Chapter 2 (2/3):

“Hi, have you seen a silver haired guy here? He’s about this tall, kinda small—”

“Hmm… sorry, kid, haven’t seen anyone like that here.”

“Are you sure? He’s like, really tiny, super cute, has a little mole on his lip—”

“Silver hair stands out even in this day and age. Sorry. Hope you find your boyfriend soon.”

“H-he’s not my boyf—,” Chanyeol sputtered as the bartender moved away to take care of other patrons. Muttering embarrassed profanity under his breath, Chanyeol shoved his hands into his pockets and weaved his way out of the bar. This was the third bar he’s gone to in the last hour and a half, and still no sign of Baekhyun. He’d actually been to more, but after walking into a few and not hearing any loud music, he walked right back out.

Sighing, he tightened the strap of his helmet as he revved up his ride. He pat the handles of his bike fondly, thanking his lucky stars that he managed to convince his parents his freshman year to allow him to buy this beauty. A few months of random part time jobs, pet sitting for other students, and doing a few things that he’d rather not say, he finally pooled enough money to buy his precious ride.

He pulled out his phone and searched up the next bar to go to.

It was going to be a long night.

“Baek, can you pick up, please? Where are you? Call me back.”

Chanyeol quickly shoved his phone back into his jacket pocket. A few more bars later and he was exhausted. He tiredly wheeled his bike down the streets, debating whether to try and call Baekhyun again or try the police. But then again, they wouldn’t help… especially since he was just a friend, and technically Baekhyun wasn’t missing…

Frustrated, Chanyeol angrily chucked his helmet to the floor, watching it bounce up against the pavement and roll a few feet away. Several silent seconds passed before he sighed for the umpteenth time that night and nudged the kickstand down before chasing after his runaway helmet. He picked it up and saw a few more scrapes here and there on the surface, but it was still wearable. Blowing off the top of his helmet, he walked back to his bike, ready to start searching again.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

Nearly throwing his helmet again (this time in surprise), Chanyeol quickly scrambled through his pockets for his phone. Hopefully it was Baekhyun, telling him he was safe, and he was home, and he was sober—

“Baek?” Chanyeol said worriedly. “Baek, where are you? I left, like, a hundred messages, it’s the middle of the night, why aren’t yo—”

“Yeah, hi, uhh… Chanyeollie? Umm… your friend is knocked out, and I’m gonna guess you’re looking for him since all his missed calls are from you.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol blushed. He didn’t expect it to be someone else picking up the phone. Or see the stupid nickname Baekhyun had set for him in his contacts. “Y-yes, I’m Park Chanyeol.”

“Can you swing by and pick your friend up? He’s pretty ing trashed.”

“S-sorry about that,” Chanyeol stuttered, struggling to start his bike and press the phone against his face as the same time. “What’s your address?”

“Look up Galaxy Lights.”

“Got it… and who do I ask for?”

“Just tell the bouncer up front you know Kris.”

“Oh my god, Baek, I didn’t think I’d ever find you!” Chanyeol let out a relieved breath he didn’t know he was holding when he saw his friend being supported by a taller man, presumably the bartender. The bartender—Kris—grunted and immediately dropped Baekhyun into Chanyeol’s arms. The inebriated man sank like dead weight, almost taking Chanyeol with him.

“Hehe, Yeollie’s hereeee. Should drink more,” Baekhyun giggled, throwing his arms around Chanyeol’s neck and pulling him in closer. Chanyeol almost gagged at the heavy whiff of alcohol that emitted from his crush. “Fluffy lips, nice and fluffy~”

Despite the situation, Chanyeol already knew all the blood in his body was heading to two separate places. Baekhyun’s face was very close.

“Okay, uhhh…” Kris interjected (thank god), rubbing his neck awkwardly. “Are you two love birds good to go then? Got a ride back home and everything?”

“W-we’re not love birds,” Chanyeol mumbled, trying his best to simultaneously hold Baekhyun up and keeping his face as far away from his own as possible. “We’re just friends.”

“Sure, sure,” Kris waved his hand dismissively, ignoring Chanyeol’s bright red face and constant attempts to deny him. “Here, I’ll give you a hand with him,” the bartender offered, nodding towards Baekhyun, who was completely dead to the world, draped unresponsively over Chanyeol’s chest. “You have a ride?”

“My bike’s out front.”

“Oh, sweet, you got a bike?” Kris grinned, grabbing one of Baekhyun’s arms and throwing it over his shoulder. Baekhyun’s head lolled lifelessly, soft snores occasionally leaving his parted lips as Kris and Chanyeol gently moved him to the door. Luckily for Chanyeol, Kris was tall, like, insanely tall. That added with the fact that Baekhyun was tiny compared to the two made it easier for them to move him.

“Had her for almost 3 years,” Chanyeol crowed proudly. “She’s second hand, but she runs like she’s brand new.”

“Oh, sick, dude,” Kris replied in awe. “I got a thing for bikes, too. My first bike was this old Harley Davidson me and my bro found in a junk yard, and you should’ve seen—”

Kris stopped abruptly when he got a good look at Chanyeol’s “bike.” He stared at it in unamused silence.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Chanyeol sighed, temporarily letting go of Baekhyun’s arm to grab the extra helmet he had stashed under the seat.

“Dude.”

“Sup.”

“That’s a ing moped.”

“Shush! It’s still a bike, isn’t it?”

“…”

After a few painfully difficult minutes of trying to figure out how to keep Baekhyun seated behind Chanyeol without him falling off halfway in, Kris bid his new friend a good night as the two scooted away into the dark. Fortunately, despite the back and forth argument about Chanyeol’s moped’s validity as a “bike,” the small scooter didn’t actually travel very fast, so Chanyeol didn’t have to worry too much about Baekhyun falling off. Kris was prepared to grab some rope and tie Baekhyun to his driver, but realized there wasn’t much danger considering the speed of the moped. In the few minutes they worked together, and despite their mini argument, Chanyeol decided he thought Kris was pretty cool and was happy to know he made a new friend.

“Alright, Baek, don’t worry, we’re gonna get you home, make sure you’re nice and comfy, and—”

Chanyeol stopped. A new sudden realization made him stop his scooter completely.

He had no idea where Baekhyun lived.

Six months of being “good friends.” Six months of hanging out, meeting up over the weekend, going to class together, merging their friend groups, and neither of them had ever gone to where the other lived.

All the new things he discovered about his relationship with his crush made Chanyeol realize one more, very crucial fact.

He didn’t know Byun Baekhyun at all.

Jongdae’s question from earlier that day echoed through his head, mocking him. “Isn’t he your friend?”

They were supposedly “good friends,” and he didn’t even know where his crush lives.

Deciding that he couldn’t just drive around all night, Chanyeol decided to take Baekhyun back to his apartment. Hopefully, Baekhyun would be passed out for the rest of the night, and Chanyeol could just hide away in his bathroom or something (he didn’t think his self-control was that strong).

After parking his bike in his designated spot, Chanyeol grunted as he tried to guide Baekhyun up the small flight of stairs leading to his room.

Unfortunately for him, Baekhyun woke up halfway.

“Mmm… where are we,” Baekhyun mumbled, groggily lifting his head.

“My place,” Chanyeol said quietly, arm wrapped securely around the smaller’s waist as the ascended the final few steps. “Sorry, I didn’t know where you live.”

“Head hurts,” his crush muttered, bringing a hand up to rub his eyes (Chanyeol had to bite his lip to keep himself from squealing at how cute he looked).

“I’m not sure how much you drank, but you were pretty trashed when I found you.”

“Hmm…”

Opening the door to his room, Chanyeol left Baekhyun’s side to run around the living room, quickly trying to hide the empty take out boxes and piles of clothes (let him live, he’s a college student.) Baekhyun stood at the entrance, leaning heavily on the doorframe.

“So, uh,” Chanyeol stood in the middle of his clutter, embarrassed that the room looked even worse than before, “Welcome to my room?”

“It’s nice,” Baekhyun laughed quietly, gaze downcast with a permanent far off look in his eyes.

“So, ummm… how you feeling?”

“Dizzy,” Baekhyun replied before dropping to the floor and sitting down. Right there by the doorway.

“Why were you drinking so much anyways?”

“, I’m sobering up.”

Chanyeol looked at his crush in shock. Never in the 6 months that he’d known him has Chanyeol ever heard Baekhyun cuss.

Almost as suddenly as he sat down, Baekhyun stood back up again, making a beeline straight for Chanyeol’s small, rusty refrigerator.

“W-wait, Baek, you shouldn’t—”

“Ohh, found it!” Baekhyun called excitedly, pulling out a few cans of beer from the bottom shelf. Chanyeol cursed to himself under his breath; he knew he should’ve insisted Jongdae take the rest of the beers last time he and Jongin came over.

“Didn’t take you for a beer guy,” Baekhyun said teasingly, cracking open a can before Chanyeol could react. “Blegh.” He made a face after chugging half the can, shaking his head. “I prefer hard liquor, but whatever works.”

“Baek, you really shouldn’t drink more—”

“Come on, Yeol,” Baekhyun whined, cracking open another can. He already finished his first drink. “We’ve never drunk together before.”

“I-I don’t really drink—”

“Yeoolliiieeeee…” Baekhyun jut his lower lip out, staring at Chanyeol pleadingly.

Baekhyun and his knowledge on how to push Chanyeol’s buttons.

“Ohmygod, Yeol, I’m drunk again,” Baekhyun slurred, nearly 5 cans later.

“W-where does the alcohol keep coming from,” Chanyeol mumbled, head resting on his coffee table. , what a ty table.

“Y-you know…” Baekhyun hiccupped, “wh-when I first saw you… a-at Minnie’s coffee shop… I was like, ‘wow this guy is really cute.’ Then you said ‘HEY! Let’s be friends!’ and I’m just… so glad we’re friends!”

“Imma ing change the locks on my door,” Chanyeol grumbled into his ty table. “I-Imma make sure those two ers never get into my house again.”

“And then,” Baekhyun continued, not even noticing that Chanyeol wasn’t really listening, “W-we were in class. And y-you’re so stupid! B-but it’s cute! Like a… like a dumb little puppy! I always liked puppies. Es-especially corgis.”

“When did they even put all this beer into my fridge,” Chanyeol questioned himself.

“B-but then,” Baekhyun’s voice darkened. “We saw… we saw Junmyeon-hyung.”

“Speaking of which,” Chanyeol’s head shot up at the mention of that name. The name Baekhyun had yelled in his earlier call. “Who’s Junmyeon?”

“Professor Kim, silly!” Baekhyun giggled dumbly. “H-his name is… name is Junmyeon…Kim Junmyeon…” Baekhyun stopped talking, falling uncomfortably silent.

“What happened between you two?” Chanyeol asked quietly.

“Junmyeon-hyung… Junmyeon-hyung and I. We met a few years ago,” Baekhyun said quietly. “He helped me find m-my classroom. D-during orientation. Before we were students! Class 614,” he laughed stupidly again.

“He was… he was so nice. He helped me find my class. And then… and then he asked if… if I like coffee. And I don’t. I didn’t. I like it now. Kinda. But I didn’t before. But I said I did. Cuz he was so nice… so nice.”

“Coffee’s gross,” Chanyeol said, making a face. “I like hot chocolate.”

“Me too,” Baekhyun laughed. He was started to sound sober again. “Me too…”

“What happened after that?” Chanyeol pressed, still feeling woozy from the alcohol.

“I told Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun said quietly. “He-he’s my best friend. I had to tell him. B-but I couldn’t tell him that he was a professor, I mean, Junmyeon-hyung could’ve been fired, and I could be expelled! A-and I didn’t know… if we were gonna get anywhere… m-my track record for relationships isn’t the best…

“I agreed to get coffee with him. Just coffee. It wasn’t a date. It was just coffee.

“We started seeing each other more. Then one night he invited me out to dinner. An official date. I was happy. I told Soo. I was really happy…

“We started dating after that. But I couldn’t tell anyone. He made me promise not to tell anyone. Junmyeon-hyung was just a student professor… but he was still older. A lot older. I think he’s… 9 years older than us? We could get in trouble, so I promised. I kept quiet, I didn’t even tell my best friend. But I was happy. I was doing well in school, I had a boyfriend… My life was going great.

“But then, things started changing. I was a sophomore; he just became an official school professor. We had to be more careful. No more after school sneak sessions in his office, no more hand holding on campus, no more making out during breaks… But we still had weekends. And holidays. But he was always so busy… and I was still a kid compared to him… So I tried… I really tried. I tried making myself older. I drank coffee even though I hate it. I stopped playing video games and went to the library with him instead. I turned down all the party invites I got even though I really wanted to go just cuz he doesn’t like it when I’m out late. And, you know… he’s a teacher, he said it was better to be studying than wasting time drinking…

“I listened to him. For two whole years. I stayed at home, did nothing but study day in and day out. If I did good, he would praise me… He would pat my head gently and smile, telling me I worked hard… If I stayed out too late, or got a low score on my test, he wouldn’t say anything. But that was it. He would just stay silent. It felt more like I was meeting with a tutor every weekend rather than dating him.

“At the beginning of my third year, I wanted to surprise him. We hadn’t talked that much during break because he had some stupid teacher retreat for half of our summer break, and I couldn’t wait to see him again. I was set to graduate soon, and we could be together. Out in public. No more secret messages, no more hidden contact… I-I could finally tell Soo…

“We had missed our three year anniversary cuz of that retreat. And he was busy with classes the first few weeks of school. He had been busy for a long time now, and I wanted to connect again. Go back to being a couple.

“I… I went to surprise him. At his office. I got out of class early, finished all my schoolwork, cleared my schedule... I had the whole night planned out. We were gonna go to the coffee shop and talk. Just talk. Reconnect…

“That’s when… that’s when I saw them. Together. Kissing. On Junmyeon-hyung’s desk. Wh-where we used to do it. I-I didn’t know what to do.

“Junmyeon-hyung… he just looked at me. The same way he looked at me when I got a bad score. He looked at me, but he didn’t push… didn’t push him away. And I just stood there. At the doorway. Like an idiot.

“I remember… I remember asking him why… asking him what I did wrong, asking why… why did this happen. Happen like this. Could we have done something? Could we have saved our relationship somehow? What went wrong? What did… what did I do wrong?

“And he… he said… he said, ‘I’m sorry, Baekkie… I’m just tired of dating a child.’

“And that’s when I realized. I’m a fool. I’m the biggest idiot alive. I fooled myself into thinking that I could… I could have a solid relationship. I’m just some immature little kid who sleeps around.

“Why did I even bother changing myself… It just added to my delusion, didn’t it? I went from a failing student with a life to an A student that had his entire life dedicated to one stupid, unfaithful professor. It wasn’t fair, but honestly? I should have seen it coming. I should have realized it sooner. It was all too good to be true…

“I went to Soo that night. I cried until I didn’t have any tears left to cry. And that next morning I made a decision. I wasn’t gonna continue fooling myself into thinking I could ever have a steady relationship. And I definitely wasn’t going to shed anymore tears for that bastard.”

Baekhyun let out a shaky, unamused laugh. “I was doing so well. Hadn’t been back to that bastard’s office for almost a year now. Kept my head low, stayed away from that building. But then we ran into him… you saw him… and everything… everything I felt that night came rushing back.”

The two sat in silence, Chanyeol trying to digest what he had just heard and Baekhyun lost in the past.

With a heavy sigh, Baekhyun cracked open another beer. “You know what the worst part is,” he slurred after downing half the can. “I can’t… I can’t even hate the guy Junmyeon-hyung cheated on me with. He’s-he’s another professor. Head of the medical branch in our school. And he’s a complete sweetheart. Just… the most genuine and kind person you’ll ever meet. I even talked with him a few times. I can see the appeal… It doesn’t take a genius to see why that lying bastard cheated on me for over a year and a half with the cute, smart Chinese transfer professor. What am I compared to him? And I guess… I guess with how much time he spent in the office while avoiding me, they just naturally got closer and… and…”

Tears welled up in Baekhyun’s eyes and his lower lip trembled. Cursing, he quickly shook off Chanyeol’s hand to wipe at his face. “No tears, no tears,” he chastised himself under his breath, furiously brushing away the liquid crystals threatening to spill over.

Baekhyun sniffled, rubbing his sleeves over his eyes. Chanyeol felt something in him heat up when he heard his companion’s soft cries. A feeling of anger. “I disagree,” Chanyeol mumbled.

“Hmm?” his crush asked tiredly, face dry as he slumped over the small table. Now that the truth was out, it was almost as though all the energy was just drained from his small body.

“Earlier, you said… you asked him what you did wrong. And, I disagree.” Heatedly, Chanyeol lurched forward, surprising Baekhyun as he grabbed the smaller’s shoulders tightly and looked him deep in the eyes. “You did nothing wrong, Baek. You’re a great person, and that Jjajjanmyun guy is the idiot for not seeing it.”

, , . Alarms were going off in Chanyeol’s head. What was he doing? This is why he should never be allowed to drink, he has absolutely no filter when alcohol is in his system.

“You’re the bestest person I’ve ever met,” he continued, ignoring the screaming in his head. “Whoever can’t see that is the real idiot. And if… if someone as stupid as me can see how wonderful you are, then I’m not so sure about all those other guys.”

Shut up, shut up, shut up.

“And you’re, like… super attractive. Like, damn! When I first saw you, I thought… I thought you were an angel and it was love at first sight. And don’t… don’t worry about being immature. We’re kids. We’re supposed to be immature. If your ex was so against a kid acting like a kid, then he shouldn’t have asked you out to begin with.”

Stop talking, you idiot!

“If I were lucky enough to date you, I wouldn’t treat you like this. In-in fact… I would… would treat you like a god! Cuz you’re just so perfect and… and nice… and smart, and pretty, and perfect—wait, I said perfect alr—”

A soft pair of lips was suddenly crashing onto his own, moving against his passionately. Slender fingers s their way up, tangling into his hair and pulling him in closer.

Baekhyun was kissing him.

And Chanyeol was kissing him back.

Baekhyun’s lips parted, allowing Chanyeol to slip his tongue into his crush’s mouth, hungrily. He’d been dreaming of this exact situation for months now, and the more he tasted, the hungrier he got. His large hands cupped Baekhyun’s face gently, pulling the smaller closer. A breathy gasp escaped Baekhyun when Chanyeol deepened the kiss, sticking his tongue further in, trying to reach and taste every inch of his—

Wait. A small voice in his head cut in, snapping Chanyeol out of the bliss he felt.

What? Chanyeol asked back, annoyed. Baekhyun was wrapping his arms around Chanyeol’s neck, and Chanyeol wanted to do anything but wait.

This isn’t right…

I don’t care. He’s kissing me. And we both know how long I’ve ing waited for this.

That’s true, , but have you considered this?

What?

Why is he kissing you?

Chanyeol froze. His inner dialogue with himself sent ice down his veins.

…Why was Baekhyun kissing him?

The haze of the alcohol made everything a little unclear. Chanyeol tried to think, trying desperately to think as Baekhyun’s lips continued to move against his. They were talking about Baekhyun’s ex… then Chanyeol wanted to make him feel better… and he said—

With a jolt, Chanyeol immediately shoved Baekhyun away from him. Their lips separated with a loud pop as Baekhyun fell back into the couch. Shocked, Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol in confusion as the taller stared past him in horror.

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asked gently. “What’s wrong? Is it something I—”

“Don’t,” Chanyeol whispered hoarsely.

“What—”

“Is it,” the taller man’s voice cracked. “Is it cuz I confessed to you? Do you feel sorry for me?”

“Chanyeol—”

“Well, I don’t need your pity, Baekhyun!” Chanyeol stood up, surprising his crush even more. “My feelings for you… they’re real! And we’re… we’re both really ing drunk right now! And I don’t want to be someone you’re using to forget the Jjajjangmyun guy!”

He turned and grabbed his jacket and keys. Slipping his shoes on quickly, he muttered, “I’ll stay at Jongdae and Jongin’s place. It’s not safe to walk around this late, so just stay here for tonight. Bye, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun’s stunned face was the last thing he saw before closing his door.

hope y'all enjoyed that little Kris cameo LOL

one more for chapter twooooo