As Baekhyun buzzed himself into Park Enterprises, he couldn’t seem to let the thought of taking Chanyeol to the Winter Ball go. The idea was preposterous, so the fact that he found himself secretly enjoying the prospect made his hands gleam with sweat.

 

Once he was on the 24th floor, he found Chanyeol sitting behind Kris’ desk, rummaging through papers, head diving into folders like a hawk swooping down for kill. Baekhyun may have only met Chanyeol yesterday, but the scientist's words and adventures had already been etched into Baekhyun’s brain. Over the years the carvings had only become deeper, leaving him with the feeling that he genuinely knew Chanyeol.

 

But looking at him now, Baekhyun realized how wrong he'd been for ever thinking that. The snippets of memories he’d accumulated over time could not do justice to the magnitude of energy Chanyeol radiated in real life. It created a 100 mile radius of radiance around him, and touched everything in its path, like an unyielding forest fire. Baekhyun felt a burning sensation in his chest.

 

“Afternoon, hyung!" Chanyeol cried, raising his head to smile at his intern. The same timeworn water blue sweater he wore yesterday clung to his torso, and his crinkled hair created zig-zag shadows over his cheeks.

 

“Afternoon. Where’s Kris?”

 

Chanyeol rolled the sleeves of his sweater up to his forearms, “Kris is currently in Bali.”

 

“Bali?”

“Yeah. He’s getting married soon.”

 

“Married?!” Baekhyun didn’t mean to sound so surprised - it was just that Kris had the tendencies of a fire-breathing dragon. Who had the patience to put up with that?

 

“Yes, it’s no lie. He’s getting married to Huang Zitao." Chanyeol chuckled, and Baekhyun felt his heart drop at the happy sound, at the way pink lips stretched to reveal a set of blindingly white teeth.

 

“The famous kung fu guy?”

 

“Yep, the famous kung fu guy” Chanyeol smirked, “They’re just having their rehearsal dinner though, since the actual wedding is a few months away.”

 

“They’re having it in Bali?”

 

“Kris wanted a destination wedding; Tao likes long walks on the beach and I happen to own a mansion in Bali—it was kind of fated."

 

Baekhyun grinned, liking the way it had all worked out for Kris, even though he wasn’t particular fond of the moody secretary.

 

“Actually, their wedding is one of the main reasons I decided to get an intern.”

 

“Sorry?”

 

“Kris’ brother’s been diagnosed with the Palvolia virus and his dying wish is to see Kris get married.”

 

“Oh." Baekhyun wasn’t sure what else he could say. He wasn’t proficient in matters of the heart.

 

“Speaking of the Palvolia virus, we should get to work.”

 

“Sure.”

 

Chanyeol sighed, and leaned back to pull out a single piece of paper from one of the bottom drawers of the desk. After scanning it over, he handed

it to his intern.

 

“This is everything we know about the virus. Not much, right?”

 

Baekhyun shook his head, looking over the symptoms: skin eventually tints a light yellow color, involuntary tremors, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath.

 

“We haven’t found a cure, or even sufficient treatment because the virus attacks the cardiovascular and nervous system and multiplies much faster than the immune system can cope with. A heart transplant increases the chances of survival but-"

“Is Kris’ brother signed up for a transplant?”

 

“No, actually. He thinks being on the wait list is indirectly wishing for the death of someone else.”

 

in his lower lip, Baekhyun shook his head, “That’s such a shame.”

 

“Shame?”

“Well yeah…he’s throwing out his best chance of surviving.”

 

“I guess he just wouldn't want to extend his own life at the expense of someone else's.”

 

“Well the person who’d give him his heart would have died anyway—so at least their death would be worthwhile. Don't you think so?"

 

“I suppose if you think about it that way…but he’s not that cut and dry I guess.”

 

Baekhyun shrugged. “Why don’t Kris and Tao just move their wedding date then?”

 

“No can do. Tao consulted his astronomer and for a fruitful marriage, he has to marry Kris in the summertime.”

 

“Astronomer?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“They’re all just scammers, y’know.”

 

“You really are cut and dry aren’t you?”

 

“No. I’m just saying that if Kris’ brother really wants to see them get married then they shouldn’t deny him his wish based on someone who reads the future in stars. The stars don’t tell you your future.”

 

“What do they tell you then?”

 

"A multitude of things but not the future."

 

 

*

 

 

The pair went into Chanyeol’s Lab and Chanyeol babbled like a walking-talking textbook about the virus. Baekhyun considered taking notes because he was unable to keep up with what the scientist was saying. They spent the next few hours reviewing the foam molecular structure Chanyeol had developed of the virus, and Baekhyun even got to toy with some of the most powerful microscopes in the world.

 

It was inspiring to see how passionate Chanyeol was but Baekhyun couldn’t help but feel a little inadequate. He wasn’t able to offer the scientist any substantial advice on how to progress his feats: but regardless, Chanyeol continued to treat him with the utmost respect.

 

He made Baekhyun feel important when his eyes creased, lips curled. He even asked for his intern’s opinion several times, “What do you think?”, “Do you think this is okay?”, and Baekhyun didn’t feel like he was being babied. No, he saw nothing but sincerity in every single thing Park Chanyeol did.

 

 

*

 

“How about you stay for dinner again? I’ll order pizza. Pepperoni sound good?”

 

Baekhyun should have said no, he shouldn’t have imposed and more importantly he should have gone home and did his homework but Chanyeol’s lips were carved into the most spellbinding and irresistible smile he’d ever seen. There was a golden twinkle in his eyes that was pleading him to stay, drawing him out from his mundane existence and taking him into a wonder-filled blue tunnel where they’d talk under sapphire waves.

 

“Sounds great.”

 

*

 

As they walked through the tunnel, Chanyeol slipped into his bedroom and Baekhyun followed, staring at the large 2NE1 posters and portraits of serious-looking scientists peering down at him skeptically.

 

Chanyeol rummaged through his yellow suitcase of clothes, a substitute for a closet.

 

“What are you looking for?”

 

“I have a list of pizza places for you to choose from. But I can’t seem to find it.” Chanyeol continued looking for it, tossing sweaters over his head, and even a pair of white Calvin Klein boxers that landed on the opposite side of the room.

 

“I swear I put it in here.” He groaned. Baekhyun sighed and took a seat on the yellow mattress, a substitute for a bed. Next to him lay the tattered guitar he remembered seeing yesterday. Did Chanyeol like playing music? He’d never read about it in any of his books, and the guitar was a moldy brown color with four strings instead of six. Baekhyun tried imagining what it was like in its prime but wasn’t able to look past the mangled frets and wood peelings at the head.

He didn’t understand what it was with Chanyeol and beat up things. First his worn out Volkswagen Beetle and now this - this horrible excuse for a guitar. Baekhyun tiptoed his fingers over the cool wood, and moved them over the strings - eliciting a jagged, disconnected sound.

 

Chanyeol’s head immediately popped up from the suitcase, and he smirked when he saw Baekhyun’s hand retreat.

 

“Getting friendly with my guitar, eh?” Grinning, Chanyeol got up, kicked his suitcase and plopped down on the mattress next to Baekhyun, their backs leaning against the wall side to side. In front of them, Chanyeol’s clothes lay in disarray. All this mess, and he still hadn't been able to find the list.

 

“I guess I am" said Baekhyun tentatively - feeling a little uneasy about the way Chanyeol’s thigh brushed against his. The mattress sunk next to him and the heat from the younger body warmed his own.

 

“She’s called Jia.”

 

“Jia?” Baekhyun looked up at him, twinkling eyes making his heart race. Chanyeol liked naming things. He named his sea horses, he named his guitars. Unbidden, Baekhyun wondered if Chanyeol had a secret name for him too.

 

“Yup." Chanyeol took Jia by the neck and put the guitar on his lap. "I got her as a kid.”

 

“I - if you don’t mind me asking, why is Jia all...well, battered up?”

 

Chanyeol flashed a smile as his eyes ran over the guitar’s brokenness. It was a sad smile though, the corners of his lips struggled to stay up.

 

“It’s a long story. But to put it succinctly...this,” he waved his hand over Jia, “is what happens to a guitar when somebody thrashes a guitar on the headboard of a bed then cuts two of its strings.”

 

Baekhyun gasped, his entire being flooding with an inexplicable sadness. “Why would anyone do such a thing?”

 

“Selfishness? It’s hard to say.”

 

“Why did you keep it then? It seems like it brings back bad memories.”

 

“Sentiment, I suppose. And some things are worth remembering even if they bring one pain.”

 

 

*

 

Chanyeol eventually found the list of pizza places on Kris’ desk. The secretary seemd to have stolen it from his suitcase the other day. The scientist ordered four large boxes of pepperoni pizza from a Greek joint called Karzos. He and Baekhyun played rock, paper, scissors in the office until the delivery guy finally showed up, lugging four warm boxes in his arms.

 

*

 

The pizza was a little disappointing. But then again, Baekhyun had never found pizza particularly appetizing. Chanyeol on the other hand seemed to enjoy the food with the same vigor he enjoyed everything. He played with each pizza slice, probing it with his fingers and then alternating between biting the tip of a slice and gnawing on the crust.

 

“So is this the kind of food you eat on a day to day basis?”

 

Chanyeol shook his head. “I – uhm. I usually get food from home.”

 

“Where’s home?”

 

“Where the heart is,” Chanyeol chuckled, and shoved an entire slice into his mouth.

 

“Where’s your heart?”

 

Grinning again, Chanyeol pointed to the center of his chest and talked with his mouth full, “You know the heart’s not actually on the left side of your chest—the left ventricle is bigger so it sags and makes it look like it is, but the heart’s technically in the middle. So next time you see someone doing this -” Chanyeol contorted his face into a look of pain and dramatically placed his hands over the left side of his torso, “Tell them they’re doing it wrong.”

 

Baekhyun laughed, and took some nibbles of the pizza. “I never thought about that.”

 

“Well there you go. Home is where the heart is.”

 

“That would mean your home is right … here.” Baekhyun wasn’t sure where he got the courage from but he glided his index finger over

Chanyeol’s sternum.

 

“Unless I give it to someone else.”

 

“What?”

 

“My heart, if I give my heart to someone else.”

 

“Then what?”

 

“Then they’d become my home.”

 

Heat pooled in Baekhyun’s stomach. Every ragged breath tasted like flames.

 

“You okay, hyung?”

Baekhyun nodded, but contradicted himself by taking his medication. Chanyeol didn’t question him about it though - unlike yesterday. Which was a relief since Baekhyun did not want Chanyeol to know about his one liability, the blackness that secretly consumed his entire being. He couldn’t let that out into the open, especially not to honey-colored, moon-eyes. 

 

“So where’s your home?” asked Chanyeol, pushing his glasses further up his bridge and diving into the fourth box of pizza.

 

Baekhyun chewed it over, “My apartment, I guess.”

 

“Is that where your heart is?”

 

Swallowing, Baekhyun averted his gaze and blood rushed down in waves to his feet. Her voice rang in his head.

 

                                                                           You’re heartless, Baekhyun. Your father’s dead and it’s your fault. It’s entirely your fault.

 

“I - uh don’t know where my heart is.”

 

“Did somebody steal it?”

 

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, “Not exactly.”

 

“Well I hope somebody finds it. Y-you deserve a home.” Chanyeol whispered this, and for a brief moment the usual twinkle in his eye was replaced by a grave stillness, rimmed by a ring of honey-hazel.

 

Baekhyun thought that if he looked at his hands he’d stop a smile from stretching across his face, but it didn’t work. His lips curled upwards at the corners and suddenly he felt it pound in his chest, sending shock waves through his spine and goose bumps over his limbs - his heart.

“Well, maybe it’s out there floating somewhere in the sky.”

 

“I have three private jets. Maybe we could look for it together sometime?”

 

Baekhyun sunk his teeth into his pizza and looked the younger boy in the eye, “It won’t be easy.”

 

“Hard is my middle name, Byun Baekhyun.” muttered Chanyeol, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of another slice.

 

“Well hard is my first name.”

 

“Oh yeah? Hard is my first, middle and last name.”

 

Baekhyun burst into laughter, “Hard Hard Hard?”

 

“That’s Dr. Hard to you!” laughed Chanyeol, slurping up a strand of cheese that had gone astray, eyes hazel and round.

 

“Wait, am I supposed to call you ‘Dr.Hard’ from now on?”

 

Chanyeol smirked, shook his head. “No because then people would focus on my s instead of my brain.”

 

The pair erupted with chuckles, and Baekhyun got this warm feeling in the pit of his stomach. “And that’s never a good thing unless you’re a -”

 

“star?” suggested Chanyeol.

 

“If you ask me, Dr. Hard sounds like the perfect name for a star.” Baekhyun announced in mock seriousness.

 

Chanyeol leaned back in laughter, his right eye creasing as he clapped his hands. “Honestly, I wouldn’t know if it is.”

 

Baekhyun blushed. “I - I wouldn’t know either.”

 

The scientist wrapped his mouth around a roll of crust and closed his eyes, “Well clearly you have some idea.”

 

“That you can blame on my roommate.”

 

“Roommate?”

 

“Kim Jongin. He’s an … interesting fellow addicted to a lot of things that aren’t good for him. , alcohol. You name it.”

 

Chanyeol laughed, “He can’t be all that bad.”

 

“What makes you think that?”

 

“Well I mean if you’re living with him. He must be special in some way or another.”

 

Baekhyun’s cheeks suddenly felt warm.

 

“He is. He’s sweet, a little shy and my best friend I guess.”

 

Chanyeol smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Summer without sunshine.  “It must be nice
to have a best friend.”

 

“Don’t you -” Baekhyun stopped himself from finishing the question but the scientist caught on.

 

“I don’t.”

 

Baekhyun’s insides twisted and turned. Chanyeol’s eyes lost a little more of their shine.

 

“How about Taeyeon noona?”

 

“She’s more of a sister I guess. And besides she already has a best friend. Sorry, I’m just babbling. I have a tendency to do that.”

 

Sighing, Baekhyun took another bite of his pizza, unsure if he should say what he wanted to. He decided he should.

“Don’t apologize. Listen, if you want, maybe one day—we could be best friends or something. I mean only if you want.”

 

The scientist gasped, mouth gaping. “I’d like that a lot, hyung. In fact, I’d love that.”

 

Baekhyun released a deep breath. I’d love that too. But he didn't say it out loud.

 

*

 

Chanyeol offered him a ride home and Baekhyun obliged. As they left the Japanese tea room and went into the blue tunnel, Baekhyun’s mouth curled into a small circle in response to a bright pink fish swimming above them.

 

“This place is so beautiful” he murmured, looking upwards at the electric blue arch. He could feel Chanyeol’s coffee eyes on him, but it didn’t make him uncomfortable - it made him feel safe, loved. The dark blue waves and white light flickered on his face, creating a ghostly mosaic of black and white.

“They say things lose their beauty once you stare at them long enough.”

 

The older man looked Chanyeol in the eye, “Do you believe that?”

 

“Not really. I think certain people, certain memories will remain eternally mesmerizing. It just depends on your perspective though. Like I like to get to the bottom of things - touch every nook and cranny I can and hopefully find something I can be proud of.”

 

“How does that connect?”

 

“It connects because I always see beauty and significance in everything. I try to understand the unknown.”

 

“What are you looking for though?”

“I have no idea, but that’s the beauty of it. Life’s full of beautiful mysteries, that's what makes it interesting,” he sighed, and added as an afterthought, “just like sentiment.”

 

Baekhyun scrunched his eyebrows together, but continued walking through the blue arch, trying to ignore Chanyeol’s milky complexion and how it reminded him of soft, white sand.

 

“Sentiment kills you in the end.”

 

“Perhaps, but you can’t deny it’s not interesting.”

 

“What’s interesting about heartache?”

 

“The fact that it can turn a perfectly logical person into a blubbering fool.”

 

“That’s more pathetic than interesting.”

 

“It’s not pathetic at all though. It’s a little reminder that humans aren’t rational creatures after all.”

 

“Then what are we?”

 

“Emotional, blubbering fools dressed up in crisp, black suits trying to be serious in the same way a little girl tries to be serious when she slips her little feet into her mother’s massive stilettos.”

 

*

 

“Wow. Fantastic Baby. DANCE!” Chanyeol’s voice was loud and it bounced off the walls of his ancient red Volkswagen Beetle. Baekhyun felt a little flustered because of the obnoxious singing, and how the entire car shook because of Chanyeol jiggling in his seat, but he couldn’t say it wasn’t amusing.

 

“I’m surprised you’re not playing 2NE1,” muttered Baekhyun.

 

Chanyeol playfully rolled his eyes, “I only listen to them when I’m alone.”

 

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, “And why is that?”

 

The scientist burst into a fit of laughter and wafted his hand in front of him, momentarily blocking his own view of the road.

 

“Ani, I’m just kidding. I’m not really feeling them right now, I guess.”

 

Seoul rushed past Baekhyun in chromatic lines, and through his window he saw the reflection of Chanyeol’s silhouette drenched in white light. He had squiggles for hair, and long, slender ivory arms. Sighing, Baekhyun raised his finger to the glass and carefully traced the outline of the scientist.

 

“You okay there hyung?”

 

“Y-yeah.”

 

Baekhyun continued drawing on the glass but his mind wandered to places it had never been before, like how his fingers would really feel gliding through Chanyeol’s curls, or how they’d feel caressing the soft, pale skin of his chest but most of all how it would feel-

He snapped his finger off the window, and focused on the music. He wasn’t supposed to find the scientist interesting in that way.

 

Sentiment kills you in the end.

 

When Chanyeol swerved in front of Baekhyun’s apartment complex, he pulled a single daisy from his jean pocket and slipped it into his intern’s hands.

 

“What’s this?” asked Baekhyun, confused.

 

“I ... uh, you know the daisy fields outside Seoul? Well, Taeyeon noona does a lot of botany study there and she brought me some so I thought maybe you’d like one.”

 

A large smile spread across Baekhyun’s face as he brought up the daisy to his nose. The crisp aroma transported him to that little book shop 12 years ago, when Park Chanyeol had unknowingly entered his life.

 

“Thank you, Chanyeol.” He said, looking up at the scientist next to him. His skin looked midnight blue in the sky’s blackness, but Baekhyun could still make out his lips; they were red and etched in to a smile.

“Listen, I-um. Sorry if this is too soon but my parents are throwing me a big birthday party and I was just wondering if you’d like to come. It’s mostly going to be their friends but they told me I could invite some of my own, so would you want to go? Kris will be there, and so will Taeyeon noona.”

“Uh - sure.” Baekhyun didn’t like parties but he wouldn’t pass on an opportunity like this..

 

“Good, I’ll send you the formal invitation in the mail.”

 

“Thanks, Chanyeol.” said Baekhyun, smiling up at him.

 

"I had a really nice time today. All thanks to you" whispered the scientist, his voice low and excited like he was telling Baekhyun his deepest secret.

 

"I did too...all thanks to you"  replied Baekhyun, getting out of the car. "Thanks again...for everything."

 

Chanyeol nodded his head. "See you tommorrow hyung. Take care of that daisy."

 

The older boy chuckled, "I will." 

 

The starlit sky above Baekhyun looked especially heavenly tonight, and as he watched the beaten up Beetle totter away, warmth danced over his flesh. When he went up the elevator, he kept the daisy tucked between his fingers. The crisp aroma brought him back to that field of yellow freedom, except that as Baekhyun imagined himself running through the daisies, he wasn't alone. His hand was laced in someone else’s - a bespectacled, frizzy-haired scientist's. 

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Hey guys! So this was kind of a speedy update right? (lol by my standards...) 

 

I hope you enjoyed it :]  My precious beta LotusK actually edited this on vacation because she is that amazing^^

 

A special thank you to commenters. Your kind words are much appreciated~