[23:33]
From: PCYeol
hey hey hey! :D
Are you ready for tomorrow? Sorry, I know it's late, but I'm just so excited already!
Just finished my cos (now I know a little about how you feel when you're working for your studies)
I attached a little sneak peek, hehe ^_^
Sooo... see you tomorrow at the station?

Kyungsoo opened the attached file without hesitation.
And proceeded to plant his face against the desk with a loud, frustrated groan, the words 'Hell no' echoing through the sudden void of his mind.

The next day, Kyungsoo was standing in front of the building the convention had rented, catching a bit of fresh morning air and enjoying the overall atmosphere. It was still early and people were arriving slowly, making everything a little less hectic. Around him, groups of boys and girls were in various states of undress, though a few costumes obviously required these. Right and left people were fixing the last bit on their costume, tugging at wigs, applying make up for others and trying to worm into narrow garments-
"Kyungsoo!"
He looked up from an uncomfortable-looking giant fishtail to see Chanyeol approaching, arms flailing excitedly. And while he was aware what was awaiting him, seeing Chanyeol dressed up as Luffy still made his heart flip and flutter like he'd downed a whole energy drink in one go. Monkey D. Luffy, complete with jeans, sandals, straw hat... and a red jacket that was blissfully opened, revealing his smooth upper body.
Bless the new world outfits, Kyungsoo thought.
He waved weakly and the people around Kyungsoo scrambled to the side to make room for the bouncy, approaching Luffy, either since he was really tall and attractive or because they feared he might run them over in his enthusiasm. Both were entirely possible.
"I'm sorry for being late! Drawing the scar took longer than I thought and I'm pretty sure Kyung messed up, but then we just thought that scars don't have to look pretty, ya know?" he said in one breath and Kyungsoo nodded, seizing the opportunity to give his chest the scar on his chest a close once over.
"Yeah, it's... good. You look good. Your cosplay, I mean." Kyungsoo uttered insecurely, meaning something different altogether.
Chanyeol shot him a pout after checking Kyungsoo's appearance.
"Where's your costume? I thought you were working on one, as well?"
"Oh, it's... I didn't finish." Kyungsoo lied, brushing it off casually. Not that Chanyeol would have it.
"What? Oh no... why didn't you asked me, I could have helped. What were you planning to do?" he asked genuinely interested and Kyungsoo tried not to fidget too much in his spot, thinking back to the red jacket that he'd thrown under his desk the evening before.
"Uhm. Secret. I'll wear it next time."
The disappointed puppy eyes hit him right in the heart but besides blushing, there was really not much he could do.
Chanyeol tugged at his arm, mindlessly swaying on the spot.
"Aaaah, but that's no good..." he whined, suddenly reminding him of Chen. The motion stopped all of a sudden, almost sending Kyungsoo tumbling into another group of people and it was adorable how obviously Chanyeol's face lit up.
"I got an idea. I'll be back in a minute, don't go away, alright?"
He managed nothing but a dumb nod that went unnoticed as Chanyeol already skipped away, leaving Kyungsoo to his inner fanboy going crazy. Luffy suited him perfectly. From the way he was built with long, gangly limbs, his energetic attitude to the tips of his freshly died black hair. Perfection. Not to mention that his cosplay had been accurate. He could basically feel Chen's hand on his shoulder, hear his solemn voice.
"Dude, he's a cosplayer. A good one. That's like the third hottest thing after making music and dancing. Don't let him get away. Like, ever."
And while their taste in men were vastly different in general imaginary Chen was damn right, Kyungsoo thought, watching the yellow belt flutter after Chanyeol.

He was just considering to offer his help towards a girl struggling with the straps of her corsage that had somehow gotten tangled with artificial leaves, when the world turned dark. Kyungsoo barely stopped himself from lashing out and breaking the intruders foot with his own, when a very familiar voice spoke up.
"Ta-dah!"
"Wha-?" Kyungsoo mumbled not very intelligently as he turned around and Chanyeol rearranged the giant hat that was threatening to slip over his eyes again any second. Since it would cover his nice view of milky skin, Kyungsoo steadied it with one hand.
"Look, now you're wearing a costume as well!" Chanyeol boomed happily, gesturing towards a nearby window front. Kyungsoo blinked owlishly at his own reflection wearing an oversized, pink Chopper hat. He vaguely heard Chanyeol asking around for a blue pen and then he was already turned around by his shoulders.
One hand cupped the side of his face and Kyungsoo closed his eyes in embarrassment as Chanyeol inched closer, placing the tip of a pen on his nose.
Close, why was he so close all the time? Or rather, why was he so close and topless?
The warmth basically radiated off him in waves and Kyungsoo was sure his own face had turned scarlet by now.
Chanyeol would burn his hand if he took any longer.
"There... we... go!" the deep voice mumbled, ending cheerfully. He drew away, blessing Kyungsoo with a breath of fresh, Chanyeol-free air. His reflection was now sporting a blue nose.
"Perfect!"
Really? I think the blue contrasts horribly with my beet-red skin.
"You like Chopper, don't you?" Chanyeol asked in mild worry, his face hovering over his shoulder, their eyes meeting through the reflection.
Anything. You could dress me up as Bon Curry and I'd be up for it if I get your stupidly happy expression in return.
"Y-yeah. Thanks."
Chanyeol had the nerve to coo at him and he fought the urge to turn even redder.
"So cute! You're the cutest Chopper ever! Let's take a selfie, as a memory!"
His phone was whipped out already and Kyungsoo could see his inner self judging him for how whipped he really was. Not even Baekhyun would've dared to treat him like this, out of rightful fear. But there he was, giving his best and shyly smiling into the camera with Chanyeol hovering behind him.
"Really cute. I'll save it as a background for our chat, yeah?"
Kyungsoo only hummed, fidgeting with a little plastic toy in his pocket. Better now than never.
He pulled it out and offered it to the taller one almost mechanically.
"Here. Uh. If you want it."
So smooth, it's bordering on being glamorous, Kyungsoo's inner voice commented dryly.
Chanyeol looked up distractedly but when his eyes fell to the object in his palm, his phone was forgotten.
Talking about a short attention span.
"Oh my god. Is that a horned beetle?"
He made a loud, garbled, fanboyish sound that shouldn't be possible with his deep voice, scooping the plastic beetle up to get a closer look at it.
By now, people were starting to look at him and Kyungsoo couldn't hold back the smile stretching across his lips.
"It's Atlas, I love him! I have an Atlas, that's so cool!"
Some girls nearby laughed and one of them called out to him teasingly.
"But Luffy, what's more important to you? The One Piece or this bug?"
To which Chanyeol replied with a grimace.
"I don't knoooow, it's too hard!" he whined, completing the reference before turning back to Kyungsoo with a happy smile.
"Why do you even have a toy beetle with you?"
Because I was going to cosplay Luffy and this was my accessory.
"Uhm. I just saw the picture yesterday and... this was lying around."
Obviously I wouldn't wear a lame, first gen Luffy cosplay next to you. I'd look like an idiot.
"You have toy beetles lying around." Chanyeol stated skeptically.
"Uh. A project for university. Don't ask too many questions."
This flimsy excuse seemed to satisfy Chanyeol, who shrugged and proceeded to tug at Kyungsoo's arm.
"Alright then, let's go inside and see what they've got! Oh, but first I need a photo of Atlas."

A dozen photos later, they entered the venue. It was slowly getting crowded but Chanyeol didn't seem to mind, worming himself through the most busy areas, his eyes always flitting around to make sure his Chopper was still around. If it was a little more crowded, maybe Kyungsoo could've used it as an excuse to grab for his arm, like they did in the movies. While he was waiting for this moment to come, they inspected the different booths selling all sorts of merchandise. There were posters, jewelry, card games, cups and much more. Kyungsoo seriously contemplated buying a subtle Legend of Zelda-themed leather bracelet for Chen while Chanyeol kept cuddling all the stuffed toys he could get his hands on.
"You think Sohee would like this?" he would ask, presenting him a round, stuffed pig or sheep or something so absurd neither of them had any idea as to what it was supposed to be.
Kyungsoo couldn't help laughing when he placed the pig in his straw hat, mimicking a magician, and to act his part as his reindeer-doctor, making up ridiculous things the animals might think or say. It was a little easier, to fall into his role of naive, earnest and slightly goofy Chopper instead of being plain, stiff Kyungsoo.
People called out to Chanyeol left and right, complimenting his costume or throwing One Piece references at him and Chanyeol appeared more than happy to play along, warming Kyungsoo's heart without realizing it. Seeing him have fun had an odd, soothing effect on him. And no matter how many people asked him for a photo, no matter how pretty the girls talking to him were, Chanyeol would always turn back, looking for him. Smiling expectantly, waiting for him to join him again. Maybe that was the reason Kyungsoo didn't feel jealousy at all. At the end of the day, Chanyeol made it very clear that he was here with him, not any other good-looking guy or girl. With a smile on his face, he caught up to him, pointing at a booth where a girl was drawing on a huge canvas.
It went on like this. They went from shopping booths to little exhibits of artists, had tons of fun in the games room where they tried maneuvering with two people on one Wii U game pad and failed miserably. Chanyeol tried his best at dance dance revolution and it was laughable at best, so he made up for it with an excellent guitar hero performance.
They ended up in the show room, watching a Fairy Tail themed play on stage and even though Kyungsoo knew the show much better than Chanyeol, it was him who laughed the loudest.

It was so much fun, like this.
Kyungsoo had feared there might be pressure but it was everything but. They roamed the area freely, just enjoying whatever they stumbled upon, taking the occasional photo if a cosplay caught their eye and unceremoniously plopped down in a secluded, carpeted area to enjoy some snacks.
They were just planning to get outside and have a small photoshoot so Chanyeol would have a few good shots of his costume when they passed by the Karaoke room. Kyungsoo froze in his tracks midway, poking his head into the dark room with a blank face. There, belting a digimon opening from the top of his lungs for a pretty ecstatic crowd, stood...
"What the actual..." Kyungsoo muttered, entering the room with Chanyeol trailing after him.
Not only had Chen the nerve to give him nothing but a sheepish smile upon noticing his arrival, he also wore a pretty half-assed cosplay of Roronoa Zoro. His eyes wandered around the crowd and, sure enough, there was Baekhyun in the first row, cheering enthusiastically. Ignoring the protest, Kyungsoo squeezed himself to the front, where Chen was wrapping up the song. The crowd loved him and while Kyungsoo was always ready to feel proud for his best friend, he would really like to know what the hell he was doing here.
He squished himself next to Baekhyun who was too busy hooting to greet him. The guy next to him waved vaguely but it was too dark to recognize him. Chen had the decency to hand over to the mic to the next person but the crowd was insistingly calling for an encore, with Chanyeol being one of the loudest.
"Really? You sure? One more song?" Chen asked with a playful smile even though Kyungsoo knew him well enough to know big crowds made him a little nervous.
"Okay, then! How about a collaboration? With pcy, a talented youtuber?"
Chanyeol froze in the midst of his cheering and a few voices in the crowd grew even louder.
Chen threw him an inviting smile (ignoring Baekhyun calling him a traitor) and that was all it took for Chanyeol to jump to his feet and accept the second microphone. He whispered something into Chanyeol's ear who nodded, making an obvious okay sign with his fingers.
"Hello everyone! Next song is 'Dance Dance Dance' von Nissy!" he boomed into the mic while Chen chose the song. Kyungsoo knew the song, knew the tell-tale sounds of a playful saxophone before the up-beat track hit in. It was all effortless energy with Chen's light voice hitting the notes with grace and backed up by the deep voice of Chanyeol providing an overall harmony. Not to mention Baekhyun acting out the female crowd responding to anything they said. Kyungsoo just clapped along, mouthing the lyrics absently but shrinking away when Chanyeol invited him to join them. Chanyeol let him be and resumed hyping the crowd up by jumping, flirting and acting overly cute or just plain silly. Kyungsoo envied him for his stage presence, watching the way he counted down with raised hands, how he basically vibrated in the effort to stay still.
Yes, stay still, stupid heart. He's not mine.
But still, watching him like this... maybe that was alright as well.
Why did it even hurt? This was such a happy moment. Maybe that's how bittersweet pain worked.
The bridge consisted of more female cheerleader chorus provided by a happy Baekhyun jumping to the stage and acting disgustingly cute and way too gay to function. The guy who'd greeted him earlier now sat directly next to him and appeared familiar. He was pretty sure it was Minseok, Chen's best friend. He looked cheerful, not overly hyper like the three beagles in stage but well-entertained.
The song ended with a blast and the applause was amazing. Was the room even more stuffed than before? A few even called for an autograph and Chen took over the mic a last time.
"Thanks for today! Thanks to everyone who knew us and who didn't - pcy-delight and ChenChen, feel free to check us out on Youtube!"
"Feel free to check me out right away~" Baekhyun crooned into the microphone, receiving a reprimanding hit from Chen.

"So... why are you even here?!" Kyungsoo asked in a mix of exasperation and embarrassment over his makeshift Chopper cosplay Baekhyun had already taken a dozen photos of. Kyungsoo wasn't too worried about the blackmailing material - after all, his own Sanji cosplay was so poorly made that he was the last one allowed to make fun of him. He was basically just wearing a suit and a sloppy, blonde wig. Chen hadn't been much more keen on accuracy either with his simple white shirt, messily sewn belt and green hairspray.
"Uuuuh, having fun? Duh." Baekhyun stated confidently but the long pause had definitely not gone unnoticed by Kyungsoo. They were standing outside the venue, enjoying a few late sun rays while his so-called best friends were devouring his last snacks. At least no one was addressing the fact that Chanyeol's head was resting on top of Kyungsoo's hair. Even Baekhyun seemed to have an ounce of respect (and fear) left. He sighed and turned towards Minseok instead.
"I'm sorry for... everything they are." he blankly said, offering him his hand and ignoring the spluttering protest around mouthfuls of cookies.
"Do Kyungsoo. I barely recognized you, sorry. I've only seen pictures."
The brunette shrugged off his apology and answered the hand shake firmly.
"It's okay. I look different in pictures. Nice to meet you."
He gave him a once-over, agreeing to every word. While Minseok was indeed short like the pictures suggested, his actual presence was much more solid, the muscles clearly visible with the basketball top he was wearing. His youthful features and slanted eyes gave off a relaxed, mature vibe. He definitely had a strong aura.
"You do. Much more handsome. Seriously, how did Chen find such an attractive friend?" Kyungsoo asked without thinking, shaking his head.
Minseok blinked in surprise while Chen almost choked on his food and Chanyeol laughed right into his ear.
"Oh? Thanks?" Minseok gave back, the hint of a confused smile ghosting on his lips.
Kyungsoo stiffened, realizing how wrong that sounded.
"It's not- don't take it the wrong way. I work a lot with models, gotta appreciate beauty when I see it. You know. Nothing personal."
Baekhyun still cackled but Minseok relaxed visibly, his smile entirely teasing now.
"I see. Thanks a lot for the compliment, then."
"You're welcome..." Kyungsoo mumbled with a lowered gaze, hoping he could disappear.
"Whaaat, you never told me I'm handsome!" Chanyeol whined, craning his head to get a look at Kyungsoo's face.
"And I'm Luffy now, I'm like, super cool!" he pouted, pawing at Kyungsoo's arm and succeeding in making Kyungsoo blush even harder. Surely his blue nose looked violet by now.
He ignored the statement, hoping Chanyeol would give up eventually and directed his gaze at Minseok, who had resulted to feeding Chen bits of Kyungsoo's self-made waffles with a calm smile. If he hadn't known any better, he'd think it looked almost intimate, the way Minseok gazed at Chen's lightly embarrassed expression, his pale fingers playfully dabbing at the last cookie crumbs around his lips-
"HINATA!"
They all flinched and Minseok rolled his eyes. The girls blissfully ignored that, squealing even harder at the sight.
"Hinata and Zoro! I didn't even know I ship this but damn, I do now! Can I take a picture?" one of them asked eagerly and Minseok looked slightly exasperated.
"For the last time, I. Am. Not. Cosplaying!" he voiced out, looking around for support, "I don't even know who this Hinata is, this is what I look like everyday!"
"So cute, you look just like him when you say that!"
"And hot, too! You're body suits him perfectly-"
Well, at least now Kyungsoo felt much less shameless with these girls showing up.
Minseok thought about it and finally gave in, drawing a startled Chen close in one fluid movement, wordlessly posing with his nose half-buried in the crook of his neck. Kyungsoo didn't see the faces they were making at the camera but considering the way the girls squealed, they were more than happy with the result. He absently pulled Baekhyun's phone out of his hands, who protested loudly. While the girls tried to convince Baekhyun to pose with Chen as well (to no avail at all), Chanyeol demanded his attention by throwing his arms around him and swaying them back and forth. Kyungsoo all but froze and wished he could hide his face in the big hat next to him.
"Aaaah, so you don't think I'm handsome, I'm wounded! I even modeled in high school, you know?" he whined childishly.
"You're handsome." Kyungsoo finally whispered, looking into his lap.
"Really, really handsome, alright?"
Chanyeol hummed happily and before Kyungsoo could make any other pathetic move, the taller one had jumped to his feet, patting the shoulder of a dazed Kyungsoo.
"I think I'll go back and buy that stuffed Charmander for Sohee, after all, before the booths close!"
Kyungsoo nodded numbly, watching after him and only snapping out of it when Baekhyun's salacious wolf whistle ruined the moment. In a split second, he whirled around to glare daggers at the blonde who immediately regretted his bold move, hunching up his shoulders as if he'd been slapped already.
"You! Both of you!" Kyungsoo flared up, complete in the manner of a mother who politely sees out the guests before giving her misbehaving kids a talk.
"What are you doing here?!"
Chen winced, throwing up his hands in surrender.
"It was Baekhyun's idea! I swear, it was his idea!"
"You damn traitor!" Baekhyun hissed back but Kyungsoo wouldn't have any of it.
"I'm not gonna repeat myself."
"We're checking up on your date, obviously!" Baekhyun said, crossing his arms.
"You are what." Kyungsoo asked blankly. Chen hid himself behind Minseok while he inhaled deeply.
"You. Are the ing worst! Except for you Minseok," he interrupted himself with a kind expression before turning back to glare at his so-called friends, "but seriously. What the is wrong with you?!"
"It's not our fault you're so adorably whipped!" Baekhyun gave back bravely, though he did scoot away as far as he could before his back hit a wall.
"Seriously, did you see yourself? You're crushing so hard, it's a miracle you're not a puddle of goo!"
Kyungsoo groaned, throwing his head back and willing himself not to commit murder while cosplaying a doctor.
"I'm sorry? You think it's fun? You think I enjoy running after someone who's not the least bit interested? Who's even straight? It's not, okay?" he gave back, a mix of exasperation and real hurt lacing his voice. He couldn't help it; the memory of the heavy feeling washing over him while seeing Chanyeol perform was still clear on his mind.
"I can't change that, okay? Don't tell me I'm pitiful."
"You're not." Chen intervened, picking up on his mood and crawling towards him to place a hand on his shoulder.
"It's not pitiful. Look at me dude, if someone's pitiful, it would be me."
Baekhyun snorted but had to avoid two slaps this time, from both Kyungsoo and Chen respectively.
"Scratch that, look at Baekhyun. At least you've mastered the 'falling in love part'. Unlike him."
Baekhyun made a dramatic sound of protest, latching himself onto Minseok's side.
"Oh? I still have Minseok here!"
He received a gum-revealing smile in response.
"Oh, no. I am past that stage as well." he gave back easily and stirred another conversation, blissfully averting the attention from Kyungsoo.
"What? You're taken?!"
"Who? Whooo? Is it me?"
"Pfft, Minseok has more class than that."

With all the commotion going on, neither of them noticed Chanyeol standing right around the corner, both hands digging into his pockets which were void of money, an unreadable look on his face.

One Piece!
Yes, passionate male cosplayers are hot, I think we can all agree on that.
The whole thing about the horned beetle comes from this particular scene:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xDaIF4xzUcU
A long chapter to make up for the wait~
In fact, this whole chapter has been planned from the very beginning and the song they are singing to is still getting me as hyped up as the first time I heard it. You may think you're not into J-Pop, but you can still be into Nissy, trust me:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oP6I2X1GX74
So. Much. FUN.

Love you all,
Sugar-and-Salt ♥

P.S.: The person Minseok has repeatedly gotten mistaken for is Hinata, the main protagonist from Haikyuu, a sports anime that's super hyped atm~