The heat burning his cheeks is becoming unbearable, surely alcohol has its impact but the hot steam rising from the pot isn't making life any easier. It's almost 2AM on a Wednesday night and Chanyeol is hammered. And, no, he isn't sad or lonely, more like vice versa.

 

Chanyeol's sight steals a glimpse of the other person in the kitchen with him and soon a smile embellishes his face. The person isn't a stranger, or at least now under the influence, doesn't seem like one. The truth behind this not-so-mysterious person is that it's his neighbor, but it's another story how he got into Chanyeol's kitchen in the middle of the night, with both of them wasted out of their minds. Chanyeol lifts the lid of the pot the steam is escaping from and makes a theatrical sniffling noise and some weird hand gestures that he's trying to make look like chef's gestures. It seems like the other person gets the joke and a bright laugh fills the room, and Chanyeol can't do anything but smile and laugh himself.

 

It's easy to admit, Chanyeol's always been a little curious about his neighbor. Chanyeol's personality is quite inquisitive and he knows it without thinking about it too much. He's quite used to toning down that aspect of his personality because he gets it, some people are more private than others, and he feels like his neighbor is one of those people. Chanyeol’s curiosity towards the person next door to him sparked when one night Chanyeol was coming back from the studio.

 

It was raining outside and it seemed like it was going to thunder soon. Just when he made it inside, a lightning split the night sky into two and he was mesmerized by the sight. When he got his eyes off the storming sky, he saw a figure dash inside from under his arm which was still holding the door open. He let the door close and turned, eyes meeting another pair of eyes, dark and quirky. It took a few more encounters for Chanyeol to figure out that the person was his next door neighbor. Since that day every time they share an elevator, he can't help feeling a little jumpy. He just needs to get some information to tame his curiosity whether it is his name, zodiac sign or favorite food.

 

So one beautiful (in Chanyeol's eyes) day, they bump into each other in the elevator which is pretty common but today Chanyeol makes a decision to speak up because he figures “why not?”. A chance is given and he aims for it. "How's your week been?" he starts, voice still little scruffy because it's only 8AM and he hasn't spoken to anyone yet. He clears his throat and flashes a shy smile to his neighbor. Luckily, his neighbor lifts his head up and the look in his eyes is a little complicated to describe, it might be surprise, joy or even annoyance and Chanyeol surely hopes like crazy that it isn't the latter possibility.

 

"It's been alright, the weather has just made it worse, don't you think?" he suddenly hears an answer to his question and his eyes light up. "Wow, he might not actually hate me! That's a win." he thinks to himself. "Yeah, I guess the weather has been more y than it was last year during this month." he cackles an answer out, hopefully sounding like a normal human being. Truthfully, Chanyeol couldn't care less about the weather, but for this mysterious companion he could pretend weather is the only thing he cares about. The other boy makes an approving noise and nods. 

 

Then the awkward silence lands among them and Chanyeol can't help but to start tapping his foot to the floor, because there are few things he simply cannot bear and silences are one of the few things that make him really nervous.

 

"So hmm, how long have you lived here?" he asks trying to break the ice, again, and looks at his neighbor. He only moved to his apartment a month ago and hasn't seen anyone move to his floor after him so he assumes this boy has lived here longer than he has. 

 

Chanyeol's eyes meet the other pair of eyes in that elevator and his neighbor answers: "I've lived here for six months, since I started university in September". An university student. Of course he's an university student, who else than Chanyeol wouldn't be at his, wait, their, age. "Cool, we're the same age.." Chanyeol thinks to himself and nods frantically to somehow show that he has heard the other boy.

 

Chanyeol is just about to open his mouth and ask something else, possibly pretty stupid, when suddenly, the elevator creaks and stops. Chanyeol lets out a sigh and right away assumes that there’s a technical difficulty of some sorts and they’re now stuck in the elevator. “Just my luck..” goes through his mind and he crosses his arms and leans to right, feeling the cold steel of the elevator wall press against his back.

 

Seconds later the two boys' eyes meet and Chanyeol processes the look on his neighbors face: he looks very worried, brows furrowed, jaw clenched and mouth set in a hard line. Chanyeol himself didn't enjoy this that much either but he's been stuck in elevators before because of, well, reasons. Truthfully the reason why he’s used to this is that his ex was really into getting freaky in some weird places and an elevator was one of the most normal.

 

His own brows furrow when he sees the worry develop into panic in the other boy's eyes. "Hey, are you okay?" Chanyeol blurts out before thinking. He starts to chew on the inside of his cheek and looks at the other boy, now feeling a little distressed himself. The other boy just looks down and presses his arms tightly to his sides. "I-I'm fine.." might be what he is possibly trying to mumble but Chanyeol can’t figure it out  before he sees that his neighbors legs give up and he stumbles on the floor.

 

Chanyeol immediately kneels down next to him, lifts him to a sitting position, and puts his hands on his shoulders. "Hey! You! Look at me, are you with me?" he asks in a furious tone.

 

Chanyeol's always been really keen on taking care of others. Once in middle school, a girl got hit in the head with a basketball and without hesitation, he took her to the nearest hospital with his bike. The skinny, awkward-height, 14-year-old Park Chanyeol struggled his way to the hospital and got a kiss for a reward when the girl got better. Not that the kiss was the reason why he did, he has just always been taught that there is always a chance to do good and that's what he lives by.

 

Now when his neighbor is nearly unconscious on his arms, something snaps inside him and he just knows he has to do all he can so that the other boy would feel better. The first thing he can think of is slapping the other boy to make sure he's awake so that’s what he proceeds with.

 

Slap.

 

"Yeah, he's awake, okay, now what? What else can I do?" he thinks feverishly when the slap results in a little whine and a puckered forehead. The other boy looks sickly pale under the cold metallic light of the elevator. For a moment, Chanyeol ponders over the thought of what he needs to do next and then he remembers he has juice in his bag. After making sure that the other boy, now somehow limp, stays in his steady sitting position, he scoots over to his bag that he had dropped off from his shoulder at some point and goes through it to find the juice he had thought of for his breakfast. He finds it and tosses his bag mindlessly back to the floor and closes the small distance between him and his neighbor.

 

“Hey, do you think you could have a sip of this?” he sets his hand back on the other’s shoulder and asks, trying to sound somehow sturdy but still friendly because the last thing he wants is to upset or scare his seemingly anxious and groggy neighbor. The other boy opens his eyes slightly and looks at Chanyeol in confusion but then notices the small bottle of the orange colored liquid. He nods lightly and lifts his arm to get the bottle. Chanyeol passes the bottle to him and watches as the other boy gulps some of the juice. “Ah, thank you..” the other boy breathes when he finishes drinking. He wipes his mouth to the corner of this jacket, screws the cap on and passes the juice back to its original owner.

 

“Oh no, you keep it! You seem like you might need it more than me.” Chanyeol says and holds his hand up as a sign of rejection. Chanyeol gives a half-smile when his neighbor looks at him in surprise and begins to explain his line of thought: “I mean, you did kind of faint so your energy levels are probably pretty low, meaning you need sugar.” A little joyful sound leaves the other boy’s mouth, almost like a giggle and he looks at Chanyeol and says something that catches Chanyeol off guard. “I didn’t think you were the caring kind, not with your looks.” the other boy says still looking at him and now smiling a bit wider.

 

“Why, wait, what is he trying to say?” Chanyeol’s inner monologue starts and his mouth forms a little pout. “I mean, you do look a little intimidating because of your height and all of those black droopy hoodies you wear with the hood over your head aren’t making you seem like the soft type either.” the other boy continues and makes Chanyeol feel even more confused, if that’s even possible at this point. “Wait, what are you trying to say?” Chanyeol turns to the other boy and asks, nibbling on his lower lip. “I’m trying to say that you just broke the mental image I’ve had of you for a month, and I’m pretty happy about that.” the boy answers while sliding his back up the wall of the elevator and getting back on his feet.

 

Almost like the boy’s words were the cue, the elevator creaks again and starts moving, shaking a little but other than that, going down the elevator shaft steadily. “Oh, thank God this started working again!” the other boy exclaims while checking his wrist watch and shifting to see himself on the reflecting surface of the elevator door. He fixes his hair and goes down his shirt, smoothing it with his hands. The elevator jumps a little, makes a ping noise and stops. Chanyeol looks at the small screen on top of the elevator door and it says “0”, meaning that they’ve reached the bottom floor. Before Chanyeol can act up, the elevator door is open and his neighbour is already almost out of the door.

 

“Hey, thanks for looking out for me, it was really sweet of you.” he states while smiling, showing Chanyeol two perfect rows of white teeth. Again, before Chanyeol has the chance to answer, his neighbor is out the building and only the chilly breeze that gets inside the building from the opened door shows that he ever had company in the elevator.

 

Chanyeol stands in the elevator, dumbfounded, but when the doors start to close again, he makes a quick movement to get out of the elevator. Now he’s standing in the cold hallway, dangling his bag near the floor, and just trying to figure out what just happened. The growl of his stomach notifies him that he should get moving and he takes a few steps to get out of the building. Even though the hunger is snickering inside him, when he’s outside, he stops, inhales and loves the feeling of the chilly, fresh air filling his lungs. He shakes his head a little,  trying to get his thoughts to where they should be, which is getting to the studio, but it seems like the only thing his brain is ready to process is his intriguing, and apparently claustrophobic, neighbor. He fumbles his hand around in his bag and finds his phone with headphones already plugged in.

 

He sets the headset over his ears, presses play and a hip-hoppy beat fills his ears and he starts making his way down the street, head still focused on one specific boy.