That one fateful day Jongdae went to the garage, his life found new meaning. He had heard of the place, run by the Wu’s. When he first entered, he hadn’t expected a middle-aged woman popping up from underneath the car that had its engine exposed. She greeted him and asked if he had any business being here. He quickly replied ‘only browsing’ and scooted to the motor cycle section. He knew they had a decent collection, as expected from the amount of ‘motor cycle enthusiasts’ in the area, for better or worse. His browsing was quickly interrupted by a voice.

‘Are you looking for a bike?’ A tall young man in a once white wifebeater asked, his overall strapped around his waist, looking the part of a mechanic. Jongdae couldn’t deny the good looks the man was serving, his chest well-defined underneath the tight tank top. If the man was offended by Jongdae’s obvious stared appraisal, he did not show it.

‘Yeah,’ he replied with a dry mouth.

‘Awesome, what are you looking for?’ The mechanic kept his gaze on Jongdae’s crutches for a second too long, but he held his tongue.

Jongdae knew just the thing he wanted. ‘The most ridiculous ride you have, something to impress the boys.’

The man lifted his eyebrow, but signalled him to follow him. ‘Now, if you want to impress your dudebros I would suggest this one.’ He pointed to a chopper with ape-hangers. ‘Definitely ridiculous and fits your leather jacket well.

‘However, I think a slick design like Kawasaki’s will probably get you more dates.’ A neon green sports motor cycle with sharp edges and a windshield. Definitely a showpiece. The mechanic seemed to agree, his eyes sparkling like he was looking at his own child.

‘So if I get this one, can I get your number?’

The man laughed. ‘Not much to gain from that, but you can always keep me up to date on the motorcycle.’

‘Then how do you know this will get me dates? I can’t expect a straightie to know what a man wants.’ Jongdae pouted.

‘A friend of mine. Though the amount of dates acquired depends on the biker too, that friend of mine is too oblivious to the men and ends up hanging out with girls instead. Hopeless case.’ He shook his head. ‘Anyway, what are your thoughts? All these are second hand by the way, we can get you a new or custom one too, if you’re willing to pay the price of course.’

Jongdae still had a fragile knee from his skateboard accident, so trying them was out of the picture for now. He contemplated his options when he spotted hís bike. He crutched to it, the mechanic following suit.

‘Ah, a classic Harley. I should have known you were an old soul,’ the mechanic said with a smile.

And like that Jongdae bought himself his first motorcycle. He asked the mechanic to take him for a ride, just so he could get a feel of the bike without actually having to ride it himself. They finished the paperwork and after some small talk, Jongdae excused himself to go home again.

‘I can fix it up in a week and bring it to your home too. How long will you…’ He pointed to Jongdae’s leg. ‘Need before you can ride?’

‘About two weeks, the doc said. Or so I hope, I cannot wait to ride it!’ Jongdae shot another glance at the Harley, knowing it’ll be his in a week.

The week passed slowly. Jongdae’s work as assistant in the tattoo parlour in the other town had a slow week too, so there wasn’t much to occupy his mind with. His days were spent bussing to his work (as supposed to just cycling), drawing in his sketchbook at work and reading books in the evening. It was a blessing to see the Garage’s stickered truck in front of his shabby apartment building on Friday.

The same mechanic stood at his front door, who now revealed himself under the name Yifan and how he had forgotten to introduce himself at the garage last week. They unloaded the bike and after Jongdae was done drooling over it, he invited the mechanic in for a cup of coffee. The man shrugged and accepted the invitation. The apartment he lived in was small and nothing special. He had moved out his parental home a year ago, earning barely enough to live out here but happy he could be independent. He still wanted to paint the walls, but he hadn’t decided on his design yet.

Conversation flew easily. Jongdae explained how he got his injury, and how he used to be an avid skater. Yifan in turn told him about his life abroad as a child, how he grew up without a father, how his mother was his inspiration to work hard.

‘So that woman working in the shop is your mother?’

‘Yeah. We’ve always lived in poverty. When I was big enough to realize that, I helped one of my neighbours fix cars for some extra cash. My mom was always involved in my life, so when she showed an interest in my work, I shared her my knowledge. Before we knew it, she had bought an old garage across town and we had our own business.’

‘Wow. She is badass.’

Yifan smiled shyly. ‘She really is.’

By the end of the afternoon, Yifan felt like a comfortable friend already. Having a mechanic as friend was always a plus, but one so close to his age and easy to talk to was rare to find.

The doctor’s visit proved relatively positive. Though the doctor reaffirmed extreme sports and hard physical exercise were prohibited if Jongdae still wanted to be able to walk with that leg, he would be able to recover well enough to be able to walk miles before it start hurting.

Walking out of the hospital, he was awaited by his best friend, Minseok. They had known each other since young, bonding as kids over their own eagerness to hurt themselves through silly and dangerous tricks. While Jongdae pushed the limits with the skateboard, Minseok remained more level headed and picked up a bike. The control of a bike is easier than a skateboard, and after both had been in a collision that had broken Minseok’s arm, he became more wary of the dangers of life. Despite that, he grew up to be a lot better in the sport he was practicing. It wasn’t uncommon for him to win the regional tournaments and earn a trophy in the nationals either. He had all the potential to become the best. Minseok was always the one with a goal and sticking to it until he reached it.

‘Sup,’ Minseok smile was lopsided and he embraced Jongdae. Even his recently blown up reputation had not made him forget his best friend, luckily.

‘No training today?’

‘Not until I know my friend is going to be alright. What did the doc say?’ Minseok glanced at Jongdae’s leg, as if it would give the answers for him. He had seen him limp towards him, so he knew that much.

Jongdae shrugged. ‘No more skateboarding for me.’

‘Then who is going to keep me company while I train?’ Minseok pouted. He swung an arm on the younger’s shoulder. ‘, man.’ They both already expected it from previous visits and the severity of the accident, but it hurt to have the final answer to be negative.

‘It is what it is. I’ll still come by the ring sometimes, maybe bring a book to entertain myself instead.’ Jongdae joked. Minseok didn’t look too thrilled about it, but he didn’t say anything. ‘Anyway, let’s go take a ride on my motorbike!’

With Minseok’s bike in hand they walked to Jongdae’s home, a slow pace with the slight limp Jongdae had. When Jongdae opened the garage door to reveal his motor, both men were like kids in a candy store. Yifan had polished it before bringing him over, its shine making it look as good as new. After gloating over it for a good ten minutes, they took the Harley out for a spin. Jongdae had purchased the necessary equipment the day after he bought the motorbike. The leather of the jackets still smelled freshly skinned, the helmets shining nearly as well as the motor was.

Only a few kilometres into riding, Jongdae’s knee started nagging. It clearly had its limitations still. They returned home and shared some drinks before Minseok excused himself to train a bit more.

***

A miscalculated jump later and Baekhyun laid on the floor, screaming in uncontrollable pain. It was only four days after his fresh ink, and he had the worst luck scraping his shoulder on the ring as gravity dragged him down. A fresh tattoo was basically an open wound, and oh did he feel it. One of the other BMXers was with him in an instant and dragged him up. It was dangerous to stay in the pit with so many (inexperienced) riders doing their own thing. Biting his tongue, Baekhyun scrambled up and climbed the ring with hot tears in his eyes. At the nursery, a nickname for the first aid booth, Jongin and Zitao joined him after his flesh wound was cleaned and bandaged.

‘, Baek, you’re not looking good.’ Zitao commented.

‘I think he’s in a bit of a shock, he’s extremely pale and breathing irregularly. Can any of you get him to a hospital?’ The first aider asked.

Zitao and Jongin looked at each other. The hospital was a ten-minute drive, but neither had their driver’s license yet. Baekhyun raised his hand.

‘I’m okay. I just didn’t expect it to hurt so much.’ He smiled weakly. The others glanced at him disapprovingly.

The ‘nurse’ dabbled the last of the sweat on Baekhyun’s forehead away and handed him a sugary drink. ‘I’m giving you five minutes to recover, else I’m calling an ambulance.’ He raised his finger threateningly.

The pain was subduing, but the throbbing of the wound felt louder than his own heartbeat. Baekhyun cursed himself for being so stupid. He could have made the jump if he had stayed focused, but he had overexerted himself again. The look on Jongin’s said much the same.

‘Just spit it out, Jongin.’ Baekhyun sighed in defeat. Zitao curiously looked between the two.

‘I’m just contemplating your life choices…’

‘Thanks for your concern.’

‘I just don’t see the appeal in tattoos. They don’t even look good and now you might just have a huge scar instead of a tattoo.’ Jongin twiddled his thumbs and repeatedly brushed his sleek hair back.

‘Don’t say that,’ Zitao pitched in, his eyes wary.

Baekhyun’s strength returned to him as time progressed and got up. ‘Thank you for your concern, Jongin. I must have scared you, didn’t I?’ Even if Jongin didn’t understand tattoos, he meant well. Baekhyun leaned in and gave him a hug.

‘To be fair, your scream was ear deafening,’ Zitao said with a scoff. Baekhyun pouted and Jongin laughed at it, lightening the mood. Enough for Baekhyun’s colour to return to his face too, as Zitao reminded him.

After receiving the green light in the nursery to leave, Baekhyun picked up his stuff and took off to the tattoo parlour. If Jongin was right, he wouldn’t forgive himself. The tattoo was expensive enough, let alone the pain it took to place it as well as the work that went into the design. 

Jongdae was drawing on a client’s skin when Baekhyun entered. Baekhyun tried to play it cool, but he was clearly fussing. His skin felt itchy and sore now, the pain not fully subdued but under control. Jongdae glanced in his general direction.

‘Oh, hey you. Grab a drink.’ His eyes were back on the client before him again.

Baekhyun tentatively grabbed some water. He sat down on the red ‘waiting’ couch. After a few minutes he heard Jongdae sigh and told his customer to drink something before they’d continue.

‘What is the matter?’ He asked, leaning down and placing his hand on Baekhyun’s leg that had been tapping unconsciously. Oops.

Baekhyun rambled about his crash and then showed the wound, now covered in bandages. Jongdae removed it, and the act alone brought tears to Baekhyun’s eyes.

‘Sorry, it is very sensitive, isn’t it?’ Jongdae proceeded extra careful, taking a gander at the wound. The wound was still oozing and gross, but the scabs that had partially grew over the skin had been scraped clean again. He grabbed some antibacterial soap and cleaned it, like he had when the tattoo was first set.

‘Is the design still good?’ Baekhyun asked worriedly.

‘Is that what you’re worried about?’ Jongdae asked with a snort. ‘As long as it is not a deep tissue cut, meaning it damaged the deepest layer of skin which is the part penetrated by the needle, the ink should hold up fine.’

Baekhyun sighed in relief. He caught Jongdae’s soft smile, a faint blush on his cheeks.

‘The only thing that is that you undid all the healing your body worked on, so the process will take longer. You’re all good otherwise.’ He went to his cabinet and grabbed new bandages. With precision he wrapped his shoulder up again, his fingers around Baekhyun’s elbow to hold his arm still.

‘Thanks…’ Baekhyun replied, suddenly embarrassed. He did kind of barge into here and demanded attention. The other client still sat in his chair, an unfinished drawing on his leg.

‘No problem. Come see me in a month’s time, we can do a touch up if necessary. Now shoo!’ He playfully added. He finished the bandages and for good measure, Jongdae patted his (other) shoulder in comfort.

Baekhyun waved goodbye and promptly walked into someone on his way out. He muttered sorry to the heavily tattooed guy, and rushed to his bike to leave.

A few weeks later it was Chanyeol who broke Baekhyun’s mundane life training and sleeping, showing up at his doorstep.

‘I found this great skate park in the town nearby and Yifan is also there. Want to check it out with me?’ he had asked with the enthusiasm of a 6-year-old.

While hesitant, Baekhyun agreed. During the short car trip, Chanyeol asked about his frequent visits to Jongdae’s studio.

‘So how are you two now? You’re not worried about him being a dangerous man anymore?’ Chanyeol said.

‘I… I don’t know, he’s friendly. When I visit for a check-up, he kept asking how it was and if it ached during training. He makes a lot of teasing jokes, but otherwise I cannot see how he could be dangerous.’ Baekhyun bit his lip. He had been thinking about the evening long after he got home, how Jongdae had asked about his training and how he chipped in on performing new tricks and skateboarding. He notably left out how touchy Jongdae had been going over his wound.

‘That’s good. I think we might have misjudged them. I’ve been hanging out with Yifan more often. Last time Junmyeon joined us and I got to ride his motorcycle again!’

They were awaited by the pair at the parking lot.

‘Hey, welcome to our little town.’ Yifan hugged Chanyeol. He was hesitant towards Baekhyun, opting to just smile at him awkwardly. They had never interacted outside the bar, and even that was never one on one. It was surprising that Kyungsoo hugged them both.

‘So this is where you live, eh? Can’t believe it is an even smaller town than ours.’

‘I thank my motorbike every day. This place is .’

Baekhyun agreed with the sentiment. The roads that took them here were neglected. The buildings surrounding them were only old farms. The skate park was in the ‘center’, which meant a small grocery shop, a postal office and two clothing shops. A few benches were scattered around the greenery, some old folk playing chess. Boring as hell.

The skate ring was crappy too.

‘I thought you told me there was this amazing skatepark, Chanyeol. If this is what you define as amazing, I’m firmly disappointed.’

Chanyeol raised his hands and shrugged. ‘Okay, I just wanted to have a fun day somewhere else. I knew you wouldn’t come otherwise.’ His eyes were big and round, pleading in silence. Baekhyun wasn’t opposed to it. The area was quiet at least, perfect for training.

Without further a-do, he tried out the ring. Chanyeol taught Yifan some tricks, which he horribly failed at, while Kyungsoo sat back and occasionally laughed at their antics.

After the umpteenth injury Yifan got, Kyungsoo couldn’t bear to idly watch anymore.

‘I’m going to get some iodine and band aids,’ he mumbled to himself. Baekhyun only caught the words because he was just going to take a break and ended up next to the man.

‘Care if I join you? I want to buy some drinks.’ The man simpered at Baekhyun’s offer and nodded.

‘So what so you do in your daily life, Kyungsoo?’

‘I’m a student, still.’ He solemnly replied. Baekhyun waited for further explanation, but nothing came. Truly a man of many mysteries, or something like that. He was about to ask something else when his eyes caught the artwork painted on the wall.

‘What is that?’ Baekhyun asked himself, marvelling at the piece of art. It was an intricate drawing of two men dissolving into each other, their hips aligned like they grew from the same one, legs crossing each other as the men were intimately close to each other. Baekhyun felt his cheeks blush as he looked at the frisky position and the exposed skin painted.

‘It’s an art collab of Jongdae and Yixing. Yixing drew a ladies’ version in the other town, at the same backstreet adjacent of the grocery store,’ Kyungsoo said.

That explained why the art style looked vaguely familiar. He hadn’t seen work like this in Jongdae’s artbooks, both in art form and in what he drew. Baekhyun had a hunch Jongdae wasn’t straight, but he never tried to ask about it either. When Baekhyun glanced over to him, he noticed the strange look he was getting. He drew his eyes away and walked towards the store. The question why Jongdae had drawn such art was left on his tongue, but he knew better than to ask Kyungsoo.

The blush was about to die out when Kyungsoo dropped another bomb on him.

‘What do you think of Jongdae?’ He asked, nonchalant while glancing at the beverage isle. He turned his head when Baekhyun didn’t answer right away.

‘He is a good artist,’ Baekhyun answered. He didn’t want to share his wariness for the biker, certainly not when the man asking was one of them as well.

‘Is that all he is?’

Baekhyun shrugged. ‘He seems nice, I suppose.’

The answer seemed to suffice, Kyungsoo did not ask any further. After dwelling in the store for a while, they paid for their items and headed back. The impression he left behind of him was a peculiar one.

Yifan was not much better. Despite his initial cold appearance, he was a goofball around Chanyeol. Around Kyungsoo he was careful and calculating, like the man had him under his thumb. Nonetheless, he was kind and thoughtful, which was perhaps why Chanyeol felt so inclined to keep in contact with them. Chanyeol had been bullied as a child and that had made him wary of people, but he always had a desire to find his own group of people where he could be himself at. It was no wonder he and Chanyeol became so close-knitted.

They decided on dining at a Chinese restaurant, as recommended by Yifan. Kyungsoo found his tongue again, but only for small snippets of information while Yifan ranted about his latest motorcycle tour through the country.

‘And I’m pretty sure there was an illegal drugs trade going on there. It is a shame I couldn’t bring my bike into my room, because I sure as hell didn’t feel safe leaving it out there.’

‘Did you ever find out what happened to the guy that ran away?’ Chanyeol asked.

‘No, but I bet you those mobsters found him again. I’m surprised they’re not after me, after I witnessed such an ordeal.’

‘You’re an idiot, Yifan,’ Kyungsoo said as he shook his head.

‘I already told you, Kyungsoo, join me next time! Are you interested in joining, Chanyeol?’ Yifan shifted his attention to Chanyeol, hopeful for a new initiative.

Chanyeol raised his hands. ‘I’m not that much of a bad boy, I rather stay away from those kind of practices.’

Yifan chuckled. ‘I only tell you the juicy stories of course. Next time I’ll bring some pictures, you can see where Junmyeon and I all venture off to. It’s great fun!’

Baekhyun couldn’t resist but stir the pot. ‘So you guys are like a gang yourself, right?’ He asked jokingly, but he was genuinely curious about what their ‘motor club’ was all about. Despite seeing them often in the bar and occasionally chitchatting with them, certainly when Chanyeol drags Baekhyun with him to their table, he never really found out what they do.

Yifan glanced at Kyungsoo, who shook his head.

‘I wouldn’t say a gang. We’re just a bunch of motor enthusiasts meeting up every once in a while,’ Kyungsoo answered Baekhyun.

‘Why do you occasionally have bruises? Are you not part of the Devil’s Desert?’ Baekhyun prodded.

Kyungsoo’s eyes hardened.

‘Baekhyun…’ Chanyeol whispered.

Yifan laughed and slapped his hand, too harshly, against Kyungsoo’s shoulder. ‘We aren’t. Actually, they don’t like us. So we stay away from them as much as possible, easy as that. No need to worry about it, Baekhyun.’ Despite Kyungsoo’s curious disdain, Yifan smiled softly.  It must have been asked more often, since no other sane person rides a motorbike here.

‘I can’t believe you just asked that,’ Chanyeol said while they were on their way home. They just waved the two bikers goodbye, who both drove on in the other direction of which they went.

‘What, as if you aren’t curious? At least we got it out of the way now.’

‘So, now everything is good?’

Baekhyun shrugged. ‘I don’t know. They’re cool, they seem like nice people, but sometimes nice people have a knack for getting into trouble.’

Chanyeol bit his lip. The humming of the engine was the only thing heard in a while.

‘Maybe you’re right. I’m a little worried.’

Baekhyun glanced at the man, curious where the sentiment arose from.

Baekhyun hated to admit it, but he began to really enjoy going to the Jongdae’s studio. More often than not did he decide to hop by and share a drink with Jongdae. Occasionally Yixing would be there too. It was always a guess what Jongdae would do at the moment. Sometimes he was tattooing clients, both new, old, friend and foe, but most often he was found at the huge desk in the middle sketching till his hands cramped. He would also lift his head up when the bell by the door rang, always a smile on his lips.

This time was no exception.

‘Hey, Baekhyun!’ He waved him over and placed a sketch in front of him. ‘Whatcha think? Is it what you had in mind?’ Baekhyun was already contemplating his fourth tattoo after the last one he got.

‘Excellent, I love it! I want some small changes, can I show you?’ He asked for a pencil and tracing paper. Drawing over the design of what he liked and altering what he wanted changed was scary. Jongdae was looking right over his shoulder, and Baekhyun had never been known for drawing anything halfway decent.

‘It’s only just a rough sketch, I’m not as talented as you are.’ Baekhyun apologized for his lousy work. Jongdae nodded and sat down to work on the design again. Baekhyun had grown familiar in the shop and grabbed his own drink, bringing another one for the artist. This time he was the one lurking behind the other and checking his work. He always admired artists. He couldn’t even draw a straight line, and here Jongdae was just sketching up a master piece like it was nothing.

‘How about this?’ He asked, inviting Baekhyun to take a closer look.

‘Don’t change a thing.’

Jongdae smiled brightly at him. This guy really was chipper all day every day.

That day Baekhyun learned that tattoos on your foot are extremely painful. He also learned Jongdae gets up really close when he’s tattooing, and bent over Baekhyun’s body to get the right angles he was clearly not wearing underwear underneath his leather pants. For two hours Baekhyun had a perfect view on his perky behind, which was not an entirely unpleasant distraction from the pain. He couldn’t tell if Jongdae actually noticed his stares. He occasionally looked up to see if Baekhyun was still alright, but other than that he remained focused as he blabbered on to make them both feel more at ease.

‘I can’t believe you made it!’ Chanyeol yelled when he first heard Baekhyun was entering the regional championships. It was a quartal competition as pre-selection for those talented enough to win, or score high enough, continuing onto the international championships.

Baekhyun himself was stunned as well, though he had been silently expecting to pass. Zitao had been invited for it the previous time, but he didn’t show up this time around.

Chanyeol had offered to drive Baekhyun. It was the best way of transport, because public transport in their small town was . While Baekhyun had the tendency to become very subdued when the nerves were getting to him, Chanyeol was the other way around. He was giddy like a child, resulting in a very restless ride carried with loud music and an even louder Chanyeol. It was appreciated though, it helped Baekhyun lose himself in the excitement as well.

The venue itself was huge. He had seen it on the tv before, but never did he imagine the size of it to look this big when he was standing there. There were five rings, separated by high fences. Each was filled with ramps, railings and deep craters, allowing for a magnitude of stunts. Chanyeol was equally amazed, if the stomping on the floor was any good indication.

‘You’re amazing, Baekhyun,’ he said, ‘You’re gonna own this!’ In his excitement he scooped up Baekhyun into a hug. It was a dream they once both strived towards, but it seemed Chanyeol was happy to experience it second hand these days.

They wandered around for a bit, checking out all the good places before Baekhyun excused himself to go practice. After thirty minutes of warm up in the smallest ring, he took off into the second, larger one. This one held a huge ramp, one that was in the competitive ring too. He saw many riders try their luck on it. It was a given that if you mastered it, a win would be within reach. It was dangerous though, and many had never taken it before, because it was not the standard measurement of a ramp you could find in a park or skate hall.

Baekhyun was not going to be a foolish one, certainly not after his tattoo incidence two months prior, and took a normal dive into the crater. This ring was a lot larger, which asked for a lot more leg power to pull himself to the different obstacles. He knew this was what the competition ring would be like too, so it would be best if he would adjust to it quickly and then save up his energy.

He should have known something was up, when the ring became noticeable more deserted, while the noise pollution rose. He was a little worried everyone was expected to stop practice, so he followed the noise and left the ring. What he didn’t expect was Minseok on top on the huge wooden fence, waving at the people that started to crowd him within the practice ring. Baekhyun never expected a bunch of rowdy street kids to start screaming like zealous fans, the impact of their idol was impressive. Minseok waved one last time and disappeared behind the fence again. The group dispersed again like nothing had happened.

‘Baekhyun!’ Minseok smiled when Baekhyun located the man that spoke his name. He was at the bar getting a whole bunch of bottled energy drinks. ‘Need help?’ Baekhyun offered. Minseok nodded and gave him a few bottles. ‘Come join us, Jongdae is also here.’ Minseok brought him to the VIP lounge. There were surprisingly a lot of people. Even a camera crew was present! Minseok tapped Baekhyun when he had been standing still, staring at the place, and brought him to the couches. Yixing was chatting with Jongdae and another guy who sat next to him on the couch.

‘Look who I found!’ Minseok stated to get their attention. Yixing nodded at Baekhyun and grabbed a drink, while Jongdae stood up and walked over to him.

‘Hey Baek, here to dominate the competition?’ Jongdae said and placed a hand on his lower back, guiding him to the couch. Baekhyun was happy to sit down after his tiresome practice. Yixing gave him a small side hug, before returning to his conversation with the other man. The other man was a bit peculiar. With blond bleached hair and a small face, it was hard not to notice him. Despite talking to Yixing, he was fixated on Minseok.

‘Are you okay? You seem a little pale.’ Jongdae pulled him out of his thoughts.

‘Yeah, just a little nervous. It’s always like this.’ He sent him what he thought was a reassuring smile. The man took it and smiled back at him. He even scooted a little closer to him, which made sense because he joined the conversation with Yixing and the other man, pulling Baekhyun right into it. They were talking about Yixing’s latest art project. Most of it went unheard by Baekhyun, who was still stressing over the competition. That was until another, presumably, participant yelled into the room that they had to go to the participation benches.

Everyone of their little circle patted Baekhyun on the back and gave their blessing, but it still felt a little hollow. It wasn’t like he was angry at them, but he realized the love that Minseok had surrounded himself with and that was something he was a little jealous for. Everyone came over to hug him, joke with him or otherwise for not showing any of his nerves. Even Yixing was more lively than he usually was, joking and playing around without his art to be hung up on. Baekhyun walked out before Minseok was done, but the man caught up with him soon enough.

He slung an arm around him and pinched his cheek. ‘Don’t let the nerves get to you,’ he whispered into his ear before he let go of him and rushed off in a different direction.

It was unsurprising when Minseok was called for the gold medal, with the official pass to move to the national championships. Three others managed to receive the pass. Baekhyun’s performance was just not good enough, but it was alright, he told himself. He had mastered the tricks he did, but others had done more complicated tricks. This was only his first time in the regional championships. He had shown his face, and he had shown his face didn’t eat dirt too, which was more he could tell than some of the other newbie participants.

After the award ceremony Baekhyun searched for Chanyeol. It took him thirty minutes, being stopped by participants to chat and endless walking to find Chanyeol at the snack stand.

‘But I got one for you too!’ Chanyeol quickly handed Baekhyun a corndog. A welcome treat after so much exertion of energy.

Chanyeol suddenly turned his head. ‘Is that Lay?’

It was indeed Yixing who was walking straight to them. Chanyeol heard the stories from Baekhyun about him hanging around in Jongdae’s tattoo parlour, but he never actually met him besides that time the artist painted the walls of their local skate hall.

‘Hey Baek, we’re having a party at the hotel tonight, wanna join?’ Yixing asked. Chanyeol was having a small breakdown, like he just figured out Baekhyun was part of the cool kids now. Yixing only just now seemed to have become aware of the taller man. Chanyeol, in return, hid his smile behind the cuffs of his shirt.

‘Can my friend join?’ Baekhyun pointed at Chanyeol.

‘Of course!’ The man replied. He introduced himself to Chanyeol and gave them  the details.

What Baekhyun did not expect was the whole lounge area of the hotel was rented for the party. He ran into multiple participants of the competition. Most of them had lost, like Baekhyun, which gave the atmosphere a bit of an awkward feel. On the other hand, it bonded them together too. Each shared their best wishes, which Baekhyun returned. 

Chanyeol had walked off when Baekhyun was talking to the umpteenth BMXer, but was found back scouting the waiters for the free drinks and snacks.

‘Want a drink?’ Chanyeol gave him a wineglass with dark content. ‘I think you’ll like this.’ He winked at him. He knew Baekhyun wasn’t fond of alcohol.

Baekhyun was pleasantly surprised when he sipped the drink and found it to be quite sweet. The tingling aftermath of the alcohol was still there, but it was well masked by the sugariness. He nodded his thanks to Chanyeol, who smiled in return.

‘It’s blackberry cider. You can ask for more at the bar.’

They stayed where they were for a while. The music was loud and people were bustling around. The waiters walked their asses off with a variety of fancy snacks and deep fried goodness.

Only a little while after did they find Minseok and his friends. They were at the few sofas scattered around the building. Minseok was crowded by other BMXers, while the others conversed mostly among themselves. Jongdae looked up and smiled at Baekhyun.

‘How did you end up here, Yixing?’ Chanyeol asked. In the moments Baekhyun wasn’t there, the two had gotten familiar enough to be calling Lay by his real name.

‘I have a brand deal here.’ He glimmered. He established his name in the scene well enough to earn himself his income for it. It probably helped that he was associated with a huge BMX star, but his art was undeniably beautiful.

They all watched Minseok excuse himself from the crowd and walk over. He turned to the blonde-haired man Baekhyun had seen him with all day.

‘Luhan, the rest, let’s go upstairs.’ The same blonde-haired man Baekhyun saw at the previous party, Luhan, jumped up and fitted his hand around Minseok’s waist. The rest followed suit, like they were trained for just this moment. It was kind of weird. Chanyeol passed Baekhyun and linked his arm. It was only when he looked behind the man and saw that Yixing had his hand on the taller’s back to instigate that they were invited too.

They went to Minseok’s two person hotel room. Everyone settled around the room, with Minseok dropping himself onto the bed.

‘Was that enough socializing?’ Yixing joked and nudged his side. Minseok jumped.

‘Yeah, I always get so tired of these parties. So many people with so many questions.’

‘They just want some time with the great Kim Minseok’, Luhan teased and joined Yixing’s nudging by tickling the BMXer.

‘Stop, stop!’ He yelled through his laughter and distress. When both men backed down, he slapped them on the arm. ‘That’s no way to treat the GREAT Kim Minseok.’

It seemed to work, sort of. Yixing gave him a hug that seemed too tight to be comfortable, while Luhan embraced them both with the same strength Yixing was using.

‘Never mind them, they’re just kids,’ Jongdae said to Chanyeol and Baekhyun, who both looked on amusedly by the playful display. It made the others scoff.

‘Don’t be like that, if it weren’t for us you’d be the gayest out of all of us.’ Luhan replied.

‘Sttt, don’t blow my cover!’ Jongdae winked at Baekhyun, before going over Luhan and attack him.

The rest of the evening was spent much like that. Minseok ordered room service and wine. Together they toasted and then played card games. In the short time spent getting drunk, Baekhyun learned Luhan was probably too affectionate to just be a close friend of Minseok, Yixing was not as quiet and mysterious as he normally was when he had some liquor in him, and the most disturbing fact was that Jongdae was even more handsome clinging onto his friends and laughing to his heart’s content over stupid jokes that were definitely below the level of intelligence a sober man would have.