During the competition, Jongdae stayed at the special reserved seats Minseok had acquired for his friends. He sat next to Luhan. Jongdae never fully understood the scoring for BMX tricks, but Luhan almost never failed to give an accurate ranking. When Baekhyun was up next, Jongdae shifted in his seat.

‘Curious how he’ll do?’

‘Yeah…’ Baekhyun had been talking about his training so often, Jongdae had grown curious how he would actually perform. He had only seen him at the skate hall once, but he had focused on one trick alone so seeing him do a full routine was enticing.

Luhan laughed and slapped Jongdae’s back. ‘You’re too obvious. You like this kid so much?’

Jongdae ignored him and they both watched the performance unfold. Luhan gave small comments to enlighten Jongdae, ‘Oh that was a nice one. That turn was slick, but he lost control of his wheel for a split second. If he makes this jump clean, he’ll be within the top 10.’

When Baekhyun’s bike came to a halt and he waved to the crowd, Jongdae released the breath he had unknowingly been holding. The jump was clean, but seeing Luhan’s eyebrows furrowed, it wouldn’t be enough.

‘Well?’

‘Definitely not bad. Minseok was right, he has a lot of potential, but he’s too hesitant.’ Luhan nodded to himself. ‘So, when are you going to tell him that you like him?’

Jongdae flustered. ‘I don’t plan on doing that.’

‘Why not? You told me he’s coming to your place all the time, even Minseok ships you two already.’

‘Shut up. And he’s just going to the tattoo parlour. And I’m pretty sure he’s still wary of me for being a biker.’

‘Oh right, how is that situation going?’

‘ty. Junmyeon is being targeted and Sehun doesn’t even tell us when he’s gotten beaten up anymore.’ Those gang bastards were really targeting them these days, his friend group could never really hang out anymore without feeling a looming threat hanging above them.

‘Targeted, how so?’

Jongdae shook his head. ‘I don’t know, they have his identity card copied and this one biker keeps threatening me with it. I have no clue what they’d even do with that.’

Luhan bit his lip. Jongdae knew how he felt about the ordeal, and although he supported Jongdae’s motorcycle hobby, it worried him he and his friends put themselves into such danger.

A few contestants later, among the last few to still participate, Minseok was called up. The audience were at its loudest, and both Jongdae and Luhan beamed subconsciously with him. Minseok was at his A game, finishing his round neatly and fully in control. Even Jongdae could tell this competition was his, hands down.

The party Minseok threw, arranged by Luhan mostly, was customary for the smaller competitions he attended. His name carried too much fame to go unnoticed through these events, so he’d throw them to encourage the other contestants to keep working hard and it would allow him to keep face for the community until he got tired. He hung around in the room for around an hour, mostly spent chatting with other BMXers. Some he had become friends with, others were just acquaintances he showed his good will to.

In the hotel room, Baekhyun was there and gravitated towards Jongdae while they talked.

‘You did very well, Baekhyun.’

Baekhyun whisked off the compliment. ‘Thanks, but I was not my best today.’

‘I can only imagine how good you’ll be on your best, then.’ From their conversations Jongdae had picked up on how harsh Baekhyun was towards himself, and he heavily undermined his own skills. Jongdae expected a worse performance, but he trusted Luhan’s word on how well he did.

Over the hours the others had inched away from the bed, with most sitting on the floor playing a card game. Jongdae was lightly intoxicated from the fifth beer he was drinking, while Baekhyun’s cheeks burned red from the few ciders he had.

‘Do you often go to these competitions for Minseok?’

‘Sometimes, when I have time and they are held nearby. Usually Luhan invites me to join, he doesn’t like to sit alone.’

‘Stt, don’t say that!’ Luhan said across the room.

‘It’s true though!’ He was happy to join whenever he had time. Sometimes everyone was so caught up in their work, weeks would go by before they saw each other again. These events were as good an excuse  as any to get them together again.

After Baekhyun had fallen asleep on Minseok’s and Luhan’s hotel bed, Jongdae dispersed himself to the others. Only Chanyeol and Luhan were still awake, chatting in the corner of the room on the floor. Yixing was curled up on a chair while Minseok laid in his boyfriend’s lap, not really sure whether he was really asleep or not. Luhan was talking about computers. It was actually surprising to see Chanyeol being half-what competent in stringing on the conversation about such a boring topic.

‘You still up, Jongdae?’ Luhan said. Jongdae joined them on the floor.

‘Yeah, though I think it’s time for everyone to find their beds. Yixing is going to have a stiff neck if he stays like that all night.’

Luhan nodded, then turned to Chanyeol. ‘Where is your hotel, Chanyeol?’

‘We don’t have one, we just drove here.’

‘Oh… It’s a little too late to arrange new rooms now.’

‘If you don’t mind sharing the bed, Yixing and I sleep in the room adjacent from here. If Baek sleeps here, what he’s already doing, we’ll be fine, right?’ Jongdae suggested.

‘I don’t want to burden you guys, don’t you need your rest?’ Chanyeol glanced between the two, a little uncomfortable from the offer.

‘I insist you to stay. You and Baekhyun are both too intoxicated to drive,’ Luhan said.

‘As long as you don’t snore, it’s fine by me.’

After objecting first, Chanyeol agreed. Jongdae brought Yixing to their room with Chanyeol following behind. Settled in bed, Jongdae wondered if Chanyeol didn’t feel awkward. They didn’t speak much, and he hadn’t known Yixing personally before today. To give him some privacy, Jongdae kept his back towards him, huddling close to Yixing to give the tallest of the bunch more room.

The next morning, Jongdae and his roommates sat at the table for the breakfast buffet with splitting headaches. A few minutes later they were joined by the guys who slept in the other room. While Baekhyun looked as awful as the former, Luhan and Minseok were pretty cheerful.

‘Morning! Did you all sleep well?’ Minseok asked.

The rest answered in mumbles. Baekhyun sat down adjacent from Jongdae, talking to Chanyeol how he was confused when he woke up.

‘I almost thought I had slept with Minseok, wouldn’t that have been a lovely surprise,’ he joked when the couple was getting food.

‘Yeah, sorry we didn’t warn you, but you were sleeping so soundly. You should thank Luhan and Jongdae.’

Baekhyun turned to Jongdae and did so. ‘I think I’ve fallen asleep while we talked, I’m sorry.’

Jongdae brushed it off. Having seen Baekhyun lull to sleep was the cutest sight and his heart ached from being so close to him. He admitted he had a crush on the man since they met, but having interacted with him more often only made his heart grow fonder. 

‘Hey, you’re looking glum,’ Yifan said when Junmyeon walked into the bar. The latter hit his fist against the table, shaking the drinks that were on them.

‘I cannot believe the ing police. This is the fifth time I’m reporting abuse, and you know what they told me?! Maybe I should stop riding a motorcycle if that is what provokes them.’ His cheeks were tinted pink from his anger. Jongdae took his hand and patted his shoulder.

‘Did you tell them about those invoices sent to you constantly?’ Sehun asked.

Jongdae sat upright. ‘What? Is that happening?’

‘Yeah. I don’t know how. I get invoices from shady laundry companies and medical supplies. My bank told me those invoices could only be made with some form of identity-‘

The blood drained from Jongdae’s face. He should have known that biker was up to no good when he returned Junmyeon’s wallet to him in the tattoo shop.

‘They’re all trash,’ Kyungsoo said.

‘They’re more than trash. Aren’t they here to protect us? But nooo they only have time to write fines and raid our base.’

‘-e you okay?’ Yifan nudged Jongdae.

‘I…’ Jongdae sighed and came clean with the details of how he got Junmyeon’s wallet.

‘A biker returned it to you and you didn’t tell me about it?!’

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t want to worry you further, I didn’t think it’d have such repercussions.’

‘I need a moment.’ Junmyeon got up and excused himself to the restroom.

Yifan put an arm around Jongdae. ‘Don’t worry about him, he’ll cool down.’

‘Maybe work on your timing next time,’ Sehun said, his comment awarding him with a scowl from Kyungsoo. He quickly apologized.

Despite multiple reports given on the physical abuse they had all gone through, with substantial evidence, the police was understaffed and thought it useless to mingle with ‘loitering youth quarrels’. It wasn’t unheard of that the Devil’s Desert gang was involved with the police, allowing many blind eyes to be turned towards the criminal activity going on in the country side.

Junmyeon marched back and stood at the head of the table.

‘We cannot sit by idly anymore.’

‘Then what do you suggest?’

‘We have to fight back. And I have an idea how.’

The first one to rise is Kyungsoo, fire in his eyes as he agreed. Yifan stood up next. Jongdae joined the few that stood, sharing a nod with them. They were all too sick of letting it happen any longer. At 2 am, they took to their bikes and found the house of the alleged gang member, whose address Junmyeon had figured out somehow. The plan was simple; find any kind of information about their main base. Maybe rough up the homeowner a bit if the occasion allowed. Actually, maybe it was only simple because no one dared to think too long about what it would all entail. Everyone’s hands were itching to be used, the pent up aggression all too eagerly released for some sense of justice.

With the four of them, Jongdae, Junmyeon, Kyungsoo and Yifan, they arrived in the street. The man they were looking for was living in the small city thirty minutes away from them, holed up in a tall apartment complex that must have seen better days. They parked the bikes a street away to keep the noise down. It was already hard enough being stealthy as a group. The steps they took towards the place seemed to get slower with each step.

‘I don’t know, guys…’ Yifan said, ‘are we sure this is a good idea?’

‘It’s most definitely not a good idea,’ Kyungsoo replied.

Everyone looked at each other, Jongdae being the first to get in a fit of giggles from the dire expressions of his friends’ faces. Yifan naturally joined, Kyungsoo adding a chuckle in as well.

‘We are insane, guys.’ Jongdae shared a glance with his friends. He settled at Junmyeon, who was slightly awkward as he smiled along. Worried, perhaps. Junmyeon hated acting up, but he hated seeing his friends hurt even more.

‘How about we ditch these,’ Yifan held up the iron knuckles one of their members had distributed to them before they left, ‘and just knock on his door and talk with the guy?’

‘These people have been beating us up and you just want us to try and talk to one of them?’ Junmyeon asked, his mouth ajar.

Yifan shrugged. ‘Might as well give it a shot. We haven’t ridden this far for nothing, right?’

Kyungsoo was the first to start walking again. Jongdae followed. They were both the more courageous ones of the bunch, despite the tough façade either of the older guys liked to put up. Upon arrival of the apartment, a group of youngsters just walked out and kept the door open for them. They didn’t walk a straight line anymore, reeking of alcohol underneath the heavy layer of cologne and perfume. Kyungsoo ‘tsst’ed and shook his head.

Yifan and Junmyeon were stalling their time on the stairs. Kyungsoo didn’t care and knocked on the door of the apartment. Knocked again. Rang the bell. No answer. He turned to Jongdae. ‘Now what?’

Jongdae glanced around. He tugged on the doormat, then scavenged through the fake plant hung at the wall. His finger touched cold and rigged steel.

‘Bingo,’ he said as he pulled out a key and showed it to Kyungsoo. The latter smirked and took it from him, opening the door for them both. They both glanced at each other for a moment, caught in their crime with both doubt and excitement.

Needless to say, their little house tour was unfruitful. Yifan opted to watch the door, while Junmyeon was a nervous mess and ran outside. ‘To watch the outer door,’ he had said. Despite rummaging through most of the drawers they could find, nothing revealed anything interesting. Kyungsoo had taken the liberty to rip up some of the papers he found, pulling entire drawers out of its cabin and leave them scattered. Uncertain the neighbours would hear, it was possibly the most decent house ruining ever committed in history. Kyungsoo stole some snacks and Jongdae a phone charger. That’ll teach the man not to mess with them! Plus Jongdae really needed a new one, his had been malfunctioning and those with fast charging are so expensive.

They locked the door and placed the key back to where they found it. Arriving downstairs, Junmyeon sighed a breath of relief and hurried them all back to the bikes. The adrenaline was still flowing in Jongdae and it was a feeling he wouldn’t mind experiencing more often, the giddiness of potentially getting caught doing something illegal, but also of trying to find what they were looking for. It was exhilarating, and looking at Kyungsoo, he was not the only one experiencing it that way. He was smiling and laughing, being as hyperactive as Jongdae when they returned to their bikes and discussed their thoughts. It even caught Yifan off-guard, having Kyungsoo so uncharacteristically active.

***

It went so well. Baekhyun owned the half pipe and did a deep drop. The audience screamed. Everything seemed to have moved in slow motion, the deafening sound and his breath still catching up with him proved too much for him. His vision went black.

The next time he woke up, his friends were around him. Chanyeol, Zitao and Jongin.

‘You did it!! You er, you did it!’ Zitao exclaimed. Jongin hit him on the shoulder, to which Zitao apologized in a much more quiet voice. ‘Everything you performed was excellent, Baek. You’re going to qualify, I’m sure!’ Their excitement was warranted when Baekhyun name was yelled to pick up his gold medal. It was a regional competition, allowing him to qualify for the international championships. His name was becoming more known, which ultimately led to more people crowding up once he started talking with some. It was weird how quickly it shifted. A few months ago nobody would have batted an eye to the weird-looking kid, just another guy with a dream. Now he was Baekhyun, a guy with a dream and a bit of talent. He wasn’t quite there yet, but he was all up for the compliments he received.

After the ceremony, Baekhyun messaged Minseok. The party a few months prior had gotten him close enough to him to earn a phone number. Hesitant to chat with him just for fun, now he finally had something decent to mention. Minseok was overjoyed and told him he’d book them the flight tickets. Like that, Minseok had taken him under his wing. Over the weeks before the tournament they chatted a lot more. At the airport they met in person, and despite Baekhyun’s previous idolization of the BMXer, he found himself at ease with the man.

The five star hotel booked by Minseok didn’t disappoint. ‘Sponsored’ he had mentioned when Baekhyun started protesting about not having seen any bill of his expenses. Minseok shushed him away to the room that had been booked for him. His room held a queen-size bed he dropped himself onto. With gold painted décor and a chandelier above the bed, the bathroom separated by only glass and a bathtub that could fit two people in, Baekhyun never felt more delightfully out of place.

 ‘You alright there?’ Minseok came into his room and dropped himself on the bed as well.

‘More than alright! This place is wack.’ Baekhyun turned his face to him. Minseok had his eyes closed, his shirt slightly exposing his collarbone – a purple smudge on it.

‘So that blonde dude, Luhan, is your boyfriend?’ Baekhyun asked. ‘For how long?’

Minseok thought a moment on that. ‘About seven years now? Yeah, I think so.’

‘You are very fond of him, aren’t you?’

Minseok chuckled, a slight blush on his cheek. ‘Yeah… I don’t want to be all gross now, but we get along very well.’

A relationship many would be jealous of, Baekhyun thought.

‘You should come and have dinner with us sometimes, Baekhyun.’ He smiled and added with a wink, ‘Luhan was bummed out he couldn’t get to know you better last time.’

Baekhyun blinked. He didn’t think he made a big enough impression to have the man’s attention, but maybe his connection with both Jongdae and Minseok had something to do with it. ‘Thank you.

Do you usually stay in hotels like this?’

‘Well, not as ridiculous as these, for sure, but I try to get a good place. A good night’s sleep is essential, and I don’t want to risk a crick in the back. Speaking of which, I arranged a masseuse in a couple of hours by the way, don’t fall asleep yet.’

The next day Baekhyun experienced the most hectic tournament he had yet to participate in. It affected his performance, but considering the skill of those others around him it didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. He was most content when he finally got back to the hotel and could take a long bath. Minseok was understanding and let him be while he went out to meet with friends.

Minseok and Baekhyun were set on taking the plane back, only for it to be delayed by 4 hours due to unfavourable weather conditions at the place of arrival. A bit of delay didn’t bother them. The duty-free shops kept them both happy, with each of them buying dumb souvenirs for loved ones. Then they started dressing each other up in ridiculous outfits at the Gucci store, because they had to fill their time somehow, right? Baekhyun learned he looked surprisingly beautiful in a dress, with pictures to prove it to Chanyeol once they get home, as curtesy by Minseok.

To complete their mischievous behaviour,  Minseok bought them both Gucci slides, ‘because that is what the cool kids wear these days’. Baekhyun joked about selling it on eBay, to which Minseok joked that he would earn more if he sold one of Minseok’s t-shirts.

‘I’ll remember that when I’m in need of money, thanks.’

The bigger issue with their delay would be the lack of public transportation available to get home. The buses were a nightmare in the ty small town Baekhyun lived in. Only once an hour one would go, but they stopped around 11pm. Apparently his distress became noticeable when they finally sat down in the plane.

‘What’s on your mind?’ Minseok asked.

Baekhyun pouted. ‘I don’t know how to get home after we land. My parents are out of town and the buses don’t go anymore.’

‘Oh.’ Minseok replied.

Just oh? Baekhyun thought. The steward interrupted his chance to continue the conversation. The plane finally started moving towards the departure lane.

‘Do you still have clean underwear?’ Minseok asked after they were up in the air.

Baekhyun’s eyes bulged and glanced at him. ‘Yeah, don’t you…?’ He glanced at the man’s crotch. He didn’t know Minseok was terrified of flying.

‘NO, not that!’ Minseok backslapped Baekhyun on the stomach. ‘I didn’t pee my pants, thank you very much.’

They both laughed harder than they should, earning an annoyed glance from the man seated one row in front of them.

‘I mean, I called Luhan to pick us up. Weather is back home, so it’s best to come home with us. Jongdae is also there so he can take you home the next day. Sounds like a good idea?’

‘Thank you very much.’ A strange feeling settled into his stomach. A strange surge of belonging, for having gained a friend in Minseok and having been accepted within his little circle from the very beginning already. While his performance was subpar, he gained an experience.

‘So you live with your boyfriend?’

‘Yeah. Luhan works from home most of the time, being a hacker and all, so I never come home to an empty house.’

‘He hacks. Like in, personal data and government secrets?’ A disturbing thought arose as he imagined what kind of things he would be hacking into. Good to keep in mind if his nudes ever got leaked. Then again, he would already know the culprit to be Chanyeol, the only one that he had sent a few to.

Minseok chuckled. ‘I always love when people pull that face when I tell them. He’s an ethical hacker. The kind that gets hired by companies to hack into their systems, trying to find a fault in the safety system or bugs.’

‘Wow, that’s so cool. How did you guys meet then?’

‘I know right? I have no clue what or how he does it though. And we met through Jongdae at a party, where we bonded over our mutual hatred for parties.’

‘Sure, that makes sense.’ Baekhyun shrugged and snorted at the weirdness. A professional BMXer and a hacker dating, it sure was an odd combination.

The rest of the flight was uneventful, as in, Baekhyun slept throughout most of it. The small bits he was awake, he found Minseok reading a book most of the time. At other times he was sipping his drink thoughtfully, or thoughtlessly, as he stared out of the tiny plane window.

Upon arrival, they were greeted by Luhan and Jongdae, both of them looking like they had not left the house until now. While Baekhyun had only seen Luhan once, it was in quite formal attire compared to the sweatpants he was wearing now. Jongdae looked much the same, donning sweatpants and a yellow sweater. Seeing Jongdae without any leather was almost unheard of. Even his hair was unkempt, looking fluffy as it framed his face.

Luhan and Minseok had their intimate reunion, while Jongdae and Baekhyun awkwardly figured out what was the appropriate way to greet each other. Jongdae settled for a hug and once he had his arms around Baekhyun, the latter couldn’t help but lean into it and lose himself for a moment.  Jongdae wore a weird smile when he retracted.

‘You’re looking awfully domestic.’ Baekhyun told him. He couldn’t say he disliked it. Jongdae looked a lot more friendly like this. Even the tattoos on his hands were covered by sweater paws.

‘Let me get those for you.’ He grabbed the bigger suitcase from Baekhyun. The long trip, certainly with the delay, had left Baekhyun tired, so he was grateful for the help.

Minseok and Luhan had detached their lips from each other, but their hands were still intertwined. Minseok nudged them to start walking, the weariness on his face reasoned why.

The silence was a comfortable blanket for their long day. Luhan chattered a bit with Jongdae.

‘Did you guys have fun this weekend?’ Minseok asked towards the home-stayers.

‘It was nice, we played some games, ate some food you don’t allow us to eat…’

Minseok rolled his eyes, but Luhan chose to ignore that. Towards Baekhyun he said, ‘Minseok makes sure we never eat junk food, because he is on a constant diet. So Jongdae and I always meet when he is out of town to gorge on all the good things in life.’

‘Sure, I’m the bad guy!’ Minseok pouted. He slung his arm around Baekhyun. ‘At least Baek is on my side. You eat healthily, right?’

Baekhyun lowered his head. A good diet was crucial for someone trying to reach the top in any sort of sports, but Baekhyun had a sweet tooth that was hard to ignore. ‘Well, if there is some pizza leftovers in the fridge, I might join the dark side, Minseok.’ He said it with as much regret as he could, earning a scandalized gasp from Minseok.

‘Aww yeah!’ Luhan cheered him on. Jongdae chuckled and shook his head.

Luhan drove them home. Baekhyun was mostly quiet, serene in the backseat after a weekend he wouldn’t ever forget. The rain was beating on the front window insistently, mixing with the soft words whispered by the men in the front seat. He caught Jongdae staring at him, who simpered and then averted his eyes to the window next to him.

Minseok and Luhan’s house was neat, stylish, and unique. The mansion was locked behind an automatic fence, the garden simplistic with a few trees and some overgrown weeds nearly hiding the path to the parking spots and the front of the house.

‘The practice ring is in the back,’ Minseok nonchalantly told him, ‘I will show you tomorrow.’ Luhan ran to the front door with one of Minseok’s suit cases and unlocked the door. Even from the short distance, they all managed to catch enough rain to have their clothes unpleasantly stick to them.

Inside, Baekhyun marvelled at the sight of the open kitchen and living room. It was spacious with its white walls and simple furniture arrangement. Several paintings covered the walls, many distinguished pieces of Yixing and Jongdae. Minseok gave him a small room tour across the house. The halls were decked out with trophies Minseok had won over the years, along with small goodies and merchandise. A few notable photographs were also hung around, some of Minseok or Luhan’s achievements on photo, others were from people of whom Baekhyun only recognized a few BMX cyclists and Jongdae. There were also a few posters about, game releases, events, big movie ones too. While their house would definitely count as a mansion, it was modest in size and enrichment.

‘I hope you’re okay with sharing the guestroom with Dae, we only have one.’ Minseok had said when he concluded the tour in his own room. He looked a little apologetic, he had not mentioned this before after all.

Baekhyun patted him on the shoulder. ‘I’m already grateful you brought me here. Thank you very much.’

‘Of course. You’re part of the team now!’

Baekhyun didn’t know what this team meant, but to be part of it overwhelmed him a little. Downstairs Luhan pointed him to the guestroom at the left rear of the ground floor.

‘We put your stuff there, I will have another drink with Jongdae, feel free to join. There is still some pizza left.’ He winked.

Despite his disapproving stomach, Baekhyun locked himself up in the guestroom. The room had a view of the side and back of the garden, adjacent was its own bathroom. He took his sweet time preparing for bed. He stared at himself in the bathroom’s mirror. His eyes were sunken and droopy, more than how they usually set. Mixed feelings arose. He hadn’t won the tournament, he didn’t even come close. But now he had a sense of what he was working towards. He had the support of more people he ever had before. He returned to the bedroom and flung himself onto the bed that hadn’t been claimed by Jongdae’s stuff.

Just as he nearly succumbed to the luxury of the bed offered him, someone knocked on the door.

‘Oh, you’re still awake. I’ll be quick so you can sleep.’ Jongdae scurried into the bathroom. Five minutes later he returned and hopped into the bed next to him.

‘Sleep tight,’ the man whispered and turned his back towards Baekhyun. He was huddled into the blankets. Baekhyun wanted to talk but didn’t want to disturb him either.

‘Jongdae?’ He asked quietly. No reaction. ‘Jongdae?’ Baekhyun reached out from his blanket with his finger ready to poke him, but the man suddenly stirred and flopped around. The pile of blankets now had a face appearing from it, a silly sight that had Baekhyun scoffing.

‘What, can’t sleep?’ He asked.

Baekhyun didn’t know how to start the conversation.

Jongdae propped up his head with an arm. ‘Hmm?’

‘This whole... Biker ordeal, what is it about?’ Baekhyun braved himself to speak. They should be familiar enough to speak about this.

‘It’s a hobby that grew into something more sinister. Some people try to pick fights with us and we’re struggling to get them off our tail.’

‘You mean the Devil’s Desert?’

‘Yeah. They are vicious.’ He hesitated. ‘We’ve all have been beat up at some point, and Yifan is working overtime fixing our bikes from the many times they’ve been thrashed.’

‘Is it worth it?’ Baekhyun asked. He had never felt endangered when he was on his BMX, so it was hard to imagine. In retrospect, it was a stupid question, as he wouldn’t give up his hobby even when his family or friends had been against it. Saying he went too far into making it a job and that it was wasted time.

‘Of course. I wouldn’t give up this brotherhood I have just because some guys feel threatened by our presence. It just that we cannot do much against those guys...’

Baekhyun bit his lip. ‘A tricky situation.’

‘Yup... Do you still think badly of me-, I mean, us?’

‘Badly?’ Baekhyun cocked his head.

‘Don’t act like we didn’t see the glances you shot us, or the warnings you gave your friends about us.’ Baekhyun couldn’t read his face, but his ease smiles were gone.

‘I don’t know...’ Baekhyun earnestly replied. He did not think badly of them individually. He had spent a few evenings in the bar with Jongdae’s friends, even more hours spent with Jongdae in his shop. To be involved with them was another story. It wasn’t like Baekhyun was unfamiliar with unjustified hateful crimes.

‘You don’t know?’ Jongdae asked, physically distancing himself on the bed as he spoke the words in disdain. It made Baekhyun want to lean in, but he held his place and tongue.

‘I get it. It’s okay. You’re not the first to disapprove of my actions. What I do not get is how you still end up in my tattoo parlour every week, or how you don’t do anything to have me out of your life. It confuses me...’ He avoided eye contact, letting the fabric of the blanket in his hand take his full attention.

‘I like hanging out with you. I know that much. I just don’t want to get my beaten over it. Looking like me, I have had enough beatings to fill a lifetime,’ Baekhyun said.

‘I know. I don’t want that for you either. I like you after all.’ He gave a small smile, almost shy.

Baekhyun replied with a smile of his own. They wordlessly agreed it to be the end of the conversation, both turning around to sleep.

Vague dreams kept Baekhyun captive in his sleep. Something pleasant they were, though. The hand of a lover his hair, eliciting a moan from Baekhyun. His lover commented on it, a soft giggle that shook Baekhyun out of his slumber. To his horror he realized he had his face on someone’s stomach, that someone could only be...

‘Jongdae...?’ Baekhyun lifted his head and stared at the man lying underneath him. Jongdae’s hand dropped from where they had nestled into the roots of Baekhyun’s hair onto the bed.

‘Morning,’ he whispered. His voice was raw from slumber too.

‘How long was I...?

Jongdae shrugged. ‘I woke up five minutes earlier than you. I didn’t expect you to be a sleepcuddler.’ He grinned.

Baekhyun dropped his head into the pillow that he had dragged next to Jongdae’s body during his sleep . Baekhyun had a severe case of bed cuddling. Like bees to honey, he clung to anything that exuded warmth. If that wasn’t within reach, he would coddle his pillow or blanket. He probably should have warned Jongdae, but he seemed to be more entertained than offended.

With Baekhyun no longer holding Jongdae’s body hostage, the man dragged himself out of bed.

‘By the smell of it, breakfast is almost ready. I’ll go ahead.’ Jongdae hesitated for a moment as he stared at the bed with Baekhyun glancing up at him, then grabbed his phone at the bed and walked out the room.

The strong smell of coffee and fresh baked bread emanated as he left the room. He joined the set table, Jongdae already occupying one of the seats. Luhan was at the stove cooking something, but took his time to turn around and greet him.

‘Slept well?’

‘Yeah.’ He sat adjacent from Jongdae, avoiding eye contact. ‘You too?’

Luhan nodded and came over with the last things he was preparing. ‘Don’t expect such a meal every time you are here.’

‘I wish he still put that much effort into feeding me.’ Jongdae joked. Luhan punched him and bit a snarky comment back, but the words held no venom. He was just about to talk when there was a buzzing sound. Jongdae grabbed the phone from his pocket and mouthed Junmyeon before he accepted the call.

Baekhyun watched as Jongdae’s careless smile vanished and the man excused himself to another room.

‘What’s that about?’ Baekhyun asked.

Luhan shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Jongdae has been worried for his friend for possible identity theft.’

They were both quiet and glancing at the hallway when they heard footsteps. Minseok walked in and then stopped, glancing warily around.

‘What’s wrong?’ He said.

Baekhyun slipped past him as Luhan continued the conversation. It was his best shot, he needed to know what Jongdae was up to. He found him soon enough, standing in one of the hallways, giving perfect leeway for eavesdropping.

‘-at do you think that means?’ Jongdae sounded confused. ‘Are you sure it’s linked to the DD? Even if you’d report it, you know what the police station will do about it…’ He stayed quiet for a bit. ‘Alright, let me know if you need help. I’m having breakfast now--- Yeah, see you.’

Before Baekhyun could turn back, Jongdae turned the corner he was standing behind, giving them both a scare.

‘Oh, Baekhyun, what are you doing here?’ He asked, his eyebrows knitted together.

‘Sorry, I wanted to say breakfast was getting cold. Is everything okay?’

Jongdae visibly relaxed. ‘Thanks. And yeah, Junmyeon had some issues with his bank account, but he’s smart, he’ll fix it.’

They returned to the kitchen and had slow breakfast with the other two. It was still early, Jongdae had to open his shop at 1 pm so he couldn’t stick around for long. Before the time was there, Minseok dragged Baekhyun by the hand to show off his practice hall. It was a massive structure, partly indoors and outdoors. There was even a swimming pool next to the outdoor section. A soft landing for when a drop would go wrong there, Baekhyun thought.

Riding a motorbike was still really cool, Baekhyun agreed to Chanyeol’s statement once again. The weather had cleared up entirely, the warmth of the sun beaming through the leather jacket Baekhyun was given by Jongdae. They were similar in height and frame, so it was a perfect fit. Without fuss Jongdae found Baekhyun’s parental house and dropped him off. Baekhyun thanked him and watched him drive off.

The next time Baekhyun saw the biker, he was at the skate hall again. There was another person with him, one he had seen at the bar a few times, but never when he joined their table.  Baekhyun had only belatedly found out about his presence, being too focused on his training. It was surprising to see how quickly people got bored of the achievements of others. While Baekhyun had been praised by many when he came back after the tournament, they died down after two days. Only occasionally he would catch his name whispered by someone, but that was hardly anything new. He didn’t even think about it being positive or negative, they were both common.

Another drop failed and wound gained, Baekhyun sighed and went to the benches. Before he could reach it, he caught Jongdae’s gaze and redirected himself to him.

‘Great to see you again, back on the skateboard I see?’

Jongdae flipped his board effortlessly. ‘Old habits die hard.’

To that Baekhyun cocked his head. ‘What is telling you to quit this one?’

‘Knee injury.’ Jongdae slapped his knee. ‘Used to skate on the daily, before they had to put me through 3 surgeries to get me walking again.’

‘.’

‘That was exactly what I said. The doctor advised me against any extreme sport, but I have never been good at following orders.’ He grinned.

‘How is it now, doesn’t it hurt to skate?’ Baekhyun questioned the smarts of the man, one wrong move could put him back into the hospital. A minor motor accident to some could prove catastrophic for him too.

‘It does. I get an ache after skating for a while..’

‘But you enjoy it too much to give it up?’

‘Yeah. I bought a motor cycle after the accident for compensation of the loss of my first love. It doesn’t give me the thrill of when you’re airborne on a half-pipe, but the speed is exhilarating in a different way.’

Baekhyun nodded. He gets restless after not practicing his sport after a week too, he couldn’t imagine losing it all in an instant.

‘How did the accident happen?’

Jongdae shook his head. ‘That’s a tale for another time.’ He glanced at his tall friend, struggling to do the simplest of tricks. ‘Hey Sehun, getting the hang of it?’

The man puffed his cheeks. ‘No.’ He spotted Baekhyun and changed his demeanour. Their introductions were small. Baekhyun and Jongdae both tried to teach the man some skateboard tricks, but it only gave him a sore after the amount of times he tripped.

‘Maybe you should have Chanyeol help him. It seems his long legs are what is holding him back the most.’

Jongdae shrugged. ‘Or not, he already has his height going for him. Let us have some cool tricks to compensate, eh?’  They laughed.

When Baekhyun entered the tattoo parlour, he wasn’t sure if it was his presence that caused the sudden silence, or his freshly dyed hair. Jongdae was tattooing Junmyeon’s back. The man had a huge tattoo on his back, an angel with its wings covering part of his shoulders and upper arms.

‘Cool tattoo!’ Baekhyun exclaimed upon inspection. He wasn’t a fan of such huge pieces on himself, but it was an impressive artwork with the amount of details on it. The angel had intricate body armour as well as light beams around its body.

‘Thanks.’ Junmyeon said.

‘Wow Baekhyun, black hair, eh?’ Jongdae said, his eyebrows shot up.

‘I thought it was time for something new, I’m not sure if I’ll keep it though.’

Junmyeon glanced at him, then nodded. ‘It looks good on you, it makes you look a bit more mature.’

Baekhyun curtly bowed and went to grab a drink. The two were whispering among themselves, Baekhyun must have interrupted something when he entered. He returned and dragged a chair to join them in the booth. Jongdae welcomed him with a smile, he was already used to glancing over his shoulder when he was tattooing.

‘So what were you guys talking about before I barged in here?’ He gambled for answers.

They were both quiet for a moment, then Junmyeon spoke up. ‘We were talking about another meet-up with our… Friends.’

Jongdae snorted. ‘He already believes we are in a gang, might as well call them our gang.’ He directed his attention to Baekhyun. ‘We’re hanging out with the usual gang at the old abandoned warehouse in the other town. We go there, bring some drinks along, play with graffiti. Fun stuff! Want to join?’

‘When is it?’

‘After I’m done here.’

‘Oh, tonight already?’

‘Don’t worry, Baekhyun,’ Junmyeon chipped in, ‘the police has only showed up once or twice and we’ve been hanging out there for ages. You have nothing to worry about.’

Baekhyun mind blanked. That was not what he wanted to hear, but he did always wanted to try out graffiti. And his curiosity towards Jongdae had increased as they had gotten closer.

‘Come on, Baekkie. I promise you a good time, else I’ll bring you home if it’s not what you expected of it.’

Baekhyun remained quiet, and they didn’t ask about anymore until they finished up the tattoo and started to get ready.

‘So, what is it going to be?’ Jongdae asked, his hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder. Junmyeon’s brows were drawn together as he put on his leather jacket.

‘Fine, I want to check it out.’

Jongdae patted his back, then rushed to the back room. He returned with a face mask and a black bomber jacket. ‘You’re dressed too obvious. Since the police raid the place sometimes, be light on your feet.’ He smiled as he gave the advice, but it didn’t soothe Baekhyun’s nerves in the slightest.

After the small wardrobe change, they drove off to the allocated area. It was a rundown warehouse, the finer work decayed with only the foundation of the building still holding it all upright. Weeds grew everywhere, several compartments of the building had broken down. It was the perfect place for street thugs, Baekhyun would admit that.

They were one of the first to arrive, except for the man Baekhyun had formally met a few days prior. Sehun recognized Baekhyun and enveloped him into a hug, as he did with the others. Later on Yifan and Kyungsoo arrived, as well as a few lesser known faces who would only sporadically be at the bar.

‘It’s too bad Yixing couldn’t be here, most of the actually presentable artwork are all his,’ Junmyeon said and pointed to some of the painted stone walls around the area. ‘This is mine!’ He later stated happily, pointing at a wonky text reading Suho. Jongdae laughed and showed him some of his work.

‘I’m not that good at painting with the spray cans, so I usually stick to paintbrushes. They’re a pain to bring with though.’ He handed Baekhyun a spray can and appointed him a part of the wall. It had minor drawings on them, none of them good.

Baekhyun didn’t even know what to paint. He glanced at the wall dumbly, long enough for Jongdae to chip in.

‘Don’t know what to paint? Let’s first start with writing a word, so you can get a feel for it.’ Jongdae stood next to him and guided his hand.

Within no time Baekhyun was spraying away with the joy of a 5-year-old. A liberating thing it was, who cared about it being pretty anyway? Precision was nearly impossible with a spray can, Jongdae had said, certainly for someone unaccustomed to its use.

Yifan joined them later with praises on his lips. ‘Wow, he is really quite good!’

The comment had the others laughing.

‘Everything looks good when you compare it with your work, Yifan,’ Junmyeon said. The man pouted in response and grabbed a spray can himself to prove them wrong. Two minutes later, Baekhyun understood their laughter by the crudely painted creature Yifan had concocted. He wasn’t sure if even Yifan knew what animal it was supposed to represent, despite his best intent. The man grumbled and walked off, entertaining everyone around him.

The rest of the evening was as good as the first part. After going through all of the paint they brought with, Baekhyun joined the rest of the group for drinks. There was a bonfire in the middle of the warehouse. Scattered around were improvised seats, like logs or old kegs and crates. Jongdae and Baekhyun sat huddled together on a tree trunk. It was already fall and cold wind had frozen Baekhyun’s fingers while he sprayed. He wouldn’t deny the tingles he felt when his hands laid in Jongdae’s, or when he glanced at Jongdae staring at the fire with glassy eyes.

Nobody was bothered by Baekhyun’s intrusion. He expected more sceptical glances, as to why Jongdae had brought a random stranger along, but they were welcoming and kind. They sat around for a little longer before Baekhyun’s eyes started to droop.

‘Want to go home?’ Jongdae asked, thumbing the back of Baekhyun’s hand.

Baekhyun nodded and glanced at him. His cheekbone was highlighted and the smooth curve of his jawline accentuated, while the fire cast a shadow on the other side of his face. Jongdae talked for him as they said their goodbyes. Baekhyun was once again surprised how everyone told him to join them again. He almost gotten shy from the sudden affection he was receiving.

‘You can keep the face mask… For next time.’ Jongdae told him when they arrived in front of Baekhyun’s house. He would hand in the leather jacket tomorrow, as he left his at Jongdae’s shop.

‘Thanks. I will.’ Their goodbye felt like one of a successful first date. A little awkward, but also exciting and hopeful for a new one. Baekhyun was looking forward towards the latter.

Another regional championship came around the corner as quickly as the days flew by. Despite his best efforts, Baekhyun didn’t qualify to advance. He had sort of expected it already. The last weeks of training had been rough on him, and during the competition he had found the competition more cutting than they used to. Zitao did qualify. Baekhyun swallowed his sadness, perhaps also a bit of pride, and put on a big smile.

‘Congratulations! He shouted and jumped along with him. The time spent abroad had done Zitao well, extremely well. He had dominated the scene in his hometown in China and was already creating a buzz around here too. Though having friends advance quicker than him was a double-edged sword, Baekhyun was genuinely happy and proud of him. Zitao lived for the sport, even more than Baekhyun had done. Accredited to his discipline and disheartening stubbornness, he had done what he had set out to do when he had first mentioned his goal to become a BMXer.

If anything, the success of his friend solidified his own desire too. He had to get better, he just had to work a little harder, and waste a little less time. He found himself in the surprisingly quiet practice ring. Most BMXers would continue to practice and play in the rings till the end of the day. Some would say it was like an afterparty, the most fun happened after the competition. Baekhyun never stuck around for that. Since he let the stress build in his body in the days before the competition, it’d often come out afterwards leaving him tired and sick.

He practiced for what seemed like only a minute, his body was already used to the torture he put it through with hourlong paddling on the bike and falling from dangerous stunts, when he caught sight of an onlooker. Jongdae was standing near the main entrance dressed up his usual leather attire and crude raggedy t-shirt, a beer in hand.

Baekhyun tried a few more tricks, finishing them smoothly, then cycled out of the ring.

‘Hey,’ Jongdae said when Baekhyun cycled up to him. He held out his beer. ‘Want one?’

Baekhyun accepted the bottle and sipped it, quickly returning it when he tasted the vile alcohol on his tongue.

‘Not your taste?’ Jongdae laughed and patted Baekhyun’s back. If he was bothered by the sweat that stuck to him, he didn’t show it.

‘Nope. What are you doing here?’

Jongdae shrugged. ‘I thought you might need a friend right now.’ He eluded to more, but spoke no words of it. Baekhyun had voiced his frustration over his stagnating growth before. He led Baekhyun to the stone benches.

‘I know you’re feeling pretty bad, so shall I tell you a story?’ Jongdae suggested when Baekhyun didn’t speak after they sat down. ‘Skateboarding used to be my life. I loved it so much, but the community was difficult for me to handle at first.’ Jongdae took a moment’s glance at him. ‘So, you know I’m gay, right?’

They had never spoken about it, but somewhere along the line Baekhyun started to get a hunch.

‘When I was skating, I felt like I could never really be myself. It was difficult, because you have all these sweaty guys without shirts skating around.’ He snorted. ‘They were accepting of me and we could joke about it, but I could never relate to anyone because I was the only gay guy. My other passion was motorcycles, at least, I loved seeing them. After my accident, I bought one to fill the void skateboarding left behind. I was afraid I’d be stuck in the same kind of world, bikers don’t have the best reputation after all, do they?’

It was a rhetorical question, but Baekhyun felt the hurt of it bleed through.

‘But luckily I quickly found likeminded people.’

‘Are those the people you hang out with now?’

‘Yes. Sehun, you know the guy that so much at skateboarding? He was actually the first to set it up. He brought Junmyeon in. Yifan came in on his own account. Even though he is an ally, he brings a lot of new meat into the group. He keeps telling us it’s because he knows every person in the neighbourhood that owns a bike, but we all agree it’s the wifebeaters he wears at work that really draws them in.’

Baekhyun nodded. ‘That’s really cool. I’m glad you found your friends through that.’

Jongdae gave him a sympathetic smile. ‘Where I was going with this, is that it seems like you still have to find that group of friends, am I wrong?’

Baekhyun played with his shoes. Loneliness wasn’t something new to him. As he aged, he realized the damage youth trauma had on adulthood. It was not like he was necessarily bullied in the past, besides the occasional curses or items thrown at him on the street, but he never really fitted in. His only friend was Chanyeol back then, who had a knack for getting into trouble. When they grew a little older, and hotter, they started dating. His loneliness lessened when their friend group expanded with Jongin and some others who had gone their own ways soon after. He blinked back at Jongdae, realizing the man was still waiting for a reply.

‘Yeah… I’ve lost friends for my career, now I’ve gained friends because of it, but how quickly will I lose that again when I drop off the charts?’

‘What makes you think you’ll lose them?’

Baekhyun sighed. ‘That’s how life goes. Things change, people change. There are only a few people that actually stay in your life for a long time.’

Jongdae remained quiet after that. He was thinking, but about what Baekhyun couldn’t guess.