Me and my social awkwardness. I don't know how love and romance work (and if you read XOXO you might agree). So let's just see how these following chapters go.

If I'm going too quickly or it just , please leave criticism.

My dear, please be careful. You no longer live only for yourself. You live for me as well.

Kamand Kojouri

A week. That was all the time Chanyeol gave himself for missions.

They usually didn't take long at all. A simple syringe full of air, or a bit of ricin, or maybe even some cyanide if he was feeling artsy. Any longer and he would run the risk of being recognized by someone important. Or getting attached. Most commissioners would not be happy if their assassin failed to carry out a mission or took too long, and there were some who would personally handle the situation.

The only assassin Chanyeol knew outside of his own family had his career ended like that. Luhan had been one of Chanyeol's father's closest companions, despite being closer in age to Chanyeol and almost concerningly energetic. He was a master with the law--literally: he was working on his master's--and ways to avoid it, and he often tutored Chanyeol when he came around. About two years prior, Luhan was sent after the son of a finance magnate named Minseok, and in the end--Chanyeol didn't know how--Minseok found out about the plan. Eventually, Luhan helped Minseok flee the city, but he himself was captured, tortured, and turned over to police, where he willingly gave himself.

Chanyeol had visited once, a few months after he found out Luhan was caught. The young man sat behind glass, fingers tapping on his knees and eyes about ten years older. He looked up when Chanyeol sat down at the chair across the wall and picked up the phone.

"Hey, kid," Luhan said, managing a weak smile.

Chanyeol handed off the care package he brought to a security guard. "Luhan," he started, words catching in his throat. "H-how are you?"

"Absolutely fantastic. They've got air conditioning and heating and food and everything. It's paradise." Luhan put a hand on the glass. "How're you doing? How's the fam?"

"They're good. I'm good."

Luhan clicked his tongue. "Never one for talking, were you?"

Chanyeol looked away.

Luhan sighed on the other end. "Any way you can ask your dad for a big favor?"

"I haven't seen him in a while. Don't know where he is."

"Of course. You Parks are always so reclusive." Luhan's smile faltered. "Well, he owes me big time. He really does."

"Yeah. I know."

The security guard on Luhan side was distracted momentarily by another prisoner throwing a fit, and Luhan leaned in. 

"You need to get out of this," Luhan hissed, eyes wide. "You need to get out of Highmont, Chanyeol, you need to get out of here and pretend the person you are right now has never existed. Get your a out of this fing hellhole." Chanyeol flinched. He had never seen Luhan angry before, and it was almost more frightening than having a knife to his throat.

The guard on Chanyeol's  side cleared his throat, and Luhan sat back, going back to normal in a heartbeat. "Well, kid, I think time's up," he said, smiling again. "Good luck, okay?"

Sorry, Luhan, Chanyeol thought as he sifted through his notes on Baekhyun. I never left. And I probably never will.

Die at the hands of some jealous commissioner or kill yourself before police could get you--those were the only options now.

In too deep.

On Friday after school, Baekhyun was alone in the music room when he heard a crash from outside the room. He stopped in the middle of sorting sheet music. The music room was at the very end of a lonely hallway, and there were no other classrooms there. There shouldn't have been any students left in the building, either; it was after four already, the time when Baekhyun sat down to the nitty gritty logistics of running a school. 

He stood up slowly. There was no window near the double doors of the music room, no way to look out into the hallway with the faulty lighting. Baekhyun crept along the wall, listening closely.

A low growling noise shook the very ground, a tiny vibration that magnified as it crept into Baekhyun's chest. From the crack in the door, a dark mist purled in and slid silently towards Baekhyun, pooling around his feet. Baekhyun was frozen in place, mouth open but no sound coming out. 

It's a hallucination, he told himself. This exact thing had happened before, maybe two years ago. Just a hallucination.

The growl grew louder, and in it Baekhyun could hear someone talking. He moved closer to the door, body moving of its own accord.

It's just a hallucination just a hallucination just a hallucination--

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Baekhyun flinched, ducking away from the heavy metal flying towards him. When he opened his eyes, Chanyeol was standing there alone, staring down at him with concern. The mist had disappeared, and the growling was replaced by the normal sounds of an inner city street coming from the open window.

When did I open that?

"Baekhyun?" The taller man let the door close behind him. "Are you okay?"

Baekhyun leaned against the wall, lightheaded and nauseous. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine."

Chanyeol stepped closer. "You're really pale...are you sure?"

Bile rose up in Baekhyun throat, and he dove for the trash can, afraid of something actually coming up. He swallowed heavily, and his stomach shuddered.

Chanyeol knelt at the teacher's side, rubbing circles onto his back. "Deep breaths," he muttered. "In and out."

Baekhyun gasped for breath, then pointed back at his desk. "Can you get the--the Pepto Bismol? It's on m-my--"

"This might be better." Chanyeol procured a tiny glass vial and held it open under Baekhyun's nose. The first whiff was overwhelmingly sharp, sweet and incredibly bitter and faintly minty. With each shaky breath, the smell dulled, and Baekhyun felt his head steady.

"Better?" Chanyeol let his hand rest between Baekhyun's shoulder blades.

Baekhyun nodded. "I'm good." He sat back on his heels. "I'm fine."

Chanyeol tucked the vial back into the jacket pocket he had evidently gotten it from. "That was scary," he said, pretending to wipe sweat off his forehead. 

Actual sweat dotted Baekhyun's face, and he wiped it away with the sleeve of his jacket. "Don't worry. I get dizzy and stuff a lot," he said. Hallucinations, on the other hand...

Chanyeol frowned. "Have you seen a doctor?"

"Yeah. I have medication."

"Did you take it?"

"I did." Baekhyun stood up slowly, and Chanyeol grabbed his elbow when he swayed. "It's been really bad lately, and I'm not really sure why."

"You should check up on that."

"I should." Baekhyun brushed the taller man's hand off gently. "Why are you even still here? It's late."

"It's only four."

"Right, but--"

"I was waiting for you." Chanyeol smiled gently and shrugged.

Baekhyun was suddenly hyperaware that he was trapped between a wall and an equally immovable handsome person. "I, uh, um--" He felt nauseous again. "What for?"

"To kill you." Chanyeol's smile vanished.

"What?"

Chanyeol stared down at Baekhyun, very serious. The latter backed into the wall, one hand creeping towards the pepper spray in his pocket. He'd heard the stories of assassins in the business areas of Highmont, how there were family feuds just like in the movies and corporate enemies waiting for their rivals to make a wrong move, and even though he was just a speck of dust in most of their eyes, Baekhyun wasn't risking anything.

There was a moment of silence before Chanyeol snorted and burst into roaring laughter.

"I got you!" he cried, clapping and doubling over in a cackling fit. "Oh, G-d, I can't believe you fell for that!"

Baekhyun's mouth fell open, and he smacked Chanyeol on the shoulder. "J-sus Chr-st, what the f ? You actually scared me!"

"I know! It's great!" Chanyeol straightened up to his full formidable height and wiped away the laughing tears that had appeared in the corners of his eyes. "S . I'm sorry, I had to..."

"You didn't." Baekhyun pouted and gave Chanyeol the dirtiest look he could manage, then pushed past the taller man to collect his things for the weekend.

"Ah, crap. I made you mad." Chanyeol sighed. "Sorry."

Baekhyun huffed, but with his back turned towards the other man, he let a tiny smile tug at the corners of his mouth. "I'm not forgiving you for that one."

"Aw, man. Whatever will I do?" A warmth appeared right behind Baekhyun, and the shorter man whirled around to find himself face-to-face with Chanyeol.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. Chanyeol put his hands down on the desk next to Baekhyun, caging him in, and leaned forward as Baekhyun tried to lean away.

"Can't you forgive me for that?" Chanyeol asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

Baekhyun's face had heated up enough to toast bread. "I-I don't-- what are you-- why--"

"Very cute." Chanyeol pushed forward and gave Baekhyun a chaste kiss on the forehead before pulling away and shoving his hands in his pockets. "I've been wanting to do that all week. And it's my last day, so I might not see you again, and..." He looked away, and hints of red started appearing on his own cheeks. "Sorry. You can hit me again."

The tall, suave substitute suddenly looked like one of the children Baekhyun taught. 

Baekhyun brushed the spot where Chanyeol had kissed, then sat down on his desk, heart beating against his chest. "Well s , now it's a high school confession scene," he said, trying to make light of the tension.

Chanyeol was beet-red at this point. "I'm really sorry," he mumbled. "I can go--"

"Wait." Baekhyun cast about for something to say. "I--don't worry, that's...you, uh, do you want to go out for dinner tonight?"

Chanyeol perked up. "Really?"

"I mean, I don't..." Baekhyun sighed. "I don't want to never see you again."

My version of a confession. A crappy one.

"Well, that's good news."

"Let's start with dinner. We're adults. We can work it out from there."

If you're still here, then God bless you.