Say anything (but say what you mean) for coley_merrin [4/4]

[yeolliepopday]

Sunlight filters through the windows of Chanyeol's apartment. The thin curtains don't do much to keep the brunt of the sunlight from reaching the bed, so Kyungsoo gets up, inch by inch, until he finds enough strength to push himself off the bed. He scans the flat, Chanyeol's penthouse that's big enough to house three guests and three of their visitors. Without the scent of food wafting from the kitchen or Chanyeol's shampoo in his hair, the place does feel less like home, more of a place they're staying at for the time being, except there's still Chanyeol beside him, lying flat on his stomach as he groans, "Don't wanna get up."

"We have to be responsible adults," Kyungsoo says. "Come on, get up. Come on-"

Chayeol grabs him by the wrist, looks up at him and pins him in place with half-lidded eyes. His bottom lip is jutted out and Kyungsoo repeats in his head - not cute, not cute, not cute at all - but Chanyeol's rubbing slow circles on the underside of his wrist. "Five more minutes, please?"

Kyungsoo bites his lower lip and shakes his head lightly. "No." He pats Chanyeol's cheek a few times, then gets back to his feet, the sun reaching his toes. It was much warmer earlier, with Chanyeol's fingers wrapped around his wrist. "Get up. I'll just freshen up."

"Wanna shower together to save time?" Chanyeol asks, earnest, like it's normal to invite people to bed and take a bath with them the following day. His casual confidence resonates in his words, in the easy smile on his lips, in the way he wiggles his eyebrows at Kyungsoo like he hasn't just gotten up. Kyungsoo envies that, sort of, being able to bounce back to life quickly. Recovery always takes time for him; pretending, not too much.

"I doubt we'll even fit in your bathroom."

"We will. I know," Chanyeol says, resolute. He's crawling to the foot of the bed now, and then he's pushing himself up and off of it. There are imprints of the sheets on his face. "So?"

"I think it's a bad idea." I think you're a bad idea. "Really bad. More time-consuming."

"I won't play with the suds," Chanyeol assures, like it's actually the problem. He pulls his shirt over his shoulder and drops it near his bedside table, then pulls his boxers down. Stripped down to his briefs, Chanyeol looks smaller, less imposing, like the sunlight has softened the hard angles of his body. He walks past Kyungsoo, patting his back, and Kyungsoo traces the dip of Chanyeol's back with his eyes. "Strip. I'm not letting you get in the shower clothed."

He wonders how it would feel to run his hands down that slope, to touch Chanyeol and to be touched. With a deep breath, he slips from his clothes and folds them in a neat pile beside Chanyeol's messy own.

The bathroom looks bigger than it had been the night before, but maybe it's because Kyungsoo can barely remember anything past walking inside Chanyeol's unit last night. Fatigue from traveling was what drained them the most, but there was also the tension in their muscles from the hike, from the contact and the lack of it, from running around in lazy circles until they were out of breath. Chanyeol lets him in first, then reaches past Kyungsoo to turn on the shower. The water is warm and the heat from the steam makes Kyungsoo's vision hazy. It's a veil of defense that he needs in times like these.

"Promise I'll buy you a new bottle," Chanyeol says as he takes a generous amount of shampoo and lathers it on his hair. Kyungsoo snatches it, doing the same, but returns the bottle in the shelf. Chanyeol only laughs in response.

They switch places from time to time, Chanyeol rinsing his hair and soaping up his body, and Kyungsoo strains his eyes hard to keep his gaze focused on the white tiles, the way the water crashes on the bathtub, the shuffle of their feet in the tiny space. Chanyeol's legs are long and toned and the slide of their calves against each other when they move makes Kyungsoo shiver a little, but he pulls away from the contact quicker than the usual.

"Relax. You won't drown here," Chanyeol says. His voice is still low and rough, and Kyungsoo can feel a familiar cold wrap around his nape. It's not the water or his imagination, not when he can feel a thumb run up and down the side of his neck. "Kyungsoo, look at me."

He opens his eyes, looks up, takes a shaky breath. "What?" he asks, trying to sound annoyed, but he's certain Chanyeol knows him well enough to interpret this as anything but that. Chanyeol pulls him closer, then slides his hand down the slope of Kyungsoo's back. "I said, what-"

"It's just you and me here." And the rushing water. And the fact that they have to report to work, have to slip back into adult shoes and act like fright partners who haven't almost kissed, aren't about to kiss. And there's a sinking sensation at the pit of Kyungsoo's stomach that makes his heart race in his chest. And Chanyeol hasn't stopped staring at his lips. "Any last words?"

"Carpe diem," Kyungsoo whispers. He slips his hands around Chanyeol's waist and thinks, seize this fucking moment. If not now, then when?

Then foam slithers down the bridge of Kyungsoo's nose and Chanyeol cackles, face falling forward. Then Chanyeol erupts into a peal of laughter, and Kyungsoo finds the tension in his shoulders slowly dissolving. Then they stay there for a few minutes, steam sticking to their skin, the tip of Chanyeol's nose pressed against Kyungsoo's forehead. Chanyeol's lips are within reach, just a breath, a decision away, so Kyungsoo cranes his neck and lets their lips brush.

"Carpe diem," Chanyeol repeats, barely above a whisper. Kyungsoo pulls away and turns around, stepping directly under the shower head. He wills the force of the water to pull down at his cheeks, tame the crazy smile on his lips, but it's nigh impossible when Chanyeol's wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo, wet and warm, in the shower.

"We'll be late," Kyungsoo mutters.

Chanyeol chuckles, presses a kiss to the back of Kyungsoo's head, pinches Kyungsoo's stomach. "We won't be late."

So they rinse themselves and step out of the shower, Chanyeol with an even brighter grin on his lips, eyes completely rid of the drowsiness they'd carried earlier, and Kyungsoo feeling lighter than before. In the car, Chanyeol puts Shiver, Shiver on repeat, and Kyungsoo bobs his head to the beat of the song. Chanyeol's light humming is the best part of the track.

☺ ☺ ☺

It doesn't take too long to slip back into old habit. Jongdae reverts the schedule to their usual one, except he's removed training duty from Kyungsoo since Chanyeol is 'a big boy' now. They're still doing the Plants versus Zombies thing after their zombie zoo show, but Jongdae's looking at mixing up fright partner assignments.

"I'm not so sure about that…" Joonmyun offers. He leans back, arms crossed over his chest. Beside him, Baekhyun has an eyebrow cocked at Jongdae, but he hasn't spoken yet. Post-Chuseok, Baekhyun is normally hoarse from karaoke and a couple of live shows in bars in Seoul. Joonmyun's a good enough spokesman for everyone, though. "Okay, let's say you put Jongin in the loco lobby with Baekhyun-"

Baekhyun shakes his head vigorously and Jongin raises a finger. "-and you make me stay in the oasis… I don't know, Jongdae. It's pretty sudden? Don't we need to build chemistry? I mean, Jongin has clearly developed a wonderful relationship with his bed already."

Jongin frowns. "It's an art, hyung. No judging."

"Sehun's pretty flexible but I'm pretty sure he won't want to take over welcoming duties, and Baekhyun's the loudest scare giver we have to he's perfect for loco lobby," Joonmyun continues. Jongdae exhales loudly, hands still on his hips as Joonmyun beams at him. Baekhyun's flashing two thumbs up, then gestures at Chanyeol and Kyungsoo who are sitting beside each other on the floor. Their knees bump, and Kyungsoo nudges Chanyeol in his side when he feels the collision numb his thigh. "And then you have these two."

"We have a name, hyung," Kyungsoo counters, but smiles at Joonmyun. "But yes, I agree with Joonmyun-hyung. Isn't it too sudden? Can we at least train together before doing actual shows with new partners?"

"Dibs on Chanyeol-hyung," Jongin and Sehun say simultaneously. Chanyeol glances at Kyungsoo, wiggles his eyebrows, then winks. Sehun makes barfing sounds over his shoulder.

Jongdae's shoulders fall forward along with the very small smile on his lips. His eyebrows are furrowed and he looks as if he hasn't slept too well in the past few days, but that can't be possible. Sleeping soundly is Jongdae's special ability, and it helps bring out his other special powers that he uses to drive away his own ghosts. Take that away from him and he's half of his usual vibrant self. Take that away and Jongdae is stripped to how he was back in third year college - lost, troubled, a bit broken.

"Alright. Whatever. I'll never win against you guys," he says after a while. Kyungsoo meets him in the eye, raises both eyebrows at him in question. Jongdae's gaze remains hooded, empty. "Two weeks from now, we're gonna work on the new team ups. I'll announce the new assignments over lunch. Now get going!"

Horror harbor gets emptied within a minute, and Chanyeol's hand on Kyungsoo's shoulder lingers before he goes on his way. Jongdae hasn't moved yet, hands crossed over his chest, and he's blowing at his bangs that seem to have their own life. "What's up, kid?" Kyungsoo asks, like Jongdae isn't months older than him, and that's when the tension in Jongdae's eyebrows eases. His hands fall to his sides and he closes his eyes. "You don't seem well-rested for someone who's just gotten off of Chuseok break."

"Monday blues, I guess? It's not even Monday," Jongdae replies. He moves a little, making space for Kyungsoo. It's not a tight fit - there's more than enough space on the edge of the table - but the air is thick and heavy and the silence makes Kyungsoo want to hide under a table. Or in a haystack, maybe, except it's not the best of defenses. "I don't know, there's something…" Jongdae's voice trails off when he gesticulates, hands moving wildly in the air.

Thirty minutes until the first show, fifteen until their run through. Ten until then have to do an ocular inspection of the place just to see if all of their props are in place. There's time.

"Spill," Kyungsoo says, bumping his hip into Jongdae's own. Jongdae yelps, snorts, chuckles, then rests his head on Kyungsoo's shoulder. "Come on, you can tell me anything."

"Nah, I'm good," Jongdae assures. He bumps his elbow into Kyungsoo's arm, grinning, and Kyungsoo answers with a light punch on his cheek. "It's just one of those days. Nothing ice cream can't fix."

"Eat breakfast first," Kyungsoo says, then pats Jongdae's stomach. Jongdae sort of flinches, sort of curls in, but Kyungsoo keeps his hand there until he sees Jongdae squinting at him, lips tugged in half a smile and half a frown. "I'm not watching you slave over work without having anything to eat."

Jongdae snickers. "Buy me food?"

Kyungsoo looks at the door step, at the clock, at Chanyeol peeking from the door. He exhales loudly. "Fine. What do you want?"

"Only you," Jongdae singsongs, but he eventually gives his order - "Any muffin from McDonald's will do!" - lets him go from the tight embrace. Jongdae's hands are still on his hips, almost weightless, and then he pulls away and walks to the other side of the desk. Kyungsoo catches sight of the tips of Chanyeol's shoes before he even peeks in again. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Pain in the ass," Kyungsoo grumbles, but he lets Jongdae see the smile on his lips before he turns on his heel. Jongdae's laughter resonates throughout the hall, rings in his ears, and Chanyeol falls in step with him as they exit the horror house.

"You're really coming with me?" Kyungsoo asks, and Chanyeol nods, holds two thumbs up and winks. Kyungsoo only rolls his eyes in response, stuffs his hands in his pockets to address the thumping in his chest, but Chanyeol quickly pulls one of his hands out and threads their fingers together.

"I'm not letting them take you away from me," Chanyeol says after a while, once they've crossed the road. McDonald's is just around the corner, and they'll be hitting a part of town that's crowded any minute now, but Chanyeol's warmth, the way the pads of Chanyeol's fingers tickle his skin, is a force reeling him in.

"They won't," Kyungsoo whispers. The door opens and they step inside. Kyungsoo doesn't pull away. "They can die trying."

☺ ☺ ☺

The next few times Kyungsoo visits McDonald's, Jongdae tags along.

It means having to deal with the silence that chains the three of them together, wraps around their throats and keeps them from speaking freely. Chanyeol is usually the one who breaks the silence, bringing up a movie he's seen recently - with Kyungsoo, after his shift at Seungjin Toy, but Jongdae doesn't need to know that - or talking about some of the friends he hasn't quite lost contact with. Of all the names, the one called 'Yixing' is what sticks to him. Chanyeol had mentioned him at least once, either on the way to the peak of Geumhaksan or on their way back from it. "He was supposed to be my business partner," Chanyeol says, then pulls Kyungsoo by the wrist when a wayward motorcycle drives by. He keeps his hand there, wound tightly around Kyungsoo's wrist, palm warm against Kyungsoo's skin. "But then things happened."

Jongdae looks up from eating his hot fudge and asks, "Things?" His eyes travel south, locks onto Chanyeol's fingers slipping between Kyungsoo's own. "What do you mean 'things'?"

"Yeah, things." Like Yixing having to marry the daughter of his father's lifelong friend and business partner. Like Yixing wanting to keep whatever he and Chanyeol had alive, but not wanting to sully the family name as well. Like Chanyeol getting tired of all the uncertainty, so he flew back to Korea and decided to live a new life. Enter Kim Jongdae and his horror house, and Chanyeol had entered Kyungsoo's life. Kyungsoo has the details Chanyeol-Yixing friendship story memorized more than he knows Gavin DeGraw's discography. It's pretty alarming. "Complicated things."

"I like complicated," Jongdae comments.

Kyungsoo snorts. "You love complicated."

When Jongdae stiffens, he snatches the sundae away and helps himself to a spoonful of ice cream. He takes another scoop, shoves it in Chanyeol's waiting mouth, and doesn't look over his shoulder to address the look Jongdae is giving him. He hasn't spent years walking alongside Jongdae to not know how he'd react to a surprise or to him doing something that's not in his roster of actions. He checks, nonetheless - Jongdae's staring, eyes focused, lips drawn to a straight line. It's not that complicated.

Chanyeol grins. There's still some hot fudge on his teeth. This, Kyungsoo knows too well - Chanyeol reaching over, fingers curling on Kyungsoo's nape, Chanyeol leaning in, closer, until the presence of the fudge ticks Kyungsoo off that he just has to remove it, Chanyeol waiting and resisting and challenging by hovering like this, in the presence of too many people, because Kyungsoo loves challenges.

Jongdae clears his throat and snatches the sundae cup and announces, "I'm disowning you two, throwing up on your favorite shoes, cutting your salary by half-"

Chanyeol pulls away with an easy smile. To Jongdae, he says, "Hey, you can't do that!"

Kyungsoo takes a step back and watches as Jongdae jabs Chanyeol's arm, punches light and almost tentative, watches as Chanyeol laughs at Jongdae and Jongdae scrunches his nose in frustration. "You two are buying me another sundae, you assholes!" Jongdae exclaims, and Chanyeol snakes an arm around Kyungsoo's shoulder as he tries to catch his breath.

Jongdae's laughing now, but his eyes are still scrutinizing and his lips and his cheeks are still tense. The strain doesn't disappear until they get him an ice cream cone and promise not to eat from it, and Jongdae only nods, slow and deliberate, eyes focused on nothing but the press of their bodies when Chanyeol pulls Kyungsoo closer.

☺ ☺ ☺

"What do you mean you're kicking me out of the oasis?" Jongin yanks at the hem of Jongdae's shirt. "Hyung, you can't do this to me!"

"I'm your boss, in case you're forgetting," Jongdae replies, the smile on his lips tight at the corners. In front of him, Jongin falls down on his knees and pleads Jongdae to give back the post at the oasis because it's home, and you can't take that away from me, hyung! His cheeks pull down, smile faltering, and he runs his hands through Jongin's hair for ruffling. "Treat this as… opportunity to try out something new. Career growth! Yeah, that's it."

Jongin mumbles a tiny 'no' and starts shaking Jongdae's legs, but Jongdae is unrelenting. "Come on, it's just a test run. I bet you'll realize at the end of the week that you'll shine even brighter outside the oasis."

"If the goal is for us to get an eerie glow at the end of the week, then I think you're doing the management thing right, hyung," Sehun offers. Jongdae flashes a thumbs-up.

The shuffle means Sehun and Zitao will take Joonmyun and Baekhyun's place at loco lobby, and that Joonmyun's doing zombie duties with Kyungsoo. Chanyeol has been assigned to the oasis, with Jongdae reasoning that his voice will be enough to freak people out, but he'd pointedly avoided Chanyeol's gaze then. "So we're doing trial shows only in the morning?" Kyungsoo asks now, head cocked a little. Joonmyun's practicing his zombie faces in a corner - they're still not zombie enough.

"The whole day. The whole week," Jongdae replies. He fastens his hands on his hips when Jongin finally lets go and gets back on his feet. "If the new match ups turn out to be crap then fine, we'll switch back to the old arrangements."

Chanyeol walks over, inching closer to Jongdae. "Maybe easing people into the schedule would be-"

"Everyone here's an expert," Jongdae interrupts. "Save for you, but you've been doing really well. So all of you are expected to adjust quickly. It's not as if you don't know each other's scare routines."

Zitao raises his hand, slow and tentative, but drops it when Jongdae narrows his eyes at him. "Yes, Zitao. I know you have all the scare routines memorized by heart. You can't deny that."

Kyungsoo worries his bottom lip for a while, then asks, "Jongdae, can we talk?"

Chanyeol's eyes shoot up, and Kyungsoo meets his gaze for a brief moment. He picks it up, then, ushering the others outside and telling Joonmyun that he can teach him Kyungsoo's favorite zombie look ("You mean his normal face-" Joonmyun scurries away, then, and shoots Kyungsoo a grin before the leaves). Once the office is empty and void of any noise, Kyungsoo walks over and takes his place beside Jongdae. "You're grumpier than I am. Something's bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me," Jongdae retorts, but that's not true - his eyebrows are furrowed and there are dark circles under his eyes and he's snarling. For all of Jongdae's being fond of complaining, he rarely ever snaps at people or makes them feel like they're not wanted, not needed. Right now, in the silence of Jongdae's office, Kyungsoo feels as if Jongdae's trying to push him away with that look on his face. Jongdae isn't even touching him.

"Yeah, keep fooling yourself." He turns to his side, facing Jongdae, and rests his hand on Jongdae's shoulder. "Come on, we had a 'no bullshit agreement', right?"

Jongdae takes a deep, shaky breath, and exhales through his teeth. He presses his lips thinly together and balls his hands into fists, and he looks five years older than he really is. The last time this happened was- "I just need some time alone."

"You keep talking about wanting to be alone but you know that's not what you need right now." Kyungsoo drops his hand to his side. His throat feels dry. "What's wrong with you?"

Jongdae pushes himself off his desk, but his knees give away a little when he gets on his feet. "What do you know about what I need, huh? What do you- You don't know what goes on in my mind, Soo. You don't know what I worry about on a daily basis, how I try to find ways to deal with things-"

"Because you keep closing yourself off!" Kyungsoo shakes his head, dry laughter spilling from his lips. They're facing each other now, a foot apart, but the room feels bigger now, like they're mountains apart and Kyungsoo has to shout whatever he has to say for Jongdae to hear him, to listen. "You keep everything to yourself - your worries, your fears, your emotions- And then you expect your friends to just know what to do? Well yeah, maybe we should, but if you've been closing yourself off from us your entire life, how will we know? We're not psychic."

"I just want to try to fix things by myself first-"

"That's the thing: you can't. You can't fix everything by yourself." Kyungsoo takes a deep breath, sucks his bottom lip in before he continues, "You told me before that for friendships to work, you have to let yourself be a bit vulnerable. You taught me that. So why won't you practice what you preach?"

"I just-" Jongdae's breath hitches. He looks away. His eyes say, I'm afraid; the tremble of his lips, I don't know what to do because this has always been how I've dealt with things. Kim Jongdae, master of words when dealing with other people, but the worst wordsmith when it comes to expressing himself. His whole body knows what to say but his will is strong, keeps words from spilling from his lips.

Kyungsoo grips Jongdae by the wrist. "You just?"

Jongdae looks up, bottom lip caught between his teeth. "Don't look at him that way." A hitch of the breath, then, "Don't look at Chanyeol that way."

Kyungsoo loosens his grip and furrows his eyebrows. Jongdae's gaze is focused, unrelenting, and Jongdae brings his hands up, cupping Kyungsoo's cheeks. "That- That's not the way you look at him. It's usually more tender and- You looked at me that way before, like I was the only one you needed." Jongdae laughs a little, turns away, but soon he's looking at Kyungsoo again, a small smile on his lips. "All these years, I had you to myself and I thought, 'hey, maybe this is the happy ending I've been looking for all my life.' Then he had to come and sweep you off your feet-"

"The way he swept you off yours," Kyungsoo finishes. Jongdae nods, scoffs, snorts. Jongdae's fingers are cold on Kyungsoo's skin. "Keep talking."

He can hear Baekhyun's voice echoing in the corridor, but the thick blanket of silence in the room soars above the noise, runs a shiver down his spine as Jongdae draws their faces closer, their foreheads bumping. "Just one request," Jongdae whispers. His breath is hot on Kyungsoo's skin, and only then does Kyungsoo realize how close they are. He can could Jongdae's eyelashes if he wants to, map out the tiny marks on his face, pull the corners of his lips up, but instead Kyungsoo keeps his hands to himself. "Don't smile at him the way you smiled at me. Don't touch him that way. Don't look at him like you can actually fall in love with him-

"Keep your eyes fixed on me, Kyungsoo. Don't look at anyone else."

Jongdae leans in, tilts his head just so, and presses his lips on Kyungsoo's. It's not a strange fit - they've done this before, too many times back when they were in college - but it feels foreign. Jongdae's hands are cold on Kyungsoo's cheeks and his lips are rough, chapped, and he's licking at the seam of Kyungsoo's lips. It would be easy to slip back into this old, bad habit, part his lips for Jongdae and kiss back, suck Jongdae's tongue and the corners of his mouth, but things are different now. It's been years since they last shared a bed, last shared a kiss, and even during the standstill Jongdae hadn't said a word about what they really were. They're friends, sure - friends who get under each other's clothes, friends who suck face in the fire exit, between classes, friends who get off to each other's low groans but push themselves off the bed as soon as they're done - but Jongdae's hands keep trying to push a word between 'just' and 'friends' that his lips cannot enunciate.

It's like Jongdae's screaming something but no sound is coming out, so he communicates with his hands, instead. But sometimes, that's not enough.

"Kyung… soo?"

Kyungsoo's breath hitches, and he pushes Jongdae away when he feels his hands again. "Jongdae-" Jongdae's eyes are wide and pleading and saying something, and his lips are trembling, and Chanyeol's at the door, mouth open, lips parted in question. Kyungsoo blinks, and soon Chanyeol is off, on his feet, hurried steps echoing in the hall outside. But Jongdae's still here.

"I'm sorry," Jongdae whispers. "I shouldn't have-"

"Hey, it's okay," Kyungsoo assures him, and Jongdae smiles a little. "I just- You've never been good with words. You should change that, you know."

Jongdae laughs a little. "You should talk to Chanyeol," he says, scratching the back of his neck. "And say something."

Kyungsoo widens his eyes, takes a step back, then chuckles. "You're the one to talk," he says, teasing, and Jongdae only rolls his eyes at him and gives him a pat on the back. Jongdae's gesturing for him to leave, to go and follow Chanyeol and, strangely enough, it doesn't feel as if Jongdae's casting him aside and pushing him away.

"Go, before I change my mind and kiss you again," Jongdae says for the last time. He gives Kyungsoo a pat on the ass, and Kyungsoo motions to punch him.

"You had your chance," Kyungsoo replies. He offers Jongdae a small smile. "And I'm making a choice now."

He gives Jongdae one last look before turning on his heel to leave, and locks the door behind him. He takes a deep breath and looks at the path ahead - a road that he has to take to combat the last of his fears.

He turns the knob to the zombie zoo and nods to himself. It's now or never.

☺ ☺ ☺

The oasis is blessedly quiet when Kyungsoo arrives. A pond to his left, a couple of trees, and a whole expanse of land in front of him. A bed stands somewhere towards the end of the room, coupled with a table and some chairs. And there's a teapot - Jongin has always treated this place like home more than an office. He shakes his head as he takes slow, quiet steps, careful not to startle the curled up figure on the bed.

He sits on the edge, and the figure stirs. "Go away," Chanyeol mumbles, then throws the covers over his head. "I'm a mess right now. You don't have to see this."

"Silly kid," Kyungsoo says, chuckling. He inches closer and pulls the covers down until they're bunched at Chanyeol's feet. Chanyeol isn't shivering, isn't shaking, but his eyes are unfocused and the corners of his lips are pulled down. "Hey. Smile. A frown doesn't suit you."

"This little kid is confused," Chanyeol answers. He looks over his shoulder, a corner of his lips tugged up just a little. "I'm in pain."

Perhaps Chanyeol best and worst trait is being completely honest when he speaks up. He's not completely transparent unlike Jongin, but anything he says, everything he says speaks the truth about what he's feeling. So when he says he's confused and he's in pain, he really is even if his lips are in a weird sort of twist between a smile and a frown. When he says, "You and Jongdae don't look good together. There, I finally said it," he means it. When he asks, "You didn't kiss him back, did you? And there wasn't any tongue, right?", he means to weed out information and maybe something else, and Kyungsoo owes him this - honest words, a statement. Something he's been choking down for the longest time.

"I think Jongdae and I look great together. Our height's a match," Kyungsoo teases. He runs a finger along the curve of Chanyeol's face and leans closer, until their noses touch. "And no, I didn't kiss him back. There was no tongue. And there's nothing going on between us," he continues. The smile on Chanyeol's lips tugs up and he shifts in his position, sits up a little. Kyungsoo leans back in time, but he doesn't drop his hand from cupping Chanyeol's cheek yet. "And honestly, I think you and I look better together despite the, uh, height difference."

Chanyeol laughs a little. "You like it when I crush you in a hug," he says. He worries his bottom lip, then, "Kiss the bubu away?"

An earnest request, a simple answer. "Silly kid," Kyungsoo whispers now, but he leans in anyway, stopping just when their lips brush. "You're so weird."

He presses his lips on Chanyeol's, light, tentative, and waits for Chanyeol to part his lips. Chanyeol tilts his head back, sucks in air through the small opening of his mouth, then opens up, catching Kyungsoo's bottom lip between his own even before Kyungsoo can move. Chanyeol paralyzes him with his warm touch, fingers curling on the base of his neck, with a swipe of the tongue at the back of his teeth, with light sucks on the corners of his mouth, his upper lip, his tongue. He pulls away and licks the underside of Chanyeol's jaw, sucks on the sensitive skin, plants soft kisses along the column of Chanyeol's neck, and Chanyeol groans in appreciation, pulls Kyungsoo closer when he snakes his arms around Kyungsoo's waist. Kyungsoo tries to pull away to catch his breath, but Chanyeol makes it a challenge when he leans forward for chaste kisses, soft nips along Kyungsoo's jaw, a light kiss on Kyungsoo's upper lip. His whole jaw aches and his lips are sore but he hasn't memorized this yet, the way Chanyeol's mouth slides against his own, so he keeps pushing, sucking, kissing until he can taste himself in Chanyeol's mouth, until his mouth goes numb.

"Were you planning to suck my whole face or something," Chanyeol asks, chuckling through heavy breathing.

Kyungsoo laughs a little and shakes his head, but places a soft kiss on Chanyeol's nose. "Close enough," he admits, then rushes, "I can get addicted to you."

Chanyeol looks up, eyes bright and crinkling at the corners. The peal of laughter that spills from his lips is music loud enough to shatter the silence. Kyungsoo lets his shoulders fall forward, lets himself fall into Chanyeol, zombie make up staining Chanyeol's shirt. They'll have to retouch their make up later, and they'll have to help each other get into a new set of costumes, and maybe Jongdae will call them out for taking too long to get ready, but he doesn't care - the scare of the century has been taken down by the laughter lords and the battle has been won.

They've driven the ghosts away with the power of laughter. It's cheesy and corny but hey, it works. At the end of the day, that's all that matters. This - the warm press of Chanyeol's lips on his, Chanyeol's blinding smile, and the way they snort when the bell sounds off, reminding them that they should probably get back on their feet - is all that matters.

☺ ☺ ☺

Before sending everyone home, Jongdae announces, "Fine, fine, I screwed up the schedule. Back to the old arrangements, you guys. I'm not letting Joonmyun-hyung do zombie duty, ever!"

"But I did great!" Joonmyun argues, eyebrows furrowed and bottom lip jutted out. This look has gotten Joonmyun both in and out of sticky situations too many times, and Jongdae only shakes his head at him in response. Jongdae then turns to Chanyeol and Kyungsoo, mouthing, don't ever let him in the zombie zoo, but Joonmyun catches on, traps Jongdae in a headlock. Sehun snorts, Zitao cackles, and soon Jongin is doubling over in laughter because Joonmyun is the last person who would use violence to make people agree to him.

"He doesn't look so bad," Chanyeol whispers in Kyungsoo's ear. Kyungsoo shivers a little when he feels Chanyeol's hot breath on his skin, when Chanyeol tucks his chin on Kyungsoo's shoulder. "Be honest: was there really no tongue involved?"

"You want us to do a reenactment?"

"Mmm nope," Chanyeol replies all too quickly. He wraps his arms around Kyungsoo's waist, pulling him close and squeezing him tight. A few feet away, Sehun makes barfing sounds. "Unless that means we get to make out in the oasis again, then I'd be glad to see you two kiss in front of me."

Kyungsoo snorts. "I knew you were into threesomes."

"Maybe I am," Chanyeol teases. He pinches Kyungsoo in the stomach before pulling away and kissing the back of Kyungsoo's head. "I guess you'll just have to find out, huh?"

They're taking on cleaning duty today, and Jongdae has already done his last round of checks to make sure that all passageways have been locked. "Please don't think of tainting loco lobby. I don't want to see mysterious fluid there in the morning," Jongdae even says before he goes, and Chanyeol makes kissy faces at him before he leaves the office. Almost midnight and with all the lights on, the horror house hardly looks like a legitimately scary place. If anything, it looks like a house that hasn't been cleaned for years, except that the dust has been so strategically placed on objects. Props for art direction.

Kyungsoo gathers the mangled haystack and dumps the strands in a bag, then places it near the door. He can take that out tomorrow, when navigating the real backyard isn't much of a chore anymore. He wipes his hands on his track pants and leans against the wall. He can still feel a dull ache in his jaw, in his arms, can still taste blood on his mouth from where Chanyeol had bitten a bit too hard. He can still taste Chanyeol at the back of his teeth.

"You should stop cleaning up too quickly," Chanyeol says from the doorway. He throws a bottle of rubbing alcohol at Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo catches it with both hands. "I'm supposed to distract you from cleaning. I thought we already had an agreement."

Kyungsoo chuckles. "We can sully the place again, if you want."

"That's got to be the worst pick up line ever," Chanyeol mutters. The smile on his lips betrays his words.

Chanyeol takes small steps forward, like he's trying to see how long Kyungsoo can hold out and not meet him halfway. Kyungsoo stays rooted in his spot, thought, back pressed against the wall and hands hanging freely in his sides, but he darts out his tongue, draws a lick along his bottom lip and holds Chanyeol's steady gaze. He can see the sharp rise of Chanyeol's shoulders, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows hard, and Chanyeol's eyes drop to his lips, following the movement of his tongue. "This is stupid," Chanyeol mumbles, and then he takes quick steps forward, slides a hand around Kyunggsoo's waist and claims Kyungsoo's lips in a kiss, open-mouthed and messy. He licks the back of Kyungsoo's teeth, the cavern of his mouth, sucks on the corners, and Kyungsoo fights back, catching Chanyeol's bottom lip between his teeth. Chanyeol slides his hand further down, cupping Kyungsoo's ass, and Kyungsoo's gasp gets swallowed in the open press of Chanyeol's mouth.

"Seriously?" Kyungsoo asks, breathing hitched and heavy as Chanyeol dips two fingers inside the waistband of Kyungsoo's pants. Chanyeol only chuckles and slides one leg between Kyungsoo's legs, knee brushing against his crotch. "I hate you," Kyungsoo says, seething. "I really, really hate-"

"I hate you more," Chanyeol replies, then sucks his fingers in his mouth. He's looking at Kyungsoo, eyes questioning, and Kyungsoo nods slowly as Chanyeol releases his fingers with a light pop.

"Are you okay with this, though?"

Kyungsoo cranes his neck, licks a stripe along the underside of Chanyeol's jaw. "Yes. Anything."

Chanyeol works on the waistband of Kyungsoo's pants with his free hand, pulling them down a little, and he slips one finger between the cleft of Kyungsoo's ass. He rubs circles on the rim, slow circles that make Kyungsoo bury his face in Chanyeol's chest. "This is position's fucking weird," Kyungsoo grumbles, so he maneuvers Chanyeol around, pushes Chanyeol against the wall until Chanyeol leans back and slides down a little. Kyungsoo moves closer, bucks his hips when Chanyeol slowly dips one finger inside and moves his finger around to ease Kyungsoo into the sensation.

"Good?"

Kyungsoo takes a shaky breath and cups Chanyeol's erection through his pants. Chanyeol's already half-hard, and maybe he's half annoying with that knowing smile on his lips. Chanyeol pushes his finger even deeper, close to the hilt, and Kyungsoo tries not to push back as Chanyeol begins to move his finger in and out, each thrust slow and drawn out. His face falls forward, buried in the crook of Chanyeol's neck, and he sucks on the skin just above Chanyeol's collarbones as Chanyeol works in another finger. It's a tight fit, but Chanyeol makes it work somehow, the easy thrusts making it easier for Kyungsoo to relax around Chanyeol's fingers. Chanyeol curls his fingers inside, and he grins when Kyungsoo lets out a small gasp when he presses hard on a spot.

"I hate you," Kyungsoo seethes.

"Sure," Chanyeol replies. He kisses Kyungsoo on the lips, sucks on his bottom lip as he pulls out, then thrusts back in with more force. Kyungsoo muffles a throaty moan as he presses his lips on Chanyeol's skin. "I hate you more."

Feeling adventurous, he presses a palm flat on Chanyeol's stomach, slides it down until he gets to the band of Chanyeol's pants. He holds Chanyeol's gaze as he pulls one side of Chanyeol's bottoms down, and Chanyeol shucks it off the rest of the way. The sudden cold has Chanyeol shivering, but soon he's choking on his own breath as Kyungsoo cups one of his balls and gives it a gentle squeeze. Kyungsoo runs his thumb along the shaft, then rubs his palm on the tip, smearing precum on Chanyeol's skin. He can feel the light tremble of Chanyeol's fingers inside him, the pounding of Chanyeol's chest against his, the tension in his muscles and the heat of their bodies pressed against each other, Chanyeol's lips on his skin, and the pricking sensation when wraps his fingers around Chanyeol's cock.

"Kyungsoo, please-" Chanyeol's words are choked, muffled in Kyungsoo's hair. Kyungsoo starts with slow, easy pumps.

Chanyeol makes the prettiest sounds when he's drunk with pleasure, high on desire as he rocks his hips into Kyungsoo's loose fist. Kyungsoo begins to pump faster, strokes in tandem with each thrust of Chanyeol's fingers in his ass. Chanyeol is close, he can feel it, hear it in Chanyeol's low ah's and messy kisses, lips all over his skin as he rams his fingers in Kyungsoo again and again. Kyungsoo whines when Chanyeol pulls out all away, but instead Chanyeol takes both of their cocks, guides Kyungsoo's hand in his own as he strokes both of their cocks in a slow, steady motion. There's no single pattern, no rhythm to this, with their bodies shaking and trembling with each pump of their fists, but Kyungsoo doesn't mind. The slide of their bodies against each other, the way they fit, the warm press of Chanyeol's lips on his and the way they move like they've know each other's bodies forever - Kyungsoo likes all of it, down to the way Chanyeol whispers his name again and again, like a prayer. Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo, Kyung… soo-

Chanyeol spills all over Kyungsoo's fist, lips pressed on Kyungsoo's neck. The flush of warmth makes Kyungsoo shiver, and soon he's coming on Chanyeol's hands, Chanyeol's chest. His vision goes white for a moment, head buzzing, but there's nothing but the sound of Chanyeol's even breathing in his ears, keeping him in check, keeping him on his feet.

"You still hate me?" Chanyeol asks for a while. Chanyeol leans closer, catching Kyungsoo's bottom lip between his teeth even before Kyungsoo could answer, and Kyungsoo returns the favor as he sucks on Chanyeol's tongue, then licks along the roof of Chanyeol's mouth.

"Very much," Kyungsoo whispers after. He can feel the slow forming smile on Chanyeol's lips as Chanyeol reclaims his mouth, hungry as ever. "Always."

☺ ☺ ☺

Chanyeol shows up on his doorstep one Saturday afternoon, down on one knee and a bouquet of roses covering his face. He peeks from behind the flowers, eyes wide when he greets Kyungsoo with a small 'hi', and Kyungsoo crouches in front of him. "I'm afraid the roses can't compensate for your lack of good looks," Kyungsoo teases, and Chanyeol launches an attack at him, bops him on the head with the bouquet but groans soon after because the pretty roses had to suffer this fate. I'm so sorry, dear flowers!

"What are these for?" Kyungsoo asks now as he helps Chanyeol get up with one hand, and the bouquet in the other. The flowers are pretty, a nice, soft shade of yellow instead of the usual red or pink. He can get used to this.

Chanyeol laughs a little and leans close to plant a soft kiss on the tip Kyungsoo's nose. "You?"

"You're not sure?"

"I'm sure. 100% sure," Chanyeol says. He pinches Kyungsoo in his side, then makes a beeline for the couch, diving face-first into it. "The flowers can be for you dog, if you don't like them, but then you don't have a dog-"

"I like it. The thing," Kyungsoo confesses. He lays the bouquet down on the table, then fixes some wayward stems. "Thank you."

Chanyeol turns over so that he's lying on his back, then reaches for Kyungsoo's wrists so he can pull him down on top of him. "We'll have to work on your vocabulary. Train you to say nice things all the time! I mean, you can't talk like the undead anymore when you start working at the amusement park. You'll just end up driving the kids away. Bad for business."

Kyungsoo frowns at him and jabs his stomach lightly, but stops when realization hits him. "Wait, you said if I work at the amusement park-"

"When you start working there. I'm not giving you a choice." Chanyeol tucks his chin, then beams at Kyungsoo when the tips of their noses touch. "Appa said yes. And yes, I told them I was sorry and that I didn't mean it when I told them to 'suck it'. Happy now?"

Kyungsoo doesn't fight the strong pull at the corners of his lips. He doesn't swallow the laughter threatening to spill from his lips, either.

The transition from fearless to fearful then back again hasn't exactly been the easiest of journeys. It's been tough, an interesting mix of challenging and exciting, and maybe noisy thanks to Chanyeol's incessant talking, but he's here now. They're here now - at gunpoint, with the wonderful threat of a new beginning pointed at their heads, like they're being forced to believe that happily ever afters do exist. Kyungsoo's old enough to know that they don't, but he's also old enough to know that there are times when life can prove you wrong. Tell the world that you hate working with someone and they'll chuck a worthy enough partner who will make you reconsider your views on teamwork. Tell the world that you don't need a weird person like Park Chanyeol and the world will laugh at you, bright and shrill, almost condescending.

So just work with whatever life gives you, do your best, and hope for the best. There's nothing wrong with a bit of magic and faith in happy endings.

"We just have to look for a location," Chanyeol says as he wraps his arms around Kyungsoo's waist. "Any suggestions?" He hoists Kyungsoo up so they're nose to nose, lips to lips, shoulders aligned. Chanyeol misses the heart by a few centimeters, but that's fine - Kyungsoo's got a better view here. This is a better fit.

Kyungsoo shrugs, but laughs a little soon after. "What's your car good for if we can't go around to look for a nice place?"

"Do Kyungsoo, always the man with a plan, now leaving things up to chance?" Chanyeol gasps, exaggerated, and nearly coughs when Kyungsoo smushes his cheeks with his hands. "I'm just saying, I'm rather surprised!"

Kyungsoo buries his face in Chanyeol's chest but keeps his hands there, on Chanyeol's cheeks, where he can feel the upward tug of Chanyeol's lips and the vibrations of Chanyeol's laughter. He laughs until Chanyeol tells him to stop, until he hears Chanyeol's stomach growling, until he can't feel his lungs anymore. Finally satisfied, he pushes himself off of Chanyeol's chest, meets Chanyeol's gaze and smiles.

"I figured I could use the change," Kyungsoo admits. Chanyeol cocks an eyebrow at him, but his cheeks flush in acknowledgement. He leans back in for a kiss and thinks, he could use one last bad habit to get him through the tides of change. So he kisses Chanyeol again, and again, and again, remorseless. Fearless.

Final author's note:
1. While Scaredy Cats isn't real, it's actually a combination of two real places in Korea - the Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital (Scaredy Cats takes its location from this place), and a scary place north of Pohang.
2. There's no Seungjin Toy in Garden5, actually. Seungjin Toy can be found in Seoul, while Garden5 is a good hour away from Seoul.
3. I took a few liberties with the facilities in Kalbongsan Natural Recreation Forest! While they do have cabins, a nice garden, and a walking path, the food hall that I used in this fic isn't real.
4. You can reach Geumhaksan by taking the southeast path from Godaesan mountain's peak. The view from the peak is really great, and you can actually hold small picnics there!
5. Chanyeol drives a Hyundai Veloster. Check out this beauty here.

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