“Look here, you ing .” Chanyeol hisses. “I have no time for your right now. You’re going to take us to the next stop and you’re going to do it fast. You understand?”

The taxi driver looks up at Chanyeol, unimpressed.

“Look here, man.” The driver drawls. “I ain’t gonna take you to no station. If you want, you can-”

“Oh, shut the up, will you?” Chanyeol pries the door open, forcing the driver to the passenger seat.

“Get in!” he shouts to Baekhyun, who clambers into the back.

“Hold on.” Chanyeol warns before stepping down on the accelerator.

The taxi speeds off, and Baekhyun holds on to the seat for his life. Chanyeol swerves through traffic, making the taxi driver scream in fear and Baekhyun scream in excitement.

The driver tries to stop Chanyeol, pulling the man’s fingers off the steering wheel, but Baekhyun holds him back, squealing with the thrill of it all.

They reach the next station in record time; and Baekhyun stumbles out of the car before Chanyeol can stop it. The taxi driver grabs Chanyeol’s collar, threatening to sue him.

Baekhyun runs in, but stops in the entryway. He turns back and runs back to Chanyeol.

“Th-thank you.” He says, panting. Chanyeol nods, and Baekhyun runs.

He gets to the station just as the train leaves. “No…” Baekhyun says, watching the train leave him behind for the second time that night.

Chanyeol runs into the station, after paying the taxi driver triple the normal fare and apologizing.
“Wha-” Chanyeol groans, seeing the train leave. “You missed it again?!”

“I didn’t miss it!” Baekhyun shouts.

“Yes you did! Why did you have to turn around and say thank you to me?!” Chanyeol demands.

“B-because- because my mother raised me to be grateful to those who help me, and it’s only polite to say thank you, you ignorant prick!”

Chanyeol pulls a hand down his face.

“Alright. Okay. Okay. Let’s- let’s think this through.”

“There’s nothing to think here! You’re going to get me home, okay? You promised!”

Chanyeol glares at Baekhyun.

“Fine! I said I would, so I will, okay?”

Baekhyun nods, and holds out a hand. “I’m Byun Baekhyun. You are?”

“Chanyeol.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Chanyeol-ssi,” Baekhyun says with his 100-megawatt smile. “Let’s get along well, okay?”

Chanyeol rolls his eyes and ignores Baekhyun’s hand.

“Let’s go. We can still get a room at a motel if we hurry.”

“A motel? What for? Are we going to stay the night? I thought you didn’t have cash! Oh, well, maybe we’ll get lucky and find a motel that offers credit cards. Have you ever been in a motel before? I haven’t. I’ve actually never been anywhere by myself. At least, not yet! This was my first time! Usually my mother comes along, or I go with my brother. My family is very protective of me, and I don’t understand why. That’s why my mother was so scared about me travelling alone. If she knew that I missed my train and I’m out here with a complete stranger, she’d freak out! I have to get home before tomorrow, or-”

“Do you usually talk so much?” Chanyeol asks as they walk along the empty streets.

“Huh? Oh, yeah! My entire family talks a lot. The house is never silent, you know? You seem like a very silent guy, though. I don’t understand why you’re so upset. It’s as if something terrible has happened to you and-”

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol says. “Like you said, I’m a complete stranger. Why are you out here with me? I could be a or a murderer, for all you know.”

“Listen, I may look sweet and innocent, but I’m not, okay? I know Hapkido! I’m a black belt, for your information. I have trophies and everything! Even if you tried anything, I’d be able to take you down like ha!” He swings his leg up in a smooth arc, impressing Chanyeol.

“You didn’t seem much like a fighter back then.”

“Yah!” Baekhyun says, offended. “They were a whole group, and I was scared, okay? I bet I could take them down if they came now!” Baekhyun kicks the air again, this time following it up with a punch.

He’s cute.

Chanyeol forces the smile off his face and focuses on the task at hand.

“There!” Baekhyun cries, pointing. “I see a motel!”

They walk into the seedy motel, just as a tall, leggy girl pulls her –lover? Client? Into a room.

“We’d like a room, please!” Baekhyun announces to the receptionist. The receptionist is a short, fat man who glances at the both of them with leering eyes.  

“A room, huh? Would you like to pay for the night or…” he glances down at Baekhyun’s pyjamas and Chanyeol’s crumpled clothes. “…or for the hour?” he winks at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol sighs, stepping in.

But Baekhyun, dumb as a doornail, juts in. “I think by the hour will be fine, don’t you think? I mean, we’ll probably just take a few hours, right?” he turns to Chanyeol, who has given up by this point.

The receptionist grins, nodding. “By the hour it is, then! Shall I put you down for four hours?”

“Four hours?!” Baekhyun asks, horrified. “That’s way too long! I need to reach home by morning, you see. We’ll be done in about an hour or two, max.”

The receptionists’ leery grin doesn’t leave his face as he signs them in and hands them the key. “Pay when you’re done, yeah?” Baekhyun takes the key and skips off to find their room.

“Hey, you,