La douleur exquise for EVERYONE
For: EVERYONE
Title: la douleur exquise
Pairing(s): Chanyeol/Baekhyun, Sehun/Baekhyun, Sehun/Luhan, Baekhyun/Suho
Rating:PG-13
Warning(s):genderbend, self-betaed some parts
Length: 8505w
Summary: Baekhyun's too busy admiring the rich guys on campus to notice that Chanyeol has always been there
Author's note: I would like to thank the yeolliepopday mods for their patience. I am so sorry I have let you down quite a lot of times.
The petite brown-haired girl clutched her hand-made fan sign tightly as she wove her way in and out of the crowd, waiting for the concert to start. She can feel the excitement brewing, starting from the sides of the stage and spreading through the entire concert hall as the people around her continued to chatter away in squeaky, high-pitched voices. The chanting started about ten minutes before the performers came out, volume steadily increasing as the time ticked away seemingly slowly than usual. By the time the lights went out and the speakers crackled to life (a signal that the show is about to start), the screams of thousands of people were almost deafening. By then, her nose is crinkling from the sour smell of sweat emanating from the people around her. Arms hurting from an hour’s worth of holding up the glittery sign and shapely thighs aching from standing in 5-inch heels for the same amount of time, the girl pushed her way to the front in order to see the stage better. She was rewarded by the sight of four guys clad in ripped jeans and snug rock band shirts. The guitarist scanned the crowd, eyes skimming over the tops of people’s heads, finally locking gazes with her as she waved the glittery sign with his name on it. His face suddenly split into two as a smile materialized on his handsome boyish face. She felt the air explode as the band started to play.
Park Chanyeol’s very first memory of a certain Byun Baekhyun was during his neighbor Jongin’s 7th birthday party. The two had had became instant friends the moment Baekhyun said she liked Chanyeol’s ears. From that moment on, Chanyeol swore Baekhyun’s the nicest thing that ever happened in his life.
He never expected himself to take back those words 10 years later as he stared down the half-finished pie on his plate, watching the cream congeal as he struggled to find an answer as to how his home economics homework was suddenly reduced to half its size from when he left it five minutes ago when he went to the restroom to relieve himself.
He scanned the classroom for telltale signs of his homework’s missing half and sure enough, he saw the familiar eye smile as the brunette gave him two thumbs-up while silently mouthing ‘Great Pie!’, whipped cream evident on her outstretched lips. Baekhyun. Byun fucking Baekhyun.
“So...what’s for lunch?” Baekhyun stared longingly at the lunch box sitting on Chanyeol’s desk. She waited for the usual explanation of what food is in the mystery box and how he acquired it but got none. Chanyeol seemed to keep his back to her the whole time she was rambling about how hungry she was and she can’t help but notice that it’s odd given that it’s Chanyeol who usually initiates the conversation first. Chanyeol’s always the one to brag about his self-proclaimed expert cooking (which, she hates to admit, is actually quite good). She tried to grab his attention by continuously prodding his back until he turns to reprimand her, but to no avail. Park Chanyeol is still ignoring her.
No one ignores Byun Baekhyun,she thought as she took off one of her shoes and used it as a projectile headed for Chanyeol’s head.
A resounding thump of leather hitting skin followed by the thud of a fallen shoe echoed in the classroom. The tall boy turned slowly to face his attacker, his exceptionally boyish face morphing into something akin to that of an angry puppy.
“First you eat half of my homework, then you started badgering me all day and just now you threw a shoe at me. What else do you want Byun?!” he said, his voice tinged with a hint of anger and annoyance as he stared down at the short female who was picking up her “fallen” shoe.
The girl simply smirked in response. "Oh, I thought you were gonna ignore me all day." She said loftily, further enraging the gangly male.
"Byun Baekhyun I swear to G---"
"I was hungry okay?" she said suddenly, cutting off Chanyeol "I didn't have breakfast this morning..." she looked at him with her big, almost tearful eyes "...and I'm sorry"
Fuck. Those eyes. Not those eyes again. Chanyeol thought.
Baekhyun smiled a little when she saw that Chanyeol’s resistance is slowly crumbling. She still continued her act nonetheless, adding a small pout to the puppy-dog eyes she had conjured from earlier.
“I was so hungry this morning…and I thought you wouldn’t mind since were friends. Best friends.” She said, emphasizing the last two words. Chanyeol groaned. Not again.
“Okay I forgive you this time. But don’t, I mean it Baek, ever eat my homework again.” He said sternly.
“Hmmm..okay I won’t!” she said cheerfully.
“You promise?” Chanyeol asked.
“I promise!” Baekhyun replied, holding up her right pinky cheerfully. Chanyeol looked at it for a few seconds before realizing what it was for. He held up his own right pinky and interlaced it with Baekhyun’s thereby sealing the deal.
“Promise.”
“Hey Yeol.” Baekhyun and Chanyeol were lying on their backs on Chanyeol’s bed, exhaustion seeping into their bones after almost an hour attempting to claw each other’s face. It started when Baekhyun unknowingly unearthed Chanyeol’s journal under his pile of “useless yet sentimental” junk. Normally, the tall boy would just let it pass and let the short girl have her way with his things. But this time, it was his journal, with all his secrets that is at stake and he won’t allow himself to go down without a fight.
Chanyeol had won of course, owing his victory to his long, gangly limbs and the fact that he knows Baekhyun’s ticklish spots. But he also nearly lost to the brown-eyed girl lying next to him (what with Baekhyun almost clawing his face off and pulling most of his hair). They were twelve then, too old to be called kids yet, too young to be regarded as teenagers.
“Hmmmm?” was all he can respond. He was still panting from their fight and he felt like his lungs would collapse from the lack of oxygen.
“What do you think of Kris?” she asked quietly. Too quietly to be exact, for someone like Baekhyun.
“Uhhh, well he’s tall and kind of silly and stupid sometimes...” He turned to face Baekhyun but the girl is still staring at the ceiling above them, placid expression plastered on her face. “..but he invites us guys over whenever he hosts a pool party or a barbecue so he’s cool. Why do you ask?"
Baekhyun gulped and turned to face Chanyeol, cheeks tinged with the slightest shade of pink. “He said he likes me.”
“You’re joking.”
“No I’m not!” Baekhyun said indignantly “He said he likes me and….even asked me out.” she muttered, voice trailing into a soft whisper when she said the last part.
“What did you say to him?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you!”
“Why are you asking me?!"
Baekhyun slapped Chanyeol’s arm none too gently “Because you’re my bestfriend, you idiot!”
“What does that have to do with your love affairs---Ow!” Chanyeol winced when she hit his arm again (harder this time).
“Okay, okay!” He held up both his hands in submission. “Okay...first things first. Do you even like the guy?”
Baekhyun seemed to contemplate for a second before answering “ Well, he’s rich…so I guess he’ll do.” she turned to face Chanyeol and saw the incredulous expression on the young boy’s face.
“What?!” she demanded.
Chanyeol scoffed. “You like rich guys?”
She returns to her previous position, with her back on the bed and face staring at the ceiling.
“You can say that.” she smirked and turned her head just a bit. Enough for her to see Chanyeol picking his nose. Idiot, she thought.
“I like guys who can feed me well.”
The noisy chatter of high school students accompanied by the cacophony of opening and closing of lockers filled Chanyeol’s ears when he walked into the hallway that morning. He went straight for his locker situated at the end of the long corridor, ignoring the jeers and judging stares of the student population. He had never been part of the popular group in his school but let’s just say puberty had done him much more good than bad and students, particularly females, can’t help but notice that. He opened his locker door, promptly removed the card he stashed in there yesterday, and zipped open his bag, revealing a single red rose in full-bloom. He smiled to himself as he closed the metal door, unmindful of the giggles from all around him. He can hear his name being called out but he was too distracted to look up. He can feel tendrils of nervousness wrapping themselves around his lithe body but somehow, the thought of finally asking Byun Baekhyun out threw him in a daze. He can still feel his body tingling from his nervous bout when suddenly, a soft, fluffy thing bumped into him, messing up his balance and almost toppling him over.
“Park Chanyeol have you gone deaf?! I’ve been calling out your name 10 times already! Don’t tell me your gigantic ears aren’t working anymore.” Baekhyun asked, tone convincingly concerned but the smirk on her face says otherwise.
The fluffy thing that had bumped into him was actually the gigantic stuffed bear Baekhyun was holding right now. He can't help but wonder why she's carrying a huge stuffed toy but he focused his attention to the girl in front of him instead. “Uhhh sorry I was just distracted, that’s all” Chanyeol weakly grinned at Baek and then he remembered what he was supposed to do “Uhh Baek….” he was about to spill it all out, to let the words trickle from his tongue and cascade out of his mouth. He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice failed him. "Uhhh..."
Baekhyun cocked her head to one side, waiting for him to speak. He can feel cold sweat forming on his temples and neck, condensing into droplets that ran down the side of his face. Seconds passed in silence.
Baekhyun, being the noisier half of their duo, can’t take it anymore so she decided to break the tension. When she thought Chanyeol isn't going to say anything, her face split into a wide grin. “Guess who asked me out to prom?”
Chanyeol felt a pinch inside him. A tiny little pinch that gradually felt like a swarm of a million pins. Somewhere in the area that contained his heart, needles are poking and prodding. He doesn’t understand. He was supposed to ask Baekhyun out that morning. She was supposed to accept. They were supposed to spend the night of wonder and sparkly fairylights together. He doesn’t want to understand. “W-what?”
Baekhyun rolled her eyes at her bestfriend’s incoherence.
“Prom Yeol. Prom.” She gestured wildly with her hands “That event where everyone dresses up and goes to this dance just like in the movies?” she grinned again and said in a singsong voice “Guess who asked meee?”
Chanyeol’s heart sunk. He doesn’t want to know. He doesn’t want to go through this. Somewhere in the confines of his chest, his heart was beating sluggishly. As if it was dying, he thought. He wanted to cry out about how the world is so unfair. Yet the question picked at the back of his brain. Who is this guy?he thought. He gulped and tried to turn his crestfallen expression into a smile while effectively hiding the limp rose and the card behind his back, out of Baekhyun's line of sight It's not a happy smile, what with bitterness creasing the lines on his face; dimming the light beneath his eyes. Nevertheless, it's still a smile.
“Who?”
She inhaled sharply before responding. “Oh fucking Sehun!!!” Baekhyun screamed. She was too absorbed in her own bliss that she didn’t see the flash of hurt that crossed Chanyeol’s eyes Too late, he thought. You’re always too late.
"Oh who?" He asked again
Baekhyun sighed in frustration at Chanyeol's lack of knowledge about these kinds of things. "Oh Sehun...you know..." she gestured wildly with her hands. "...tall, handsome guy on the basketball team?"
Chanyeol just stared at her. Baekhyun groaned, thinking of other ways on how to make him know who her prom date is. "Ah! He's that guy who got a Porsche for his birthday a few months back." she smiled when recognition flitted through Chanyeol's eyes. "And he's also the one who gave me this bear and this big box of chocolates! Isn't he just romantic?"
"Oh. Sehun. That Sehun. Yeah. Sure. Cool." he said. How do I even compete to that guy...
Chanyeol huffed as he slowly ascended the slope that led to the top of the hill. “Baek! Wait up!” he called as he struggled to take another step forward, lugging his brand new guitar and the large picnic basket Baekhyun had packed up for the two of them that morning. Gravel crunched under his feet as he pushed forward, calling for the small female to slow down so that he can catch up. Sweat trickled past his temples, settling on his chin before dropping into the ground beneath him.
The air felt warm and humid against his skin, adding up to his frustrations. This was all Baekhyun’s plan anyway, he thought. Why am I the only one suffering?He can see her short figure on the top of the hill now.
“Hurry up slowpoke!” she yelled at him. He just glared at her before continuing his almighty hike up the steep hill slope.
“Come on Park! Don’t tell me those legs of yours are just for show!” she hollered at him, mocking him.
“I would’ve been up there faster if someone was kind enough to share the responsibility of carrying this heavy load with me!” he yelled back. “Seriously Baek, what the hell did you pack in this basket?”
“You’ll know soon enough. Now man up and get your ass up here right this minute or else our food’s gonna rot”
"What's that?" Baekhyun asked when Chanyeol finally settled himself under the shade of the tree on top of the hill.
"What's what? Oh this? This is my baby."
"Men can't have babies Yeol." Baekhyun said flatly as he took the guitar from Chanyeol's arms and started to play with the strings.
"Ever heard of figure of speech Baek? You hurt my baby's feelings." Chanyeol retorted, taking back the instrument and massaging it's almost pristine surface, searching for possible scratchmarks. He let out a relieved sigh when he saw that there was none. "Don't hurt my baby Baek, I saved up for about 2 years to buy this."
Baekhyun rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
"I can play a few songs on her already."
"It's a thing Yeol. You should address it as it and not her"
"Yeah, yeah. You're just jealous of her Baek"
"That's ridiculous Yeol. I certainly do not want to be fondled by your gigantic hands all day"
Chanyeol blushed at the thought of him touching Baekhyun in parts where he shouldn't. He shook his head to get rid of the thought, a motion which piqued Baekhyun's curiousity.
"What were you thinking Yeol?"
"Errr. Nothing." He tried to keep his face as blank as possible when he answered her.
Baekhyun scoffed. “Yeah right. What were you really thinking?”
“Oh look! Food! Let’s eat, I’m starving.” He tried to change the topic hoping that Baek would forget about her query. “Baek, did you cook these? They look delicious.”
“Really?” Baekhyun was distracted. Mission accomplished. “Yes. I sort of tried to cook. I even referred to the cook books I found stashed under your bed.”
“You what?!”
“So how was it?” she asked, eyes hopeful.
Chanyeol took a bite of the chicken drizzled with orange sauce and internally gagged. The chicken tasted like cardboard and there’s something in the sauce that made is tongue cringe in disgust. He didn’t want to hurt Baekhyun’s feelings so with a great effort, he mustered his brightest smile. “It’s good!” he even took another bite to make the lie somehow believable. Baekhyun didn’t buy it. His twitching left eye gave away his lie.
“It was disgusting wasn’t it? Tell the truth Yeol. Or I would break your limited edition action figures.”
“Okay it was disgusting.” He confessed. “But there’s still room for improvement. I think you’ll get better at it if you practice.”
Chanyeol thought he saw hurt in Baekhyun’s eyes for a second. He expected her to cry or berate him for being too hard on her since she was just a beginner after all. But she just shrugged, saying that there’s no point crying over spilt milk and then proceeded to open a bag of chips that was stashed in her backpack earlier.
“Chips again Baek?”
“You have no right to complain since this is all I can afford with my allowance right now.”
They had a few bags of chips and Chanyeol’s packed sandwiches for lunch that day. He thought it wasn’t that bad since he was with Baekhyun after all. They ended up taking a nap under the tree, Chanyeol leaning against the trunk while Baekhyun was cosily curled up with her head on his lap.
“For the nth time today Yeol, the answer’s still no.”
Chanyeol flinched when Baekhyun slammed her locker door hard, her keys jingling violently in the slot near the metal handle. “I’ve already said yes to the guy and” she turned to face him, hand poised to jab his chest “I really, really, really want to go with him.” she punctuated each word with a painful jab in between his ribs. Chanyeol thought his sternum was gonna break from all her jabbing. He massaged his chest (which was probably bruising) before he spoke.
“Well, I heard he was a gangster and the son of a mafia leader to boot!” He widened his eyes in an attempt to stress this fact to Baekhyun and make her believe. “Maybe that’s why they’re so rich! Maybe his family’s composed of ninjas that assassinate presidents!”
“For the love of God! He. Is. Not. A. Gangster! Kim Jongdae made up that stupid rumor back in middle school!” she stamped her foot in frustration “And for your information Yeol, he’s actually the heir to a multi-million dollar company. His family’s comprised of corporate geniuses, not ninja assassins!” she turned on her heels and headed for the classroom. “Honestly Yeol, I don’t know why you’re so persistent on making him look bad.” she stopped in her tracks and turned to Yeol who was still mulling over the fact that his rival (for Baekyun’s heart) is a multi-million dollar heir. “I mean, okay I get it that you’re just acting your part as my bestfriend to...” she made quotation marks in the air “…protect me from boys that might harm me.” she scrunched her nose in annoyance. “But Yeol…” there was a slight pause when Baekhyun locked her gaze with Chanyeol’s, eyes softening when she saw concern etched on the latter’s face. “I’m all grown up now. Sehun might not be the nicest guy in this planet, but I think I can handle him.” Chanyeol can feel color flooding his cheeks when Baekhyun lightly squeezed his arm in reassurance
“Don’t worry about me okay?”
“Okay well, maybe he’s not one of those creepy ninja turtles.” Chanyeol said as he tried to catch up to the short female marching towards their respective classrooms “But I thought he’s with that Chinese exchange student Luna?”
Baekhyun suddenly wheeled around to face the tall guy trailing behind her. So fast that it made Chanyeol’s cheeks sting from the whipping it got from the girl's outrageously long hair.
“Correction. Was. They broke up last week” she flipped her hair a bit before continuing “And her name’s Luhan, not Luna.”
“Don’t you think he’s just using you to make her jealous though?”
Baekhyun rolled her eyes in disbelief. “Shut up Yeol. You’re just jealous cause I’m going to the prom with a date and you’re not.” she frowned “Why aren’t you asking someone out to go with you anyway? I’m sure a lot of girls..” she side-eyed the girls giggling and pointing behind Chanyeol “...would love to go to the prom with you”
But Baek, I want to go to the the prom with YOU he thought.
“Uhhh...prom’s not really my thing. I don’t think I’ll even attend prom.” he said. I don’t want to see you dancing with someone else
Chanyeol switches from gingerly polishing and plucking a few simple tunes on his guitar as he waited for his turn to perform onstage, fingers tingling from nervousness as he struggled to remember the chords to the song he was about to perform. The waiting room gave off a very unfriendly aura with its dim lights and dirty corners. The smell of mold and dust coming from the old cabinet behind him filled his nose when he titled his monoblock chair back. He can hear the crowd cheering for whoever was currently performing and thinking about how many people are out there gave him the chills. Park Chanyeol isn’t really fond of large crowds, preferring to just jam with a bunch of people he’s familiar with.
He closed his eyes and continued to mull over the chords in his head, strumming his guitar softly to help him remember. He had never been this nervous before and the feeling was awful. The noisy scraping of plastic furniture against the floor snapped him out of his reverie. He turned to see Baekhyun dragging a plastic chair towards him, her wavy, brown hair bouncing back and forth. That was the first time Chanyeol saw Baekhyun’s hair like that, most of the time it’s just bunched up and frizzy. Somehow, after her 15 years of existence, Baekhyun had finally managed to disentangle her locks and let them flow down her back and shoulders in bronze curls. She placed the chair beside the one Chanyeol’s sitting on and sat down.
“What are you doing here?” he asked
“I’m here to support you of course.”
Chanyeol stared at her incredulously. Baekhyun supporting him isn’t a normal occurrence after all. He’s sure the small girl’s up to something again. “What is it this time Baek?”
Baekhyun frowned. “Nothing. I just want to see you that’s all” her smile is unusually forced, unlike the ones she wore when she’s plotting to ruin Park Chanyeol’s life. Somehow, that made him a little bit more relieved, in contrast to the little girl who was quietly rocking back and forth in her chair. She seemed pale and he can’t help but notice how she rubbed her hands together, twisting her fingers around each other. Chanyeol pondered for a while, searching for reasons why Byun Baekhyun seemed so nervous.
Maybe she’s nervous for me he thought.
He went onstage the moment his name was called, exuding a kind of aura and charisma that left the crowd crawling with anticipation. He seated himself on the stool propped for performers in the center of the stage. He started slow, plucking the strings softly but surely. It went like that for a while until Chanyeol gradually increased his pace, long fingers skimming over the strings creating a variety of tunes that harmonized and blended with one another to form one melodious tune that left the audience waiting with bated breath. He finished his piece with a flourish and the auditorium exploded with cheers from the audience. Chanyeol wiped the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead in the past few minutes he had been playing his instrument. He bowed and descended from the raised platform, tripping on the process and sending the microphone screeching across the stage. He put it back in its rightful place on the stand and bowed awkwardly in apology.
He scanned the crowd for signs of Baekhyun who was probably waving a sign with his name on it. Nothing of the sort caught his eye. He can feel the people clapping him on the back, saying how good he was and how they really liked his performance. He mumbled a simple thank you to all of them, eyes still searching for the petite female.
The microphone screeched for a second time when the next performer took her place on the stage. Chanyeol turned back, abandoning his search for Baekhyun for a while, to find the source of the awful screeching sound. He was shocked to see Byun Baekhyun standing on the platform decked in a dress and heels.
“Hello. My name is Byun Baekhyun and I will sing for all of you tonight.”
Byun Baekhyun? Singing? Chanyeol can’t quite connect the two concepts together. All his life, the only time he heard Baekhyun sing was during one of those nights where a noraebang seemed to be a great idea. Chanyeol can’t help but sulk about the fact that Baekhyun didn’t tell him a thing. It’s unfair that she knew that he was joining the talent show but he didn’t know that she was.
She wasn’t nervous for him after all. She was nervous for herself.
His thoughts were cut off the moment she opened her mouth to sing her melody. She starts slowly and smoothly, notes flowing like water, gentle and soothing. Chanyeol was immediately lulled into the song, breath hitching at the high notes and the occasional fluctuation of her voice. Damn Baek, why didn’t you tell me you could sing? His heart skipped a beat when he heard Baekhyun’s falsetto, high and clear, ringing throughout the entire hall and faltering into a clean finish to her song. Once again, the crowd exploded but this time, it’s louder and Chanyeol’s not the one onstage. But Chanyeol doesn’t care about all of that. For the first time in his life, he doesn’t mind that Baekhyun’s always winning against him. For the first time, he seemed to see Baekhyun under a different light, one which enhanced her strong points and soften her features making her look innocent and tame. For the first time, Chanyeol wished he wasn’t just friends with Baekhyun.
The night is young but the dark sky is already peppered with stars; it almost seemed picturesque if not for the lone being blending within the depths of the building's shadow. Multicolored lights dance here and there, striking beams of green and red against the young man's pale yet handsome face once, twice. Time trickled by slowly. The moon rose up higher into the midnight blue sky. But still, the man didn't budge an inch from his place, save from the occasional fidgeting and stretching of his long, gangly legs. He stayed in his place even though passersby had invited him in for a drink. He stayed; eyes keen and searching, searching for signs of a certain long haired brunette who was yet to arrive, along with her long legged escort. The man tapped his shoes against the concrete pavement once, twice; the clacking sound of his sole against the rough cemented floor drowned by the noisy tune emanating from within the building.Every now and then, ladies would come and go, smiling and giggling at him in glittery gowns that glow brighter than the polite smile the man offers in return. He turned his attention to the garden on his right. The strings of little white bulbs glowed softly like fairylights, making the scene more fairytale-ish in a bystander's eye.
Every now and then he would scurry deeper into the shadow's dark embrace, hiding himself from the pointed looks and judging stares one might throw in his direction. Every now and then he would resurface and continue listening to the steady trickle of water in the fountain; resurface and continue to look out for signs of the long haired lady. Park Chanyeol steps away from the shadows to look for signs of a certain Byun Baekhyun.
He heard a car pull up and by the looks of it, it seems like the most expensive car present tonight. Oh Sehun got out from behind the wheel and walked to the other side to help up a beautiful girl clad in a dazzling white gown. Chanyeol’s breath hitched when he realized who it was. Byun Baekhyun. The girl of his dreams. He managed a small smile and waved back when Baekhyun passed by him with Oh Sehun in tow. She seemed really happy he thought. I should be happy for her too.
"You were right Yeol."
Chanyeol frowned. He was shocked to see Baekhyun alone and about. He wanted to ask where her escort went off to but saw the crestfallen expression on Baek’s face so he didn’t.
"Right about what?" Baekhyun did not respond. She seemed distracted, staring the whole time at one place in the room. Chanyeol followed her gaze and saw Oh Sehun swaying slowly to the beat of the music; big smile plastered across his face whilst holding Luhan close. Too close. "Oh."
"I'm an idiot. I feel like shit right now."
Baekhyun was smiling, but Chanyeol knew she's holding back her tears. He doesn't know what to do, doesn't know how to comfort women. So he does what he does best. He gathered Baekhyun in his arms and patted her head. She didn't complain, she just buried her head further into his chest.
"I should've listened to you, you know?" she muttered "But no, I am just too proud to admit to myself that I'm just his temporary Luhan. His second option."
Even though he can't see it, he can feel her crying in his arms. Baekhyun's like that. She doesn't want people to know she can cry like a normal human being too. She might wear her tough facade like a second skin, but beneath that is a girl like any other. A girl with emotions. He let her cry on his shoulder, tracing soothing circles on her back to calm her down.
"Will you dance with me?"
“What?” Did Baekhyun just asked me to dance with her? Chanyeol thought, clearly surprised that Baekhyun had invited him...not the other way around. Maybe this is a sign, he thought.
Baekhyun snorted through Chanyeol’s suit, face still buried in his tux. She lifted her face to look at Chanyeol with those eyes. The same eyes she had used against him when she ate Chanyeol’s homework when they were in middle school.
“It’s the least you can do to cheer me up.”
Chanyeol was about to reply but Baekhyun immediately dragged him to the dance floor, pulled him through a horde of smartly dressed people, dresses glittering like jewels and faces almost unrecognizable under all the cosmetic products they had slathered on it. Baekhyun let go of Chanyeol’s hand when they arrived at the center of the dance floor---only to clasp them around his neck, closing the distance between the two of them. Chanyeol didn’t know what to do. His mind was still fuzzy from being asked out to dance by the girl of his dreams. He had no idea what to do since he’s not actually the type to attend social gatherings like these. He placed his hands on her hips, furtherly cosing the gap between the two of them. It started awkwardly, both of them trying to think of something to say as they swayed to the slow tune. Baekhyun was short. So short that Chanyeol had to bend, lower his head to whisper something in her ear.
“Isn’t this a bit awkward?”
Baekhyun giggled; she tiptoed, using Chanyeol’s shoulder to support herself, to whisper something back in his abnormally large ear “You’re so tall, it’s hard to talk to you like this...” She paused, “..but this isn’t awkward at all. I kind of like it actually.”
Chanyeol smiled "Hey Baek, I'm gonna twirl you around."
"That's so cheesy Yeol."
"I like being cheesy."
Baekhyun only laughed in response and twirled once underneath their entwined fingers, slipping a bit and landing not so gently on Chanyeol's chest. "Sorry!" It was Chanyeol's turn to laugh this time, wrapping his arms around Baekhyun to prevent any more accidents. His laughter ringing in Baekhyun's ear like the cool trickle of clear, flowing water. She doesn't want to move away from the confines of his embrace but she realized she didn't have to. Chanyeol continued to hold her safely against him even though the danger had already passed. Baekhyun closed her eyes and let herself melt into Chanyeol and they swayed slowly to the music. They don't speak. They just feel.
They say, the magic ends once the music stops.
Chanyeol stood at the far end of the room, far away from people who might think of striking up a conversation with. It's not that he doesn't talk to people a lot, he actually does. He just wanted to divert his attention to the matter at hand. Baekhyun. They stopped dancing a while ago when the slow tunes morphed into something more upbeat, the kind of music you would bob your head to. The girl had excused herself after they got off the dance floor, mumbling something about needing to relieve herself in the comfort room. That was fifteen minutes ago. Chanyeol was getting worried about her but at the same time, the prospects of him going into the girl’s bathroom to check on her is close to null. So in the end, he just stood there, awkwardly nodding at people who waved in his direction. His throat was parched, whether from lack of use or lack of drink, he doesn't know. Either way, a drink sounds nice. He strode through the dance floor which was now heavily populated by sweaty teenagers in their expensive dresses and ridiculously high high heels. He can feel the music pounding ceaselessly against his eardrums As he neared the buffet table laden with a plethora of food ranging from simple finger food to extravagant desserts the heavy thudding of bass in his ear was almost deafening. The drinks, including a variety of suspicious looking liquor bottles, were located closest to the gigantic speakers and Chanyeol had to use one hand to pour himself a soda and the other to cover his ringing left ear. He was about to go back to his place at the edge of the crowd, away from the source of noise when he spied a familiar white dress swishing about in the crowd. He stopped dead in his tracks. There on the center of the dance floor is Baekhyun, dancing along to the lascivious song with a slightly taller guy. The spotlight hit the man’s face for a second and it was long enough for Chanyeol to recognize him as the wealthy student council president Kim Junmyeon. Their bodies collided in a dance of lewd frivolity, dignity thrown aside if Baekhyun’s smiling face was any indication. Chanyeol’s eyes burned. He wished he hadn’t looked.
Life is never fair. Just when you thought you had that one thing you wanted most, it swoops down and takes it out of your grasp.
Chanyeol woke up with cramp firing up in his left leg. He shifted from his previous sitting position, carefully freeing his cramping leg while gently holding up Baekhyun’s sleeping head with his hand. Once he found a much more suitable sitting position, he laid Baekhyun’s head on his lap again. He was scrolling through various apps on his phone to pass the time when he heard a small whimper. He turned his attention to the small mass stirring on his lap and chuckled softly when he saw Baekhyun pout in her sleep. He turned his attention back to the device on his hand, tapping away to ease his boredom. A few minutes later he felt Baekhyun wake up, stretching her short limbs and groaning about hating Chanyeol for not waking her up earlier.
“You were out like a lightbulb. And I think we both know that you’ll probably kick me if I wake you up.” Chanyeol said.
“Hmmm..Yeah, you’re probably right.” She replies as she cracks her knuckles. “Uhh Yeol, what are you doing with my hair?”
It was at that moment that Chanyeol realizes that he he’d been absentmindedly caressing Baekhyun’s hair, threading her locks into his fingers gently.
“Oh. Uhh...I was just…” He wracked his brains to find a decent excuse. “Picking out the bugs. That crawled into it. While you were sleeping obviously. Yeah. Definitely the bugs.” Yeah. Definitely a decent excusehe thought.
Baekhyun crawled into a sitting position, back resting against Chanyeol’s chest as she scooted into position. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, only the sound of chirping crickets breaking the silence. They were so close that he can practically feel her breathing against him. The soft waves of hair on top of her head tickled his neck but he persevered. He didn’t want to make Baekhyun uncomfortable.
“Hey Yeol.”
“Hmmm?”
“How come you're still single?” she turned her head and blushed when her face almost collided with his. “I mean, how come you’re not dating when you’re obviously getting a lot of confessions from the girls in our school?” she said when she had regained her composure.
“Hmmmm…” he pondered over the question for a while “I’m not really sure how to answer that myself…” he looked at the small girl staring expectantly at him “...I guess they’re not really my type?”
“Hmmmmm…” Baekhyun just hummed. There was a pregnant pause and Chanyeol thought it would stretch out forever. Even the crickets seemed to stop chirping. He wanted to stay like this forever.
“What’s your ideal type then?”
Baekhyun’s clear voice rang out through the silent hilltop and Chanyeol was caught off guard. He instantly jerked back and hit his head on the tree , a move which startled Baekhyun. “Oh my---Are you okay?” Chanyeol only nodded in response, noting the gradually growing lump at the back of his head. When they had calmed down, Baekhyun repeated her question “So, what is your ideal type?”
“Why are you so curious about that?” Chanyeol can’t help but get frustrated. He doesn’t want to answer these types of questions in front of Baekhyun. Not when his object of interest is the one asking the question. Not yet.
“Just answer the question.”
“Okay. My ideal type is…” he smirked. “Not you Baek.”
Chanyeol hadn’t heard from Baekhyun over the weekend. He tried to be understanding and told himself that she was just probably just tired and needed some rest. That she didn’t call because she’s too busy lazing around, sleeping all day on her bed.
They were supposed to meet in front of her locker so that they can walk home together but Baekhyun isn’t anywhere to be found. Chanyeol had been waiting for an hour already, tapping his shoes to the beat of the song that played in his head. Another 30 minutes had passed but still no sign of Baekhyun and he was starting to worry. He was contemplating whether to search the school to find the short brunette when his phone vibrated in his pocket. It was Baekhyun calling.
“Yeol you can go home alone. I’m going to ride home with Junmyeon.”
“Okay? Why are you with the student council president?” Chanyeol scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.
“Oh. Didn’t I tell you? Junmyeon and I are going out now.” Somehow he isn’t really surprised. It was expected. It didn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt though.
“Oh. Okay. Have fun.”
Change is inevitable. Whether you like it or not, it will come to you.
The drift was sudden. What used to be Chanyeol and Baekhyun became Junmyeon and Baekhyun, except of course that the latter had much more intimacy. Chanyeol found himself alone during lunchtimes and dismissals, times when he was supposed to be basking in Baekhyun’s presence. The days became longer, much more exhausting without Baekhyun to look forward to at the end of the draining lessons. He tried adapting to his new life without Baekhyun after a week of being rejected by his best friend. From offers to go to the park to offers to walk her to and from school, Baekhyun had refused them all. She even shot down his invitation to pick up their weekly Chinese takeout dinner together, saying that she had to go to this and that with Junmyeon. Chanyeol can’t even remember all the places she had visited abroad with the rich student council president in the span of one week that they had been together. He can’t even spend time with her on the way to school because Junmyeon picks her up promptly at seven in the morning. He had to eat out of the Chinese takeout boxes by himself while she was enjoying rather fancy evening in a fancy Chinese restaurant Junmyeon’s family owns. Chanyeol found his days being plagued by spare time. He should be happy Baekhyun's not bossing him around to run errands for her anymore. He should be happy he's got so much time in his hands to practice with his guitar more. But he isn't. Baekhyun's absence is like a gaping hole seeking to be filled out. But fill it out with what? With the companionship of others? Either way, he really should start living a life without Byun Baekhyun.
Not all relationships work out. You might think it is. You might convince yourself it’ progressing slowly when it’s actually sinking. No one knows when it will end. That’s the problem with most relationships, you can never be too certain.
“Just a minute!” Chanyeol hollered into the empty house as he turns off the shower and covers himself before dashing out to answer his phone. “Hey Baek what’s-okay I’ll be there in a minute, just let me get my clothes.”
A few minutes later, Chanyeol is climbing into Baekhyun’s bedroom with his hair uncombed and his shirt put on backwards. He was wondering where on earth his bestfriend is when he noticed a big mass of blankets on Baekhyun’s bed. He approached the big lump on the center of the bed and prodded it once.
“Baek?” he said softly, earning nothing but a sob from the said lump. He tried shaking the mass of blankets covering Baekhyun’s small frame again, coaxing the brunette to talk to him but to no avail. Finally, he stood up and walked to the window “I can’t help you if you don’t want to be helped Baek” and he turned to open the window sill.
“Wait-“ Chanyeol froze. He can hear her sobbing through the layers of blankets she had piled upon herself. “Wait! Yeol, I’m sorry please don’t leave. I just---“ The sobbing ensued and Chanyeol can feel his heart break at the sound of her crying. He approached the bed again, this time letting himself on it to peel off the blankets wrapped around Baekhyun’s body, whispering words of comfort as he hugs his sobbing bestfriend close.
“Shhh...Baek, don’t cry. Everything’s gonna be alright. Shhh.” He rubbed circles on her back in an attempt to pacify her. “You know Baek, I don’t know why you’re even crying about that guy” he said, trying to comfort her but obviously failing to do so when Baekhyun cried even louder than before. “Well, not that you don’t actually have a right to cry because you do! That jerk cheated on you and broke your heart---“ Chanyeol winced when Baekhyun started wailing. “No no no Baek I didn’t mean to say that! What I meant was,” He hugged her tightly, and caressed her hair as she snuggled further into his arms and pressed her face into his chest. Chanyeol noticed that it seemed to calm her down so he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her further into his embrace and resting his chin on the top of her head, his lips barely touching her forehead when he murmured, “You’re a beautiful girl, and that it’s his loss that he let go of someone as wonderful as you.”
There was a long pause. The kind of
pause that made Chanyeol think that he had said the wrong words. The kind of pause that made him wish for something he could use to take back what he just said. The kind of pause that eats away at your nerves, and sends your inner self consciousness running in circles, screaming. He was about to crack another silly joke to ease the tension when Baekhyun spoke up.
“You really mean all of that?” Baekhyun whispers, finally looking up to look at Chanyeol.
“Yeah I guess?” He looked at Baekhyun’s red nose poking through her dishevelled hair, her thin lips forming into a pout, and her wet, glassy eyes blinking away tears and wondered how someone can hurt such a fragile little girl. “Yes, I meant everything I just said.”
Baekhyun smiled at that. He might be stupid. He might be really naive and insensitive. He might’ve regretted doing a lot of embarrassing stuff in the past. Hell, he might’ve even regretted his own existence. But if there’s one thing he doesn’t regret, it’s calling Byun Baekhyun beautiful. He will never regret that he made his bestfriend smile.
Byun Baekhyun woke up to the sound of her doorbell's incessant ringing. She groggily trudged to the door to greet her early visitor, only to be taken aback when she recognized the face on the other side of the door.
"Kim Jongdae?!"
The unexpected visitor smiled in response "It's been a long time Baek.”
"What are you doing here?" she asked, clearly still shell-shocked over the fact that Jongdae is standing on her doorstep. How long has it been? Three years? Four? Baekhyun can’t remember the last time she saw the vocalist of his band. It had been years since she last saw him.
"I'm here to give you this."
Baekhyun eyed the suspiciously thin envelope protruding from Jongdae's hand "I didn't know you're into writing letters Jongdae."
Jondae frowned in confusion "This is not a letter." he said "Well, I'm not really sure if notes fall in the same category but technically speaking, it's not." he cleared his throat before continuing "And it's not from me so you can stop having your fantasies about me now."
After Jongdae had left, Baekhyun ripped open the envelope to find inside a single ticket to a band concert and a note.
"Baek, It’s been too long. I really hope you could come."
Long after Chanyeol had gone home to tend to his household duties, Baekhyun had willed herself to get up and fix he mess that is her room and herself. She started with her room, clearing away traces of Junmyeon and her other past heartbreaks. She threw everything in a box; she’d either throw them all away or give them back to their rightful owners. She was rummaging through the albums when a photo fell out. It was a shot of Baekhyun and Chanyeol posing dorkily in front of the camera. They were in grade school back then. Baekhyun felt as if she had known him all her life. She laughed at the thought of him going along with her crazy antics and irrational sassy behaviour all these years. And then it hit her.
Chanyeol had been with her through her ups and downs. He’s been the one supporting her all along.
She opened the photo album and looked at the photos. Wherever Baekhyun was, Chanyeol was there also. On her 12th birthday, he was the one holding the cake and smiling while Baekhyun blew at the candles. He was also with Baekhyun the day they graduated grade school, posing in front of the camera with his trademark victory sign. He’s so cute, with a big smiled plastered across his face and eyes crinkling at the corners. He was always there. She was so stupid for noticing it just now. She closed the album, got dressed and ran out of the house in record time.
Fate was never on their side. Baekhyun ran into a shocked Chanyeol holding up a letter asking him to come abroad for a program that specialized with instruments.
The crowd was beyond uncontrollable. Everyone was either shouting or singing along. The brunette kept on waving her sign, screaming along with the hundreds, thousands of fans around her. She can feel the energy reverberating through the stands, creating a buzzing wave that was about to explode at the climax of the show. The speakers blared as the vocalist passed the microphone to their tall guitarist. His eyes shone with recognition when his gaze landed on the petite girl waving the glittery sign amidst the sea of people.
“Are you all having fun?” he yelled into the electronic device in his hand. His voice was instantly amplified five, six, who knows how many times. The crowd shouted back its assent, prompting the guitarist to say more.
“I hate to say this but this will be our last song for tonight!”
The crowd groaned. It turned into a growl of protest, shouting for more. The guitarist just continued talking with his deep, deep voice sending shivers down the petite girl’s spine. “I’m sorry folks. Anyway, since this is our last song for tonight, I want to dedicate this to the girl who lit up my world.” His gaze grazed on hers, and she felt a tingling feeling washing over her.
“I know you’re here Baek. Don’t even try to hide behind your glittery sign.” There was a hush and it seemed like all eyes were on her as if a spotlight was above her head. Chanyeol started plucking his guitar and after a few beats, Jongdae’s voice accompanied the sound of guitar along with the crashing of cymbals and the beat of the drums.
You call me up, it’s like a broken record
Saying that your heart hurts
That you never get over him getting over you
Chanyeol’s eyes were fixed on hers the whole time he was playing. She can feel herself melt under the intensity of his gaze but she never dared to look away. Never again.
I dedicate this sing to you
The one who never sees the truth
That I can take away your hurt, heartbreak girl
She was barely breathing now. All these years they had been apart, he seemed to have developed more muscles on his arms. His face had become manlier, light stubble accentuating his sharp jawline. Nevertheless, he still had that look. That innocent look that made all the girls swoon back in high school.
I gotta get it through your head that you belong with me instead
Baekhyun smiled. You did Yeol. You actually did.
Final author's note: hello dear recipient! I hope you liked this thing I wrote for you! Thank you for your lovely prompts and I'm sorry I can't write your your first prompt because I know nothing about runways and I sort of butchered your second prompt and mixed it up with the third...and thanks to c, r, my roommate rh, and my bestfriend a. As for the song in the end, That was 5sos' Heartbreak Girl.
Title: la douleur exquise
Pairing(s): Chanyeol/Baekhyun, Sehun/Baekhyun, Sehun/Luhan, Baekhyun/Suho
Rating:PG-13
Warning(s):genderbend, self-betaed some parts
Length: 8505w
Summary: Baekhyun's too busy admiring the rich guys on campus to notice that Chanyeol has always been there
Author's note: I would like to thank the yeolliepopday mods for their patience. I am so sorry I have let you down quite a lot of times.
The petite brown-haired girl clutched her hand-made fan sign tightly as she wove her way in and out of the crowd, waiting for the concert to start. She can feel the excitement brewing, starting from the sides of the stage and spreading through the entire concert hall as the people around her continued to chatter away in squeaky, high-pitched voices. The chanting started about ten minutes before the performers came out, volume steadily increasing as the time ticked away seemingly slowly than usual. By the time the lights went out and the speakers crackled to life (a signal that the show is about to start), the screams of thousands of people were almost deafening. By then, her nose is crinkling from the sour smell of sweat emanating from the people around her. Arms hurting from an hour’s worth of holding up the glittery sign and shapely thighs aching from standing in 5-inch heels for the same amount of time, the girl pushed her way to the front in order to see the stage better. She was rewarded by the sight of four guys clad in ripped jeans and snug rock band shirts. The guitarist scanned the crowd, eyes skimming over the tops of people’s heads, finally locking gazes with her as she waved the glittery sign with his name on it. His face suddenly split into two as a smile materialized on his handsome boyish face. She felt the air explode as the band started to play.
Park Chanyeol’s very first memory of a certain Byun Baekhyun was during his neighbor Jongin’s 7th birthday party. The two had had became instant friends the moment Baekhyun said she liked Chanyeol’s ears. From that moment on, Chanyeol swore Baekhyun’s the nicest thing that ever happened in his life.
He never expected himself to take back those words 10 years later as he stared down the half-finished pie on his plate, watching the cream congeal as he struggled to find an answer as to how his home economics homework was suddenly reduced to half its size from when he left it five minutes ago when he went to the restroom to relieve himself.
He scanned the classroom for telltale signs of his homework’s missing half and sure enough, he saw the familiar eye smile as the brunette gave him two thumbs-up while silently mouthing ‘Great Pie!’, whipped cream evident on her outstretched lips. Baekhyun. Byun fucking Baekhyun.
“So...what’s for lunch?” Baekhyun stared longingly at the lunch box sitting on Chanyeol’s desk. She waited for the usual explanation of what food is in the mystery box and how he acquired it but got none. Chanyeol seemed to keep his back to her the whole time she was rambling about how hungry she was and she can’t help but notice that it’s odd given that it’s Chanyeol who usually initiates the conversation first. Chanyeol’s always the one to brag about his self-proclaimed expert cooking (which, she hates to admit, is actually quite good). She tried to grab his attention by continuously prodding his back until he turns to reprimand her, but to no avail. Park Chanyeol is still ignoring her.
No one ignores Byun Baekhyun,she thought as she took off one of her shoes and used it as a projectile headed for Chanyeol’s head.
A resounding thump of leather hitting skin followed by the thud of a fallen shoe echoed in the classroom. The tall boy turned slowly to face his attacker, his exceptionally boyish face morphing into something akin to that of an angry puppy.
“First you eat half of my homework, then you started badgering me all day and just now you threw a shoe at me. What else do you want Byun?!” he said, his voice tinged with a hint of anger and annoyance as he stared down at the short female who was picking up her “fallen” shoe.
The girl simply smirked in response. "Oh, I thought you were gonna ignore me all day." She said loftily, further enraging the gangly male.
"Byun Baekhyun I swear to G---"
"I was hungry okay?" she said suddenly, cutting off Chanyeol "I didn't have breakfast this morning..." she looked at him with her big, almost tearful eyes "...and I'm sorry"
Fuck. Those eyes. Not those eyes again. Chanyeol thought.
Baekhyun smiled a little when she saw that Chanyeol’s resistance is slowly crumbling. She still continued her act nonetheless, adding a small pout to the puppy-dog eyes she had conjured from earlier.
“I was so hungry this morning…and I thought you wouldn’t mind since were friends. Best friends.” She said, emphasizing the last two words. Chanyeol groaned. Not again.
“Okay I forgive you this time. But don’t, I mean it Baek, ever eat my homework again.” He said sternly.
“Hmmm..okay I won’t!” she said cheerfully.
“You promise?” Chanyeol asked.
“I promise!” Baekhyun replied, holding up her right pinky cheerfully. Chanyeol looked at it for a few seconds before realizing what it was for. He held up his own right pinky and interlaced it with Baekhyun’s thereby sealing the deal.
“Promise.”
“Hey Yeol.” Baekhyun and Chanyeol were lying on their backs on Chanyeol’s bed, exhaustion seeping into their bones after almost an hour attempting to claw each other’s face. It started when Baekhyun unknowingly unearthed Chanyeol’s journal under his pile of “useless yet sentimental” junk. Normally, the tall boy would just let it pass and let the short girl have her way with his things. But this time, it was his journal, with all his secrets that is at stake and he won’t allow himself to go down without a fight.
Chanyeol had won of course, owing his victory to his long, gangly limbs and the fact that he knows Baekhyun’s ticklish spots. But he also nearly lost to the brown-eyed girl lying next to him (what with Baekhyun almost clawing his face off and pulling most of his hair). They were twelve then, too old to be called kids yet, too young to be regarded as teenagers.
“Hmmmm?” was all he can respond. He was still panting from their fight and he felt like his lungs would collapse from the lack of oxygen.
“What do you think of Kris?” she asked quietly. Too quietly to be exact, for someone like Baekhyun.
“Uhhh, well he’s tall and kind of silly and stupid sometimes...” He turned to face Baekhyun but the girl is still staring at the ceiling above them, placid expression plastered on her face. “..but he invites us guys over whenever he hosts a pool party or a barbecue so he’s cool. Why do you ask?"
Baekhyun gulped and turned to face Chanyeol, cheeks tinged with the slightest shade of pink. “He said he likes me.”
“You’re joking.”
“No I’m not!” Baekhyun said indignantly “He said he likes me and….even asked me out.” she muttered, voice trailing into a soft whisper when she said the last part.
“What did you say to him?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you!”
“Why are you asking me?!"
Baekhyun slapped Chanyeol’s arm none too gently “Because you’re my bestfriend, you idiot!”
“What does that have to do with your love affairs---Ow!” Chanyeol winced when she hit his arm again (harder this time).
“Okay, okay!” He held up both his hands in submission. “Okay...first things first. Do you even like the guy?”
Baekhyun seemed to contemplate for a second before answering “ Well, he’s rich…so I guess he’ll do.” she turned to face Chanyeol and saw the incredulous expression on the young boy’s face.
“What?!” she demanded.
Chanyeol scoffed. “You like rich guys?”
She returns to her previous position, with her back on the bed and face staring at the ceiling.
“You can say that.” she smirked and turned her head just a bit. Enough for her to see Chanyeol picking his nose. Idiot, she thought.
“I like guys who can feed me well.”
The noisy chatter of high school students accompanied by the cacophony of opening and closing of lockers filled Chanyeol’s ears when he walked into the hallway that morning. He went straight for his locker situated at the end of the long corridor, ignoring the jeers and judging stares of the student population. He had never been part of the popular group in his school but let’s just say puberty had done him much more good than bad and students, particularly females, can’t help but notice that. He opened his locker door, promptly removed the card he stashed in there yesterday, and zipped open his bag, revealing a single red rose in full-bloom. He smiled to himself as he closed the metal door, unmindful of the giggles from all around him. He can hear his name being called out but he was too distracted to look up. He can feel tendrils of nervousness wrapping themselves around his lithe body but somehow, the thought of finally asking Byun Baekhyun out threw him in a daze. He can still feel his body tingling from his nervous bout when suddenly, a soft, fluffy thing bumped into him, messing up his balance and almost toppling him over.
“Park Chanyeol have you gone deaf?! I’ve been calling out your name 10 times already! Don’t tell me your gigantic ears aren’t working anymore.” Baekhyun asked, tone convincingly concerned but the smirk on her face says otherwise.
The fluffy thing that had bumped into him was actually the gigantic stuffed bear Baekhyun was holding right now. He can't help but wonder why she's carrying a huge stuffed toy but he focused his attention to the girl in front of him instead. “Uhhh sorry I was just distracted, that’s all” Chanyeol weakly grinned at Baek and then he remembered what he was supposed to do “Uhh Baek….” he was about to spill it all out, to let the words trickle from his tongue and cascade out of his mouth. He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice failed him. "Uhhh..."
Baekhyun cocked her head to one side, waiting for him to speak. He can feel cold sweat forming on his temples and neck, condensing into droplets that ran down the side of his face. Seconds passed in silence.
Baekhyun, being the noisier half of their duo, can’t take it anymore so she decided to break the tension. When she thought Chanyeol isn't going to say anything, her face split into a wide grin. “Guess who asked me out to prom?”
Chanyeol felt a pinch inside him. A tiny little pinch that gradually felt like a swarm of a million pins. Somewhere in the area that contained his heart, needles are poking and prodding. He doesn’t understand. He was supposed to ask Baekhyun out that morning. She was supposed to accept. They were supposed to spend the night of wonder and sparkly fairylights together. He doesn’t want to understand. “W-what?”
Baekhyun rolled her eyes at her bestfriend’s incoherence.
“Prom Yeol. Prom.” She gestured wildly with her hands “That event where everyone dresses up and goes to this dance just like in the movies?” she grinned again and said in a singsong voice “Guess who asked meee?”
Chanyeol’s heart sunk. He doesn’t want to know. He doesn’t want to go through this. Somewhere in the confines of his chest, his heart was beating sluggishly. As if it was dying, he thought. He wanted to cry out about how the world is so unfair. Yet the question picked at the back of his brain. Who is this guy?he thought. He gulped and tried to turn his crestfallen expression into a smile while effectively hiding the limp rose and the card behind his back, out of Baekhyun's line of sight It's not a happy smile, what with bitterness creasing the lines on his face; dimming the light beneath his eyes. Nevertheless, it's still a smile.
“Who?”
She inhaled sharply before responding. “Oh fucking Sehun!!!” Baekhyun screamed. She was too absorbed in her own bliss that she didn’t see the flash of hurt that crossed Chanyeol’s eyes Too late, he thought. You’re always too late.
"Oh who?" He asked again
Baekhyun sighed in frustration at Chanyeol's lack of knowledge about these kinds of things. "Oh Sehun...you know..." she gestured wildly with her hands. "...tall, handsome guy on the basketball team?"
Chanyeol just stared at her. Baekhyun groaned, thinking of other ways on how to make him know who her prom date is. "Ah! He's that guy who got a Porsche for his birthday a few months back." she smiled when recognition flitted through Chanyeol's eyes. "And he's also the one who gave me this bear and this big box of chocolates! Isn't he just romantic?"
"Oh. Sehun. That Sehun. Yeah. Sure. Cool." he said. How do I even compete to that guy...
Chanyeol huffed as he slowly ascended the slope that led to the top of the hill. “Baek! Wait up!” he called as he struggled to take another step forward, lugging his brand new guitar and the large picnic basket Baekhyun had packed up for the two of them that morning. Gravel crunched under his feet as he pushed forward, calling for the small female to slow down so that he can catch up. Sweat trickled past his temples, settling on his chin before dropping into the ground beneath him.
The air felt warm and humid against his skin, adding up to his frustrations. This was all Baekhyun’s plan anyway, he thought. Why am I the only one suffering?He can see her short figure on the top of the hill now.
“Hurry up slowpoke!” she yelled at him. He just glared at her before continuing his almighty hike up the steep hill slope.
“Come on Park! Don’t tell me those legs of yours are just for show!” she hollered at him, mocking him.
“I would’ve been up there faster if someone was kind enough to share the responsibility of carrying this heavy load with me!” he yelled back. “Seriously Baek, what the hell did you pack in this basket?”
“You’ll know soon enough. Now man up and get your ass up here right this minute or else our food’s gonna rot”
"What's that?" Baekhyun asked when Chanyeol finally settled himself under the shade of the tree on top of the hill.
"What's what? Oh this? This is my baby."
"Men can't have babies Yeol." Baekhyun said flatly as he took the guitar from Chanyeol's arms and started to play with the strings.
"Ever heard of figure of speech Baek? You hurt my baby's feelings." Chanyeol retorted, taking back the instrument and massaging it's almost pristine surface, searching for possible scratchmarks. He let out a relieved sigh when he saw that there was none. "Don't hurt my baby Baek, I saved up for about 2 years to buy this."
Baekhyun rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
"I can play a few songs on her already."
"It's a thing Yeol. You should address it as it and not her"
"Yeah, yeah. You're just jealous of her Baek"
"That's ridiculous Yeol. I certainly do not want to be fondled by your gigantic hands all day"
Chanyeol blushed at the thought of him touching Baekhyun in parts where he shouldn't. He shook his head to get rid of the thought, a motion which piqued Baekhyun's curiousity.
"What were you thinking Yeol?"
"Errr. Nothing." He tried to keep his face as blank as possible when he answered her.
Baekhyun scoffed. “Yeah right. What were you really thinking?”
“Oh look! Food! Let’s eat, I’m starving.” He tried to change the topic hoping that Baek would forget about her query. “Baek, did you cook these? They look delicious.”
“Really?” Baekhyun was distracted. Mission accomplished. “Yes. I sort of tried to cook. I even referred to the cook books I found stashed under your bed.”
“You what?!”
“So how was it?” she asked, eyes hopeful.
Chanyeol took a bite of the chicken drizzled with orange sauce and internally gagged. The chicken tasted like cardboard and there’s something in the sauce that made is tongue cringe in disgust. He didn’t want to hurt Baekhyun’s feelings so with a great effort, he mustered his brightest smile. “It’s good!” he even took another bite to make the lie somehow believable. Baekhyun didn’t buy it. His twitching left eye gave away his lie.
“It was disgusting wasn’t it? Tell the truth Yeol. Or I would break your limited edition action figures.”
“Okay it was disgusting.” He confessed. “But there’s still room for improvement. I think you’ll get better at it if you practice.”
Chanyeol thought he saw hurt in Baekhyun’s eyes for a second. He expected her to cry or berate him for being too hard on her since she was just a beginner after all. But she just shrugged, saying that there’s no point crying over spilt milk and then proceeded to open a bag of chips that was stashed in her backpack earlier.
“Chips again Baek?”
“You have no right to complain since this is all I can afford with my allowance right now.”
They had a few bags of chips and Chanyeol’s packed sandwiches for lunch that day. He thought it wasn’t that bad since he was with Baekhyun after all. They ended up taking a nap under the tree, Chanyeol leaning against the trunk while Baekhyun was cosily curled up with her head on his lap.
“For the nth time today Yeol, the answer’s still no.”
Chanyeol flinched when Baekhyun slammed her locker door hard, her keys jingling violently in the slot near the metal handle. “I’ve already said yes to the guy and” she turned to face him, hand poised to jab his chest “I really, really, really want to go with him.” she punctuated each word with a painful jab in between his ribs. Chanyeol thought his sternum was gonna break from all her jabbing. He massaged his chest (which was probably bruising) before he spoke.
“Well, I heard he was a gangster and the son of a mafia leader to boot!” He widened his eyes in an attempt to stress this fact to Baekhyun and make her believe. “Maybe that’s why they’re so rich! Maybe his family’s composed of ninjas that assassinate presidents!”
“For the love of God! He. Is. Not. A. Gangster! Kim Jongdae made up that stupid rumor back in middle school!” she stamped her foot in frustration “And for your information Yeol, he’s actually the heir to a multi-million dollar company. His family’s comprised of corporate geniuses, not ninja assassins!” she turned on her heels and headed for the classroom. “Honestly Yeol, I don’t know why you’re so persistent on making him look bad.” she stopped in her tracks and turned to Yeol who was still mulling over the fact that his rival (for Baekyun’s heart) is a multi-million dollar heir. “I mean, okay I get it that you’re just acting your part as my bestfriend to...” she made quotation marks in the air “…protect me from boys that might harm me.” she scrunched her nose in annoyance. “But Yeol…” there was a slight pause when Baekhyun locked her gaze with Chanyeol’s, eyes softening when she saw concern etched on the latter’s face. “I’m all grown up now. Sehun might not be the nicest guy in this planet, but I think I can handle him.” Chanyeol can feel color flooding his cheeks when Baekhyun lightly squeezed his arm in reassurance
“Don’t worry about me okay?”
“Okay well, maybe he’s not one of those creepy ninja turtles.” Chanyeol said as he tried to catch up to the short female marching towards their respective classrooms “But I thought he’s with that Chinese exchange student Luna?”
Baekhyun suddenly wheeled around to face the tall guy trailing behind her. So fast that it made Chanyeol’s cheeks sting from the whipping it got from the girl's outrageously long hair.
“Correction. Was. They broke up last week” she flipped her hair a bit before continuing “And her name’s Luhan, not Luna.”
“Don’t you think he’s just using you to make her jealous though?”
Baekhyun rolled her eyes in disbelief. “Shut up Yeol. You’re just jealous cause I’m going to the prom with a date and you’re not.” she frowned “Why aren’t you asking someone out to go with you anyway? I’m sure a lot of girls..” she side-eyed the girls giggling and pointing behind Chanyeol “...would love to go to the prom with you”
But Baek, I want to go to the the prom with YOU he thought.
“Uhhh...prom’s not really my thing. I don’t think I’ll even attend prom.” he said. I don’t want to see you dancing with someone else
Chanyeol switches from gingerly polishing and plucking a few simple tunes on his guitar as he waited for his turn to perform onstage, fingers tingling from nervousness as he struggled to remember the chords to the song he was about to perform. The waiting room gave off a very unfriendly aura with its dim lights and dirty corners. The smell of mold and dust coming from the old cabinet behind him filled his nose when he titled his monoblock chair back. He can hear the crowd cheering for whoever was currently performing and thinking about how many people are out there gave him the chills. Park Chanyeol isn’t really fond of large crowds, preferring to just jam with a bunch of people he’s familiar with.
He closed his eyes and continued to mull over the chords in his head, strumming his guitar softly to help him remember. He had never been this nervous before and the feeling was awful. The noisy scraping of plastic furniture against the floor snapped him out of his reverie. He turned to see Baekhyun dragging a plastic chair towards him, her wavy, brown hair bouncing back and forth. That was the first time Chanyeol saw Baekhyun’s hair like that, most of the time it’s just bunched up and frizzy. Somehow, after her 15 years of existence, Baekhyun had finally managed to disentangle her locks and let them flow down her back and shoulders in bronze curls. She placed the chair beside the one Chanyeol’s sitting on and sat down.
“What are you doing here?” he asked
“I’m here to support you of course.”
Chanyeol stared at her incredulously. Baekhyun supporting him isn’t a normal occurrence after all. He’s sure the small girl’s up to something again. “What is it this time Baek?”
Baekhyun frowned. “Nothing. I just want to see you that’s all” her smile is unusually forced, unlike the ones she wore when she’s plotting to ruin Park Chanyeol’s life. Somehow, that made him a little bit more relieved, in contrast to the little girl who was quietly rocking back and forth in her chair. She seemed pale and he can’t help but notice how she rubbed her hands together, twisting her fingers around each other. Chanyeol pondered for a while, searching for reasons why Byun Baekhyun seemed so nervous.
Maybe she’s nervous for me he thought.
He went onstage the moment his name was called, exuding a kind of aura and charisma that left the crowd crawling with anticipation. He seated himself on the stool propped for performers in the center of the stage. He started slow, plucking the strings softly but surely. It went like that for a while until Chanyeol gradually increased his pace, long fingers skimming over the strings creating a variety of tunes that harmonized and blended with one another to form one melodious tune that left the audience waiting with bated breath. He finished his piece with a flourish and the auditorium exploded with cheers from the audience. Chanyeol wiped the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead in the past few minutes he had been playing his instrument. He bowed and descended from the raised platform, tripping on the process and sending the microphone screeching across the stage. He put it back in its rightful place on the stand and bowed awkwardly in apology.
He scanned the crowd for signs of Baekhyun who was probably waving a sign with his name on it. Nothing of the sort caught his eye. He can feel the people clapping him on the back, saying how good he was and how they really liked his performance. He mumbled a simple thank you to all of them, eyes still searching for the petite female.
The microphone screeched for a second time when the next performer took her place on the stage. Chanyeol turned back, abandoning his search for Baekhyun for a while, to find the source of the awful screeching sound. He was shocked to see Byun Baekhyun standing on the platform decked in a dress and heels.
“Hello. My name is Byun Baekhyun and I will sing for all of you tonight.”
Byun Baekhyun? Singing? Chanyeol can’t quite connect the two concepts together. All his life, the only time he heard Baekhyun sing was during one of those nights where a noraebang seemed to be a great idea. Chanyeol can’t help but sulk about the fact that Baekhyun didn’t tell him a thing. It’s unfair that she knew that he was joining the talent show but he didn’t know that she was.
She wasn’t nervous for him after all. She was nervous for herself.
His thoughts were cut off the moment she opened her mouth to sing her melody. She starts slowly and smoothly, notes flowing like water, gentle and soothing. Chanyeol was immediately lulled into the song, breath hitching at the high notes and the occasional fluctuation of her voice. Damn Baek, why didn’t you tell me you could sing? His heart skipped a beat when he heard Baekhyun’s falsetto, high and clear, ringing throughout the entire hall and faltering into a clean finish to her song. Once again, the crowd exploded but this time, it’s louder and Chanyeol’s not the one onstage. But Chanyeol doesn’t care about all of that. For the first time in his life, he doesn’t mind that Baekhyun’s always winning against him. For the first time, he seemed to see Baekhyun under a different light, one which enhanced her strong points and soften her features making her look innocent and tame. For the first time, Chanyeol wished he wasn’t just friends with Baekhyun.
The night is young but the dark sky is already peppered with stars; it almost seemed picturesque if not for the lone being blending within the depths of the building's shadow. Multicolored lights dance here and there, striking beams of green and red against the young man's pale yet handsome face once, twice. Time trickled by slowly. The moon rose up higher into the midnight blue sky. But still, the man didn't budge an inch from his place, save from the occasional fidgeting and stretching of his long, gangly legs. He stayed in his place even though passersby had invited him in for a drink. He stayed; eyes keen and searching, searching for signs of a certain long haired brunette who was yet to arrive, along with her long legged escort. The man tapped his shoes against the concrete pavement once, twice; the clacking sound of his sole against the rough cemented floor drowned by the noisy tune emanating from within the building.Every now and then, ladies would come and go, smiling and giggling at him in glittery gowns that glow brighter than the polite smile the man offers in return. He turned his attention to the garden on his right. The strings of little white bulbs glowed softly like fairylights, making the scene more fairytale-ish in a bystander's eye.
Every now and then he would scurry deeper into the shadow's dark embrace, hiding himself from the pointed looks and judging stares one might throw in his direction. Every now and then he would resurface and continue listening to the steady trickle of water in the fountain; resurface and continue to look out for signs of the long haired lady. Park Chanyeol steps away from the shadows to look for signs of a certain Byun Baekhyun.
He heard a car pull up and by the looks of it, it seems like the most expensive car present tonight. Oh Sehun got out from behind the wheel and walked to the other side to help up a beautiful girl clad in a dazzling white gown. Chanyeol’s breath hitched when he realized who it was. Byun Baekhyun. The girl of his dreams. He managed a small smile and waved back when Baekhyun passed by him with Oh Sehun in tow. She seemed really happy he thought. I should be happy for her too.
"You were right Yeol."
Chanyeol frowned. He was shocked to see Baekhyun alone and about. He wanted to ask where her escort went off to but saw the crestfallen expression on Baek’s face so he didn’t.
"Right about what?" Baekhyun did not respond. She seemed distracted, staring the whole time at one place in the room. Chanyeol followed her gaze and saw Oh Sehun swaying slowly to the beat of the music; big smile plastered across his face whilst holding Luhan close. Too close. "Oh."
"I'm an idiot. I feel like shit right now."
Baekhyun was smiling, but Chanyeol knew she's holding back her tears. He doesn't know what to do, doesn't know how to comfort women. So he does what he does best. He gathered Baekhyun in his arms and patted her head. She didn't complain, she just buried her head further into his chest.
"I should've listened to you, you know?" she muttered "But no, I am just too proud to admit to myself that I'm just his temporary Luhan. His second option."
Even though he can't see it, he can feel her crying in his arms. Baekhyun's like that. She doesn't want people to know she can cry like a normal human being too. She might wear her tough facade like a second skin, but beneath that is a girl like any other. A girl with emotions. He let her cry on his shoulder, tracing soothing circles on her back to calm her down.
"Will you dance with me?"
“What?” Did Baekhyun just asked me to dance with her? Chanyeol thought, clearly surprised that Baekhyun had invited him...not the other way around. Maybe this is a sign, he thought.
Baekhyun snorted through Chanyeol’s suit, face still buried in his tux. She lifted her face to look at Chanyeol with those eyes. The same eyes she had used against him when she ate Chanyeol’s homework when they were in middle school.
“It’s the least you can do to cheer me up.”
Chanyeol was about to reply but Baekhyun immediately dragged him to the dance floor, pulled him through a horde of smartly dressed people, dresses glittering like jewels and faces almost unrecognizable under all the cosmetic products they had slathered on it. Baekhyun let go of Chanyeol’s hand when they arrived at the center of the dance floor---only to clasp them around his neck, closing the distance between the two of them. Chanyeol didn’t know what to do. His mind was still fuzzy from being asked out to dance by the girl of his dreams. He had no idea what to do since he’s not actually the type to attend social gatherings like these. He placed his hands on her hips, furtherly cosing the gap between the two of them. It started awkwardly, both of them trying to think of something to say as they swayed to the slow tune. Baekhyun was short. So short that Chanyeol had to bend, lower his head to whisper something in her ear.
“Isn’t this a bit awkward?”
Baekhyun giggled; she tiptoed, using Chanyeol’s shoulder to support herself, to whisper something back in his abnormally large ear “You’re so tall, it’s hard to talk to you like this...” She paused, “..but this isn’t awkward at all. I kind of like it actually.”
Chanyeol smiled "Hey Baek, I'm gonna twirl you around."
"That's so cheesy Yeol."
"I like being cheesy."
Baekhyun only laughed in response and twirled once underneath their entwined fingers, slipping a bit and landing not so gently on Chanyeol's chest. "Sorry!" It was Chanyeol's turn to laugh this time, wrapping his arms around Baekhyun to prevent any more accidents. His laughter ringing in Baekhyun's ear like the cool trickle of clear, flowing water. She doesn't want to move away from the confines of his embrace but she realized she didn't have to. Chanyeol continued to hold her safely against him even though the danger had already passed. Baekhyun closed her eyes and let herself melt into Chanyeol and they swayed slowly to the music. They don't speak. They just feel.
They say, the magic ends once the music stops.
Chanyeol stood at the far end of the room, far away from people who might think of striking up a conversation with. It's not that he doesn't talk to people a lot, he actually does. He just wanted to divert his attention to the matter at hand. Baekhyun. They stopped dancing a while ago when the slow tunes morphed into something more upbeat, the kind of music you would bob your head to. The girl had excused herself after they got off the dance floor, mumbling something about needing to relieve herself in the comfort room. That was fifteen minutes ago. Chanyeol was getting worried about her but at the same time, the prospects of him going into the girl’s bathroom to check on her is close to null. So in the end, he just stood there, awkwardly nodding at people who waved in his direction. His throat was parched, whether from lack of use or lack of drink, he doesn't know. Either way, a drink sounds nice. He strode through the dance floor which was now heavily populated by sweaty teenagers in their expensive dresses and ridiculously high high heels. He can feel the music pounding ceaselessly against his eardrums As he neared the buffet table laden with a plethora of food ranging from simple finger food to extravagant desserts the heavy thudding of bass in his ear was almost deafening. The drinks, including a variety of suspicious looking liquor bottles, were located closest to the gigantic speakers and Chanyeol had to use one hand to pour himself a soda and the other to cover his ringing left ear. He was about to go back to his place at the edge of the crowd, away from the source of noise when he spied a familiar white dress swishing about in the crowd. He stopped dead in his tracks. There on the center of the dance floor is Baekhyun, dancing along to the lascivious song with a slightly taller guy. The spotlight hit the man’s face for a second and it was long enough for Chanyeol to recognize him as the wealthy student council president Kim Junmyeon. Their bodies collided in a dance of lewd frivolity, dignity thrown aside if Baekhyun’s smiling face was any indication. Chanyeol’s eyes burned. He wished he hadn’t looked.
Life is never fair. Just when you thought you had that one thing you wanted most, it swoops down and takes it out of your grasp.
Chanyeol woke up with cramp firing up in his left leg. He shifted from his previous sitting position, carefully freeing his cramping leg while gently holding up Baekhyun’s sleeping head with his hand. Once he found a much more suitable sitting position, he laid Baekhyun’s head on his lap again. He was scrolling through various apps on his phone to pass the time when he heard a small whimper. He turned his attention to the small mass stirring on his lap and chuckled softly when he saw Baekhyun pout in her sleep. He turned his attention back to the device on his hand, tapping away to ease his boredom. A few minutes later he felt Baekhyun wake up, stretching her short limbs and groaning about hating Chanyeol for not waking her up earlier.
“You were out like a lightbulb. And I think we both know that you’ll probably kick me if I wake you up.” Chanyeol said.
“Hmmm..Yeah, you’re probably right.” She replies as she cracks her knuckles. “Uhh Yeol, what are you doing with my hair?”
It was at that moment that Chanyeol realizes that he he’d been absentmindedly caressing Baekhyun’s hair, threading her locks into his fingers gently.
“Oh. Uhh...I was just…” He wracked his brains to find a decent excuse. “Picking out the bugs. That crawled into it. While you were sleeping obviously. Yeah. Definitely the bugs.” Yeah. Definitely a decent excusehe thought.
Baekhyun crawled into a sitting position, back resting against Chanyeol’s chest as she scooted into position. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, only the sound of chirping crickets breaking the silence. They were so close that he can practically feel her breathing against him. The soft waves of hair on top of her head tickled his neck but he persevered. He didn’t want to make Baekhyun uncomfortable.
“Hey Yeol.”
“Hmmm?”
“How come you're still single?” she turned her head and blushed when her face almost collided with his. “I mean, how come you’re not dating when you’re obviously getting a lot of confessions from the girls in our school?” she said when she had regained her composure.
“Hmmmm…” he pondered over the question for a while “I’m not really sure how to answer that myself…” he looked at the small girl staring expectantly at him “...I guess they’re not really my type?”
“Hmmmmm…” Baekhyun just hummed. There was a pregnant pause and Chanyeol thought it would stretch out forever. Even the crickets seemed to stop chirping. He wanted to stay like this forever.
“What’s your ideal type then?”
Baekhyun’s clear voice rang out through the silent hilltop and Chanyeol was caught off guard. He instantly jerked back and hit his head on the tree , a move which startled Baekhyun. “Oh my---Are you okay?” Chanyeol only nodded in response, noting the gradually growing lump at the back of his head. When they had calmed down, Baekhyun repeated her question “So, what is your ideal type?”
“Why are you so curious about that?” Chanyeol can’t help but get frustrated. He doesn’t want to answer these types of questions in front of Baekhyun. Not when his object of interest is the one asking the question. Not yet.
“Just answer the question.”
“Okay. My ideal type is…” he smirked. “Not you Baek.”
Chanyeol hadn’t heard from Baekhyun over the weekend. He tried to be understanding and told himself that she was just probably just tired and needed some rest. That she didn’t call because she’s too busy lazing around, sleeping all day on her bed.
They were supposed to meet in front of her locker so that they can walk home together but Baekhyun isn’t anywhere to be found. Chanyeol had been waiting for an hour already, tapping his shoes to the beat of the song that played in his head. Another 30 minutes had passed but still no sign of Baekhyun and he was starting to worry. He was contemplating whether to search the school to find the short brunette when his phone vibrated in his pocket. It was Baekhyun calling.
“Yeol you can go home alone. I’m going to ride home with Junmyeon.”
“Okay? Why are you with the student council president?” Chanyeol scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.
“Oh. Didn’t I tell you? Junmyeon and I are going out now.” Somehow he isn’t really surprised. It was expected. It didn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt though.
“Oh. Okay. Have fun.”
Change is inevitable. Whether you like it or not, it will come to you.
The drift was sudden. What used to be Chanyeol and Baekhyun became Junmyeon and Baekhyun, except of course that the latter had much more intimacy. Chanyeol found himself alone during lunchtimes and dismissals, times when he was supposed to be basking in Baekhyun’s presence. The days became longer, much more exhausting without Baekhyun to look forward to at the end of the draining lessons. He tried adapting to his new life without Baekhyun after a week of being rejected by his best friend. From offers to go to the park to offers to walk her to and from school, Baekhyun had refused them all. She even shot down his invitation to pick up their weekly Chinese takeout dinner together, saying that she had to go to this and that with Junmyeon. Chanyeol can’t even remember all the places she had visited abroad with the rich student council president in the span of one week that they had been together. He can’t even spend time with her on the way to school because Junmyeon picks her up promptly at seven in the morning. He had to eat out of the Chinese takeout boxes by himself while she was enjoying rather fancy evening in a fancy Chinese restaurant Junmyeon’s family owns. Chanyeol found his days being plagued by spare time. He should be happy Baekhyun's not bossing him around to run errands for her anymore. He should be happy he's got so much time in his hands to practice with his guitar more. But he isn't. Baekhyun's absence is like a gaping hole seeking to be filled out. But fill it out with what? With the companionship of others? Either way, he really should start living a life without Byun Baekhyun.
Not all relationships work out. You might think it is. You might convince yourself it’ progressing slowly when it’s actually sinking. No one knows when it will end. That’s the problem with most relationships, you can never be too certain.
“Just a minute!” Chanyeol hollered into the empty house as he turns off the shower and covers himself before dashing out to answer his phone. “Hey Baek what’s-okay I’ll be there in a minute, just let me get my clothes.”
A few minutes later, Chanyeol is climbing into Baekhyun’s bedroom with his hair uncombed and his shirt put on backwards. He was wondering where on earth his bestfriend is when he noticed a big mass of blankets on Baekhyun’s bed. He approached the big lump on the center of the bed and prodded it once.
“Baek?” he said softly, earning nothing but a sob from the said lump. He tried shaking the mass of blankets covering Baekhyun’s small frame again, coaxing the brunette to talk to him but to no avail. Finally, he stood up and walked to the window “I can’t help you if you don’t want to be helped Baek” and he turned to open the window sill.
“Wait-“ Chanyeol froze. He can hear her sobbing through the layers of blankets she had piled upon herself. “Wait! Yeol, I’m sorry please don’t leave. I just---“ The sobbing ensued and Chanyeol can feel his heart break at the sound of her crying. He approached the bed again, this time letting himself on it to peel off the blankets wrapped around Baekhyun’s body, whispering words of comfort as he hugs his sobbing bestfriend close.
“Shhh...Baek, don’t cry. Everything’s gonna be alright. Shhh.” He rubbed circles on her back in an attempt to pacify her. “You know Baek, I don’t know why you’re even crying about that guy” he said, trying to comfort her but obviously failing to do so when Baekhyun cried even louder than before. “Well, not that you don’t actually have a right to cry because you do! That jerk cheated on you and broke your heart---“ Chanyeol winced when Baekhyun started wailing. “No no no Baek I didn’t mean to say that! What I meant was,” He hugged her tightly, and caressed her hair as she snuggled further into his arms and pressed her face into his chest. Chanyeol noticed that it seemed to calm her down so he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her further into his embrace and resting his chin on the top of her head, his lips barely touching her forehead when he murmured, “You’re a beautiful girl, and that it’s his loss that he let go of someone as wonderful as you.”
There was a long pause. The kind of
pause that made Chanyeol think that he had said the wrong words. The kind of pause that made him wish for something he could use to take back what he just said. The kind of pause that eats away at your nerves, and sends your inner self consciousness running in circles, screaming. He was about to crack another silly joke to ease the tension when Baekhyun spoke up.
“You really mean all of that?” Baekhyun whispers, finally looking up to look at Chanyeol.
“Yeah I guess?” He looked at Baekhyun’s red nose poking through her dishevelled hair, her thin lips forming into a pout, and her wet, glassy eyes blinking away tears and wondered how someone can hurt such a fragile little girl. “Yes, I meant everything I just said.”
Baekhyun smiled at that. He might be stupid. He might be really naive and insensitive. He might’ve regretted doing a lot of embarrassing stuff in the past. Hell, he might’ve even regretted his own existence. But if there’s one thing he doesn’t regret, it’s calling Byun Baekhyun beautiful. He will never regret that he made his bestfriend smile.
Byun Baekhyun woke up to the sound of her doorbell's incessant ringing. She groggily trudged to the door to greet her early visitor, only to be taken aback when she recognized the face on the other side of the door.
"Kim Jongdae?!"
The unexpected visitor smiled in response "It's been a long time Baek.”
"What are you doing here?" she asked, clearly still shell-shocked over the fact that Jongdae is standing on her doorstep. How long has it been? Three years? Four? Baekhyun can’t remember the last time she saw the vocalist of his band. It had been years since she last saw him.
"I'm here to give you this."
Baekhyun eyed the suspiciously thin envelope protruding from Jongdae's hand "I didn't know you're into writing letters Jongdae."
Jondae frowned in confusion "This is not a letter." he said "Well, I'm not really sure if notes fall in the same category but technically speaking, it's not." he cleared his throat before continuing "And it's not from me so you can stop having your fantasies about me now."
After Jongdae had left, Baekhyun ripped open the envelope to find inside a single ticket to a band concert and a note.
"Baek, It’s been too long. I really hope you could come."
Long after Chanyeol had gone home to tend to his household duties, Baekhyun had willed herself to get up and fix he mess that is her room and herself. She started with her room, clearing away traces of Junmyeon and her other past heartbreaks. She threw everything in a box; she’d either throw them all away or give them back to their rightful owners. She was rummaging through the albums when a photo fell out. It was a shot of Baekhyun and Chanyeol posing dorkily in front of the camera. They were in grade school back then. Baekhyun felt as if she had known him all her life. She laughed at the thought of him going along with her crazy antics and irrational sassy behaviour all these years. And then it hit her.
Chanyeol had been with her through her ups and downs. He’s been the one supporting her all along.
She opened the photo album and looked at the photos. Wherever Baekhyun was, Chanyeol was there also. On her 12th birthday, he was the one holding the cake and smiling while Baekhyun blew at the candles. He was also with Baekhyun the day they graduated grade school, posing in front of the camera with his trademark victory sign. He’s so cute, with a big smiled plastered across his face and eyes crinkling at the corners. He was always there. She was so stupid for noticing it just now. She closed the album, got dressed and ran out of the house in record time.
Fate was never on their side. Baekhyun ran into a shocked Chanyeol holding up a letter asking him to come abroad for a program that specialized with instruments.
The crowd was beyond uncontrollable. Everyone was either shouting or singing along. The brunette kept on waving her sign, screaming along with the hundreds, thousands of fans around her. She can feel the energy reverberating through the stands, creating a buzzing wave that was about to explode at the climax of the show. The speakers blared as the vocalist passed the microphone to their tall guitarist. His eyes shone with recognition when his gaze landed on the petite girl waving the glittery sign amidst the sea of people.
“Are you all having fun?” he yelled into the electronic device in his hand. His voice was instantly amplified five, six, who knows how many times. The crowd shouted back its assent, prompting the guitarist to say more.
“I hate to say this but this will be our last song for tonight!”
The crowd groaned. It turned into a growl of protest, shouting for more. The guitarist just continued talking with his deep, deep voice sending shivers down the petite girl’s spine. “I’m sorry folks. Anyway, since this is our last song for tonight, I want to dedicate this to the girl who lit up my world.” His gaze grazed on hers, and she felt a tingling feeling washing over her.
“I know you’re here Baek. Don’t even try to hide behind your glittery sign.” There was a hush and it seemed like all eyes were on her as if a spotlight was above her head. Chanyeol started plucking his guitar and after a few beats, Jongdae’s voice accompanied the sound of guitar along with the crashing of cymbals and the beat of the drums.
You call me up, it’s like a broken record
Saying that your heart hurts
That you never get over him getting over you
Chanyeol’s eyes were fixed on hers the whole time he was playing. She can feel herself melt under the intensity of his gaze but she never dared to look away. Never again.
I dedicate this sing to you
The one who never sees the truth
That I can take away your hurt, heartbreak girl
She was barely breathing now. All these years they had been apart, he seemed to have developed more muscles on his arms. His face had become manlier, light stubble accentuating his sharp jawline. Nevertheless, he still had that look. That innocent look that made all the girls swoon back in high school.
I gotta get it through your head that you belong with me instead
Baekhyun smiled. You did Yeol. You actually did.
Final author's note: hello dear recipient! I hope you liked this thing I wrote for you! Thank you for your lovely prompts and I'm sorry I can't write your your first prompt because I know nothing about runways and I sort of butchered your second prompt and mixed it up with the third...and thanks to c, r, my roommate rh, and my bestfriend a. As for the song in the end, That was 5sos' Heartbreak Girl.