Baekhyun boards the last car of his train and glances around for a free seat. He notices a few sketchy-looking people sitting towards the back, so he keeps to the front and sits down across from a tall male. Exactly six minutes pass by and the train jerks forward. The landscape out the window changes slowly from the brick and mortar station to grassy lands. It’s all he’s going to see for quite awhile on his way towards nowhere in particular.


When Baekhyun woke up this morning, he decided he was going to go on an adventure. For the past few years, he hasn’t done much with his life. He took on a nine-to-five job straight out of university at an advertising firm, spending most days answering phone calls and sending out group emails. His dating life is non-existent partially due to the small town he lives in and partially due to his personality. The people he’s been interested in always seem to be repulsed by his over-enthusiasm and lame jokes. He realized earlier on it’s better to simply stay at home instead of wasting his time on people who don’t stick around for the bill.


Baekhyun pulls out his worn copy of Pride and Prejudice, thinking reading will be a good way to pass the time. He keeps a book on hand at all times for situations like this, when he has no one to chat up or something else to occupy himself. The steady sounds of the train’s horn and rumbling down the tracks is the perfect soundtrack to keep him focused on Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s simmering romance. He tries his best to turn the pages as quietly as possible in order to avoid bothering his seat mate, but the tall male is far too focused on something outside to even notice him. Out of curiosity, Baekhyun follows his gaze and frowns because there’s nothing to see but grass and herds of cows. What a strange fellow, he thinks to himself.


“Excuse me?”


Baekhyun’s eyes widen in shock. “Are you talking to me?”


The stranger nods his head once.


Nervously, Baekhyun meets the other’s eyes and offers a sheepish grin. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud. Sorry.”


“It’s fine. You wouldn’t be the first person to find me odd. Refer to me as Kris next time,” the tall male comments, turning his attention to Baekhyun and crossing his legs.


Baekhyun wants to avoid being rude once again and stashes his book away for the meantime, saving the love story for later. He isn’t sure what to say because the other looks at him so intently as if he held the key to the universe. Quite frankly, it makes him a little rattled. He knows there is nothing to really fear because they’re simply two passengers trying to get to their respective destinations. No one wants any more trouble than the frequent delays the train infrastructure has to offer.


“Baekbyun! I mean, I’m Baekhyun. So… uh, what brings you here, Kris?” Baekhyun utters, realizing a little too late that he isn’t at some hole in the wall trying to take someone home with him.


Kris chuckles and leans back. “Business. I have some loose ends to tie up. How about you, running away from home?” he asks, gesturing to Baekhyun’s clothing.


Baekhyun didn’t bother to change out of his pajamas before he left his apartment. He simply threw on an oversized hoodie and shouldered a duffle bag he stuffed with clean underwear and a toothbrush. No one said anything to him back in town nor at the train station.


“No! I live by myself,” Baekhyun defends. “I just wanted a change of pace… something different.”


“I can sympathize with that. I, too, wanted something different when I was younger, but I didn’t have the resources to do anything about it,” the other starts and launches into a short tale about youth.


Kris grew up in the countryside of China which meant there wasn’t an awful lot to do but help around the house and play football in a makeshift field. The heat was unbearable most days, so it was back to the house after one game and to return to his duties. He wasn’t exactly the most studious kid when his parents saved enough money to send him off to school in the city. He simply preferred dozing off in class and messing around instead of focusing on his studies. Eventually his teachers had had enough of his shenanigans and kicked him out. With nothing to occupy his time, it was back to the house once again to do whatever his mother told him to do.


“Do you want to guess how long it took me to get out of there?” Kris asks, glancing over his shoulder.


Baekhyun shakes his head.


“Two years,” the tall male sighs out and pinches the bridge of his nose.


At the tender age of fourteen, Kris ran away from home. It wasn’t an impulsive decision though. For two years, he slowly saved up what little allowance his parents gave him and asked himself everyday if leaving was the right decision. Some days he believed it was for the best if he stuck around to help his aging parents out, and other days he couldn’t wait to start his new life on his own. Once he could afford a bus ticket to a city a ways from his hometown, he disappeared like smoke and never looked back.


“It was inevitable for me to run into the wrong crowd, but look at me now. I’m glad that I got the hell out of there,” Kris finishes. His shoulders visibly sag, and Baekhyun has to wonder if his life story has been kept under wraps until now.


Kris checks his watch, and he’s back to his rigid self. “Quickly, Baekhyun, tell me your story,” he commands.


Baekhyun doesn’t want to bore Kris with the details, but the other is insistent on hearing all about him. He hesitates for a moment.


Baekhyun was born and raised in a big city up north. His parents were always too busy making money, so he had a nanny take care of him until he was fifteen. Life in the Byun household was quiet. Even though his parents weren't around to watch him like a hawk, they made sure he was always on top of his studies or had his nose in a book. Perhaps that's how he got into the habit of keeping a book on his person at all times. Anyway, Baekhyun left the nest as soon as he could because he knew he'd never find happiness in his hometown. Moving out on his own was one of the best decisions he made, but sooner than later did he find out freedom and happiness were hard to come by. Sure he had his own place to call home and a few new friends, but everything felt so artificial after a while. He needed a change of pace once again.


"You wanted something different, right?" Kris leans forward to take ahold of Baekhyun’s wrist, his free hand reaching inside his suit jacket.


Baekhyun nods dumbly because he isn't sure what's going on. All he knows is that he can trust Kris even though they just met. Something about him screams safe and honest.


Kris doesn't say another word and starts to take them over to the doors when the train begins to slow down, pulling up to the next station. The men Baekhyun had spotted earlier rise from their seats as well and look him straight in the eyes.


"Duck." He does as he's told.


Bang bang.


Baekhyun’s mouth goes dry and his mind has no time to process the situation because Kris is dragging him out onto the platform and into the building. At this point he's in fight or flight mode and Kris is the pilot, his actions telling him there's only one thing they can do. It takes a moment for him to realize the other passengers are crying and screaming around them. He's afraid to look back because god knows what he'll see.


Before he knows it, they're walking calmly among pedestrians on a busy street. Kris still has a tight hold on him.


"What was that all about?" Baekhyun dares to ask. His heart has barely begun to calm down.


Kris shrugs as if it was nothing. "Like I said, I had some loose ends to tie up."


"Had?"


Kris smiles down at him and presses a finger to his lips. "Yes, but I’m afraid I’ve only dug myself a deeper grave.”


Baekhyun should have went to work this morning instead of buying a last minute train ticket. He wouldn’t be in this mess right now with Kris, if that’s even his real name. He can't go down as an accessory to murder. How is he ever going to show his face around town again? Word of mouth spreads faster than a wildfire. Maybe this is all a terrible dream. It has to be because Byun Baekhyun lives a terribly dull life and running away from a crime scene with a murderer is not his style. Then Kris pushes him into the lobby of a dingy motel. The strong odor of sweat and mildew mixed together tell him this is anything but a dream, unfortunately.


Once Kris gets them a room, he locks the door and closes the curtains. Watching him pace around makes Baekhyun more nervous because the taller male was so calm up until now. It's kind of off-putting, considering Kris just killed a man and that didn't even rattle him.


"What did those guys want with you? Did you really need to kill 'em?" Baekhyun whispers.


"Remember the wrong crowd I ran into? Well, it was an underground gang. It's easy to make enemies once you're affiliated with a certain group," Kris explains and checks the peephole.


Baekhyun wants someone to knock him out right now. What started out as a normal day turned into hell.


"You have got to be kidding me. What kind of bull excuse is that?" he squawks, flailing his arms about.


"Keep your voice low. I don't want anyone to hear us," Kris urges.


"No, not until I get a straight answer from you!" He cries out loud, pointing at the other accusingly.


Kris is unamused and yanks Baekhyun over to the front door, slamming him up against it.


"I don't owe you anything, so go ahead and just leave. Let's see how well you can fend for yourself now that they know you're connected to me," Kris dares, reaching around to unlock the bolt.


Baekhyun squeals and knocks Kris' hand down. As much as he’d like to return to normalcy, he isn’t about to risk losing his head. He pushes Kris off of him and sits down on the end of the bed with a huff, folding his arms over his chest and glaring at the stained walls.


"That's an improvement. Keep watch of the door, will ya?" Kris says on his way to the tiny bathroom.


Baekhyun rolls his eyes and wishes he had time to grab his duffle bag before they rushed off the train. He has nothing to do now except stare at the door as if it has offended him. He gets frazzled every time he hears footsteps outside of the room and claws at the sheets out of nerves. His heightened awareness of everything around him keeps him on edge. What the hell is he supposed to do if someone barges in while Kris takes his sweet time in the shower? There's the cord telephone and desk lamp, but will they be of any use against a burly man with a knife? In order to have a sense of security, he pads over to the bathroom and thanks the heavens the door isn't locked. He searches through Kris' discarded clothing on the floor for some sort of weapon. His efforts prove to be pointless when the shower curtain is pulled back all the way, and Kris wears a goofy smile on his face.


"Looking for this?" Kris dangles his handgun from his pinky finger and extends it out to Baekhyun, only to retract the last second.


"I... how am I, you know, supposed to, uh... put on some clothes for god's sake!" Baekhyun covers his eyes.


"I don't know about you, but where I'm from, we take showers with our clothes off," Kris deadpans and returns to lathering his hair with shampoo.


Baekhyun grumbles under his breath, but refuses to leave because he feels slightly safer next to a Kris than sitting by himself. He has no choice but to listen to the taller male hum some stupid tunes for several minutes. It's annoying and soothing at the same time.


Kris steps out of the stall and wraps his arms around Baekhyun’s waist, pulling him flush against his chest. Baekhyun freezes up, too scared to make a move because Kris is and he wants to avoid touching anything private.


"It's your turn. I would relish this because it will be awhile until you get to shower again," Kris tells him and snickers at Baekhyun’s silence. "This is only the beginning of your new adventure, babe."