Holà Chicken !

New month, new chapter. Hope you'll enjoy :)

Reminder; Still not a native English speaker, so please be nice ? Thank you :P

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Ok, so, maybe that wasn’t a good idea. 

Maybe Chanyeol should have said he was busy, and maybe he shouldn’t have followed a stranger. 

Maybe, even, he had been stupid, because, who the hell does that ?

 

Baekhyun was still walking ahead of him, babbling about how, it was gonna be so easy, pulling the giant by the wrist and never really looking back at him.

 

There was an alarm going off in Chanyeol’s head, screaming at him to get out of here. To leave, and never come back. To just slip away from Baekhyun’s hand and run until he would get home. The blond guy stood no chance against Chanyeol. He was small, cute, and his perfectly manicured hands were a proof to the giant that he wasn’t one to get into fights (really, his hands would be disastrous otherwise). But to be honest, neither was Chanyeol.

 

Yeah, maybe his hair was a mess. And he couldn’t really hide his callused hands. And, also, he did have a few scars here and there (he was a clumsy boy), but Chanyeol, never once in his life, got into a fight, not even a verbal one. He was actually pretty proud of it. 

 

Chanyeol didn’t like fights. To be fair, he didn’t like conflict, or violence. Fists and words could hurt someone badly, and Chanyeol was convinced that there were better ways to fix things. Still, Baekhyun wasn’t letting go of him any time soon, if his tight grip around Chanyeol’s wrist was any indication, so maybe Chanyeol should actually do something about it. 

 

" Hum.. So.." Chanyeol coughed a little bit, and Baekhyun looked at him with a small smile. 

 

" Yes ? "

 

" You..didn’t actually tell me where it is we’re going ? "

 

" We’re almost there " Baekhyun’s smile grew bigger. He was cute, Chanyeol thought. But he was also maybe a kidnapper, so there was that. 

 

" What are we going to do, there ? " The giant asked, tilting his head a little to have a better view of Baekhyun’s face. 

 

" Well, you see.. " The little guy let go of Chanyeol’s wrist and the giant quickly crossed his hands behind his back, just in case (you can never be too prudent). " Ok so, Yixing was supposed to help me with this thing "

 

" What thing ? " He heard more than he saw Baekhyun take a deep breath. His steps were now slow and soon enough, he was on Chanyeol’s side, looking straight ahead. It felt like he didn’t want the giant to actually see his face. 

 

" Did Yixing tell you why he changed school ? " Chanyeol frowned, wondering why Baekhyun would talk about this so suddenly.

 

" No " he answered anyway " He didn’t. I haven’t asked him either. I figured he would tell me if he wants to. "

 

" Aren’t you a nice guy, Park Chanyeol. " 

 

Chanyeol could hear the sarcasm in his voice. But he could also see how Baekhyun’s eyes were looking straight ahead, but never really focusing on anything. The blond decided to throw another smile out there, but it was a little off, and Chanyeol decided that it was for the better to change the subject.

 

" What did you need my body for ? It’s kind of a weird request to make. Especially to someone you don’t even know, don’t you think ? "

 

" Hey, I do know you, we’ve talked to each other before ! " 

 

" I’m not sure it’s considered a conversation " Baekhyun smiled again, a real one this time, Chanyeol thought. 

 

" Yeah, you’re probably right. " They took a left turn, and Baekhyun looked up at him. " Yixing is a really good Basketball player, you know ? "

 

" Nope, I did not know that "

 

" Well he is. Maybe he’ll join the team in your school ? He would actually be a wonderful captain if he’d put his mind to "

 

" I’m not sure Yi Fan, the current captain, would be too pleased about that "

 

" Haha, Yi Fan is more talk than actions "

 

" Do you know him ? " Chanyeol was frowning again. 

 

" Yes, he’s a friend. His dad and mine are partners so obviously we’ve been together a lot. I know him since middle school. Yi Fan was smaller than me at the time ! "

 

Chanyeol knew it was rude. And maybe it wasn’t nice. But really ? Yi Fan ? Smaller than Baekhyun ? The giant started laughing so hard, hitting his knee with his palm and throwing his other arm around his waist, that he didn’t even realize that Baekhyun had finally stopped walking.

 

" Hm, first of all, rude. " Said the small guy, side eyeing Chanyeol, a little smile playing on his lips. " Second of all, you giant prick, we’re here " 

 

Chanyeol took a deep breath, wiping away his tears and finally looked around him. It wasn’t actually hard to recognize the place. It’s just that Chanyeol wasn’t used to be there. He walked past it, sometimes, but it wasn’t really in his list of favorite places to hang out. (It was in Minseok’s though). 

 

In front of him was a Basketball court that he knew was always packed with a few groups of sweaty teenagers. There was already a game going on, and Chanyeol could hear the noise the chains on the basket made when the ball would fall through it. He looked at Baekhyun, expecting an explanation, but the blond guy didn’t seem to hear the silent question in Chanyeol’s eyes (or he didn’t care, Chanyeol couldn’t tell). Smiling, Baekhyun made his way to  the court, not saying anything, and after shouting something that Chanyeol didn’t hear, Yixing’s best friend was talking to one of the player, pointing with his thumb towards Chanyeol, who was awkwardly standing a few feet away, still trying to figure out what was he doing here. 

 

It seemed like Baekhyun did have a pretty specific idea of what he wanted, and Chanyeol, once again, thought about running away. It would be a bit more difficult now though, because Baekhyun’s friends (were they his friends ?) were just a bit scarier than Baekhyun himself (or maybe Chanyeol was a scaredy cat, which seemed more likely). 

 

One of the player waved to the giant, offering him a kind smile, and Chanyeol felt his shoulders relaxing a little bit after that. He thought it would be a good idea to stop standing awkwardly and finally made his way towards Baekhyun and the rest of the team (they were only 6, Chanyeol guessed they were playing 3 against 3).  

 

" Baekhyun said you would play instead of Yixing ? " One of the guy started without even saying hi.

 

" I will ? " 

 

Chanyeol asked, confused. What the hell ‘ he was gonna play ‘ ? Chanyeol couldn’t even properly walk without stumbling down and now they expected him to play Basketball ? 

 

It didn’t seem like the guy heard the confusion in his voice though, and soon enough, Chanyeol was being pulled away by Baekhyun. A girl sitting on the side gave him a kind smile before she stood up and joined the other guys, leaving Chanyeol and Baekhyun alone so they could talk.

 

" Listen, we need to win this okay ? So.. See the guy with the bushy eyebrows ? " Chanyeol did not give any answer, looking at Baekhyun like the small guy had grown a second head. " That’s the guy you need to take care of during that game. He’s a really good player, but he’s got a hard time shooting three pointers so keep him away from the loop okay ? 

 

" What the hell Baekhyun ? "

 

" Also, be careful, he can slow you down easily and even though we’re not supposed to use our powers, I can’t actually trust them. They would do anything to win. "

 

" Baekhyun ! " Chanyeol called with a deep voice. It earned him a look from the other guys, but at least Baekhyun was finally listening to him.

 

" What ? " He frowned.

 

" What the hell is happening ? Why am I supposed to play Basketball ? "

 

" I told you I needed to borrow your body "

 

" What ? " Chanyeol was confused. " What do you mean ? "

 

" You are freakingly tall Chanyeol " 

 

" Being tall doesn’t mean I can play Basketball ! "

 

" I’m not asking you to play Basketball, I’m asking you to block the guy who actually can ! "

 

" Okay, I have to be honest here, I don’t understand a single thing that’s going on "

 

Baekhyun sighed but gave Chanyeol a smile and a little pat on the shoulder. The giant suddenly felt really stupid, like he was missing on something. He didn’t like it.

 

" Can you just explain ? Please ? "

 

" See the guy with the white shoes ? " Baekhyun asked, and Chanyeol recognized the guy who talked to him earlier. He was tall as well. Not as tall as Chanyeol, but still. He was talking to his friends, his hands moving around, and he was frowning, looking very serious. Chanyeol nodded for Baekhyun to continue. " So, he’s kind of like, a jerk, and Yixing and I were supposed to play against him and bushy eyebrows guy to close a deal "

 

" What kind of deal ? " Chanyeol wasn’t at peace right now. 

 

" Just for him to stop being a jerk to one of our friends. Honestly, it’s kind of stupid, but he wouldn’t let him go unless we’d do that so we figured we had nothing to lose anyway. " Chanyeol could actually lose his self-esteem, but he wasn’t going to say that out loud. Also, that was such a dumb problem. Why would the guy even bet on a basketball game ? This was real life, not a drama. People didn’t do this kind of things in real life. 

 

" What did he do ? " He asked anyway, tilting his head.

 

" Well, it seems like the guy can’t take rejection properly, and he’s been a real pain in the for a month or two. I don’t even get it, ‘cause it was obvious from the very beginning that he was going to be rejected, but I guess some people are stupid like that. "

 

" Why was it obvious ? " 

 

" Âme Soeur crap " Baekhyun said absentmindedly, looking behind him. 

 

Usually, Chanyeol would say something because Âmes Soeurs weren’t ‘crap’. They were everything Chanyeol had always believed in and he couldn’t stay there, listening to someone talk like that about the most precious part of his existence. Chanyeol loved to know that there was a soulmate for everyone. That it was actually written. That no one was ever completely alone in this world. But before the giant had the chance to say anything, he was once again pulled by the wrist by a very determined Baekhyun. 

 

 

Chanyeol was bad at Basketball. Scratch that. Chanyeol was bad at sports. It’s not that he didn’t understand the concept, or the rules. It just felt like his body didn’t actually want to listen to his brain telling him what to do. When his head was screaming " Catch it ! ", his feet decided it was for the best to actually step back to avoid the ball that was flying towards him. 

 

Also, it didn’t help that the ‘bushy eyebrows guy’ as Baekhyun would call him, was indeed slowing him down. Chanyeol knew he wasn’t a fast runner, but he could also feel how his legs  felt ten times heavier than usual every time he would actually try to block his opponent. It wasn’t a fair game, and Chanyeol didn’t like it. 

 

He didn’t like the way they were cheating. He didn’t like to feel his white school shirt sticking to his back due to the sweat. He didn’t like how they were mocking them. And he didn’t like the way Baekhyun looked like he was going to fall down from exhaustion. 

 

It wasn’t a fair game, and Chanyeol was done with it. They wanted to cheat ? Ok, Chanyeol was all for using his power. That, he could actually control. He rolled up his sleeves because it was actually getting really hot, and after Baekhyun eyed him for a few seconds, the game was back on, and the little guy was already running after the ball. 

 

Chanyeol was thinking, fast. He could do a lot of things with his power, but he needed to find something useful. He could raise the temperature coming up from the ground, but it would affect Baekhyun as well and that wasn’t a good idea because Chanyeol wasn’t actually good enough to throw the ball into the hoop. Bushy eyebrows guy was running towards him, and Chanyeol could once again feel his legs slowly becoming so heavy that it made it hard to move. The ball was in the bushy guy’s hands. It was an opportunity.

 

It didn’t take more than a few seconds for Chanyeol to finally be able to project a hot gust of heat around bushy guy. Not too hot that it could actually hurt him, but hot enough that he let the ball go. Chanyeol grabbed it easily, running to the loop, and repeating his action once again when the other guy was coming in his direction. Chanyeol knew that his heat could feel like you weren’t able to breathe anymore. It couldn’t actually harm them, because he wasn’t concentrating on letting the hot air floating around the guys, but it was enough to distract them from the game, and Chanyeol threw the ball to Baekhyun. 

 

 

After what felt like hours, Chanyeol was exhausted. He felt like his legs were gonna give up, and he was feeling extra thirsty. His power was cool indeed, but it would dehydrate him easily and running around was certainly not helping him. 

 

At least they won, Chanyeol thought. 

 

Baekhyun was happy. His eyes shining under the afternoon sun, and a square smile prettily stretching his lips. He gave Chanyeol a high five when the ball fell through the chains one last time, and Chanyeol had half a mind to hug him. The game was intense like that. 

 

They left the court as soon as the other guy promised Baekhyun that he wouldn’t bother them anymore, and Baekhyun thanked Chanyeol for what he did.

 

" I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you " Baekhyun said.

 

" You sure about that ? Because it really felt like I didn’t help that much. Especially when I was running away from the ball. " Baekhyun laughed a little, combing his wet fringe with the tip of his fingers.

 

" I know what you did Chanyeol. I could feel the heat even though I wasn’t near them " The taller let out an awkward little laugh, suddenly feeling guilty.

 

" Sorry about that ? " He asked, trying to act cute.

 

" I mean, they cheated first so..you know. And after a while, I felt like we didn’t actually had a choice. "

 

" We ? " Chanyeol tilted his head, looking at Baekhyun with a little smile playing on his face.

 

" Yes, we. You thought I was gonna let you do that all by yourself ? " The smaller gently pushed his elbow against Chanyeol’s ribs. 

 

" I didn’t even see you do anything ? "

 

" That’s because I’m talented " Baekhyun said, a smug smile on his face. Chanyeol liked it; the way Baekhyun was acting. It kind of reminded him of Jongdae. " I blinded them once or twice. Or maybe a bit more than that. I stopped counting. "

 

" Blinded ? "

 

Instead of answering with words, Baekhyun decided to actually show him what he meant. He put up his hand, palm up and facing the sky and after a few seconds, Chanyeol could see a little ball of light swinging between Baekhyun’s fingers. It was really beautiful, if you asked Chanyeol. 

 

" That is such a cool thing ! " He half-screamed, looking like an overly excited puppy.

 

" Ya’ think ? " Baekhyun asked, a shy smile on his face. " Most people say that it’s kind of useless "

 

" Useless ? " Chanyeol frowned.

 

" Yes " Baekhyun started to walk again, Chanyeol moving with him. " Most people think it’s a dumb power ‘cause it never actually is useful. Take yours for example. You can create fire, and heat. You can help people like you did the other day with Yixing, transferring your warmth into his body. "

 

" Your power doesn’t have to be useful. " Baekhyun looked at him, waiting for Chanyeol to continue. " I mean, it’s not the point. "

 

" What’s the point ? "

 

" Is there really a point ? We just have them. It’s cool. But I don’t think it necessarily means something. Fire, you know ? It’s not as useful as one could think. Like, yeah, I’m never cold, sure that’s a plus. But it also means that when I use it, I am thirsty as because my body doesn’t produce enough water to actually hydrate me properly. Or some like, the doctor said. Also, I’m kind of clumsy, so sometimes I feel like it’s a really dangerous gift. I could actually lit someone on fire. Yeah, I do want to lit Jongdae’s on fire ‘cause he’s a pain you know, but sometimes I’m just scared I’m gonna hurt someone. Honestly, I’m just as useful as a fireplace. And half of the houses around here have one, so you see ? Not that special. "

 

" You thought a lot about it huh ? " Baekhyun was still looking at Chanyeol, intrigued. 

 

" It’s not that I thought about it a lot. I’m just aware of it. I’m a match. And I’m dangerous. Your power is light. You can actually, literally light up the world. "

 

" Yeah, like a bulb. Don’t all the houses around here have those ? " 

 

" It’s different. You can’t hurt people with light. You can help them. "

 

" You did help me on the court though. Without hurting anyone. "

 

" That’s because I wasn’t using actual fire. Just the heat. I mean, more like, the fire was inside of me. "

 

" Was it ? Literally ? "

 

" I think so ? I never really thought about it. I can feel it inside, but I don’t know if it’s actually there. " 

 

" Let’s have a drink. I’ll pay. To thank you for helping me. " Baekhyun suddenly said. 

 

" What ? No, no it’s okay, you don’t have to ! " Chanyeol was waving his hands in front of him, trying to prove a point. 

 

" I’m gonna think you don’t want to spend time with me. " Baekhyun was looking into his eyes, and Chanyeol felt like he was going to die of awkwardness. 

 

" That’s not what I meant ! You just don’t have to pay for me !! " He half screamed, and Baekhyun let out a little laugh.

 

" Take a deep breath Chanyeol, I’m just messing with you. " The smile on his face was kind of cute, and Chanyeol thought that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to have a drink. He was thirsty after all. And Baekhyun was kind of nice. He liked hanging out with him.

 

 

The music was blasting through the walls, bouncing against the mirrors and making the people in the room move in a coordinate way. Every flick of the wrists, every drift of the legs, every motion of the arms, all calculated to recreate the beautiful story told by the music. 

 

From the bottom of his feet, to the tip of his fingers, Jongin gave it all he had. His passion, his heart, his energy, nothing was kept inside. Feelings out, the dancer was a hundred percent honest when he was moving across the floor. His mind was open, his eyes were close, his heart was out, and his body was free. Jongin never felt happier than when he was here, dancing with everything he had. 

 

Shifting his body in different angles, not caring once about the people around him. This was his place. His comfort zone. His happiness. He could feel the music coming to an end inside his chest, under his feet. Slowly getting down, closing his heart, his mind, Jongin finally stopped moving as the music faded away, the speakers now playing the last note, and it was done. 

 

He was breathing heavily, his chest moving up and down as his lungs tried to inhale as much oxygen as needed. His mind was getting down from his high. Jongin was slowly coming back, opening his eyes and slowly pushing on his feet to get up. 

 

There was a smile on his dance instructor’s face, meaning he was proud of all of them, happy to see how much progress they made, to see how they were interpreting his choreography. Jongin smiled back and walked away to grab a towel from his bag. He was wiping his sweat when he felt someone jabbing him in the ribs, and Jongin looked up to see Sehun looking at him with a smug smile on his face.

 

" Heard you got a new boyfriend ? " 

 

" You need to step up your gossip game Sehun " 

 

Jongin was always in a good mood after dance class. It was easy for him to joke around with Sehun. He met the guy in this exact room, a few years before, and they hit it off right away. He wasn’t expecting Sehun to go to the same high school as him, but the younger did. It was cool to be able to see him everyday. 

 

" You know what I mean. " Sehun said. " A little birdie told me you were face with Hanseol at the school gate. "

 

" Is that bird named Taemin ? " Jongin drank a big gulp of water, the cold liquid sliding down his throat and making him feel better.

 

" I mean, obviously. " 

 

He offered his friend a smile and threw his towel inside his gym bag, grabbing his phone and looking if he had any new messages. One from Chanyeol, sending one of those Harry Potter text posts (Jongin loved Harry Potter, but he didn’t love it like Chanyeol did), and one from Sun-Hi, a girl he went out with a few weeks before. He ignored that text and chose to respond to Chanyeol with an emoji. 

 

" I didn’t know you wanted to do the devil’s tango with Hanseol " Sehun added, throwing his bag on his right shoulder and following Jongin as he was leaving the dance room. 

 

" Gosh you speak like an old guy. You should stop hanging out with Junmyeon. " 

 

" Leave Junmyeon out of this, it’s not his fault if he was born with an old guy’s brain, he did not ask for this " 

 

" Neither did we " 

 

Sehun pushed him a little, and Jongin pushed him back. The two were friends for quite some time now so there wasn’t really any awkwardness between them. They were actually so comfortable around each other that they decided that they could fool around, sometimes, when they needed to relax and they couldn’t find anyone else. They were both aware that it was purely ual, and that it didn’t mean anything. It was a good choice they made, they said. They trusted each other and was good. There was no downside in their little agreement. 

 

Jongin knew that Sehun was still waiting to be with his Âme Soeur again. The guy met his other half when he was still a pre-teen, during a family summer trip in China, and since then, he never really could think about anyone else than the cute guy with the doll face (as he would call him). Sehun talked about the Chinese a lot of times. So much that Jongin was pretty sure he could recognize him if they were to cross path. Sehun didn’t have a name, or a picture, but there was no way he could actually miss those big shiny eyes and his cute little pink mouth. Jongin thought that Sehun was obsessed. Sehun said it was a healthy obsession. Jongin wasn’t sure he agreed with him.

 

Sehun knew that Jongin would never fall in love with him. In fact, Sehun was pretty sure Jongin would never fall in love with anyone. He didn’t know why, how, or even for how long, but his friend was damaged. Broken. Jongin never talked about it, but it was obvious from the way  he danced. The way he smiled. The way he ed. Sehun wasn’t sure anyone could help him get out of that dark zone Jongin was in, but at least they could help him get a little bit of light in there. 

 

" I heard about your little fight with Do Kyungsoo " Sehun suddenly said on their way to the bus stop. " I see you’re still alive and healthy. "

 

" It’s not like the guy would actually touch me, you know ? " 

 

Jongin wasn’t stupid. Unlike the majority of the people in school, Jongin knew that Kyungsoo would never hurt anyone. It didn’t take much to realize that honestly. Kyungsoo had a lot of opportunities to hurt someone if he ever wanted to. Jongin knew he could hear the whispers and see the looks. It was obvious, how many times people were running away from him like he was actually going to kill them if they were too close. Kyungsoo never said anything. Kyungsoo never touched anyone. Kyungsoo never broke anything. Not a wall. Not a table. Not a desk. Do Kyungsoo never even once glared at any of them. Jongin, sometimes, would wonder why people were still scared of the little guy, because Kyungsoo proved many times that he wasn’t a threat to anyone. 

 

" He doesn’t need to touch you to kill you. He could just make the Earth swallow you. "

 

" I would be too fast for him. " 

 

" Don’t you wish. "

 

" Why are we friends again ? "

 

" Because you can’t live without me " Sehun smiled, slapping Jongin’s playfully.

 

" Yeah right. Sure you didn’t sniff too much glue and irredeemably damaged your brain ? " The younger one ignored him and threw his arm around his shoulders.

 

" Why did you fight with The Hulk ? "

 

" Hm, that’s kind of offensive, ‘ The Hulk ’. The guy has a name, you know. " 

 

The nickname wasn’t even accurate. Kyungsoo was pulling his energy from the Earth. He wasn’t just a really strong guy. He could do much more than just beat someone up. Jongin had spent a lot of times reading about their gifts when he was in middle school. He found it fascinating, how people could just use their power to do something. When Jongin started high school and heard about Do Kyungsoo, the guy who could break you in half a second, he had to do some research (and Internet was his best friend. Jongin was also kind of a nerd, if you asked Chanyeol). He wasn’t sure at first, if Kyungsoo was just really strong, or if his power was more than that, but the little guy gave him an answer when, a few months into the school year, Jongin saw him bring back a flower to life just by holding the bud between his hands. Jongin thought he might have been lucky to see that, because, as far as he knew, Kyungsoo wasn’t the kind of guy to use his power in public. But again, Kyungsoo wasn’t aware of Jongin’s presence when he did that, the tan guy only passing by the back of the gym to avoid people. It soothed him, watching Kyungsoo bringing the flower back, but after that day, Jongin never really thought about him again, even though he did keep the flower with him and put it somewhere, in the middle of a book, on the shelves in his room. 

 

He would sometimes see him in the hallways, but it didn’t matter. Kyungsoo was just another blurry face in the crowd. 

 

Jongin never really thought about how Kyungsoo helped him feel better that day, during his first year of high school, until he literally walked into him at Jongdae’s party. Kyungsoo was perfect to keep Jongin’s mind away from the voice in his head, the younger realized after he started a fight.

 

" Ok ok mom. Why did you fight with Kyungsoo ? " Sehun asked again, emphasizing on the guy’s name. "

 

" He spilt his tray on me "

 

" Yeah, so ? "

 

" It’s been twice "

 

" Again, I don’t think that’s a reason to scream at him like he committed a serious crime ? "

 

" Haha, that’s funny coming from the guy who almost strangled his brother to death because he broke your controller "

 

" That’s not even close to your situation ! "

 

" Oh really ? " Jongin asked, sarcastic. 

 

" Yes ! He’s my brother and he ruins my life everyday ! "

 

Jongin didn’t wait for Sehun to finish his explanation before walking into the bus and taking his rightful place against the window. His friend was sulking like a baby when he finally joined him. 

 

 

A strawberry milkshake and a blueberry muffin on one side of the booth, an empty glass of water, two chocolate chip cookies and a vanilla frappe on the other, Chanyeol and Baekhyun were sitting face to face, not pipping a word but enjoying their drinks quietly. It felt good after their little basketball game, and Chanyeol was feeling much more alive now that his body was full of water again. 

 

" Why did you say yes ? " Baekhyun suddenly broke the silence, looking up at Chanyeol with his straw between his lips. 

 

" I didn’t actually said yes if you remember correctly. You pulled me by the wrist and I didn’t really had another choice than to follow you "

 

" Yeah, you and I both know it’s not quite true " The blond smile playfully.

 

" Isn’t it ? "

 

" You’re almost a giant Chanyeol, you could have left me there and I wouldn’t have been able to do anything "

 

" You really are obsessed with my height huh " Chanyeol took a bite of his cookie, tilting his head a little. 

 

" I’m pretty sure you should be in the Guinness book " 

 

" You know what I like about you ? You’re never exaggerating. " Baekhyun let out a little laugh, pushing his fringe away from his eyes.

 

" Oh so you like me hm ? " Chanyeol’s cheeks turned red and he looked down to keep his eyes away from the teasing smile Baekhyun was throwing at him.

 

" Shut up. " The giant told him, still not looking up. 

 

" No but really, why did you help me ? " Chanyeol's shoulders relaxed a little, and he took a sip before answering. 

 

" Why not ? "

 

" Because we don’t know each other ? Because you’re bad at Basketball ? Because you had better things to do ? "

 

" I told you I wasn’t busy though " 

 

" Yes, but you could’ve lied. People do that you know ? " Chanyeol shrugged.

 

" You’re Yixing’s friend. "

 

" You barely know him "

 

" Still. He’s a nice guy. And you too seem like a nice guy. And, like you said, I’m almost a giant, so I could’ve beat you to the pulp if you tried anything weird. Or light your on fire. That’s an option too. " Baekhyun smiled, looking at Chanyeol’s face, and the giant gave a a toothy grin. 

 

" You wouldn’t light anyone on fire "

 

" I wouldn’t ? " 

 

" Nope. You’re so clumsy you’d probably throw the fireball in the wrong way right into a garbage can " Chanyeol put on an offended look, throwing his napkin into Baekhyun’s face. 

 

" I can’t actually throw fireballs " 

 

" You can’t ? "

 

" Of course not, did you think we were in a manga or something ? "

 

" Then how do you use your fire ? "

 

" I don’t. Or most of the time I use it inside. Like I did during the game. Or at Jongdae’s party, to warm me up. Sometime I do play with some flames, but like I said, it’s too dangerous, and I prefer to play it safe "

 

" You know Chanyeol, nice guys like you do not exist in real life " 

 

" I’m not nice. "

 

" No ? "

 

" No, I’m a badass. " Chanyeol frowned, trying to look really serious. 

 

" Nice and badass aren’t incompatible. I would say they’re synonymous. "

 

" Are they ? "

 

" What’s more badass than someone going out their comfort zone to help people ? " 

 

Chanyeol didn’t really have an answer for that and decided eating his cookies was a better option than saying something stupid.

 

After a few minutes of Chanyeol munching, crumbs falling on the table and sticking to his lips, and Baekhyun eating his muffin like a proper human being, the taller thought he would be a good idea to keep talking to the little guy.

 

" How did you meet Yixing ? " Baekhyun’s orbs were shining at the mention of his best friend, but the smile he gave Chanyeol wasn’t actually reaching his eyes.

 

" I was thirteen and we met at the hospital. Yixing broke his arm and had to wear a cast for  a month. "

 

" Why were you at the hospital ? " 

 

Baekhyun blinked a little, looking down for a second before his eyes were back on Chanyeol and a smile was stretching his lips from side to side. It was pretty obvious that it was fake, but Baekhyun was trying really hard and Chanyeol didn’t know him enough to ask him to put the mask down. With Jongin, he could. But that wasn’t Jongin. This, was a guy he knew for about an hour or two. So Chanyeol smiled back, trying to give him some courage, knowing that he was probably gonna hear a lie. But who was he to judge ?

 

" Appendicitis ? " 

 

It sounded more like a question than an affirmation, but Chanyeol nodded anyway and Baekhyun’s shoulders seemed to relax at the sight. 

 

" So you guys just kept seeing each other when you got out ? "

 

" Basically yeah. Our moms took each other’s infos, and after that we pretty much grew up together. "

 

" That’s nice. It’s too bad he changed school.. "

 

" Well, I trust you to take care of him ? " Chanyeol’s smile grew bigger. 

 

" I will. "

 

" How did you meet Jongdae ? "

 

" Same class, first year of high school. I made the mistake to talk to him and now I’m stuck with the guy. "

 

" Ha, poor you, that must be a hard life indeed "

 

" I know right ? He’s a giant pain in the . "

 

" One that you love though " 

 

" Yes. But don’t tell him. He doesn’t need that kind of ego boost, believe me "

 

" Oh, I believe you " Baekhyun ate the last piece of his muffin before rubbing his hands together so the crumble would fall off. " Who’s that Jongin guy Jongdae talked about ? " It took a few seconds for Chanyeol to remember that Jongdae did talk about Jongin in front of Baekhyun during the party.

 

" He’s my best friend, " he smiled, " I met him when I was two years old "

 

" A chubby baby Chanyeol, how cute " The blond offered him a teasing smile, his fingers playing with his straw. Chanyeol ignored the comment.

 

" Jongin was one year old. We haven’t left each other’s side since that day. "

 

" Real childhood friends, I see "

 

" Yeah. I’m lucky I’ve found him "

 

" He’s lucky he’s found you. "

 

" You’re awfully nice too, you know that, Baekhyun ? " Honestly, Chanyeol found it easier to throw another compliment out there than to process what Baekhyun said. 

 

" I do know that. I’m the nicest person around here. " He winked playfully, his eyes shining behind his fringe, and Chanyeol couldn’t help but think that the guy looked really cute. (He slowly started to realize that he used the word cute way too much to describe a teenage boy, but really, the word fit Baekhyun perfectly.) 

 

" And so modest. "

 

" My best quality. "

 

" I can see that indeed. "

 

Teasing. If that was what their relationship was going to be based on, Chanyeol was more than willing to dive into it. He liked it. He liked being here with Baekhyun. The guy was funny, nice, and interesting. 

 

" Just so you know, Park Chanyeol, I actually can hurt people with light. " Baekhyun said, to correct Chanyeol about what he said earlier. " I could burn your eyes and blind you forever if you were an annoying little . "

 

" I’m glad I am not then. "

 

" Yeah, you should be. " Baekhyun took the last sip of his milkshake. " Starring at the sun is pretty hurtful if you do it for too long. "

 

" So you’re the sun ? "

 

" Maybe I am. You’ll never know. " He was wriggling his eyebrows in a ridiculous way, making Chanyeol laugh a little, his lips stretched across his face.

 

" Then I will be careful not to stare. "

 

" Were you planning on staring ? " Baekhyun asked, looking the taller straight in the eyes, and Chanyeol chocked on his own saliva.

 

 

The two boys left the coffee shop after an hour or so. They exchanged phone numbers and Instagram pages, said goodbye, and the taller watched Baekhyun as he walked away from him. 

 

Chanyeol, that day, went home with a smile on his face, his heart light as a feather, and his mind wandering here and there, thinking about basketball, strawberry milkshakes and blueberry muffins. 

 

It didn’t occur to him, as he walked home, that for the first time in his life, his mind didn’t drift away as they were talking.

 

It didn’t occur to him, that he hasn’t, even once, thought about the little mark hiding under his shirt’s sleeve.

 

About the way it was supposed to glow when he would touch his Âme Soeur’s skin. 

 

The way it would finally feel like he was complete. 

 

It didn’t occur to him, that, as Baekhyun and him were talking, he never, at all, thought about touching him, just to be sure.

 

He didn’t occur to him. Until he saw his parents cuddling on the sofa, his dad comfortably leaning against his father’s chest, and his father’s hand tenderly playing with his dad’s hair, their fingers intertwined and his father’s thumb tracing the back of his dad’s hand, sliding peacefully across the end of his glowing mark. 

 

Chanyeol, for the first time in his life, did not think about his mark, only about the fact that they were having fun. 

 

 

 

A/N : 

• Hiiii, guys ! 
• I hope you liked this little chapter ! :)
• Tell me if you want to know anything ^-^
• Sehun's here, and Baekhyun's being Baekhyun.
• I just really love those guys, ugh.
• I'm starting uni in a few days so wish me luck ! Hopefully I'll still be able to write. I'll do my best anyway !
• See you soon ~