CHAPTER 2

Stuck with You

“Come on, princess, the coffee will get cold if you don’t drink it already.”

Baekhyun remained passive, with his head against the window glass and a tired look on his face. It had been a very tiring day—or night—in his case, and even if he considered himself a modern vampire of the age, he felt his body screaming for rest, albeit the fact that he was always in his active whenever the sky was cobalt.

“Princess,” that annoying voice piped in again. With an audible sigh, he brought his palms over his face, dragging down and let his shoulder sag. “Save it, giant. And stop calling me princess will you? Do I look a ing maiden with golden hair in blue gown and glass shoes to you? No—I’m a man who lost his way in the city with nothing but a dead phone in possession. So shut your trap.”

Chanyeol raised a brow at the cute yet frustrated guy on his passenger seat. “Oh you seem to be in beast mode.” Lifting his shoulders, he grabbed the seat belt to fasten it on. He decided to buy some drinks in the nearby store but refused to leave this man there alone. To keep themselves warm, he brought them both coffees which were now on top of one of his compartments.

“But I don’t know what to call you. You never told me your name,” he nonchalantly informed.

Baekhyun huffed, turning his head and meeting the stranger’s challenging eyes and smirk. “Are you making this your excuse to know my name?”

“Probably,” the man’s grin stretched further.

Seeing that he won’t ever win over the man’s advancements, Baekhyun gave him a pointed look and grab the paper handle of the two coffees. “Baekhyun,” he mumbled. “I’m just telling you that because I don’t want to be called princess for the rest of the evening.”

Chanyeol chuckled. “Oh, but you are a princess. You attended the ball, with your fairy god mother—which was whoever your friend was—and left you all by yourself to sort things out. You met the prince, but you didn’t dance with him though, and you left him with nothing but a hanky before you ran out.”

When Baekhyun saw the man’s triumphant grin, he couldn’t help but hit his chest with a hand. “Quit making it sound like a fairy tale, jerk.”

“My name is Chanyeol, thank you very much.” He didn’t seem to mind the hit though, instead, Chanyeol started the car while Baekhyun took one of the cups and open the opening of the lid, sipping a good amount of the hot, soothing liquid down his throat and grumbling stomach.

“I didn’t ask.”

Chanyeol made no comment about his snarky come back, instead, he took a turn in which alarmed Baekhyun because they decided to stay here until Luhan decided to call him back. He knew there was no assurance that his friend would, but it was not like he had no other choice, right?

“Wait, where are we going now? I thought—“

“Do you think that I will leave you here alone? You can just stay in my pad for the night and mail this friend of yours my address. He could come and pick you up if he receives the message tonight, if not, by tomorrow—“

“—No!” Baekhyun exclaimed so fast, cutting off the other in the middle of his sentence. “I’m not going to stay in a stranger’s house! Let alone sleep there.”

“But you don’t have a choice, princess, it’s either come with me or freeze to death in the streets,” Chanyeol argued in much more demanding tone, changing gears when they turned to the right.

“Then I’ll choose the latter,” Baekhyun said flatly.

“Too bad, I won’t let you die.” Chanyeol side-glanced to his side before returning his attention back to the road—in which Baekhyun didn’t recognize anymore.

“But—“

“—Save it!” Chanyeol snapped and looked at him, lips pressed together in a thin line, frowning and daring the smaller male to argue back, for if not, he would shut him up in another way that Baekhyun wouldn’t have imagined.

“I’m not your responsibility so—“

“—I’m making you mine, my responsibility, so shut your trap because I maybe an but I’m not that heartless to leave a homeless and lost man in the streets. Trust me, princess, you’re much safer in my pad than in any places here in Seoul tonight.”

Chanyeol’s place, to sum it all, aside from residing in a luxurious condominium building, was simply designed with gray, black and white. Amongst all these furniture were pristine walls of glass that gave a good view in the 45^th floor.

“I have a guest room upstairs, so you’ll be staying there. The bathroom’s the last door to the right, take a warm bath if you want. I’ll get you some comfortable clothes to change into.” Baekhyun watched the man walked his way around the house, firstly ing the first three buttons of his dress shirt, disappearing from his sight.

For a good thirty seconds, Baekhyun shifted on his feet, not knowing what to do. However, after pondering and thinking about the pros and cons of the situation, he dragged his feet to the direction Chanyeol pointed out earlier, grumbling and muttering to himself on how much of a tyrant that giant man was.

He could compare the colors—or rather, the lack of colors—of the bathroom to the overall design of the pad, but Baekhyun chose to get this over with and have a nice, warm shower. Taking his coat off and hanging it on one stainless hook on the right side, he started stripping off his garments, folding them neatly before placing it on the dry counter.

Inside the translucent glass cubicle, Baekhyun frowned over the buttons of the shower. He didn’t have anything like this at home, because he usually just boils a kettle of water and pour it in the tub with him. Yeah, yeah, that was how poor he was.

Baekhyun thought of experimenting, lifting a finger to push one button. His reaction was instant—he yelped when it rained icy cold water. He jumped back but he was thrown out of balance, since the floor got wet. He fell obviously. Hard. On the floor. . Baekhyun felt his ankle twist and groaned in pain because he couldn’t move it without shooting sharp stabs of ache in his nervous system.

“Baekhyun?!” Chanyeol’s deep voice boomed even from the other side of the door, followed by series of pounding. “Baekhyun are you alright? Open the door! What happened?”

“Nothing!” he screamed. Gosh, this was so embarrassing. Why was he such in bad luck tonight?

“No, it’s not! I heard a thud, I heard you shriek it sure as hell was not nothing. Open the door now.”

“I’m ing !”

“Then cover yourself up!”

“I can’t even stand idiot!”

He heard the other groan from the outside. “What exactly happened to you in there?!”

Baekhyun pulled himself up with his arms, crawling his way to the counter, trying not to whimper because of his ankle. He grabbed his coat, which fell after a couple of tugs in return of a ripped part by the shoulder. He used the fabric to cover his bareness, before reaching up to the knob, unlocking it.

Chanyeol was inside in a second, still in his dress shirt and jeans, finding a pool of cold water around a Baekhyun, covered only with his coat. He quickly stepped inside the cubicle and pushed a button, turning off the stream of water. When his attention was back to him, Baekhyun was instantly spooned by the man’s strong arms and carried out in bridal style.

“Where were you hurt?” he asked without looking down at him.

Baekhyun’s hands curled around on his only source of shield from being exposed. “My left ankle…I think it’s sprained,” he whispered.

Chanyeol laid him on his back on his three-seater sofa, flying here and there around the place and coming back with a bowl of warm water, pack of ice, a clean towel, and a first aid kit. His injury was treated with hot and cold compress, before the other started wrapping it with bandage. Baekhyun watched him do things fast and precise. However Chanyeol’s silence was deadly, but his tongue just couldn’t stop itself.

“W-Why are you doing this?” his voice came out like a squeak toy. Chanyeol by then was packing the things up in the kit.

“Doing what?” he asked plainly.

“This,” Baekhyun gestured at his now well bandaged foot with a tilt of his chin to its direction. “You treated it.”

Chanyeol gave him a quizzical look, appalled and probably out of his mind. “What are you expecting me to do, then? Cut your foot off?”

“No! It’s—It’s just… I’m a stranger to you. You barely know me, yet here you are, offering me a bath in your house, and then you’re tending to my stupid injury from my own stupidity,” Baekhyun explained himself. “Let me remind you, I spilled wine on your suit, I slapped you and threw my hanky on your face, used your phone and crashed into your house and now, I troubled you with this ing sprain yet you don’t say anything about it at all.” Baekhyun panted as if he ran in a marathon, he looked up at the man and voiced out his inner questions. “What is it that you want from me? Why are you being like this?”

With locked jaws, Chanyeol kept his eyes on the annoying little brat, yet remained tight lipped. Baekhyun took this as a cue to continue. “Don’t say that you’re doing this because you just wanted to help me, because I am not buying that. What’s the catch, Chanyeol? What do you want?” Baekhyun pressed on. And suddenly he remembered Chanyeol’s offer in the hotel’s restroom.

“Ah,” Baekhyun nodded. “That’s right, how could I forget, you wanted me to pay with my body right?” With so much force, Baekhyun threw the coat away, as far as his strength allowed it to.

 He was bare and helpless at the moment, with no means to escape because of his feet, and Chanyeol could feast on his pale, flawless skin, slender built and feminine features, but the man held his gaze without blinking.

“Alright, take whatever you want. As a token for your kindness,” Baekhyun shrugged nonchalantly, although the truth was he wanted to crawl under the sofa and hide. This was embarrassing, but he started to put on a show—so it

He thought Chanyeol would succumb to the temptation when the man closed their distance. He leaned closer that their face were barely inches apart that Baekhyun could almost taste the faint flavor of red wine in Chanyeol’s breath. A hand reached up and cupped his cheeks before frowning.

“I might have said that to you, because I was being playful earlier, but I wasn’t being serious. I will not take someone against their will in return for small things like stained suit—or treating a sprain.” Chanyeol pulled away and retrieved his coat, draping it over his ness.

“Stop thinking that every act of kindness and concern comes with a price. Stay there, I will get the clothes you could change into.” With that, Chanyeol walked back upstairs.

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Right after Chanyeol left him with a white sweatshirt and a navy blue pants, which were both too large for his small frame, he was yet again carried by the man to the guest room. Chanyeol tucked him under the sheets and took his cellphone—to charge it, he said—before pivoting his way out of the room. But he stopped in his tracks when Baekhyun tugged at the hem of his dress shirt, and looked back.

Baekhyun was too adorable with his lower half face covered with the comforter, eyes heavy and drooping like a puppy. Chanyeol smiled at this and suddenly, the image of that annoying brat earlier evaporated and was replaced by the image of a conflicted man that Baekhyun was, who thought everything comes with a charge.

“What is it, princess?” he asked as he held the hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

“…Earlier… m’sorry… about that.” Chanyeol heard him whisper, taking a seat beside the other without unlatching their hands.

“Don’t worry about it—“

“—you’re suit… I’ll still pay for the damages…so put it in the list, maybe not now, but I’ll definitely pay for it…it’s my…fault” Baekhyun was surely crossing the bridge to dreamland but he still won’t let go of that incident. Chanyeol chuckled at that, he found it amusing…endearing in fact.

“Alright, if it will make you breathe.” He thought Baekhyun didn’t like owing anybody. That was the only reason he could muster up from his behavior earlier. Baekhyun’s lips might be hidden, but Chanyeol knew he smiled… he saw it in his eyes.

“Go to sleep, I will contact this… Luhan while you rest.” In fact he kind of know who and where his friend was, and who he was with that he forgot Baekhyun. Sehun was quite a charmer, so he wouldn’t doubt.

“Mhm…” Baekhyun let go of his hand, tucking his own back under the blanket. Chanyeol stood and turned around, but before he reached the knob he heard him whispered, Thank you, Chanyeol.

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In his room, Chanyeol plugged the old fashioned phone to charge, while his thoughts were being carried away by the wind. It was past midnight, and here he was, still awake, with a stubborn as stranger in the other room. Nevertheless that little princess never failed to amuse him, his high pitched voice, his persistence to win the argument even if he knew that he couldn’t win.

He would admit, that wasn’t his first impression of him. He thought the worst but here he was, grinning like an idiot, finding Baekhyun’s flaws adorable, that even his stupidity back in the bathroom made him angry, where he shouldn’t even give a damn. He was a stranger right? But he couldn’t help but want to know that man better. In fact, he didn’t even want to contact Luhan right now to tell him that his friend was drooling on Chanyeol’s pillow in the other room.

Chanyeol would like to keep that man. Would that be possible?

Frowning from the lack of assurance and answer from anyone, even from himself, Chanyeol the phone and looked in Baekhyun’s contacts. There were only three in the log, taking him by surprise. There’s Luhan, a Dr. Zhang and Lu Residence.

The lack of contact for a young man like Baekhyun bothered him. Did he even have any other friend other than this Luhan? Because if Dr. Zhang was his friend he wouldn’t be named professionally like this, and it was obvious that Lu Residence was a home number rather than a personal one.

Before dialing the number of this so called friend, whom, in his suspicion, was that same man Sehun introduced him earlier, Chanyeol proceeded to dial his own number in the phone and saved it. Now there’s four, he thought to himself. Chanyeol then called his own number from Baekhyun’s phone to get his.

Grinning like an idiot, Chanyeol named the contact, My Princess, which he find childish, but who the cares, it was not like anyone would just snatch his phone and take a look at it.

He finally dialed Luhan’s number, and waited a couple of rings before it was picked up. However instead of Luhan’s smooth and soft voice, as far as he remembered it to be, he was instead greeted by a familiar husky, sleepy, “’llo?” from the other line.

“Wha—Sehun?”

Chanyeol heard shuffling from the other line, before he swore he heard a confused, “What the ?”

“Hyung?” groaning, the man on the other line asked for a confirmation. “Chanyeol hyung?”

“Yeah—Yeah it’s me, why do you have Luhan’s phone?”

“Oh—uhm…” There were footsteps from the other line before a soft click that he was sure that came from a door shutting. “We were just—yeah…hit the peak of tension and ended up in his pad.”

Chanyeol scrunched his nose, he should’ve known, and he expected it, but having an imaginary image of Sehun and Luhan having was traumatic to say at least. “Gross, Sehun…you didn’t have to tell me in detail.”

“But how the hell did you know Luhan’s number?” Sehun asked.

“Oh,” he grinned before playing with the old model phone on his other hand, leaning back against the chair of his balcony. “You see, Luhan has a friend whom he brought to your fan meeting, and believe me or not, he’s in the other room.”

“What? Don’t tell me that you stick it in as well—“

“, Sehun, no! I am not like you who s someone he met overnight,” Chanyeol sighed, exasperated. “Anyway, I called Luhan, expecting himto pick up and not you, to tell him that he kind of ditched his friend earlier. And I am just playing the role of a good hearted man and let him stay in my place for the night.”

Sehun chuckled and created a tsk-ing noise. “Ah, you will not be able to fool me hyung. You wouldn’t do that if it was someone else. Heck I even thought you were aual! Everyone in your office does! You never look at anyone with interest. And it was quite a question if you are straight or bi… or gay.” Humming in a teasing tone Sehun mused, “You like Luhan’s friend don’t you?”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes and would’ve hit the younger on the back of his head if he was here. “Don’t drive the conversation elsewhere, brat!”

“Answer me just this once, honestly, and I will deliver your message.” He could imagine that sneaky grin the author was displaying.

Grunting, Chanyeol shook his head, but grinned anyways. “Okay, fine. Yes I find him attractive, I don’t even want to send him off tomorrow, but I don’t have a choice. There. Happy?”

“Aww, my hyung’s getting his first crush—“

“Oh Sehun!”

“Alright, fine! I’ll tell Luhan his friend’s in your place. God, you can’t even take a tease,” Sehun laughed.

“Screw you Sehun.” Chanyeol ended the call.

After he took a warm shower, Chanyeol walked quietly to the guest room to check on his guest with nothing but gray sweatpants and black wife beater. He rubbed his damp hair with the towel around his neck as he opened the door.

Baekhyun was quietly snoring, now lying on his side and looking so adorable with his pouty lips and peaceful sleeping face. Chanyeol took out his phone, putting it in silent mode before clicking the camera application. He took different angles of a sleeping Baekhyun and decided to take the close up one, as his wallpaper picture.

He ruffled the man’s hair lightly before bidding him goodnight, walking out of the door to get some rest for himself.

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5.6.16