On air for ambulanceu
For: ambulanceu
Title: On Air
Pairing(s): Chanyeol/Baekhyun
Rating: PG
Warning(s) Spoilers of K.Will’s ‘Please Don’t’ MV (sorry)
Length: 3.1k
Summary: DJ PCY’s biggest fan starts sending him unusual messages.
Author's note: Dear recipient, this is a short, little fic, but I hope you can enjoy it anyway. You asked for no OCs and, since I needed to mention a minor character, I used SNSD’s Sooyoung. I hope you don’t mind that.
Could you fall in love with your best friend?
Chanyeol stares at the screen, a little dumbfounded. But the radio doesn’t allow silence, so he speaks.
“Of course, you could. I could… Uhm.. I think you can fall in love with anyone, whether it’s a friend or a stranger.” He wonders about it. “Maybe… falling in love with your best friend is easier. You know each other so well, each other’s quirks, your strengths and weaknesses and you love spending time with them.”
When he looks down at the script in his hands, he arranges the pages before continuing. He doesn’t even look towards the glass window where he knows Sehun is watching.
“You’ve learned to read their smiles.” The image of someone’s grin pops up in his head, a very familiar smile that is contagious. Chanyeol feels his own lips reacting, curling up at the end. “You’ve also learn to read their eyes and the feelings they express.” This time he doesn’t let the images come. “It’s easy when you know so much about a person; when you have such a close connection. Love can grow from there.”
From the corner of his eye, he notices movement and looks towards Sehun who’s pointing at his wrist. Then, he draws a circle in the air. Chanyeol clears his throat.
“It’s scary, isn’t it? Falling in love. Especially, if it’s with someone close to you.” He takes a deep breath. “Love may sound complicated, but in reality, it can be so simple. It’s up to you to make it simple. So, yes. You could fall in love with your best friend. You could confess too, if you are willing to jump over that fine line between friendship and love.”
Sehun’s judging face stares at him from behind the glass. An expression of ‘what are you even talking about, hyung?’
“And with this hopeful note, we’re ending PCY’s Happy Night. This has been Park Chanyeol, the one that spreads happiness like a virus.” He grins, even if none of his listeners can see it. He knows that smiles can be heard too.
The show’s song starts playing right after his words, the one he jokingly composed one night at Baekhyun’s house. It has the right beat to give energy to the listeners that are working, but not overwhelm those that are ready to go to bed.
Leaning back into his creaking chair, he sighs and takes off the headphones. He also takes off his black snapback, only to fix his hair, and puts it back on. Sehun walks in to take away a few things. The DJ from the next show walks into the studio, greets Chanyeol and takes the now free seat by the computer.
“That was a strange question…” Chanyeol tells Sehun as they walk towards the elevator.
“It wasn’t that weird.” Sehun stares at him.
“Coming from SmallingB, it was.”
His biggest fan usually sends comments about the show or how Chanyeol’s deep voice makes his nights better. He sometimes asks questions about music; he seems to have a similar taste to Chanyeol’s. Even though through words on a screen you can’t see a person, Chanyeol can always detect a certain brightness in SmallingB’s messages. They help him work better. It’s easier to be cheerful when he gets that type of comments. At times, it feels like SmallingB is right there with him hosting the show.
“What did you bring?” Baekhyun greets Chanyeol, reaching out for the black plastic bag in his hands.
“Not even a hello?” Chanyeol tsks. “What kind of friend are you?”
“A hungry one,” Baekhyun replies as he with him the fried chicken. “How was the show today?” He then asks, setting the cola drinks on the table and opening the boxes.
“You should listen to it more often, Baek.” Chanyeol’s resigned himself to his friend not paying attention to his job. “I swear it’s fun.”
“I’m sure it is, Yeol. It’s you, so it must be fun.” Baekhyun grins at him, a rectangle shaped smile, bright enough to make Chanyeol forget that Baekhyun doesn’t listen to his show.
“We’ll eat well!” Chanyeol says and dives in for the soy flavored chicken, before Baekhyun’s chopsticks can get to it.
They don’t eat silently; their munching is loud in Baekhyun’s small kitchen. And when their mouths aren’t busy with food, they talk. Baekhyun tells him about about the new albums that have arrived today to the music store, while Chanyeol nods, keeping all the artists names to check them out later.
“There’s a coffee shop near by. They make great bingsoo. We should go together someday,” Baekhyun comments.
“Nice. Let’s do it.” Chanyeol lifts his eyes from the clean chicken stick in his hands and finds Baekhyun staring at him. His eyes seem lost, as if his mind is somewhere else. “What?”Chanyeol asks, wiping the side of his mouth.
“Nothing.” Baekhyun shakes his head and wipes his mouth too. There’s grease on his lips, making it look like he’s put on gloss. Chanyeol licks his own lips.
When they’re done as there’s nothing to clean, Baekhyun hurries him to the bedroom. Chanyeol washes his hand before following him. He brings his laptop to the room and finds Baekhyun already sitting in front of his computer, opening League of Legends.
“Come on, Yeol! You’re so slow!”
Chanyeol is used to Baekhyun’s complaints, so he takes them with a shake of his head and a smile. He’ll soon be hearing curses coming from his friend; he can’t lose his patience with Baekhyun now.
“What are we doing today?” Chanyeol asks Baekhyun as his laptop is turning on.
His friend excitedly explains the strategy he has in mind, what they’re going to do, where they’re heading to. His eyes shine brightly as he speaks, and Chanyeol can’t even look back at his own screen. When Baekhyun notices it, he turns to him curiously.
“So?”
“Hm?” Chanyeol snaps back to the game.
“What do you think?” Baekhyun asks him, looking a bit impatient, his leg bouncing fast and his lower lip trapped under his teeth.
“Uh... yeah… fine,” Chanyeol mumbles.
Baekhyun furrows his eyebrows and his leg stops moving. “Are you okay, Yeol?”
“Yeah, I’m good. I had a strange question sent to the show tonight.” He feels like he should explain further, but the way Baekhyun is staring at him shuts him up. “Let’s play, sobboonging.”
The chat in the screen scrolls fast as the commercials are being played. Sehun walks in to hand him a bottle of water and take away a leftover microphone from when his guest Do Kyungsoo was on. Chanyeol checks the script in his hands and reads it over, until he reaches the song request part. He looks back up at the screen, eyes traveling in search of one.
SmallingB’s username pops out in between all the different names. Chanyeol can’t help but smile.
“Get K.Will’s ‘Please Don’t’ ready,” Chanyeol says to Sehun before the assistant producer leaves the studio. The PD from behind the glass nods when Sehun tells him what Chanyeol said.
The commercial ends and Sehun signs at Chanyeol to start speaking.
“As you, usual listeners, know, I don’t like to talk about loneliness or broken hearts right before our show ends. Nighttime doesn’t have to be a moment of melancholy. Yet, I can’t help but appreciate a good song and a good voice. As requested by SmallingB,” - Chanyeol smiles-, “let’s listen to K.Will’s ‘Please Don’t’. Our friend here asks me, ‘What do you think about the music video, DJ PCY?’”
Chanyeol laughs as he remembers watching the music video for the first time with Baekhyun, both of them screaming at the plot twist, Chanyeol laughing and clapping and Baekhyun exclaiming nonsense.
“It was a great video. I watched it with my best friend. I couldn’t shut up about it afterwards.”
He also remembers that, after the initial shock, Baekhyun became silent, not looking at Chanyeol in the eye. It made him wonder if his friend was maybe uncomfortable with homosexuality. But Baekhyun was quick to deny that, admitting out loud and with a deep blush on his cheeks that he didn’t have a problem with it. And Chanyeol understood. He placed his hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder rubbing soothing circles.
“Must be difficult, to love someone you can’t have. Especially if it’s someone so close to you.” Chanyeol looks down at the screen to see the new messages coming up, people telling their opinions on the song, the video and some personal stories even. Chanyeol smiled at that. “To those of you that are struggling with love, I wish you good luck and I hope you get your happy ending.”
“Why can’t you come with us?”
Baekhyun didn’t reply at first; he was looking down at his phone as if there was something more interesting there than Chanyeol’s question.
“I promised my brother I would help him with something. Can you drop me off at his house?” His friend finally lifted his head. His face was practically blank, without a sign of what he was thinking.
“Sooyoung insisted on dinner together. You promised me you’d come.” Chanyeol’s hands tightened on the wheel. He was getting tired of Baekhyun dismissing their plans, refusing to do things together or plainly ignoring him, like right at that moment, when Baekhyun’s eyes moved to look at the street ahead of them. “Can’t you look at me when I’m talking to you?!” Chanyeol snapped.
The annoyed look in Baekhyun’s eyes reminded Chanyeol of the time when they were teenagers and Baekhyun would challenge anyone who dared to tell him what to do. Now that they were in college, Baekhyun acted a little differently, but still hadn’t lost his bite.
“What?!” Baekhyun shouted. “I’ve already told you I have something to do.”
“Exactly what?” Chanyeol asked through gritted teeth.
Baekhyun looked away. “It’s personal.” The lie was so clear in his voice, in his face and in the way his hands were gripping his phone tightly. “Go, have a night out with your tall, beautiful girlfriend. Don’t worry about me, Yeol,” Baekhyun whispered. The tone sounded final, and resigned.
Chanyeol took a deep breath and turned on the engine, dropping the argument.
All the way to the Baekbeom’s house, silence enveloped them. It was strange to not be talking to Baekhyun, to not laugh at their dumb jokes. There wasn’t even music playing from the radio. It all left a bitter taste in Chanyeol’s mouth, which opened a few times, trying to find words to make Baekhyun tell him what he was thinking about, what he was feeling, anything, honestly.
The moment the door of his car closed and Chanyeol saw Baekhyun’s figure walk away, he slapped the wheel. The door of the house closed and Baekhyun was no longer inside. Chanyeol slapped the wheel again, and again, and again, and let out a frustrated cry.
As he drove to meet Sooyoung, he kept glancing to the empty seat next to him. The silence was deafening, hurting him as much as the stains left by Baekhyun’s shoes over the console. No matter how much Chanyeol scolded him for it, Baekhyun still did it with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Remembering that was what hurt Chanyeol the most.
“We’re gonna get a bit mellow now.” Chanyeol chuckles. “In the first part of the show, I’ve asked you to share your love stories with me and the rest of our listeners.” His eyes scan the paper in his hand that was brought in by Sehun.
Some of them are short; others are too long to be read on air. He reads the usernames and there’s that familiar one that never fails to make Chanyeol’s cheekbones raise. From the other side of the glass, Sehun raises an eyebrow at him. Chanyeol’s smile falls and he clears his throat quietly.
“I’ll be reading some of your stories now. The first one is by…”
Chanyeol reads slowly, letting the words travel and reach the listeners. In the background, a soft melody plays. Each story has a moment when Chanyeol stops reading and lets the feeling settle in his heart. It’s beautiful to see how people fall in love. He’s pleased to read about an old man reminiscing about his old high school love, a young girl trying to appeal to an older guy, the story of a romantic proposal.
When he’s read most of them, he takes a deep breath.
“And our last story comes from our friend SmallingB. I look forward to reading this.” He quickly reads a few new messages on the board. “No, don’t call me biased! I don’t play favorites.” he chuckles embarrassedly. It’s a total lie. He can’t help the way his heart feels when he sees that username in the endless stream of fans.
“I’ve been in love with my best friend for years. I’ve been by his side all this type, quietly. I’ve also been hurt by his words, things he’s said not knowing how I felt. Back in college, I wanted to confess, to pour my heart out to him. Before I was introduced to his girlfriend.”
Chanyeol stops there for a second. “That must have hurt a lot. I’m sorry that happened to you.” He remembers the last messages and requests sent by SmallingB; knowing his story now, it all makes more sense.
“Now, we’re no longer in college. He’s single. And sometimes, the way he looks at me… It makes me feel like there’s something else. Should I say something or should I kept it locked inside, like I’ve been doing all these years?”
Chanyeol’s hand grip the paper tightly. In this moment, there’s one person coming to mind.
Yeol. That’s how the next sentence begins. It’s so intimate to be called like that. When he reads it in his mind, it’s Baekhyun’s voice that says it. The realization clogs his throat.
But the radio doesn’t allow silence.
“How would you feel if a friend confessed to you?” SmallingB asks, and Chanyeol puts down the paper.
His heart hammers inside his chest.
“I…”
Baekhyun’s eyes shine brightly as he grins at Chanyeol. His laughter bubbles up and bursts and fills the room with noise. There’s never a moment of silence when Chanyeol and Baekhyun are together and happy.
“It depends on the friend.”
Chanyeol knows smiles can be heard.
“Baek? Are you there?” Chanyeol asks after having rung the bell a twice.
It seems like he isn’t home, but Chanyeol knows better. He punches in the code of the door and steps in. He takes off his shoes looking around for any sign of Baekhyun. A door somewhere creaks and from the hallway peeks out Baekhyun’s face, wet hair splattered on his forehead. He brushes it aside.
“Yeol? What- what are you doing here?” He looks down at his still hidden body, a blush forming on his cheeks. “Were we playing LoL tonight?”
“Uhm… No. I wanted to talk to you.” Chanyeol scratches his neck awkwardly.
Baekhyun gulps and nods slowly. His eyes are wide and, despite the distance, Chanyeol notices fear in them. “Ok. I’ll be right back.”
Chanyeol waits for him sitting in the couch, playing with his jeans and forming in his head all the sentences of what he wants to say to Baekhyun.
“I’m decent now,” comes Baekhyun’s voice from the side.
He’s wearing a big sized sweater and sweatpants. He’s being swallowed by his clothes. When Chanyeol recognizes his own sweater, his breath hitches. Baekhyun sits next to him, not too far. But Chanyeol’s nerves make it seem like he’s miles away.
“What did you want to talk about?” It wavers, Baekhyun’s voice. His smile is close lipped, twitching a bit as if it were difficult to keep it up.
That’s all Chanyeol needs to dare speak.
“I was thinking… Did you know the translation of your LoL ID to english?” He asks. Baekhyun’s eyes open a bit wider, but he shakes his head. The corner of his lips twitch even more. “Smalling. It’s cute, isn’t it?” Chanyeol grins, paying close attention to Baekhyun’s reaction.
“Ah… I see. Yeah, it is.” Baekhyun nods. “Is that all?”
Shaking his head, Chanyeol continues. “There’s a fan of the show that always sends messages and song requests. He’s very active and I really enjoy reading what he has to say.”
He waits a few seconds as Baekhyun accepts his words. His face changes; the tight lipped smile becomes a smirk to the side and his eyes soften.
“His username is SmallingB.”
“Oh. He sounds cool. Must be an amazing guy,” Baekhyun says, smiling widely now. Tension leaves his shoulders.
Chanyeol throws his head back and laughs loudly. “He is. I think I could be friends with him, you know?” Baekhyun’s face falls a bit at that comment. “But that might not be enough,” Chanyeol adds quickly. “Tonight, he told me his love story and asked me how I would feel I my best friend confessed to me.”
He can see Baekhyun holding his breath. This is the most open expression he has seen on his friend; vulnerability is written all over his face. “What did you reply?”
“That it depends on the friend.” Chanyeol reaches out for Baekhyun’s hand. “Baekhyun, if that friend were you, I’d be really happy.” Slowly, he brings his hand to his cheek, making Baekhyun lean closer to him. “I’ve liked you for a long time. But only recently, having to talk about love to my listeners on the show, it made me realize that it’s love.”
Whatever he was planning on saying next gets cut off by Baekhyun’s mouth on his. It can’t be considered a kiss, not when neither of them can’t stop grinning.
“I lov-”
A kiss.
“Let me-”
Another kiss.
“Just-”
Another kiss.
Chanyeol falls back on the couch, with Baekhyun on top of him, dropping kisses all over his face. He laughs loudly and lets him do whatever he wants. He gives himself to Baekhyun.
When they stop and Baekhyun pulls back, his friend’s eyes are shining brightly. “It took you long,” Baekhyun says.
Offended, Chanyeol pushes him away. “Hey! You too!”
“But at least I confessed to you.”
“Excuse me?” Chanyeol raises an eyebrow. “I confessed first.”
Baekhyun puts his hands on Chanyeol’s chest and sits up on his lap. “First? I sent a message to your show!”
“Yes! But it wasn’t a direct confession. It doesn’t count.”
Their voices get louder as they argue about whose confession counts as first. They bicker face to face, but Baekhyun stays on Chanyeol’s lap and Chanyeol’s hands never leave Baekhyun’s waist. They hold each other for the lost time when they kept their feeling quiet. It’s something they’ve now learned not to do again.
Title: On Air
Pairing(s): Chanyeol/Baekhyun
Rating: PG
Warning(s) Spoilers of K.Will’s ‘Please Don’t’ MV (sorry)
Length: 3.1k
Summary: DJ PCY’s biggest fan starts sending him unusual messages.
Author's note: Dear recipient, this is a short, little fic, but I hope you can enjoy it anyway. You asked for no OCs and, since I needed to mention a minor character, I used SNSD’s Sooyoung. I hope you don’t mind that.
Could you fall in love with your best friend?
Chanyeol stares at the screen, a little dumbfounded. But the radio doesn’t allow silence, so he speaks.
“Of course, you could. I could… Uhm.. I think you can fall in love with anyone, whether it’s a friend or a stranger.” He wonders about it. “Maybe… falling in love with your best friend is easier. You know each other so well, each other’s quirks, your strengths and weaknesses and you love spending time with them.”
When he looks down at the script in his hands, he arranges the pages before continuing. He doesn’t even look towards the glass window where he knows Sehun is watching.
“You’ve learned to read their smiles.” The image of someone’s grin pops up in his head, a very familiar smile that is contagious. Chanyeol feels his own lips reacting, curling up at the end. “You’ve also learn to read their eyes and the feelings they express.” This time he doesn’t let the images come. “It’s easy when you know so much about a person; when you have such a close connection. Love can grow from there.”
From the corner of his eye, he notices movement and looks towards Sehun who’s pointing at his wrist. Then, he draws a circle in the air. Chanyeol clears his throat.
“It’s scary, isn’t it? Falling in love. Especially, if it’s with someone close to you.” He takes a deep breath. “Love may sound complicated, but in reality, it can be so simple. It’s up to you to make it simple. So, yes. You could fall in love with your best friend. You could confess too, if you are willing to jump over that fine line between friendship and love.”
Sehun’s judging face stares at him from behind the glass. An expression of ‘what are you even talking about, hyung?’
“And with this hopeful note, we’re ending PCY’s Happy Night. This has been Park Chanyeol, the one that spreads happiness like a virus.” He grins, even if none of his listeners can see it. He knows that smiles can be heard too.
The show’s song starts playing right after his words, the one he jokingly composed one night at Baekhyun’s house. It has the right beat to give energy to the listeners that are working, but not overwhelm those that are ready to go to bed.
Leaning back into his creaking chair, he sighs and takes off the headphones. He also takes off his black snapback, only to fix his hair, and puts it back on. Sehun walks in to take away a few things. The DJ from the next show walks into the studio, greets Chanyeol and takes the now free seat by the computer.
“That was a strange question…” Chanyeol tells Sehun as they walk towards the elevator.
“It wasn’t that weird.” Sehun stares at him.
“Coming from SmallingB, it was.”
His biggest fan usually sends comments about the show or how Chanyeol’s deep voice makes his nights better. He sometimes asks questions about music; he seems to have a similar taste to Chanyeol’s. Even though through words on a screen you can’t see a person, Chanyeol can always detect a certain brightness in SmallingB’s messages. They help him work better. It’s easier to be cheerful when he gets that type of comments. At times, it feels like SmallingB is right there with him hosting the show.
“What did you bring?” Baekhyun greets Chanyeol, reaching out for the black plastic bag in his hands.
“Not even a hello?” Chanyeol tsks. “What kind of friend are you?”
“A hungry one,” Baekhyun replies as he with him the fried chicken. “How was the show today?” He then asks, setting the cola drinks on the table and opening the boxes.
“You should listen to it more often, Baek.” Chanyeol’s resigned himself to his friend not paying attention to his job. “I swear it’s fun.”
“I’m sure it is, Yeol. It’s you, so it must be fun.” Baekhyun grins at him, a rectangle shaped smile, bright enough to make Chanyeol forget that Baekhyun doesn’t listen to his show.
“We’ll eat well!” Chanyeol says and dives in for the soy flavored chicken, before Baekhyun’s chopsticks can get to it.
They don’t eat silently; their munching is loud in Baekhyun’s small kitchen. And when their mouths aren’t busy with food, they talk. Baekhyun tells him about about the new albums that have arrived today to the music store, while Chanyeol nods, keeping all the artists names to check them out later.
“There’s a coffee shop near by. They make great bingsoo. We should go together someday,” Baekhyun comments.
“Nice. Let’s do it.” Chanyeol lifts his eyes from the clean chicken stick in his hands and finds Baekhyun staring at him. His eyes seem lost, as if his mind is somewhere else. “What?”Chanyeol asks, wiping the side of his mouth.
“Nothing.” Baekhyun shakes his head and wipes his mouth too. There’s grease on his lips, making it look like he’s put on gloss. Chanyeol licks his own lips.
When they’re done as there’s nothing to clean, Baekhyun hurries him to the bedroom. Chanyeol washes his hand before following him. He brings his laptop to the room and finds Baekhyun already sitting in front of his computer, opening League of Legends.
“Come on, Yeol! You’re so slow!”
Chanyeol is used to Baekhyun’s complaints, so he takes them with a shake of his head and a smile. He’ll soon be hearing curses coming from his friend; he can’t lose his patience with Baekhyun now.
“What are we doing today?” Chanyeol asks Baekhyun as his laptop is turning on.
His friend excitedly explains the strategy he has in mind, what they’re going to do, where they’re heading to. His eyes shine brightly as he speaks, and Chanyeol can’t even look back at his own screen. When Baekhyun notices it, he turns to him curiously.
“So?”
“Hm?” Chanyeol snaps back to the game.
“What do you think?” Baekhyun asks him, looking a bit impatient, his leg bouncing fast and his lower lip trapped under his teeth.
“Uh... yeah… fine,” Chanyeol mumbles.
Baekhyun furrows his eyebrows and his leg stops moving. “Are you okay, Yeol?”
“Yeah, I’m good. I had a strange question sent to the show tonight.” He feels like he should explain further, but the way Baekhyun is staring at him shuts him up. “Let’s play, sobboonging.”
The chat in the screen scrolls fast as the commercials are being played. Sehun walks in to hand him a bottle of water and take away a leftover microphone from when his guest Do Kyungsoo was on. Chanyeol checks the script in his hands and reads it over, until he reaches the song request part. He looks back up at the screen, eyes traveling in search of one.
SmallingB’s username pops out in between all the different names. Chanyeol can’t help but smile.
“Get K.Will’s ‘Please Don’t’ ready,” Chanyeol says to Sehun before the assistant producer leaves the studio. The PD from behind the glass nods when Sehun tells him what Chanyeol said.
The commercial ends and Sehun signs at Chanyeol to start speaking.
“As you, usual listeners, know, I don’t like to talk about loneliness or broken hearts right before our show ends. Nighttime doesn’t have to be a moment of melancholy. Yet, I can’t help but appreciate a good song and a good voice. As requested by SmallingB,” - Chanyeol smiles-, “let’s listen to K.Will’s ‘Please Don’t’. Our friend here asks me, ‘What do you think about the music video, DJ PCY?’”
Chanyeol laughs as he remembers watching the music video for the first time with Baekhyun, both of them screaming at the plot twist, Chanyeol laughing and clapping and Baekhyun exclaiming nonsense.
“It was a great video. I watched it with my best friend. I couldn’t shut up about it afterwards.”
He also remembers that, after the initial shock, Baekhyun became silent, not looking at Chanyeol in the eye. It made him wonder if his friend was maybe uncomfortable with homosexuality. But Baekhyun was quick to deny that, admitting out loud and with a deep blush on his cheeks that he didn’t have a problem with it. And Chanyeol understood. He placed his hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder rubbing soothing circles.
“Must be difficult, to love someone you can’t have. Especially if it’s someone so close to you.” Chanyeol looks down at the screen to see the new messages coming up, people telling their opinions on the song, the video and some personal stories even. Chanyeol smiled at that. “To those of you that are struggling with love, I wish you good luck and I hope you get your happy ending.”
“Why can’t you come with us?”
Baekhyun didn’t reply at first; he was looking down at his phone as if there was something more interesting there than Chanyeol’s question.
“I promised my brother I would help him with something. Can you drop me off at his house?” His friend finally lifted his head. His face was practically blank, without a sign of what he was thinking.
“Sooyoung insisted on dinner together. You promised me you’d come.” Chanyeol’s hands tightened on the wheel. He was getting tired of Baekhyun dismissing their plans, refusing to do things together or plainly ignoring him, like right at that moment, when Baekhyun’s eyes moved to look at the street ahead of them. “Can’t you look at me when I’m talking to you?!” Chanyeol snapped.
The annoyed look in Baekhyun’s eyes reminded Chanyeol of the time when they were teenagers and Baekhyun would challenge anyone who dared to tell him what to do. Now that they were in college, Baekhyun acted a little differently, but still hadn’t lost his bite.
“What?!” Baekhyun shouted. “I’ve already told you I have something to do.”
“Exactly what?” Chanyeol asked through gritted teeth.
Baekhyun looked away. “It’s personal.” The lie was so clear in his voice, in his face and in the way his hands were gripping his phone tightly. “Go, have a night out with your tall, beautiful girlfriend. Don’t worry about me, Yeol,” Baekhyun whispered. The tone sounded final, and resigned.
Chanyeol took a deep breath and turned on the engine, dropping the argument.
All the way to the Baekbeom’s house, silence enveloped them. It was strange to not be talking to Baekhyun, to not laugh at their dumb jokes. There wasn’t even music playing from the radio. It all left a bitter taste in Chanyeol’s mouth, which opened a few times, trying to find words to make Baekhyun tell him what he was thinking about, what he was feeling, anything, honestly.
The moment the door of his car closed and Chanyeol saw Baekhyun’s figure walk away, he slapped the wheel. The door of the house closed and Baekhyun was no longer inside. Chanyeol slapped the wheel again, and again, and again, and let out a frustrated cry.
As he drove to meet Sooyoung, he kept glancing to the empty seat next to him. The silence was deafening, hurting him as much as the stains left by Baekhyun’s shoes over the console. No matter how much Chanyeol scolded him for it, Baekhyun still did it with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Remembering that was what hurt Chanyeol the most.
“We’re gonna get a bit mellow now.” Chanyeol chuckles. “In the first part of the show, I’ve asked you to share your love stories with me and the rest of our listeners.” His eyes scan the paper in his hand that was brought in by Sehun.
Some of them are short; others are too long to be read on air. He reads the usernames and there’s that familiar one that never fails to make Chanyeol’s cheekbones raise. From the other side of the glass, Sehun raises an eyebrow at him. Chanyeol’s smile falls and he clears his throat quietly.
“I’ll be reading some of your stories now. The first one is by…”
Chanyeol reads slowly, letting the words travel and reach the listeners. In the background, a soft melody plays. Each story has a moment when Chanyeol stops reading and lets the feeling settle in his heart. It’s beautiful to see how people fall in love. He’s pleased to read about an old man reminiscing about his old high school love, a young girl trying to appeal to an older guy, the story of a romantic proposal.
When he’s read most of them, he takes a deep breath.
“And our last story comes from our friend SmallingB. I look forward to reading this.” He quickly reads a few new messages on the board. “No, don’t call me biased! I don’t play favorites.” he chuckles embarrassedly. It’s a total lie. He can’t help the way his heart feels when he sees that username in the endless stream of fans.
“I’ve been in love with my best friend for years. I’ve been by his side all this type, quietly. I’ve also been hurt by his words, things he’s said not knowing how I felt. Back in college, I wanted to confess, to pour my heart out to him. Before I was introduced to his girlfriend.”
Chanyeol stops there for a second. “That must have hurt a lot. I’m sorry that happened to you.” He remembers the last messages and requests sent by SmallingB; knowing his story now, it all makes more sense.
“Now, we’re no longer in college. He’s single. And sometimes, the way he looks at me… It makes me feel like there’s something else. Should I say something or should I kept it locked inside, like I’ve been doing all these years?”
Chanyeol’s hand grip the paper tightly. In this moment, there’s one person coming to mind.
Yeol. That’s how the next sentence begins. It’s so intimate to be called like that. When he reads it in his mind, it’s Baekhyun’s voice that says it. The realization clogs his throat.
But the radio doesn’t allow silence.
“How would you feel if a friend confessed to you?” SmallingB asks, and Chanyeol puts down the paper.
His heart hammers inside his chest.
“I…”
Baekhyun’s eyes shine brightly as he grins at Chanyeol. His laughter bubbles up and bursts and fills the room with noise. There’s never a moment of silence when Chanyeol and Baekhyun are together and happy.
“It depends on the friend.”
Chanyeol knows smiles can be heard.
“Baek? Are you there?” Chanyeol asks after having rung the bell a twice.
It seems like he isn’t home, but Chanyeol knows better. He punches in the code of the door and steps in. He takes off his shoes looking around for any sign of Baekhyun. A door somewhere creaks and from the hallway peeks out Baekhyun’s face, wet hair splattered on his forehead. He brushes it aside.
“Yeol? What- what are you doing here?” He looks down at his still hidden body, a blush forming on his cheeks. “Were we playing LoL tonight?”
“Uhm… No. I wanted to talk to you.” Chanyeol scratches his neck awkwardly.
Baekhyun gulps and nods slowly. His eyes are wide and, despite the distance, Chanyeol notices fear in them. “Ok. I’ll be right back.”
Chanyeol waits for him sitting in the couch, playing with his jeans and forming in his head all the sentences of what he wants to say to Baekhyun.
“I’m decent now,” comes Baekhyun’s voice from the side.
He’s wearing a big sized sweater and sweatpants. He’s being swallowed by his clothes. When Chanyeol recognizes his own sweater, his breath hitches. Baekhyun sits next to him, not too far. But Chanyeol’s nerves make it seem like he’s miles away.
“What did you want to talk about?” It wavers, Baekhyun’s voice. His smile is close lipped, twitching a bit as if it were difficult to keep it up.
That’s all Chanyeol needs to dare speak.
“I was thinking… Did you know the translation of your LoL ID to english?” He asks. Baekhyun’s eyes open a bit wider, but he shakes his head. The corner of his lips twitch even more. “Smalling. It’s cute, isn’t it?” Chanyeol grins, paying close attention to Baekhyun’s reaction.
“Ah… I see. Yeah, it is.” Baekhyun nods. “Is that all?”
Shaking his head, Chanyeol continues. “There’s a fan of the show that always sends messages and song requests. He’s very active and I really enjoy reading what he has to say.”
He waits a few seconds as Baekhyun accepts his words. His face changes; the tight lipped smile becomes a smirk to the side and his eyes soften.
“His username is SmallingB.”
“Oh. He sounds cool. Must be an amazing guy,” Baekhyun says, smiling widely now. Tension leaves his shoulders.
Chanyeol throws his head back and laughs loudly. “He is. I think I could be friends with him, you know?” Baekhyun’s face falls a bit at that comment. “But that might not be enough,” Chanyeol adds quickly. “Tonight, he told me his love story and asked me how I would feel I my best friend confessed to me.”
He can see Baekhyun holding his breath. This is the most open expression he has seen on his friend; vulnerability is written all over his face. “What did you reply?”
“That it depends on the friend.” Chanyeol reaches out for Baekhyun’s hand. “Baekhyun, if that friend were you, I’d be really happy.” Slowly, he brings his hand to his cheek, making Baekhyun lean closer to him. “I’ve liked you for a long time. But only recently, having to talk about love to my listeners on the show, it made me realize that it’s love.”
Whatever he was planning on saying next gets cut off by Baekhyun’s mouth on his. It can’t be considered a kiss, not when neither of them can’t stop grinning.
“I lov-”
A kiss.
“Let me-”
Another kiss.
“Just-”
Another kiss.
Chanyeol falls back on the couch, with Baekhyun on top of him, dropping kisses all over his face. He laughs loudly and lets him do whatever he wants. He gives himself to Baekhyun.
When they stop and Baekhyun pulls back, his friend’s eyes are shining brightly. “It took you long,” Baekhyun says.
Offended, Chanyeol pushes him away. “Hey! You too!”
“But at least I confessed to you.”
“Excuse me?” Chanyeol raises an eyebrow. “I confessed first.”
Baekhyun puts his hands on Chanyeol’s chest and sits up on his lap. “First? I sent a message to your show!”
“Yes! But it wasn’t a direct confession. It doesn’t count.”
Their voices get louder as they argue about whose confession counts as first. They bicker face to face, but Baekhyun stays on Chanyeol’s lap and Chanyeol’s hands never leave Baekhyun’s waist. They hold each other for the lost time when they kept their feeling quiet. It’s something they’ve now learned not to do again.