"It just seems so surreal, you know?" Baekhyun sighed wistfully, collapsing face first on his bed.

Chanyeol perked up from a similar position on his own bed across the room. "What does?"

His mop of brown hair was disheveled and still a bit damp from his recent shower. He looked a little dazed, and Baekhyun couldn't help but laugh at his expression. He was tired, of course. They all were. Everyone was exhausted beyond belief as a result of the past few years of their lives, and mere hours ago, they had each received promise of more to come. "What do you mean, doofus?" He asked incredulously, rolling onto his back and lifting his head to stare at the other boy. "Debuting, of course. What else would I be talking about...?"

"Oh. Right," Chanyeol sank back into the mattress, lifting both hands to rub at his eyes sleepily. "Give me a break Baekhyun, I'm sleep deprived."

Baekhyun smiled to himself, jumping into a sitting position. He stretched one leg across the short distance between their beds, poking the other's long leg with a sock-covered foot. "How can you even think about sleeping right now?" He inquired, eyes wide and alert despite his tired, aching muscles. "We're debuting, Chanyeol. Debuting. This is what we've always dreamed about. I doubt I'll be able to close my eyes at all tonight."

His best friend's silence was a bit disappointing. "Chanyeol?" He called out, lightly kicking the unresponsive boy a second time.

When he still refused to acknowledge Baekhyun's attempts, the latter grabbed a pillow and lobbed it carefully at his face. It landed with a muffled thump and a sudden cry from Chanyeol, and the disgruntled boy sat up with a huff of annoyance. He pouted, and the only thing his squinting, lost eyes managed to do was make him look cranky and confused. "Please don't fall asleep yet," Baekhyun pleaded, getting to his feet and sitting next to Chanyeol on the other's bed. "I want to talk."

Chanyeol breathed deeply, arching his back and stretching his arms above his head before letting them fall limply at his sides. "Alright then. Let's talk."

Baekhyun chewed on his lower lip, a nervous habit he had developed early on as a trainee. His mind was racing with a million unanswered questions about what his future would hold, and although he doubted Chanyeol would have any of the answers he sought, he wanted desperately to get all the exciting and equally terrifying thoughts off his chest. "It just seems like everything's happening too fast for me," he confessed, running his socks against the hardwood floor at his feet. "I mean, I haven't even been training for a year. And now, I'm about to be thrown into the the music industry with eleven other people, bypassing the trainees who've worked just as hard, if not harder, to be where I am right now. I just can't help but feel like I'm a bit lacking, compared to the other members, who have been training for some five or six years--" he paused momentarily, glancing hesitantly at his friend, silently praying that no lines had been crossed. "I... I'm sorry. I know you've been here a lot longer than I have. My worries must seem so insignificant to you, knowing that I've only had to endure less than a quarter of what you've been through."

Chanyeol shook his head, frowning. "I don't give a about that, Baek, honestly. I don't resent you just because you're relatively new to the whole training scene. Sure, the last four years have been pretty hard. But this is what I want to do with my life, so I'm really just happy it's all falling into place."

"I know, I know. And don't get me wrong, I'm just as grateful for this kind of opportunity as you are. This is my childhood dream, finally playing out the way I always wanted it to, after all. But it all seems a bit to good to be true. What if I'm not as good as the rest of you? What if I can't keep up with everyone else, because they've been preparing for so much longer than I have?" Baekhyun lifted a hand to his head, closing his eyes. "Oh God, just listen to me. I must sound so pathetic to you right now..."

He felt a hand close around his wrist, pulling it away from his face, and he turned to look Chanyeol in the eye. "No, you really don't," he assured Baekhyun, his gaze no longer tired and foggy, but serious. "No one could ever blame you for having doubts. We all do. But that's the thing-- you have just as much reason to be here as I do. Just because your training period was short, doesn't mean you're any less than the rest of us. If anything, it means that you're talented enough to make it without as much preparation."

Baekhyun shifted his gaze to the floorboards, suddenly embarrassed and uncharacteristically shy. Chanyeol took his opportunity to continue. "You know Baek, you've always been a 'glass-half-empty' kind of guy. Not in the way most people are, though; you're probably the most optimistic person I've ever met when it comes to talking about other people. But you're constantly beating yourself up, to the point that you start questioning your own ability. Sometimes I think you take yourself for granted, and if I was to be entirely honest with you, I'd say it was the only thing holding you back from your full potential. You're kind, outspoken, talented, and just as hardworking as the other eleven members. I don't think you realize that."

Baekhyun was now completely silent, blushing slightly, still biting his lip. His eyes remained fixed to the floor, mainly because he was too embarrassed to meet Chanyeol's eyes again. "Wow," he breathed, pulling his lips into a timid half smile. "Where did that come from?"

Chanyeol shrugged nonchalantly. "Meh. I get deep past 12:00 am."

At that, Baekhyun let out a breathy laugh, happy for a sign that the person beside him was still his Chanyeol--bold, easygoing and a little odd--juxtaposed with the unexpected wisdom that had left his lips a moment ago. "You know, sometimes I envy you," he admitted, lifting his gaze to meet his friend's at last.

Chanyeol furrowed his brow slightly, tilting his head to the side, sending his messy hair falling into his eyes. He ignored it, staring at Baekhyun with what he assumed to be a mix of curiosity and confusion. "And why in the world would you envy me...?" He asked, with added drama.

Baekhyun shrugged, fiddling with the string of his sweatpants. "For a couple of reasons, really. For one thing, you always manage to be so bright and cheerful, no matter what kind of you go through."

"Well, that's my job. I am a happy virus, you know."

The shorter boy smiled a bit. "Yeah, I know," he said quietly. "And secondly, I am admittedly, a little jealous of your closeness with the other members. You guys all seem so tight, and I guess that's understandable because of how long you've spent training together. To be honest, you're really the only member I feel I can talk to... You know, like this."

Chanyeol didn't reply right away. Baekhyun turned to look back at him expectantly, but felt himself freeze under the surprising intensity of the other's stare. "You really don't get it, do you?" Was all he said, and Baekhyun had to ask for clarification.

"Hm?"

The taller only shook his head, changing the subject. "Never mind," he dismissed, an amused smile suddenly tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I wonder if everyone's finished fighting over the shower yet."

Baekhyun snorted in amusement. "Nah. They're probably still trying to convince Tao that there aren't any ghosts in the bathroom."

"Yah, Hyung," Tao's voice whined from their open doorway, causing the pair to jump at the sudden noise. "I'm not scared of ghosts! It's faster to shower with someone else!"

Chanyeol and Baekhyun whirled around in unison, getting to their feet and shooing the younger boy away from their room. "Beat it, you eavesdropper!" Chanyeol ordered, grabbing Tao by both shoulders and directing him down the hallway. "Go find Kris Hyung. He'll protect you."

"I wasn't eavesdropping! I was just passing by! This is my dorm too, you know," Tao argued, and Chanyeol had to walk him to Kris's room to be sure he wouldn't follow him back to annoy the both of them.

"Good boy. Now stay."

Baekhyun watched Tao stick his tongue out from down the hall. Chanyeol reached out to ruffle the boy's hair, making him pout. "And go take a shower. You smell bad."

Once he had convinced Tao to go shower, Chanyeol went back to their room, shut the door behind him and locked it for good measure. They both found their places next to each other on the bed again, and continued their conversation with the hope of no further interruptions. Baekhyun let out a long sigh. "So this is how we're going to spend the next years of our lives," he murmured, to no one in particular. "Everything's going to change, from here on out..."

Chanyeol hummed in agreement. "You better get ready to spend the rest of your life by my side," he said with a smile.

Baekhyun smiled back playfully, shoving the younger's shoulder. "Great. Now I've got to put up with you for the rest of my life."

Chanyeol laughed, retaliating by jabbing his friend in the ribs. He watched the other boy squirm at the attack, his smile slowly fading before slipping from his face entirely. He now looked at Baekhyun with a dead seriousness, that the shorter found rather unsettling. "I wasn't kidding, though. About what I said before."

Baekhyun blinked slowly. "What, about being a happy virus?"

"No, before that."

"That sleep deprivation makes you deep?"

Chanyeol shook his head again, and scooted closer to Baekhyun on the bed. Under normal circumstances, the latter probably wouldn't have paid much attention to the shift in position. But the way Chanyeol was staring at him made his heart pound faster than usual, and he wasn't quite sure where to look. He simply kept his eyes locked to his friend's, because at the moment he seemed incapable of looking away. "About you being too hard on yourself," he said finally, leaning closer still. "I don't think you know how talented you really are. And I'm not just saying this because you feel insecure-- I really mean it. Why else do you think you've trained for the shortest length of time in SM Entertainment's history?"

Baekhyun just shrugged, still captured by the look in the younger boy's eyes. Chanyeol reached out to brush a stray piece of the other boy's fringe back into place, with the same serious expression as before. The older didn't really know what to think-- all the compliments, the affectionate gestures, the sudden change in demeanour... It was a bit overwhelming, and utterly unexpected, but not exactly unwelcome. In fact, he found himself unconsciously leaning forward as well, as if stuck in a trance. "You're amazing, Baekhyun. The only one who doesn't acknowledge it is you. And you're wrong if you think I'm closer with the other members than I am with you. Sure, I love them all like brothers. I'm over the moon that they're the ones I get to live out my dream with. But I wouldn't dare tell anyone else that I haven't grown as close to them over the course of four years as I did to you in a matter of weeks. And maybe this is coming off a bit sappier than I would have liked it to, but it's all true."

By then, their noses were barely an inch apart. Baekhyun could feel warm breath ghosting over his face, and he could see the honesty in Chanyeol's dark eyes, but nothing else seemed to register in his mind. "What... Why are you telling me this?" The question tumbled out of his mouth before he even realized he wanted to know the answer.

Chanyeol responded by closing the remainder of the gap between them, pressing his lips softly to Baekhyun's. The kiss was brief, chaste, and a little awkward, but it caused the older boy's heart to hurl itself against his chest repeatedly nonetheless. When they pulled away, Chanyeol searched Baekhyun's eyes intently, looking for some sort of hint as to what the other was thinking.

He was thinking about the absolute ridiculousness of their current situation. He thought, perhaps, that his friend was a tad drunk; the members were all accustomed to the effects of alcohol, not from personal experience, but from that of their Sunbaenims. They were mostly all underage, but had heard stories of the times Jonghyun and Key got a bit out of hand under the influence, and Baekhyun thought maybe that was part of the reason things seemed so different from how they usually were when he spent time with his best friend. But no, Chanyeol was perfectly sober, and looked to be entirely, almost frighteningly honest about his intentions.

When no accusation or refusal presented itself, Chanyeol filled the uncomfortable silence by kissing him again. This time, Baekhyun felt himself leaning into the taller, letting his eyes flutter closed and kissing him back with equal passion. He opened his mouth and tilted his head to the side, his breathing growing faster and heavier with each passing second. Chanyeol's hands wrapped themselves around the smaller' waist, hoisting him up and pulling him onto his lap, letting his tongue venture out to meet Baekhyun's with eager insistence. A soft moan escaped Baekhyun's lips, and he pushed the younger back onto the bed. Chanyeol ran his thumb over Baekhyun's cheek, his fingers sliding up to tangle in his hair and pull him even closer, capturing his lips in messy, open mouthed kisses.

It was probably a good idea that Chanyeol had locked the door beforehand, because not even the loud knocking did anything to distract them from each other. "Chanyeol? Baekhyun? Are you two still awake?" The leader's voice called from just outside their door.

If Chanyeol had heard it, he didn't show any sign of wanting to stop. Baekhyun took that as a sign to ignore Suho's voice. "Luhan, Minseok, I think they're already asleep. I'll talk to you guys in the morning," Suho's voice grew quieter as he grew further away, and the two continued like nothing had even happened.

The need-driven lust was evident behind every action. Baekhyun couldn't help but wonder what his friend's real motives were. Had he always felt this way about the shorter boy? Or was this simply a chance for him to experiment? Baekhyun silently hoped it was more than just a spur-of-the-moment interaction, fuelled by need and teenage hormones. And then, an even more pressing question revealed itself: when had he started wishing Chanyeol had feelings for him? Was he really admitting to a mutual emotion?

His brain was too numb to consider any answers.

Chanyeol flipped them both over until he was on top, pinning Baekhyun against the bed and pressing his lips against his neck. Everything happened in a matter of minutes; clothes were torn off, moans were captured between eager lips, hands wandered over exposed skin, bodies were set alight with kisses and touches and whispered words. It was awkward and hurried and a little clumsy, but both boys felt alive and curious and even a bit overwhelmed by the rapid escalation of the moment.

When it was over, they both laid silently on the bed beside each other, waiting for their breathing to slow down and for their hearts to cease pounding. Neither one of them seemed able to move right away, or speak for that matter. Baekhyun was now overcome with fatigue, no longer doubting his ability to get a few hours of sleep in after all. Chanyeol rolled to his side, draping an arm over Baekhyun's waist and pulling him closer, until his back was pressed up against his chest. It wasn't until the other boy's breathing became steady and rhythmic, that Baekhyun felt a million worries flood into his mind, like someone had opened a floodgate.

What would they do when they woke up? When everything had to go back to the way it was before; hard work, lack of sleep, pressure to live out their dreams? And what about the other members? Horror filled Baekhyun's chest as he remembered how close several of them were to the room they slept in now. What would they think of him? What would people say? How could something like this work, when the twelve of them were about to be followed day and night by cameras, capturing their entire lives for people all over the world to see?

It wouldn't work. It was never going to work.

Baekhyun silently scolded himself for letting things get that out of hand. He fought back the sudden inexplicable urge to cry, and gently lifted Chanyeol's arm, sliding carefully out from under the covers and slipping into his own bed. He wasn't a fool. He knew it wasn't going to make everything seem like a dream. He knew he couldn't erase what had just happened.

But he knew he couldn't ever let it happen again.

A/N~

Happy Exodus era, everyone :)

I'm so happy Exo's second album was released (a little while ago) and I really hope this brings them a lot of success. I've fallen in love with every song, and hope that all of you enjoy it just as much as I do.

And I hope you enjoy this little short story as well! It will be three parts in total.

Let's all continue to support Exo, and wish them the best of luck in their bright future. Fighting! ❤️✌️