a low thrum as the water hits the sink. "But after working with kids for 8 hours, I don't think I want to go home and deal with with my family just yet. That house is a complete terror, I'm telling you." Chanyeol scoffs and towels his hands down, shucking off the last few droplets of water as he shakes his hands. "That's where the real ghosts are - back at home where it's supposed to be safe."
Kyungsoo gulps hard, then turns his eyes back on the stew. "You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to," he says. "We're all entitled to our own secrets."
"Like me working in a toy store during weekends, yeah." Chanyeol laughs lightly, then locks his arms behind his back. He knocks down a few things, but none of them are breakable. Kyungsoo covers the pot and twists his torso so that he's facing Chanyeol. "Except my cover's been blown by my scare partner. And I ran into Sehun and Zitao this morning, ogling Gundam action figures."
"Should it even be a secret? It's not as if you're living a double life."
"Eh." Chanyeol shrugs. "I just don't want too many people knowing what I do with my supposed 'spare time'." He exhales loudly, bottom lip jutting out as he ends. "I guess I just don't want to be found. Not by my family, at least."
Kyungsoo watches and waits, eyes fixed on Chanyeol's own. Beside him, the stew boils, and he tears his gaze only to add the other ingredients and a generous amount of gochujang. "Hey, I thought you hated silence," he says when he gets nothing, and Chanyeol resurfaces with wide eyes, color rushing back to his cheeks and the upward curl of his lips. "I'm trying to do my part."
"Your thoughts are so noisy, though." Chanyeol pokes him in his side, and he half squirms, half cackles. He's not supposed to be ticklish there. "Noisier than my own brain. And I thought I already talked a lot."
"Keep talking, if it helps," Kyungsoo offers, but Chanyeol only grins at him, laughing and he pokes the same spot, eliciting laughter from Kyungsoo. He should probably check the stew, see if it's spicy enough or need more salt, but he's got his hands full now - he uses one to give Chanyeol's arm light jabs and then fist in Chanyeol's shirt, and the other is on his heart, left of his chest, pressing down hard as he tries to still the loud beating inside. In the end, Chanyeol takes over cooking the stew and maybe adds too much gochujang, but Kyungsoo really can't be bothered - the way the sting of spiciness wraps around Chanyeol's lips is beautiful, paints the corners of his mouth a nice, warm smile.
Kyungsoo takes another sip of the stew and winces. It's a nice kind of burn.
☻ ☻ ☻
Sundays are relatively slow, me-days for Kyungsoo - there's no need to get up early, no need to cook something for himself if he really doesn't feel like eating. As long as he has his laptop and his dramas, he'll survive. He could run on just two cups of coffee until late afternoon and not get cranky. He could sleep half the day and he won't feel guilty about 'wasting time' and 'not doing anything better'.
Today, though, Jongdae pays him a visit, two plastic bags in tow. One is filled with an assortment of chips, and the other has cider and a couple of cans of alcohol. "Does this guarantee a free sick leave tomorrow?" he asks as Jongdae lays down the items on the table in the living room. He saves one can of beer from falling off the edge. Jongdae's estimation skills have never been the best, not in all the years that they've been friends.
"Don't do this to me," Jongdae answers, frowning. Kyungsoo takes one of the cans and opens it for Jongdae. "I've already lost you to Chanyeol; now I'll lose you to work?"
Isn't that the same thing? Kyungsoo wants to ask, but snatches the can back and takes a gulp, instead. "Oh, you know me and work - we're the PDA couple I used to barf at."
"You and Chanyeol? Not quite." Jongdae sits on the carpet, legs folded under his weight. "You've been getting along really well, though. I'm… kinda surprised."
Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow, then adds a smile to his expression, a corner of his lips tugging up when Jongdae begins to raise his arms in front of him in defense. "I'm not saying that you don't know how to socialize. I'm just surprised you actually get along with someone as noisy-"
"-obnoxious, but we're not-"
"Yeah. That, too." Jongdae scrunches his nose. "Doesn't he… Doesn't he tick you off?"
Chanyeol does, if you consider smiling and grinning ear-to-ear every single time annoying. Chanyeol's movements are too big, too, like he doesn't have control over his limbs. He craves warmth and contact and puts Baekhyun's need for affection to shame, and hates standstills and silence. Kyungsoo is adaptable, yes, but sometimes Chanyeol will lean over too much and end up with his face in Kyungsoo's lap, or he'll laugh too loud in Kyungsoo's ears. He can only take so much of Chanyeol, but Chanyeol can't seem to get enough.
"Sort of," Kyungsoo replies after a while. He raises his beer in a toast, and Jongdae meets his can halfway. "But I don't have extra energy to spend on getting mad at people. Making people shit in their pants already drains me."
"And I won't pay you for overtime just so you could pacify Chanyeol," Jongdae adds, then straightens his legs as he leans back against the couch. Jongdae accidentally jams his foot into Kyungsoo's leg and apologizes, but Kyungsoo just shrugs and waves it off, sinks his lips in alcohol and keeps drinking. Their knees bump, and the electricity that shoots up Kyungsoo's thighs jolts him awake, back to life, back to the reality that Jongdae's probably too close comfort - thigh to thigh, pinky to pinky. Ear to ear, except Jongdae's turning his head slowly, pinning Kyungsoo in place with his gaze. "You're really okay with him? Are you sure?"
"And if I'm not, you're going to fire him?" Kyungsoo chuckles. "I think you're asking the wrong question, Jongdae. Spill. You can't put this off forever."
Are you okay with this can be one of Jongdae's questions, but it's not as if they're never been more than just thigh to thigh, arms pressed against each other. Fresh from university and high on freedom, Jongdae had slipped a hand in his pants twice - first, to get his keys to his apartment; and second, to jerk him off. Jongdae's parents were away for the weekend and they'd both just gotten their first paycheck from their part-time job. So Jongdae thought, let's buy a cock ring, promise it will be great, and Kyungsoo thought, why the hell not? It wasn't as if he hadn't known Jongdae for a while, didn't trust the way Jongdae's hands mapped out his skin or the way Jongdae laid him down in bed, jeans long gone and forgotten on the floor. This was Jongdae - his best friend since college days, the only person who knew him better than he knew himself - and this was him submitting himself to Jongdae completely. So it's not a question of whether or not this is okay or if Kyungsoo's comfortable with this; it's more of Jongdae getting assurance that there isn't anything that Kyungsoo wants to know or wants from him other than his salary for the month.
"Okay, I'll start: why are you here?"
Jongdae's features soften. "To catch up with you?"
"Why are you asking about Chanyeol?"
"Because…" Jongdae worries his bottom lip. "Because he spends most of his time with you and you're the best person to ask about his progress at work?"
Kyungsoo snorts. "Sehun's lack of enthusiasm never seemed to bother you," he said, then cocks an eyebrow at Jongdae. "Come on, tell me why it matters."
Jongdae holds his gaze, eyebrows furrowing as he purses his lips. He takes a deep breath. "Because I know Chanyeol from high school and this Chanyeol you're dealing with on a daily basis isn't the same Chanyeol I knew back then," Jongdae answers. He worries his bottom lip, quirks his lips, turns to look at Kyungsoo with eyes that Kyungsoo can't recognize. It's like looking at yourself in the mirror and not recognizing yourself; worse, seeing someone else. "This is a new and improved version and sure, it's great! But-"
"But?" But the new version doesn't suit him? But it isn't Chanyeol? But Jongdae can't come to terms with this change yet because he's shit at dealing with change, battling it in a hand-to-hand combat?
"I don't know, man. It just… feels weird." Jongdae takes a sip of his beer, groans when he realizes that his can is empty. "He's in a better place now, he definitely is."
"You could just tell me what happened in high school so I can stop asking questions, you know," Kyungsoo says, but Jongdae only rolls his eyes in response. "You're gonna stay a mystery forever? Is that it?"
"Eeeexactly," Jongdae says, laughing a little. He scowls when Kyungsoo pinches him in his side. "I'm vulnerable! Don't attack me like that!"
How, then? is Kyungsoo's new question, but he tucks it at the back of his mind. He'd long given up on getting a straight answer from Jongdae, given up on getting Jongdae to sit down and talk about just one thing rather than a multitude of topics. With a deep breath, he reaches for another can of beer, but Jongdae beats him to it, hands him a can with a tab already open.
"Keep your guard up," Jongdae says, more as a piece of advice than a warning. He sounds more sure now, without the little cracks in his voice and the abnormal lilt. Kyungsoo nods.
"I won't," he promises, then clinks his can with Jongdae's. "I'll keep the shields up."
☻ ☻ ☻
(When Kyungsoo entered college, he only had one goal - graduate with flying colors. It only made sense because he knew everything else would follow. His family would be proud of him and he'd probably get a good job right after graduation. He'd land a great job then meet a pretty girl at work, and then he'd fall in love with her and ask her out. It would probably take a while for them to get together because he was shit at wooing women, but they would, eventually. Then they'd have three kids and they'd carry on the Do name. The end.
Except that wasn't how things panned out - he ended up balancing idol training and his studies and still pretty well in class, but not as good as he wanted to. He met Kim Jongdae in theatre class and ended up being the best of friends with him. Halfway through college, he'd already memorized the wicked contours of Jongdae's body, the dip of his back, the gentle swell of his stomach. He'd improved his skills at wooing girls but girls didn't seem to woo him anymore. It was Jongdae's lips that he dreamt of kissing, Jongdae's hands that he wanted to hold. The moment he saw Jongdae, he knew there was no turning back. He knew what he wanted, and that was Jongdae.
Jongdae didn't seem to know exactly what he wanted then, though. In the end, they'd turned from best friends to best fucks and then back. Jongdae offered him a job in the horror house following the fall from grace at the talent agency, and they never talked about the past again. That was Jongdae's most endearing trait - not dwelling on the bitter past and just focusing on the present. Maybe it was also his worst.
So really, Kyungsoo has always kept the shields up. It's just that for a moment, Jongdae was much too powerful and headstrong that he'd taken down Kyungsoo's walls in one hit. And here Chanyeol is now with his endless energy and enthusiasm, slowly chipping at Kyungsoo's five-foot-seven walls, carefully breaking them down. That's the difference between Jongdae and Chanyeol - Jongdae was always in a rush to progress, while Chanyeol took his sweet time.
And Kyungsoo hated being rushed.)
☻ ☻ ☻
Scaredy Cats gets packed than the usual just before Chuseok. Jongdae decides to shorten scare stints to three minutes per area instead of seven, but gives Sehun, Chanyeol, and Kyungsoo an extra five minutes for the final showdown of Lord of the Trees Oh Sehun and Zombie Leaders Chanyeol and Kyungsoo. "No fair," Jongin comments, lying flat on his belly in the oasis. "I don't even get enough time to make them dream about the red contacts." Jongdae only waves him off, then shows the new schedule to Chanyeol and Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo doesn't miss the way Jongdae's fingers wrap around Chanyeol's wrists, or the way Jongdae beams at Chanyeol like he's a walking ball of cotton candy. He does keep his vision focused on the scaredule on the board, though, and doesn't look at Chanyeol in the eye until Jongdae's well gone and fussing over Joonmyun's costume.
"Hey, you look sick," Chanyeol says. He bumps his hips into Kyungsoo's and Kyungsoo winces at the jolt of electricity that runs up his sides. "You want me to take you home?"
It's nearing ten in the evening now, and with all the work they'd done the whole day he could probably use the free lift. Granted, it will involve having to listen to Chanyeol's endless chatter and the same roster of songs for the next hour or so, but it's convenient. No more transfers to keep track of, no need to stay awake the rest of the way. If he does fall asleep on his way home, in Chanyeol's car, all Chanyeol has to do to fill the silence is to turn up the radio and sing Gavin DeGraw until he rouses from his sleep.
"Why?" he says instead of answering. Chanyeol blinks, like he's isn't used to receiving another question as a response to his own. "Why do you care?"
A small smile surfaces on Chanyeol's lips, and he snakes an arm around Kyungsoo's shoulder to pull him closer. Kyungsoo's as least three inches taller than the usual when he's in this costume and the thin guard makes the warm press of Chanyeol's body more bearable, but Chanyeol's voice slithers in his senses, wraps around his neck and takes him in a chokehold. "Because you're Kyungsoo and you're my tiny partner," Chanyeol says, earnest, laughing like Kyungsoo's asking the most incredulous question in the world. "Is there really a need for a reason?"
"It makes things easier to digest," Kyungsoo admits. It's nearing ten and he's too tired to put up a fight, and everyone else has left the dressing room, so he leans into the touch, rests his head on Chanyeol's chest. "Thanks."
"Stations, every-" Jongdae peeks into the room and stops mid-sentence as he meets Kyungsoo in the eye, then looks up at Chanyeol. Kyungsoo doesn't move, doesn't tear his gaze from Jongdae's own, doesn't even breathe until Jongdae finally blinks and takes a step back. "You two ready for the last show?" Jongdae asks, eyebrows raised, and Chanyeol flashes him a thumbs-up in response.
"You sure you can do another show?" Chanyeol asks as they make their way to the zombie zoo.
Kyungsoo is still lightheaded from three straight scare journeys that they've done in the past hour and a half but he nods, nonetheless. Chanyeol keeps a hand on the small of his back the rest of the trip. There's silence for a while, one that he feels Chanyeol's body revolting against - it's there in the cold press of Chanyeol's fingers on his back, Chanyeol's heavy breathing, the way Chanyeol's gaze is drawn to Kyungsoo every so often. So he grabs Chanyeol by the wrist, tightens his grip, and whispers, "Hey. Relax. The silence won't kill you."
"But you could," is Chanyeol's response, but Chanyeol could have said anything and Kyungsoo's muddled brain might have just made things up. With a firm nod, they exit the passageway and close the door behind them, taking their places in the zombie zoo.
"Don't screw up," Kyungsoo calls out from the haystack opposite Chanyeol's. He can hear Chanyeol's bright laughter soar above the sound of the siren.
"Watch," Chanyeol replies. The smile on his lips is blinding. "I'll make you proud."
☻ ☻ ☻
Chanyeol stays at the doorstep while he waits for Kyungsoo to finish packing up. They'd managed to dodge Jongdae's questions - What do you have planned for Chuseok? Who are you spending it with? Kyungsoo, you're not watching the entire Endless Love series again, are you? - but not the compulsory group hug before going on their separate ways. "Don't forget to wish for more customers, okay?" Jongdae reminds them, and Joonmyun is the only one who has enough courage to say, just take a break and don't think about work for once, Jongdae.
"You ready?" Chanyeol asks as Kyungsoo slings his bag over his shoulder. He nods and offers Chanyeol a small smile, then takes a few steps forward. "Awesome. Let's go!"
Chanyeol is quiet for most of the trip, humming to fill the silence between songs on the stereo. Kyungsoo sings along whenever a song that he knows comes up, but this is Chanyeol's twisted playlist they're singing to - half of the songs are of artists Kyungsoo has never heard of, and half are songs from five years back that haven't really lost their touch yet. "This one's my favorite," Chanyeol says when Let It Go comes up. He does his best imitation of Gavin DeGraw when they reach a red light, and Kyungsoo shakes his head at him.
Just before the chorus, Chanyeol stops and leans forward to poke Kyungsoo's cheek. "Now there's a smile. Thought I wouldn't see one from you today."
Thirty more seconds until the light turns green. This means thirty more seconds of Gavin DeGraw's uninhibited belting out on the stereo. Thirty seconds of Chanyeol looking at him like there's no road to pay attention to in front of them, like they haven't spent ten hours working their asses off and that he still has enough energy to pull up the other corner of Kyungsoo's lips up - a light graze of the finger, Chanyeol's nail catching on the dip on the curl of the lip. He sees his reflection in Chanyeol's eyes again and he feels a familiar sizzle roll down his stomach. His words are caught up in his throat, fighting for release, pounding at the back of his teeth. "Uh-huh."
"You've been extra grumpy."
Kyungsoo snorts, and Chanyeol drops his hand on the gear shift. "You make it sound as if I'm a walking ball of… I don't know, negativity? Frowns? Like I'm really becoming a zombie?"
"You might as well be," Chanyeol replies, then shifts in his seat. His face is facing front now, but he's still looking to his side. The green light paints Chanyeol's profile a sick glow. "Something bothering you? You can tell me anything, you know."
You are, he wants to say, You're the one who's bothering me, but the green light gets the better of him. So instead, he asks, "Why?"
Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows but keeps his eyes on the road. "Why what?"
"Why-" Kyungsoo takes a deep breath. "Why are you trying to stay as far away from your house as possible? Why would you rather face the ghosts in the horror house than at home? Why are you running away?"
There's no red light on Kyungsoo's side, no white noise on the radio to leave Chanyeol exposed. Chanyeol's grip on the steering wheel tightens. There's still a good thirty minutes ahead of them, from here to where Kyungsoo's apartment is, but Chanyeol can easily pull over and ask Kyungsoo to leave if he wants to. And Kyungsoo will, if Chanyeol finds this conversation uncomfortable bordering on rude, but Kyungsoo can't live with too many questions in his mind anymore. The voices in his mind - his own voices, the ones from certain periods of his life - are already a handful, as it is; he doesn't need Chanyeol's voice there, all the highs and lows of it, the lilts and the quirks of his tone.
"Because I know I can drive the ghosts in the horror house away if I tried really hard," Chanyeol answers after a while. "The ghosts at home will never cease to follow me around and haunt me."
So let me drive them away for you, Kyungsoo almost says, but instead his jaw goes slack and his throat goes dry, the air in his lungs dissipating when Chanyeol's voice drops to a whisper. "Tough guy Park Chanyeol shrieking because of ghosts that won't leave," Chanyeol says, laughing a little. "Funny story, huh?"
"Not funny," Kyungsoo mutters. The traffic light goes red, and he reaches out to lay his palm flat on Chanyeol's thigh. "Really scary. I'm… sorry."
Chanyeol turns to look at him, then rests his hand atop Kyungsoo's. His fingers are cold but his palm is warm and soft. Kyungsoo shivers at the weird mix. "Don't be," is the only thing that Chanyeol says, but his grip on Kyungsoo's hand tight like all that he needs right now is this comfortable silence, static on the radio, a whole world of white noise between them.
"Do you have plans for Chuseok?" Chanyeol asks much later, after taking a left turn.
Kyungsoo jerks a little, then turns to Chanyeol with wide eyes. "No, not really. Both of my parents are dead and my brother's in Hongkong with his wife," he replies, the words spilling from his lips faster than he can choke them back because Chanyeol had only asked a yes-or-no question. He didn't have to let him take a peek into his life. Chanyeol nods slowly, index finger tapping the steering wheel, and hums a small tune under his breath for the next few minutes. Only when they've reached another red light does he turn to Kyungsoo to ask, "Do you want to make plans for Chuseok?"
"I don't mind," Kyungsoo answers. Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at him, and he exhales loudly in response. "What do you have planned?"
"I could crash in your place for the next…" Chanyeol worries his bottom lip for a while. "Five days? Yeah? We could watch the Endless Love series and cry over instant ramyun. Then we can get drunk and watch the whole thing again! Or… Ah! Gundam! Gundam is best watched after too many bottles of alcohol!"
"I'm not getting my mind fucked by that anime again," Kyungsoo grumbles. "How does jjigae sound?"
Chanyeol chuckles but chokes halfway through, and there's a peculiar curve on the curl of the lip. "Anything you cook is good, but we can order pizza just in case," Chanyeol says. He turns his eyes back on the road when the light turns green. "Looks like we're gonna have the best Chuseok yet!"
Kyungsoo snorts, and Chanyeol's response is light laughter and a quick slap on his arm. He can feel the corners of his lips tugging up, can feel the force ripping through his cheeks. So he doesn't fight it, lets his body have its way with the better half of his sense and just gives in - to this smile, the weird idea of spending Chuseok watching series he's already seen at least five times, the reality that he won't be alone during Chuseok for the first time in three years, and that Chanyeol has just invited himself for an extended stay.
Crazy, he says to himself and leans back in his seat. Ghosts love crazy ideas, but hate the feeling of happiness. That might just be the trick to drive away all of Chanyeol's ghosts once and for all.
☻ ☻ ☻
For all of Chanyeol's easy confidence, he still secures his parents' approval before actually pushing through with his plans. Kyungsoo doesn't actually start digesting the whole concept of spending the weekend and the rest of Chuseok with Chanyeol back at home until he receives the news, and Chanyeol immediately delves into detailing all sorts of things that they can do over the break.
"Watching series is a go, of course. And I still insist on watching Gundam." Chanyeol worries his bottom lip, eyebrows furrowing in turn, and almost walks past his parking spot as he goes on his spiel. The orange Veloster is hard to miss, but when Chanyeol gets into things and gets lost in this thoughts, even the bright color of his car can go unnoticed. "Or maybe we should watch Evangelion. What do you think?"
"I thought we were staying away from mind fucks?" Kyungsoo asks. He laughs a little, but one of the paper bags in his arms starts to give away. "What about Inception?"
"Vantage Point," Chanyeol suggests. "Bourne Series? Or maybe…" He wiggles his eyebrows at Kyungsoo.
"I don't like how that sounds."
"Nah, I'm kidding." He nudges Kyungsoo with his elbow, then walks over to his side of the car. "Have you ever been to Kalbongsan? Godaesan? Everybody goes to Godaesan at least once in their lives."
Not really, Kyungsoo wants to say. Some people would rather spend ten hours doing a series marathon than driving up north and spending that much time on the road. It'll be fun, Kyungsoo remembers Jongdae mentioning one time, back when they were still in college and 'free time' wasn't a foreign concept. They'd already ironed out everything then - travel plans, had their bags packed, had their knees psyched for a strenuous trek. Then Joonmyun bailed out at the very last minute and said he wouldn't be able to drive for them. So they ended up in Kalbongsan, instead, lounging in the peaceful company of trees and nature. The walking trail there wasn't as challenging as that of Godaesan's, but it gave them a good laugh everytime Joonmyun almost lost his balance and had to hold onto Jongdae for dear life.
"Still haven't been to Godaesan," Kyungsoo admits after a while. He fastens his seatbelts, then checks the paper bags at the backseat. "What do you have planned?"
"Well… We can check in at Kalbongsan, enjoy nature for a while or something, then in the evening we leave for Godaesan?"
Kyungsoo glances at his watch - it's nearing twelve noon and they're still in the vicinity of Bokjeong, two hours away from Kalbongsan's quiet scene. The last trip for the mountains leaves at eight in the evening, he's pretty sure. There's enough time if he makes a decision right here, right now, in the confines of Chanyeol's car. The grin on Chanyeol's lips makes him believe that Chanyeol already made a decision, though - too much food in their backseat, an early enough call-time for grocery shopping. A clear plan of action and confidence in the way he wiggles his eyebrows at Kyungsoo, saying, "So? You up for a hike?"
He exhales loudly. It's not a sin to be relenting. "I don't have a choice, do I?"
"Hmm… nah, not really." Chanyeol cackles, then turns up the radio. "I brought extra toiletries. I'll give you an hour to pack?"
"Fuck you, Park Chanyeol," is the only thing he says in response. The smile on his lips betrays his words in every way.
So Saturday afternoon finds them on the road to Kalbongsan instead of roaming the noisy streets of Bokjeong, well away from both Chanyeol's part-time job at Seungjin Toy and even the horror house. Chanyeol pulls up a special playlist consisting mostly of upbeat songs, and then some choice acoustic covers. Chanyeol sings through them all, voice thinning when he reaches the high notes, and Kyungsoo goes for the save as he picks up from where Chanyeol's voice has dropped to a whisper.
"You should sing more," Chanyeol comments. His eyes haven't strayed the road, but a corner of his lips is tugged up. "You ever considered being an idol?"
Kyungsoo chuckles. "Used to be one. I mean, I was on the road to fulfilling my idol dream but-"
No red lights in sight but Chanyeol risks a glance at him, anyway. "But?"
"Some weird disease hit me and damaged my vocal chords so I can't strain them for too long." Kyungsoo clears his throat, and Chanyeol winces. "So karaoke nights? I hate those unless Jongdae's there with me. He hogs the mic most of the time so I have to give up the mic halfway through. It's a win-win situation."
"All the time, you mean!" Chanyeol adds. He takes a right when they cross the bridge. Gary Lightbody is singing on the stereo now, some old Snow Patrol song that Kyungsoo can't seem to make out with Chanyeol's voice filling his eardrums. Chanyeol doesn't only sound good; he can sing, could have made a living out of it if he wanted to. "But you've got to give it to him. He's really good. I'm surprised he didn't become an idol."
It's a complicated story, really, but for starters - they both made the cut, and Kyungsoo had to quit following the discovery of the condition of his vocal chords. The vastly different schedules kept them apart, but they still made a point to keep in touch - text, occasional calls, fleeting visits to the SM building, they lived on those until Kyungsoo had to take two part-time jobs. Jongdae pressed on with his idol dream, though, but he couldn't keep up with the rigorous training. His parents withdrew him from the program and pleaded for him to take care of himself, we'll help you find a job, honey. Just don't… put yourself in danger anymore. Somehow that was what brought them back together, the lack of danger in their lives, the calm after the raging storm. Older, more experienced, and more mature, they'd started avoiding manholes together. They're way past the stage where taking crazy risks was 'a thing'.
A couple of part-time jobs after and with some help from Jongdae's parents, Jongdae was able to put up a horror house. It became a hot topic for a couple of months, and had been used as a set for a number of series and movies. So here they are now, living with their ghosts in Scaredy Cats, reminding people of their fears that won't ever die.
"Well, he really wanted to, but wanting something doesn't mean you'll get it. Not all the time, at least." Kyungsoo shifts in his seat. "He loves the horror house, though. Says it's different from most theme parks. But he did want to turn it into an amusement park before," he replies. Chanyeol snorts this time, uninhibited, and almost chokes on his own spit. "The Lotte World or Everland type, I mean, complete with the street performances and musicals."
"Yeah, he'd look great in a dolphin costume. Or a parrot, since he can't stop talking."
"Clearly, you haven't hung out with Baekhyun enough."
Chanyeol's eyes go wide and he shakes his head vigorously. "Jongdae's already a handful, thank you very much!"
Kyungsoo gulps hard. "And you'd know because?"
Here they are again - the standstill, the vacuum where anything and nothing can happen. Chanyeo shifts in his seat, torso twisting, leaning a bit to his side. Chanyeol hasn't looked away from the road, not yet, but Kyungsoo knows he wants to when Chanyeol grips the steering wheel tight, when his hand hovers the gear shift for a while instead of immediately pushing or pulling at it. Chanyeol is rarely ever unsure of what he wants, but there's a responsibility to be carried out right now. If Chanyeol looks at Kyungsoo, maybe Kyungsoo will get the answer he wants; if Chanyeol so much as takes a full five seconds to tear his eyes from the road, Kyungsoo might not be able to get an answer from him ever.
"Jongdae and I… had a thing back in high school." Chanyeol darts out his tongue, licking his bottom lip. "Guess he didn't want anyone to know if he couldn't even tell his closest friend."
There's a song playing on the stereo, but none of it cuts through the thick silence that Chanyeol places between them - Chanyeol with his lips pressed thinly together, Kyungsoo rooted in his seat, unmoving, not wanting to move. "A thing?" he says, still, curiosity getting the better of him. If curiosity really did kill the cat then he'd long be dead. "What do you mean?"
"A thing, as in we hung out after school, studied together, stayed over at each other's houses." Chanyeol laughs a little, and Kyungsoo doesn't miss the bitter undertone in it. "We kissed and sort of did other things. A thing."
His chest grows heavy. He can't decide which is worse - having to find out from Chanyeol instead of Jongdae or finding out at all. "He didn't… give it a name?"
Chanyeol snorts. "Would you ever expect that from Jongdae? Really?"
Not really. He's long stopped expecting anything of Jongdae - to fulfill a promise of going out with him to check out a store in Seoul, to get someone new following the resignation of one of his employees. To face a challenge and tackle it to the ground instead of dodging the first sign on conflict and waiting it out until the turbulence comes to a complete standstill. At best, Jongdae is a mixbag of tricks, full of surprises; at worst, finality and constancy freak him out.
"I guess some things don't change," he says after a while. He sits on his hands, shivering a little when he feels the cold seep through the material of his pants. "We had a thing back in college and he didn't even call it 'a thing'."
Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows and chuckles. "Ah, I have an idea. Let's buy him a dictionary - a gift from both of us," Chanyeol kids, but the lack of lilts and the peculiar curl in his voice says anything but I'm just kidding. "That should help him with definitions, yeah?"
"He can't even read," Kyungsoo retorts. Chanyeol's eyes go wide and his shoulders shake. He slides the gear shift down, slipping into fourth gear. His tiny giggles are drowned out by the engine noise.
If it were anyone else, it would be weird going out on a road trip with your not-ex's ex, but this is Chanyeol, Chanyeol whose smile can make heads turn, whose laughter can draw in a crowd and turn strangers into friends. Chanyeol with his easy confidence, his warm touch, and the patience to slowly wear down people's defenses. This is Park Chanyeol whose got his hands on the steering wheel and his mind somewhere else. "So what will he do when he finds out his exes are going on a road trip alone?"
Chanyeol slows down for a while, and Kyungsoo meets his eyes for the first time that hour. "Run away?" they say simultaneously, then erupt into a lovely peal of laughter. "Jinx!"
And then it's the quickest half hour after that. Chanyeol opens the sunroof of his car, and Kyungsoo doesn't fight the strange urge to stand on his seat and scream his lungs out as they drive along the open road. There's Lady Antebellum playing on the stereo, loud, almost ear-shattering, but there's nothing in Kyungsoo's ears but the sound of Chanyeol's deep voice, lyrics stumbling from his lips in a clumsy enunciation, Chanyeol's tone wrapping around and keeping him warm despite the cold brush of autumn air on his skin.
☻ ☻ ☻
Kalbongsan Natural Recreation Forest is a welcome break from the city noise. Autumn has just started to seep through the leaves, turning from green to a nice share of golden brown. It's a different story in spring, with the garden flush with flowers of all kinds, but the warm hues of the leaves are enough to drape a blanket of warmth over their shoulders.
"Would you kill me if I said I didn't want to leave now," Chanyeol asks, teasing. His gaze hasn't left the scene in front of them yet - a wonderful play of colors - and Kyungsoo nudges him with his elbow. "How can you say no to this?"
"We're not saying no to it, just 'wait for a while'," Kyungsoo replies. They spend a few good minutes just circling the garden, nonetheless, bags haphazardly left in the cabin they'd rented for the next few days.
Chanyeol isn't fond of taking pictures, but he loves posing - with what's left of the flowers, with trees, with rocks - and Kyungsoo indulges him, snapping a picture whenever Chanyeol motions to strike a pose with an inanimate object. The best so far is one where Chanyeol is hugging the pillar with the inscription Welcome to Kalbongsan!. "Do the duck face," Kyungsoo had called out then, more as a joke than anything else, and Chanyeol followed. The result? A laughing fit that lasted until the time they reach the bus station where they were to wait for their ride to Godaesan. That, and Kyungsoo offering Chaneyol lip balm because your lips are chapped. It'll get worse when we reach the mountains.
"You're concerned about my lips?" Chanyeol asks, laughing a little, and Kyungsoo only rolls his eyes in response. He doesn't answer, just gives Chanyeol the floor and lets him talk for the next half hour, until they board the bus.
It's not the most comfortable ride for a trip that will stretch until the morning, but they make it work - there aren't too many passengers and the conductor is nice, so they recline their seats and sleep with their figures slumped. Chanyeol jerks every so often, shifting in his position, and Kyungsoo can't be bothered to move around too much. This is the closest he can get to a good sleeping position, after all, even if Chanyeol has his arm crushed beneath all his weight.
There's a pool of drool on Kyungsoo's shoulder when he wakes up, and Chanyeol's sleeping face just centimeters away. It's only six in the morning and they'll still spend a good two hours on the road, so he just doesn't brush Chanyeol off, just reminds himself to not move around too much. Waking up has never been his favorite activity, and he supposes Chanyeol doesn't enjoy it as much, as well.
He fixes his eyes in front of him, at Chanyeol's bright red sneakers, at Chanyeol's hand on his knee.
There's no good explanation for taking this trip with Chanyeol - there's just nothing better to do, really. He already has the Endless Love series memorized like the back of his hand, and while he enjoys silence and quality private time, it's been a while since he's set off on an adventure. There are a thousand things to be grateful for this Chuseok, not just Evangelion finally making sense to him or the horror house having enough people that their scaredules have become slightly more manageable now, and he wouldn't mind shouting it at the top of his lungs, ten kilometers away from the North Korean border.
And then there's Chanyeol's subtle ways of persuasion and Kyungsoo's weak resolve. It's the worst combination ever.
Chanyeol rouses with a tiny jerk of the body just a few minutes before they reach the bus station. "You've been up for a while?" Chanyeol asks, voice still heavy with sleep, and Kyungsoo only shakes his head a little. Chanyeol's hums a small tune under his breath as he keeps his head rested on Kyungsoo's shoulder, eyes only half open and focused on the scenery just outside the window. The fit if awkward, if not painful, but Chanyeol doesn't seem to mind. Instead, he nuzzles Kyungsoo's shoulder and wraps his arms around Kyungsoo's arm like it's a bolster. Kyungsoo cocks an eyebrow at him.
"Do you mind?" Chanyeol asks, but it comes out more as a statement than anything else, like he's simply declaring that hey, I'll make a bolster out of your arm; I'm not asking for your permission. Kyungsoo scoffs. It's still too early and he can't find his voice just yet, all of his words a mess in his still sleepy brain. If, back in Bokjeong, it took him an hour to boot his brain, out here in the calmness of Godaesan's vicinity without the pressure of work breathing down his neck, it takes twice as much time to wake his brain cells up. Chanyeol's warm touch keeps interrupting his brain signals; it's disconcerting.
"You drooled on my shirt," Kyungsoo mumbles. Chanyeol chuckles, buries his nose in the wet patch on Kyungsoo's shirt. Kyungsoo groans but finds himself smiling when he feels the soft touch of Chanyeol's nose through the material of his shirt. "You're really gross, did you know that?"
"My sister tells me that all the time," Chanyeol says. WIth one last squeeze, he pulls away and sits up. Kyungsoo can feel it now, the traitorous wave of cold creeping up his arm. He looks at Chanyeol's hands, his slender fingers, his sleepy smile. "So I'm used to it already. And yeah, I actually do something about it sometimes. Just-" He yawns, then quickly clasps a hand over his mouth when Kyungsoo widens his eyes at him. "Just not now. Too early. Too sleepy."
"We're going hiking in a while. You better wake up your senses."
"Hmm…" Chanyeol yawns again, and the stretches his arms in front of him. "Wake me up?"
Two options - he can smush Chanyeol's face with his hands or he can jab him lightly on the arm. Hidden option number three, he can kiss Chanyeol, nip his bottom lip lightly, suck on his tongue and take all of Chanyeol's drowsiness away, but scare partners don't do that. Scare partners don't suck face when they're outside of work. Scare partners turned hiking buddies don't just decide to kiss before they alight the bus because they have to wake up, awaken their senses, make sure that their limbs and organs cooperate before going on a hike. Do Kyungsoo doesn't do that, won't do that to Park Chanyeol. Option number three shouldn't even be an option.
Kyungsoo pinches Chanyeol's nose, then Chanyeol's cheeks. "Wake up, partner. I'm not carrying you the entire hike."
"We can take turns," Chanyeol singsongs, nudging Kyungsoo in his side, and Kyungsoo only rolls his eyes. He's found his words now, all lodged in his throat, scared to fight their way up for a clumsy enunciation. So he fights back with a nudge, harder than the one Chanyeol has given him, and taps Chanyeol's ass when Chanyeol takes too long to walk to the door of the bus.
Autumn air tousles Chanyeol's hair, softens the sharp angles of his cheeks. He's flashing his toothy grin again, pink gums peeking. "Ready, partner?" Chanyeol asks, and Kyungsoo nods as he zips himself up, pulls his beanie down his ears. Chanyeol extends a hand in his direction, gloves hugging Chanyeol's slender fingers.
"Ready whenever you are," Kyungsoo replies. He takes Chanyeol's hand and squeezes it hard.
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