________________________________________________________________________

For Ibby

Thank you, sweetheart, for making me go gaga

over these two adorable earthlings. :)

_________________________________________________________________________

Kim Jongdae was furiously squeezing his way through the crowded corridors of the science building just to get a clear path towards the oblivious brunette, who was now a few steps away from the college library.

"BYUN BAEKHYUN!"

He called out with his high-pitched voice and it was a little too loud that it resonated across the hallway immediately catching the attention of the said person. Jongdae’s arms were flailing nonstop as he neared the brunette’s location, the latter only gaped at him as if he had lost his mind. And while he was still busy grasping for sufficient air to even out his breathing, his brunette of a best friend decided to vent out his exasperation.

"What the hell, Dae! I hear you just fine, you know. There's no need for you to ye--"

 

"It's Ch-Chanyeol..." He immediately voiced out even though his lungs weren’t still fully functioning.

Judging by his best friend’s tone, he knew that the other’s already pissed because Baekhyun didn’t like being addressed in his full name. Jongdae opted to go straight to the point to avoid hearing an earful of it and he didn’t want to experience Byun Baekhyun’s steaming rage so he settled for a name that he knew would ensnare the brunette’s interest.

And boy was he right because as soon as the name reached the other’s ears, his irritation toned down in an instant but was immediately replaced with anxiety.

"Why? What happened to him? Is he okay?"

"Oh... Nothing bad, Baekhyun, really. You don't have to worry." He replied in a sarcastic manner, earning him a glare from the brunette. Jongdae knew how much of a worrywart his best friend could get, especially when Park Chanyeol's involved, yet he decided to continue testing the other's patience just to mock the out of him. To Jongdae, a fired up Baekhyun is one of the most amusing scenarios in this world that he’s privileged enough to witness.

"Quit being difficult, Kim! Tell me what happened or I'm gonna use this biochemistry book to beat your up real good..."

Byun Baekhyun has always been the sassy diva who never gives a flying about anything. He'll give you a piece-- scratch that--pieces of his mind whenever (or not) the situation calls for it. The brunette has a smart mouth, always open for debates that even a good lawyer has no chance of winning against with. He isn't one to feel threatened, let alone be degraded. He fights for what he believes is right and will never hesitate to lash out his displeasure just to get his point across.
 

But if there's one person who can make the witty boy throw out his principles, it's Park Chanyeol. And Jongdae always uses that advantage to reason out with his stubborn-assed best friend.

 

"Well..." He paused for a more dramatic effect. "... your boyfriend's currently having a hard time getting inside the main building, Byun. He's being swamped by his fangirls left and right all because of his new hair color." He stressed out, highly anticipating the brunette’s reaction only to end up getting disappointed because there wasn’t anything on Baekhyun’s face worthy to regard.

"Have you seen Park Chanyeol now, Baek? Did you know that the bastard's sporting a striking as hair color? Here we are, thinking that his red hair's already a load to handle when his now platinum blonde is a ing curse! Park Chanyeol, walking around with that stupid mop of white hair, is pure seduction, Baekhyun! He's distracting the whole student body, for Christ's sake!"

 

While Jongdae unhesitatingly vent out his annoyance, the other chose to give him one of his famed aegyo gesture-- a confused puppy look with an adorable pout.

"Baekhyun!" He bawled, making the other blink rapidly. "Did you hear what I said?"

 

All of a sudden, a rambunctious laughter emerged across their surroundings causing a mild throb inside Jongdae’s temple. Sometimes, Jongdae finds it so unfair how Baekhyun is gifted with a face of an angel when in reality, he’s the personification of Lucifer himself. The brunette, as described previously, has always been the evil little creature who can wreak havoc into anyone's peaceful life. But as of this moment, Byun Baekhyun was calm and collected despite of the bad news he had just blurted out.

"What the is funny?"

Jongdae scowled as the other boy continued with his merriment. Byun Baekhyun’s loud reaction wasn’t really what he had expected because the brunette had never once taken things lightly when it comes to Park Chanyeol. He’s always ready to defend his boyfriend from whoever and whatever the situation may be even if Park’s enormous built was more than enough to intimidate anyone. But because the brunette’s a ball of surprises, the annoying response didn’t faze Jongdae anymore but it still, nevertheless riled him up.

"You should've seen your face, Dae! That reaction is just so epic! I should've video-ed it!" Baekhyun once again laughed unrestrictedly and Jongdae was itching to punch that pretty face of his. "I thought something really bad happened to Yeollie... He's gonna be so ecstatic to hear your thoughts about his new hair. It's rare for you to give out compliments, you know." The brunette shrugged with a playful smirk on his kitten bow lips then later on resumed with his laughing workout.

"What the hell, Byun! You don't consider that as something really bad?" The anger's pretty much seething through his words. "The entire school's eye-ing your freaking boyfriend and you're just laughing about it?"

That was what it took for the brunette to finally stop from his hysteria and Jongdae took it as a sign to study his best friend’s face only to be met by a Byun Baekhyun, who seemed to be drowning with a thousand and one thoughts. But then, a smile slowly surfaced onto his lips-- that same breathtaking smile he was known for which has the power to lure someone into his bait. Even the resilient Kim Jongdae could never say no to that smile.

 

"I trust Yeollie, Dae." The brunette said with conviction. "Of course I'm worried about his fangirls and fanboys for they are quite a handful to manage. They’re unstoppable. They have the tendency to overdo their admirations and confessions for Chanyeol but I swear... I really am okay with it." The statement alone made the auburn-haired smile because that was Byun Baekhyun, trying to appease him from his worries. His best friend always knew the right words to say at any given situation.

"I'm fine with the whole school, even the whole world, wanting my boyfriend because I'm confident enough to say that his loyalty lies with me. Some people just misunderstands his friendly gestures because the dumbo’s really fond of touching people, like literally touching people. He has a thing with touching-- believing that it can somehow pass the positive vibes to others just by putting a hand or tapping someone’s shoulder. Yeah, the doofus could really get weird like that…” Baekhyun, although creeped out by his boyfriend’s reasoning, believed that logic for he was always at the receiving end of the said optimism.

“He may have that promiscuous aura in him, that most people believed him to be, but I know that he's far from being that person. I can feel his sincerity every single time he looks at me. I can feel the genuinity of his intention of keeping what we have whenever he makes an effort to smoothen out our chaotic relationship. He always shields my heart from something that can hurt me and had never once caused me pain nor made me cry-- except when he starts spatting out his corny as jokes..."

 

Baekhyun snorted, remembering that one time they were having a date at a movie house. They were watching a trailer of a new movie when Chanyeol decided to tell a stupid joke which unfettered the laughing hyena out of him. The boisterous reaction caused some heads to turn onto their seat with glares enough to scare them for good.

So when an attendant made his way towards them, the two boys knew what to expect. They were reprimanded for their behaviour and his tall boyfriend immediately apologized for the both of them. Baekhyun’s that high and almighty to say sorry, excuse you. They were only left alone when Chanyeol gave the movie staff his word of keeping their mouth shut. That is, if you consider liplocking a quiet activity...

"If only I could show him how much he really means to me, I would’ve. The always giddy idiot had done so much for me that I could ever thank him for yet unfortunately, my sick- ego would never allow any cheesy words to escape my mouth and work its magic on him. My damn pride wouldn't let that happen for it would ruin my well-admired cocky personality. It would seriously hurt my self-esteem if the tall bastard knows that he’s my weakness…”

This was Baekhyun’s first time to divulge a portion of his real feelings for Chanyeol and it instantly garnered the whole of Jongdae’s attention. He smirked at his tomato-faced best friend as the other shifted his weight onto his other foot. The egoistic brunet looked so adorably uncomfortable under his best friend’s scrutiny.

It’s not everyday that Byun Baekhyun’s this generous with sharing bits and pieces of himself to people and Kim Jongdae’s definitely going to savor the heck out of the brunet’s confession. ‘Maybe I’ll use that information to tease the little later but for now, I’d try to solicit more from this unexpected talk…’

“One of the things that Yeollie taught me is to appreciate crying…” He furthered, eyes wandering throughout the now empty corridor. “... he made me realize that it was never a sign of weakness but a way of expressing that overwhelming happiness which Webster failed to give a word for. He just ---” The brunette sighed audibly, closing his eyes to contain his emotions. “... he just makes me really happy, Dae and for that I have always thanked the heavens for giving him to me..." Baekhyun slowly opened his eyes, his cheeks beautifully tinted in rosy pink.

"Thank you for worrying about me. You’re the bestest friend I’ve ever had but you don’t have to be concerned about it, you know. If that human beanstalk ever choose to break my trust, I'll deal with him accordingly." Baekhyun chuckled and it dramatically lightened up the heavy mood. "... and you know that nobody dares to unleash the inner demon in me, right?"  

 

While the two of them laughed at the silly remark, Jongdae's mind was left preoccupied by his best friend's speech. There was no doubt that Baekhyun really loves Chanyeol so much to a point that he'd be willing to sacrifice his own firm judgments just to keep that creepy smile on the tall idiot’s face. Park may have been Byun's kryptonite but he's still and will always remain his ultimate source of strength.

 

Baekhyun and Chanyeol's relationship had been challenged a couple of times since the beginning for they were both fancied by everyone. Fangirls as well as fanboys and even the freaking fan wars were a mainstay in their relationship. Some people respected their relationship, the others envied it to the core-- trying their best to break them apart which almost drove the two of them crazy. But because they've been irrevocably in love with each other, their love was more than enough to keep them together.

 

They had never once crumbled down because of the hardships thrown at their way. Instead, they fought their way through it which left everyone, most especially Jongdae, in awe. Nobody ever thought that the two could make it this far, furthermore, be so into each other. They had never seen a couple as devoted to each other as them. They’re like a magnet to a steel, always attracted to each other. The perfect example of what ‘attached at the hip’ was only that it was their hearts and not their hips that were glued together and were beating in sync with each other.

Their struggles may have been one of the most heartbreaking Jongdae had ever witnessed but those were also the exact reasons as to why their love story was the most fascinating. Whatever they had gone through only solidified their bond.

Despite of their differences, they always made sure to meet each other halfway, compensating whatever the other lacks and complementing whatever the other possesses. They see to it that nobody gets left behind, slowing down to match the other’s pace. They were the complementary to each other’s lives-- the missing piece that made them whole.

And Jongdae had never been proud to call Baekhyun as his best friend the moment he said yes to Park Chanyeol’s ‘will-you-be-my-boyfriend?’ question. Well, the auburn-haired had always loved the diva but sometimes, he could be a tough case to deal with.

Before Chanyeol, the brunette was a heartless bastard who had no idea of what the word feelings meant. He has a talent for crushing someone’s hopes as well as their ego, whoever the hell they may be. But when the beanpole came into his life, Baekhyun changed for the better and Jongdae just couldn’t help but to stress on that ‘better’ word because seriously… Baekhyun became a more refined version of himself. He effortlessly rectified himself into someone worthy of the happy virus. Byun Baekhyun was so whipped beyond words but he would never let anyone know of that nor dare to parade his enamored self.

Park Chanyeol must’ve been one superficial being to be able to tame the obnoxious Byun Baekhyun. The funny part was that the tall guy had no idea how much power he had with Baekhyun and that scared the out of Jongdae. He feared that his best friend might easily be taken advantage of just because of how absolutely smitten he was with Chanyeol. And no matter how much of an the brunette was, Jongdae would never wish for anything bad to happen to him. He wasn’t raised by his parents to become as wicked as Baekhyun, mind you. Because here’s the thing, Baekhyun may have been the most ridiculous piece of crap that the Byuns had ever brought into this world but he’s also the most understanding and the kindest person Jongdae had ever met.

 

Park Chanyeol, on the other hand, is the more relaxed one between the two. He's the easiest to deal with and the coolest person to be around with. Jongdae wasn't joking when he said that the entire university's ing in love with him for he truly was a charmer. Chanyeol's smile is as beautiful as Baekhyun's. It has the ability to incapacitate anyone seeing it even if the eye twitching spooks the hell out of Kim Jongdae.

Overall, Chanyeol was the perfect match for Baekhyun’s crazy personality. They fit each other so well that even their height difference is sickeningly adorable. And Jongdae couldn’t be more thankful for Chanyeol’s existence into his best friend’s world. He was indeed that special someone Baekhyun had always wished for.

They went inside the library since Baekhyun had to return his overdue books. Of course, the little was excused from the penalty because he charmed his way out of it and Jongdae couldn’t help but to roll his eyes at his best friend’s devious ways.

As they were about to sit on the nearest table, because Baekhyun needed another reference material for his biochemistry report tomorrow, the auburn-haired decided to throw out his thoughts about their previous conversation.

“Uhh… Baek?”

“Yeah?” The brunette replied, eyes affixed unto the newly borrowed book.

“What made you say that Chanyeol’s loyal to you?”

“Huh?” Baekhyun's perplexed reaction would’ve been really adorable if only Jongdae’s not dying to hear his answer.

“I said…” He started, clearing out his throat just to construct a  more comprehensible statement. “... How did you know that Chanyeol’s not cheating on you? That his loyalty lies with you when he’s every boy and girl’s wet dream? He’s a freaking jock, Byun! What made you so confident that he’s not seeing someone behind your back? How about you tell me what loyalty is, Baek? Can you please… Define Loyalty?”

LOYALTY IS WHEN….

Someone backs you up even if the whole world's against you
 

"YOU ARE NOT GOING OUT IN THAT RIDICULOUS LOOKING OUTFIT, BAEKHYUN!" Jongdae spat with so much disapproval on his tone while the other only shrugged at his vexation.

 

"But why? It fits the occasion..." The now strawberry-haired Baekhyun replied, twirling in front of the mirror while smoothing out his denim overalls.

 

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHY? I don't care if it fits the occasion, Byun! I'm not letting you out of this apartment in that hideous jumpers!" The auburn-haired shrieked in annoyance as the other just continued to dust the invisible dirt from his outfit.

 

"I don't understand why you're getting so worked up over my jumpers when I look cute in it..." Baekhyun pouted adorably as Jongdae scowled at his aegyo ways.

 

"Of course you do." A tall boy in tow-colored hair decided to join the best friends' frivolous bickering. "That is, if you're 5 years old, Baekhyun."

 

"Why the hell are you even here, Oh Sehun?" The strawberry-haired rolled his eyes then tamed his eye-length fringe into what he deemed perfect for his get up.

"Oh. I'm invited too, you know. It's not like you're the only important person in this world, Byun Baek."

 

If people think Kim Jongdae's already that annoying, wait ‘till they hear Oh Sehun's clever insults-- along with that face of his. Baekhyun considered it the mother of eyesore.

Whenever they're around each other, a silly bickering always happens which becomes the source of entertainment for the whole crowd they were in. Jongdae has always been thankful for Oh Sehun’s existence and to prove his gratitude, he would always grant him the pleasure of ruining his best friend's mood because if there's one boy who could get into Byun Baekhyun's nerve, it would be Oh Sehun-- the quick-witted youngster who never failed to irk the most audacious little diva of their group.

“Shut up, Oh... Or I’m gonna tell Suho-hyung that you peeved out Professor Lee yesterday because you were using your fangirls to answer your Chemistry experiments for you. Poor Suho-hyung. Why and how does he even bear with your lazy ? You seriously don’t deserve hi--”

“I deserve him as much as you deserve Chanyeol-hyung! Wait. No… You actually don’t deserve him because he’s just too good for your diva …” The youngest boy glared at the scoffing Baekhyun.

“Not to be mean, Baek… but you’re not really going out in that outfit, are you?” A boy with a weird Korean accent chimed in, eyeing up the mentioned boy from head to toe.

“Oh God! Not you too, Yixing! Why are you guys ganging up on me?” Baekhyun sighed as he moved a bundle of unruly hair away from his face.

"I hate to agree with Baekhyun but his jumper really is a perfect outfit for your nephew's birthday party, Dae..." Another boy interjected, someone with a few inches height difference to Park Chanyeol’s.

“Why thank you, Kris! At least someone appreciates great fashion…” The diva grinned heartily.

“You must remember that if there’s anyone who really knows great fashion, as you say… It’s me and not Kris Wu.” A boy with prominent dark circles under his eyes commented. “For your information, he’s one of the worst dressers among the lot of us…”

“What a boyfriend you are, Huang Zitao…” Kris retorted. “I didn’t know that you considered my fashion statements worst when you’ve been generously complimenting my pants every single time…”

“It’s because he can ogle at how tight it is from the front, you idiot.” Jongdae cut in. “Why is it that most of the tall people I know are this stupid?”

“Hey! I’m not stupid...” Sehun countered and the youngest really looked offended.  

“And… in ing blonde…” Jongdae continued, disregarding Sehun’s reply.

“Are you color blind? My hair’s not blonde, Kim…” Finally, Park Chanyeol joined in. “It’s platinum blonde… Almost white but I’d prefer calling it pla--”

“Shut up, Park. I’m not asking for your opinion.” He glared at the tall boy. “BYUN BAEKHYUN! Hurry up and change into something more… mature and not like my nephew’s playmate…”

“But I like my overalls… It’s been sitting in my wardrobe for god-knows-how-long already because I couldn’t find the right occasion to wear it.” Baekhyun once again pouted, looking a little upset this time.

“The hell with the right occasion to wear that piece of crap, Byun!” Jongdae pinched his nose bridge to calm himself. “This isn’t the right time to lecture you about your fashion . Now go and change into something more appropriate or I’m gonna scissor that ugly denims out of you…”

The threat on Jongdae’s voice was so evident that it shocked the strawberry-haired Baekhyun to the core. Kim never used that tone on him and Baekhyun knew otherwise than to disobey the command. His best friend looked dead serious about stripping him off and he didn’t want his precious overalls to be put into waste so he nodded reluctantly and slowly moved his feet towards his room. He was about to open the door when all of a sudden…

“He’s not changing anything on him.”

All heads turned towards the owner of the voice who was beginning to approach the disheartened diva. The crowd was surprised at the intensity as well as the seriousness in the tall man’s voice because Park Chanyeol was synonymous to happiness. He has always been the happy-go-lucky kid and had never been mad at anyone no matter how annoying the situation or someone may be.

The moment he closed in on Baekhyun, he gently wrapped his long limbs around the trembling boy's waist.

“I don’t care about what other people think about his clothes. It’s just fabric with hooks for ’s sake. It’s not like it’s offending anyone, Kim. Besides, no one can pull off that cute overalls except for Baekhyun so please stop making a big deal out of it and let’s go. We’re going to be late.”

Chanyeol softly maneuvered his boyfriend towards the exit door of their shared apartment without sparing a glance at the others.

“Sometimes, I hate how Park Chanyeol’s so in love with Baekhyun. He’s just so overawed with anything that he does no matter how outrageous it may be…” Jongdae sighed loudly and stood up from the couch.

“As the old saying goes, Love is blind, Dae. And Park’s just the embodiment of that…” Sehun smiled and ushered the auburn-haired Jongdae towards the door as the others followed suit.

“I hope he’ll never change then.” He muttered under his breath but the others still heard of the sentiment.

“People change, Dae. It’s the only thing permanent in this world.” Zitao in and smiled softly at the now getting-emotional boy. “But here’s what I believe… Chanyeol and Baekhyun will win against impermanence regardless of how much struggles they’ll get to experience. You, as Byun’s best friend, should’ve been the first person to believe in their relationship...”

“I agree with Ta--”

“Can you please stop it with your agreeing-to-other-people’s-opinions, Wu? State yours for once, you lazy prick!” The auburn-haired glared at the tallest blonde in the room.

“You always have a say in anything, don’t you? And what’s wrong with my opinion being the same if I absolutely agree with their statements?” The tower of a man retorted, returning the glare that the boy had sent him. “There isn’t anyone suited for Baekhyun except for Chanyeol and vice versa. They’re just so crazy about each other-- although I think Park’s a little over the top crazier than Byun.”

“More like mentally unstable whenever Baekhyun bats his eyes and aegyo-ed his cute little on him…” Yixing added.

“True that.” The three other boys chorused as they laughed like an idiot.

“You’re right.” Jongdae said. “But still… How could Chanyeol let Baekhyun go out in that hideous outfit? ing hell. That overall’s just so awful. I bet my nephew’s going to beg him to stay overnight and make him watch Paw Patrol for load of times and-- Oh my God! That’s brilliant!” He was now clapping his hands like an excited toddler. “We all know how much Baekhyun hates repeating shows, right? Maybe after  my nephew’s done with him, he’d burn that stupid jumper because of what he’ll have to endure… Ha! I just gotta make sure that my nephew’s going to pester the out of him and then I’ll--”

As Jongdae continued to blabber about his evil plan, the others hauled him towards the elevator all the way to where Chanyeol’s car was situated and as soon as the auburn-haired spotted his upset best friend, he immediately rushed to his side and nudged his shoulder.

“Hey, Baek! Don’t be mad at me anymore, please? Park’s right. You look cute in your… uh, jumpers…”

A mischievous grin was now materializing on the his lips but the reaction only made the other doubtful of his now being friendly.

“Why do I feel like there’s something sinister behind your smile, Dae?”

“I’m honestly offended, Baek.” The auburn-haired pouted. “But I promise… It really suits you.”

The other four boys were trying to keep their laughter from erupting as Jongdae persisted with his insincere compliment. Chanyeol, on the other hand, was staring curiously at him, fascinated by his stupid means of wooing.

“Told you, it looks cute… on me.” The diva grinned proudly and the others finally let out their laughter.

“What the hell’s funny?” Baekhyun scowled as the four boys pressed on with their laughter.

“Zip it, you fools!” Jongdae threw evil stares at the said boys to stop them from sabotaging his plans. “Don’t mind them, Baek! Having a tall, blonde, and moronic boyfriend yourself, you’re aware of how foolish the likes of him could get once in awhile so no... Nothing’s funny. They’re just in their idiot mode. Now come on…” He grabbed his best friend’s hands and led him towards the passenger side. Chanyeol, being the ever gentleman himself, was the one who opened the door for him.

“We don’t want to keep the birthday boy waiting for his favorite hyungs, right?” Jongdae grinned devilishly. “I bet he’s excited to see us and he’ll most definitely love your company today, Baekhyunnie…”

When tomorrow came, Baekhyun vowed to slit Kim Jongdae’s throat with a butcher’s knife, cut his freaking balls and feed them to the dogs, then deliver himself to the police to proudly own up to his crime.

That sneaky bastard. Your  is mine, Kim Jongdae.

LOYALTY IS WHEN….

Someone knows where to stand amidst the temptation

“Hey, Kai! Who's that tall guy with cute ears?" The exchange student from China asked, eyes dancing with interest as he focused his attention on the said boy.
 

"You mean the tall bean post with a humongous set of ears?" Kai answered, trying his best to suppress his laughter but failed nonetheless. "That's Park Chanyeol, the basketball team captain."

 

It made the blonde Chinese smile upon hearing his target's name, biting his lips to limit his excitement.

“Are you guys, close? Can you like... introduce me to him?" He asked as the other stared at him curiously.

"Uh... sure? Come on…”

Kai slid down from the bar stool and marched his way towards the team captain’s location, the other followed him like an obedient puppy. The 'said' captain was busy tapping his fingers over his phone that he didn't even recognize the presence of the two other boys who were standing beside him. Kai had to tap the taller's shoulder just to capture his attention.

"Oh hey, Kim. What's up? Where's Soo?" The man stood up, gesturing for the bro code that only the basketball team members know of.  A wide grin spread across his handsome face as soon as the two players finished their handshake.

 

"As if you don't know where Soo is..." Kai rolled his eyes and it earned a chuckle from the tall boy. "Anyway Park, this is Luhan. He's an exchange student from China and he's in my Theology class." The ebony-haired gestured towards his blonde classmate. "Luhan, this is Park Chanyeol. The annoying beanstalk."

 

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter