♦♦♦ Chapter Two ♦♦♦

"...Baekhyun?"

Chanyeol's voice sounded more like a whisper, as if he couldn't believe the fact that Baekhyun was indeed in front of him, standing with his mouth agape and his face losing colour with each second that passed. Everyone else sat in awkward silence as the two kept on staring at each other, until Luhan finally decided to speak and break the silence.

"H-hey, Chanyeollie! Welcome ba--

"Why the hell is he here?" He hissed, glaring at Luhan.

Everyone snapped their attention to the obviously furious Chanyeol. He was never one to be angry, really. He was always the one who initiated the jokes and tomfoolery in the house. He was always the one with the goofy smile; the one who had a knack for annoying everyone (in a good way). He was the life of the group. Seeing him furious sent Luhan's, and everybody else's mind, blank.

Baekhyun finally got his together. He stood up from his seat, never breaking eye contact with Chanyeol. Truth be told, he didn't even know why Chanyeol broke up with him, so he still couldn't grasp that reality. Moreover, why was his ex here in the future? Why was he in this house with these people who seemed to know him well? Just what the hell was going on? At the same moment that he stood up, Chanyeol did the last thing he expected: he walked out of the lounge, leaving everyone confused.

Baekhyun did the only thing he could do: he followed Chanyeol. Rushing up the steps two at a time, he pushed past Lay and Suho, a frown on his face as he tried to catch up with Chanyeol.

Luhan sat down on the couch, Sehun's arm wrapping around him reassuringly. He was trying not to sob and feel like . Kris and Suho, the ones who had the authority over everyone, sat themselves down on Baekhyun's previous seat, looking at Luhan questioningly.

"What's going on, Lu?" Suho asked softly, a smile on his face.

"I...well, Baekhyun's from the past." Luhan replied carefully, trying not to look the two men in front of him in the eyes.

"The past? Is he that Baekhyun? Lu, you know you're not supposed to do that." Suho's voice had a reprimanding tone, but he still sounded gentle and caring.

"I know but...I couldn't bear it anymore! Watching a piece of Chanyeol die each day hurts me-- us-- more than I thought it would." Luhan retorted, looking up at Kris and Suho sadly.

"What do you mean?" Kris pushed on, hands clasped together.

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed. Ever since he came back from his timedrop mission, he's been crying every single night, and then he'll be all smiles in the morning, talking about Baekhyun at random times. When he realizes this, he'll resort to being quiet again..."

Kris and Suho remained silent, mulling over the things that Luhan had just said. Everyone was quiet, too, agreeing with Luhan and silently awaiting for their leaders' answers. Kris was the first one to break the silence, looking at Luhan seriously.

"You know it's against the rules to bring someone insignificant from the past. Only authorized timedroppers can freely travel through time, and for a good reason." Kris reminded him, voice indicating authority.

"Baekhyun's not insignificant, Kris. Don't be such a meanie." Luhan pouted, muttering the words under his breath.

"We know, Lu, but you know what we're saying. What if they find out? That Baekhyun person will be in danger. Not just him, but us, too." Suho added thoughtfully, placing a comforting hand on Luhan's knee.

"They're not going to find out, Suho." Sehun spoke up, catching everyone's attention and making Luhan smile a little.

"Oh? How do you know?" Suho asked curiously, observing Sehun's every move.

"I don't, actually. But...it's not like we're going to let that happen. Are we?"

Kris and Suho looked at each other, an exasperated smile forming on their faces. Suho ran a hand through his jet black hair, standing up from his seat and heading for the dining table. All eyes were on him as he got a plate, turning around on his heel and looking at his friends.

"Well, you're right. If Baekhyun's important to one of us, he's important to all of us." He smiled, and Luhan sighed in relief.

"We're in for a ty ride, but it doesn't really matter because, well, we are one, no?" Kris added, amused at the turn of events.

"We are one, we are EXO!" Luhan chirped excitedly, clapping his hands.

"God, guys, stop being so cheesy." Chen complained, sitting back down on his seat and rolling his eyes, a grin on his face.

"Chanyeol, wait! Damn it, you know my legs are shorter than yours so will you just ing slow down?!"

Baekhyun inwardly cursed the large house for having such long corridors. He was already having enough trouble chasing his giant without getting lost. And to make it more irritating, Chanyeol didn't show any signs of stopping at all despite Baekhyun's words. Knowing full well that he wouldn't catch up with the taller boy, he stopped and took off his shoe, throwing it at Chanyeol's back, emitting a loud thud as it bounced off his back and down at the floor.

Chanyeol turned around abruptly, a confused look on his face as he looked strangely at Baekhyun's shoe, and at Baekhyun who was still in throwing position. He reached down for the shoe, standing up straight and cocking an eyebrow at Baekhyun.

"...Did you just throw your shoe at me?" He asked lamely.

"Yeah, I did." Baekhyun pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You see me after three months and the first thing you do is throw your shoe at me?"

"Well, that's not my fault, is it?"

"You threw the shoe--

"I'm not the idiot who left." Baekhyun snapped, shutting Chanyeol up.

Baekhyun felt that familiar lump in his throat again, and he took deep breaths, not wanting to cry in front of Chanyeol. He bit down on his lower lip to stop them from trembling, and looked down at his feet (one bare and one still wearing a shoe), curling his bare toes at the coldness of the wooden floor.

He had a thousand questions swimming in his head right now. For example, why the was Chanyeol in the future with all those nice but crazy-looking boys? Why was Baekhyun dragged here by Luhan? Why wasn't Chanyeol in any of the photos back home? Why didn't Taemin and Minho remember him at all? Was Baekhyun finally going crazy? And most importantly (for Baekhyun, that is), why the hell did Park Chanyeol even break up with him in the first place? They weren't exactly having the tiest relationship in the world; honestly speaking, their friends envied their perfect husband-and-wife relationship. So why?

"I have so many questions right now, Park Chanyeol, but I just want you to answer one question." He said, his voice quiet and clear.

Chanyeol didn't speak, but he stepped closer to Baekhyun.

"...why did you leave me?" Baekhyun whispered sadly, looking up at Chanyeol's face which was now painted 'guilty'.

Chanyeol stepped closer again, only to have Baekhyun hold up his hand as if to say 'stop'. Chanyeol swallowed nervously, feeling very guilty and awkward and just plain lost, standing under Baekhyun's guilt-tripping gaze (and awkwardly holding a shoe in his hand).

"I...It's hard to explain, Baek." He started, and Baekhyun frowned.

"No matter how hard your ty explanation is going to be, I think I deserve to know it." Baekhyun snapped, and Chanyeol flinched.

"I...I'm really sorry, Baek."

"I've had enough of your apologies, you stupid giant." Baekhyun muttered, looking down at his feet again and trying his best not to cry.

If Godzilla had suddenly appeared at that moment, wreaking havoc on 2145 Seoul (if that's where they were) and swallowing everything in sight, Baekhyun wouldn't even question it. It was more believable than having Chanyeol suddenly enveloping him in a warm embrace, lips pressed on the top of his head, words of love and sincere apologies being whispered. Chanyeol's breath was warm against his head, a feeling of security and belonging settling in him. It was the last thing he expected to happen.

His breath hitched, and as he tried to exhale calmly, he slowly started sobbing, hands clenching into fists at his sides. He wanted to punch the life out of Park Chanyeol, not embrace him back. He wanted to scream profanities at him for being an idiot, not longingly nuzzle his neck while sobbing grossly. He wanted to knee him in the groin for breaking up with him and leaving him utterly confused, not melt into his hug.

Who was Baekhyun kidding, anyway? He needed Chanyeol.

"I'm sorry, Baek, I'm sorry...I won't do it again." Chanyeol whispered, pulling Baekhyun closer as he dropped the shoe, kissing him on the temple.

"O-of course you wouldn't, you idiot...as if I'd let you..." Baekhyun retorted, clutching onto Chanyeol's jacket tightly as if he was afraid that Chanyeol would disappear again.

"Sorry. I...as stupid as it may sound, I had my reasons for doing what I did." He explained softly, and Baekhyun could hear the pout in his voice.

"Then tell me, Chanyeol. Please?" Baekhyun asked, sniffling and looking up at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol looked back at him, and may God strike him with lightning if he said that he could refuse a face like that. Baekhyun was putting on his best puppy-dog eyes matched with pouty lips, a face that Chanyeol couldn't refuse to. Ever.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you. Just...ugh, no more puppy eyes. You know I can't resist that." He whined, sliding his hands down to Baekhyun's waist and pulling away.

"I know you can't, that's why I keep doing it." Baekhyun smiled a little, resting his small hands on Chanyeol's shoulders.

Baekhyun didn't know why he was the first one to move, but he couldn't care less (he blamed it on Chanyeol his lips, though). He leaned forward, pulling down on Chanyeol gently and pressing their lips together. For a split second, Chanyeol stiffened under the kiss, but he soon relaxed, sliding his hand up along Baekhyun's back and running his fingers through his blonde locks. The kiss remained innocent and simple, an exchange of nibbling each other's lips and smiling under the awkwardness but perfection of it all.

Chanyeol was the first one to pull away. He kissed Baekhyun on the tip of his nose, cupping and caressing his face lovingly, never breaking eye contact with the pretty boy in his arms. Baekhyun's cheeks were flushed, lips still moist from the kiss. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but Chanyeol's kisses were absolutely heavenly, always sending his mind into a wild and fangirling state that only an elementary schoolgirl was probably capable of.

"You cut your hair." Baekhyun mused randomly, running his hands through Chanyeol's now cropped hair, his bangs pushed back over his head.

"The long hair was getting old. Do you like it?" Chanyeol asked, looking up to see his own hair (as if it was possible).

"Frustratingly, anything looks good on you." Baekhyun pouted, making Chanyeol smile.

"I could say the same to your blond hair, Baek." He nuzzled Baekhyun's hair, making the smaller boy giggle.

"Your breathe's tickling me, stop." He whined, a blush creeping onto his cheeks.

"Byun Baekhyun." The smaller boy found himself smiling at how perfect his name sounded when Chanyeol was the one saying it.

"Yes, Park Chanyeol?"

"Will you grant this idiot the honour of being your boyfriend again?" He asked shyly, an adorable blush tinting his cheeks ever so slightly as he whispered the word 'boyfriend'.

Who was Baekhyun to refuse such a sweet boy?

Baekhyun nodded, and just as Chanyeol was about to kiss him again, they heard familiar voices coming from around the corner. Chanyeol could only groan in frustration, and Baekyeol's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.

"They're back together! Ohmygoshohmygosh!"

"Ouch! Tao, stop pushing. And be quiet! They'll hear us."

"Don't be such a gramps, Chen. That's Suho's job."

"I heard that, Xiumin."

"Sehunnie, look! They're so cute together! Aww!"

"Luhan, I can't feel my arm."

"Guys, you're squishing me. Get off."

"Kris is so...so...thin and bony."

"Then don't sit on him, Lay."

"D.O.'s such a mommy."

"Guys, can we have some privacy?" Chanyeol complained, and after a few seconds of complete silence, they heard the sound of rushed footsteps going back to the lounge, and the undeniable sound of Kris cursing in pain.

Baekhyun let himself smile, an amused look on his face. You see, a Byun Baekhyun who wasn't an eternally pissed off emotional wreck because of an unreasonable break-up and who had a loving Park Chanyeol by his side was actually a good and sweet boy, opposite to the y and sassy one that everyone's already familiar of. He had his good and bad days, too, just like a normal person, and today was definitely a good one.

Chanyeol pouted, probably in embarrassment, annoyance, or both.

"Is it always like this here?" Baekhyun asked curiously.

"You'll see." Chanyeol shrugged, planting a light kiss on the corner of Baekhyun's lips before pulling him back to the lounge.

As soon as D.O. was done washing the dishes (with a forced and mumbling Kai helping him), they all sat down in the lounge for a talk that was much needed between everyone. Baekhyun sat beside Chanyeol, hands linked together. Luhan, clutching on to Sehun's arm, threw Chanyeol a you-should-thank-me­-later look. D.O. and Kai were sitting on the floor just beside Baekhyun, arguing quietly over who stained D.O.'s jeans. The rest were either sprawled on the floor or on the couch, waiting.

"So, everyone's here, right?" Suho started, looking around.

"Gramps, everyone's here, no need to do a headcount." Chen retorted, making Kai snort with his usage of 'gramps'.

"This is no time to joke around, you two. We need to talk about this seriously." Kris interjected, making Kai and Chen nod their heads in understanding.

"What's happening? Should I even be here?" Baekhyun whispered, leaning closer to Chanyeol.

"Just listen, Baek." Chanyeol muttered, a frown on his face.

"The reason why we're all here is because of Byun Baekhyun." Suho stated, making Baekhyun gasp softly.

"M-me? Why? Did I do something wrong? Wait, I haven't even done anything." Baekhyun reasoned, making Suho chuckle at his panic.

"Relax, Baekhyun, you're not in trouble."

"We all are." Chanyeol added, and Baekhyun threw him a confused look.

In the corner of his eyes, Baekhyun could see Luhan looking very uncomfortable as he raised his hand, wanting to speak. Sehun held his hand reassuringly, and Baekhyun found it a very sweet gesture.

"Baekhyunnie, Chanyeollie...I'm sorry. It's my fault." Luhan started, and Baekhyun couldn't get any more confused.

"Uh, look. As much as I'd love to listen to this meeting of sorts, I'm really not getting any of this at all." Baekhyun had the most confused look on his face, and if it was any other time, Chanyeol would have fanboyed over it.

Chanyeol sighed, running his hand over his hair. He looked at Suho and Kris for permission, and when they nodded, he turned back to Baekhyun.

"Baek, I'll start from the beginning."

"It's about time."

"Just hear me out. Save the snappy comebacks for later, okay?"

Baekhyun nodded. He felt self-conscious under everyone's gazes, but ignored it, focusing instead on Chanyeol's big and serious eyes as he his lips.

"We're called timedroppers. All eleven of us. Our team's called EXO, and we're a small team but one of the good ones out of a hundred timedrop teams." Chanyeol started, waving his hand around lazily as he gestured at everyone.

"Time-what?" Baekhyun felt like his brain died on him or something.

"Timedroppers. We...we're people who travel through time to fix what are called timecreases. Timecreases are problems to the timeline caused by anything."

"...Jesus, Chanyeol, I can't take you seriously with all these intellectual you're spouting."

"Baeeeek." Chanyeol whined, looking at Baekhyun helplessly.

"Okay, okay. Continue."

"Well, the first time I went to your time was because of a timecrease caused by an ex-timedropper named Key. His main crime, for lack of a better term, was overstaying for someone who he had grown attached to in your time period. We can only stay for a maximum of two months. I was supposed to him back under orders but..."

"But someone here managed to get convinced into doing the exact thing he wasn't supposed to do." Luhan chided in excitedly in a singsong tone, sticking his tongue out at Chanyeol whose cheeks had turned pink at Luhan's rebuttal.

"I met you, Baekhyun." Chanyeol smiled wistfully, and Baekhyun felt his heart skip a beat.

"You said you could only stay two months but...we've been together for a year already, Yeol." Baekhyun said, confused.

"I know. That's why the higher ups have been on my heels since forever. I stopped running away when they brought you into the picture."

"Me?" Baekhyun blinked, finger pointing lamely at himself.

"They said they'd hurt you, seeing that because of you, the timeline was getting ruined. I couldn't have that, so I came back, under the pretence of breaking up with you so, you know, you'd forget me easily which turned out to be a mistake, because obviously, you didn't forget me."

"...well, that answers one question. What about the pictures? You weren't in any of them." Baekhyun remembered, feeling a chill run up his spine at the memory.

"That's all part of the timedropping deal. Any trace that we've left in a specific time period will be gone along with us once we drop back, replaced by fake memories." Chanyeol shrugged, pulling Baekhyun closer.

"But you remembered him, because apparently, no matter how cheesy and ridiculous it may sound-- Chen, I can hear you gagging, shut up-- true love can overcome anything. Your love for Chanyeollie broke that rule." Luhan finished, and Baekhyun felt the blood rush to his cheeks.

"S-so, I'm just guessing here, but...doesn't that mean that me being here means I'm in really deep ? Because anybody with a common sense can piece together that an object from the past cannot be in the future for good." Baekhyun asked, looking at Kris and Suho.

"And this is where we officially begin this meeting." Suho said, looking at Chanyeol and Baekhyun seriously.

"Baekhyun...I'm afraid you're going to have to go back to 2013 Seoul." Kris said sadly, sighing as he clasped his hands together.

Baekhyun felt Chanyeol's grip on him tighten as he let the words sink in.

"What?" He whispered, voice barely audible over his own heartbeat.