Title: Ride the Bull

Pairing: BaekYeol

Rating: nc-17

Length: 4,418 Words (6/8)

Genres: Romance, college AU

Summary: One would think him blurting out at 2am on the couch in front of the TV to one of his best friends’ brother that “I hooked up with Chan Yeol four nights ago.” was totally uncalled for. This is the story of Baek Hyun’s last four months’ journey of discovering his uality for his tall best friend. Imagine this. All this . Because of a 3D bull from some ty game.

Warning: Un-beta and ;)

===

Feels just like the first time when you kiss me, my lover

Angels in the sky will descend on our love

And it's hard to deny what is happening

[Feels like the first time]

===

When he came down from his flat with Chan Yeol to greet his father, the elder man had a eating square grin that was a striking mirror image of his. Everyone had told him so at one point or another, really, Baek Hyun wasn’t even ashamed of it. So naturally, Baek Hyun could only grin back in return, because smiling was infectious, and Baek Hyun rather liked doing it.

The car ride was loud, purely because Chan Yeol was a good conversationalist and his father liked polite and courteous young men. Baek Hyun was quiet as he listened to the two men’s bout of conversation from behind his steering wheel, his father had a hearty laugh next to him and Chan Yeol laughed just as hard too from his back.

Park Chan Yeol was what people would refer to as a kind hearted and a sweet man. He was a gentleman in every perfect sense despite his clumsy coordination and movement. He liked helping old people crossing the road, giving his seat away on the bus for the elders and women despite how tired he was, and he liked spoiling Baek Hyun rotten with things and foods whenever they hung out. 

When he brought Chan Yeol over to his home back in Bucheon last summer for a week, his mother had said that Chan Yeol’s smiling face was sweet and his height complimented his deep voice so very well.

Yes.

He knew it.

He knew it so ing well.

Park ing Chan Yeol was probably your typical poster child.

It was only fair that his father would easily accept him and have conversation flowed between the two of them so very naturally.

There were many things that Baek Hyun had expected to happen when his father called him about a meeting he had to attend.

“I need you to send me to the airport. I’ll only be gone for two nights, and I’ll give you a call before I fly back.” 

There was an emergency conference he had to attend in Manila. His father was recently promoted to Senior Manager of the Internal Audit’s department at the bank he was attached to, and there was an on-going talk about some money-laundering act they needed to abide in order to avoid any troubles in the future. He understood little of it, and his father had smiled and said that in due time, he will luckily to be as ed, breathing on facts of numbers and money.

“You’re an accounting major. You think you can avoid this path? Tough luck, son.”

The airport was bustling with crowd, and because Baek Hyun was a perfect gentleman of a son, he carried his father’s rather light duffle bag while the elder man only had his laptop bag strapped over his small-framed shoulders. Same genetic, Baek Hyun was really a spitting image of him. His only flaw was probably that he was eight centimetres shorter, inheriting some of his mother’s gene while Byun Baek Beom stood at a flourishing 182 cm the last time he met his brother.

Lucky bastard, he supposed.

“How’s your preparation for the next paper? Your mother told me that you’re registering for the summer’s course?” His father asked over the steaming Americano at the café near the departure’s gate. He looked casual in grey sweater and tan chinos. While Baek Hyun had don a black and white houndstooth patterned jumper with some yellow details and black skinny jeans, Chan Yeol had his electric blue and white varsity jacket over white tee and black skinny jeans, the usual.

“The Accounting Theory this time was hard. I don’t think I’ll fail, but I like playing safe, you know?” The lie rolled easily from his tongue and Chan Yeol’s ears grew red from the profound truth he desperately tried to cover by playing casual and his father had an amused glint twinkling in his eyes.

“It was hard the last time you took them too, but here you are now, son, registering for that summer course.”

Chan Yeol snorted at his father’s rather huge smirk and Baek Hyun groaned at that fact.

===

Baek Hyun missed his car. His father lied about returning it back to him, he wasn’t disappointed, per say, but he wasn’t too happy about it either. It was still resting in the garage back at his parents’ house, and last Baek Hyun heard of it, Baek Beom had amusedly told him how his mother enjoyed driving it for her aerobic class every morning before going to the market for her usual groceries. It made him sad, but driving his father’s new C-class was a new feeling altogether. No that was the surprise his father actually promised.

His family wasn’t rich per say, they lived in a double storey house back in Bucheon and his father was only recently promoted where then life, thankfully, had gotten better for them. It got to the point where the man didn’t even nag at Baek Hyun for possibly having to repeat a paper again. He supposed it was a good thing, because Baek Hyun knew he will repeat that paper and now that his father seemed as if he wasn’t even remotely pissed at his youngest for screwing up yet again, Baek Hyun can actually pushed aside his guilt for a moment and focus on his next paper.

Yeah, right.

They drove back with Chan Yeol’s favourite song blared loudly from the speaker. Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles covered by MNEK, and while Baek Hyun didn’t particularly hate that song, Chan Yeol’s throaty uneven voice singing along to the lyrics shouldn’t make the song that hot as well.

Back to square one.

His stupid glaring attraction for his best friend.

It was really unfair, to be honest, because while he was being this hot and bothered, Chan Yeol was looking so damn nonchalant and that only made him ten times more handsome.

“What will you do if I switch the radio off now?” He said, interrupting the tall man’s singing and Chan Yeol had smiled his way, lips pouting over the lyrics.

“Doesn’t matter, I memorise the lyric anyway. I don’t need the music to sing, man, I’m a true musician.” He said after a while and Baek Hyun shook his head disappointedly, smiling lazily as he raised his fist, bumping them against Chan Yeol’s waiting one.

“Kiss my , man.”

“Noted with much appreciation.”

The traffic wasn’t as congested for it was only 3.30pm. Baek Hyun regretted giving the green card for Chan Yeol to connect his phone with the car’s radio via Bluetooth, because the man’s song was plain loud, EDM blasting away through the speakers with the tall man bobbing his head and moving his body in a lazy motion to the beat.

Me tequila-quila.

Poison in the darkness.

Got me wicked wicked.

Feeling a hotflush.

It was hot as hell.

Chan Yeol was ing hot as hell.

If he were to die soon, his complain will probably be about how unfair Chan Yeol’s existence really was. His eyes, his smiles, his complexion, his style, his voice – ing just about anything that had to do with him made Baek Hyun’s blood shrivelled with complicated feelings, conflicting emotions. It can’t be fair how ed he was on so many levels, because everything that he felt about Chan Yeol was strong these days, and he hated and loved the pain it inflicted upon him.

“You’re losing weight, Baek Hyun-ah?”

Chan Yeol’s voice was soft amongst the silence of the car, between the break of two songs. Baek Hyun raised an eyebrow, one palm gripping the steering wheel while the other rested upon the gearstick. 

“Why? Do I suddenly look better now, or what?” He grinned jokingly, but that was before warm fingers raced along his forearm, raising all the hair on his skin.

Chan Yeol’s fingers were long around his wrist when the man pulled his hand away from the gearstick with careless strength. He then used his other free hand to finger the sleeve of Baek Hyun’s jumper until they crumpled to his elbow, and damn, the feeling of Chan Yeol’s calloused fingertips against his skin shouldn’t feel this good. The tall man’s gaze was soft, gentle even as they ran over his thin wrist. His lips then lined into a small smile that had Baek Hyun’s heartbeat did many weird painful things to his chest.

Chan Yeol used the pad of his thumb to make a swirly motion atop Baek Hyun’s lifeline under his wrist, and he swore that the tingle it sent down his spine was not affecting any of his concentration and sanity. At. All. .

“C-Chan Yeol?” He couldn’t help, but stutter. It was frustrating how the other man’s focus was narrowed down to his skin.

“See this? Your wrist? They’re thin.” Chan Yeol’s voice was a whisper, a gentle hum, actually, and he wasn’t smiling anymore, dazed and so out of this world. “Thinner than usual, really.” Baek Hyun in a harsh air, lips quickly drying up and it was hard to focus on the empty road, because Chan Yeol had lifted his arm until they hovered in front of his face, wrist only an inch away from the tall man’s lips, he can basically feel his best friend’s breathe fanning over his skin.

Not to mention the touches.

Rough fingertips skittered all around his fingers as if the man was trying to decipher his flaws and tones.

“I’m p-pretty sure it has always been like that.” Baek Hyun almost winced at his response, because even to his ears, they sounded weak, desperate, and Chan Yeol’s eyes sharpened up at that.

Baek Hyun turned away when he thought he saw a whisper of a smile started to stretch from Chan Yeol’s lips and he pulled his arm away, swallowing a huge lump when he swore he thought that he felt echo of lips brushed against his fingers.

He was ed.

Honestly.

He was so ing ed.

===

It was 5.52 p.m. on Thursday when Baek Hyun walked out of the exam hall feeling like a Greek God. Liberated, free –he reckoned that he might actually really like this feeling no matter how rare the chance for it to present was. Because this –this feeling, he knew this was what it felt like from being able to answer a particular hard paper after a week filled with adrenaline, nicotine, caffeine and lack of sleep, trying to memorise cases and tax code.

Yes.

Baek Hyun will not repeat this again. Not because he was confident with his answer, but simply because he didn’t want to go through that pain again.

Baek Hyun was revelling in his freedom sitting by the step of the staircase next to the exam hall that will lead to the parking lot. He remembered how Chan Yeol had seated there once about a week ago after they got out from a jack-ed paper and he remembered well how beautiful he thought the man was at that time, hell, even now still.

The wind was soft against his face, a trace of warmth from the very near summer heat brushed along his skin and he let out a content sigh. His grandmother always told him that he was a summer child. He almost smiled at the memory, because Baek Hyun couldn’t withstand the cold very well, he was basically always the most active and only useful in summer. He remembered how everyone from his school back at Bucheon always cursed the weather when they went swimming at the public swimming pool most of every other week while Baek Hyun was basically blossoming in the heat of the sun. 

“How was the paper?”

He looked up when deep voice broke whatever daze he was in and he squinted his eyes from the sudden lack of sun to the shadow of another figure looming over him.

Chan Yeol was standing behind him, body bent down and he was looking directly at Baek Hyun’s face when the smaller male tilted his head up.

The sun was basically covered from Chan Yeol’s grinning face, he wondered why his whole body felt hotter than before.

“Not as hard as Accounting Theory.” He grinned back.

“Can anything be harder?”

Yeah, like my most mornings when I dreamt of you, ing .

“I can say more things as a comparison, but given the current location we’re at, I think it will be highly inappropriate.”

The man’s boisterous laugh made him grin and he swore he heard Chan Yeol muttering –“I can vouch for that.” under his breath, but he put the thought aside when the man shifted. His eyes followed his tall best friend’s movement when the man moved to sit next to him. Side by side like this, he can feel the trace of full blast a/cond’s effect from Chan Yeol’s body and it made his skin prickled with goose bumps at the onslaught of temperature shift.

“Final’s officially over.” Chan Yeol said after a while, sighing contently on his spot with both arms bent over his knees and body slouched forward.

“Summer’s starting.” He nodded.

“It’s the beginning of my doom –I’ll have to wear shorts!”

“I can finally see you in something other than those stupid jackets you own.”

“Varsity jacket is a trend, you fashion-less .”

He smirked at the loud groan.

Chan Yeol detested shorts, hence, inevitably making him hate hot weather. He was the total opposite of Baek Hyun in that sense, it was strange when he tried seeing things from that point of view because they were so similar with each other, actions always synchronised, choices made mostly leading them the same way.

“Have you packed your stuff? Yoora’s coming this Saturday to pick you up for her wedding stuff, right?” Cake, wine tasting and more food-related stuff Chan Yeol had relayed to him last week. He mentioned how unfortunate it was that he was the only other sibling his sister had, because his father had outrightly rejected her whines for him to come along.

“It’s gonna for sure.” The man told him with a whine, mindlessly scratching the back of his head

“Just imagine all the food you’re going to taste. That’s heaven, Chan Yeol, be grateful.”

The sun wasn’t as blaring now when he tilted his head ahead, Baek Hyun can feel his body relaxing. They did it again, one semester done, finals were done, and he will be free for a while before summer class will start.

“You think Jong Dae will ditch us after this?” Baek Hyun asked, because he remembered seeing the other man’s sickeningly sweet text with his girlfriend by accident when they had their lunch, and there was a glaring indication that a date night might involve in Jong Dae’s itinerary, hence, enabling the option that their friend might ditch them again as always.

They said that the depth of friendship between men was immeasurable, but Baek Hyun firmly believed that it was a pile of crap.

“What do you mean after this? He’s already gone, took his car ten minutes before I came here.”

ing bastard.

Traitor.

It took them only fifteen minutes to reach the bus stop outside of their campus. Baek Hyun was thankful that the sun was setting soon, because the wind was doing wonderful things to his skin and Chan Yeol was walking closely to his side. It was a strange feeling, he thought, because while Baek Hyun gets irritated easily these days at any skin contact, he found that Chan Yeol’s body heat was more than just comforting. It made his heart beat just a tad faster, made his steps light and somehow, it was easier to smile at things.

It was weird.

The caw of the crows filled the air, Chan Yeol was humming to himself and Baek Hyun smiled when he thought he recognised the tune.

“It’s almost August, why are you singing Jingle Bells?”

“It’s a gay song, and I’m feeling rather gay.” Chan Yeol shrugged. And although the statement might be confusing, he kept the thought to himself with a shake of his head and an amused smile as they got onto the bus.

===

Deep down somewhere in him, Baek Hyun had always comfortably settled himself with the idea that Park Chan Yeol was a good looking man. He thought of this so many times before, but now, the idea of it just stuck to his mind like a leech.

It wasn’t all about his physical attribution, per say, despite how that glaring fact contributed greatly to the whole hot stuff cause. Baek Hyun honestly thought Chan Yeol was good looking because he was accompanied with many other good things. He was charming, his voice was deep, warm and most of his smiles were genuine. Chan Yeol gets happy easily most of the times, he didn’t know how it was possible, but his best friend really can. It was impressive, really, he didn’t need a reason to smile at a stranger, let alone someone he already knew.

It was already dark when Chan Yeol jumped out of the bus.

The movement wasn’t at all graceful, but Baek Hyun had long come to term with that fact, and it was weird to see Chan Yeol tip toed along the line of the curb by the road with arms spread opened before he settled down on the steel bench of the bus stop with a lazy grin. His eyes were large as they settled on him and Baek Hyun leaned against the railing opposite of the bench with a small smile in return.

“This is not your stop,” Baek Hyun stated with an arched eyebrow, whooshing sound of door setting shut before the bus went away. “Bugger off so that I can have a peaceful night.”

Chan Yeol’s laugh sounded wonderful to his ear. They were unrestrained, fulfilling and genuine.

“All by yourself?” Chan Yeol grinned wider, bending a knee onto the bench against his chest while looking all nonchalant. Shoulders slack backwards, eyes and smile lazy with his arms parted on his side to support his weight. “What, shouldn’t you be wanting my company? Shame, I’ve been told by many that I made good company.”

Baek Hyun couldn’t help the loud laugh he barked out, his face burning up and Chan Yeol only grinned wide in return before huffing out a soft laugh, chest shaking, rocked by his quiet amusement.

“Are you drunk?”

“Not particularly, although, a trip to the bar sounds nice.”

They didn’t go to the bar.

Chan Yeol instead had walked together with him until they reached Baek Hyun’s rundown flat. His father always said that it was a place that brews troublesome people and crooks. Baek Hyun told him it was either this, or more money for a much newer place. His father had laughed and told him they shared the same tasteless humour and here he was, two years later, still in the same room with Kim Jong In.

They stood in front of the flight of staircase by the entrance of the flat. His best friend didn’t climb up the stairs with him when the short man walked to the staircase and Baek Hyun looked at him confusingly. The sky was dark now, no moon, black, sprinkled with stars here and there, but not much. Light pollution. His grandmother always sighed at that, babbling on about how the sky used to be so much different when she was a child, with abundant of stars littering about.

The wind was gentle against his skin, shaking his hair like ruffling leafs.

Chan Yeol looked delightful with his silver hair. He still ridiculously had his electric blue varsity jacket on atop his black tee and black skinny jeans. A contrast to Baek Hyun’s more modest dressing of simple denim printed cotton shirt atop his white tee and black skinny jeans.

“Coming up?” Baek Hyun asked with an arched eyebrow, rolling his sleeves to his elbow, because the exam hall was cold just now, he had unrolled the sleeves all the way until they covered his wrist. He couldn’t help the confusion that filled him at his best friend’s light shake of head.

“Nah, wanna catch up with my sleep.”

“So what’s the point of walking with me all the way here?”

“Nothing,” Chan Yeol shrugged with his bottom lip jutted out. It was ing adorable, it was doing to his head. Baek Hyun was lucky that he had somewhat little dignity left in himself for not melting down, because what his best friend said next almost gave him the final K.O blow – “I like your company, s’all.”

Baek Hyun can probably come up with a smarter response to Chan Yeol’s strange statement, but as it was, he was only just a , stupid at the tall man’s fiery eyes and the only thing he can manage was a meek nervous laugh as Chan Yeol took a step closer to him.

The man didn’t do anything, he looked down to the tassel strap of Baek Hyun’s backpack, fingers flipping the damn thing. There was only a mere few inches of space between them, Chan Yeol’s cologne smelled good. The black tee he wore smelled fresh of fabric softener.

“See you tomorrow?” Chan Yeol asked, his voice dipped low, almost quiet as if the words were solely meant for him.

“Yeah, lunch? And the bar with the guys at night, yeah?” He was strangely breathless, he wondered if Chan Yeol noticed it at all. 

The man didn’t say anything, only a small smile gracing his feature and Baek Hyun felt his face warming up at the sight, because , Chan Yeol was just so beautiful, drop dead ing gorgeous truthfully, and he wondered if he even had the chance at all.

Because he noticed it.

Baek Hyun wasn’t that slow, contrary to popular belief, because this, whatever this was between them, it must be something more. It can’t just be blind friendship, because he didn’t think mere friends would do the things Chan Yeol did. Scratch the occasional lingering touches, because the fiery gaze, the strange moves, the almost too intimate steps the two have taken the past weeks –they must count as something.

Baek Hyun’s hand somehow knew what to do, moving automatically over Chan Yeol’s thighs until they rested at the man’s pocket, fingers crooked in as the man lean down, both of his palms gripping the shorter man’s shoulders and Baek Hyun’s eyelids were slowly dropping closed as warm air breathed against his cheeks and –oh.

There were neither fireworks nor music sang in the background when Chan Yeol’s surprisingly soft lips pressed against his.

Although he swore he could feel the bangs of Chan Yeol’s heart drumming underneath his chest, because they were pressed close now, chest to chest, when Chan Yeol’s draped his arms closed around his waist. Baek Hyun bit the bottom thick lip lightly before on them, a remedy, he amusingly thought, and Chan Yeol kissed him back just as vigorously.

The world didn’t shake, there was no epiphany of starting to make sense or puzzle clicking into places, but he won’t deny that there was sparks.He won’t deny how it had felt like this was his first kiss all over again. Just look at him –sweaty palms, catastrophe of uncontrolled beating heart and emotions all over the place like some gory butchering of organ, his ing heart, probably.

Where was logic?

Where was the gravity?

Where was the air? 

Did everything felt this light before?

He turned his head sideways when it became too much, swallowing hard when Chan Yeol’s wet lips grazed his jawline. He admitted that the kiss was short, so how the hell did it manage to render him this breathless? He bit down a moan when Chan Yeol laid a chaste kiss at the point between his jawline and his ears and he opened his eyes, sight going misty.

His fingers still crooked in the tall man’s jeans’ pocket, coarse fabric cushioning against his cold digits.

“Feels like the first time, doesn’t it?”

He turned his head to face the man and he regretted his action immediately.

Because Chan Yeol’s eyes were barely opened, hazy at best and he was drinking up Baek Hyun’s profile. It ed just about everything –his heartbeat, his body temperature, his head. It felt like the ground just ceased to exist, it made him oddly giddy. It couldn’t be healthy, no, not like this. There was a pinch of red sprinkling the tall man’s cheeks, but Chan Yeol was sporting a rather lazy grin.

“I don’t know about you buddy, but I swear this is the first one between us.” He laughed, breathing a little too easily despite how Chan Yeol’s arms were still around his waist.

Chan Yeol made his move again, startling him with the sudden movement, but Baek Hyun was quick to react, was quick to melt. His lips were warm as the tall man laid a chaste kiss against his lips, smooching sound that made his face burn even more, before Chan Yeol pulled away, arms and everything with a lazy grin still plastered on his unfairly handsome face.

They stood apart again now, Baek Hyun didn’t know that his knees were that weak, almost stumbling if not for Chan Yeol’s weight grounding him, before he straightened up with a red face.

He can hear the sound of children’s laughter filling the air, he knew, from the Lee family that lived a floor below his own flat, he can hear the grumbling sound of washing machine from someone else’s balcony, he can hear many things. Sounds that make a place home, he knew them, and wondered why he can’t hear those moments before, when now, they were profoundly loud.

“See you tomorrow?” Chan Yeol’s voice was soft.

“Yeah, ‘morrow.” Was his breathless response, before they turned away after that.

Later that night, Jong In gave him a weird look when Baek Hyun lain on his stomach, burying his face into the pillow, grinning wide like a mad man.

.

They kissed.

Park Chan Yeol kissed him.

They ing kissed.

Just woah.

===

a/n: okay, so like, finally? They kissed! Yes. Okay. I was heavily inspired by Corinne Bailey Rae's Feels Like The First Time when I wrote this. The mood of the song was the perfect set up for this chapter, especially during the kissing scene. Okay. There’s nothing I would like to rant today OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT LOTTO’S MV GAVE ME A ING HEART ! Oh my GOD!!! You know what, I want a hot ty Baekhyun. Just . Although the song is not that much to my liking, it’s still aesthetically pleasing the watch, man.

And that lipstick? The chateau labiotte wine lipstick? I am going to buy them just because of the packaging. WHERE CAN I FIND THEM? Amazon is a little bit overpriced, but I need the international shipping option, so I’m dying over here from the lmited options. Right, personal thought, though? I don’t really like most of Korean’s beauty products, especially their lipstick? Because their texture always seem light, as in, the colour don’t really pop out and they are not long lasting.   

But anyway, how was this chapter? Was it okay? Leave me a comment or two and lemme know~

p/s: This and this are the songs that were played during the car ride, if you guys are interested.

-bluecoins