Chanyeol stares at the passed out and chained up Baekyhun.

The incapacitated figure sits as the one who trapped him says, “You’re only a toy, you’re not real. You can’t be, I never was a friend to you, nor was I ever more than that.”

Baekhyun stirs and murmurs, “But why don’t we just pretend?”

Unwavering, Chanyeol continues with his speech. “I talked to you a week ago, you were happy the last time I saw you. All my old friends crowded around you and celebrated your birthday.”

Chanyeol grinds his teeth. “They never celebrated my birthday. Always yours. Well, now you’re powerless like you should be.”

Baekhyun perks up and tilts his head to the side. “Hey Chanyeol, want to go outside?”

Chanyeol shuffles excruciatingly slowly over to Baekhyun. He then slaps the smiling face in front of him. Baekhyun then returns to the same position, without any marks marring his face. Chanyeol smacks him, pounds him, kicks him, and chokes him with the same results.

Chanyeol is drowning in rancor, then in his own tears.

“But for some reason I like you. I can’t go outside, the admittance of my feelings is too scary for me.”

Baekhyun rubs his eyes. “You’re the only one for me. Go outside with me.”

Just like he coded Baekhyun to respond, he hears the words that escape the puppet’s vibrant lips. Those lips that keep him awake at night.

““That reality isn’t the one that is real. This was a bad idea. I always should’ve never looked at you on the first day you came to work. Your sinful lips beckoned me, and I was powerless to stop my feelings.”

Before Baekhyun comes back with his automatic response, Chanyeol takes his hand and clamps the noisy cavern shut. Then he leans down and releases Baekyhun’s face.

“At least I can kiss you here, without worry.” Chanyeol touches his mouth to Baekhyun’s.

Then the surroundings warp, and swirl into pitch blackness. Leaving that image as the last scene saved in the file.

That’s something I want to cherish forever, despite it being not real.

Chanyeol takes his headpiece off and focuses his eyes on the desolate space filled with rubbish he calls his room. He might be able to design the best virtual reality game, that is solely based on making the players’ wishes come true, but his own reality wasn’t ideal for him.

The one person that he forbade himself from seeking, was the one thing he needs; but he refuses to reach for them.

Baekyhun is probably doing fine on his own after I got promoted and became the top designer anyway.

Chanyeol drags his aching body downstairs to get something to nourish himself after the hours of “testing” the prototype for the next spooky game he was going to release. The user gets enticed, by the thing or person they desire the most, to leave the house; where they get slaughtered by their own lusts.

Chanyeol has failed to Baekhyun multitudinous times.

Shrill ringing resonates through the spacious house, his doorbell must be acting up, because there are never any visitors.

He peers through the peep hole, and his heart nearly halts.

Baekhyun!? Why is he here? Collect yourself, he’s probably here for an errand. Still, did you shower?

Chanyeol cups his hand and breathes into it to sniff his breath. Ew! I didn’t brush my teeth! I DIDN’T BRUSH MY TEETH!...

Wait, just try to not get too close to him, so he won’t inhale your stink.

The door is thrown open and Baekhyun jumps backward from the sudden action.

Chanyeol grins scarily wide. “Hello! Baekhyun, can I call you Baekhyun? Whatever, Baekhyun, umm what are you here for?”

“Hey, umm, I’m here to talk about your next game. I got promoted to be the Director of Marketing, so I need to assess your product.”

Chanyeol would willingly do anything for Baekhyun without a thought, so he rushes to retrieve the prototype with the scandalous save file.

“Here, Baekhyun.”

Baekyhun takes the “Sorry, but I’ll have to test it here. I’m not a gaming fanatic like you, so I don’t have the proper equipment.”

“Of course, come in. I need to shower and clean myself up a bit though.”

Baekhyun giggles. “I was just about to comment on your appearance, it’s okay, I would probably be in my pajamas right now if our boss didn’t call me. On a freaking Sunday even!”

“Yeah okay, let’s go to my bedroom. That’s where the rest of the equipment you need are. I’ll just shower in the master bathroom, so knock if there are any questions about the game.”

They go upstairs and Chanyeol locks himself in the bathroom and leaves Baekhyun to explore his masterpiece.

Halfway through showering his hair, the elation that Chanyeol was soaking in dissipates and horrid realization replaces it.

Wait a minute, Baekhyun is playing that game. I saved it at… Oh, OH MY, SHOOT I’M DEAD!

He rinses his hair as best he can and jumps out of the shower, and wraps a towel around his waist. Flinging the door open so hard, it slams into the wall and then swings back onto Chanyeol’s eager leg.

He limps to Baekhyun, who’s not responding to all the commotion.

Baekhyun is seemingly unaware due to the soundproof head gear, but Chanyeol yanks it off Baekhyun’s head to apologize.

However, Baekhyun is a frigid, unresponsive statue; that’s only mumbling incoherent phrases.

Chanyeol waves his hand in front of Baekyhun’s frozen face. Did I really scar him that much?  

Chanyeol bends down to comfort Baekhyun or do anything to snap Baekhyun out of the trance.

Then the towel slips off, and Chanyeol frantically covers himself back up. Chanyeol’s face is now on fire from the torch of embarrassment, and he just sits there.

Eep!! Did, did he see?! This is the worst situation ever, but he’s still cute even when unresponsive.

Baekhyun barely audibly says, “It…was…big…and…hairy.”

Chanyeol feels all the hard work that he put into game designing be shoved through a flaming trash compacter and then torn apart by a blackhole.

Baekhyun points at Chanyeol’s groin. “I wasn’t talking about that, to be honest I’m used to seeing es. Ever since I was sent to look at a ographic game.” Baekhyun shivers. “Anyways, I was talking about your ‘butler’. He’s creepy, as in I feel he has a higher intelligence; but he chooses to not use it for some reason.”

“But what about the…the…starting scene you started on?” Blubbers Chanyeol.

“Oh, meh, I expected you to have a crush on me, I mean lots of people do. Also, I do have the right equipment to play this at home, just…”

Now it’s Baekhyun’s turn to blush furiously. “I might’ve lied to say and talk with you longer. You suddenly disappeared from the office one day, so I kind of, umm, missed, *cough* you *cough*”

Baekhyun is twiddling his fingers, while looking down at the ground.

Chanyeol scratches his slightly soapy head. “But weren’t you the most popular person? Why would you ever notice me?”

Baekhyun instantly replies, “All your coworkers kept commenting on how nice of a guy you were, despite your quirky tendencies.”

“Oh.”

“Go back to showering, your hair is filled with suds.”

“Oh, okay.”