^{(She is the one), but I have a purpose, 
(she is the one), and I have to fight this, 
(she is the one), a villain I can't knock down.} 

^~

^{(She is the one), all that I wanted, 
(she is the one), and I will be haunted, 
(she is the one), this gift is my curse for now.} 

^{-Gifts and Curses, Yellowcard}

neverland

"I swear, Yoogeun, if you don't get in bed this instant, Kibum-hyung will get our asses."

Slim fingers ran through magenta locks as a tired sigh of exasperation escaped pretty lips, images of a certain pissed off blonde diva flooding his mind. A little boy giggled excitedly as he ran around the Power Ranger themed bedroom, clutching in his hands what seemed to be a bag of cosmetics, a skirt and a headband that could have done better with less flowers and ribbons. The little boy stopped in front of his babysitter (who wasn't even bothering to hide his disgust at the said items) and pouted, batting thick eyelashes and fidgeting on his spot cutely.

"...A no is a no, young man. Now go to bed already. I still have to rush my thesis. Ugh."

"But Baekhyuuuuuung! This will be really quick! After you do this, I promise on Martha's bonnet that I'm going to sleep." Yoogeun pleaded, making sure to use the nickname that Baekhyun secretly adored.

"Leave the dog out of this, Yoogeun. A no is still a no!"

"But come ooon! It's just cross dressing!"

"Christ, where did you even get this ridiculous idea?! I'm not doing it!" Baekhyun grimaced as Yoogeun knelt down, getting out some choice items.

"You lost the game! Don't be unfair!"

"No, that is a stab to my manly pride, Yoogeun!"

"Pleeease???"

"No!"

"I knew you'd look pretty as a girl, hyung."

Baekhyun, despite his earlier protests, finally relented to the young boy's wishes, even so much as taking matters into his own hands because as much as he abhors the idea of cross dressing, he'd much prefer it if he came out as a decent cross dresser, thank you. Grumbling as he applied the last touches of eyeliner and blush powder on his face, he donned on the yellow headband for the finishing touch, ignoring the chuckles of glee that emanated from the little devil that started his demise.

"Happy now, you little ?" Baekhyun muttered, and Yoogeun nodded.

"Too bad the skirt didn't fit, but you still look pretty!"

"Don't break your promise! Go to sleep."

Yoogeun nodded eagerly, yawning as he padded to his bed. As soon as Yoogeun settled into his bed, Baekhyun set about cleaning the room. His face felt itchy from not being used to makeup (he supposed Yoogeun snatched the bag from his dad Kibum's room-- the twerp was sooo dead) but he refrained from scratching, refusing to get anything weird under his nails.

A few minutes passed and as he was bent over a toy box dumping useless things inside, he heard the window creak open, a gust of cold wind blowing in. Thinking that it was Yoogeun trying to stall his bedtime, he rolled his eyes, straightening up and placing his hands on his hips.

"I swear, Kibum-hyung pays me so little for this job of taking care of such a little devil. You couldn't even wait for me to leave before sneaking--"

He turned around slowly.

"--out."

Baekhyun's lined eyes widened in surprise at what-- or rather, who-- he saw. Baekhyun was half aware that his mouth was hanging open but he couldn't care less.

He stared at the intruder with the large curious eyes, full lips and unusually large ears that stuck out of his head. His long legs draped in over the windowsill, feet already on the floor, dark auburn hair slicked back and his expression screamed that he knew he was in deep for having been caught.

"...What in the actual ." Baekhyun breathed out, not entirely sure of how he should react.

"Uh, miss, I can--

Baekhyun almost screamed and felt the urge to go all hapkido-crazy and beat the out of the bastard had it not been for a weird force that pushed him by his shoulder, causing him to trip on the stupid toy box and fall down on his unceremoniously.

Baekhyun was positive that his took the fall, so the next events that happened had him thinking if his brain was located in his because what in the ing hell that dude's ing flying holy .

"Yah! Why'd you push the pretty miss? Get back here! You're my shadow, you're not supposed to leave me! Hey!" The boy whispered harshly as he flitted around the room, chasing what seemed to be a shadow that was proving to be very hard to catch.

Baekhyun was amazed that Yoogeun was still sleeping soundly with all the ruckus that was happening, and he was more amazed that he still hadn't fainted. He watched in pure bewilderment as the boy crashed into the wall, hands gripping onto a...yep, a shadow. Baekhyun laughed dryly, concluding that yes, his brain was indeed in his and he had just damaged it permanently. The boy, now sitting on the floor, turned to Baekhyun distractedly, giving him an apologetic smile before turning back to the shadow and grabbing its ankle and jamming its foot against the sole of his own. Baekhyun finally found his voice, and he cleared his throat, the stranger only humming in response.

"Wh...what are you doing...?" Baekhyun whispered, sitting up.

"I'm making sure that my shadow won't run away again. It's a hassle looking for it again and again!"

"It runs away...? Uh..."

The boy stared at Baekhyun curiously, and the latter just blinked, distracted by how large, beautiful and...pure the strange boy's eyes seemed.

"Yeah, it does. Doesn't yours run away?"

"Uhm...no. It just...stays and follows me...?"

"Lucky! Mine always goes flitting about and its seriously tiring!"

"Maybe you should glue it or something." Baekhyun joked dryly, but the boy's eyes widened in realization, and he beamed (in a rather creepy way) at Baekhyun.

"That's perfect! Do you have glue?"

Baekhyun could only nod in response, getting up and rummaging confusedly in a drawer, shuffling closer to the boy and tossing a small bottle of glue at his outstretched palm, watching him with a lightheaded feeling as he glued his shadow's feet to his own. Grinning triumphantly, he turned to Baekhyun who flinched a little.

"Thank you, pretty miss, I really appreciate it."

"Uh...okay." Baekhyun was in too deep in his I-think-my-brain-just-died state to notice the unusual nickname.

"...you should meet the boys!"" The boy suddenly declared, and Baekhyun cocked an eyebrow.

"Who?"

"The Lost Boys, my family! Our maknae's been craving for a mother lately, and you're perfect! Let's go!" The boy sprang to his feet and grabbed Baekhyun's hand, gripping it tightly (much to Baekhyun's relief, the shadow was following the boy's movements and not doing some other crazy ).

"W-wait! Mother?! And go the where?! And who're the Lost Boys?!"

"I'll show you my home; it's the least I can do for your ingenious glue idea."

"H-home? Wait, look, it's really okay. I'd rather stay here and--

"Nonsense! You'll love Neverland!"

"...I am so confus-- , no, we're not committing suicide by jumping out the window!" Baekhyun struggled to break free as soon as the boy started heading to the large windows.

"Trust me, pretty miss."

"Wha--

And Baekhyun concluded then that not only did he damage his brain by falling on it, but he also killed it and ed it royally. It took him a few seconds to process that he had just been engulfed into a warm embrace by the strange boy, warm lips pressing onto his own. Another few seconds for him to realize that they were now floating midair, and the initial shock from the kiss was replaced by the sudden sensation of losing the security that a firm ground has always given him.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!"

"Relax, pretty miss, just hold my hand and think of happy things." The boy smiled, and Baekhyun had never felt so confused.

"How can I relax and think of happy things when a guy I don't even know suddenly comes into this kid's room, flies around and chases a ing shadow, then suddenly decides to kidnap me and kisses me while spouting random about mothers and maknaes?!" Baekhyun hissed, and the boy only smirked.

"Then...I'm Chanyeol."

Baekhyun looked at him strangely, unaware of the fact that he was already being lead out of the room (too busy hyperventilating) and into the night.

"You know, your voice is pretty husky and deep for a girl." Chanyeol ignored the hacking and choking sounds that Baekhyun let out at his words.

Baekhyun blamed the headband, eyeliner and blush powder, and he stayed quiet as he watched the house of Yoogeun, Kibum and Jonghyun get smaller in the distance, not exactly feeling up to the idea of fighting for his supposed manliness. He looked at Chanyeol who was casually flying straight on, their hands linked, and thought, 'Ah, it, I'd rather fly around with a stranger than slave over a ing thesis that's going to fail anyway'.

*

Neverland was not what Byun Baekhyun expected.

It was an island that was all trees, waterfalls, more trees, a little clearing here, more trees, more bodies of water, maybe a little cliff and a cave over there, and more trees. Oh, and not to mention, magical creatures like unicorns and faeries. The sky was clear, its pristine blue reflected on the waves of the ocean. It had taken them a mere five minutes to reach the island (after Chanyeol pointed at a cloud that painfully looked like a door and zoomed into it, making Baekhyun shriek and hold on for dear life).

Baekhyun gripped Chanyeol's arm with a vicelike grip, and though the taller of the two felt his arm dying, he grinned at the sensation.

"You okay, pretty miss?" Chanyeol slowed down as they reached a clearing, finally letting Baekhyun feel solid ground again.

"It's Baekhyun..." The shorter boy muttered, and Chanyeol tilted his head, taking big strides to the north of them.

"Hm? Sorry?"

"My name. It's not 'pretty miss', it's Baekyun...and I'm not a 'miss'." Baekhyun hurried his steps, falling behind with his albeit not-that-short-but-still-short legs.

"Hmm. I know, silly." Chanyeol mused, and Baekhyun finally caught up, frowning and clutching on to the hem of Chanyeol's sleeve so that he'd slow down a bit.

"Then why'd you keep calling me 'pretty miss'?"

"Because you are pretty, and you look like a pretty girl." Chanyeol shrugged, and Baekhyun allowed himself the luxury of being embarrassed.

"I'm not..."

"Don't degrade yourself, pretty miss."

"I'm not! I'm a man and I shouldn't be pretty!"

"Says who?" Chanyeol asked seriously, turning on his heel and staring back at Baekhyun with those pretty eyes.

Baekhyun chewed the inside of his cheek, feeling stupid under the scrutinizing gaze of this strange boy. He looked away, feeling his cheeks burn from embarrassment, and maybe something else because he wasn't blind to not see that Chanyeol was handsome, and having such perfection staring at him from such a close distance was not doing his dead brain any good.

Chanyeol smiled softly, letting his hand drop down to touch Baekhyun's fingers. He carefully lead him across the clearing and into the forest, weaving through thick trunks of trees and finally stopping in front of a large, tall and obviously older tree than the rest. Chanyeol hopped up into the air, bringing Baekhyun with him, and they soon perched on a thick branch. Upon closer inspection, Baekhyun noticed a door on the spot where the trunk and branch met, and he looked at Chanyeol quizzically.

"My friends...they're pretty weird, but hopefully you'll like them." Chanyeol walked towards the door, large hands reaching for a knot in the bark that was supposed to be the door knob.

Baekhyun kept quiet, keeping close to Chanyeol and watching with wary eyes as the door opened. Maybe he expected a bunch of little kids playing wrestling or tag and dressed in Tarzan-like clothes after hearing the name Lost Boys and seeing their environment, but what he did not expect was a group of four, ridiculously handsome boys around his age, lounging in the tree house and doing their own business.

The one with the rainbow coloured hair was sprawled on the floor, face devoid of any expression and limbs strewn out as he randomly blew raspberries at the ceiling. A boy with tanned skin and full lips sat beside the rainbow-boy, a leg of fried chicken in hand as his eyes remained glued on a boy with fair skin, plump lips and pretty doe eyes. The latter was humming to himself as he cleaned around the house, and the fourth boy was on the couch, dozing off as he lazily flipped coins. Chanyeol cleared his throat, and they all turned to him, eyes alert and bright.

"Who's that?" Was the first question asked by the rainbow-boy, and Chanyeol grinned.

"Your mom, Sehun!" Chanyeol blurted out, and Sehun sat up, stopping his raspberry-blowing and glancing at Baekhyun.

"...he's a boy?" Sehun mumbled curiously, and the boy beside him nodded.

"He's pretty, though...but I think Kyungsoo seems more motherly." He added, sneaking a glance at the doe-eyed boy who was smiling at Baekhyun.

"Please excuse my idiotic friends. Did Chanyeol bother you?" Kyungsoo, it seemed was his name, wiped his hands on his trousers and approached Baekhyun, holding out a hand for a handshake.

"Uh, it's fine, uhm...I'm Baekhyun." He took the hand cautiously, and smiled at the warmth.

"I'm Kyungsoo. This is Chanyeol, which I'm guessing that you know already. That's Jongin, the one with the chicken, and that's Sehun. The one on the couch flipping coins is Junmyeon. Baekhyun, what brings you here...?" Kyungsoo threw Chanyeol a knowing look, but Baekhyun missed it.

"Chanyeol brought me here, I guess." Baekhyun answered, looking at the boy in question.

"....what are you doing abducting people, you giant?" Kyungsoo folded his arms over his chest as he gave a judging look at his friend.

"I didn't abduct him! I just...can we talk about this some other time?" Chanyeol pleaded, and for a second, Baekhyun saw a look of realization flit across Kyungsoo's features.

"...alright, but how long are you going to keep him here? I'm sure he has other plans. Don't you?" Kyungsoo turned to Baekhyun at the last question, and the latter chuckled dryly in response.

"As long as he wants." Chanyeol answered, shifting in his spot so that his shoulder brushed against Baekhyun's.

Baekhyun glanced at all the faces looking at him, and he'd be lying if he said that he wanted to go back soon and double-kill his brain for his thesis. He was intrigued by the group called Lost Boys, and he was fascinated by the island's seemingly magical vibes. Shifting his weight from one foot to another, he smiled tentatively, fingers clasping together nervously as he his lips.

"I kind of...want to see what this place is like, if that's okay." Baekhyun mumbled shyly, and Chanyeol broke out into a huge grin, wrapping his arms around Baekhyun's shoulder and pulling him back out of the house, falling over the branch and flying up at the last minute.

"AH! You ing jerk!" Baekhyun shrieked, arms flying around the taller boy's neck as they hovered in the air a few feet away from the tree house.

Kyungsoo watched them from the door curiously, and he looked to the side to see Junmyeon gazing out of the makeshift window, a wistful and sad smile on his handsome face.

"I've never seen him this happy before." Sehun chided in curiously, and Kyungsoo sighed deeply, closing the door softly and muffling Chanyeol's deep laughter and Baekhyun's contagious shrieks of weak protests.

"We have." Junmyeon started, and Sehun perked up, sitting straight and fixing his beanie.

"Really? When?"

"Before they found us." Jongin answered, shrugging.

"Then it was a long time ago?"

"Hmm. You know we have no sense of time, but, yeah, it was pretty long ago." Jongin nodded.

"...that didn't end too happily." Kyungsoo mumbled sadly, and Sehun frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see."

*

Baekhyun hopped carefully on the stone steps on the river while keeping his eyes trained on Chanyeol, checking if he's already caught up with him. They had decided to play a game after Chanyeol had heartlessly joked around with Baekhyun's life (literally). The shorter boy had been pissed off at getting dropped and then carried like a princess for a thousandth time, ending up with Baekhyun ignoring Chanyeol and the latter cooing out apologies. In the end, they came up with playing tag, the game ultimately becoming more enjoyable than Baekhyun imagined as they chased each other around the forest.

Chanyeol stopped chasing and crouched down to his knees, dipping his hands into the water and washing his face. Baekhyun turned back, looking at Chanyeol and shrugging before hopping back over to the taller boy. Baekhyun shrieked for the nth time that day when Chanyeol splashed him with water, and he found himself dripping wet. Chanyeol guffawed heartily, and Baekhyun rolled his eyes before crouching down and splashing him back, laughing.

"Hey! Kyungsoo's going to kill me!" Chanyeol complained, his wet shirt.

"You should've thought about that before you splashed me, idiot." Baekhyun smiled, moving closer so that their knees touched.

"I just had this washed..." Chanyeol mumbled, pouting at Baekhyun.

"It's just water, Yeol. It's fine." Baekhyun said softly, reaching out and brushing away wet strands of hair from the other boy's face.

Something about Chanyeol was both childish and mature, and Baekhyun's kid-loving side couldn't help but spoil the other when he saw that pout. The feeling intensified when Chanyeol smiled back, exhaling through his nose carefully as he leaned into Baekhyun's touch, pressing his cheek onto the soft pads of the shorter boy's fingers and palm. Baekhyun flinched slightly, but Chanyeol missed it.

"...your hand's cold." Chanyeol noted, and Baekhyun shrugged, fingers tracing patterns on Chanyeol's cheek.

"Must be the water. Plus, I'm only wearing a shirt and jeans, and frankly, it's a little cold here." He admitted, and Chanyeol hummed.

"Come here, then."

Chanyeol took Baekhyun's hand into his and pulled him to the riverbank. Confused, Baekhyun followed as Chanyeol sat down on the ground, pulling him down and suddenly engulfing him in a hug. Baekhyun's hands rested awkwardly atop Chanyeol's chest, and he couldn't even move his fingers lest Chanyeol thinks he's feeling him up, but then Baekhyun wonders why even bothered caring about something as trivial as that when Chanyeol was practically murdering the definition of personal space as strong and muscled arms s around his smaller waist, pressing their bodies together. Baekhyun felt the blood rush to his cheeks in record time at such an intimate action, and Chanyeol wasn't helping when he nuzzled Baekhyun's neck, hot breath ghosting over milky white skin and causing goose bumps to break out.

"Uh, Chanyeo--

"Don't worry, I'll keep you warm so you won't feel cold anymore." Chanyeol's lips moved against Baekhyun's skin, and he blushed harder.

Despite being flustered and majorly embarrassed at the situation, Baekhyun couldn't help but feel a certain warm feeling explode in him. He could feel Chanyeol's sincerity, unlike from the times he had been hit on back home. Back home, despite the words being the same, when other guys said it, Baekhyun felt that all they wanted was to get in his pants (none has succeeded yet). With Chanyeol though, there was a certain ring of innocence and honesty and genuine care, and Baekhyun liked it. He nodded, tentatively hugging back and nuzzling Chanyeol as well when--

"Please go flirt somewhere else, Foreverboy. I'm not fond of PDA."

They turned to the river to see a lean and tall boy perched on one of the stone steps. He had sharp facial features that made him look pretty, too, but a different kind of pretty from Baekhyun. The boy had dark circles under his eyes, and it was only accentuated by his equally dark mop of tousled hair. Baekhyun looked away in embarrassment, and he heard Chanyeol click his tongue in annoyance.

"Go bother the Captain or something, Zitao. Leave us alone." Chanyeol quipped, and Zitao rolled his eyes, randomly taking out a pocket watch that ticked too loudly for Baekhyun's comfort.

"The Captain won't even see me! How am I going to bother him?"

"That's your fault, you stole his watch." Chanyeol eyed the pocket watch knowingly.

"But doesn't a watch suit me? And it's pretty, too! Don't you think so, too, Byun Baekhyun?"

Baekhyun blinked in surprise, pushing himself off Chanyeol and settling down on his own knees, pointing at himself stupidly. Zitao nodded, and Baekhyun tilted his head. Chanyeol hugged him from the back, lacing their fingers together to 'keep them warm' as he so discreetly whispered into Baekhyun's ear before turning back to Zitao.

"Stop flirting in front of me! I want someone to cuddle with, too!" Zitao whined, and Baekhyun blushed.

"H-how'd you know my name?"

"Honey, I know everything. Perks of being able to control time. You know, I've already seen things that hasn't happened yet." He shrugged, and Baekhyun breathed out in amazement.

"Cool."

"It is, but it's tiring, though, controlling time. Look at the circles under my eyes. Ugh."

"Still, we're the same age but you can do amazing !" Baekhyun piped in, and he felt the soft vibrations of Chanyeol's body against his back as the latter chuckled softly.

"Honey, I'm older than you. We're older than you. You're like a baby right now, you know?" Zitao cocked an eyebrow, amused.

"Oh! I'm sor--

"Time's relatively slower here in Neverland, so we age slower, like, really slow. We've looked like this since we can remember, and frankly, I don't even remember my own age." Zitao shrugs, and Baekhyun blinks.

"You...you age slow? And what do you mean, we?"

"Me, the Lost Idiots, everyone on this island! Well, except for the Indian natives, but I don't really talk much with them so I don't care."

"You mean you're immortal?!"

"No, silly. Immortal means we can't die, but we can if you stab us or something. We just...take our time aging. In a way, we're ageless...sort of. Yah, Foreverboy, why aren't you explaining things to your little boyfriend here." Zitao cocked an eyebrow, and Chanyeol rolled his eyes.

"He's not my boyfriend, you panda. Go to the Captain and bother him."

"Psh, with the way you two are all over each other, you might as well be fuc--

"Oookay, Zitao, go back to Captain Wu." Chanyeol and Baekhyun's cheeks flamed at Zitao's bluntness, and the latter only chuckled in glee.

"Alright, alright. Hey, Chanyeol?"

"Yeah?"

"I already know how this--

Zitao jerked his chin towards them, and Baekhyun tilted his head.

 "--will go. Well, the gist of it...I hope I'm wrong, but still, be strong, Foreverboy."

Baekhyun flinched in surprise when Zitao dived into the water, a beautiful ripple of sparkling waves following his lean figure. Chanyeol pulled Baekhyun closer in response, nuzzling the back of his neck and massaging his hands. Baekhyun felt the urge to laugh because that was his sensitive spot, but he held it in, afraid of ruining whatever moment they were having (plus, they had started to float upwards thanks to Chanyeol, and Baekhyun thought that they'd fall and die if he started laughing).

"Why does he keep calling you Foreverboy?" Baekhyun asked.

"Because...unlike them, I don't age." Chanyeol's voice was muffled by Baekhyun's magenta locks.

"What do you mean?"

"Shh, let's not talk about that."

"But--

Baekhyun's voice and breath hitched when he felt a pair of familiar warm lips pressing against the skin on his neck. His mind told him that everything was going too fast, way too fast, but his heart and body told him otherwise. Neverland had this lingering sense of forever and being timeless which somehow affected his judgment, so instead of probably head butting the daylight out of Chanyeol and suing him for ual harassment, he leaned and melted into the touch, lacing their fingers together and feeling, for the first time, a different sense of security as he sat between Chanyeol's long legs, arms wrapped around him. He closed his eyes, sleep catching up and the last words he heard before falling asleep were Chanyeol's.

"Are you warm now, pretty miss?"

"Hmm." Baekhyun hummed, and as Chanyeol rested his chin on the crown of Baekhyun's head, the taller of the two pulled him closer, letting the shorter boy rest back his head on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I promise I'll keep you warm, pretty miss."

*

"Hey, mom?"

Baekhyun almost screamed when a cold hand grabbed him by the wrist one night (he had lost track of time thanks to Chanyeol's amazing ability to entertain him and he wasn't sure anymore how long he's been staying in Neverland-- not that he cared because he lived alone and he wouldn't be missed, well, except maybe for Yoogeun). Looking over his shoulder, Sehun's rainbow locks stood out in the dark of the room, the moonlight highlighting the bright colours on his head. Baekhyun sat up, curious as to what Sehun had to say (since it was rare of the younger one to approach him in such a discreet and secretive manner).

"...am I supposed to be mom?" Baekhyun cocked an eyebrow at Sehun, whispering his words so as not to wake up the other boys.

"No, but I got your attention, didn't I?" Sehun grinned shyly, and Baekhyun stifled a giggle.

"That, you did. So what's up? The baby boy can't sleep?" Baekhyun teased, smirking when the younger one rolled his eyes.

"Actually, yeah." Sehun admitted, pushing Baekhyun slightly and perching on the edge of the bed.

"Why? Are you okay? Should we go tell Kyungsoo?" It was an unspoken fact within Baekhyun and the Lost Boys that Kyungsoo was the mother and the most rational of the group.

"No, no, it's okay. You're the one I need to talk to, actually."

"Me?"

Baekhyun moved over to give more space for Sehun, and once they were sitting comfortably in the middle of the bed amidst white sheets and fluffy feather pillows (that Chanyeol had 'secretly' gotten Baekhyun), Sehun shrugged his shoulders, looking out of the window and past Baekhyun's figure.

"What's it like now, the human world?" Sehun whispered cautiously, and Baekhyun raised his eyebrows.

"Pardon?"

"Junmyeon and the others...they think that I don't remember anything like them, but I do, even if it's just a little bit."

"I'm sorry, Hunnie, I'm not following..."

"...I can remember a boy around my age. He was crying, begging me not to go on the ship because he felt that something was wrong, but I was selfish, and I ignored his pleas. Three days later and the ship sank. I remember fainting and thinking of the boy before I passed out in the water, then the next thing I knew, I was on Chanyeollie's back. He saved me, and the rest of the boys, too, but I'm not sure about their stories because I came last. It's the reason why we call ourselves the Lost Boys, because in reality, that's what we are. We're just lost, and Chanyeol found us." Sehun looked at Baekhyun.

"...how long have you been here...?" Baekhyun breathed out, placing his hand above Sehun's.

"It's been a while...the boy in my dreams is probably dead already. That long."

"I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry. So, I figured you were a different case from us because you seem to still remember everything. What's it like, now?"

"It's...noisy. It's better here, if you ask me."

"...what are you to Chanyeol, Baekhyun?" Sehun suddenly asked, and Baekhyun's cheeks flushed a light shade of pink.

Baekhyun felt uncomfortable at the drastic change in topic. He fidgeted in his spot, chewing the inside of his cheeks and twiddling with his fingers. He had no answer to the question, but he did think about it for most of the time. Remembering Chanyeol's loving gazes and caring touches, the fleeting shared kisses of flight, and those cold nights when Chanyeol would silently sidle up to him, scooping him up in his arms to keep him warm, to keep his promise. Baekhyun flushed deeper at the images, eyes flitting to the large lump on the bunk above Jongin's. Sehun noticed his uneasiness, and he chuckled softly.

"Okay, forget it, I understand. Thanks for listening to me."

"No problem...hehe..."

"I felt that you'd understand me and I just needed to let that out, so yeah...sorry if I took precious minutes from your sleep."

"I-It's okay! It's okay. Uhm, Hunnie?"

"Hm?" Sehun dangled his legs off the side of the bed, looking at Baekhyun over his shoulder.

"Is Chanyeol like you and the rest?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is he...is he lost, too?" Baekhyun inquired softly, and Sehun shook his head.

"As far as I know, he's different. They say he's as old as Neverland itself, like...like he's the lifeline of the island." Sehun pushed himself off the bed, careful not to make any noise.

"...oh."

"I think that's why he takes care of us so much even if he may act like a huge goofball most of the time."

"Huh?"

"We're all that he has, and I think that you're everything to him."

"That's not..." Baekhyun mumbled, and Sehun shook his head again, smiling.

"Kyungsoo and Junmyeon thinks so, too, and I believe them when it comes to the giant. They're the ones that has been with him the longest."

Baekhyun could only nod his head in response, watching as Sehun padded to his bunk and dove under his own covers, muttering a quick good night to him. It was all too much information for Baekhyun to process with his sleep deprived brain. Looking at the figures in the room, he couldn't help but feel sad. The Lost Boys always had a happy facade, so he never expected such tragic stories. They once had normal lives, but happened and now they're stuck on a magical island with the perks of taking forever to age.

And then there was Chanyeol, the eternal goofball who, apparently, is forever young (but ironically, as old as Neverland) and also the Lost Boys' saviour. Said boy cherished him and the lost boys so much that Baekhyun could only imagine how long he had been alone to treasure such bonds this much.

Fighting back tears of sympathy, he hopped off the bed and got one pillow, tucking it under his arm. He shuffled over quietly to Jongin and Chanyeol's bunk beds, and carefully ascended the ladder. He crept to Chanyeol's side, and gently picked up the taller boy's arm, wedging himself in his warm embrace. Chanyeol stirred in his sleep, and Baekhyun realized that the other was awake when warm lips brushed against his neck, strong arms habitually pulling him closer.

"Pretty miss...?" Chanyeol murmured, and Baekhyun leaned into his touches.

"...it's cold on my bed. Keep me warm, Chanyeol."

Chanyeol chuckled sleepily, nodding and pulling Baekhyun closer, his chest pressing against the shorter one's back. Baekhyun marvelled at how they seemed to fit in each other's embrace like puzzle pieces. Slowly, he took one of Chanyeol's hand into his, pressing his lips onto the taller boy's fingers ever so softly.

"...is it okay if I stay here forever?" He whispered, not sure if he meant Neverland or Chanyeol's embrace, and the latter's hold on him tightened.

"Are you sure?"

"...no, actually, but it doesn't really matter. I...I want to see your smiles every day." Baekhyun blushed, and Chanyeol hummed softly.

"Then every day, you shall."

"...Chanyeol?"

"Hm?"

"...I think I like you."

Chanyeol remained quiet, and Baekhyun dreaded his answer, but soon relaxed when the taller boy sighed in relief, kissing the back of his head.

"I think I like you, too, Baekhyun." And Baekhyun smiles upon the realization that it's the first time Chanyeol has called him by his name.

And it was perfect.

A/N: Also up on LJ~ neverland (1/2)

how was it? If you read up to this point, I commend you on surviving the initial wave of my word vomit. orz