The penthouse was everything Chanyeol expected and more.

When they got into the elevator, Tao inserted a special key next to the top floor button and it shot them right up to the top of the building. Once at the top they were able to exit into a small square hallway, the only door assumedly Baekhyun's and blocked by a keypad. Tao hid the number from him before punching it in and hanging his elevator key back around his neck.

Tao paused and held the door.  "I have one last thing to say before we go in...I know Kris already talked to you about it...but at anytime and anywhere, no matter what it is we do, you are not to speak of it."

Chanyeol gulped but nodded slowly, wondering not for the last time what exactly he'd gotten himself into.

If the outside of the building had seemed remotely fancy and intimidating it was nothing compared to the interior. Even in the lobby of the building Chanyeol had been able to estimate its apartments by the bright chandeliers and the marbled tiles. But the penthouse was completely off his radar.

It seemed everything from the walls to the furniture was bright white and pristine, contrasted only by the occasional black and off color. It was wide and spacious, stretching an incredible amount across the floor, only interrupted by the wall to his right with doors, which he guessed were bedrooms. The farthest wall was all glass and led out onto a wide balcony. Inside, there was art that looked like it belonged in a museum somewhere and electronic gadgets that seemed like they'd somehow traveled back in time from the future.

Kris sat off to the side on a plush foot stool while the owner in question sprawled over his bright couch. His tie and jacket were draped lazily over another chair and he'd kicked off his shoes haphazardly.

Chanyeol could hardly stand the injustice of it all. There were people like him and his father in the world, working hard every day from their 9 to 5 doing menial tasks under slave driving bosses. While indecent people...namely criminals were sitting in their expensive high-rises in Gangnam, hiring body guards and driving around foreign cars. Why did dishonest people always seem to get the best of it?

But then again he supposed he was one of those dishonest people now. He could only wonder when he'd be paid his dues, and what exactly he'd have to do to get it.

"Tao, can you order a pizza or something?" demanded Baekhyun with a whine. "I'm ing starving."

"It’s almost 1 AM. No one delivers this late except McDonalds."

"Then quit flapping your gums and order me a damn BigMac. My fridge is empty."

Chanyeol listened in disbelief as his boss whined. He was a constant surprise, one moment whining for food like an overgrown toddler and the next threatening to cut off your and feed it to the fishes.  He wondered vaguely if Baekhyun would ever start making sense.

"Order yourselves something while you're at it," he added casually.

Tao nodded and pulled out his cell phone. "Chanyeol, what do you want?"

He suddenly felt nervous when Baekhyun eyed him from his position. He stood awkwardly to the side of the room, unsure if he should even look at let alone touch anything. "Me? UM. I'm fine thank you."

"You sure, sweetness?' asked the man from the couch, rolling over onto his elbow. “It’ll be a long night for you without any food. And I sure as hell ain’t cooking."

"Okay," he relented when the pressure was too much. "I'll just have a coke...and some fries." He was actually more than a little nauseous with nervousness. It reminded him of his childhood, meeting the principal of his school with his mom.

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

When Tao called in the order Baekhyun the TV (which was much larger than any TV had the right to be) and he plopped down on a couch himself. Chanyeol continued to stand awkwardly to the side until Tao signaled him over. Tentatively he sat down beside the quiet Chinese boy. Though all of them were frightening in their own right, at least Tao had gone out of his way to help him out whenever he could. And for that Chanyeol was grateful.

They were watching one of those late night variety show reruns. The type where a bunch of celebrities get together and have to do stupid challenges and dares. It was the type of show he liked to watch and even though he'd seen the episode when it aired last week, he still fought the urge to laugh, but he remained intimidated by the silence.

So it was very much to his surprise when Baekhyun broke the silence, bursting into laughter when one of the hosts was forced to participate and ended up a fool. Chanyeol didn't think he'd ever expected to hear the man laugh, truly laugh. Hell, he didn't expect to be here at all, sitting around in a mob boss’ house like some sort of weird party. It was almost a wondrous situation, trying to figure out how in a little over a week he'd gone from dead man to what seemed to be the notorious Byun Baekhyun's inner circle.

When the food arrived and Kris fetched it from the lobby, Baekhyun surprised him again by sprawling out the contents of his nasty food on the couch. It was a simple wonder someone as rich as him would even bother to eat the stuff but for him to actually be quite a sloppy eater was unprecedented.

More than once he ended up with ketchup on his lip, and feeling strangely OCD Chanyeol fought the urge to wipe it off himself. As they continued to eat, Tao kept sending him a certain look, indicating in his point of view that this was all very normal and routine.

---

To be perfectly honest, neither Tao nor Kris were sure of what Baekhyun intended of Park Chanyeol. They’d been around him long enough to understand his wants and perhaps even his…needs. But Chanyeol remotely fit the profile at best, although Minseok had seemed to think otherwise.

If they were surprised that begging and pleading had gotten Chanyeol into the organization, then they were dead shocked that his poor display at the warehouse had somehow promoted him. From the little they’d heard, in their eyes the boy had done nothing of merit to warrant the leniency Baekhyun was showing him. And even to someone younger like Tao, Chanyeol was just that. A boy. A boy way in over his head with no choice but to sink or swim. He supposed Chanyeol had chosen to swim when he’d bowed down in front of Baekhyun but still. The boy was a fool.

So he sighed heavily when Baekhyun gave the instruction to leave the boy upstairs. Tao had figured it would turn out this way, that’s why he’d mentioned all the ground rules to Chanyeol first.

But apparently the boy was still surprised when he instructed him to stay up and not join him and Kris in the elevator down.

“What? Me? Stay here?”

Tao nodded. “This is how it usually works. Kris and I or two others of our choosing stay in the lobby. Someone else stays up here for extra security. Though admittedly it’s never been an issue.”

“But I don’t even know how to fight!” Chanyeol protested. He pointed out his cast, “My hand is broken!” This is ridiculous!

“Problem, cupcake?” said Baekhyun from behind him and clapped a hand over his shoulder.

“No!” he squeaked, surprised at how silently the other moved.

He smiled kindly but a wicked glint brightened his eye. “Run along boys. We’ll be fine up here. Won’t we, honey?”

Chanyeol nodded for lack of a better response but swallowed thickly.

Tao sighed again as the elevator doors shut.

“What is he thinking?” asked Kris in disbelief, switching to Mandarin when they were on their way down.

“Don’t ask me, because I’m just as confused as you.”

“But he should know better than this. We barely even know the kid.”

“Well I can’t say for sure, but from experience I think it’s like giving a kid a new toy. He likes it at first, and maybe he plays with it a little, but he’ll always give it up when something brighter and shinier comes along.”

“Are you calling Boss a toddler?”

Tao laughed. “Well isn’t he?”

“I guess you’re right…”

“But I guess we should give him the benefit of the doubt right? He might be quick to trust people, but he does it only if his instincts are good. And they usually are, right? I mean, look at us.”

They were silent a moment, and Tao didn’t know about Kris but he certainly had a moment of reflection, remembering the way he’d been before Baekhyun had found him in the gutter.

“Nevertheless,” sighed Kris as they exited into the lobby. “I still don’t like him.”

---

Chanyeol did not like being alone with Byun Baekhyun.

Sure, they’d been together before, but it was only a few hours under a forced hostage situation. There was no situation now and Baekhyun certainly wasn’t tied up. In fact he was free to roam around and do whatever he pleased. After all it was his domain. And maybe that’s what worried him.

“Ah,” Baekhyun sighed with a happy grin. “I’m free! I feel like some wine. Do you want some wine Chanbaby?”

“Um… no thanks.” Besides the fact that it was almost 2 AM and he was tired as , Chanyeol was getting a little uncomfortable with all of his new nicknames.

Baekhyun just shrugged his shoulders. “Suit yourself.” He strode over to his wine cooler, a walk in glass chamber with more bottles than the bar at XOXO. He pulled down a vintage French wine off the shelf and debated it with another, before shrugging again and bringing them both out.

Chanyeol stood with his hands folded in front of him, tugging delicately at the hem of his borrowed suit.

“Sit down, you stiff,” Baekhyun commanded. “You’re making me uncomfortable.”

Chanyeol nodded and sat down on one of the long white couches, though he remained on the edge of it, hands folded.

“Damn,” said Baekhyun after taking one look at him. He poured a second glass of wine anyway and forced Chanyeol to take it. “I bet your friends think you’re loads of fun.” He downed a large sip of his red and sat on the opposite side of the couch.

Chanyeol ignored the jab and took a sniff of his glass. It even smelled expensive.

“I already poured so you might as well drink,” the other said with a sigh. “And you’re basically my babysitter so don’t be afraid to talk, honey. I don’t bite… hard.”

Perhaps the sheer awkwardness had finally gotten to him, or maybe he really did find Baekhyun’s wink funny, but the little gesture the other made almost had him snorting up the sip he’d just taken. He had to cover his mouth to keep from spitting up red wine all over the pristine couch.

Baekhyun smiled triumphantly before taking another sip. “There we are.”

When Chanyeol had recovered from his coughing fit he finally spoke up. “Do you get off on perpetuating the gay stereotype?”

“Oh, honey,” he said, emphasis on the feminine timbre of his voice. “I get off on a lot of things.”

“Then that’s a yes.”

“You’re free to think whatever you want, darling.”

“You know Tao told me you’d try and mess with me.”

“Oh? Did he now?”

“Yep. So despite what you may think of me, I may be uncomfortable here but I already know what I’m in for.”

“Well boo,” Baekhyun mock pouted. “You really are no fun. And here I was thinking Park Chanyeol with the horse-racing debts and the sainted parents might be a little more interestin