A wide smile spread across his face as he looked at the taller boy across the stage from him. He couldn’t help himself as he strode across the room and pulled Chanyeol into a hug, holding fast to his slim waist.

“Sorry I’m late.” Chanyeol whispered into his ear. He could feel his warm breath brush against his earlobe. He felt rather than heard him chuckle lightly as his chest moved up and down with laughter.

“You came.” Was all Baekhyun could reply with, his voice thick with emotion. The two broke away from each other and both blushed slightly as they turned to the waiting crowd which was cheering loudly. The volume in the room was a mix of clapping, cheering and a few breathless, some not quite so breathless, squeals from some of the girls.

“I am sorry I am late. I am Park Chanyeol and we will perform now.” Both boys bowed their heads in the direction of the judges. The bright stage lights and dim seating area made it difficult to see the judges clearly but a nod was discernible from the grumpy faces. Baekhyun strode over to the piano and took a seat on the piano stool as Chanyeol dropped into a chair, guitar in his lap, about a metre away. The piano was angled at a slant from the audience so that he would not have his back to them, nor would he have the piano obstructing his view of the crowd. The lights dimmed so that there was only a subtle pale glow adorning the two boys rather than the intense bright lights there had been a moment before. At the change in atmosphere the audience quieted down as a hush fell over the room. Baekhyun didn’t feel nervous, this was where he was meant to be, what he was meant to do. He felt right, content and calm.

He glanced over at Chanyeol and nodded. The inclination of his head was so slight that the only one who could have said it even happened was Chanyeol. He laid his hands down on the ivory keys, taking a deep breath to prepare his voice, and then he started to play. The sounds of the piano and the guitar together added depth to the sound with their contrast, and at the same time, the two seemed to blend flawlessly into one. The moment the two began to sing, the hush of the hall seemed to reach new levels, not a whisper or a breath could be heard as the two angels sang out their hearts. Throughout the performance Baekhyun would smile at the audience as he sang. At one point it seemed as though a girl on the front row had ever feinted. Baekhyun and Chanyeol, luckily, were both unaware of this. Baekhyun looked over to Chanyeol as he held the last note, their eyes met and he felt his heart turn to butter as he saw Chanyeol’s expression. A wide grin spread across his face, eyes like melting chocolate swirled with caramel, warm as fire. Their gazes were broken as Baekhyun ended the song and the audience erupted into cheers. There were screams, shouts, whistles and a cacophony of clapping.

He stood up and bowed ninety degrees at the hips towards the judges and then the audience. As he straightened up he flashed a megawatt smile that, although he didn’t realise, was tearing out the hearts of a mass of fangirls in the audience. Baekhyun turned to Chanyeol who was stood nearer to the right stage exit and had to force himself to hold down his laughter. The boy was still stood there bowing repeatedly and manically waving his hands at the audience while shaking his head and grinning. Baekhyun shook his head, smiling lightly as he walked past the taller male and began tugging him off the stage gently, smiling at the audience as he did so.

As soon as he felt himself pass through the black curtain separating the back stage rooms and the stage he gave an extra hard tug on Chanyeol’s sleeve to pull him off of the stage. As he pulled he felt a solid metal pole sticking out behind his ankle. He glanced around to find that a chair leg was the culprit. He felt his heart stutter erratically as he lost his balance and began tumbling backwards through empty air. His brain acted quickly enough to tell him to move his feet, but as he stepped them backwards his body was falling ever faster as he tripped and stumbled. He kept a tight grip on Chanyeol’s jacket sleeve and his eyes met the taller boy’s, both pairs wide with shock and confusion. All of the air rushed out of Baekhyun’s chest with an ooft as he felt his back hit hard against a wall.

The sudden solid and cold impact had a jarring effect as he found it difficult to bring his breathing back to its normal level. Suddenly all hope that Baekhyun had of controlling his ragged breathing was swept from him as Chanyeol fell against him with the momentum of the tug, pressing him into the wall. His heart flipped even faster, thudding against his rib cage as he felt Chanyeol’s tall warm body press against his own slight frame. He lifted his gaze to the taller’s face and their eyes locked on each other. Baekhyun stared at the dark, caramel flecked eyes he knew so well, unable to breath, unable to move and unable to speak. And not wanting to do any of those things.  Chanyeol stared back just as intently. Loud clattering started up quickly and noisily in the hall and the two boys sprung apart in surprise, both breathing hard and avoiding eye contact.

“H-how’s y-your mum?” Asked Baekhyun to distract the other boy, his heart still racing hard in his chest. At that Baekhyun watched as Chanyeol’s face lit up and a beaming smile spread across his cheeks.

“She woke up!” He almost yelled in a sing song voice. He rushed forwards and embraced Baekhyun in a bear hug, squeezing the last remaining breath out of the smaller boy. Baekhyun smiled.

“I know.” He said, reaching up and ruffling Chanyeol’s hair. “I spoke to her earlier. I am so…happy for you.” He gave Chanyeol a tight squeeze back before reluctantly letting go. Chanyeol was still grinning as his face came back into view. In a flash his expression changed, his happiness was still evident in his eyes but his mouth had formed a perfect O.

“Baekhyun-ah, I should get back to see her. You don’t mind do you?” Chanyeol asked, his with the expression of a lost puppy. Baekhyun smiled warmly at him and shook his head lightly.

“Of course not.” He laughed, “Now get your over to that hospital before I kick it there.” Teased Baekhyun with another chuckle. Chanyeol smiled at him and nodded. When he was at the door he paused and turned back, mouth slightly agape as though he wanted to say something. But Baekhyun watched as he just shook himself slightly and walked out of the room with a final smile. Once he was out of the room Baekhyun collapsed backwards into the chair that he had previously tripped over with a sigh. They had done it, and Chanyeol’s mum would be alright. Now the only problem was dear Kyungsoo-ah.

As Chanyeol made his way to the hospital he couldn’t stop thinking about Baekhyun. How his eyes sparkled when he sang, how his voice could pierce the coldest of hearts, how his teeth would glisten between his plump lips as he sang, how his body had felt against his own. . Chanyeol panicked slightly, he was straight. At least, he had only ever been with girls before, so he had to be straight, right? He mentally slapped himself and sighed. He wondered if what he had overheard Baekhyun say to his mum meant what he thought it meant. Maybe Baekhyun meant that he wrote it about him as a friend and nothing more, maybe he was reading too much into it. He gripped his head in frustration and carried on towards the hospital, trying to stop thinking of Baekhyun, and failing miserably.