~~~~~~~~~~

From: Jongin; Hey

From: Jongin; Hey

From: Jongin; Hey Chanyeol

From: Jongin; Hey Chanyeoooooool

These were the four lovely text messages on his phone when Chanyeol decided to check it about an hour after he had woken up. It was a little before noon and Jongin was obviously being needy.

To: Jongin; Yesssssss

Chanyeol threw his phone on his bed after replying, letting Jongin wait a little bit more just to irk him. Chanyeol had a class in an hour and still needed to get out of his pajamas. Fortunately for him, it was his only class of the day. Unfortunately for him, it was his least favorite out of all of his classes. He thought he had been smart to schedule all of his classes before 2 pm, but this one class he never wanted to wake up for. Discrete Mathematics. Chanyeol never had thought that math was evil like many of his other classmates had, but this one class was the epitome of hell.

Chanyeol slumped down onto his bed, sinking into the down blanket that he absolutely adored. It was like a cloud and surrounded him in fluff. His phone went off again, but he let it be. His mind was wandering.

Tonight was the Jung Family’s party. No doubt would there be many business executives and owners of decent-sized companies like the one his father ran. He imagined that there would be many men in suits and many ladies with appropriate dresses, most of them being ten plus years older than himself. He pictured Mr. Jung and his wife among everyone else, shaking hands and giving introductions. They would probably love to see him again, along with his parents who would be attending as well. Jiyoon would look nice in a respectable dress, maybe having her hair styled differently or wearing more make up for the occasion. The food would be divine, and house would be filled with conversations.

He tried to picture everything he would see, but, of course, there was something else that surfaced in his head instead. Baek would probably be there. It’s a big ‘if’, because he might not be. He hadn’t had come to dinner that night and the reason worried Chanyeol. Had he asked too much of him to come? Did he not feel comfortable coming? All of these questions made Chanyeol’s head hurt and he pressed harder into his pillow, hoping to numb his lulling headache.

He wanted to text Baekhyun and ask him if he would be there, but there were too many insecurities buzzing around his head. What if he said no? What if he didn’t reply at all? What if Chanyeol was being too blatantly obvious that he was starting to like him?

Chanyeol let that thought sink in. He had admitted it to himself. He liked Baekhyun; might even go as far enough to say he had a crush on him. There was a reason Baekhyun flittered around Chanyeol’s thoughts all day, why Chanyeol got excited with the aspect of seeing or talking to him.

It was just a fleeting feeling though, nothing more. It couldn’t be anything more. Baekhyun would made a great brother-in-law, someone in the family you would enjoy to have around during the holidays. He would help alleviate the tension around Chanyeol and Jiyoon with his perfectly timed comments, and hopefully bring some color to the Jung house, which Chanyeol had so far witnessed as being quite bland.

Feeling like he had given Jongin enough time to simmer, he found his phone hidden beneath the covers and unlocked the screen. Unsurprisingly, Jongin had texted back quickly.

From: Jongin; Can we make cookies?

Chanyeol groaned internally. Jongin said he was straight, but good lord some of the things he said did nothing to help his cause.

To: Jongin; I’ve got class soon.

Before he even closed the screen there was a response.

From: Jongin; After?

To: Jongin; I’ve gotta go to a party at Jiyoons.

From: Jongin; Oh. Well have fun. Is that something you would have fun at? Is Baekhyun gonna be there?

And there goes Jongin asking the million-dollar question.

To: Jongin; Dunno

He left it at that and sauntered off to his class from hell.

~~~

A few hours later and Chanyeol had turned into a mixture of nervousness and dread. On one hand he was dreading having to talk with a bunch of old fogies that he didn’t know and having to be introduced to even more. Plus there was the awfulness of having both his parents and Jiyoon’s parents in the same room with each other, probably talking about both of their children, which is never good for said children.

But the on the other hand his belly was swirling with nervous butterflies because none other than One Hundred himself was going to be there.

He got ready, much in the same way he did the night Jiyoon came over for dinner, but feeling much less anticipation running through him and more nerves. Tonight was a tad formal, so he pulled out his sleek black suit as his father had instructed him to. He looked nice, he just hoped that people couldn’t smell the sweat his nerves were causing.

He went downstairs into the living room where his father was sitting and reading a newspaper.  He was also wearing a suit, yet it made him look much more sophisticated than Chanyeol’s made him. Chanyeol blamed it on the fact that his face made him look ten.

Looking up, his father noticed him. “Ah, Chanyeol-ah. Did you want to take separate cars?”

Chanyeol didn’t really think too hard about it and nodded. The less time he would have to spend around his mother, the better. Just then, said woman came down the stairs in a flash, looking flushed.

“Are we going to be late? Did I take too long to get ready?” She asked in a rush.

“No, we’re on time. We’re going to take separate cars from Chanyeol.” His father said.

His mother looked confused. “Why separate cars?”

“In case he wants to stay later with Jiyoon after we tire out and want to go home.” Odds are it’d be the opposite and he’d want to go home earlier than them, but he went with his father’s explanation. “It sounds like this party it going to run late.”

His mother seemed to accept that reason and hurriedly rushed to get her shoes on. “Well then let’s go right away. Chanyeol, you’ll be right behind us, right?”

“Yes.” He muttered.

She must not have heard the distaste in his voice because she said okay and walked out the door, seemingly expecting her husband to follow after her. Mr. Park sighed, although not out of annoyance, and indeed followed behind her.

Chanyeol took his time going upstairs to grab his car keys. Waltzing down the steps, he then slowly put on his Dockers and grabbed his coat off the rack. He didn’t need to get there any sooner than necessary.

Fifteen minutes later—because he had purposely been going under the speed limit—he pulled up to the curb a few houses down from Jiyoon’s. The street was packed with the different cars from what he expected to be all of the guest’s. He spotted his parent’s car a little ways away from him, parked and empty, meaning that his parents must already be inside.

He walked up the steps to the front door. Not quite sure whether or not he should or shouldn’t ring the doorbell, he plays it safe and pressed a finger to the orange button next to the door. It opened immediately by someone whose job was obviously just to open the front door to guests. The doorman asked for his invitation, and Chanyeol was about to go into panic when Mrs. Jung passed by and saw him.

“Chanyeol-ah! It’s so good that you made it.”

He smiled. “Nice to see you again, Mother. Thank you for inviting me.” He bowed.

“Oh not a problem at all. Come in, do come in.”

And thus started his night of exactly what he had expected. Talking to older people who all were a part of the business word and somehow related to both his family and the Jung’s. Conversations between different people all started to run together and by the time he was asked about his plans after college for the 17^th time the words spewing out of his mouth came without having to think about it. Two hours of this went on, but seeming like an eternity to Chanyeol. It might have been because of low expectations to begin with, but not seeing Baekhyun anywhere about the house didn’t really surprise him. Eventually he stopped looking around for that increasingly familiar head of hair, coming to terms with himself that if Baekhyun was here, he’d probably have already found him. Even though Chanyeol hadn’t anticipated his appearance, it still bummed him out.

Eventually he was reunited with his parents, whom then discussed him with other people around him. As much as he loved being talked about right in front of his face, he was actually relieved when Mr. Jung caught his attention, his daughter standing next to him.

She looked happy, but Chanyeol wondered if it was just a mask, judging by her breakdown in the park. She looked just as dressed up as he was, hands clasped together in front of her poofy dress.

“Hi Chanyeol, how are you?” She bowed her head in greeting.

“I’m doing well, how are you?” He said on autopilot.

She smiled, yet it looked strained. “Just fine.”

Suddenly a group of people were surrounding them, ogling the two like they were exotic birds on display. Chanyeol was starting to feel stress-sweat seep through his undershirt and claustrophobia starting to kick in. Looking over at Jiyoon, he found her to be rather calm. Although the barely-there furrow in her brow gave her away at being the opposite.

Someone asked, “Is this the couple-to-be?” Someone else then questioned, “When is the wedding?” There were many questions and comments being said and Chanyeol couldn’t keep track of any of it. He heard people calling them a cute couple, and others giving out congratulations. Of course none of these people he knew before tonight, many he still hadn’t even had met yet.

Eventually the loud and proud voice of Mr. Jung quieted down the crowd. “Yes, this of course is my daughter, Jiyoon, and Park Chanyeol, her husband-to-be.” The crowd’s voices got loud again and Chanyeol tried to smile brightly, although it was slipping. He wasn’t expecting having their engagement being officially announced to people tonight.

Someone in the crowd was loud enough for everyone to hear and commented, “But I don’t see an engagement ring.” This remark quieted the crowd down again, waiting to hear the reason for the absence of a diamond on Jiyoon’s third finger.

Mr. Jung smiled, all too pleased to having been asked such a question. “An official engagement ceremony will take place in roughly two weeks.” This had Chanyeol’s head snapping in his father-in-law’s direction, because it certainly was news to Chanyeol. His heart felt heavy with the announcement and he was sure the color had drained out of his face.

In the midst of the chaos surrounding his feelings, he managed to pick out the faces of his parents in the crowd. They didn’t seemed phased at all and he had half a feeling that they already knew about it. He also looked at Jiyoon, who upon seeing her facial expression had frightened him. Her smile was so fractured and forced that she looked as if she was about to crack. Either she didn’t know either or hearing it again made her just as stunned as the first time hearing it.

People began talking amongst each other again, most talking about the engagement. Chanyeol felt like he was in a daze, and could only nod when his mother and mother-in-law suggested going off somewhere quieter with Jiyoon. 

He followed behind Jiyoon’s smaller frame into a hallway. Most of the bottom floor of the house was scattered with people, so he hadn’t a clue as to where they were going to go, as it mother had put it, ‘converse’ with Jiyoon.

When she took a few turns through some relatively empty hallways (as everyone else was in the main rooms), she ended up going towards a staircase. Chanyeol was wondering if she’d lead him up it when she turned around abruptly and stopped.

Her expression was a mixture of sadness and fury, and her eyes looked bloodshot. “I’m terribly sorry to be a horrible host, Chanyeol, but I feel awfully tired. I think that I shall retire to my room, although it’s a bad time to do so, being so early and all. I’m sorry, but I’ll be saying goodbye here.”

Chanyeol was a little surprised, but thought it might be the best, sensing that Jiyoon might be on the verge of a breakdown.

Before she could say goodbye, however, Chanyeol just had to know something. “Jiyoon, just one question before you leave.” She looked up at him inquisitively. “Did you know that it’d be in a couple of weeks?”

Her eyes were set on him yet she looked like she was looking past him, as if she was scratching around in her mind for an answer. “No.” She said curtly. “I did not. But there’s nothing we can really do about it now.”

Chanyeol was taken aback. “Right.” He managed to say.

“Well. Goodnight then.” She said quickly before turning around and swiftly moving up the stairs.

And now Chanyeol was alone.

There was a table with a mirror above it in the hallway, and next to it stood a chair. Plopping down in it, he was content to sit there for a while, hiding from the rest of the crowd.

He sighed when he realized he was thinking about Baek. He wanted to see him. He was the only reason Chanyeol would have been remotely interested in coming to this party. Even if he really hadn’t believed he could see him, he still wanted to.

Hope bubbling in his belly, he pulled out his phone from his suit jacket’s pocket. Scrolling through his contacts, he smiled at himself when he remembered what he had changed Baekhyun’s name to. Not only was it a very inventive nickname, but it also put him at the top of his contacts list.

To: 100; Are you by chance at the party and I just can’t find you?

He pressed send before he could second guess himself and waited. He tapped his foot up and down, strumming his fingers along his knee in semi-patience, and was all too giddy when the phone in his hands vibrated moments later.

From: 100; third floor veranda

Chanyeol slightly frowned at the short and curt reply, but it was a reply nonetheless. He wasn’t quite sure where he was going, but if it was on the third floor that must mean he had to go up. He ascended the stairs Jiyoon had about ten minutes earlier to find himself on the second floor. He didn’t immediately see another set of stairs that went higher, so he started walking down one hallway, even though his gut was telling him he was snooping.

He came to a fork in the road, but luckily could see what looked like more stairs at the end of one, so he set off in that direction. It probably helped that he was trying to be quiet, and thus walking with soft steps, that he distinctly heard a muffled something. Walking closer towards the stairs and what he thought was the source of the sound he was hearing, he began to liken it to crying.

Getting his bearings straight, he stepped closer to a door further up on his right which he believed faced the street. He held his breath and tried to listen beyond the wooden frame. It was definitely sobbing, and using deduction, it was definitely Jiyoon.

His heart faltered a little hearing the girl who was obviously in pain or heartache. He remembered back when he was out on the street after dinner a few weeks ago and he looked back up to the house to see a pink bedroom. He suspected now that it indeed was Jiyoon’s.

He almost knocked on the door, but he stopped himself. She left him alone in the hallway because she must have wanted to be alone also. If she had wanted a shoulder to lean on, she would have asked earlier. It’s not like they weren’t alone and in private earlier, so she had had her chance. Plus Chanyeol was horrible in those situations and he was almost certain she would have just pushed him away. So he continued on his path, climbing the stairs at the end of the hallway.

The third floor of the house was definitely much smaller than the second and ground floors, area-wise, and also much darker. There was a light hanging from the middle of the ceiling, but it was not on and the only illumination came from what little light seeped up the steps from the second floor hallway. At the landing he was faced with three doors. One was slightly ajar, albeit dark inside, and peeking in he figured that it just might be Baekhyun’s bedroom. He didn’t want to admit it, but the distinct scent he had come to associate with Baek was wafting from the room, and it helped him reach that conclusion.

The other two doors were quite different from each other, one looking just like the bedroom door and most of the other doors inside the house. The other door had grips on the edges and a no space under it, looking much like a door that would lead outside. The odd blend of nervousness and excitement coiled in his gut peaked as he turned the handle.

It was chilly and there were no lights on outside, yet he could make out the outline of a swinging bench. And on that bench he saw the silhouette of a hunched boy. A specific boy.

Baekhyun turned his head, what scarce light there was falling upon his face and body. He was sitting, hugging his knees to his chest, a small welcome smile floating on his face.

“Hi.”

Chanyeol smiled at his voice, albeit it sounding very small. “Hey.” He responded.

Not sure what to do, Chanyeol fiddled with his hands for a few seconds before Baekhyun patted the free space on the swinging bench next to him. Chanyeol shut the door he had left open, enveloping them in darkness save for the moonlight that cast down upon them. Chanyeol slowly moved around to the other side of the bench, hoping he wouldn’t trip, and sat down, pushing the swing. What the bench had obscured from his view while he was behind it, he now got to see. A small side table stood in front of the swinging bend topped with a few green bottles. One already empty.

When he took his eyes off of the compromising soju, he looked towards the open space in front of them, dropping his mouth open in awe. The view was beautiful from up here. They were at the back of the house, facing what was behind it. Chanyeol’s eyes scanned the horizon, seeing other houses flow away from them up to the skyline where the city lights shined bright.

“Wow.” Is all he could say.

A sound akin to a small laugh came from next to him and he turned his head, seeing a smile on Baekhyun’s lips. Even though he was bunched up in a blanket and hugging his knees, his face was still completely visible and was being basked in white moonlight. Every contour was enunciated with the moonlight hitting each curve of his cheeks, and lips, and eyes, and nose perfectly. Although he did miss the eyeliner that usually rimmed his lids, tonight Baekhyun was without it, and it made him just look that much more pure. Chanyeol’s breath got caught in his throat. The view wasn’t the only beautiful thing up here.

“Cold at all?” Baekhyun asked, holding up another blanket he had picked up from beside him. Chanyeol ironically felt a chill run up his spine—that he didn’t really think was because of the goddess divine in front of him—and took the blanket from Baekhyun’s grasp. He positioned his body at an angle so he half faced outward, half faced Baekhyun and draped the blanket over him, immediately starting to feel warm again.

“We missed you at dinner the other night.” Chanyeol mentioned, trying to not sound as questioning as he had been disappointed.

Baekhyun looked down at his lap. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Taking the empty bottle of soju in front of him, Chanyeol chose his next words wisely. “It was a shame to not see you at the party either.”

Baekhyun sighed and poured himself a shot of the alcohol, drinking it in one shot. “I wasn’t invited.”

That took Chanyeol by surprise. Feeling bold, he replied with an, “Oh?” hoping to get a reason out of the boy who he really hoped wasn’t getting drunk.

“Nope.” He didn’t go on further, so Chanyeol had to be content with just that. Baekhyun reached for the soju bottle again, this time filling not only his shot glass, but another one that had been resting on the table. He held the full shot glass out towards Chanyeol who took it without a second thought. He’d have to drive home tonight, but he could have a few. He sipped it.

Chanyeol suddenly remembered his earlier encounter and downed the rest of his shot. “Hey, when I was coming up here…I’m pretty sure I heard Jiyoon, um, well. I think I heard her crying in her bedroom.”

Baekhyun turned his head towards Chanyeol and stared at him with a blank face. Even with the alcohol in his system, Chanyeol expected him to look more worried about his sister. But instead he sighed and refilled Chanyeol’s glass.

“I’m not surprised.” He mumbled. Chanyeol looked at him hard. When Baekhyun finally noticed he frowned. “It’s not because I’m a jerk. This party was just scheduled on the worst day imaginable.” He drank again. “It’s their ing anniversary for Christ’s sake.”

Chanyeol furrowed his brows in confusion. “Whose?”

Baekhyun sighed and rubbed his now-pinkening face. “I guess you’ll never catch up if no one ever tells you.” Chanyeol tried not to take offense and took another sip. Baekhyun continued, “Jiyoon’s and Joonmyun’s anniversary. I think it’s their seventh. Whatever it is. They dated before you came along.”

Chanyeol remembered hearing the name Joonmyun back when Baekhyun had gotten drunk before, and started to try and piece the puzzle together.

Baekhyun laughed to himself. “Today is the anniversary of when they started dating.” He paused, looking like he was thinking. “They didn’t just date though. It was more than that, it had to be. They loved each other so freaking much.”

Chanyeol’s heart tugged in his chest. He didn’t want to marry her, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel the pain that she must have gone through. “What happened?” He asked carefully.

Baekhyun sat up straighter. His eyelids were getting droopy. “You don’t see him anywhere, do you? They broke up. Had to.”

Chanyeol held his breath. “Why?”

Baekhyun stayed quiet for a while, gazing out at the horizon, his eyes dark and solemn. “It’s complicated.”

Chanyeol was shut out again. But he couldn’t really do anything to press Baekhyun into telling more, so he let it be.   

They continued to drink for what had to have been an hour or so. They didn’t talk much, the silence around them feeling peaceful and nice. Chanyeol knew his limit and he was coming dangerously close to not being able to drive. If it turned out he couldn’t, at least he could take a cab home and pick his car up in the morning, but he still tried to drink little so he could stay sober.

Baekhyun definitely drank more than Chanyeol, finishing off an entire bottle just by himself. And that of course was on top of the one that had already been emptied by the time Chanyeol had gotten there. Baekhyun had turned completely towards Chanyeol at some point, and now his feet had slipped, touching Chanyeol’s thigh. Chanyeol didn’t mind.

At least this time Baekhyun wasn’t a wreck. His cheeks were quite rosy and his eyelids were drooping closed a lot of the time, but there were no tears coming out of them, so Chanyeol saw that as a plus. He figured Baekhyun was just tired.

Chanyeol’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and saw a text from his mom.

From: Mom; We’re leaving honey. Where are you?

He quickly resonded.

To: Mom; We’re talking. I’ll leave later. If I don’t see you at home, goodnight.

Technically he wasn’t lying. He was talking with someone. Just not the someone his mother expected it to be. He turned his phone on silent and put it back in his pocket.

Baekhyun rested his head on his slightly bent knees, turning it so he could look out. He wiggled his toes and Chanyeol felt it against his leg. It made his smile.

“Hey, Yeol?” His voice sounded croaky, the alcohol turning it hoarse.

“Yeah?” Chanyeol looked at the top of his head since it was the only thing he could see.

“What would you have done if you had a choice?”

“A choice?”

“Yeah.”

Chanyeol pondered. “You’re talking about the marriage?”

Baekhyun’s body heaved out a sigh, but Chanyeol still couldn’t see his facial expression. “In general.”

That was a tough question. He looked at the hair on top of Baekhyun’s head, wanting to reach out and twirl it around his finger. “You first. What would do if you had a choice?”

Baekhyun sat up and looked at him. Baekhyun’s eyes looked tired and his brows were furrowed a little bit, but Chanyeol didn’t break their gaze.

Baekhyun let out a sigh and looked back out at the night sky. “I would have chosen more acceptance.”

That made Chanyeol’s heart drop. So much pain was unspoken in that one wish. Chanyeol knew how hard Baekhyun’s life was, his parents not accepting his uality and rejecting any form of a relationship with him that would come close to being normal. He was alienated in his own house, not allowed any of the luxuries or conveniences the rest of the family had. He was treated like a sore, as if everyone, save for Jiyoon, just wanted to get rid of him, not caring if he ended up dead.

Chanyeol felt Baekhyun’s toes rub against him and he looked at the boy. His eyes were now bloodshot and he was chewing on his bottom lip. “Now you.” Baekhyun replaced his head atop his knees, but this time he did so face down. Chanyeol thought he might be hiding tears, but he wasn’t sure.

Chanyeol thought about it for a while, picturing where he’d be now if his arranged marriage never existed. It worried him when all other places didn’t actually sound that appealing. Not one of them even came close to being as nice as where he was right now, on the veranda. With Baekhyun.

“If I had a choice…I think, to be honest…I wouldn’t be marrying your sister.” He took his eyes off of the top of Baekhyun’s head and looked outward towards the skyline. “I wouldn’t be in business school, and I wouldn’t be living at home either. If I had a choice I’d be roommates with Jongin at the college of my choosing, probably a Liberal Arts one where I’d be pursuing journalism, and join the comic book club even if it is full of nerds. I’d be taking rhetoric classes instead of impossible math classes that make my head spin. I probably wouldn’t have a car, but that’s okay, because I’ve always wanted to be one of those poor college students who have to save every cent. I’d go to loud parties and try to scout out a nice girl for Jongin, because he really is a perfect guy but way too shy to find someone for himself. I’d wear second-hand clothing and probably eat too much ramyeon. I’d buy cheap booze and spend every Saturday night with the person I want to be with, and wrap my arms around him.” 

If Baekhyun was paying attention he would have caught that slip Chanyeol just made, but as he already said it, he got over the blushing in his cheeks and went on. 

“There’s only one problem. I probably wouldn’t be on this veranda with you right now. And that’d be a shame.”

He finally looked at Baekhyun, only to find the other boy looking right back. Baekhyun cleared his throat and looked away, his cheeks becoming redder.

Chanyeol’s insides did a twirl because Baekhyun was so pretty. His cheeks were rosy from the soju and the chilly temperature, his eyes were dark orbs that seemed to be so deep they went on forever, the moonlight reflecting off of his skin made it absolutely glisten, and he was just so beautiful.

Chanyeol’s mouth fell open and it felt really dry. The longer he looked at Baekhyun the faster his heart beat and the more his hands twitched in his lap. His breathing started to speed up and he could literally feel the adrenaline running through his bloodstream.

Chanyeol leaned over Baek’s knees and kissed him.

It was only a moment, but all of his senses erupted. Baekhyun’s lips were soft and warm, and he pressed against them just as delicately as they were. He pulled away only slightly, a fraction of an inch, and opened his eyes to see a new wave of color splash across Baekhyun’s wonderful cheeks that were right in his line of vision.

He sat back completely in his original posture and looked at the floor in front of him. If anything his breathing had gotten faster from before. He shouldn’t have done that, he really shouldn’t have done that. His brain obviously had not been in control because he completely ignored reason and had kissed him. Next to him Baekhyun had pivoted and put his feet on the ground. Out of the corner of his eye Chanyeol could see Baekhyun’s hands balled up into fists next to his sides. It made him feel worse.

Why did I do that? You weren’t thinking at all. That was stupid and you’re an idiot. You just ruined everything. You and Baek are now gonna be awkward, and Jiyoon is gonna find out and it’s gonna be terrible. You stupid, stupid, stupid—

Chanyeol’s thoughts dissipated because he felt those same lips from earlier now pressing against his own. He registered what was happening just in time to see Baekhyun’s beautiful eyes fluttering closed. He could feel the breath from Baekhyun’s nose floating across his cheek.

Baekhyun pulled away a thousand years too soon, bringing Chanyeol forward with him before Baekhyun pulled away completely. He sat, much like Chanyeol had before, gaze fixed on the floor and hands fiddling in his lap. But this time Chanyeol kept his eyes on Baekhyun. He didn’t shy away. He wasn’t going to listen to his brain, he was going to listen to his feelings. He was going to give in.

He cupped Baekhyun’s face with both hands and kissed him again, much more firmly, his sudden movement making the bench swing slightly. His lips swept over Baekhyun’s again and again, his hands angling his head so he could kiss him deeper. It wasn’t long before he could feel Baekhyun kissing back and it made him all the more avid. Kissing him was like heaven on Earth, like fireworks and parades, like all his worries disappeared. Chanyeol moved his thumb across Baekhyun’s cheek and then moved his hand down to rest on his neck.

He suddenly felt two hands shove his chest, forcing his lips to break apart from Baekhyun’s and his hands to drop. He opened his eyes. Baekhyun looked worried, and flushed, his eyes sporadically looking around the ground. He suddenly stood up, but it was too quick and he hit the small table in front of him, almost knocking it over. Both of them reached out to catch it before it fell, Baekhyun ultimately being the one to grab it. One empty bottle did end up falling, but it didn’t break when it landed on the ground with a thunk.

Baekhyun had one hand pressed to his forehead. Chanyeol couldn’t see his face, but he was breathing heavily and shaking horribly. Chanyeol was just about to call out his name in affection, but before he could Baekhyun strode past him in a flurry and out the door, closing it swiftly behind him.

Chanyeol was left in silence.

He couldn’t comprehend what happened. Slowly he stood up. He reached down and picked up the empty soju bottle, resting it back on the small table. He walked towards the railing of the veranda and rested his palms on it. After one last scan of the sky, he turned and went out the door.

Baekhyun’s door was closed and no light streamed from underneath it. Chanyeol stood outside it for a minute, waiting for what he only hoped would happen, for Baekhyun to open it. But he didn’t.

Chanyeol made his way downstairs, past all of the stragglers still there at the end of the party, and without thanking his hosts, left.