CHINGUX 2014: operation phoenix (1/3) for fashcndy
Title: Operation Phoenix
Author: mixmonitor
For: fashcndy
Pairing/Focus: Baekhyun/Chanyeol
Rating: pg-13
Warnings: violence
Length: 28k
Summary: Park Chanyeol becomes the world's most dangerous weapon. Byun Baekhyun is the unlucky agent assigned to retrieve him. (superpowers/heist/spies!au)
Beijing: September 6, 2014
There is an auction taking place tonight at the National Art Museum of China. Nobles, highly ranked people in the society and art enthusiasts come from all over the world to attend this gala where a collection of artifacts is being sold for a charitable cause. It's an annual event that is usually held in the countries involved with the United Nations, and this time, the bright city of Beijing takes the crown and pride in hosting it.
However, hidden beneath the walls of the main gallery lies another room where an undisclosed auction is going to take place at precisely twenty two o'clock. Word has gotten out that the list of items contains the most valuable creation ever invented in history: the Andromeda. It kept the rumor mills running for months, but what the item is capable of doing, no one knows at all. One thing is for sure, though-it will be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
And that's the main target for tonight-or at least for Asia's three most infamous thieves.
Tonight's mission is simple: infiltrate the area, create a distraction, then steal the infamous Andromeda and bow out of the premise before the illicit bidding begins.
A man wearing a silky black suit finally finds his way to the entrance. He flashes the lady behind the desk a charming grin, his pearly white teeth exposed. It doesn't help that his brown hair is straightened down with his bangs swept to the side, making him look like a pretty dashing guy who just stepped onstage as some sort of famous entertainer ready to take his award.
The girl flushes at him, caught off guard by the sudden enthrallment his face offers. "Your name, sir?" she asks politely, although the fact that she’s batting her eyelashes makes her seem very forward.
"Piao Canlie," he replies, enunciating his syllables. The name rolls off easily out of his mouth, mostly because he's spent the whole night trying to say it as naturally as he could. His self-taught Chinese doesn't disappoint him tonight. He reaches down to his coat's pocket and gets the ivory colored invitation with neatly written Chinese characters on the guest name and slides it across the desk.
It doesn't take her long to run his name through the computer. Her eyes shift from the invitation and back to the computer before uncertainly saying, "Your name isn't on the list, sir."
Canlie starts nibbling on his bottom lip. "I can't believe this," he starts, looking up at her after a few beats of silence, eyes portraying extreme disappointment before heaving a sigh. He gives her his most convincing puppy eyes. "Would it be okay for you to double check with your superiors?"
It works. The girl scrambles off her chair in a hurry muttering an eager "okay" before turning on her heels.
Canlie grins, satisfied, before subtly pressing his palm against his ear and whispering, "She's out."
"Good job at charming her skirt off, Park Chanyeol," a slightly amused voice says from his earpiece, and Canlie-whose real name is Park Chanyeol, turns around and catches a CCTV on his right. He winks at it and a loud scoff rings against his ear.
"Always my pleasure to do it."
Parked on the other side of the building is a rented black minivan where Do Kyungsoo's tiny shoulders are hunched over, his fingers flying over the keys of his computer as he tries to hack the Museum's system. "It's not working," he murmurs against his microphone. "Their security firewall on the main database is too strong."
"Thank god I always bring a backup plan," Chanyeol replies breezily, fishing out a silver usb out of his pocket. He looks around, making sure that the people close to him are occupied, and swiftly plugs it down the computer's port. "Happy Virus is in," he says, leaning back with accomplishment written all over his face.
"Did you seriously just name your new hacking program Happy Virus?"
"What? It makes everyone happy during desperate times."
Kyungsoo laughs shortly, and the noise of the keyboard clicking overwhelms Chanyeol's earpiece for the next two minutes. "Okay, I'm in," Kyungsoo says just in time for the desk lady to come back out. "Do the trick at the count of five."
"Sorry, sir. There seems to be a problem-"
As if on cue, Chanyeol extends a hand over the desk and tucks a stray hair behind the lady's ear. "That looks better," he says suavely. "It's easier to see your beautiful face like this."
"Okay, I got your name on the database."
Chanyeol licks his lips appealingly and nods toward the computer. "Check it again. You might just be a little distracted."
The lady blinks at him, flustered, and internally panics in front of the computer. She feigns a puzzled face after refreshing, the name Piao Canlie suddenly inputted on the list. "Oh-your name's in here. That's really weird," she says confusedly. "They must have fixed the system. I'm really sorry about the inconvenience."
"It's okay," Chanyeol says, flashing her another blinding smile. "Talking to a pretty lady like you isn't a waste of my time."
While on his way to the main hall, Chanyeol fixes his burgundy bow tie in place and presses down the core to activate the tiny camera Kyungsoo placed in earlier. "Premise infiltrated," he whispers lowly, guising it as a cough when one of the ladies passing by gives him an eyeful.
"That was smooth."
Chanyeol laughs. "The book How to Woo a Chinese Lover I found underneath Jongdae's pillow last night taught me well."
Kyungsoo's face under the dark confinement of the van cracks a tiny smile. Of course, Jongdae would bring a book like that. Speaking of Jongdae-"Hey, Thunder, do you copy?"
A high pitched laughter crackles in their earpieces. There's the sound of wind gushing, the traffic blending with it. Thunder, real name Kim Jongdae, breathes loudly against his microphone. After a loud thud, he replies, "Yeah, I'm at the roof now. It took forever to climb this place up." He rolls his climbing equipment, stuffs it in his backpack. "I'm also glad that book was helpful, although I'm not sure if I really want you snooping around my things."
"I consider myself lucky that it's the only thing I found," Chanyeol sneers, distracted as he eyes the room full of fancily dressed people.
Chanyeol's been in a lot of situations like this, but tonight's mission somehow screams more dangerous to him. It's one of those times where one of them has to be directly involved with the people around them, and Chanyeol's never been too fond of it. Sure, he's good at acting and easily blends in with the crowd, but he prefers the anonymousness that he gets behind the scenes. The last mission he got himself exposed to others, he found a picture of his back pinned on their file on the government's database. Risking his identity again like this makes it even more worrisome.
Chanyeol shakes his head optimistically. They haven't butchered a mission ever since they got into this business and tonight will go smoothly, too.
He stares at the bodyguards hovering around one of the exit doors and says, "You should get moving, Jongdae."
"How long will it take you to go through the vent?" Kyungsoo asks.
There's a pause on Jongdae's line. "I couldn't get through the main door so I'm sneaking in through a window," Jongdae finally says, sighing wistfully. "I really wonder why I'm always tasked to do this whole sneaking around thing."
"Because you're a minute slower than me when it comes to hacking and Chanyeol's too big to not get caught." Kyungsoo clicks on the rooftop surveillance window and watches Jongdae's mouth curl into a pout as he tries to fit himself in the opening. Jongdae looks frustrated and it fuels Kyungsoo's desire to tease him more. "And that you always, always lose at rock, paper, scissors."
Heartless bastard. He doesn't even mention Jongdae's efficiency on the field.
"Geez, okay. Give me half an hour tops. Don't let your sight off me, Kyungsoo. I don't want to go commando on everyone here."
"You won't have to." Kyungsoo scoffs. "I have an entire screen on your floor's hall. The vault's on your left, room 506. The room you entered isn't occupied so start with the vent there and move."
"Okay," Jongdae responds, his breath cut short after hoisting himself up the vent using the desk in the room. "I'm up. Chanyeol, what's hidden on your sleeve tonight?"
Chanyeol cracks a grin. "I think I'm gonna fancy myself with a glass of martini."
To Chanyeol's dismay, it takes longer for him to order the drinks than to spot his target. The bartender has been extremely accommodating that Chanyeol's spent the last few minutes talking himself out of the too-friendly conversation about recommended drinks. "Can you just please give me my order now?" Chanyeol finally says.
Once he got the drinks, his eyes immediately land on his target: Song Qian, the wife of the one holding the auction tonight. Research tells him that her husband's quite an authoritarian. Guards usually surround her, and Chanyeol's job is to make them focused on him tonight to have lesser men guard the floor Jongdae's in.
Chanyeol catches her gaze easily as they meet halfway, her cheeks burning as he winks. Chanyeol racks his head for more conversational phrases. She's still holding his stare, and that's good since it means he's caught her attention.
Everything's going according to plan until Chanyeol bumps into someone rushing his way in front of him, the drinks spilling on the other man. "I'm-I'm sorry," Chanyeol stutters, quite surprised by his own clumsiness. "Dui bu qi."
"It's okay, I wasn't looking either," the guy replies easily in Korean. Chanyeol looks up, surprised, and doesn't quite breathe for a second. The guy in front of him is cute, really cute, and he's smiling up at Chanyeol with his cheeks high up and his lightly kohl lined eyes turning into little slits. Oh no. "Although honestly, a new coat will do."
Chanyeol blinks out of his short trance when Kyungsoo huffs in his earpiece. "Chanyeol, what do you think you're doing? We're in the middle of a mission."
"Um," Chanyeol replies intelligently, thrusting the glasses he's holding onto the waiter that passes by them.
"Chanyeol," Kyungsoo urges. "Target is moving out."
Chanyeol's eyes flicker from the back of the guy's head and sees Qian passing through the doors. He tries to remember the floor plan he went over last night. It doesn't quite work so he hopes for the best as he insists, "There's a bathroom right there. Come on, I'll lend you mine." Chanyeol grabs the guy's hand in a haste, dragging him towards the door as well.
The guy surprisingly doesn't retaliate. Instead, he follows Chanyeol through the way, his other hand clutching his stained shirt. There are bodyguards standing outside the lady's room once they arrive, and Chanyeol thanks his instincts for not failing him tonight.
"I'm really sorry about this," Chanyeol says loud enough for them to hear. They slip inside the gigantic bathroom conspicuously and for the second time, Chanyeol gets to see that charming smile again. Without thinking he says, "This is so embarrassing, uh-"
"Baekhyun," the other replies smoothly. He extends his hand forward. Chanyeol takes and shakes it. Baekhyun's hand is really soft, and Chanyeol feels a little ashamed by the callousness of his palm.
"It's nice to meet you."
Baekhyun laughs. "I meant hand me your coat, but okay."
"Right," Chanyeol replies dumbly, shaking his head and pulling his hand away. He shrugs off his coat, passing it to Baekhyun. The smaller guy takes it eagerly, smiling up at him.
"I'll just change," Baekhyun says charmingly, a smile still plastered on his face, then stalks toward one of the stalls.
Chanyeol exhales loudly, eyes following after him. He's got a really nice behind, Chanyeol thinks, unintentionally staring at Baekhyun's thighs.
"Try not to drool after that guy."
"Sorry, Kyungsoo," Chanyeol says stupidly, wincing. He's forgotten about the camera in his bow. "What now?"
"Her husband has joined her inside the bathroom while you're busy trying to come up with a coherent sentence to say," Kyungsoo says flatly. "Climb the vent and sneak into the lady's room, see what information you can gather."
"What? There's nothing to climb in here."
"Look on your right." Chanyeol sees sinks aligned at the corner and a small pillar that goes up to the ceiling. He pales a little, thinking of trying to climb it.
Chanyeol purses his lips. "You're kidding me, right?"
"No. That's closer than the stalls."
Chanyeol heaves a sigh as he walks toward it, mumbling a really dejected "alright."
"Oh, and Chanyeol?"
"Yeah?"
"Try not to focus so much on that cute guy as well."
Chanyeol's hand slips down a little. At least Kyungsoo recognizes that he's cute. "Shut up, Kyungsoo," he retorts back. He's definitely not blushing.
Unknown to Chanyeol on the other side of the room is Byun Baekhyun's real identity. Despite hating the fact that the alcohol's smell is clinging to him, getting martini all over himself had only been his ploy to get himself close to Song Qian. Baekhyun works for the CIA as a topnotch agent assigned to retrieve Andromeda as low-key as possible.
Andromeda has been one of the government's finest inventions. The only details Baekhyun's got about it were the time dedicated into creating it, the list of lives lost in order to contain its existence and its purpose: it's built and designed to be the most dangerous weapon anyone can possess. As a top-secret mission, Baekhyun's been assigned to a relatively small group, and naturally being the one with the most field experience, he was given the responsibility to get it himself.
Baekhyun goes to the farthest stall in the bathroom. He climbs up the toilet seat, points his laser at the ceiling and starts making a makeshift path for himself. One of the faucets starts running, and Baekhyun picks it as the moment to push through the cardboard. He hoists himself up expertly, his thighs dangling until his upper body stabilizes on top.
There are two separate vents that hold the ceiling in this area. Baekhyun immediately crawls into his own, an ear pressed on the bottom of the pathway. A few more trudging later, he can finally hear Qian's and another man's voices. He carefully points the laser down, making a small cut in order to hear well.
He doesn't quite catch the gist of the conversation, but he does hear, "-Andromeda looks really good on you. It's a shame we have to sell it tonight."
It's on her? Baekhyun thinks, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Don't you want to find out what's in it?" Qian replies.
"It's too dangerous to pry," the man says. "It's better to get it out of our hands as soon as possible."
Baekhyun scoffs at that. Stealing it has already been dangerous enough. Baekhyun shifts a little, trying to make himself comfortable just in time to hear a loud thud on the other vent and a yelp echoing through the metal pathways. Qian's husband immediately yells, "Who's there?"
Shit. Baekhyun hurriedly drags himself backwards, hearing a constant panic arising from the guards and finally slides down the hole with his heart crazily thumping against his ribcage. "There's someone else after it," Baekhyun whispers to his own earpiece, trying to catch his breath. "Someone else was in the vent but I didn't get to see him on time."
His superior Kim Minseok's reply comes quick, and Baekhyun tries to calm himself through slow breathing. He's already got a bad feeling about this mission. "I'm sending backup. Create a diversion, make sure you identify the enemy, and get the necklace as soon as you can."
"Jongdae," Chanyeol wheezes, clutching the knee he bumped against the wall. Stupid long legs. "Get out of there right now. The vault is a trap."
Chanyeol repeats it over and over again like a mantra, but all he gets is a dead line on his earpiece. Mortified, the realization finally hits him. "Shit, they must have disabled communications in the building." Chanyeol sucks in a deep breath, panic rising over his head, because Kim Jongdae better be safe at this moment. He nimbly takes his bow tie off, hoping that Kyungsoo can still follow through the cameras, and enunciates Vault is a trap; go get Jongdae right now thrice.
Chanyeol lands on his feet just in time for Baekhyun to emerge from the stall. He tries to balance himself as he pants, and ends up with an elbow on the running faucet he left earlier. "Did you manage to wipe it all down?" is all he says, ignoring the puddle in his elbow.
Baekhyun chuckles at him. "Are you okay? Your elbow's soaking."
"Oh," Chanyeol says dumbly. He should really work on that, damn it. He notices his own coat over Baekhyun. His eyes glaze over Baekhyun's shoulder, which does fit his coat perfectly and down to the sleeves that go until the middle of Baekhyun's hands. He looks adorable like that, and Chanyeol momentarily looks away to focus on his mission. Baekhyun's oddly distracting, and Chanyeol eagerly wants to know what just makes him so attracted at this moment.
"It'll dry off in a bit," Chanyeol mumbles, proceeding to put his elbow underneath the drier. Baekhyun laughs even more, inching closer to help him with it.
"I never got your name," is all Baekhyun says, amusement evident in his voice as he holds the edge of Chanyeol's dress shirt.
"Park Chanyeol," Chanyeol says, and for a second, wants to hit himself at the back of his head for being careless. He shouldn't have said his real name. Kyungsoo and Jongdae will kill him.
Silence follows afterward. They obviously need to get out of this place as soon as possible, but both of them are still unknowingly mapping out plans in their minds, unsure of the next step to take.
"Do you want to-" Chanyeol starts, but gets disrupted by a loud pound on the bathroom's door. Baekhyun clings closer to him, faking a frightened face, his hand around Chanyeol's neck. Oh. Chanyeol's hand automatically places itself on Baekhyun's waist as they both look up to see the armed guards. Immediate cover: strangers having a good time.
To them, Chanyeol and Baekhyun probably look like they're in the middle of a disrupted make out session.
"Why are you two here?" one of guards pries, looking at them suspiciously.
Baekhyun blinks innocently at them, looking very bewildered as he withdraws his hands away from Chanyeol. "He spilled his drink on me," he mumbles coherently, then points at his coat by the sink. Chanyeol extremely wonders if he's heard Baekhyun right when he adds "You're also interrupting a very intimate moment," in Mandarin. He assumes he's just got his words mixed up, damn Jongdae's love book. The guards immediately leave.
"I don't know what you said but thank you," Chanyeol says, sighing. "Those were some pretty scary looking guys."
Baekhyun looks at him, eyebrows knitted slightly. Up close, Chanyeol really is attractive. He's got a tall nose and almond shaped eyes, his lips chapped with the constant flicker of his tongue against it. There's really something about Chanyeol, but he can't help but erase all suspicions when his face brightens up with a reassuring grin. "Have you seen the guns they were holding?"
"Don't even mention them," Chanyeol mumbles, shivering. "It's probably the first time I've seen so much guns."
"That's funny," Baekhyun replies, shaking his head with a smile. "I never liked guns. They scare me."
"God, me too. I'd rather settle things with words than violence."
It takes them a while to realize that they're not really supposed to still be holding each other and when they do, Baekhyun steps away with a faint blush in his cheek. Focus, Byun Baekhyun.
Next to him, Chanyeol's thinking of the same thing. They really need to get out of here. "Do you want to go dance with me?" he offers. Chanyeol's never been good at general dancing, but at least he's decent at waltz to the point of not stepping on his partner's foot every so often. His sister Yoora used to take him all the time to office parties as her date.
Baekhyun links his arm with Chanyeol's. "Alright, Chanyeol. Lead the way."
They arrive just in time for the band to start playing. Qian's already at the dance floor with her husband, and Baekhyun's the first one who grabs Chanyeol's hand and leads him close to the other couple. They immediately go into their positions with Chanyeol's hand at the small of Bekhyun's back and Baekhyun's circled on his neck, both their right palms held together. For a moment, the tips of Chanyeol's ears turn red when Baekhyun casually strokes the back of his head, the smaller boy just grinning at him.
Saying that they're becoming oddly dependent on each other on this mission is an understatement. This whole intimacy act is perplexing, but with the missions embedded on their heads, they don't say anything about it. Instead, they make it even realistic as they stare at each other fondly in the midst of the crowd and talk about the things they can think of.
Not that Chanyeol has to pretend anyway. Baekhyun is lovely.
It takes them two rounds of waltz to get close enough to see Andromeda dangling on Qian's neck. Chanyeol halts and spins Baekhyun, both their eyes still trained on the piece of jewelry. The moment Baekhyun lands back in Chanyeol's arms is when reality finally dawns on him, the suspicions formulating in his head.
Chanyeol is still staring at the stone.
"You seem distracted," is all he says, trying not to sound accusatory.
"What?" Chanyeol says, blinking down at him.
"Nothing," Baekhyun replies sternly. They inch closer to the couple and Baekhyun takes it as his cue to step on his foot really hard. Chanyeol yelps loudly, his face reddening as he jumps around for a bit on one foot.
"Ooops," Baekhyun says, not even sounding apologetic as Chanyeol's stare lingers on Andromeda.
"It's okay," Chanyeol wheezes, reaching for his hand again. As he looks up, he sees a familiar figure move across the stage, and for a second Chanyeol's forgotten the throbbing pain in his foot, and a relieved sigh escapes his mouth. Kim Jongdae in all his 170 centimeters glory is sliding a piece of paper toward the lady singer armed with an annoyingly handsome smirk. He's changed into a black dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up and his hair messily done, which is honestly probably caused by the wind outside. Before he could even meet Jongdae's eyes, two hands have already encompassed his face and he's met with Baekhyun's slightly irritated face.
Chanyeol looks hilarious as he says, "Baekhyun?" with his cheeks squeezed and his lips jutting out.
When the music starts playing again, it's Jongdae's soothing voice that echoes through the vicinity. He starts singing an upbeat rendition of Save the Last Dance for Me which Baekhyun finds ironic at the moment. The crowd starts shifting, partners being exchanged-and a surprised Baekhyun gets snatched by a very enthusiastic lady. Chanyeol takes the chance and promptly moves toward Qian, catching her by the waist.
"You're the attractive guy from earlier," Qian tells him interestedly. Chanyeol hums in reply and pulls her closer, his fingers dangerously running up and down her back as they move swiftly away from the crowd. Chanyeol finally meets Jongdae's eyes behind her and Jongdae signals at the lights as he belts out the bridge.
It all happens very fast. Chanyeol leans closer, his hand caressing the back of her neck, and tells her: "You're very pretty." The music comes to a stop and the room gets engulfed in darkness the exact moment he unclips the necklace. Chaos ensues and Chanyeol rapidly runs toward the stage, necklace in hand as the people shriek inside the ballroom. He remembers the blueprint and the exact location of the door behind the stage, and meets Jongdae with a triumphant grin.
"Come on, we have no time left," Jongdae tells him, beaming as they run across the hall toward the exit. It's at least fifty meters away. They hear a bunch of footsteps and angry yells of Mandarin following after them, and they duck at a wall just in time for a bullet to whizz past them. They continue to run until they reach the exit. The angry whir of the minivan reverberates as Kyungsoo pulls up, the two safely slipping inside as gunshots echo into the distance.
Chanyeol and Jongdae breathe in relief as they drive away. Chanyeol scrambles closer to squeeze Jongdae's shoulders and says, "You made me extremely worried back there."
Kyungsoo meets their gazes from the rearview mirror with a scowl. "We're not doing this in a long while," is all he mumbles, and Chanyeol and Jongdae only snicker because it only translates to I'm glad you fuckers are safe.
"That was great work back there, though," Chanyeol says after a while, looking at the necklace in his hand. The stone consists of colors similar to a clear night sky, and spots glimmer under the car's yellow lights like distant stars. Chanyeol squints at it. For a second he swears he saw smoke circling inside it, as if it's come to life.
"It could have been planned better," Kyungsoo says. "Hey, Jongdae. Are you done?"
"Just a sec." Jongdae's already settled down next to the computers with his feet propped up as he finishes up his codes. Surveillance files deleted. He leans back and cracks his neck, a smile spreading on his face. "I guess that will do for now."
Chanyeol joins him, crossing his legs together and putting his arms behind his head. "Anyone up for dimsum?" Chanyeol asks, grinning.
Kyungsoo only replies with an incredulous laugh. Jongdae hooks his arm around his neck, pulls Chanyeol close until his head's on his shoulder. "Definitely," he replies, giving him a well deserved noogie.
This is how they live their lives: full of danger, the adrenaline rushing through their veins, their heartbeats ringing against their ears-and honestly, all of these factor to one of the best nights they've had in a while.
Back at the building, backup's finally arrived for Baekhyun. He rushes to the surveillance room where he's met by the knocked out guards on the floor. Cautious with his gun at hand, he crosses the room and looks at the screens. Almost all of them have blacked out except for the last one.
"Agent Kai, I need you at the surveillance room," he mumbles to his earpiece. Baekhyun tries to cancel the deletion process and types away all the codes he remembers, but whatever he inputs doesn't work at all. Behind the deletion window, the certain timeframe the hacker's trying to delete is on a loop. He sees Chanyeol's familiar back with another man running toward the backdoor exit with the necklace in hand, and waits for the deletion to finally reach up to a 100%.
"They've escaped," Baekhyun confirms, slumping his shoulders to his seat. He feels like an idiot for not even suspecting Chanyeol back when they were just in the bathroom. Stupid giant and his charming smile and that perfect velvety voice. Baekhyun heaves a sigh. He's going to make sure that this would be the first and last time Park Chanyeol escapes from him.
Seoul: September 20, 2014
It takes two weeks for Baekhyun to track Andromeda down.
The last person he asked about Park Chanyeol had been too easy-in a sense that he didn't have to put him through interrogations or threaten him with torture-and it was suspicious. He was ordering an iced cafe with photographs in his hand when the guy behind the counter easily said, "Are you looking for Chanyeol? He plays at the Secret Box sometimes."
By playing, Baekhyun honestly expected something worse-maybe an underground gambling center, a secret society of fighters or something equally dangerous, but definitely not a cozy cafe down the block.
He slides into one of the booths just in time to catch a glimpse of Chanyeol's unforgettable face. He stands out in the crowd sporting a new hairstyle and a dubiously casual outfit consisting of ripped skinny jeans and a navy blue sweater. Baekhyun scoffs at it, but that doesn't make him less attractive than the last time Baekhyun's seen him.
It seems like Chanyeol's opting for an ordinary night-or whatever they call this whole thing is. Before he flew back to Seoul, Baekhyun's gotten intel about the trio who's been heisting all over Asia, about their efficiency and incredible teamwork, the lack of violence and casualties for every crime-but not this. Not Park Chanyeol or any of the three infamous criminals in Asia setting up shop in the cafe's stage like a bunch of regular musicians doing their job on a Saturday night.
As he peeks out of the menu the waiter provided, all he sees is an annoyingly charming smile implanted on Chanyeol's face as he finally sits down.
He presses a button on the side of his watch and a whirring sound reverberates from it. Location saved, transferring to database now. "Target spotted," Baekhyun whispers.
"Location captured," Joonmyun replies immediately. "Be careful, agent Byun."
Right, Baekhyun thinks, watching as Chanyeol starts strumming his guitar. How dangerous can this man really be?
The lights start dimming around him. Cautious, Baekhyun pulls out his derringer from his small messenger bag, sliding it behind the menu. He watches Chanyeol take a deep breath, eyes closed. He looks so vulnerable at this state, and Baekhyun can honestly just pull the trigger now, but he doesn't. Couldn't. Too many people are around to risk casualties no matter how important Andromeda is, and Chanyeol's just... mesmerizing as soon as he starts playing.
Baekhyun can't shift his eyes away. It reminds him of Beijing, that smile... the stupid stuttering in his chest that continued on for the past two weeks.
He's still as beautiful as the first time he's seen him. He lets out a pining sigh and catches himself off guard.
Stop and rewind. Baekhyun totally doesn't like Park Chanyeol.
"Is that a band playing in the background?"
Baekhyun swallows. "Yeah. They're quite good."
"Who?"
"The targets."
"They're playing?"
"Yes, sir."
"Impressive," Joonmyun says, slightly amused. "And weird, considering their line of job."
"They're smart," Baekhyun murmurs, pursing his lips. "A band seems like a great cover."
"Alright. Get close, Agent Byun," Joonmyun replies, sounding like he's in a hurry. "I'll send Agent Kai to give you Park Chanyeol's file at nine. Make sure to get all the information out before retrieving Andromeda. Good luck."
"Thank you, sir," Baekhyun says, then turns off the earpiece. He tucks it in his bag along with his gun and relaxes, just listening to the other two's melodious singing.
The trio wrap up the session with an acoustic cover of Bumkey's Attraction. Baekhyun ends up ordering chocolate milkshake and tiramisu cake while he waits, unconsciously jamming through the last song.
"We'll be back after a short break," Chanyeol says, grinning at the crowd, and as he walks away from the stage, Baekhyun makes his cue to make himself noticeable.
"Hey!" he calls out, waving a hand. Beside Chanyeol, two of his friends look at him confusedly. Chanyeol furiously blinks at him, his face surprised. Baekhyun makes his way towards them and smiles. "Remember me?"
Chanyeol remembers. He remembers to the point of tossing his blanket all night and just thinking how good it would have been if he met Baekhyun in a different circumstance, and how guilty he was of ditching Baekhyun after the dance. "Baekhyun," Chanyeol says, a little breathless. He eyes Baekhyun's outfit tonight: just a simple pair of dark blue jeans and a white shirt underneath a casual light grey blazer. He looks even cuter than the last time he's seen him, and his eyes look adorably droopier without the eyeliner on. "What are you doing here?"
"I was in town," Baekhyun replies easily, smiling at him. He feels uneasy but he still lies through his teeth. "A friend recommended this place to me. I didn't know you played here."
"Well," Chanyeol says, laughing nervously. His eyes flicker from Baekhyun's face to Jongdae and Kyungsoo's puzzled faces. "There's a lot you don't know about me," he mumbles, turning to his friends. "These are my friends, Jongdae and Kyungsoo."
So this is the infamous trio. "Byun Baekhyun," he replies, waving a little. "Your band's really good."
"Thank you," Jongdae quips lively.
Kyungsoo's jaw are tensed when he asks, "So where did you two meet?" knowing completely that Baekhyun's from the auction.
"We met at the auction in Beijing," Baekhyun says, looking at Chanyeol fondly. They better fall for it. "He was quite charming, but he disappeared before I got his number."
Chanyeol starts coughing, his cheeks as red as his new hair color. He turns toward his friends and widens his eyes comically, signaling for them to leave. "You two are hungry, aren't you? Go, go. Food's on the house," he mumbles, and pushes the two away.
"Why'd you make them leave?" Baekhyun asks, blinking at him cutely. "I wanted to know them better."
"They're going to end up doing the 101 game with you," Chanyeol says with a laugh, urging Baekhyun to follow him. They move back to the booth Baekhyun was sitting in earlier and Chanyeol fidgets with his hand before saying, "Hey, I'm sorry about Beijing."
"You should be," Baekhyun says with a trace of bitterness in his voice. You got me in so much trouble. "Speaking of which, where did you go?"
"There was an emergency back home," Chanyeol says, wincing a little. He hopes he doesn't jinx it. "My sister had a bit of a problem so I had to come back as soon as possible."
Baekhyun narrows his eyes suspiciously at him. "You have a sister?"
Chanyeol cackles lowly. "Is that surprising? Yeah, she owns this place," Chanyeol says fondly. Baekhyun wonders if he's lying, but Chanyeol's expression says otherwise. He seems like he adores her a lot.
"She must be lucky to have a brother like you who'd come right when she needs him," Baekhyun replies thoughtfully. Chanyeol's taken aback at that, scratching at the side of his head as he laughs shyly, and Baekhyun feels a little twinge in chest. At least his flirting techniques are working.
"What about you?" Chanyeol asks.
Baekhyun plops his chin in his hand, watching as Chanyeol drums his fingers against the table. "Hm, what about me?"
"I never had the chance to ask." Chanyeol smiles curiously at him. "What were you doing at the auction?"
"I'm an artist," he lies easily. "It's kind of my thing."
"That says a lot about your hands, then."
That catches Baekhyun off guard. "What?" he asks, and sees Chanyeol staring at his palms.
"You've got really nice hands," Chanyeol compliments, and because of Baekhyun's lack of reply, he swiftly changes the topic. "So. What kind of art do you do?"
"I used to paint but now I just buy artworks," Baekhyun replies. "I kind of have a good eye for it. I try to find rare gems in the mud."
For a second Chanyeol considers an inquiry of Andromeda's worth, but he only purses his lips. Baekhyun's better off not knowing about that.
"What about you?" Baekhyun prods.
"I'm not really interested in artworks," Chanyeol admits, then stresses his mind to make up a lie on the spot. "But I work part time for this really rich customer from Gangnam. Sometimes he sends me to do things for him, since, you know, he's too busy making money." He ends it with a laugh, and Baekhyun leans closer, feigning interest.
He works for someone? Baekhyun takes note. Luckily for Chanyeol, Jongdae interrupts and calls him out before Baekhyun can ask more questions that he probably doesn’t have answers to. "Hey, Baekhyun. Do you mind me borrowing your lover boy?" Jongdae says teasingly, pointing a thumb at the stage. "We'll be up in a bit."
Baekhyun flushes at that for real.
"Ha ha, I'll go after you," Chanyeol says, gritting his teeth with a sarcastic laugh. "Sorry about that."
"Your friends seem like fun," Baekhyun comments stiffly.
"Well, to be fair, I've never had a dull moment for the past years we've been friends," Chanyeol says truthfully. "Will you still be here after my session?" he asks hopefully.
Baekhyun looks at his watch. It's already nine in the evening and he has to meet another agent tonight for the files. "I have a prior engagement in a bit."
"Oh," Chanyeol says disappointedly. "Like a date?"
Baekhyun laughs slowly, amusement all over his face. "Potential buyer," he reassures.
"Great," Chanyeol replies a bit too enthusiastically, and then pauses. Should he ask, he wonders, but Baekhyun's already beat him to it. He stands up from his seat and reaches for Chanyeol's arm.
"Hey, I honestly didn't think I'd see you tonight," Baekhyun admits. This trick better work. He licks his lower lip and glances up at a very startled Chanyeol. "I don't want to seem so forward with this but I'm not really sure if we're going to see each other again."
A shiver runs through Chanyeol's arm as Baekhyun traces it with his index finger. "Do you want to go out with me tomorrow night?" Chanyeol blurts out.
Baekhyun beams up at him like sunshine. "It's a date, then."
"If you want to call it that, yeah," Chanyeol says, a little breathless.
"Dinner would be nice." Baekhyun nods, satisfied. "I'm staying at the Suho Hotel close by. You can pick me up at six?"
"That would be a good time," Chanyeol replies too eagerly.
"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Baekhyun says, giving Chanyeol a very charming smile that leaves him out of breath.
Once he gets past the door, he fishes out his phone and clicks on speed dial #1. Joonmyun's voice greets him back. "Status?" he inquires.
Baekhyun grins toward the phone as he tosses his car key in the air and catches it swiftly. "I scored a date with the target."
In the grand scheme of things, worrying about one's love life in the middle of a heist crisis is probably not a very good idea.
They've spent a chunk of their time trying to figure out what Andromeda is for but they've already hit a wall with their findings. It's impossible to understand it without more experts looking through it, so for now, they concluded that it's just a really beautiful stone that's worth a shit ton of money.
But here is Chanyeol, so antsy because he scored a date with Baekhyun instead of concerning himself with the necklace. Sure, Chanyeol's been on a lot of dates and can charm off people in a short period of time, but Baekhyun-he's different. Chanyeol thinks he truly likes Baekhyun, because he's charming and cute and has a quirky sense of humor and did he mention Baekhyun's bashful smile that makes Chanyeol's heart do somersaults in his chest?
It's only four in the afternoon but he's been going in and out of the closet room for a while now to find an outfit that will fit the night, but if he's being honest with himself, he doesn't really have an idea what Baekhyun would like. So instead of going formal, he opts for the simple jeans and dress shirt combination. He takes out the black shirt from the closet and sees Kyungsoo sitting at the edge of his bed when he turns around.
"You really are one hell of a spy," Chanyeol says, clutching his chest.
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at him and strides forward, helping Chanyeol up with his collars. Out of them three, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol have known each other the longest. It doesn't mean that they're not close to Jongdae, but sometimes, even when they don't say anything, they know what's up in each other's mind. Yoora often teased them about it, but they know how extremely platonic their relationship is. They've tried a few years ago. It didn't work out as much so they remained friends.
"What do you think?" comes Chanyeol's question, and Kyungsoo doesn't have to wonder what it pertains to.
"He's from the auction is all I can think of," Kyungsoo replies gently, like he doesn't want to offend Chanyeol with what he might say after. Kyungsoo’s frank most of the time, but when it comes to his friends’ relationship matters, it falters a bit. He pats Chanyeol's cheek with a stern smile. "Sorry, it's quite suspicious."
"You've seen him," Chanyeol reasons out. "Come on, don't worry. The guy's complete harmless."
Kyungsoo chuckles a little and Chanyeol finally relaxes. "You really got it bad for him, don't you?"
"He's like a fresh breath of air out of all the chaos we get into," Chanyeol says, adoration glinting in his eyes. "But I don't know. I quite like him. He keeps me interested."
"Fine," Kyungsoo says in defeat as he finishes up fixing Chanyeol's collars. "Just be cautious around him. After all, it's only the first date."
"Do you think we can work this thing out?"
"Well," Kyungsoo starts with a sigh, "you just have to know him well enough tonight to answer that."
Chanyeol gives him a grateful look as he leaves the room. "Thanks, Kyungsoo."
He pockets his wallet and phone as he walks across the room, and that's when he finally notices the necklace sitting next to his bed. It seems brighter than the last time he's seen it, the blue stone emitting an extra glow like it's a bursting comet with lights around it. They haven't gotten around to sell it yet, mostly because they don't know its worth, and Jongdae insisted that Chanyeol kept it in his room for the past two weeks.
Chanyeol picks it up and examines it closely, and that's when he sees it again: a puff of smoke is moving inside the stone, and at the bottom of it a small spark of fire ignites. Chanyeol's not sure how long he's been holding it or why he couldn't put it down, but one thing is for sure: he's surely enthralled by its beauty. He's never seen anything as breathtaking as the Andromeda before.
What he doesn't expect to happen next is the sudden warmth the stone exudes, his palm throbbing like it's on fire and the nerves in his body feeling electrified. Chanyeol cries out in pain, but he can't even hear himself through the continuous ringing in his ears. The pain just continues, spreading throughout his body like venom. Chanyeol wants it to stop, but the stone won't dislodge itself from his hand as he writhes on the floor in a burning misery. It feels like the stone is synthesizing itself with Chanyeol's body in great intensity. The pain starts subsiding as Andromeda's brightness slowly diminishes in his palm like a burned off star losing its power. Chanyeol's eyelids flutter, his eyesight blurring, and sees his hand giving off sparks like the tiny fireworks he used to play with as a child before finally passing out.
Little does Chanyeol know that in that exact moment, his life has been changed forever.
Chanyeol wakes up around five thirty. He blinks blearily, his eyes adjusting to the blinding lights, and faintly hears the ticking of a clock and the kettle whistling. "You think he's okay?" he hears Jongdae say worriedly, and the sound of glass sliding at the kitchen counter echoes in his ear.
"I'm awake," he replies, and the scrambling of feet from the kitchen overwhelms him. "Be a little quiet, you guys."
"How's your head?" Jongdae inquires, holding the back of his palm to his forehead. "We heard you screaming and when we went in your room you were already down the floor. What happened?"
Chanyeol squints his eyes at them, still feeling like he's blinded. He covers his eyes with his left palm and tries to remember what happened, but all he can recall is his conversation with Kyungsoo. "I don't remember," he mumbles.
"How can you not remember?" Kyungsoo snaps back.
"I..." Chanyeol pauses, feeling lightheaded. He glances behind him, the clock still ticking loudly. His eyes sharply focus on the hands, a realization dawning to him. He hurriedly gets on his feet, slides a hand on his hair and mutters "Oh, god. I'm going to be late."
"You're still sick," Jongdae says in his usually high-pitched voice, and Chanyeol winces a little at the volume of it.
"Just cancel your date tonight and rest," Kyungsoo says.
"No, really, I'm fine." Chanyeol looks up and beams at them. It's the truth. The dizziness a minute ago has gone away, and all he feels right now is a surge of energy flowing through his body. It's weird, he thinks, he must just be pretty psyched for his date. He stands up from the couch and gives Jongdae's head a childish pat and Kyungsoo a reassuring thumbs up. "I'll see you two later," he says before whistling his way toward the door.
"There goes the idiot," Kyungsoo says begrudgingly while Jongdae hollers a loud, "Enjoy your date!"
Chanyeol only mumbles a cheerful apology as he rushes out to the street.
Chanyeol's file is sitting on Baekhyun's bed. He wonders for a moment if he wants to open it-to know and see everything about Chanyeol like a book you can read inside out, but decides against it. It's a stupid and a risky decision, especially since he's dealing with a criminal, but Baekhyun can't help but feel oddly guilty, like he's already seen everything that is to know about Chanyeol to prepare him for this mission.
Or that he's just really, stupidly confident enough that Chanyeol isn't up to anything tonight and that he might possibly even have a very good time. Baekhyun heaves a sigh as he finally slips down the cuff inside his jacket's pocket, then plops in his bed with his mind in a confused blur.
It's going to be an extremely deceitful night.
Chanyeol manages to get to Suho Hotel on time. Now, his hand is hovering over Baekhyun's hotel room door. He takes a deep breath, heart rate still racing in nervousness, and fixes his hair one more time before finally knocking. Baekhyun opens the door quickly, like he's been waiting for a long time, and Chanyeol's breath hitches in his throat, mesmerized as Baekhyun greets him with lovely smile.
He's quite thankful to know that he isn't overdressed for tonight. Baekhyun's wearing a white dress shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, tight black jeans that accentuate his thighs and his eyes lined heavily with eyeliner. Chanyeol also wonders if he's put on a faint tint on his lips. "You look really good tonight," Chanyeol blurts out.
"Thanks, you don't look too bad yourself," he replies, grinning. "Come on, I made reservations at the hotel's restaurant."
Baekhyun lays his palm out and Chanyeol takes it with a hint of a smile. A part of him admits that he really, genuinely likes holding Baekhyun's hand.
Dinner goes very smoothly, but it takes Chanyeol half a glass of wine to loosen up and calm his nerves, his heartbeat finally slowing down as he watches Baekhyun across the seat.
While Chanyeol's enjoying himself, though, Baekhyun's got other things in mind. He asks a lot of questions masked underneath an interested lilt in his voice. Unaware of Baekhyun's intentions, Chanyeol opens up like a book and ends up talking more about his life, his little stories animated with his expressions and tiny gestures.
"So what's up with you three? College buddies?" Baekhyun pries. He expected Chanyeol to tell him more about his friends, but all he gets is a vague response.
"Kyungsoo's a childhood friend," Chanyeol says cautiously. "We met Jongdae in high school. We kind of stuck together as a band; we even went to college together on full scholarship rides."
"So you graduated with a music degree?"
"Engineering, actually," Chanyeol says, grinning. "We were great at computers so we pushed through it."
"Wow." That explains all the brilliant and traceless crimes, Baekhyun thinks, quite amazed. He definitely isn't putting it on his list of why Park Chanyeol is so attractive. "So why aren't you doing a 9-5 job, then?"
Chanyeol shrugs at that. "We've never been the office types so now we're just handling my sister's place."
The topic eventually drops after that. Baekhyun wants to ask more, but it seems like Chanyeol's too wary talking about his friends so he diverts the conversation instead and goes over humorous little stories that date back in his childhood and college, and even slips up that he used to dream of becoming a rapper when he was younger instead.
Baekhyun wiggles his eyebrows at him. "Beenzino's your favorite?"
"Yeah, ridiculous, right? But he's amazing."
"No way," Baekhyun says, his cheeks swelling as he grins. "He's one of my favorites, too."
Upon hearing that tiny sliver of information about Baekhyun, it makes Chanyeol eager to open up more, although the thing is-well, Chanyeol isn't normally like this. He knows the right words to say, the ones that might not be exactly true but will please the other person. With the nature of his job, it's always been a precaution to avoid most of his personal information.
But Baekhyun's persistent, like a virus ready to breach all of Chanyeol's walls, and in just a night, he must've already heard half of Chanyeol's life. Once in a while, though, Chanyeol gets distracted easily with the tiny details laid out in front of him: the mole on Baekhyun's thumb, the way he touches his mouth with a finger whenever he's listening closely, or even just the way his eyes curl into crescents every time he smiles.
After finally ending an embarrassing conversation about Chanyeol and his childhood fascination on ferrets, he says, "Are we playing a game of questions?"
"Seems like a fitting game for a first date, don't you think?" Baekhyun quips, smiling.
The corner of Chanyeol's mouth rises. "Okay," he says, leaning back. "Then it seems fair that you tell me about yourself, too. It's been just me doing all the talking."
Baekhyun laughs. "What do you want to know about me? My life is boring."
"A lot," Chanyeol says honestly. "You seem like someone I'd really like to know well."
Baekhyun tries not to let that get into him, but he still considers telling the truth. After all, Chanyeol's probably just earnest to know him. He can see it in Chanyeol's everything-his gestures, the way he looks at Baekhyun, how enthusiastic he is at trying to flitter around conversations that might spark Baekhyun's interests. Baekhyun feels the guilt eating through his heart. He downs the rest of his wine and says, "Well, then. Let's start. Fire away the questions."
Chanyeol's face lights up. "It'll just be basic questions. Where did you grow up?"
"Bucheon," Baekhyun says honestly. "Moved to Seattle when I was five. Spent most of my life there, too."
"Seriously?" Chanyeol asks, his eyebrows rising unto his hairline. "I spent college abroad but my English can still be rusty."
"I know a few more languages fluently," Baekhyun admits proudly. "It comes with the job." That isn't a lie either. Governmental jobs like his do come with high requirements.
Now that he's got the chance, Chanyeol asks a lot. His favorite color, song, food, everything that he can think of at the top of his head. Baekhyun wouldn't say it out loud but the act itself is endearing and Chanyeol's childlike expression as he curiously asks more makes his heart stutter.
You can't, he tells himself, watching as Chanyeol laughs, his nose crinkling with all his teeth bared. Chanyeol looks funny when he smiles too much but Baekhyun treasures the moment, unsure of what to do next. Focus on the mission, Byun Baekhyun. You have a plan.
It takes them another round of decadent wine to finish the conversation. Chanyeol is not a lightweight; in fact, he can even rival Jongdae who doesn't get knocked out until he's finished eleven bottles of soju. However, tonight though is a different matter. After taking his last swig, he sways a little in his seat, eyesight blurring. His body seems heavier, warmer, like he's suddenly submerged under boiling water. He doesn't tell Baekhyun-he doesn't want to. It's too much of a mood ruiner, but the way he stumbles up and slurs, "I'm going to the bathroom" makes Baekhyun a little suspicious.
Once he reaches the bathroom, he hurriedly goes to the sink, splashes his face with water a couple times before heaving a sigh. He's sweating so much now, his shirt sticking to his body, and Chanyeol still feels extremely warm. No matter how much he washes his hands, the fiery feeling in them doesn't go away so he resorts to calling Jongdae.
"Hey." Jongdae's bright voice greets him. "How's the big date going?"
"I'm dying," Chanyeol wheezes jokingly. There's a frantic sound behind the line, like Jongdae probably tripping over something in the living room continued by a frenzy of Kyungsoo-yah get out of your room!
"Did Baekhyun try to kill you? Is he an agent? I'm going to come right now-" is what comes after that, but Chanyeol only laughs, thinking back to Baekhyun's amazing smile and how tiny and cute and impossible it is for him to come after Chanyeol.
"No, no. That's impossible."
"Then what?"
"I just feel a little sick and I don't want to worry Baekhyun." Chanyeol sighs, furrowing his eyebrows. He only intended to relax but the moment he closes his eyes, flashbacks of the afternoon experience with Andromeda penetrates his mind-the electricity flowing through his veins, the torturous warmth in his body, the sparks. Oh god. What's happening to him? "Jongdae, where is Andromeda?"
"I put it on you," Jongdae replies smugly and Chanyeol gasps. "What? I thought it would impress Baekhyun since, you know, you said he's an artist."
Chanyeol immediately unbuttons his shirt and there it is, lying innocently in his chest. Chanyeol swears he didn't even feel it there, like its heaviness has diminished into a weightless stone. His hands are shaking as he touches Andromeda. It feels cold in his fingertips. "We'll talk about this later."
"Stay safe, alright? Come home if it gets worse," Jongdae says. "Or better yet let your date take care of you."
"Jongdae," Chanyeol intones, sounding embarrassed. "I'll call you later."
Chanyeol presses the end call, then weaves his hand through his hair and carefully watches himself in the mirror. Chanyeol doesn't really want to worry his friends until he finds out what's happening. There's no significant change in his appearance, no burns, nothing. Whatever's wrong with him-it might be inside. Before he can even heave another sigh, the sound of the door creaking infiltrates his hearing and Baekhyun's there, looking a little worried as he mumbles a curious, "Are you okay?"
He doesn't know how to respond and only smiles a little as he meets Baekhyun's eyes. Chanyeol leans back at the counter, feeling a lot calmer as soon as Baekhyun makes his way toward him.
On the other hand, Baekhyun's eyes immediately gloss over the necklace exposed in his chest. It's been there the whole time? he thinks, feeling a little stupid, and at that moment, Baekhyun's head finally focuses on his mission. To retrieve it is what he came to do, although how he plans to do it, he has no idea.
But Chanyeol opens his mouth as if to say something and all of a sudden all he can think of is those lips, and damn himself if he isn't thinking about the easiest way to get it. It's either he tries to get into Chanyeol's good side (which honestly just consists of him with his clothes discarded on the floor) and steal Andromeda back or just-well, make a scene and hope to heavens that Chanyeol's not good at physical fighting. He picks the former. That is definitely a good choice.
Chanyeol's surprised when Baekhyun closes the gap between them. His eyes pop open and all of a sudden the room is even warmer than his body, mostly because Baekhyun's close-too close as he invades Chanyeol's personal space to the point that he can feel his breath lingering between them. Is he drunk?
"You know..." Baekhyun drawls in his ear as he trails a finger over Chanyeol's arm. His touch is ghostly and light and Chanyeol only grips the counter, feeling the shiver creep up his skin as Baekhyun looks up at him with hooded eyes. "Us meeting again, I don't think it's accidental."
Chanyeol licks his lower lip and tries not to stare at Baekhyun's lips dangerously close to the corner of his mouth. "Yeah?" he prods, his voice trembling.
Baekhyun's mouth curls into a small smirk. He lifts his right knee and drags it upward until it's caressing the insides of Chanyeol's thighs. Chanyeol whimpers lowly, feeling Baekhyun press himself harder against him and shuts his eyes. "I think it's fate."
"It might as well be," Chanyeol says weakly like a joke, but the way Baekhyun touches his cheek lightly and meets his gaze is devastatingly captivating.
"I'd like to kiss you right now," Baekhyun whispers softly, which honestly is the unfortunate truth. Chanyeol's heart soars against his chest, and all he can say in his head is a chorus of yes, yes, yes as Baekhyun pulls him down by the collar and kisses him.
Their first kiss is soft and gentle, just a simple press of lips with hesitance lingering between them. When they pull away with bated breaths, they've got that look in their eyes mixed with curiosity, confusion and desperation as they want more than just a simple kiss. They've got different thoughts running through their minds at the moment, but all they just really want is a repeat.
Chanyeol finally gives in and captures Baekhyun's mouth again. He can't help but feel intoxicated. His hands move to grip Baekhyun's waist, pulls him closer as if he's going to vanish like thin air in a second. Chanyeol coaxes Baekhyun's mouth open and slips his tongue easily, licking at the roof of his mouth like he's testing waters. Baekhyun lets out a soft whimper as Chanyeol nibbles on his lower lip, and the sound of it prods Chanyeol to kiss him even harder.
"You're so hot," Baekhyun mumbles truthfully. He's lost in the kiss, forgotten about his purpose.
"Yeah, I really am," Chanyeol says, meaning it literally. His body feels even hotter, like an energy tank ready to explode, but he's not quite sure if it's just Baekhyun's doing.
Baekhyun circles his arms around Chanyeol's neck and yanks him nearer, his hips rutting against Chanyeol's. The bulge on Chanyeol's jeans is unmistakable and Chanyeol's hands cop his ass and make their way down to his thighs, hoisting him up until his legs are around Chanyeol's waist. Baekhyun throws his head back with a needy moan as Chanyeol turns around and presses Baekhyun down the counter, his right hand settling to caress the side of Baekhyun's thigh.
This is a job.
But Baekhyun would really like to get fucked against the counter even if it isn't entirely a bright idea at the moment. He pulls away, his smile gleaming. Chanyeol's too distracted, his mouth attached to Baekhyun's neck as he sucks a beautiful bruise in it. "My room's available," Baekhyun mumbles breathlessly.
Chanyeol's head is in a frenzy of thoughts, like he's alarmingly drunk with just a taste of Baekhyun's lips after finally letting the heat in his body take over him. His body is reacting so badly because of Baekhyun, his feverishness making him dizzy.
"Alright, let's go," Chanyeol finally heeds and Baekhyun only presses one light kiss earnestly against Chanyeol's mouth as a reply.
→ PART 2
Author: mixmonitor
For: fashcndy
Pairing/Focus: Baekhyun/Chanyeol
Rating: pg-13
Warnings: violence
Length: 28k
Summary: Park Chanyeol becomes the world's most dangerous weapon. Byun Baekhyun is the unlucky agent assigned to retrieve him. (superpowers/heist/spies!au)
Beijing: September 6, 2014
There is an auction taking place tonight at the National Art Museum of China. Nobles, highly ranked people in the society and art enthusiasts come from all over the world to attend this gala where a collection of artifacts is being sold for a charitable cause. It's an annual event that is usually held in the countries involved with the United Nations, and this time, the bright city of Beijing takes the crown and pride in hosting it.
However, hidden beneath the walls of the main gallery lies another room where an undisclosed auction is going to take place at precisely twenty two o'clock. Word has gotten out that the list of items contains the most valuable creation ever invented in history: the Andromeda. It kept the rumor mills running for months, but what the item is capable of doing, no one knows at all. One thing is for sure, though-it will be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
And that's the main target for tonight-or at least for Asia's three most infamous thieves.
Tonight's mission is simple: infiltrate the area, create a distraction, then steal the infamous Andromeda and bow out of the premise before the illicit bidding begins.
A man wearing a silky black suit finally finds his way to the entrance. He flashes the lady behind the desk a charming grin, his pearly white teeth exposed. It doesn't help that his brown hair is straightened down with his bangs swept to the side, making him look like a pretty dashing guy who just stepped onstage as some sort of famous entertainer ready to take his award.
The girl flushes at him, caught off guard by the sudden enthrallment his face offers. "Your name, sir?" she asks politely, although the fact that she’s batting her eyelashes makes her seem very forward.
"Piao Canlie," he replies, enunciating his syllables. The name rolls off easily out of his mouth, mostly because he's spent the whole night trying to say it as naturally as he could. His self-taught Chinese doesn't disappoint him tonight. He reaches down to his coat's pocket and gets the ivory colored invitation with neatly written Chinese characters on the guest name and slides it across the desk.
It doesn't take her long to run his name through the computer. Her eyes shift from the invitation and back to the computer before uncertainly saying, "Your name isn't on the list, sir."
Canlie starts nibbling on his bottom lip. "I can't believe this," he starts, looking up at her after a few beats of silence, eyes portraying extreme disappointment before heaving a sigh. He gives her his most convincing puppy eyes. "Would it be okay for you to double check with your superiors?"
It works. The girl scrambles off her chair in a hurry muttering an eager "okay" before turning on her heels.
Canlie grins, satisfied, before subtly pressing his palm against his ear and whispering, "She's out."
"Good job at charming her skirt off, Park Chanyeol," a slightly amused voice says from his earpiece, and Canlie-whose real name is Park Chanyeol, turns around and catches a CCTV on his right. He winks at it and a loud scoff rings against his ear.
"Always my pleasure to do it."
Parked on the other side of the building is a rented black minivan where Do Kyungsoo's tiny shoulders are hunched over, his fingers flying over the keys of his computer as he tries to hack the Museum's system. "It's not working," he murmurs against his microphone. "Their security firewall on the main database is too strong."
"Thank god I always bring a backup plan," Chanyeol replies breezily, fishing out a silver usb out of his pocket. He looks around, making sure that the people close to him are occupied, and swiftly plugs it down the computer's port. "Happy Virus is in," he says, leaning back with accomplishment written all over his face.
"Did you seriously just name your new hacking program Happy Virus?"
"What? It makes everyone happy during desperate times."
Kyungsoo laughs shortly, and the noise of the keyboard clicking overwhelms Chanyeol's earpiece for the next two minutes. "Okay, I'm in," Kyungsoo says just in time for the desk lady to come back out. "Do the trick at the count of five."
"Sorry, sir. There seems to be a problem-"
As if on cue, Chanyeol extends a hand over the desk and tucks a stray hair behind the lady's ear. "That looks better," he says suavely. "It's easier to see your beautiful face like this."
"Okay, I got your name on the database."
Chanyeol licks his lips appealingly and nods toward the computer. "Check it again. You might just be a little distracted."
The lady blinks at him, flustered, and internally panics in front of the computer. She feigns a puzzled face after refreshing, the name Piao Canlie suddenly inputted on the list. "Oh-your name's in here. That's really weird," she says confusedly. "They must have fixed the system. I'm really sorry about the inconvenience."
"It's okay," Chanyeol says, flashing her another blinding smile. "Talking to a pretty lady like you isn't a waste of my time."
While on his way to the main hall, Chanyeol fixes his burgundy bow tie in place and presses down the core to activate the tiny camera Kyungsoo placed in earlier. "Premise infiltrated," he whispers lowly, guising it as a cough when one of the ladies passing by gives him an eyeful.
"That was smooth."
Chanyeol laughs. "The book How to Woo a Chinese Lover I found underneath Jongdae's pillow last night taught me well."
Kyungsoo's face under the dark confinement of the van cracks a tiny smile. Of course, Jongdae would bring a book like that. Speaking of Jongdae-"Hey, Thunder, do you copy?"
A high pitched laughter crackles in their earpieces. There's the sound of wind gushing, the traffic blending with it. Thunder, real name Kim Jongdae, breathes loudly against his microphone. After a loud thud, he replies, "Yeah, I'm at the roof now. It took forever to climb this place up." He rolls his climbing equipment, stuffs it in his backpack. "I'm also glad that book was helpful, although I'm not sure if I really want you snooping around my things."
"I consider myself lucky that it's the only thing I found," Chanyeol sneers, distracted as he eyes the room full of fancily dressed people.
Chanyeol's been in a lot of situations like this, but tonight's mission somehow screams more dangerous to him. It's one of those times where one of them has to be directly involved with the people around them, and Chanyeol's never been too fond of it. Sure, he's good at acting and easily blends in with the crowd, but he prefers the anonymousness that he gets behind the scenes. The last mission he got himself exposed to others, he found a picture of his back pinned on their file on the government's database. Risking his identity again like this makes it even more worrisome.
Chanyeol shakes his head optimistically. They haven't butchered a mission ever since they got into this business and tonight will go smoothly, too.
He stares at the bodyguards hovering around one of the exit doors and says, "You should get moving, Jongdae."
"How long will it take you to go through the vent?" Kyungsoo asks.
There's a pause on Jongdae's line. "I couldn't get through the main door so I'm sneaking in through a window," Jongdae finally says, sighing wistfully. "I really wonder why I'm always tasked to do this whole sneaking around thing."
"Because you're a minute slower than me when it comes to hacking and Chanyeol's too big to not get caught." Kyungsoo clicks on the rooftop surveillance window and watches Jongdae's mouth curl into a pout as he tries to fit himself in the opening. Jongdae looks frustrated and it fuels Kyungsoo's desire to tease him more. "And that you always, always lose at rock, paper, scissors."
Heartless bastard. He doesn't even mention Jongdae's efficiency on the field.
"Geez, okay. Give me half an hour tops. Don't let your sight off me, Kyungsoo. I don't want to go commando on everyone here."
"You won't have to." Kyungsoo scoffs. "I have an entire screen on your floor's hall. The vault's on your left, room 506. The room you entered isn't occupied so start with the vent there and move."
"Okay," Jongdae responds, his breath cut short after hoisting himself up the vent using the desk in the room. "I'm up. Chanyeol, what's hidden on your sleeve tonight?"
Chanyeol cracks a grin. "I think I'm gonna fancy myself with a glass of martini."
To Chanyeol's dismay, it takes longer for him to order the drinks than to spot his target. The bartender has been extremely accommodating that Chanyeol's spent the last few minutes talking himself out of the too-friendly conversation about recommended drinks. "Can you just please give me my order now?" Chanyeol finally says.
Once he got the drinks, his eyes immediately land on his target: Song Qian, the wife of the one holding the auction tonight. Research tells him that her husband's quite an authoritarian. Guards usually surround her, and Chanyeol's job is to make them focused on him tonight to have lesser men guard the floor Jongdae's in.
Chanyeol catches her gaze easily as they meet halfway, her cheeks burning as he winks. Chanyeol racks his head for more conversational phrases. She's still holding his stare, and that's good since it means he's caught her attention.
Everything's going according to plan until Chanyeol bumps into someone rushing his way in front of him, the drinks spilling on the other man. "I'm-I'm sorry," Chanyeol stutters, quite surprised by his own clumsiness. "Dui bu qi."
"It's okay, I wasn't looking either," the guy replies easily in Korean. Chanyeol looks up, surprised, and doesn't quite breathe for a second. The guy in front of him is cute, really cute, and he's smiling up at Chanyeol with his cheeks high up and his lightly kohl lined eyes turning into little slits. Oh no. "Although honestly, a new coat will do."
Chanyeol blinks out of his short trance when Kyungsoo huffs in his earpiece. "Chanyeol, what do you think you're doing? We're in the middle of a mission."
"Um," Chanyeol replies intelligently, thrusting the glasses he's holding onto the waiter that passes by them.
"Chanyeol," Kyungsoo urges. "Target is moving out."
Chanyeol's eyes flicker from the back of the guy's head and sees Qian passing through the doors. He tries to remember the floor plan he went over last night. It doesn't quite work so he hopes for the best as he insists, "There's a bathroom right there. Come on, I'll lend you mine." Chanyeol grabs the guy's hand in a haste, dragging him towards the door as well.
The guy surprisingly doesn't retaliate. Instead, he follows Chanyeol through the way, his other hand clutching his stained shirt. There are bodyguards standing outside the lady's room once they arrive, and Chanyeol thanks his instincts for not failing him tonight.
"I'm really sorry about this," Chanyeol says loud enough for them to hear. They slip inside the gigantic bathroom conspicuously and for the second time, Chanyeol gets to see that charming smile again. Without thinking he says, "This is so embarrassing, uh-"
"Baekhyun," the other replies smoothly. He extends his hand forward. Chanyeol takes and shakes it. Baekhyun's hand is really soft, and Chanyeol feels a little ashamed by the callousness of his palm.
"It's nice to meet you."
Baekhyun laughs. "I meant hand me your coat, but okay."
"Right," Chanyeol replies dumbly, shaking his head and pulling his hand away. He shrugs off his coat, passing it to Baekhyun. The smaller guy takes it eagerly, smiling up at him.
"I'll just change," Baekhyun says charmingly, a smile still plastered on his face, then stalks toward one of the stalls.
Chanyeol exhales loudly, eyes following after him. He's got a really nice behind, Chanyeol thinks, unintentionally staring at Baekhyun's thighs.
"Try not to drool after that guy."
"Sorry, Kyungsoo," Chanyeol says stupidly, wincing. He's forgotten about the camera in his bow. "What now?"
"Her husband has joined her inside the bathroom while you're busy trying to come up with a coherent sentence to say," Kyungsoo says flatly. "Climb the vent and sneak into the lady's room, see what information you can gather."
"What? There's nothing to climb in here."
"Look on your right." Chanyeol sees sinks aligned at the corner and a small pillar that goes up to the ceiling. He pales a little, thinking of trying to climb it.
Chanyeol purses his lips. "You're kidding me, right?"
"No. That's closer than the stalls."
Chanyeol heaves a sigh as he walks toward it, mumbling a really dejected "alright."
"Oh, and Chanyeol?"
"Yeah?"
"Try not to focus so much on that cute guy as well."
Chanyeol's hand slips down a little. At least Kyungsoo recognizes that he's cute. "Shut up, Kyungsoo," he retorts back. He's definitely not blushing.
Unknown to Chanyeol on the other side of the room is Byun Baekhyun's real identity. Despite hating the fact that the alcohol's smell is clinging to him, getting martini all over himself had only been his ploy to get himself close to Song Qian. Baekhyun works for the CIA as a topnotch agent assigned to retrieve Andromeda as low-key as possible.
Andromeda has been one of the government's finest inventions. The only details Baekhyun's got about it were the time dedicated into creating it, the list of lives lost in order to contain its existence and its purpose: it's built and designed to be the most dangerous weapon anyone can possess. As a top-secret mission, Baekhyun's been assigned to a relatively small group, and naturally being the one with the most field experience, he was given the responsibility to get it himself.
Baekhyun goes to the farthest stall in the bathroom. He climbs up the toilet seat, points his laser at the ceiling and starts making a makeshift path for himself. One of the faucets starts running, and Baekhyun picks it as the moment to push through the cardboard. He hoists himself up expertly, his thighs dangling until his upper body stabilizes on top.
There are two separate vents that hold the ceiling in this area. Baekhyun immediately crawls into his own, an ear pressed on the bottom of the pathway. A few more trudging later, he can finally hear Qian's and another man's voices. He carefully points the laser down, making a small cut in order to hear well.
He doesn't quite catch the gist of the conversation, but he does hear, "-Andromeda looks really good on you. It's a shame we have to sell it tonight."
It's on her? Baekhyun thinks, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Don't you want to find out what's in it?" Qian replies.
"It's too dangerous to pry," the man says. "It's better to get it out of our hands as soon as possible."
Baekhyun scoffs at that. Stealing it has already been dangerous enough. Baekhyun shifts a little, trying to make himself comfortable just in time to hear a loud thud on the other vent and a yelp echoing through the metal pathways. Qian's husband immediately yells, "Who's there?"
Shit. Baekhyun hurriedly drags himself backwards, hearing a constant panic arising from the guards and finally slides down the hole with his heart crazily thumping against his ribcage. "There's someone else after it," Baekhyun whispers to his own earpiece, trying to catch his breath. "Someone else was in the vent but I didn't get to see him on time."
His superior Kim Minseok's reply comes quick, and Baekhyun tries to calm himself through slow breathing. He's already got a bad feeling about this mission. "I'm sending backup. Create a diversion, make sure you identify the enemy, and get the necklace as soon as you can."
"Jongdae," Chanyeol wheezes, clutching the knee he bumped against the wall. Stupid long legs. "Get out of there right now. The vault is a trap."
Chanyeol repeats it over and over again like a mantra, but all he gets is a dead line on his earpiece. Mortified, the realization finally hits him. "Shit, they must have disabled communications in the building." Chanyeol sucks in a deep breath, panic rising over his head, because Kim Jongdae better be safe at this moment. He nimbly takes his bow tie off, hoping that Kyungsoo can still follow through the cameras, and enunciates Vault is a trap; go get Jongdae right now thrice.
Chanyeol lands on his feet just in time for Baekhyun to emerge from the stall. He tries to balance himself as he pants, and ends up with an elbow on the running faucet he left earlier. "Did you manage to wipe it all down?" is all he says, ignoring the puddle in his elbow.
Baekhyun chuckles at him. "Are you okay? Your elbow's soaking."
"Oh," Chanyeol says dumbly. He should really work on that, damn it. He notices his own coat over Baekhyun. His eyes glaze over Baekhyun's shoulder, which does fit his coat perfectly and down to the sleeves that go until the middle of Baekhyun's hands. He looks adorable like that, and Chanyeol momentarily looks away to focus on his mission. Baekhyun's oddly distracting, and Chanyeol eagerly wants to know what just makes him so attracted at this moment.
"It'll dry off in a bit," Chanyeol mumbles, proceeding to put his elbow underneath the drier. Baekhyun laughs even more, inching closer to help him with it.
"I never got your name," is all Baekhyun says, amusement evident in his voice as he holds the edge of Chanyeol's dress shirt.
"Park Chanyeol," Chanyeol says, and for a second, wants to hit himself at the back of his head for being careless. He shouldn't have said his real name. Kyungsoo and Jongdae will kill him.
Silence follows afterward. They obviously need to get out of this place as soon as possible, but both of them are still unknowingly mapping out plans in their minds, unsure of the next step to take.
"Do you want to-" Chanyeol starts, but gets disrupted by a loud pound on the bathroom's door. Baekhyun clings closer to him, faking a frightened face, his hand around Chanyeol's neck. Oh. Chanyeol's hand automatically places itself on Baekhyun's waist as they both look up to see the armed guards. Immediate cover: strangers having a good time.
To them, Chanyeol and Baekhyun probably look like they're in the middle of a disrupted make out session.
"Why are you two here?" one of guards pries, looking at them suspiciously.
Baekhyun blinks innocently at them, looking very bewildered as he withdraws his hands away from Chanyeol. "He spilled his drink on me," he mumbles coherently, then points at his coat by the sink. Chanyeol extremely wonders if he's heard Baekhyun right when he adds "You're also interrupting a very intimate moment," in Mandarin. He assumes he's just got his words mixed up, damn Jongdae's love book. The guards immediately leave.
"I don't know what you said but thank you," Chanyeol says, sighing. "Those were some pretty scary looking guys."
Baekhyun looks at him, eyebrows knitted slightly. Up close, Chanyeol really is attractive. He's got a tall nose and almond shaped eyes, his lips chapped with the constant flicker of his tongue against it. There's really something about Chanyeol, but he can't help but erase all suspicions when his face brightens up with a reassuring grin. "Have you seen the guns they were holding?"
"Don't even mention them," Chanyeol mumbles, shivering. "It's probably the first time I've seen so much guns."
"That's funny," Baekhyun replies, shaking his head with a smile. "I never liked guns. They scare me."
"God, me too. I'd rather settle things with words than violence."
It takes them a while to realize that they're not really supposed to still be holding each other and when they do, Baekhyun steps away with a faint blush in his cheek. Focus, Byun Baekhyun.
Next to him, Chanyeol's thinking of the same thing. They really need to get out of here. "Do you want to go dance with me?" he offers. Chanyeol's never been good at general dancing, but at least he's decent at waltz to the point of not stepping on his partner's foot every so often. His sister Yoora used to take him all the time to office parties as her date.
Baekhyun links his arm with Chanyeol's. "Alright, Chanyeol. Lead the way."
They arrive just in time for the band to start playing. Qian's already at the dance floor with her husband, and Baekhyun's the first one who grabs Chanyeol's hand and leads him close to the other couple. They immediately go into their positions with Chanyeol's hand at the small of Bekhyun's back and Baekhyun's circled on his neck, both their right palms held together. For a moment, the tips of Chanyeol's ears turn red when Baekhyun casually strokes the back of his head, the smaller boy just grinning at him.
Saying that they're becoming oddly dependent on each other on this mission is an understatement. This whole intimacy act is perplexing, but with the missions embedded on their heads, they don't say anything about it. Instead, they make it even realistic as they stare at each other fondly in the midst of the crowd and talk about the things they can think of.
Not that Chanyeol has to pretend anyway. Baekhyun is lovely.
It takes them two rounds of waltz to get close enough to see Andromeda dangling on Qian's neck. Chanyeol halts and spins Baekhyun, both their eyes still trained on the piece of jewelry. The moment Baekhyun lands back in Chanyeol's arms is when reality finally dawns on him, the suspicions formulating in his head.
Chanyeol is still staring at the stone.
"You seem distracted," is all he says, trying not to sound accusatory.
"What?" Chanyeol says, blinking down at him.
"Nothing," Baekhyun replies sternly. They inch closer to the couple and Baekhyun takes it as his cue to step on his foot really hard. Chanyeol yelps loudly, his face reddening as he jumps around for a bit on one foot.
"Ooops," Baekhyun says, not even sounding apologetic as Chanyeol's stare lingers on Andromeda.
"It's okay," Chanyeol wheezes, reaching for his hand again. As he looks up, he sees a familiar figure move across the stage, and for a second Chanyeol's forgotten the throbbing pain in his foot, and a relieved sigh escapes his mouth. Kim Jongdae in all his 170 centimeters glory is sliding a piece of paper toward the lady singer armed with an annoyingly handsome smirk. He's changed into a black dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up and his hair messily done, which is honestly probably caused by the wind outside. Before he could even meet Jongdae's eyes, two hands have already encompassed his face and he's met with Baekhyun's slightly irritated face.
Chanyeol looks hilarious as he says, "Baekhyun?" with his cheeks squeezed and his lips jutting out.
When the music starts playing again, it's Jongdae's soothing voice that echoes through the vicinity. He starts singing an upbeat rendition of Save the Last Dance for Me which Baekhyun finds ironic at the moment. The crowd starts shifting, partners being exchanged-and a surprised Baekhyun gets snatched by a very enthusiastic lady. Chanyeol takes the chance and promptly moves toward Qian, catching her by the waist.
"You're the attractive guy from earlier," Qian tells him interestedly. Chanyeol hums in reply and pulls her closer, his fingers dangerously running up and down her back as they move swiftly away from the crowd. Chanyeol finally meets Jongdae's eyes behind her and Jongdae signals at the lights as he belts out the bridge.
It all happens very fast. Chanyeol leans closer, his hand caressing the back of her neck, and tells her: "You're very pretty." The music comes to a stop and the room gets engulfed in darkness the exact moment he unclips the necklace. Chaos ensues and Chanyeol rapidly runs toward the stage, necklace in hand as the people shriek inside the ballroom. He remembers the blueprint and the exact location of the door behind the stage, and meets Jongdae with a triumphant grin.
"Come on, we have no time left," Jongdae tells him, beaming as they run across the hall toward the exit. It's at least fifty meters away. They hear a bunch of footsteps and angry yells of Mandarin following after them, and they duck at a wall just in time for a bullet to whizz past them. They continue to run until they reach the exit. The angry whir of the minivan reverberates as Kyungsoo pulls up, the two safely slipping inside as gunshots echo into the distance.
Chanyeol and Jongdae breathe in relief as they drive away. Chanyeol scrambles closer to squeeze Jongdae's shoulders and says, "You made me extremely worried back there."
Kyungsoo meets their gazes from the rearview mirror with a scowl. "We're not doing this in a long while," is all he mumbles, and Chanyeol and Jongdae only snicker because it only translates to I'm glad you fuckers are safe.
"That was great work back there, though," Chanyeol says after a while, looking at the necklace in his hand. The stone consists of colors similar to a clear night sky, and spots glimmer under the car's yellow lights like distant stars. Chanyeol squints at it. For a second he swears he saw smoke circling inside it, as if it's come to life.
"It could have been planned better," Kyungsoo says. "Hey, Jongdae. Are you done?"
"Just a sec." Jongdae's already settled down next to the computers with his feet propped up as he finishes up his codes. Surveillance files deleted. He leans back and cracks his neck, a smile spreading on his face. "I guess that will do for now."
Chanyeol joins him, crossing his legs together and putting his arms behind his head. "Anyone up for dimsum?" Chanyeol asks, grinning.
Kyungsoo only replies with an incredulous laugh. Jongdae hooks his arm around his neck, pulls Chanyeol close until his head's on his shoulder. "Definitely," he replies, giving him a well deserved noogie.
This is how they live their lives: full of danger, the adrenaline rushing through their veins, their heartbeats ringing against their ears-and honestly, all of these factor to one of the best nights they've had in a while.
Back at the building, backup's finally arrived for Baekhyun. He rushes to the surveillance room where he's met by the knocked out guards on the floor. Cautious with his gun at hand, he crosses the room and looks at the screens. Almost all of them have blacked out except for the last one.
"Agent Kai, I need you at the surveillance room," he mumbles to his earpiece. Baekhyun tries to cancel the deletion process and types away all the codes he remembers, but whatever he inputs doesn't work at all. Behind the deletion window, the certain timeframe the hacker's trying to delete is on a loop. He sees Chanyeol's familiar back with another man running toward the backdoor exit with the necklace in hand, and waits for the deletion to finally reach up to a 100%.
"They've escaped," Baekhyun confirms, slumping his shoulders to his seat. He feels like an idiot for not even suspecting Chanyeol back when they were just in the bathroom. Stupid giant and his charming smile and that perfect velvety voice. Baekhyun heaves a sigh. He's going to make sure that this would be the first and last time Park Chanyeol escapes from him.
Seoul: September 20, 2014
It takes two weeks for Baekhyun to track Andromeda down.
The last person he asked about Park Chanyeol had been too easy-in a sense that he didn't have to put him through interrogations or threaten him with torture-and it was suspicious. He was ordering an iced cafe with photographs in his hand when the guy behind the counter easily said, "Are you looking for Chanyeol? He plays at the Secret Box sometimes."
By playing, Baekhyun honestly expected something worse-maybe an underground gambling center, a secret society of fighters or something equally dangerous, but definitely not a cozy cafe down the block.
He slides into one of the booths just in time to catch a glimpse of Chanyeol's unforgettable face. He stands out in the crowd sporting a new hairstyle and a dubiously casual outfit consisting of ripped skinny jeans and a navy blue sweater. Baekhyun scoffs at it, but that doesn't make him less attractive than the last time Baekhyun's seen him.
It seems like Chanyeol's opting for an ordinary night-or whatever they call this whole thing is. Before he flew back to Seoul, Baekhyun's gotten intel about the trio who's been heisting all over Asia, about their efficiency and incredible teamwork, the lack of violence and casualties for every crime-but not this. Not Park Chanyeol or any of the three infamous criminals in Asia setting up shop in the cafe's stage like a bunch of regular musicians doing their job on a Saturday night.
As he peeks out of the menu the waiter provided, all he sees is an annoyingly charming smile implanted on Chanyeol's face as he finally sits down.
He presses a button on the side of his watch and a whirring sound reverberates from it. Location saved, transferring to database now. "Target spotted," Baekhyun whispers.
"Location captured," Joonmyun replies immediately. "Be careful, agent Byun."
Right, Baekhyun thinks, watching as Chanyeol starts strumming his guitar. How dangerous can this man really be?
The lights start dimming around him. Cautious, Baekhyun pulls out his derringer from his small messenger bag, sliding it behind the menu. He watches Chanyeol take a deep breath, eyes closed. He looks so vulnerable at this state, and Baekhyun can honestly just pull the trigger now, but he doesn't. Couldn't. Too many people are around to risk casualties no matter how important Andromeda is, and Chanyeol's just... mesmerizing as soon as he starts playing.
Baekhyun can't shift his eyes away. It reminds him of Beijing, that smile... the stupid stuttering in his chest that continued on for the past two weeks.
He's still as beautiful as the first time he's seen him. He lets out a pining sigh and catches himself off guard.
Stop and rewind. Baekhyun totally doesn't like Park Chanyeol.
"Is that a band playing in the background?"
Baekhyun swallows. "Yeah. They're quite good."
"Who?"
"The targets."
"They're playing?"
"Yes, sir."
"Impressive," Joonmyun says, slightly amused. "And weird, considering their line of job."
"They're smart," Baekhyun murmurs, pursing his lips. "A band seems like a great cover."
"Alright. Get close, Agent Byun," Joonmyun replies, sounding like he's in a hurry. "I'll send Agent Kai to give you Park Chanyeol's file at nine. Make sure to get all the information out before retrieving Andromeda. Good luck."
"Thank you, sir," Baekhyun says, then turns off the earpiece. He tucks it in his bag along with his gun and relaxes, just listening to the other two's melodious singing.
The trio wrap up the session with an acoustic cover of Bumkey's Attraction. Baekhyun ends up ordering chocolate milkshake and tiramisu cake while he waits, unconsciously jamming through the last song.
"We'll be back after a short break," Chanyeol says, grinning at the crowd, and as he walks away from the stage, Baekhyun makes his cue to make himself noticeable.
"Hey!" he calls out, waving a hand. Beside Chanyeol, two of his friends look at him confusedly. Chanyeol furiously blinks at him, his face surprised. Baekhyun makes his way towards them and smiles. "Remember me?"
Chanyeol remembers. He remembers to the point of tossing his blanket all night and just thinking how good it would have been if he met Baekhyun in a different circumstance, and how guilty he was of ditching Baekhyun after the dance. "Baekhyun," Chanyeol says, a little breathless. He eyes Baekhyun's outfit tonight: just a simple pair of dark blue jeans and a white shirt underneath a casual light grey blazer. He looks even cuter than the last time he's seen him, and his eyes look adorably droopier without the eyeliner on. "What are you doing here?"
"I was in town," Baekhyun replies easily, smiling at him. He feels uneasy but he still lies through his teeth. "A friend recommended this place to me. I didn't know you played here."
"Well," Chanyeol says, laughing nervously. His eyes flicker from Baekhyun's face to Jongdae and Kyungsoo's puzzled faces. "There's a lot you don't know about me," he mumbles, turning to his friends. "These are my friends, Jongdae and Kyungsoo."
So this is the infamous trio. "Byun Baekhyun," he replies, waving a little. "Your band's really good."
"Thank you," Jongdae quips lively.
Kyungsoo's jaw are tensed when he asks, "So where did you two meet?" knowing completely that Baekhyun's from the auction.
"We met at the auction in Beijing," Baekhyun says, looking at Chanyeol fondly. They better fall for it. "He was quite charming, but he disappeared before I got his number."
Chanyeol starts coughing, his cheeks as red as his new hair color. He turns toward his friends and widens his eyes comically, signaling for them to leave. "You two are hungry, aren't you? Go, go. Food's on the house," he mumbles, and pushes the two away.
"Why'd you make them leave?" Baekhyun asks, blinking at him cutely. "I wanted to know them better."
"They're going to end up doing the 101 game with you," Chanyeol says with a laugh, urging Baekhyun to follow him. They move back to the booth Baekhyun was sitting in earlier and Chanyeol fidgets with his hand before saying, "Hey, I'm sorry about Beijing."
"You should be," Baekhyun says with a trace of bitterness in his voice. You got me in so much trouble. "Speaking of which, where did you go?"
"There was an emergency back home," Chanyeol says, wincing a little. He hopes he doesn't jinx it. "My sister had a bit of a problem so I had to come back as soon as possible."
Baekhyun narrows his eyes suspiciously at him. "You have a sister?"
Chanyeol cackles lowly. "Is that surprising? Yeah, she owns this place," Chanyeol says fondly. Baekhyun wonders if he's lying, but Chanyeol's expression says otherwise. He seems like he adores her a lot.
"She must be lucky to have a brother like you who'd come right when she needs him," Baekhyun replies thoughtfully. Chanyeol's taken aback at that, scratching at the side of his head as he laughs shyly, and Baekhyun feels a little twinge in chest. At least his flirting techniques are working.
"What about you?" Chanyeol asks.
Baekhyun plops his chin in his hand, watching as Chanyeol drums his fingers against the table. "Hm, what about me?"
"I never had the chance to ask." Chanyeol smiles curiously at him. "What were you doing at the auction?"
"I'm an artist," he lies easily. "It's kind of my thing."
"That says a lot about your hands, then."
That catches Baekhyun off guard. "What?" he asks, and sees Chanyeol staring at his palms.
"You've got really nice hands," Chanyeol compliments, and because of Baekhyun's lack of reply, he swiftly changes the topic. "So. What kind of art do you do?"
"I used to paint but now I just buy artworks," Baekhyun replies. "I kind of have a good eye for it. I try to find rare gems in the mud."
For a second Chanyeol considers an inquiry of Andromeda's worth, but he only purses his lips. Baekhyun's better off not knowing about that.
"What about you?" Baekhyun prods.
"I'm not really interested in artworks," Chanyeol admits, then stresses his mind to make up a lie on the spot. "But I work part time for this really rich customer from Gangnam. Sometimes he sends me to do things for him, since, you know, he's too busy making money." He ends it with a laugh, and Baekhyun leans closer, feigning interest.
He works for someone? Baekhyun takes note. Luckily for Chanyeol, Jongdae interrupts and calls him out before Baekhyun can ask more questions that he probably doesn’t have answers to. "Hey, Baekhyun. Do you mind me borrowing your lover boy?" Jongdae says teasingly, pointing a thumb at the stage. "We'll be up in a bit."
Baekhyun flushes at that for real.
"Ha ha, I'll go after you," Chanyeol says, gritting his teeth with a sarcastic laugh. "Sorry about that."
"Your friends seem like fun," Baekhyun comments stiffly.
"Well, to be fair, I've never had a dull moment for the past years we've been friends," Chanyeol says truthfully. "Will you still be here after my session?" he asks hopefully.
Baekhyun looks at his watch. It's already nine in the evening and he has to meet another agent tonight for the files. "I have a prior engagement in a bit."
"Oh," Chanyeol says disappointedly. "Like a date?"
Baekhyun laughs slowly, amusement all over his face. "Potential buyer," he reassures.
"Great," Chanyeol replies a bit too enthusiastically, and then pauses. Should he ask, he wonders, but Baekhyun's already beat him to it. He stands up from his seat and reaches for Chanyeol's arm.
"Hey, I honestly didn't think I'd see you tonight," Baekhyun admits. This trick better work. He licks his lower lip and glances up at a very startled Chanyeol. "I don't want to seem so forward with this but I'm not really sure if we're going to see each other again."
A shiver runs through Chanyeol's arm as Baekhyun traces it with his index finger. "Do you want to go out with me tomorrow night?" Chanyeol blurts out.
Baekhyun beams up at him like sunshine. "It's a date, then."
"If you want to call it that, yeah," Chanyeol says, a little breathless.
"Dinner would be nice." Baekhyun nods, satisfied. "I'm staying at the Suho Hotel close by. You can pick me up at six?"
"That would be a good time," Chanyeol replies too eagerly.
"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Baekhyun says, giving Chanyeol a very charming smile that leaves him out of breath.
Once he gets past the door, he fishes out his phone and clicks on speed dial #1. Joonmyun's voice greets him back. "Status?" he inquires.
Baekhyun grins toward the phone as he tosses his car key in the air and catches it swiftly. "I scored a date with the target."
In the grand scheme of things, worrying about one's love life in the middle of a heist crisis is probably not a very good idea.
They've spent a chunk of their time trying to figure out what Andromeda is for but they've already hit a wall with their findings. It's impossible to understand it without more experts looking through it, so for now, they concluded that it's just a really beautiful stone that's worth a shit ton of money.
But here is Chanyeol, so antsy because he scored a date with Baekhyun instead of concerning himself with the necklace. Sure, Chanyeol's been on a lot of dates and can charm off people in a short period of time, but Baekhyun-he's different. Chanyeol thinks he truly likes Baekhyun, because he's charming and cute and has a quirky sense of humor and did he mention Baekhyun's bashful smile that makes Chanyeol's heart do somersaults in his chest?
It's only four in the afternoon but he's been going in and out of the closet room for a while now to find an outfit that will fit the night, but if he's being honest with himself, he doesn't really have an idea what Baekhyun would like. So instead of going formal, he opts for the simple jeans and dress shirt combination. He takes out the black shirt from the closet and sees Kyungsoo sitting at the edge of his bed when he turns around.
"You really are one hell of a spy," Chanyeol says, clutching his chest.
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at him and strides forward, helping Chanyeol up with his collars. Out of them three, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol have known each other the longest. It doesn't mean that they're not close to Jongdae, but sometimes, even when they don't say anything, they know what's up in each other's mind. Yoora often teased them about it, but they know how extremely platonic their relationship is. They've tried a few years ago. It didn't work out as much so they remained friends.
"What do you think?" comes Chanyeol's question, and Kyungsoo doesn't have to wonder what it pertains to.
"He's from the auction is all I can think of," Kyungsoo replies gently, like he doesn't want to offend Chanyeol with what he might say after. Kyungsoo’s frank most of the time, but when it comes to his friends’ relationship matters, it falters a bit. He pats Chanyeol's cheek with a stern smile. "Sorry, it's quite suspicious."
"You've seen him," Chanyeol reasons out. "Come on, don't worry. The guy's complete harmless."
Kyungsoo chuckles a little and Chanyeol finally relaxes. "You really got it bad for him, don't you?"
"He's like a fresh breath of air out of all the chaos we get into," Chanyeol says, adoration glinting in his eyes. "But I don't know. I quite like him. He keeps me interested."
"Fine," Kyungsoo says in defeat as he finishes up fixing Chanyeol's collars. "Just be cautious around him. After all, it's only the first date."
"Do you think we can work this thing out?"
"Well," Kyungsoo starts with a sigh, "you just have to know him well enough tonight to answer that."
Chanyeol gives him a grateful look as he leaves the room. "Thanks, Kyungsoo."
He pockets his wallet and phone as he walks across the room, and that's when he finally notices the necklace sitting next to his bed. It seems brighter than the last time he's seen it, the blue stone emitting an extra glow like it's a bursting comet with lights around it. They haven't gotten around to sell it yet, mostly because they don't know its worth, and Jongdae insisted that Chanyeol kept it in his room for the past two weeks.
Chanyeol picks it up and examines it closely, and that's when he sees it again: a puff of smoke is moving inside the stone, and at the bottom of it a small spark of fire ignites. Chanyeol's not sure how long he's been holding it or why he couldn't put it down, but one thing is for sure: he's surely enthralled by its beauty. He's never seen anything as breathtaking as the Andromeda before.
What he doesn't expect to happen next is the sudden warmth the stone exudes, his palm throbbing like it's on fire and the nerves in his body feeling electrified. Chanyeol cries out in pain, but he can't even hear himself through the continuous ringing in his ears. The pain just continues, spreading throughout his body like venom. Chanyeol wants it to stop, but the stone won't dislodge itself from his hand as he writhes on the floor in a burning misery. It feels like the stone is synthesizing itself with Chanyeol's body in great intensity. The pain starts subsiding as Andromeda's brightness slowly diminishes in his palm like a burned off star losing its power. Chanyeol's eyelids flutter, his eyesight blurring, and sees his hand giving off sparks like the tiny fireworks he used to play with as a child before finally passing out.
Little does Chanyeol know that in that exact moment, his life has been changed forever.
Chanyeol wakes up around five thirty. He blinks blearily, his eyes adjusting to the blinding lights, and faintly hears the ticking of a clock and the kettle whistling. "You think he's okay?" he hears Jongdae say worriedly, and the sound of glass sliding at the kitchen counter echoes in his ear.
"I'm awake," he replies, and the scrambling of feet from the kitchen overwhelms him. "Be a little quiet, you guys."
"How's your head?" Jongdae inquires, holding the back of his palm to his forehead. "We heard you screaming and when we went in your room you were already down the floor. What happened?"
Chanyeol squints his eyes at them, still feeling like he's blinded. He covers his eyes with his left palm and tries to remember what happened, but all he can recall is his conversation with Kyungsoo. "I don't remember," he mumbles.
"How can you not remember?" Kyungsoo snaps back.
"I..." Chanyeol pauses, feeling lightheaded. He glances behind him, the clock still ticking loudly. His eyes sharply focus on the hands, a realization dawning to him. He hurriedly gets on his feet, slides a hand on his hair and mutters "Oh, god. I'm going to be late."
"You're still sick," Jongdae says in his usually high-pitched voice, and Chanyeol winces a little at the volume of it.
"Just cancel your date tonight and rest," Kyungsoo says.
"No, really, I'm fine." Chanyeol looks up and beams at them. It's the truth. The dizziness a minute ago has gone away, and all he feels right now is a surge of energy flowing through his body. It's weird, he thinks, he must just be pretty psyched for his date. He stands up from the couch and gives Jongdae's head a childish pat and Kyungsoo a reassuring thumbs up. "I'll see you two later," he says before whistling his way toward the door.
"There goes the idiot," Kyungsoo says begrudgingly while Jongdae hollers a loud, "Enjoy your date!"
Chanyeol only mumbles a cheerful apology as he rushes out to the street.
Chanyeol's file is sitting on Baekhyun's bed. He wonders for a moment if he wants to open it-to know and see everything about Chanyeol like a book you can read inside out, but decides against it. It's a stupid and a risky decision, especially since he's dealing with a criminal, but Baekhyun can't help but feel oddly guilty, like he's already seen everything that is to know about Chanyeol to prepare him for this mission.
Or that he's just really, stupidly confident enough that Chanyeol isn't up to anything tonight and that he might possibly even have a very good time. Baekhyun heaves a sigh as he finally slips down the cuff inside his jacket's pocket, then plops in his bed with his mind in a confused blur.
It's going to be an extremely deceitful night.
Chanyeol manages to get to Suho Hotel on time. Now, his hand is hovering over Baekhyun's hotel room door. He takes a deep breath, heart rate still racing in nervousness, and fixes his hair one more time before finally knocking. Baekhyun opens the door quickly, like he's been waiting for a long time, and Chanyeol's breath hitches in his throat, mesmerized as Baekhyun greets him with lovely smile.
He's quite thankful to know that he isn't overdressed for tonight. Baekhyun's wearing a white dress shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, tight black jeans that accentuate his thighs and his eyes lined heavily with eyeliner. Chanyeol also wonders if he's put on a faint tint on his lips. "You look really good tonight," Chanyeol blurts out.
"Thanks, you don't look too bad yourself," he replies, grinning. "Come on, I made reservations at the hotel's restaurant."
Baekhyun lays his palm out and Chanyeol takes it with a hint of a smile. A part of him admits that he really, genuinely likes holding Baekhyun's hand.
Dinner goes very smoothly, but it takes Chanyeol half a glass of wine to loosen up and calm his nerves, his heartbeat finally slowing down as he watches Baekhyun across the seat.
While Chanyeol's enjoying himself, though, Baekhyun's got other things in mind. He asks a lot of questions masked underneath an interested lilt in his voice. Unaware of Baekhyun's intentions, Chanyeol opens up like a book and ends up talking more about his life, his little stories animated with his expressions and tiny gestures.
"So what's up with you three? College buddies?" Baekhyun pries. He expected Chanyeol to tell him more about his friends, but all he gets is a vague response.
"Kyungsoo's a childhood friend," Chanyeol says cautiously. "We met Jongdae in high school. We kind of stuck together as a band; we even went to college together on full scholarship rides."
"So you graduated with a music degree?"
"Engineering, actually," Chanyeol says, grinning. "We were great at computers so we pushed through it."
"Wow." That explains all the brilliant and traceless crimes, Baekhyun thinks, quite amazed. He definitely isn't putting it on his list of why Park Chanyeol is so attractive. "So why aren't you doing a 9-5 job, then?"
Chanyeol shrugs at that. "We've never been the office types so now we're just handling my sister's place."
The topic eventually drops after that. Baekhyun wants to ask more, but it seems like Chanyeol's too wary talking about his friends so he diverts the conversation instead and goes over humorous little stories that date back in his childhood and college, and even slips up that he used to dream of becoming a rapper when he was younger instead.
Baekhyun wiggles his eyebrows at him. "Beenzino's your favorite?"
"Yeah, ridiculous, right? But he's amazing."
"No way," Baekhyun says, his cheeks swelling as he grins. "He's one of my favorites, too."
Upon hearing that tiny sliver of information about Baekhyun, it makes Chanyeol eager to open up more, although the thing is-well, Chanyeol isn't normally like this. He knows the right words to say, the ones that might not be exactly true but will please the other person. With the nature of his job, it's always been a precaution to avoid most of his personal information.
But Baekhyun's persistent, like a virus ready to breach all of Chanyeol's walls, and in just a night, he must've already heard half of Chanyeol's life. Once in a while, though, Chanyeol gets distracted easily with the tiny details laid out in front of him: the mole on Baekhyun's thumb, the way he touches his mouth with a finger whenever he's listening closely, or even just the way his eyes curl into crescents every time he smiles.
After finally ending an embarrassing conversation about Chanyeol and his childhood fascination on ferrets, he says, "Are we playing a game of questions?"
"Seems like a fitting game for a first date, don't you think?" Baekhyun quips, smiling.
The corner of Chanyeol's mouth rises. "Okay," he says, leaning back. "Then it seems fair that you tell me about yourself, too. It's been just me doing all the talking."
Baekhyun laughs. "What do you want to know about me? My life is boring."
"A lot," Chanyeol says honestly. "You seem like someone I'd really like to know well."
Baekhyun tries not to let that get into him, but he still considers telling the truth. After all, Chanyeol's probably just earnest to know him. He can see it in Chanyeol's everything-his gestures, the way he looks at Baekhyun, how enthusiastic he is at trying to flitter around conversations that might spark Baekhyun's interests. Baekhyun feels the guilt eating through his heart. He downs the rest of his wine and says, "Well, then. Let's start. Fire away the questions."
Chanyeol's face lights up. "It'll just be basic questions. Where did you grow up?"
"Bucheon," Baekhyun says honestly. "Moved to Seattle when I was five. Spent most of my life there, too."
"Seriously?" Chanyeol asks, his eyebrows rising unto his hairline. "I spent college abroad but my English can still be rusty."
"I know a few more languages fluently," Baekhyun admits proudly. "It comes with the job." That isn't a lie either. Governmental jobs like his do come with high requirements.
Now that he's got the chance, Chanyeol asks a lot. His favorite color, song, food, everything that he can think of at the top of his head. Baekhyun wouldn't say it out loud but the act itself is endearing and Chanyeol's childlike expression as he curiously asks more makes his heart stutter.
You can't, he tells himself, watching as Chanyeol laughs, his nose crinkling with all his teeth bared. Chanyeol looks funny when he smiles too much but Baekhyun treasures the moment, unsure of what to do next. Focus on the mission, Byun Baekhyun. You have a plan.
It takes them another round of decadent wine to finish the conversation. Chanyeol is not a lightweight; in fact, he can even rival Jongdae who doesn't get knocked out until he's finished eleven bottles of soju. However, tonight though is a different matter. After taking his last swig, he sways a little in his seat, eyesight blurring. His body seems heavier, warmer, like he's suddenly submerged under boiling water. He doesn't tell Baekhyun-he doesn't want to. It's too much of a mood ruiner, but the way he stumbles up and slurs, "I'm going to the bathroom" makes Baekhyun a little suspicious.
Once he reaches the bathroom, he hurriedly goes to the sink, splashes his face with water a couple times before heaving a sigh. He's sweating so much now, his shirt sticking to his body, and Chanyeol still feels extremely warm. No matter how much he washes his hands, the fiery feeling in them doesn't go away so he resorts to calling Jongdae.
"Hey." Jongdae's bright voice greets him. "How's the big date going?"
"I'm dying," Chanyeol wheezes jokingly. There's a frantic sound behind the line, like Jongdae probably tripping over something in the living room continued by a frenzy of Kyungsoo-yah get out of your room!
"Did Baekhyun try to kill you? Is he an agent? I'm going to come right now-" is what comes after that, but Chanyeol only laughs, thinking back to Baekhyun's amazing smile and how tiny and cute and impossible it is for him to come after Chanyeol.
"No, no. That's impossible."
"Then what?"
"I just feel a little sick and I don't want to worry Baekhyun." Chanyeol sighs, furrowing his eyebrows. He only intended to relax but the moment he closes his eyes, flashbacks of the afternoon experience with Andromeda penetrates his mind-the electricity flowing through his veins, the torturous warmth in his body, the sparks. Oh god. What's happening to him? "Jongdae, where is Andromeda?"
"I put it on you," Jongdae replies smugly and Chanyeol gasps. "What? I thought it would impress Baekhyun since, you know, you said he's an artist."
Chanyeol immediately unbuttons his shirt and there it is, lying innocently in his chest. Chanyeol swears he didn't even feel it there, like its heaviness has diminished into a weightless stone. His hands are shaking as he touches Andromeda. It feels cold in his fingertips. "We'll talk about this later."
"Stay safe, alright? Come home if it gets worse," Jongdae says. "Or better yet let your date take care of you."
"Jongdae," Chanyeol intones, sounding embarrassed. "I'll call you later."
Chanyeol presses the end call, then weaves his hand through his hair and carefully watches himself in the mirror. Chanyeol doesn't really want to worry his friends until he finds out what's happening. There's no significant change in his appearance, no burns, nothing. Whatever's wrong with him-it might be inside. Before he can even heave another sigh, the sound of the door creaking infiltrates his hearing and Baekhyun's there, looking a little worried as he mumbles a curious, "Are you okay?"
He doesn't know how to respond and only smiles a little as he meets Baekhyun's eyes. Chanyeol leans back at the counter, feeling a lot calmer as soon as Baekhyun makes his way toward him.
On the other hand, Baekhyun's eyes immediately gloss over the necklace exposed in his chest. It's been there the whole time? he thinks, feeling a little stupid, and at that moment, Baekhyun's head finally focuses on his mission. To retrieve it is what he came to do, although how he plans to do it, he has no idea.
But Chanyeol opens his mouth as if to say something and all of a sudden all he can think of is those lips, and damn himself if he isn't thinking about the easiest way to get it. It's either he tries to get into Chanyeol's good side (which honestly just consists of him with his clothes discarded on the floor) and steal Andromeda back or just-well, make a scene and hope to heavens that Chanyeol's not good at physical fighting. He picks the former. That is definitely a good choice.
Chanyeol's surprised when Baekhyun closes the gap between them. His eyes pop open and all of a sudden the room is even warmer than his body, mostly because Baekhyun's close-too close as he invades Chanyeol's personal space to the point that he can feel his breath lingering between them. Is he drunk?
"You know..." Baekhyun drawls in his ear as he trails a finger over Chanyeol's arm. His touch is ghostly and light and Chanyeol only grips the counter, feeling the shiver creep up his skin as Baekhyun looks up at him with hooded eyes. "Us meeting again, I don't think it's accidental."
Chanyeol licks his lower lip and tries not to stare at Baekhyun's lips dangerously close to the corner of his mouth. "Yeah?" he prods, his voice trembling.
Baekhyun's mouth curls into a small smirk. He lifts his right knee and drags it upward until it's caressing the insides of Chanyeol's thighs. Chanyeol whimpers lowly, feeling Baekhyun press himself harder against him and shuts his eyes. "I think it's fate."
"It might as well be," Chanyeol says weakly like a joke, but the way Baekhyun touches his cheek lightly and meets his gaze is devastatingly captivating.
"I'd like to kiss you right now," Baekhyun whispers softly, which honestly is the unfortunate truth. Chanyeol's heart soars against his chest, and all he can say in his head is a chorus of yes, yes, yes as Baekhyun pulls him down by the collar and kisses him.
Their first kiss is soft and gentle, just a simple press of lips with hesitance lingering between them. When they pull away with bated breaths, they've got that look in their eyes mixed with curiosity, confusion and desperation as they want more than just a simple kiss. They've got different thoughts running through their minds at the moment, but all they just really want is a repeat.
Chanyeol finally gives in and captures Baekhyun's mouth again. He can't help but feel intoxicated. His hands move to grip Baekhyun's waist, pulls him closer as if he's going to vanish like thin air in a second. Chanyeol coaxes Baekhyun's mouth open and slips his tongue easily, licking at the roof of his mouth like he's testing waters. Baekhyun lets out a soft whimper as Chanyeol nibbles on his lower lip, and the sound of it prods Chanyeol to kiss him even harder.
"You're so hot," Baekhyun mumbles truthfully. He's lost in the kiss, forgotten about his purpose.
"Yeah, I really am," Chanyeol says, meaning it literally. His body feels even hotter, like an energy tank ready to explode, but he's not quite sure if it's just Baekhyun's doing.
Baekhyun circles his arms around Chanyeol's neck and yanks him nearer, his hips rutting against Chanyeol's. The bulge on Chanyeol's jeans is unmistakable and Chanyeol's hands cop his ass and make their way down to his thighs, hoisting him up until his legs are around Chanyeol's waist. Baekhyun throws his head back with a needy moan as Chanyeol turns around and presses Baekhyun down the counter, his right hand settling to caress the side of Baekhyun's thigh.
This is a job.
But Baekhyun would really like to get fucked against the counter even if it isn't entirely a bright idea at the moment. He pulls away, his smile gleaming. Chanyeol's too distracted, his mouth attached to Baekhyun's neck as he sucks a beautiful bruise in it. "My room's available," Baekhyun mumbles breathlessly.
Chanyeol's head is in a frenzy of thoughts, like he's alarmingly drunk with just a taste of Baekhyun's lips after finally letting the heat in his body take over him. His body is reacting so badly because of Baekhyun, his feverishness making him dizzy.
"Alright, let's go," Chanyeol finally heeds and Baekhyun only presses one light kiss earnestly against Chanyeol's mouth as a reply.
→ PART 2