20: Baekhyun and Luhan make a bet because there's only one salon in the entire city that possesses the perfect shade of cherry-apple red, and it's totally unacceptable for the hair of two sworn enemies from birth to be dyed exactly the same color. Pairing!BaekHan, HighSchool!AU, Trainee!AU, (Non-canon)Idol!AU

To say that Baekhyun and Luhan didn't like each other was an understatement. They were born on the same day, in rooms in the same hospital that were purposely side-by-side because their mothers were friends and thought it would be cute if their sons grew up together and someday became friends, too. Except they didn't.

In fact, Baekhyun and Luhan were so not friends that one would often do, say, or decide the opposite of the other just because it was the other who'd first done, said, or decided it.

At four, Baekhyun didn't eat bananas because Luhan had eaten the entirety of the banana cake at their joint birthday party. To show—since Luhan was growing up bilingual and could still only barely talk—Baekhyun that it served him right because bananas were awesome, four year old Luhan had eaten so many that he'd made himself sick, had to be rushed to the emergency room, and was allergic to the fruit from that day forward.

When they started kindergarten, they did it together—they still had a picture of their matching "First Day" outfits to prove it—but whenever they painted in kindergarten, they had to be apart. Since Luhan wanted his sky to be blue, Baekhyun's had needed to be green instead; but then, when the Byun boy had taken a peek out the window, he'd begun to cry that Luhan had stolen all the good colors and so it was his fault that in Baekhyun's painting the sky looked like it was made of grass. It didn't really matter, though, because both paintings made it onto their respective refrigerators at home and both boys' mothers gushed to each other about how great of artists their two children had turned out to be.

When they were eleven, both got the same Xbox for Christmas, and Baekhyun had to throw a fit before his parents agreed to return it and get him a different game system instead.

At 13, Baekhyun signed up for Baseball, so Luhan signed up for Soccer. Both ended up being horribly unathletic and only managed to compromise on being in the middle school musical together because Baekhyun's part in the choir didn't technically count as an acting roll like Luhan's.

As a second year high school student, Baekhyun decided to abandon theater completely, leaving the acting stuff to Luhan while he got all the solos in Varsity Choir. Both arts disciplines worked out for them, though, because scouts often came to their particular school's concerts and musical productions, so both boys ended up with label offers before they'd even graduated. When Luhan, though, signed with JYP, Baekhyun had to choose SM Entertainment because of course.

Being a trainee was exhausting no matter the company, so Baekhyun and Luhan were forced to endure very little of each other's company in the years between 16 and 20. There were still the annual shared birthday celebrations and the awkward Chuseok combined friend-family dinners, but for the most part Luhan and Baekhyun didn't have to see each other very much, and they liked it that way.

When they finally debuted, Baekhyun as member of EXO and Luhan as Jay Park's replacement in 2PM, they saw each other more often, but still not enough to make life difficult again. It helped that where EXO did well, 2PM did not, and vice versa—if 2PM's newest single won on Inkigayo, then EXO's lost at 2nd on Inkigayo but probably won Music Core instead. Even when Luhan went on to act as a heartthrob in a teen summer drama just as Baekhyun released a solo EP so that they ended up doing promotions at the same time, their mutual dislike didn't make much of a difference in their work or their every day life.

The moment EXO and 2PM began preparing a comeback, though, that few years' semblance of peace shattered and everything changed. Baekhyun and Luhan were definitely adults now—22 that coming year actually—so the ways they expressed their dislike matured with them, but that didn't mean they didn't still have dislike to express.

They'd just met for the first time in months at the doors of Baekhyun's favorite hair salon, but it turned out it was Luhan's favorite too and that was so not okay. Baekhyun didn't understand how they could have been going to the same hairdresser for years without either one of them knowing it, but that didn't even matter anymore because that oversight ended now.

"Go somewhere else!" Baekhyun and Luhan's outbursts came with the same words, in the same inflection, and at the exactly same time. Luhan shot Baekhyun a disgusted look as he reapeated, "I mean it, Byun. Find another place to dye your greasy hair."

Baekhyun gasped—his hair was not greasy!—before narrowing his eyes threateningly. "Why do I have to be the one who leaves, huh, Sha Gua?"

Luhan glared at the resurgence of his childhood nickname; it was Mandarin, and endearingly meant "Stupid Melon" when it came from his parents and Luhan had made a silly mistake, but when Baekhyun used it, the moniker had always been clearly meant as an insult. "Well that was rude."

Baekhyun pouted as his anger receded, slipping almost subconsciously into banmal at the return of the kind of comfortable familiarity that comes from growing up with someone—even someone that you don't think you really like. "You know how I feel about my hair, you Huai Dan."

This was another Mandarin nickname but it meant something a lot more like "scoundrel" than the "rotten egg" it directly translated to, and since Baekhyun was kind of smiling by this point, Luhan just let the inoffensive insult go. At least he would have been willing to let it go if the light hadn't hit Baekhyun in just the right way for Luhan to notice in that moment that their hair was exactly the same shade of cherry-apple red.

"You weren't going into the salon," Luhan accused, "you were going out!"

"Never said I wasn't." Baekhyun was confused but he hid it well with a sneer that melted instantly into a heart-stopping smile when a female fan waved at him, and then somehow solidified right back into a sneer the moment she walked away.

"Well this is unacceptable," Luhan declared, pointing to their matching hair as he spoke. Secretly Baekhyun agreed, but he'd never in a million years admit that to Luhan. The two boys thought for a moment before Luhan perked up suddenly with a smile turning his face angelic in a way that Baekhyun really wished he wasn't just beginning to notice. "I've got it! We'll make a bet—winner gets to keep the color and the salon, loser gets nothing."

"Deal." Baekhyun agreed instantly before he realized they should have set the terms first. Before he could spend time berating himself for his possible poor decisions, though, Baekhyun just forged ahead. He checked his watch then said, "It's 2:43 right now. Whoever gets more surprise flicks to the other's forehead by midnight, wins."

"Deal." Luhan's agreement was almost as instantaneous as Baekhyun's had been. "One thing, though," he added as Baekhyun rolled his eyes, "I vote we make that surprise kisses because I'm sure there's nothing you'd hate more than having me kiss you." As he said this, Luhan acted like he would hate if Baekhyun kissed him too, but he hadn't been lead in all those musicals for nothing, and in reality he wasn't sure it would be so bad.

Baekhyun had next to no acting experience, but the disgusted look on his face certainly didn't match the thoughts running through his mind which, coincidentally, were a lot like Luhan's.

The two shook hands on their agreement before going their separate ways; just then, Luhan had dance practice and Baekhyun had vocal rehearsal, but both were scheduled to attend an awards ceremony later and there was also a scheduled friend-family dinner their mothers had informed them of that morning, so neither was very worried about their chances with the bet.

Luhan was admittedly a little surprised when Baekhyun appeared like magic in one of JYP's dance studios to peck Luhan quickly on the forehead before disappearing as quickly as he'd come. When he found out, though, that Baekhyun's vocal coach was actually on lend from Luhan's own label and that Baekhyun's rehearsal was in the same building as Luhan's practice, Luhan made the most of the opportunity to grab and kiss Baekhyun's hand as he passed the other in the hallway

By the time both left the building around 4:30 that afternoon, Baekhyun had one point, but Luhan had ended up with one point, too.

The next time they saw each other was a few hours later at the award event. They stood across from one another on the red carpet, posing with their respective groups but sneaking glances at each other as they did so. It was Luhan who managed to slyly press his lips against Baekhyun's ear when 2PM and EXO met in the middle and exchanged greetings in the form of casual bows and tight hugs—because the rest of the members were all quite good friends, even though Baekhyun and Luhan were not.

Baekhyun: 1. Luhan: 2.

When instructed, both obeyed properly and took their seats with the rest of the star-studded attendees, but for both Baekhyun and Luhan, the familiar flash of cherry-apple when either moved his head was pretty hard to miss.

During intermission, Baekhyun filled a cup and took a sip before filling another and bringing both over to Luhan but only offering one. He waited until Luhan took the drink and a sip of his own, then cheered because even an in-direct kiss counted as a bet-winning kiss in his book. Though Luhan disagreed—obviously—he let Baekhyun have his tying victory because Luhan suddenly realized that the sight of a happy Baekhyun, with his eye-crinkles and his crooked smile, was something about his enemy that Luhan actually liked.

The event ended at 10:15 and they'd been even when they'd left together for Baekhyun's house, but by the time they arrived there 20 minutes later, both had gotten so involved in winning that they'd lost count.

A kiss on the back of Baekhyun's shoulder as he entered the car first. A press of Baekhyun's mouth to Luhan's chin as he leaned forward to speak to his manager-hyung about the details of their destination.

A meeting of soft lips in the middle of the car when both had the same idea at the same time and went for the other's mouth simultaneously. There was no kissing first and then kissing back because they'd both done both together, but when Luhan tried to pull back just so he could plant his lips on Baekhyun's again and gain the upper hand, Baekhyun wouldn't let him. When Baekhyun emerged some seconds later from the haze of Luhan's hands in his hair and Luhan's tongue in his mouth, and tried to do the same thing, Luhan wouldn't let him go either. So really, they were even as they made their way up the entrance steps to Baekhyun's familiar door, but neither one was quite sure so they agreed to start at 0 and rang the doorbell promptly after that.

It was Luhan who recognized Baekhyun's mother's scrawl on a white paper stuffed haphazardly into the door frame, and he tapped Baekhyun on the shoulder before pulling it out to read aloud, "Boys, we've gone on an impromptu trip to Jeju Island. Be safe while we're gone and there's enough side dishes in the fridge to feed both of you for dinner tonight. If you want more than that, you've got your own money so don't complain and order chicken. Don't have too much fun without us!"

Baekhyun shuddered as Luhan read because the idea of their parents going on a double-date trip together kind of gave him the heebie-jeebies.

"I know, right?" Luhan agreed as he fished around in his jacket for his key to Baekhyun's house and unlocked the door, opening it and gesturing widely with his arm to let Baekhyun in first—it was his house, after all. Baekhyun did go first into the house, but he also leaned close to peck Luhan's lips as he did so and laughed loudly at Luhan's curse as the Chinese boy entered the house after him.

"One for me," Baekhyun called out over his shoulder, switching on lights in each room as he passed on his way to the promised side dishes that waited for him in the refrigerator.

"One for me," Luhan countered when he walked into the kitchen a few seconds later and kissed Baekhyun on the nose as the latter stood up with plastic ware filling his hands after he'd emptied his mother's fridge of nearly all its contents.

"You ," Baekhyun pouted and Luhan laughed while he tsked.

"Not part of the bet, I'm afraid." He shook his head in faux disappointment before adding generously, "But we've still got about an hour until midnight, so concede now and I might throw in a loser's bonus."

Baekhyun flushed deeply at that, though Luhan decided the red on his face was much more cherry than apple. "I hate you," Baekhyun's declaration certainly sounded resolute, but it was hard for Luhan to believe the other when Baekhyun's lips were soon kissing Luhan's again.

"Mhmm," Luhan hummed his sarcastic agreement into Baekhyun's mouth and the latter surprised them both by over it. That separated them pretty quickly and they ended up devouring all the side dishes in an awkward silence on opposite sides of the room until it was 11:59 and all of the allotted time for their bet was nearly finished.

Luhan wasn't one to give up without a fight, and since Baekhyun was still winning, Luhan tried his best to get near enough to plant a kiss anywhere on the body of the man who'd been his nemesis since birth and was now maybe becoming something a little different than that. The old grandfather clock in Baekhyun's dad's office soon struck midnight, though, and Luhan had lost, wrists still trapped in Baekhyun's defensive grip and lips hovering close, but not quite close enough.

"You ." This time it was Luhan's turn.

"Sometimes." Baekhyun agreed, happy to be cheeky now that it was 12:03 and his victory was secure. "But as someone who didn't concede either, I'm not sure a loser's bonus is in your future somewhere."

Luhan didn't know how to feel about that because he'd never before imagined what it would be liked to have Baekhyun's lips on him somewhere else, but now that he was thinking about it, Luhan didn't seem able to stop. "That's too ba—"

He was speaking when Baekhyun kissed him suddenly, and as such Luhan wasn't ready at first so he didn't kiss back.

"Sorry," Baekhyun apologized, "I just thought I'd, um," he scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably, "you know what, never mind."

Baekhyun turned away to grab Luhan's dirty plate from across the room, and as such didn't see Luhan's mouth as it opened and closed in protest. That's also why he wasn't ready to find Luhan at his back when he turned away after putting the dishes in the sink, and why his first reaction was an indignant squeak when Luhan cupped his face and pulled Baekhyun close to return the kiss he hadn't reciprocated earlier.

"I don't like you," Luhan whispered against Baekhyun's as he lifted the slightly shorter man onto the table and moved to stand in between the other's legs.

"Good." Bakehyun's reply was slightly breathless as he wrapped his arms around Luhan's neck and wound his legs around Luhan's waist to pull his kissing partner closer. "Cause I don't like you either."

(As it turned out, cherry-apple red was deemed by both of their companies CEOs to be an absolutely necessary component of Baekhyun and Luhan's comeback concepts. So even though Baekhyun won their bet, in the end, Luhan got to keep his hairstyle and gained a kind-of-boyfriend in the process. They weren't technically dating because JYP idols weren't allowed to, but that minor detail didn't keep Baekhyun from offering his services to Luhan as part of the teased loser's bonus. And the fact that they weren't actually dating certainly didn't affect Luhan's enjoyment of Baekhyun's skilled mouth either. Not at all.)