Baekhyun has never had any luck.

Baekhyun has never had any luck.

Baekhyun has never had any luck.

Baekhyun has never had any luck.

Baekhyun has never had any luck.

Baekhyun has never had any luck.

Baekhyun has never had any luck.

Baekhyun has never had any luck.

Baekhyun has never had any luck.

“THE ING NINTH FLOOR CHEERS AT THE LONG-ANTICIPATED ARRIVAL OF KOREA’S FLOWER BOY BYUN BAEKHYUN!” Baekhyun screams as his feet finally step on to the landing of his freshman dorm.

The ninth floor, to be exact. 

Ninth.

The irony behind this whole situation is how much he had been looking forward to finding out which dorm he had been assigned to. Body tight with anticipation, hand cupped over his mouth (just in case), he had been perched on his desk twenty minutes before the dorm assignment release. “Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh,” He muttered to himself, rocking back and forth like a madman.

Unfortunately, that was the moment when his older brother had chosen to invite himself in. “What’s up, little bro?” Baekbeom asked, an eyebrow cocking up in amused confusion.

“I’m going to find out what dorm I’m in!” Baekhyun shrieked, hiding his face in his hands. “The critical moment in every rising freshman’s life, the decision to end all decisions, the jury’s verdict, liberty or death—”

“You need to calm down,” Baekbeom deadpanned.

Baekhyun ed the orientation folder into his hyung’s hands; it was already opened to a page which, judging from the state of its corners and the worn-in state of the binding, had been turned to many, many times. “Look at this gorgeous dorm,” He breathed, letting his brother examine the pictures himself. “Built in 2009, suit-style, mahogany floorboards. There’s even an elevator!”

“It’s definitely one of the prettiest dorms I’ve ever seen.” Mindlessly, Baekbeom turned the page. The right corner of his lip twisted upwards. “What is this?”

Baekhyun doesn’t have to look at the packet to know what his brother was referring to. “Oh. That. That’s Sanctum Hall.”

“Doesn’t look much like a sanctum, does it?”

“It’s probably the worst dorm that my college has to offer,” Baekhyun agreed. His slim fingers flew up to his temples, and he rubbed them roughly. “I really don’t want Sanctum Hall.”

“You won’t get it,” Baekbeom said comfortingly. “What are the odds? There are,” He scanned the introduction paragraph quickly. “Twenty one dorm buildings. There is no way you got that one.”

The phone alarm Baekhyun set up went off. The two of them jumped a foot into the air: Baekhyun in pure anticipation, and Baekbeom because who the sets up an alarm to check a dorm assignment. “They’re out!” Baekhyun squawked and dived for the trackpad of his laptop.

After some fumbling and more than a little bit of nervous swearing, Baekhyun fell silent. Baekbeom came over and leaned against the wall. “Good news?”

Baekhyun stood up, wandered over to his bed, and fell face down into his mattress.

He then started to wail uncontrollably.

“Sanctum Hall!” He blubbered after Baekbeom, thoroughly alarmed, dragged him into a sitting position and let him sob into his shoulder. “Sanctum Hall! And not just Sanctum Hall. The ninth floor in Sanctum Hall! Nine floors! Is that even humane? Should I sue?”

“Built in 1964,” Baekbeom read from the university webpage uneasily. “Do you think that there’s an elevator?”

Baekbeom had to muffle Baekhyun’s howls with a pillow out of fear of noise complaints from the neighbors.






It’s the end of another day, and that unfortunately means the start of another trek up the precarious stairway of Sanctum Hall. Baekhyun plops down on the first step of the first floor and digs out his Nikes from his backpack. He kicks off the Sperrys and quickly laces on the running shoes. Today, he has come prepared.

Zipping up his backpack and sliding his arms through the straps, Baekhyun peers up to see the endless spiral of stairs. He sighs, but grits his teeth together and steels his nerves. “Come on, Byun Baek,” He snarls at himself. “It’s not like you can wait here until someone carries you up the stairs.”

Somewhere between the second and third floor, a sudden wave of nausea hits him. Thrown off, he presses a hand against his forehead and close his eyes for a few seconds. He feels faint. His legs are shaking, even more than usual.

“I’m going to die,” Baekhyun says out loud with bewilderment. “Maybe I’m already dead. Maybe this is what Hell looks like: eight floors of stairs.”

He forces his knees to move, focusing on climbing one step at a time. He feels foggy, more than a little disoriented. “I knew I should have eaten the hamburger instead of the salad….” He says sleepily to himself before he crumples into a ball on the third floor landing.

When Baekhyun wakes up, he has no idea where he is. The last thing he can remember is going up the stairs, and now he is curled up on a bed that is not his, his glasses and jacket taken off. He scrambles up and rubs his eyes. Someone is holding out a glass of water to him; he takes it and gulps it down greedily. A hand rubs his back, and another one hands him his glasses. Baekhyun puts them on, and the world comes into focus.

The first thing he notices is that there is a boy, staring at him with concern. The second thing he notices is that said boy is incredibly attractive, with dark golden brown hair that falls slightly above his eyebrows, deep double eyelids that frame pretty, large eyes, and a well-defined chin. “How are you feeling?” The boy asks, and his deep voice sends a shiver through Baekhyun’s spine.

“Where am I?” Baekhyun asks, ignoring his question completely.

“In my dorm room.” The boy ducks his head down awkwardly. “I tried to wake you up, but you just started pushing me away, so I just brought you here.”

“You tried to wake me up…? Where was I?”

The boy tries to keep his face as neutral as possible, but Baekhyun still catches the short flash of a smirk before the other responds, “You were sleeping in the stairwell.”

Hot embarrassment rises up in Baekhyun, but the other is already moving on. “I might have taken you up too many floors though. I live in Sanctum Hall’s Room 904. I’m Park Chanyeol, by the way.”

“Byun Baekhyun.” Realization is dawning on Baekhyun, and he clears his throat in case he sounds too eager. “Wait, did you say Room 904? Like the ninth floor?”

Chanyeol nods, rolling his eyes slightly. “Yeah, I got like the worst ever freshman dorm assignment.”

“Like, so we’re on the ninth floor right now? We, Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun, are on the ninth floor?”

“... Yeah.”

“So… you carried me up eight flights of stairs?”

“Well, technically it was only five, since you were already on the third—”

Baekhyun squeals happily and throws his arms around Chanyeol, who looks torn between wanting to hug him back out of politeness and wanting to run to safety. 






Byun Baekhyun Sent 8:04PM 
i got out of walking up the stairs today

Do Kyungsoo Sent 8:06PM
i don’t care

Byun Baekhyun Sent 8:06PM
this super hot guy carried me up the stairs

Byun Baekhyun Sent 8:06PM
bc i fainted

Byun Baekhyun Sent 8:07PM
does that not concern you

Do Kyungsoo Sent 8:10PM
wow

Do Kyungsoo Sent 8:11PM
that’s terrible

Do Kyungsoo Sent 8:11PM
i can’t believe that

Do Kyungsoo Sent 8:11PM
he had to carry your fat

Byun Baekhyun Sent 8:12PM
i hate you

Do Kyungsoo Sent 8:15PM
well luckily for hot guy it was only one time

Byun Baekhyun Sent 8:15PM
:)))))

Byun Baekhyun Sent 8:15PM
or is it?~~~~







The next day, when it is time for Baekhyun to walk back up to his dorm room, he only walks up to the second floor before he drops his backpack on the cement ground and lies down for a nice nap.

Sure enough, by the time he wakes up, he is back in Chanyeol’s room. He stretches, kicking the blanket off his feet leisurely and blinking up in faux bafflement at his savior. “Where am I?” He asks with all the innocence of a boy who isn’t taking advantage of his tall and physically capable floormate.

“Are you anemic or something?” Chanyeol asks while handing Baekhyun a glass of water and a large bag of salt and vinegar chips. Baekhyun makes a brief noncommittal noise and gratefully takes the food. 






Four days later, Baekhyun is back in Chanyeol’s room. “Where am I?” He bats his eyelashes at Chanyeol.

“Low blood sugar? Perhaps?” Chanyeol suggests. He passes him a tub of dried fruit.






Two weeks pass in the same manner. Baekhyun finds himself in Room 904 for the twelfth time. When he finishes his trademark and whimpering of where am i have i been kidnapped i am confused, he looks up to see Chanyeol crossing his arms and glaring at him. “Oh. Hi, Chanyeol!”

“You really need to get your body checked out.”

“Yes, okay mother.” Baekhyun wiggles his toes. “What’s on the menu today?”

“The more you eat, the harder it is to carry you up the stairs,” Chanyeol groans, but he hands Baekhyun the chocolate bar on his desk all the same.

Chanyeol is watching him carefully. “Have you ever noticed,” He begins casually. “That you always faint on the second or third floor?”

Baekhyun chokes on his chocolate. “W-Well, I don’t remember fainting, so I wouldn’t know.” He tries to shrug the observation off as nothing, 

But Chanyeol is persistent. “It’s really weird. It’s like your body doesn’t want to climb the stairs or something.”

“Well, next time I talk to my body, I’ll make sure and ask him, okay?” Baekhyun slides his legs off of the bed and searches for his backpack. He doesn’t want Chanyeol to see his face: he’s a terrible liar. “I should get going. It’s late.”

“See you soon,” Chanyeol nods at him. 

Baekhyun feels his face flush. “Yeah. Ummm. See you soon.”

When he’s halfway out the door, Chanyeol yells at his back, “Try fainting on the fourth floor next time! You know, for added interest!”

“Just for you!” Baekhyun calls playfully back behind his shoulder. He finds himself smiling a little more widely than usual for the rest of the night.






It is three in the morning when the sound of a shrill alarm blaring wakes up Baekhyun with a jolt. The distinct sight of spinning red lights in his room and through the cracks of the doorway sends his heart into a downwards spiral. Fire alarm.

He leaps up to seize his keys, watch, and cellphone. Everything else will have to wait. His roommate is at his girlfriend’s apartment for the night, so that’s under control as well. Taking a deep gulp of clean air, Baekhyun swings open his door and runs out— straight into Chanyeol.

“Baekhyun!” The taller exclaims, wrapping him in a tight embrace. He then coughs into the crook of his arm. The whole hallway flooded with smoke; though there’s no sign of a fire, that’s enough to send Baekhyun into a bit of a panic. He pulls on Chanyeol’s sleeve, and they both run towards the stairwell.

At the top of the ninth floor looking down, however, the situation seems even more daunting than before. “Come on!” Chanyeol urges him, and they scamper down the stairs with more energy than natural for the middle of the night. 

However, when they hit the seventh floor, Baekhyun stops and bends over. “It’s too long,” He pants, clutching at his sides.

“We have to get out of here!” Chanyeol insists. “I can’t carry you, it’ll slow us down….” He catches his breath as well, eyeing Baekhyun the entire time. “Hey, do you want to race down?”

“What.”

“If I make it down there first, then you have to give me a kiss,” Chanyeol challenges him, his eyes taking on a new light. “And then I’ll never let you forget that you kissed me first. I’ll tell our future children that you were desperate for me.”

The phrase “future children” registers the smallest of flutters in Baekhyun’s stomach. But the competitive side of him wins out, and he squares his shoulders. “And if I win?”

“Then I’ll give you a kiss,” Chanyeol offers. 

A smile creeps on to Baekhyun’s face. He grins up at the taller, who is looking back with an equally soft expression. “Sounds fun.”

The two of them tear down like a pair of hunting dogs down the stairs, sliding around corners and kicking up their knees to move faster. Baekhyun actually finds that his shorter legs are advantageous; though Chanyeol has more endurance and is a better athlete, the short steps are less awkward for Baekhyun’s feet. They fly past the fifth, fourth, and third floor. Baekhyun nearly trips over his own shoes somewhere around the second floor, but he uses that to jump a couple of steps. They’re neck to neck, and Baekhyun hasn’t had this much fun in a long time.

They burst out of the smoking building at the same time and fall on to their butts in the grass, panting and wiping the sweat off of their necks. Baekhyun can barely breathe, but he looks over at Chanyeol to ask, “So… who won?”

“Pretty sure I did,” Chanyeol says with a shrug.

Baekhyun snorts. “Never mind— I just remembered that I won.”

“How about a tie?” Chanyeol suggests, flipping his hair out of his eyes to look at Baekhyun. His face glows hopefully.

Baekhyun smirks. “But who gets the prize?”

“At the same time, then?”

They lean in, and Chanyeol captures Baekhyun in the sweetest of kisses, gently on his lower lip for a second before pulling off. His cheeks are bright red, and he looks happier than Baekhyun has ever seen him. “Now that we’re official, you don’t have to pretend to faint so I can carry you up the stairs,” Chanyeol laughs, falling backwards to lie in the cool grass. 

Baekhyun can’t even find it in himself to feel ashamed at finally being caught. “The only good reason to date you, if I’m honest.”

One of the residential assistants cups his hands in front of his face and yells out to the rest of them, “False alarm! Someone left a stove on in the eighth floor kitchen! Everyone get inside!”

Legs aching more than ever, Baekhyun stares despondently at the entrance of Sanctum Hall. “Stairs,” He says lifelessly.

Chanyeol laughs. He drags the two of them up to standing positions, and then hunches over to offer his back to Baekhyun. “Well, get on then. I’ll piggyback you up.”

As Baekhyun climbs on to Chanyeol’s back and locks his arms, he can’t stop the thought that flashes through his brain. Somehow, he thinks that they’re going to last a long, long time together.

It’s the first time that another person has reminded him of the word “forever”.







Byun Baekhyun Sent 5:02PM 
I HAVE SO MUCH LUCK

Byun Baekhyun Sent 5:02PM 
I HAVE SO MUCH LUCK

Byun Baekhyun Sent 5:02PM 
I HAVE SO MUCH LUCK

Byun Baekhyun Sent 5:02PM 
I HAVE SO MUCH LUCK

Byun Baekhyun Sent 5:02PM 
I HAVE SO MUCH LUCK

Byun Baekhyun Sent 5:03PM 
I HAVE SO MUCH LUCK

Byun Baekhyun Sent 5:03PM 
I HAVE SO MUCH LUCK

Byun Baekhyun Sent 5:03PM 
I HAVE SO MUCH LUCK

Do Kyungsoo Sent 5:03PM
okay i get it your boyfriend is super hot and amazing oKAY

Byun Baekhyun Sent 5:03PM 
I HAVE SO MUCH LUCK
 

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