-

The 5 o’clock subway was Baekhyun’s favourite hunting ground. It was packed, as always, by worn-out business men and women. Their eyes followed the ticking clock hands on their watches. All easy targets, in Baekhyun’s expert opinion, but today he was looking for a challenge.

There was one man who appeared smart enough to stand with his back to the wall, hiding the lump of a wallet in his back pocket from prying hands. A challenge.

The thick black overcoat that drooped over his shoulders, made him appear smaller than he already was. His hair was slicked to the side with a gentle loop, and his lips were a soft pink, plump and doughy. Clipped fingernails tapped a beat into the subway’s glass window.

The subway lurched to its first stop and Baekhyun filtered through the crowd. As he neared the small man, unexpectedly dark eyes forced him to a halt. There was a piercing intensity in his gaze that suggested he was about to anticipate Baekhyun’s every move. The subway lurched forward again and Baekhyun cursed under his breath. An opportunity missed.

When the subway stopped again, Baekhyun dived through the crowd. He plastered on a flustered expression, and looked around frantically.

“Seoyeon! Seoyeon!” Baekhyun called, “Has anyone seen my younger sister?” He increased the intensity in his Busan accident in his voice when he became close enough to his target. He then turned to the small dark man and clasped his hands between his palms, “Please, sir! Have you seen her?”

The man raised his thick eyebrows, “Your sister? I did see a young girl get off at the last station, could that have been her?”

Baekhyun’s body slumped into a relieved sigh, “Must have been. Thank you” He tumbled forward to encase the small man into a hug. His nimble fingers reached back between the fabric of the man’s pocket and then disappeared back beneath his own loose jacket sleeves.

He smiled at the man and slid back into the crowd. Baekhyun rubbed his thumb within his jacket over the leather seams of the man’s wallet. So much for that being a challenge.

When the next stop rolled around, Baekhyun hopped off and headed to the public washroom. Safe in the confines of a toilet stall, Baekhyun brought out the wallet and popped it open. A stream of water shot at his face, right below his left eye. Baekhyun stumbled back against the latched door of the stall with screech. He chucked the wallet into the toilet bowl and pat down his soaked face with his sleeve.

“You're good, but not that good” a voice echoed like aluminum through the restroom, “Your acting is convincing, but your trick is cliche. Anyone familiar with street cons would've been on to you immediately”

Baekhyun slammed open the stall, teeth bared and seething at the mockery. Two men leaned against the sink counter. The speaker was the small man from the subway. The other man looped an arm around the shorter man’s shoulder and watched Baekhyun with hooded eyes.

“The is going on?” Baekhyun yelled. His voice bounced off the walls.

“We’re here to recruit you” said the taller man, “This is Kyungsoo, and I’m Jongin. We’re from EXO.”

“You mean that group of lunatics that have been front page all of the last month? That robbed a bank in Paris or something?”

“Something big is about to happen, and we know you’ve got nothing to lose,” Kyungsoo said as he stepped closer to Baekhyun, “so, are you in?”

“Am I in?”

“Will you join us”

Baekhyun rolled up his sleeves and stood nose to nose with Kyungsoo. “Will I die if I say no?”

Jongin pushed Baekhyun’s right shoulder and placed himself between them. Kyungsoo chuckled and shook his head.

“Only if you squeal” Kyungsoo’s eyes were dark as he watched Baekhyun take a step back.

“Fine” Baekhyun breezed his hair out of his face, “I’m in. Whatever that means”

Turns out “in” meant Baekhyun was now a part of some weird, underground society devoted to the arts of trickery and allusion. Kyungsoo revealed the name of said society to be EXO, the infamous organization Baekhyun had read on newspaper headlines across the country. It was rumoured that they were behind the grandiose robbery of a high-class French bank in the middle of Paris in broad daylight.

They took the subway into the older part of the city, where all the back alleys looked identical to one another: rank, dark, and filled with a damp sickness that you could feel seep into the fabric of your clothes.

The warehouse Kyungsoo and Jongin brought Baekhyun to was poorly lit and what light dig creep through the crude tearing curtains produced a ghoulish glow. Tight ropes were strung across the expanse of the ceiling, some with safety nets below, and some without. The rank smell of coal and rust, burnt up Baekhyun’s nostrils. Kyungsoo lead him through a mess of sleeping bodies to an empty sleeping bag. This was where he was to live from now on, in this cramped, stinking, prison. Baekhyun slipped inside the sleeping bag, closed his eyes, and fell asleep with a small smile across his lips.

-

The next morning, Baekhyun was to acquaint himself with the other tenants.

A telephone pole of a man with eyes large and ears larger, was hovering over Baekhyun when he woke. He smelt of gasoline and ash.

“Are you the welcoming committee” Baekhyun said through crusty, sleepy eyes.

A large grin took up most of the tall man’s face, “I guess you could say that. I’m Chanyeol.”

“Baekhyun”

“Lemme give you the grand tour” Chanyeol extended a hand and Baekhyun took it, noticing how much more calloused it was in comparison to his own thin smooth digits.

The passed under the tight ropes that Baekhyun noticed previously.

“Those are Jongin’s” Chanyeol said with a tinge of aw, “he’s the only acrobat among us, and a ing artist at that”

Jongin was over by the ladder, beginning to climb up. Kyungsoo stood quietly at the base, his teeth pulling at the skin of his lip.

“Though Kyungsoo still worries over him like a mother hen” Chanyeol smirked and shook his head, “you’d think he’d leave the poor boy alone”

Jongin toed at the tight rope, his chest heaving and his lips tight in a line. He backed off, clicked on the small radio he had at the top block and was off. His feet were nimble, switching back and forth rapidly as he crossed. Hips twisted, toes lifted up and spun around, his arms waved at his sides, like a dance with gravity itself.

The end of the rope was near. Kyungsoo was holding his breath below. Jongin sprung up suddenly, rotated mid air and landed on the base at the other side.

“See? Art.” Chanyeol said nodding his head thoughtfully, “Alright! Next!”

As they turned away, Baekhyun thought he saw Kyungsoo wipe at the corner of his eye.

Next, they approached three men on the other side of the warehouse. One sat beside a pile of various locks, another had his legs bound and torso dressed in a restraining jacket, and the third was reading a book about “mysticism, hypnotism, and the mind”.

“Hey Chanyeol.” The bound man chirped, his gummy smile peeked out from under his lips.

“Minseok” Chanyeol smiled then gestured to Baekhyun, “This is the new guy”

“Hi there. I’d wave if I could move my arms” Minseok laughed and began squirming in his seat. “Just give me a sec here...”

The jacket seemed to unwrap itself as Minseok writhed, until finally his elbows charged out and it sunk at his sides. He untied the ropes around his legs and stood to extend a hand to shake with Baekhyun.

“Sehun needs to give you a harder challenge” Chanyeol said as he approached the man who was fiddling with locks and ruffled his hair. Sehun balked and threw a deadbolt at him.

“He’s been in and out of everything I’ve put him in all day. I’m running out of ideas” Sehun’s lower lip protruded as he spoke and Chanyeol ruffled his hair again.

“This is our youngest, Sehun” said Chanyeol.

“And they won’t let me forget it” huffed Sehun as he took a new lock and began picking at it with a paperclip. It snapped open, and he tossed it to the side before picking up another.

“This is Yixing, the hypnotist” Chanyeol introduced the final man who was incredibly handsome and whose dimples broke out when he smiled. Baekhyun blinked and smiled in return with a wave.

“I know,” said Chanyeol with a sympathetic look, “he’s so handsome that he doesn’t even need to use hypnotism before you’re entranced.”

Yixing laughed and waved Chanyeol off. “You flatter me too much. Joonmyeon will be giving us the plan soon so make sure you two practice.”

“We know, we know.” Chanyeol grabbed onto Baekhyun’s hand and pulled him away.

“Onward!” He hollered and moved to leave, but something thin whizzed passed his giant ear. Baekhyun chuckled at the way his eyes bulged.

Heaps of laughter erupted from behind them along with the chastising voice of another. Chanyeol stormed towards the culprit, a thin man with eyes that reminded Baekhyun of a cat.

“I’m not here for target practice Jongdae!” Chanyeol roared. The small man, seemingly named Jongdae, laughed even harder at that. The other thin man beside him pat his back with a sigh.

“Sorry, Chanyeol, it’s too easy” Jongdae grinned at him, “Besides, I’m supposed to be practicing”

“Not by throwing at other people” The other short man sighed again before turning to Baekhyun, “Hi there. I’m Joonmyun, and this is Jongdae. We are the masters of cards here.”

“Joonmyeon’s the boss of the whole operation actually.” Jongdae piped up as he balanced a club of hearts on the tip of his finger.

“Nice to meet you.” Baekhyun nodded his head with a polite smile.

Joonmyeon smiled a weary smile and nodded in return. “Likewise.”

An arm looped its way around Baekhyun’s shoulder.

“Well, we should get to practicing,” said Chanyeol, “come on newbie.”

Baekhyun stumbled as Chanyeol pulled him off, barely managing a farewell to his new boss. He led him back to the sleeping area, to presumably his own sleeping spot. He breathed out a sigh and stretched his arms above him. Baekhyun noted the way his sweatshirt rode up about an inch from his waistline, leaving a thin strip of skin exposed.

“So, what do you do?” Baekhyun eyed chanyeol up and down.

The absolute gleam off Chanyeol’s grin caused Baekhyun to blink. “I’ll show you.”

He took out two short poles from his bedside, each with a round tip at the end--Torches, Baekhyun realized--and dipped each in a bottle of gasoline.

Chanyeol’s eyes locked on Baekhyun as he rolled the torch’s end across the exposed flesh of his forearm. The flames across his skin until, with a snap of his arm to the side, they blew out. He then brushed the hot flames over the leg of his jeans. They held there, seemingly burning up the fabric. His bare hand smoothed over it, and it was gone and his jeans perfectly intact. Then the fire of the wand was laid over his palm, and he extinguished it by closing his fingers around it one at a time.

“Impressive.” Baekhyun crossed his legs and leaned on his palm, a snide smile on his lips.

Chanyeol used one hand to dip the end of the torch in the bottle of gasoline, while giving Baekhyun the finger with the other. He lit it again, leaned his head back and held the flame just above his lips. His mouth stretched open, his tongue extended, and the head of the flame dipped into his mouth. He pulled the rod away and fire extended from his mouth, like a human candle, then was snuffed out as his lips pressed back together.

“What can you do?” Chanyeol leaned his weight on the cement column.

Baekhyun’s teeth glinted in the dim light of Chanyeol’s sconce. “I can hypnotise people.”

“Alright let’s see then.” Chanyeol’s voice was laced with challenge.

Baekhyun edged closer to the tall man and held out his right hand before him. He looked him directly in the eyes and began snapping his fingers in a beat, “I’ll snap my fingers once, snap my fingers twice...”

He crowded Chanyeol, but the taller held his sharp gaze. “I’ll snap my fingers five times...Now sleep.”

Chanyeol blinked at him and pushed him back by the shoulder, “It didn’t work, .”

Baekhyun looked puzzled for a moment and frowned, “That’s odd.”

Chanyeol burst into laughter, “What the kind of hypnotist are you?”

Baekhyun lips pulled back like a hyena as he pulled a dark fabric object from the pocket of his jeans and dangled in front of the point of Chanyeol’s nose, “The kind that snatches wallets.”

-

“This,” Joonmyeon said as he held up a photo of a middle aged man with thick rimmed glasses and thicker frown lines,“is our target.”

Baekhyun looked around the room, checking if anyone else was as confused as he was.

“Lee Sooman. A corrupt billionaire, who collected hundreds of thousands of dollars through a fake, staged charity event. We are going to locate that money, snatch it, and get the hell out of there before anyone knows any different.”

Baekhyun shot his hand up, but blurted his opinion out loud anyway, “How the hell are we going to do that? This is a big shot we are dealing with here. We could go to ing jail.”

Chanyeol clapped Baekhyun on the shoulder with a large warm hand, “don’t sweat it, newbie, there isn’t a lock in existence that Sehun can’t pick”

Baekhyun looked over to where, Sehun was sleeping through the meeting on Jongdae’s shoulder. He shot up in his seat when Jongdae elbowed his side. A swipe of drool hung from the corner of his mouth.

“Great that really reassuring,” Baekhyun said with a grimace seeping through his smile.

“Now,” said Joonmyeon who waved his hands to get everyone’s attention, “let’s go over the plan.”

-

The bow tie knotted around Baekhyun’s neck was choking him, but on his face was the brightest smile he could manage. He swerved the food trolley around the packed tables of attendees, offering all of the corporate big-wigs cucumber sandwiches and lean glasses of champagne. The lights were dimmed, and all eyes swerved to the stage. The show was about to begin.

There was a rush of flame that came swirling into a circle around Chanyeol, who stood center stage. He had a fiery mallet in each hand that he spun into loops at his sides and under his legs as he danced. His muscles glinted in the orangey glow, and Baekhyun strained to look away. He had another job to attend to.

Chanyeol was good at his job, Baekhyun thought as he smiled at a new bunch of guests and handed them each a dainty and a refreshment, but Yixing’s “behind the scenes” hypnotism was really what landed him the gig.

Baekhyun glanced to the ceiling. Jongin was already in position, knelt on the rafters, waiting for Baekhyun’s sign.

He rounded Lee Sooman’s table, and tilted his head slightly, like an owl, trying to spot the set of keys rumored to be hung on the billionaire’s belt loop at all times. That was their best shot at securing the vault. As he set down a few drinks to the patrons on the left, he noticed that Lee Sooman’s belt loop was bare. Perhaps the other side? But when Baekhyun rounded to the right, to hand out cucumber sandwiches to the other guests, he saw no keys on that side either.

His heart was pattering like heavy rain in his chest, and his face was growing hot. Everything in the plan was about to fall apart.

He twisted his fingers together behind his back, a warning sign to Jongin, before briskly heading for the kitchen, ditching the trolling, and swerving into the staff bathroom.

His back it the cold beige walls, and his chest heaved. If he left without making a scene, he could still retreat to safety without incident. He could act, no one would suspect that he had anything to do with those conmen.

Screw the heist, he thought, I have to save my own .

After a deep intake of breath, he reached for the door handle.

The lights zapped out and Baekhyun landed against the door.

There was bustling on the other side. Then, a crash and the sound of pots and pans rattling on the tiles floor.

It opened and Baekhyun fell into the arms of a tall, thin somebody that smelt of ashes and gasoline.

“Come on,” the deep voice said. Chanyeol.

“I thought you were on stage?”

“Jongin cut the lights. Weren't you listening when Joonmyeon went over the back up plan?”

“Oops?”

Baekhyun gasped as his arm was yanked to the side, and the two of them were on the move. Chanyeol pulled out a small flashlight and illuminated the room.

“What, not going to use fire?” Baekhyun mocked through heavy breaths of air.

Chanyeol snorted and guided the light over the room. The kitchen staff that hadn't fled, were lying on the ground, unconscious.

Baekhyun's eyes widened as he took in the mass of bodies. “Holy... That's some 007 .”

“Just come on!” Chanyeol tugged Baekhyun's arm again and they bounded out of the kitchen.

Chanyeol lead him to a stairwell where he ushered him down flights of stairs. The light of the flashlight bounced off the walls as they ran. Baekhyun struggled to keep his footing as Chanyeol’s long legs sprung down two steps at a time.

The alarm whined loud in their ears and the lights violently began to spit red as Chanyeol finally pulled Baekhyun through a door labeled B3.

On the other side, they found Sehun with his ear pressed to a large thick metal door that had a giant round crank like the steering wheel of a pirate ship. Minseok was beside him, inspecting and pressing the various buttons and numbers in a kind of algorithm Baekhyun knew he would never really understand.

Baekhyun rested his hands in his hips and let out a small chuckle. “You know, when I first signed up for this, I didn’t expect everything to look exactly like it does in the movies.”

Sehun mumbled something to Minseok who got to his feet, bent his knees, and began to forcefully push the wheel around. It made little clicks as it slowly moved around.

He looked around, marvelling in the wide expanse of metal around him. The area looked exactly like a google stock image. Perfectly cinematic and perfectly “vault-like” with it’s minimalistic steel glow.

How was this all so easy?

There was a large snapping sound and Sehun started clapping Minseok on the back, to which the elder stuck out his tongue.

“You’ve done it!” Chanyeol cheered and bumbled over to him to help pull the heavy door open. “Come on, Baekhyun, give us a hand.”

Baekhyun did so, only then realizing how monstrously heavy that steel door was. Joonmyeon and Jongdae ran up to them just as it finally came open with a screech of clashing metals.

“Guards are coming.” Joonmyeon announced, catching his breath. Jongdae was keeling over, hacking and wheezing.

Just then they hear hollering in the distance and the rhythmic sound of thunderous footsteps approaching the vault.

Sehun went wide-eyed and Chanyeol cursed. Baekhyun forgot how to breathe.

“Get in there and get out. The two of us will hold them until Kyungsoo and Yixing get here.”

Kyungsoo was their master illusionist and paired with their hypnotist, Yixing, they could take out the weak minds of the guards in an instant. The problem was waiting up for them.

Sehun and Minseok filled their sacks with bills, Chanyeol stuffed his backpack.

“Grab some!” He yelled to Baekhyun who was still frozen in place. Minseok and Sehun were already taking off towards the stairwell before he snapped out of it and began packing money into his pockets, socks, and between the band of his underwear.

The sounds of the guards grew louder and Chanyeol scooped Baekhyun up by the arm and pulled him out of the vault.

They left through the doors on the other side that lead to the parking garage. They ducked behind a few parked cars when they heard voices. It was a string of guards on patrol. Chanyeol cursed under his breath. Baekhyun scanned over them from a distance, spotting a gleam of a metal key at the waist of one of the men at the back of the pack.

Chanyeol crept along to the next car, motioning for Baekhyun to follow. He didn’t. Instead he made his way closer to the men, hiding in the shadows of the vehicles.

“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol shout-whispered, but Baekhyu pretended not to here.

As the guards passed by his hiding place, Baekhyun snatched the key quickly off the man’s belt, ducking back behind the car in case the man felt the slight sensation. He fell back into cover and let his breathing catch up with him.

“What the hell was that about?” whispered Chanyeol as he rounded to meet him.

Baekhyun dangled the key above his nose, still gasping.

“You could’ve gotten yourself killed.” Chanyeol sighed, and brushed away the hair that stuck to Baekhyun’s forehead. “And that would make me very upset.” His lip was between his teeth, his cheeks glowing a pinky hue.

“I had a good feeling,” said Baekhyun. Chanyeol laughed in quiet, astonished kind of way that made Baekhyun smile.

“That good feeling better get us the hell out of here.”

“It will,” Baekhyun said with a wink. “But...Just in case…” He leaned in close to Chanyeol who started and widened his eyes. Carefully, Baekhyun closed the gap between them. Chanyeol’s lips were dry and cracked and tasted a bit like gasoline, but Baekhyun didn’t mind.

“Wow.” Chanyeol breathed out. “Was not expecting that.”

The got to the end of the garage where the actual large garage doors were closed tight on lockdown. A small gray door that lead to an outdoor stairwell seemed to be their only shot.

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun incredulously as the key he nabbed off of the guard fit perfectly in the sleeve of the lock and it opened in a flourish.

“You lucky bastard.” He said in aw, and Baekhyun just smiled and shrugged.

-

They returned to base in pairs, cheering each time someone appeared through the doorway. Once they all miraculously returned, they celebrated, dancing wildly in the evening glow, clapping each other on the back, and laughing as Yixing proceded to attempt to hypnotise everyone in the room.

Baekhyun slipped away he thought no one was looking. He found the briefcase, that they had gathered all the cash in, hidden away in one of the back rooms. No one was guarding it as no one thought one of their own would have the mind to steal it.

The case clicked open and Baekhyun ran his fingers over the rough skin of the bills. All this cash, literally at his fingertips, and Joonmyeon wants to get rid of it all? Are they not going to take out a cut each for themselves? What was the point if Baekhyun would end up just as poor as he was to begin with?

His pockets were empty, and the money sang to him.

A hand caught his wrist as he nearly scooped up a neat sum for himself.

“Baekhyun, don't.” Chanyeol's deep voice whispered over his shoulder.

“Chanyeol, I didn't know you were here.”

“You can't take the money.”

Baekhyun's skin prickled and he turned to face him. He expected Chanyeol to be seething, but he found calm eyes.

“I want to show you something, come with me?”

They braved the cold with thin sweaters, knit scarves, and hands hidden in pockets, until Chanyeol stopped in front of an old brick building.

The fences were busted, hanging sideways, only supported by the slight links to one another. There was evidence of the bricks once being a vibrant red, but they appeared now as grimy and soot stained. There was a sign above the main entrance.

“Lakeview Orphanage,” whispered Baekhyun.

“This is one of the stops where we bring the money,” said Chanyeol, his eyes studied Baekhyun for a reaction.

Baekhyun's mouth opened slightly but no words come out. Though it was a different building, it looked all too similar to the one in which he resided when he was a boy.

Chanyeol took Baekhyun’s shoulder in his hand and squeezed. “Want to go inside?”

Baekhyun nodded and pulled his scarf up to hide his nose

The walls inside were lined crudely with baby blue wallpaper, and it stank of old carpet and sweat. The attendants were out of sight, but a few kids popped their heads out from behind partly closed doors. Chanyeol smiled at one of the kids, and motioned for him to come out.

He was a frail young boy, not much older than five if Baekhyun had to guess. His shirt was worn through in most places, leaving gaping holes that revealed the way his ribs jutted out from under his skin. He smiled back at them, and Baekhyun felt his heart ache deep in his chest.

Chanyeol’s hand wrapped around his waist and squeezed in comfort. There was a storm brewing from behind Baekhyun’s eyes, twisting and burning, threatening to rain.

The boy extended his grimy hands, reaching for Baekhyun. He grabbed onto his finger and held onto it tightly. He looked so much like Baekhyun did so many years ago, a little hopeless, a little lost, and without anyone to hold him. Baekhyun’s breathing went ragged. Visions swirled through his head. He was scrubbing impossible stains on the carpet that just wouldn’t come out, coughing his lungs out while an attendant screamed at him, the cold that swept over him when he was banished to sleep outside.

Baekhyun tried to smile at, but his lips twisted downwards. He mumbled something indistinguishable, and Chanyeol leaned closer to him.

“I need to go,” Baekhyun whispered again, tears now rolling hot down his cheeks and splattering on the stained carpet. He pulled away from the boy softly.

“Baekhyun...”

“Sorry” Baekhyun gasped and shrugged Chanyeol’s arm off. His throat felt like it was closing. His lungs were on fire, searing the inside of his chest.

A worried Chanyeol followed him outside the building. He in the cold air through dry lips.

They went home in silence, the kind of silence that leaves hearts frosted and numb. Chanyeol didn't dare speak as Baekhyun wrapped himself up in his sleeping bag and pretended to sleep.

-

They didn’t speak till morning. Chanyeol overheard Baekhyun get up and followed him outside. He followed him to the park a few blocks away. Birds were still chirping from the bare trees, despite the cold chill sweeping over the city.

Baekhyun sat himself on the park bench by the roadway and didn’t look at Chanyeol once as he approached and sat down beside him. Chanyeol’s finger switched on his thigh, as if he wanted to reach out and hold Baekhyun close. They were both quiet for awhile, daring the other to speak. Then, Baekhyun kicked at the grass under his feet and let the breath from his lungs leave through his lips in thin gray clouds into the frosted air.

“My parents abandoned me in an orphanage like that one before I could even speak their names. I was one of the unlucky ones, the one that grew up un-adopted and eventually just walked out when I was old enough.” Baekhyun tugged at the loose threads in his jacket sleeves.

“I started stealing because it was easy for me, that’s all. I didn’t think there was anything out there for me. I was just living from one day to the next, making sure my toes didn’t freeze and my stomach didn’t cave in. This is the first time I’ve been part of something bigger that could help others out there like myself, but all I’ve known is how to look out for myself…I’m all greed. I wanted to take the money for myself.” He was shaking, his toes curling in his boots and his teeth chattering.

Chanyeol moved in front of Baekhyun now, trying to catch his eyes while putting his palms on the shoulders of his jacket. “Baekhyun… you don’t have to worry about--”

Baekhyun looked him in the ears, determined and unyielding. “I’m not a hero, and I know that. I was never meant to be a hero.”

“None of us were,” said Chanyeol, “that’s why we’re here. To do what we can do in ways only we know how.”

“Maybe,” said Baekhyun, “or maybe we all want to believe we are better than we are.”

-

The casino’s alarms were shrieking, and Baekhyun’s heart was on fire. The flashing lights pumped adrenaline into his veins. Chanyeol was running next to him, hooting and shouting, a large grin spreading over his face. Lottery machines were clattering and patrons were diving out of their way. The cops were right on their tail, cursing after them, cursing their names.

Chanyeol grabbed his elbow and pulled him around a corner and under a pool table. Their pursuers kept running, confused of their location and blinded by the casino lights.

The tall man’s breath fluttered over Baekhyun’s nose as he leaned close.

“This isn’t the time, Chanyeol.”

“Says you” teased Chanyeol as their lips connected and their hearts beat into one another.

Here, Baekhyun was complete. Here, Baekhyun had someone who cared.

Maybe they weren’t making a difference in the world.

Maybe they weren’t heroes

But they were EXO, they had each other, and the world was their battleground.