*Disclaimer: I don’t own all of the italicized words, except the centered ones. They are lyrics from the song Mr. Brightside and they belong to The Killers.

Bright side of my world

I'm coming out of my cage…

The chilly November wind blows hard against Baekhyun's exposed face. As he leans against the cold stone wall, he pulls his long jacket tighter against his slender figure. His dark mahogany hair is stained a rosy orange from the evening sun. A sigh rises in a small cloud as his soft chocolate eyes wander the empty street.

And I've been doing just fine… Gazing into the clear sky, his thoughts take flight like a flock of birds, soaring into the realms of memory.

Chanyeol had once told him that he loved him.

It had been a day much like this. The sky had been pale blue with a hint of sunshine and there was powdery snow upon the ground. They stood there together, enjoying the snow together. Baekhyun remembers how the breeze had whipped his face and the cold biting his cheeks.

But when Chanyeol had wrapped his arms around him, Baekhyun could feel the comforting warmth spread through him. He knew that, even if the world had come crashing down on them, if Chanyeol was by his side, everything would be alright. Then their eyes had connected.

“I love you,” Chanyeol had whispered. Baekhyun remembers how Chanyeol’s fingers had brushed his hair out of his eyes, and the press of a soft mouth to his own.

It was only a kiss…

The days that had followed will always remain in Baekhyun’s heart as the happiest moments of his life. Laughing over badly directed movies; tickling on couches until they collapsed, breathless; whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears.

One night, they lay together on the bed. Baekhyun, curled up against Chanyeol, was drifting off to sleep. Now I’m falling asleep… Then those long arms wrapped around him and a finger traced over his collarbone. Looking curiously up, Baekhyun saw countless emotions flicker across that handsome face and, even though he couldn't name them, he knew them because they were deep inside of him too. As he gazed into Chanyeol’s eyes, those feelings flooded his senses and overwhelmed him in way that was so unfamiliar and yet…so right.

Chanyeol’s hand had reached up and his thumb traced lightly over Baekhyun’s slightly parted lips. His eyes wandered hungrily over Baekhyun’s features. It was so intent that it seemed like he had just been asked to memorize those characteristics.

“I want it all…” Chanyeol’s deep, rough-velvet voice was husky with emotion. Then his lips descended tenderly on the other’s. It was a statement and also an inquiry. But when Baekhyun responded with more passion, it banished all reservations and doubts in both of their minds.

Without hesitation, Baekhyun opened his arms and embraced the chaos. To him, Chanyeol was the answer to a question had long forgotten to ask.

That night, he lost himself in all that was Chanyeol. And he never looked back.

It started out with a kiss…

How did it end up like this? Baekhyun thinks, fingers tracing over his lips, recalling the sensation of those full lips against his. It was only a kiss… It was only a kiss…

Listening to the cold wind whistle in his ears, Baekhyun closes his eyes, hugging his arms closer to his body. His mind wanders back to that night not long ago.

That night Baekhyun had gone out by himself for a walk. The swollen sun was descending in its path in the sky and setting everything aglow with golden-crimson light. Baekhyun wandered down the familiar street, his mind was filled with the lyrics of a song he had forgotten.

As he passed by Chanyeol’s apartment, something caught his eye and made him stop dead.

Across the street, there was a couple standing under the beams of a lamppost. He didn’t know the woman with dark-hair and blue eyes but… Baekhyun knew it was him. He didn’t need to see the dark sienna hair or hear the deep rumbling laugh to know who it was.

And she's calling a cab… As she flicked a thin wrist, Chanyeol curled a long arm around her waist and dug a hand into his pocket, fishing out a pack of cigarettes. Picking one out and lighting it, he stuck it into his mouth and smiled down at her. While he's having a smoke… Returning the smile, she took the white cylinder between two tiny fingers and placed it between her own lips. And she's taking a drag…

Then a taxi pulled up to them and Baekhyun took his distraction as a chance to run away. Without a glance back, he hurried down the street. He wished desperately that the evening wind that was rushing through his hair would take what he just saw with it. But, it seemed as if this desire only made the memory sharper in his mind.

When he came back from his favorite restaurant later on that night, the moon had risen to its zenith and bathed the cold street in its silver light. But Baekhyun barely noticed. After what he saw earlier, he somehow couldn’t find pleasure in the things he loved. Even the taste of his favorite foods couldn’t wash out the bitter taste in his mouth.

As he passed beneath Chanyeol’s window, he paused a moment and looked up.

And he immediately regretted it.

Now they're going to bed…

Through the uncurtained window, he could see Chanyeol was sitting, leaning back, on the edge of his large bed. The white of his ed shirt, hanging open and baring the muscled abs, contrasted sharply with the scarlet of his blankets. Those dark eyes were fixed on the dark-haired woman standing before him. She wore a tight black dress that left nothing to the imagination. With a seductive smile, she leaned down towards the attractive man, a delicate hand resting on his chest. But she's touching his chest… Her hands comb lovingly through his long sienna hair as she leaned down to whisper in his ear.

One of Chanyeol’s large hands wrapped around her waist again, gliding down the back of her leg, while the other pushed her long hair away from her face. His lips rested on the white skin of her slender neck. Then Chanyeol’s hand slipped up her back and tugged at a small zipper. And her dress fell away. Now he takes off her dress…

Baekhyun didn’t know when or how long he ran. He just ran—that’s all he knew. And I just can't look, it's killing me… The towering apartments beside him flew by as his shoes pounded on the hard cement road. The uneven beats of his feet, his constricting throat, threatening tears. And my stomach is sick…

But the two didn’t seem to get far enough behind him. They were always just a few feet away, wrapped so intimately in each other. And it's all in my head… He hated to admit it, but the two seemed perfect, an ideal couple. The image of the tall, dark sienna-haired and handsome Chanyeol complete with that dark-haired, blue-eyed girl burned into his mind. And taking control…

Baekhyun’s vision slowly became blurred. He wiped the tears away, little droplets of shed pain. But they just kept flowing, an endless salty river. Jealousy, turning saints into the sea…

An eternity later, his legs finally gave out. He stumbled on the road, cutting his knees. But he couldn’t feel the blood flow. His heart’s blood flowed much harder that it drowned out all others. He leaned against a lamppost and crumpled at its base, body shaking.

He cried. He cried for the entire world to hear. He cried with sadness, anger, jealousy, pain, loss, emptiness for the paradise lost to him. Swimming through sick lullabies…

But it's just the price I pay… 

I never...

“Baekhyun?”

He knows who it is without even turning around. It is just the way they are connected.

He only manages a few steps before a strong hand catches his wrist.

“Wait,” Chanyeol says in his deep voice, pulling him to face him. His dark eyes search Baekhyun’s face before saying, quietly, “Don’t go.”

Baekhyun continues to struggle, but Chanyeol’s grip is strong. “Let me go!” he growls.

The hold on him doesn’t relent. “At least listen to what I have to say,” Chanyeol says.

“I…don’t…” Baekhyun says through clenched teeth, refusing to meet his eyes.

“We...broke up,” Chanyeol says. “With her, I mean.”

Baekhyun stops struggling and scoffs—choking on your alibis. “You expect me to believe that?” He turns away, waving a hand. “Go and be happy with her.”

There is silence then…”I can’t.”

“You can’t,” Baekhyun repeats, turning to face the taller man in disbelief. “You seemed just fine—just let me go.”

“Baekhyun…” Chanyeol says, cutting over him. He takes a step forward and rests a gentle hand on the smaller’s cheek. “I was wrong.”

The other doesn’t respond.

“I never meant to hurt you,” Chanyeol continues. Those endless eyes search Baekhyun’s face, looking for an answer, a response. Whether he finds it or not, Baekhyun doesn't know. “But I know I have.”

Still Baekhyun doesn’t speak. He just looks away, but doesn’t move from the warm touch on his face.

“Look at me…”Chanyeol’s deep voice weaves its way into Baekhyun’s heart. Slowly, his chocolate eyes find Chanyeol’s depthless ones. Open up my eager eyes…

“Baekhyun,” the taller man says again. “Do you still love me?”

All words fail the mahogany-haired man. “I…That’s…” he tries to say.

Chanyeol’s long fingers move to the soft tresses. His eyes wander over Baekhyun’s face, soaking in every detail. “All the times I thought I was in love,” he says softly, “I realize now that I was only just searching for you. You are the only one I need.”

Baekhyun is quiet. He bites his lower lip.

Chanyeol doesn’t speak. Then he reaches up a hand and brushes the hair out of those chocolate eyes. “I love you, Baekhyun.”

That’s all he needs to hear. Before another doubt could stop him, Baekhyun closes his eyes and moves forward. His lips touch Chanyeol’s so tenderly.

There is a brief pause then Baekhyun feels the other’s lips move in a smile. Without words, Chanyeol knows that Baekhyun had forgiven him. The taller tilts his head to deepen the contact and his long arms wrap around the other’s waist, pulling him closer to that warm heart.

Time seems to stop for this golden moment. For that one instant, Baekhyun knows nothing but Chanyeol. He forgets it is chilly. He forgets they are in the middle of a snowy street. He even forgets there are people in the buildings around them, unaware of the magic happening below.

But Baekhyun doesn’t care. All he knows are those lips that he knows so well—how many hours had he watched them form words and that smile? All he knows is his scent—that faint, but tantalizing scent that he wants to breathe as air. All he knows is his body against the other’s—how easily, effortlessly, naturally they fit together.

For that heartbeat (or was it a thousand?), it is only the two of them. For that moment, Baekhyun aren’t sure where he ends and Chanyeol starts.

Then they break apart reluctantly. They are breathless in the cold November air. Chanyeol’s strong arms still hold him close.

Gazing into those dark eyes, a soft smile graces Chanyeol’s full lips.

“I want it all…” Chanyeol murmurs, dark eyes warmer than his touch.

I know my love isn’t a fairytale, but…

Baekhyun’s only response is to smile and wrap his arms around Chanyeol’s neck, pulling him down towards him. Chanyeol’s hold on his waist tightens. Their breaths melt together and float towards the evening sun.

Then Chanyeol’s lips lower and find Baekhyun’s. This sweet touch that is so familiar. Chanyeol doesn’t speak, but he doesn’t need to. His special scent, his unwavering presence, his warm kiss tells his best friend, his lover, his soul-mate everything.

And Baekhyun knows it will always be Chanyeol, this bright side of his world.

I’d rather create my own happiness…