"Are you even listening to me?!"

Chanyeol snapped back into the real world as he was harshly pulled out from his daydreaming by the annoyance in the voice. Sighing, Chanyeol stop thinking about how good his bangs fall over his eyes, focused intently on the long-time bane of his existence, Byun Baekhyun.

He was absolutely pissed when their music teacher had paired the two of them together for this project (compose lyrics and accompaniment for the school talent show), reasoning that they were his two best students and he'd expect nothing less from them. Now here he was, listening to Baekhyun drone on and on about proper musical themes the school board might like when really Chanyeol was just admiring the smaller boy's flawless looks.

(Actually, he did that practically everyday.)

(Chanyeol would like to argue with the narrator that no I do not do that everyday, shut up, he's my rival)

(Narrator would like to tell the reader to just ignore Chanyeol.)

The rivalry went back all the way to their highschool freshman year, they were both top students in all their classes, both were the star player of their respective sports teams (Chanyeol was the best batter on the baseball team, Baekhyun was the best midfielder on the soccer team), and both did have a special inclination to music (Baekhyun in the vocal club, and Chanyeol in the band club.)

They both got into the same college, and the rivalry just continued, especially with the honor of valedictorian now in the gameplay.

Baekhyun closed his eyes for a moment, probably out of exasperation. Chanyeol again was distracted by how good he looked.

Maybe it was the stress of their senior year and considering how long this rivalry has been going, Chanyeol was now always suddenly aware of how ethereal Baekhyun always looked. Chanyeol thought he was looking between the layers of reality and finding something unreal and beatiful, with every dip and plane along Baekhyun's cheeks, forehead, and the smooth sharpness of his jawline.

"If you've been losing sleep over the past few days because you're trying to catch up with me, I don't blame you." Baekhyun shrugged.

Chanyeol opened his mouth to retort, but Baekhyun carried on, "See you back here tomorrow, after lunch. Don't be late."

He got up and left the music room, leaving the door open for Chanyeol to close.

Chanyeol told all this to his best friend, Sehun, in the one-room apartment Chanyeol had outside campus.

"That's awesome, man, you now finally get to tell Baekhyun hyung how you really feel!" Sehun cheered, actually pumping a fist into the air.

The older boy choked on the water he was drinking. "I-I, wh-what....I mean, what... what did you say?" he asked, gasping between words as the water went down the hard way through his digestive system.

Sehun winked at him, "Oh, man, eight years of watching your grow? It's a wonder I haven't locked you two in a closet somewhere. Thankfully for you, I have a lot of self-control."

Chanyeol scoffed. "You can't walk past a stuffed toy shop without going in and buying something."

"Well, that's different." Sehun argued.

The younger then had to leave, in order to make it back to his dorm before curfew.

The rest of the night, Chanyeol thought about what Sehun had said.

Chanyeol never thought he would hang out with Byun ing Baekhyun at a deserted Burger King parking lot at 11 in the evening, but here they were, Chanyeol strumming on his guitar in the back of Baekhyun's father's pick-up truck, like they were in some sort of generic, college romance movie or fiction. 

They were trying to come up with lyrics, but were barely speaking to each other- each boy lost in his own world. The older was scribbling down words absentmindedly and humming under his breath. Chanyeol had plugged in his earphones was listening to The Rose, singing along softly.

It had been like that for over an hour, after they'd been kicked out of the music room because the school was closing up, and Baekhyun had made Chanyeol get into the car. The Burger King on the highway near their college campus was closed and they decided they couldn't really bother anyone there.

"You know, you're a pretty good singer."

The soft whisper was barely heard by Chanyeol, but he had seen his rival's lips move and he quickly tugged out his earphones.

"Eh?"

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. "Nothing."

A moment of silence passed.

"Thanks." Chanyeol muttered. "You're not half-bad yourself, either."

Baekhyun smirked softly into the night sky. "What are you listening to, anyway?"

"The Rose...." the younger answered.

"Hey, if you like bands, you should listen to Arctic Monkeys. They're pretty cool."

Chanyeol furrowed his brow in slight confusion.

"Why are we discussing bands? I thought we were supposed to be coming up with lyrics."

Baekhyun breathed a sigh of annoyance. "Just giving you a suggestion. Thought you could get inspired, maybe?"

Chanyeol shurgged. Wouldn't hurt. He searched up the band on his phone and played the first album he came across. The sound of drums and a guitar intro filled the air, making way for words.

A pussyfooting setting sun
Make a wish that weighs a ton
There are no handles for you to hold
And no understanding where it goes

Baekhyun started singing along now, Chanyeol subconsciously admiring his voice. The band wasn't bad, they were really good and he expected himself to be listening to them for the next few weeks or so. 

She looks as if she's blowing at kiss at me
And suddenly the sky is a scissor

Chanyeol was watching Baekhyun again, something he found himself doing more often when he thought the older couldn't notice it. Baekhyun's eyes were closed and his mouth was forming the lyrics to the song, singing in his sweet honey voice that didn't match the mood of the song, but somehow he was making it work.

Sitting on the floor with a tambourine
Crushing up a bundle of love

Baekhyun knew Chanyeol was watching him, and he found (like he often found these days), he didn't mind one bit.

Don't take it so personally
You're not the only one

Something nagged at Chanyeol's thoughts again---what Sehun had said yesterday. If it was true, Chanyeol was absolutely ed. Years of petty animosity, only to reveal he was actually in love with him? Chanyeol was too prideful to admit it. Of course he wasn't in love. Yet in that moment, with the sounds and the starry night and time feeling warped in an empty Burger King parking lot in the evening, Chanyeol was feeling something.

(Chanyeol swears he is Totally Not In Love with his long-time rival, Byun Baekhyun.)

That time has got it in for honey
That's where you're wrong

Chanyeol was absolutely, genuinely, sincerely, ed.

This was all Sehun's fault.

He'd called up Chanyeol saying he was starting to host a "book club", and Chanyeol being Chanyeol, had believed him and agreed to go.

When he got there, he found out it was just a stupid get-drunk club involving books.

A bunch of books were placed in the middle of people in a circle, and Chanyeol recognised a classmate named Jongdae read a page from a book. When he finished, everyone (in varying stages of drunkenness) took a shot. Chanyeol then saw Sehun (who was very, very, drunk) refill their glasses, and started all over again.

Chanyeol was glad he'd come in late.

He was about to turn, leave, forget this ever happened when Sehun spotted him and stood up, wobbling slightly on his feet as he made his way to Chanyeol. Everyone had paused, turning their attention to the tall, slightly disgruntled boy.

"Chanyeoooooool......you-you're here! Finally!" the younger said, upon reaching his goal. He stumbled and Chanyeol surged forward to help the younger steady himself.

"Sehun...." Chanyeol mumbled, aware that a bunch of people were staring at them.

"Coooome in.....join us." Sehun laughed in his alcohol-induced haze, gesturing at the little group behind him and tugging on Chanyeol's sleeve.

Chanyeol looked over and saw Baekhyun part of the drunk group.

He was seated between a Chinese student, Tao, and Sehun's roommate Jongin. His hair was now colored red, and styled in a mullet. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked paler, of a sorts. 

It was sort of a shock for Chanyeol. The last time he'd seen the older was a few weeks back, when they'd performed the song they'd composed at the talent show. Chanyeol hadn't seen him around because he was trying to catch up with all his assignments, and was assuming Baekhyun was doing the same.

Baekhyun must've recognised him, too, even while intoxicated. He smiled at Chanyeol, and the younger's breath caught for an instant.

Chanyeol turned his attention back on the nagging younger boy in front of him.

"I gotta go, Sehun...."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and left, closing the door softly behind him.

He was halfway down the corridor when he heard footsteps coming up behind him.

He turned, and he recognised Baekhyun's figure walking towards him, slightly uncoordinated because of the amount of alcohol inside him.

After a moment of hesitation, Chanyeol went up and helped Baekhyun steady himself.

"Hi, Chanyeol," Baekhyun slurred, looking up at him with those bloodshot eyes. Chanyeol felt a growing pang of worry inside him.

"Baekhyun, are you okay?" he asked.

"Fine and dandy..." the smaller mumbled. "I hate you, you know."

Chanyeol felt he didn't share that sentiment anymore,

"I should bring you home." Chanyeol said instead, tightening his grip on Baekhyun when he felt the other slip down a little.

"Nah, nah, nah...I'm gonna crash...at Jongdae's room....." Baekhyun paused, something seemingly clicking in his mind.

"Oh, right, was gonna....tell you something." he continued, "You know what, Park Chanyeol? Eight years of being rivals. Eight years of falling in love with you. I don't know how, honestly...."

Chanyeol felt his heart skip a beat.

"Baekhyun, you're drunk." he said. "Let's get you home."

"Nah, nah, nah......Batman." Baekhyun giggled, "Seriously, though, actually hanging out with you only made me fall even more....I hate this. You know we're never gonna get together...after we graduate we'll head our different ways and somewhere down the road we'll find out we're now big-time rivals....yeah, life ."

Chanyeol's mind was spinning. Thoughts and thoughts of the future Baekhyun was mentioning crashing his brain. Was that really Baekhyun thought?

Chanyeol chuckled a bit. "You think. You probably won't remember this, but..."

He leaned in.

The future, and his thoughts, were a problem for tomorrow.