Friends Are Thieves Of Time

Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s story
Area: Camp W64
Year: 3013 - 3016

“Come on mummy wake up; it's 1 o’clock already! I’m hungry!” An 11-year-old Baekhyun sat on the dirty floor next to his mother; She was way out of it, as always. “Mummy please!” He begged as he shook her shoulder as to wake her from her eternal slumber.  
Slowly she stirred due to the child's hassling, “Ugh, Baekie off; there is bread on the side.”  She groaned before turning away from her son, still laid out on the floor.
“B-but there are blue bits in It.” He whimpered not wanting to pick the mould out of his food like he had the previous day.
“The blue bits are good for you.” Was the last thing she said before going back to sleep, leaving her kid to trudge over the sea of broken bottles and what not to reach the small dingy kitchen. Compared to Baekhyun’s kitchen Suho’s looked like the home of a Michelin star chef, and still, in reality, it looked like .

Baekhyun pulled a chair out from the table and sat down solemnly, looking at his food. He didn’t fancy his chances because he swore he just saw something in the bread moving and healthcare in camp 64 . It was non-existent, excluding the woman who dished out herbs over the bridge. The young boy sighed; he hadn’t got a meal last night as his mother had been too ill to work. The men at the ‘club’ would often give the sweet child a meal out of pity; Baekhyun was ever thankful for this as, otherwise, he would exclusively be living on mouldy bread.

By the time, he was done sulking his mother reached the room. “I’m going to work tonight.” She declared, makeup running down her face, Baekhyun wondered what she had been doing on her night off, but he didn’t dwell on it too much; he had other worries. “Also, tidy this place up; we may have guests.”  

Baekhyun wasn’t sure what she meant by that yet couldn’t disobey, he thought that maybe his stepdad - the 4th one that is- might be coming back or maybe he will be getting a new one. Stepdads were the best; they always treated him well just to gain his approval, they treated him better than even his mother did. Still, that wasn’t hard as now – at 9 pm – Baekhyun, after doing the chores and what not, was inside a club sitting sheepishly at the bar while the bartender, Changmin,  distracted him from what was going on elsewhere in the building.

“The boss was talking about introducing you to his son earlier, how does that sound?” Changmin offered with a smile while cleaning out the glasses. He was more like Baekhyun’s farther than anyone else; he fed him, listened to him, actually cared for his well-being and even brought him clothes once in a blue moon.
Baekhyun nodded with little diction to his true feelings, “Great.”
“I think you’re about the same age, 11, right?”
Baekhyun’s ears peaked, “well, actually, I’m 12 next month.”
The tall man chuckled and ruffled Baekhyun’s hair, “Of course you are, how could I forget our Baekie’s birthday?”

Baekhyun loved these moments, he felt as if he belonged when speaking with Changmin; he was the only one who made Baekhyun feel as if he mattered. The young boy always thought it a pity that he had to go home with… ‘her’ at the end of the night.

“Come on then, shall we get you some food?” Changmin offered, and Baekhyun jumped at the chance of some grub. His face had lit up as if he had been offered gold and diamonds as good food was a thing to be treasured.

Baekhyun honestly had no idea what his mother did in the back room of the club like building.  Changmin, on his 12th birthday, told Baekhyun it was called a ‘brothel’. This word meant nothing to the young boy, and neither did any of the men that his mother dragged home in the name of ‘over time’. To be honest, that was one of Baekhyun’s best birthday’s ever; it was the day he met his best friend.

“This is the boss’s son.” Changmin had said gesturing to the boy who was sat on Baekhyun’s stool at the bar. It had always been his stool as it was just a tad taller than the others and the regular customers were always happy to give it up for the misplaced kid. “Chanyeol-ah, this is Baekhyun-ah, today is his birthday.”

Chanyeol seemed like a brat as he nodded obnoxiously, nose in the air and hands clasped in his lap. Baekhyun felt as if the other was analysing him and shifted uncomfortably. “I know, my father informed me, he knows everything about everyone in his bar!”

***

“HEY!” Chanyeol impolitely interrupted the story telling much to Sehun’s dismay,“are you telling our story without me?”
Baekhyun nodded without a care, “Got a problem with that giraffe boy?”
Chanyeol sat down next to Sehun with a curt huff, “yes actually; when you told kai-ah you made me out to be a stuck-up rich kid! To be honest, I had it just as hard as you!”
Baekhyun cocked an eyebrow sceptically, “really ‘Mr I have electricity in my house’.”
The younger scoffed as Sehun just looked back and forth between the two. “You know it wasn’t as good as I made it out to be back then.”
“let’s see, shall we… where was i… oh yeah.”

>>>>><<<<<

Chanyeol seemed like a brat as he nodded obnoxiously,  nose in the air and hands clasped in his lap. Baekhyun felt as if the other was analysing him and shifted uncomfortably. “I know, my father informed me, he knows everything about all the employees in his bar!”
This caused Baekhyun to be sceptical, “but…I don’t even work here.” He commented in a small voice.
A eating grin grew on Chanyeol’s cheeky face, “well happy birthday because we’re offering you a job!”Changmin looked just as displeased as Baekhyun “we’re?”
“Well… my father, but he said I’m to supervise you.”

At the time this pleased Baekhyun even less, conversely, soon he was to learn of the perks involved with being Park Chanyeol’s best friend: the younger now, instead of sitting around in a bar for 5 nights a week got to wait tables… with Chanyeol’s ‘supervision’. This ensured the pair had a fantastic time pranking the paying men. Changmin, needless to say, saw the danger in this and became the young boy’s #1 nag, he tried to explain the intentions of these people, and how they weren’t good, yet there was no way of doing so nicely. On top of this, when Baekhyun and Chanyeol played together, the latter’s mother always packed him lunch of which Baekhyun got his share of and even the clothes that Chanyeol had outgrown made their way into Baekhyun’s wardrobe. Life was looking up for the short Korean mimicked by the radiant glow that now subsided on his cheeks yet ignorance is bliss and Baekhyun couldn’t stay ignorant forever.

Soon enough Baekhyun’s presence became very appreciated by the less picky of clientele, and he began to receive offers of his own, terrible offers. At first, Baekhyun ignored this but the older he got the harder it became.

Baekhyun’s 15th birthday was the worse, he never did anything… wrong… just kept a couple of creeps company for money. In fact, Baekhyun would have thought it less crazy if he did what his mum did for money, at least he would know what he was being paid for. Chanyeol soon clocked onto this as strange men became fonder of his friend. At first, it was naïve jealousy; he wanted gifts too, but then he realised.

“Why do you always go with –“ Chanyeol paused and pointed as he took a seat next to Baekhyun “ –them, at the end of the night?”
Baekhyun shrugged like the child he was, counting the money in his pocket and wondering how much more he would need to move out, “They pay me to talk to them.”
Chanyeol sneered “You know they’re just trying to get into your pants right?” He bluntly proclaimed; he was aware that Baekhyun wasn’t stupid; he had faith that he wasn’t a too, but desperation did strange things to people, especially in this world. 
Baekhyun smiled in annoyance “Good job I wear a belt then, isn’t it?” He announced as he got up and walked out of the conversation leaving worried Ch