Byun Baekhyun rushed to the door as soon the doorbell rang, fumbling with the latch while uttering several curses under his breath, knowing that it could only be the pizza delivery guy. Jongdae and he were famished to say the least.

“You’re late.” Baekhyun frowned at the delivery guy - a familiar person in their apartment block -  and pulled out a crisp bill from the caverns of his loose pajamas. “Here. Keep the change.” the blondie winked mischievously, nose upturned so his glasses would not fall off.

The delivery guy balked. Never had Byun Baekhyun ever keep-the-changed, ever. If anything, the college goer had struggled with his very many pennies and rotten bills on every occasion. Today though, Baekhyun seemed like he couldn’t care less if he overpaid by several thousand won.

“I said keep the change.” Baekhyun laughed, almost shaking his in glee, holding the box of pizza close to his chest and kicking the door close.

Jongdae and Xiumin, with who Baekhyun shared the ratty old apartment, exchanged glances. But it was pizza time and important matters could wait; dinner was the most important matter at hand.

By the time Baekhyun was his fingers clean of the sticky, cheesy stuff, Jongdae and Xiumin telepathically decided that now was the time to grill the flaky Baekhyun some.

“About Park Chanyeol,” Jongdae said, putting on his best Jongdae voice, the serious one, but truth be told, no Jongdae voice worked on Baekhyun ever. “Did you see him today?”

“I did too.” the blondie shrugged, “he came to pick me up from college and dropped me home.”

“He gave you money?” Jongdae’s eyes narrowed.

Baekhyun nodded vehemently.

“For ?” Jongdae’s voice was ten notes too high.

“Hey, hey, hey.” Baekhyun roared defensively, kicking his roommate on the shin, “he gave me money because he knows I am broke. Not for .”

“So..not for ? But he is expecting get some, isn’t he?” This time it was Xiumin who rounded up on Baekhyun, Xiumin who was usually so calm and quiet and placid like the lake which housed ten crocodiles in its dark depths.

Baekhyun’s eyes darted from side to side, “He never - he has never brought the issue up. I told you that he just offered to take care of me and I said yes.”

Jongdae looked away as though he could not keep looking at Baekhyun anymore; he had a lot of pent up anger since last week. “Who says yes to a total stranger!” Jongdae banged the top of the rusty old refrigerator thrice for emphasis.

Baekhyun bit his lip, and watched as Xiumin silently began to clear up the post pizza mess.

Baekhyun shifted his weight from one feet to the other; of course they didn’t agree with his methods. Both Jongdae and Xiumin would rather work hard than take any shortcuts; but Baekhyun was - Baekhyun is lazy, okay? He hated hard work, he hated helming the counter at the college library and keeping all quiet-like, as though it was someone’s funeral, as though someone would really bleed through their ears if he made so much as a peep. So he had laughed out loud when his pencil escaped from his fingers and landed on the floor, only to roll away to the farthest shelf, making as much noise as possible. But was the strict rerpimand from the librarian really necessary? Baekhyun did not like to be shouted at, and he thought it was very unfair that all the students in the Keep Silence hall got to hear what all rubbish the librarian said. Dimwit! He was not a dimwit okay? So what if he was a little bit of a daydreamer! No one in the library died due to his daydreaming skills anyway!

The world was grossly unfair. Baekhyun ran out of the library after making it clear that he was quitting. He dashed out in fact, and ran headlong into none other than Park Chanyeol. Not that he knew it was Park Chanyeol at first. Sure, sure, he might have seen the man in magazine covers and stuff, but why would he expect to run into the Start Up owner at his college.

“Hey.” the man had grabbed his forearm, “Watch where you are going. You nearly ruined my suit.”

Baekhyun merely bowed without saying a word. He was almost teary, not that he was crying, okay? almost teary that he got a public dressing down from the librarian.

“Please don’t be mean to me.” He said, indignance in his voice and entire manner. “I have already had to deal with soooo much today. The landlord called thrice for the rent, and I don’t even know where all that money will come from. It’s not like my parents are ting gold back home. And the bus broke on the way to college, and I didn’t have extra money on my card. I had to walk all the way here. I ing don’t even have any lunch money.” Baekhyun was pouting now, recounting his many miseries, batting his eyelids at the man. “It seems I had the audacity to laugh inside the library, when, when that’s the first time I managed a laugh out of myself today. She screamed at me -” the corner of Baekhyun’s lips drooped, “she screamed like I killed her favorite plant, or something, that old bat. I hate her. I hate the world; it’s too cruel. The economy . College stinks. Someone as young as I have to go hungry. How is it fair. I wish I was never born.” Baekhyun had declared, all flustered under the summer sun, blonde hair wild, cheeks pink due to almost crying.

The man, to Baekhyun’s great surprise, laughed.

“Don’t laugh at me.” Baekhyun scolded, beginning to turn away.

“That old bat inside the library is my mother. I was just on my way to see her.”

Baekhyun would recount later that he had never been more mortified in his short but eventful life. “I am sorry.” he managed to blurt out. “Wow. I really, really just want to vanish now.”

But the man laughed some more. “I am the one who is sorry. My mother shouted at you. Why don’t I make it up to you? Will you allow me to treat you to lunch?”

How could Baekhyun say no to free food! A boy in his position. Over lunch, he learnt that this man was the Park Chanyeol, the one who had made a lot of splashes in Silicon Valley with his Start Up company. Baekhyun was too busy stuffing his face to remember what exactly Chanyeol’s Start Up company was about. Not that he cared; food was more important.

“I am sorry life has been so hard.” Chanyeol said, watching Baekhyun as he ate with fervent gusto.

Baekhyun hadn’t even noticed how primly Chanyeol was dressed; he was only intent on the food. He didn’t notice how the man observed him like a hawk, he didn’t. He was busy forcing his crab open.

“I thought you were going to take me to the college cafeteria. Never thought you’d bring me here.” Baekhyun swallowed a huge mouthful and looked around, wherever here was. He had never been to any of these classy restaurants. Jongdae worked part time at one, but Baekhyun never learnt which one. He scooped more rice into his bowl, “ You seem like a nice man, unlike your mother. I don’t know how I’ll repay you for your kindness, though.”

Chanyeol had grinned and reached for a tissue to wipe the corners of Baekhyun’s mouth.

“There’s actually a way we can both be of use to each other.” The Start Up guy’s eyes  glittered with secrets untold. “How about I take you under my wing?”

“I don’t know any tech stuff.” Baekhyun had shrugged, “I play video games is all.”

Chanyeol poured water for him in silence.

When he finally turned to look at Baekhyun, he was smiling, “Oh no. I don’t mean it that way. I only want to sugar you.” And then he had smiled with all his teeth like a  wolf.

Baekhyun was always a little slow on the uptake, but he knew what sugaring meant. He just couldn’t fathom why Chanyeol would want to be his sugar daddy.

“I am not looking for a sugar daddy.” Baekhyun had blurted out, then immediately regretted his words. Stupid, stupid.

“I wasn’t looking for someone to sugar either.” Chanyeol shrugged. “But you need cash, I need company, we could make this work.”

Baekhyun abandoned his fork and scratched his forehead. “How do these arrangements work anyway? Have you had someone before, in such a - a deal?”

Chanyeol shook his head, smiling, and Baekhyun thought he didn’t look that bad. Maybe a little on the older side, but what the heck. “If you say yes, I will take care of your tuition and rent, and other petty expenditures. Clothes, books, food.”

“Why would you do that!” Baekhyun had balked.

“Do you pity me, or something?” He breathed fire through his nostrils, because pity was bad. Pity won’t do.

“Or something.” Chanyeol admitted. “I just, I don’t know, suddenly want to take care of you. I have earned enough from this stupid economy and maybe I don’t want someone as young as you to go hungry?”

“And that’s all you want? To pay for my expenses?” Baekhyun narrowed his eyes. Chanyeol’s mother may have called him a dimwit but he had street smarts, oh please. He wasn’t about to walk into a trap.

“No. Naturally I want some things in return.” The man’s eyes gleamed.

“Like - like my body?” Baekhyun was bony, chubby around the hips and cheeks at best, but bony, really.

Chanyeol winced, “You really don’t have a filter, do you? No, not your body. Not immediately, maybe eventually, if you want to? I just want your company, to take you out on dates, to be seen with you at dinners, that sort of a thing.”

“And I can pull out anytime I want?” Baekhyun questioned.

“Anytime.” Chanyeol had smiled, very very sweetly. Very, very handsome!

Xiumin hit his head lightly with the empty carton of pizza. “Stop daydreaming. Answer Jongdae.”

Baekhyun turned away listlessly. “He’s not a total stranger to me anymore, Dae. He has taken me out for six lunches in total and never once grabbed my hand. Besides, he has already paid this month’s rent so I can’t wiggle out anymore, can I? Just please chill. He’s loaded, he likes me because I have no filter. It’s win win.”

“And what if you end up falling for him?” Jongdae crossed his arms across his chest.

“Pshhh.” Baekhyun laughed, “As if! He is goding thirty, Jongdae. Why would I fall for him. I don’t even reply to his messages at night. Trust me, I have it under control.”

“God I hope you do. This thing stinks to high heavens.”

“Oh shut up. I need to sleep. I have to look good for my sugar daddy after all.” Baekhyun grinned, dodged Jongdae’s whack and hopped off to his room.

Jongdae glared in the direction of the room, then glared in Xiumin’s direction as well. “He has a copy of a magazine with that Park Chanyeol on its cover under his pillow, did you know? He sleeps with that magazine. Tell me how you are so calm about it.”

Xiumin placed a finger over his lips, “Leave him be. He hasn’t whined about his ill fortune all this week. Baekhyun’s happy, can’t you see? Let him be.”