Baekhyun can’t remember the last time he has had so much fun in his life. The car ride to the motel had been an absolute blast, with Yixing babbling about his love of unicorns and sheep and Tao constantly making everyone take Buzzfeed quizzes (even Chanyeol was semi-forced to let Buzzfeed guess his zodiac sign based on the twenty Disney animals he chose, despite trying to focus on getting the four other boys to their destination). Baekhyun had never given himself the chance to make a friend, and now that he had eleven, it was like he was in heaven.

Tao and Junmyeon had decided to room with Chanyeol and Baekhyun when they arrived at the motel. Junmyeon had gone out fifteen minutes ago in search of midnight snacks for the group, leaving Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Tao sitting on a bed and chattering animatly away.

In the middle of yet another Buzzfeed quiz Tao is making them take, Chanyeol gets up from the bed and announces that he wants to take a shower before Junmyeon gets back. The other two boys wait for Chanyeol to disappear into the bathroom before Tao begins speaking.

“You two seem to be getting along really well,” Tao says, putting his phone down on the table that stands between the two beds. “How are you liking it here, Baekhyun?”

“I’m happy,” Baekhyun replies. “Like, really really happy. Actually, I don’t recall feeling this great in a really long time.”

“Hard time fitting in when you were in Chicago?” Tao questions. The cat-like boy looks so innocent and genuinely curious that Baekhyun can’t help but smile a little.

“Hard time fitting in anywhere I’ve ever been,” the shorter boy responds. “I mean, when I was, like, seven and in elementary school, no one ever wanted to hang out with me. I was always that new kid who smelled weird and wore the same outfit to school every day for a month. So when my family kept on moving around and kids kept on ignoring me, I started to see the pattern. Who wants to hang out with the new shabby kid, right? I guess I just stopped trying to make friends in middle school. And then you guys came along.”

“Baekhyun, we’re happy to have you in the group,” Tao smiles reassuringly. “You’re a really cool kid.”

“I just can’t help but feel a little bad sometimes,” Baekhyun frowns a bit as he stands and begins pacing back and forth across the room. “Chanyeol and Minseok are always giving me food. Yifan and Lu Han are constantly defending me against the jocks. Jongin and Kyungsoo have been sneaking out of class during my gym period to get me clothes to change into so that I don’t get yelled at for being unprepared. I mean, I feel like all of you are always giving me things and I feel so bad because I have nothing to give back.”

“Oh, Baekhyunnie. Sit down, kid. I have much to explain to you,” Tao chuckles. “Did you know that last summer, Jongin and Kyungsoo worked their asses off so they could help pay for a new pair of skates for Lu Han when they found out that his parents couldn’t afford them? Those two worked fourteen hour shifts everyday and not once did they complain or ask for repayment. Did you know that Yixing single-handedly organized ten fundraisers over the course of half a year so he could help Yifan’s basketball team get new shoes? Yifan didn’t ask for help, and he didn’t even know that Yixing had organized the fundraisers until he was handed the money. Yixing didn’t keep a single cent to himself. He spent hours upon hours organizing those fundraisers just to help Yifan. Did you know that Minseok has baked something for us every day for the past three years just so we could all enjoy something together during lunch? He takes every AP class possible, interns at some local university biology lab, and volunteers at a center for the blind, but he still makes time every night to bake us something. Did you know that Jongdae has been working at McDonald’s every day for the past two years and saving up money just so he can buy Minseok some baking supplies every week? Today was the first day he’s ever taken off from work. Did you know that when Lu Han found out that Sehun’s dog died, he drove an hour to an animal shelter just so he could adopt another one to give to Sehun? Did you know that when I called Junmyeon at three in the morning because I found a spider in the kitchen, he drove over to my house, killed the spider, and then drove back home? Did you know that ever since Yixing started staying at Yifan’s place, Chanyeol has been bringing them groceries and take-out every day, which he pays for with his paycheck from Starbucks even though he’s supposed to be saving that money for his college tuition? Don’t you see, Baekhyun? We give to each other and expect nothing back in return because that’s what friends are for. We’ve always had each other’s backs, we always will, and now we have yours as well. So, no. You shouldn’t feel bad that we like helping you out because we’re your friends, and that’s what friends do. Besides, you’re wrong about not having anything to offer us. You’ve offered us your friendship, and that’s more than enough. Do you get it now?”

Baekhyun looks down at his muddy shoes and nods. He’s overwhelmed with emotion and suddenly throws his arms around the other boy. “Thank you, Tao. You’re the best,” Baekhyun whispers, tightening his hold around the cat-like boy’s chest.

“It’s no big deal, Baekhyunnie,” Tao beams, hugging the smaller boy back. “I suppose I owe it to you anyway. Honestly, I haven’t seen Chanyeol this happy in awhile. Ever since…” The younger boy cuts himself off and shakes his head.

“Ever since what?” Baekhyun questions.

“Nevermind, Baekhyunnie,” Tao says. “I don’t really think it’s my story to tell. You can ask him sometime.”

Junmyeon enters the room then, holding four bags full of snacks and wearing a wide grin on his face. “I have food! Tao, text the other guys to come over. Tell Minseok to bring the cupcakes and cookies he baked. We’re having a feast tonight!”

/*/*/*/

“Gosh, it’s really cold in here,” Baekhyun mumbles as the boys enter the rink. Junmyeon is clutching the tickets Sehun had given them before they had left for the trip (the maknae had only trusted Junmyeon with not losing the tickets).

“Well, yes, Baekhyun. It’s an ice rink,” Jongdae teases.

“Ignore him,” Chanyeol says, rolling his eyes. “Here, put this on.” Chanyeol takes off his jacket and presses it into the hand of Baekhyun who smiles gratefully and pulls it on.

“Oh my god, guys, I’m so excited for this! I’ve been waiting for this damn competition for months!” Tao squeals, jumping around. “Let’s go find our seats! I don’t want to miss watching the first group warm up!”

“Okay, okay, Tao. Calm yourself, please,” Junmyeon says, taking the tickets out of the envelope and distributing them. “We can go in a second. Let me just make sure everyone gets their ticket, alright?”

“So Tao, how do figure skating competitions work?” Yixing asks as the group begins to walk down the staircase to find their seats. “I tried googling it last night but I just got more and more confused.”

“Well there’s twenty skaters in the men’s category and they’ve been separated into five groups. Each skater in the five groups are performing their short program today, and the top fifteen skaters will be able to perform their free skate tomorrow. After they perform, the judges will combine the score from the skater’s short program and free program, and that’ll determine their placement,” Tao explains. “And to judge each program, the judges have two separate categories per program: technical and composition. Jumps and spins are combined to form the technical score; and step sequences, interpretation of music, and all that jazz form the composition score. Get it?”

“Kind of?” Yifan shrugs, sitting down in his seat. “You sure know a lot about figure skating, Tao. I never knew you liked the sport.”

“What? Just because I’m the only straight guy in the group means that I can’t like figure skating?” Tao says defensively as he watches the first group of skaters step onto the ice for their five-minute warm up. Lu Han is apart of this group, and, being one of the newer skaters, he is apparently also the first one to perform.

“We said nothing of that sort,” Kyungsoo frowns. “Are you alright there, eyebags? Did you not get enough sleep again last night?”

“First of all, Soo, I was born like this,” Tao shoots back. “Maybe I worsened them because I stayed up watching Tastemade videos, but I. Was. Born. Like. This.”

“Don’t mind mister grumpy-pants over there,” Jongin grins, sliding his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders. “I think he’s just nervous for Lu Han. Who’s about to start I think.” He gestures at the ice.

“Alright, everyone! Take a poster or a flag!” Chanyeol says. “We’re going to be as loud as possible when he finishes his program.”

“Do you think he’ll see us?” Minseok asks, taking two flags and waving them around.

“He damn will after this,” Jongdae grins.

Chanyeol hands Baekhyun a poster and their fingers brush against each other’s as Baekhyun takes the object. The smaller boy blushes a little bit and tries to suppress his urge to giggle.

/*/*/*/

“Number one, representing the United States of America: Lu Han!” the announcer’s voice booms in the stadium. Cheers erupt from the crowd (consisting mostly of the obnoxiously loud ten boys, Sehun who is standing with the skater’s coach by the kiss-and-cry, and the rest of the audience politely clapping for the boy). Lu Han acknowledges the audience with a small smile and quick bow as he skates to the center of the ice and turns to face the judge panel. He gets into his starting position, takes a death breath, and glances at his coach, signalling that he’s ready for the music to start.

The beginning six notes of the piece rings softly in the arena. Lu Han is still in starting position, looking fairly relaxed, but the rest of the boys are anxious. Baekhyun instinctively grabs Chanyeol’s hand and nervously fidgets in his seat as he waits for Lu Han to move. The smaller boy doesn’t even realize that he’s holding the taller boy’s hand until he feels Chanyeol squeeze his hand gently.

The seventh note is heard and Lu Han gracefully skates backwards, slightly lifting one leg and holding an arm out towards the judges before turning quickly to face the other opposite side of the arena. Baekhyun exhales slowly; he hadn’t realized that he had been holding his breath since the music started played. He watches the boy on the ice intently, mesmerized by beauty of his skating. What captivates Baekhyun the most is the boy’s facial expression; he looks like he’s about to break into tears at any moment, and Baekhyun thinks that it is absolutely stunning. Lu Han effortlessly completes his small step sequence before beginning his first spin sequence, showing off his flexibility and speed.

He completes the spin sequence with ease and the audience claps in appreciation as he enters his second, more complex step sequence. His movement is so graceful that it looks like he’s floating on the ice, and Baekhyun can’t help but be stunned at how Lu Han is able to keep the same expression as he’s completing complicated steps and twirls.

Finally, in the second half of the program, Lu Han begins his jumping passes. His first jump combination is a quadruple flip, triple toe and, like the rest of the program, it is completed with grace and elegance. The audience smiles and claps as Lu Han positions himself into a stunning Ina Bauer before launching himself back into the air in a quadruple loop jump, which he lands quite easily. The violin in the recording begins to play quick run, and Lu Han throws himself into a triple axel jumps, landing just as the violin draws out the final note of the run. The landing of the triple axel is shaky, and Baekhyun can see the boy struggle to regain balance as he touches his hand down on the ice. Baekhyun hears Chanyeol wince next to him, so he tightens his grip around the taller boy’s hand.

When Lu Han is steady once more, he enters his second spin sequence, and a few seconds after completing it, he finishes the program with a final spin sequence, further showing off his flexibility by being the only male skater that can complete a Biellmann spin. The final note rings out in the arena and Lu Han brings himself to a stop, breathing in deeply, only exhaling when the note can no longer be heard. The audience erupts into loud cheers and Lu Han breaks into a grin. The boys are screaming their heads off, jumping around and waving their banners in the air. Lu Han bows deeply towards the judges panel and spins around to the opposite side of the arena to acknowledge the audience. Baekhyun watches in amusement when Lu Han finally spots the ten boys prancing around, holding flags and banners that display blown-up pictures of the skater’s face from his Facebook profile, which he had deleted from the face of the earth years ago (or so he thought). To put it simply, the picture of Lu Han is hideous. Lu Han’s jaw drops and his eyes grow wider than ever. He’s absolutely horrified. And the situation only worsens when he looks up at the two giant televisions and sees that his friends are on display.

“Hey! Hey, guys, we’re on the big screen!” Jongdae cackles gleefully as he points at the televisions. “Look!”

The rest of the boys yell and jump around, waving at the big screen and pointing at the giant banners they’re holding, showcasing Lu Han’s ugly picture to the whole arena. Lu Han stands there for a good five seconds, wearing a grim facial expression as he debates whether he should throw himself at the wall now or wait until the arena is empty so he can throw his friends at the wall. He finally shakes his head, deciding that he’ll get his revenge on them later and turns to bow to the rest of audience, ignoring the fact that a majority of them are laughing at the band of silly boys on the big screen. After one final bow, he skates over to where Sehun and his coach are standing. He throws his arms around Sehun first and then his coach, thanking them profusely for their help.

“Gosh, those two are just the sweetest,” Chanyeol smiles dreamily, gesturing towards the skater and his “very close and personal friend” (as the commentators would later put it when the event would be broadcasted on national television) The large televisions hanging above the arena display Lu Han sitting at the kiss-and-cry, waiting for his scores to be announced. Baekhyun watches as Lu Han grabs Sehun’s hand and squeezes it tightly, and the younger boy blushes as he smiles shyly.

“Yeah,” Baekhyun breathes, only now realizing that he’s still clutching the other boy’s hand. He squeezes the hand gently and replies, “The absolute sweetest.”

/*/*/*/

Lu Han ends up placing fourth in the short program event. He had started panicking and rambling about not qualifying for nationals until Sehun shut him up with a tight, reassuring hug. The two boys are now in one of the motel rooms with the rest of the group, and Lu Han is recalling the events that had happened the night before, something about Sehun playing the violin (Baekhyun isn’t really listening). Five minutes or so into Lu Han’s story, Baekhyun realizes that Chanyeol isn’t there. He quietly gets up, giving Tao a pat on the shoulder to let him know that everything’s alright (the cat-like boy responds with a deep sigh but is quick to resume taking the latest Buzzfeed quiz), and slips out of the room.

He finds Chanyeol about five minutes later, sitting by the edge of the swimming pool with his feet in the water. He’s looking up at the stars with those beautiful almond-eyes of his, and Baekhyun thinks that he is absolutely breathtaking. Chanyeol is so lost in taking in the vastness of the universe that he doesn’t even notice Baekhyun until the smaller boy takes a seat next to him. Chanyeol jumps a little at the sudden movement next to him but is quick to relax when he sees who it is.

“Hey, Baek,” the taller boy smiles softly. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Baekhyun replies, removing his shoes and dipping his feet into the water. “I came out to find you.” He pauses for a second and then adds, “And Tao was pestering me with more Buzzfeed quizzes.” Chanyeol chuckles at this.

“I just came out to see the stars. They’re beautiful tonight,” the taller boy says after a moment of silence. “What are the others up to?”

“Lu Han’s telling everyone some story about Sehun playing his violin last night,” Baekhyun replies. The smaller boy has Tao’s words ringing in his head from last night. I don’t really think it’s my story to tell. You can ask him sometime. Baekhyun glances at Chanyeol, staring at the other boy’s handsome features. The blue glow from the light of the swimming pool reflects off of his face, and in that moment, Baekhyun doesn’t believe that there is a single person in the world that is more beautiful than Park Chanyeol. He looks so happy but Tao had made it seem like something tragic had occurred to the other boy. Yeollie, Baekhyun thinks. What are you hiding?

Chanyeol can feel Baekhyun’s eyes on him and turns to look at the boy. He smiles sweetly and asks, “Why are you looking at me like that for?”

The smaller boy shakes his head, raking his fingers through his greasy hair. “Nothing,” Baekhyun says. “I just got to talking with Tao last night and I didn’t know….” He trails off. Is this the right thing to do? Baekhyun asks himself. You’ve known this guy for less than a week, and sure, maybe the plan has broken down, but is it really smart to get so close to him now?

“You didn’t know what?”

“Um, I didn’t, uh,” Baekhyun stutters for a bit before quickly finishing his sentence, “I didn’t know that Tao was the only straight one in the group.”

The taller boy raises an eyebrow in amusement. “Is this why you came to find me?” he teases. “To ask about everyone’s uality? Because you could’ve just asked them about it. They’re all quite open, you know.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widen and he shakes his head rapidly. “No, no!” he squeaks defensively. “No, I justー”

“Baekhyunnie, calm down,” Chanyeol chuckles, nudging the other boy’s shoulder and tilting his head back so he can look at the starry night sky. “I was just teasing you. And yes, Tao is the only straight one in the group. I believe Yixing, Kyungsoo, Jongin, and Sehun are gay. Yifan, Minseok, Jongdae, and Lu Han are biual. I think Junmyeon mentioned something about being aual back in sophomore year, and Tao, as you know, is straight. But he’s really just god awful at flirting. He can’t stop blurting out food puns. It’s honestly the worst thing I’ve ever had to watch.”

“And you?” Baekhyun timidly asks, glancing at the taller boy who is still gazing at the stars.

“Me?” Chanyeol frowns. “Well, my uality is, um, a bit more complex than the others. It’s difficult to understand, and it’s very very complicated.”

“Are you pan?” Baekhyun guesses. “Because you know that panuals are basically just biual vegans right?”

“What?” Chanyeol scoffs. “Are you even allowed to say that?”

“Well, yeah. Because I’m pan,” Baekhyun shrugs.

“Are you vegan?”

“Well, Yeol, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I don’t get my hands on food very often, so I don’t really get to pick and choose what I want and don’t want to eat. I kind of just focus on, you know, not starving to death. But if I had regular access to food, then yeah, I would choose to be vegan.”

“Okay, whatever. I’m not pan.” Chanyeol rolls his eyes at the sky. “I’m demiual.”

Baekhyun frowns. “I don’t think I’ve heard of the term.”

“Yeah, not many people have,” Chanyeol says, running his hand through his hair. “It took me forever to find the term to describe what I was feeling. It’s kind of like halfway between ual and aual. I don’t, uh, feel anything. I mean, I don’t really get attracted to people that way and I won’t unless I have a really strong emotional connection with that person.” Chanyeol grins nervously and runs his hand through his hair again. “I know, it’s confusing.”

Baekhyun’s frown deepens. “Not at all. I think it’s great that you’ve found something that describes who you are.”

Chanyeol chuckles and ruffles the other boy’s hair. “Thanks, Baek.” His smile falters a little as he adds, “Though I suppose my parents didn’t think so when I told them.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Yeollie,” Baekhyun says, taking the other boy’s hand to comfort him.

“I heard you and Tao talking the last night, you know. When I was in the shower. This motel has seriously thin walls. You can hear literally anything and everything.” Chanyeol speaks softly. He finally tears his eyes away from the night sky and turns to look at Baekhyun. For the first time since Baekhyun has met him, Chanyeol looks so, so sad, and this makes Baekhyun’s heart break.

“Oh.”

“You can ask me what happened, Baekhyunnie. I wouldn’t mind telling you.”

Baekhyun opens to speak but he’s cut off before he can even start his sentence when he hears a familiar voice yelling, “CANNONBALL!” The two boys look up just in time to see a hyperactive Jongdae running towards them, maniacally laughing his head off and throwing himself into the pool. The other nine boys gleefully follow Jongdae and jump into the pool.

Baekhyun turns back to look at Chanyeol, whose serious expression has already disappeared only to be replaced with his typical smiling face. His almond-shaped eyes are wide and shining with delight, and his dimpled smile is just so perfect.

“I suppose I’ll save my sad story for another day. But for now…” Chanyeol grins mischievously and shoves Baekhyun into the pool. The smaller boy yelps in surprise and instinctively grabs onto Chanyeol, ultimately dragging the taller boy down with him. They burst onto the surface a few seconds later, giggling and still clinging onto each other.

There’s no doubt that life is really hard for Baekhyun. In fact, it’s unfair how terrible his life is. He has had to deal with being an impoverished child from the day he was born, and the crap he has gone through for the past nearly-eighteen years of his life would send any ordinary person into a fit of despair. But, somehow, he managed to find Chanyeol and the other ten boys. He knows that befriending these eleven boys may be a huge mistake and that it might really hurt in the end when he inevitably has to leave, but he doesn’t care. Because in that moment, Baekhyun can swear that he’s in heaven.

Authors Note:

Hi everyone! I’m back with another update! :-)

This may be the last update for a little while since school is starting (eek!), but I’ll try to keep writing as much as possible.

I tried to make this chapter as baekyeol/chanbaek-centered as possible, but I also didn’t want to leave out Lu Han’s short program skate so hopefully this is okay?

Also, shoutout to chanbaekiloveu for letting me know that Tao was actually born with the eyebags. Thanks for your help, darling! <3

And, as usual, if anyone is interested in checking out the songs/videos that inspired parts of this chapter, here are the links:

Chapter title: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of7kpSc-Pz8

Lu Han’s short program skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu4FhYH-pwk&t=214s

I HIGHLY recommend that you watch the video that inspired Lu Han’s short program skate; it was based entirely off of Evgenia Medvedeva’s short program skate last season (she’s an Olympian as well as a fellow Exo-L!)

That’s all I have for now. I’ll be back soon (hopefully) with the next update. Until then, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!