It was the first morning since ten years ago that Chanyeol woke up with a smile.

A genuine one, at least.

Chanyeol wanted to lay in his bed all morning, all day, just enjoying the fact that finally-- ing finally --he got the guy. He got Byun Baekhyun. Now the man in his dream had agreed to become his fiance.

My fiance .

But damn, he didn’t have time to marvel over that fact. His schedule for the day was too packed for him to laze around and daydreaming. He had a board meeting all morning, and in afternoon, he needed to take care of the matter of his contract with Baekhyun, and also another thing that needed to be done quickly. Something related to what Baekhyun had told him last night.

Reaching over his nightstand to take his fancy Rolex watch, Chanyeol cursed when he saw the time. Joohyun would definitely scold him if he didn’t arrived for their little briefing before the board meeting. Just as he was about to get off the bed, his phone rang.

Without checking the caller ID, Chanyeol put the phone between his ear and his shoulder while his hands were busy, searching for his pajama pants in the bundle of his thick blanket. “Hello?”

“Hello, fiance.”

Chanyeol would recognize that sweet, sarcastic voice anywhere, anytime. A grin creeped into his face when he realized that this was the first time Baekhyun had called him first. The first day of their agreement was looking good, despite the fact that he knew the nickname Baekhyun just said to him was nothing but mock toward their relationship.

“Morning, shortie.”

Baekhyun didn’t even bother to reply to his morning greeting. “Are we still going to meet today to sign the contract?”

Like Chanyeol could wait another day not having Baekhyun as his official fiance. “This afternoon, yeah.”

Chanyeol finally found his pants and hurriedly put it on. He would love to stay in bed while keep on the call with Baekhyun, but he had a meeting to attend. So he got to his feet rushing toward his bathroom.

“Aw, ,” Baekhyun groaned from the other side. “I have to go somewhere until maybe past two. I don’t think I could make it.”

If Chanyeol didn’t know better, he would think that he was dreaming. Who would’ve known that he and Baekhyun could talk so casually like this?

“What is it? A meeting?” Chanyeol asked as he took his place in front of a big mirror, looking at his reflection, topless with wild, messy hair and big smile on his face. “You want me to get you so we could meet?”

“Didn’t I just say that I don’t think I could make it?” Baekhyun replied with an annoyed tone.

“We could have lunch together. Or something.”

Baekhyun didn’t immediately reply this time. And Chanyeol took the silence as his cue to start brushing his teeth. He was mid-brushing his front teeth when he heard Baekhyun sighing. “We might be engaged, but no way that we’re together, Chanyeol.”

Gritting his teeth, Chanyeol decided to cut his brushing session short and cleaned his mouth before he replied to his fiance. “Together or not, you’re still my fiance all the same. There’s nothing wrong if we hang out.”

“Sure, there’s nothing wrong with it. The problem is whether I want to or not,” Baekhyun bit back. There was a sound of car door being opened and closed from his side. Not long after, the sound of engine was heard. He must’ve been on his way to work.

“Whatever, Byun. We’re having late lunch together. I’ll get you at your office at 3PM?”

“No, we’re not.” Came the quick answer.

Chuckling, Chanyeol felt like he could do this all day. “See you later, shortcake.”

And the sound of fake gagging from the other side of the line was the last thing he heard before he cut their morning call. The smile on his face lasted even through the annoying board meeting that afternoon.

It wasn’t how Baekhyun expected the meeting to go down. The twisted knot in the pit of his stomach didn’t loosen even after he excused himself early from the meeting room after the dreadful investors meeting had wrapped up. His head was hurting from the tension and he blinked the sudden tears that spring to his eyes.

He was frustrated, but not desperate. He still had his pride for his own company. There was no way he would take a jab to his company without retortion. Now that his potential investor didn’t seem as interested as before, his company was left without investors once more.

Hold it together.

Junmyeon was still inside the meeting room, saying the polite slash bull goodbyes while Baekhyun was no longer had enough will to be in that room. He quickly went down to the ground floor, desperate to even get out of the damn building.

Baekhyun wanted to ignore everything around him--for as long as humanly possible--only to run smack into hard chest. "Sorry, I--"

"Why are you running like that? Someone's tailing you?"

Baekhyun looked up to Chanyeol's brown eyes. "Chanyeol? What're you doing here?"

Chanyeol must've seen how rattled he looked right now, because his amused expression had turned into concern. No matter how many times Baekhyun had seen the rare expression recently, it was still weird to witness it. "What's wrong?" Chanyeol glanced behind Baekhyun, like he was truly expecting that someone actually ran after him.

"Nothing. Just..." When did their relationship turned into something where they could tell each other everything? "Bad meeting."

Eyebrows creased, Chanyeol took his wrist and brought him closer. "Who was it? Jihoon and Yongguk?"

"You know them?" Of course he would know them. Their companies were aligned in the industry.

"Did they with you?"

Well, how to answer to that. Baekhyun wouldn't let Chanyeol know how people were able to ridicule his company. "No. Will you drop it? How did you even know that I’m here?"

Chanyeol stared at down at him, pondering whether he was just trying to change the subject. Well damn, the man could see right through him, but it wasn't like Baekhyun would blatantly show his weakness. Shaking his head, like he was trying to shift his train of thoughts, Chanyeol muttered. "Alright, whatever," then he looked back at Baekhyun. "I told you we're gonna have lunch together, right?"

Baekhyun tilted his head. "I didn't agree to that. Besides, you said we're gonna meet at my office."

"Change of plans. Let's have lunch at your place. I'll cook."

What?

"You're cooking? For me?" Baekhyun was sure that he looked stupidly shocked right now. “Who the hell are you?”

The corners of Chanyeol's mouth turned up and he looked amused. “Park Chanyeol. Your fiance.”

Baekhyun now genuinely wanted to gag, but at the same time he could feel his stomach flutter. “Stop throwing that word around. And just because now we have titles for our relationship you don't have to act like it.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes and brought his hand to the small of Baekhyun's back to lead him toward the exit door of the lobby. “I’ll act however I want,” he said with crude tone, but his touch was gentle. “Besides, I have something for you to see at your apartment.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You’ll see.” Chanyeol nodded to the chauffeur who was waiting by the side of a black, slick Mercedes--Chanyeol’s.

“I brought my own car, you know.” Baekhyun stopped before Chanyeol opened the door of the passenger side of his car. “And what do I need to see in my apartment? Don't say that it was engagement gifts, please.”

Chanyeol sighed deeply, like he was truly exasperated. “God, shortie, you really do have so many question, don’t you? I told you you’ll see, . And as for your car, let Junmyeon return it. You come with me.”

“Is this what it takes to be your fiance?” Baekhyun almost physically squirmed for calling himself ‘Chanyeol’s fiance’ out loud. “You’re so bossy. I think we need to have some restriction here.”

Rolling his eyes rather exaggeratedly, Chanyeol guided him to get inside the car. “And you talk too much,” he said, but his words had no bite. “We could discuss our contract later, and you could see the restrictions and what not.”

Baekhyun sneered as he followed his gaze on Chanyeol who was walking around his car. The man was exuding confidence vibe and it reminded Baekhyun a lot when they were in high school. The difference was that the Chanyeol who was sitting beside him inside his car right now had this foreign warmth in his eyes every time he looked at him. And honestly, Baekhyun had no idea how to respond to that.

“What?” Chanyeol asked, his fingers hovered over the car’s ignition. The sound of the car started filled the silence since Baekhyun didn’t answer. “Put on your seatbelt.”

Feeling his cheeks getting warm for getting too focused on Chanyeol, Baekhyun cleared his throat. “You don’t have to tell me,” he murmured.

“Well, obviously you’re too mesmerized with my face rather than your basic safety.” Chanyeol smirked and started to move the car, making Baekhyun had not time to get back at him.

Baekhyun realized that this was the first time he was inside Chanyeol’s car, but what he made him a little bit nervous was the fact that this was the first time they were together in a such tiny space together alone since that time in Baekhyun’s room ten years ago.

As their car finally reached the main road, Baekhyun shook his head, forcing to block his mind on remembering the cursed past of his.

Chanyeol had been trying to cut back his daily dose of coffee to two cup, and his quota for the day was up, but right now he desperately needed it to focus his mind. It was coffee or drink. And drinking while he was with Baekhyun was out of question.

He definitely would request it later from Baekhyun, since there was other matter he wanted to discuss right now. But Baekhyun’s sharp eyes beat him to it.

Baekhyun froze right in front of his flat’s door, his eyes landed on some blinking red light from a black device right on top of his door. “Uhm,” Baekhyun croaked. “I think I need to call the landlord.”

Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun’s hand that reaching his phone in his pants pocket. “Wait. That’s me. I put the device there.”

Baekhyun pulled back suddenly, as if burned. “You what?”

“I put on some device to alert you if there were intruders in your home,” Chanyeol muttered confidently at first, but as he watched Baekhyun’s face changed from surprised to confused, he wondered if he had crossed a line. “It’s not only a standard camera. If there were forced break-in, it’ll alert you and the company immediately. The device also connected to my phone, so it’ll alert me too. The company even will help you call the police.”

After what Baekhyun told him last night and what Chanyeol had witnessed of him being cautious and afraid in his own home, there was no way that he would do nothing about the situation. If he couldn’t be with Baekhyun every time he was home, this was the least Chanyeol could do for his new fiance.

“You…” Baekhyun blinked. “You did that for me?”

The look Baekhyun gave him make his chest swelled. For so long, Chanyeol knew that this was one thing he had done right. “Of course.”

“Uhm,” Baekhyun broke their eye contacts. Chanyeol thought he could see his cheeks flaming. “Thank you. Though, really, you don’t have to do it. It’s not necessary.”

“Well, it is. Somebody had to do it. And if it wasn’t you, then who else other than me?”

Baekhyun bit his lip, and it almost made Chanyeol chuckled but he held it in. The shortie was so stubborn to not let his gratitude shown. It was cute.

“Okay,” Baekhyun said, his voice breaking. He cleared his throat and tried again, “Okay. Let’s get inside.”

Baekhyun started to think that the marriage deal going on between him and his teen crush slash enemy was a really, really bad idea. He knew that it was bad since the beginning, but now he thought that this might end in a disaster as bad as ten years ago.

Because feelings .

Yes, feelings had started to take over the reign in his stupid heart, and he knew too well what would happen if feelings were involved when it came to dealing with Park Chanyeol.

And after the security camera Chanyeol pulled back there, it wasn’t Baekhyun’s fault to feel this way. His stomach fluttered, his heart palpitated. Not his fault at all.

Baekhyun didn’t try to understand why would Chanyeol do that for him. He stopped doing that since yesterday, or else he was going to be confused all along. But God, Chanyeol was pulling strings in his heart and Baekhyun didn’t know if he liked it or not.

As Baekhyun finished his routine to check every room in his house to make sure that his house was safe, he found Chanyeol standing in his kitchen, rummaging his cabinets. “What are you doing?”

“I told you I’m going to cook for you, remember?” Chanyeol turned around to see him. He had a freaking egg in his hand and onion in his other hand. He grinned, but his expression turned serious in a split second. “Done with the checking?”

“Yeah.”

This was why Baekhyun didn’t want anyone to know that routine of his. When the first time his parents witnessed it, they freaked out. Even his mom cried, deeply saddened because she thought her son was deeply traumatized. Maybe she was right, but Baekhyun didn’t like to be seen as some kind of a broken object.

Chanyeol was no different. Baekhyun could see how his face changed after he heard Baekhyun’s so-called traumatic experience. He was worried, which made Baekhyun confused why he would feel that way. And now he took the initiative to put up security for him. Baekhyun honestly didn’t have any way to object the gesture, since it was something that he wanted to for long too but had no time to do so.

“You have nothing but egg and tofu,” Chanyeol deadpanned. His attention was focus on the inside of Baekhyun’s refrigerator.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes as he took off his blazer, sitting on his dining room. “Usually when you offer to feed someone, you provide the ingredients.”

“Seriously? I cook, and I also have to be the one who buy the ingredients?”

“I don’t even agree to this.”

Chanyeol threw him a glare, but even Baekhyun could see it was a fake one. His lips were curled slowly, forming a smirk. “You’re lucky I could turn even egg and tofu into something fantastic.”

Baekhyun would like to reply it with another snarky remark, but Chanyeol was already gone to the part of kitchen where Baekhyun couldn’t see him. Furrowing his brows, Baekhyun stood up to approach the taller man. “You really will cook for me?”

Chanyeol chuckled as he the electric stove. “Why is it so hard for you to believe it?”

“Well, you didn’t give me that many reasons to trust you.” Baekhyun quickly bit his tongue. Okay, that was way serious than he intended to. And Chanyeol seemed to pick up on that too.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” Why did he say that? Baekhyun wanted to punch himself. Now the atmosphere was kinda awkward.

Chanyeol said nothing for a second, but then he shook his head and back to his cooking. “Set the table. There’s a lot we need to talk about.”

Well, this was rather awkward.

The initial mood was awkward, but at least it was a good one. This one, though, Baekhyun could feel irritation radiating from his kitchen. Not that Baekhyun cared he make Chanyeol’s mood rotten, but if he needed to face it then he prefered the usual Chanyeol all the way.

By the time Baekhyun finished preparing the dining table, Chanyeol was almost finished with whatever he had been cooking of. And his feature was still marred by his ugly frown.

“I could make omelette,” Chanyeol clipped, as he put down the plate.

Baekhyun shrugged. “I’m not complaining.”

“Good.”

Biting the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t utter another stupid thing, Baekhyun faked his enthusiasm. “Can’t wait to try it.”

If Chanyeol could see right through his fakeness, he certainly didn’t show it as his lips were pulled sideways slightly, clearly amused. “Eat. We’ll talk after.”

They ate in silent, and turned out, Chanyeol could cook. Very well, even, given the fact that he only made a simple omelette with tofu. For the duration of them eating, Baekhyun completely forgot everything that had happened today and actually enjoyed the food. The time was three o’clock, and he realized his appetite wasn't really uncalled for.

When the both of them finished, Chanyeol was the one who got up and took their plates. “How was it?”

Baekhyun his lips, and he still could taste the delicious sauce Chanyeol made. “Let's say that my tummy is kinda happy right now.”

It seemed like the comment was exactly what Chanyeol wanted to hear as he was smiling normally. “Told you I can cook.”

Yeah, well, Baekhyun admitted that there were so many things about Chanyeol that endlessly surprised him. It was either he really didn't know him ten years ago or Chanyeol had changed so much for the past ten years.

“So,” Chanyeol sat down once he settled out all the dirty plates, then folded his hands on the table. “Shall we start?”

Chanyeol honestly thought he was being childish. He shouldn't have felt offended by Baekhyun's comment earlier. But he did anyway. What Baekhyun said make sense. If Chanyeol was Baekhyun, he wouldn't trust him either. But he thought... he thought they were passed that. Who was he kidding though? He knew more than anyone else that the past couldn't rewrite the present that easily. Baekhyun had all reasons in the world to doubt him.

"Maybe you want to bring your pen," Chanyeol said as he pulled out the document that he had written exactly a week ago as soon as he launched his brilliant idea to marry the guy in front of him. It was six pages document, and he made it two copies for the both of them each.

"Oh, right." Baekhyun got up from his chair and went off to look for his suitcase, retrieving his pen. When he came back, the slight frown in his forehead didn't go unnoticed by Chanyeol.

"Something's wrong?"

"No, just--" Baekhyun bit his lip, gaze not meeting Chanyeol's. "It just dawned on me that this is really happening."

"And?" Please don't say you chickened out. Please don't. Please . Chanyeol could practically see the turmoil within him. How the gears in Baekhyun's brain turned, contemplating the pros and cons which probably had been running around his mind numerous times already.

But it didn't take long before Baekhyun shook his head, like he was trying to shake the doubt in him. Or maybe he just didn't want to prolong this much longer. "Nothing. Let's just get this over with," he said with a sigh.

The force of him exhaling the breath he'd been holding was almost violent. Chanyeol blinked a few times to let his heart calm down. What the hell? Why did he have to be so nervous about this? "Okay, uhm." His voice cracked. Great. "This is the contract I've made," he said, as he slid the six pages contract across the table. "You could read every detail of our marriage and business contract there."

And with that, Baekhyun picked up the document and studied it. Chanyeol let his soon-to-be husband by contract to take his time to read every single details in peace. After all, what they did here was not a laughing matter. This was a legit serious business. They were dealing with laws.

He made the contract clear. Basically, it said that their status was going to be fiances as soon as the contract been signed. Before the wedding--which would take place in six months--Chanyeol's company would become the major sponsor for Baekhyun's company. By the event of their wedding, they would merge their company, making Baekhyun one of the stakeholder of Chanyeol's company, and vice versa, as soon as Chanyeol was promoted as CEO of his company. And the most important thing of the contract: they would be married for two years and a half before they would get divorce, marking their overall contract three years in total. After the divorce, they would renew the contract for their business.

All in all, the contract Chanyeol made was extremely profitable for both of them. Baekhyun wouldn't have to be worried about sponsor for a whole three years, as well as becoming one of the stakeholder of a big company like Chanyeol’s. And for Chanyeol, he got to be the CEO and kicked his step-father and step-brother from the throne. It was perfect, except the fact they just had to it up for the marriage part. Chanyeol obviously didn’t have complains about the latter, but Baekhyun...

Baekhyun put down the contract on the table. His expression unreadable.

Gnawing the inside of his cheek nervously, Baekhyun tapped his pen on the table repeatedly. "Well, damn," he muttered shortly. "That was..."

"Good, isn't it?" Chanyeol would at least pat himself on the back for that. He had made a pretty good deal for both of them.

"It's... great." For the first time since Baekhyun sat down to discuss about their contract, he looked at Chanyeol directly. "You made sure that there was no way I would turn down this offer, didn't you?"

Chanyeol grinned. "Maybe."

Baekhyun got back to the contract. Once again going through every points, every pages, making sure that he didn't miss everything. Chanyeol expected nothing less from him. Baekhyun was a professional like him. He wouldn't let himself got in trouble just because he wasn't careful.

After a good ten minutes of Baekhyun going back and forth from the first page to the last page, Baekhyun finally put down the contract for good. "Alright." He exhaled.

Chanyeol's brows rose. "Alright?"

"I can't say I'm not satisfied with it." Baekhyun folded his hands on the table, leaning forward. "The conditions are great. You're going to be my sponsor, and I'm gonna be your stakeholder."

"But?" The unsaid but wasn't unheard.

"But... three years?" Baekhyun asked, his voice got quiet, trailed off at the end.

Amusement bubbled inside Chanyeol. He knew it. He knew that the man would question the period of their fake relationship. "It's not that long, right?"

"Three years of being in a relationship with you will be the equivalent of thirty years," Baekhyun bit back.

Chanyeol couldn't help but smile. Baekhyun had returned to his usual demeanor, and the tensed and awkward atmosphere between them had gone. The guy in front of him had an annoyed expression, but it was with a hint of smile. Maybe the contract he made was indeed really great, huh?

“What about the marriage contract?” Baekhyun asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You know, the nature of our relationship. What we can do and cannot do?”

Boy, that was such a loaded question. Chanyeol couldn't really say that he hadn't thought about it. The prospect of being in a relationship--whether it was fake or not--with Baekhyun was thrilling. To be able to call him his fiance, his husband--call him his --was probably close to impossible if this opportunity hadn't raised.

"Well," Chanyeol started. "Obviously, we need to act like this is the real deal. So people gonna need to know. Our family, our friends, our colleague." If it could go the way Chanyeol wanted, he would have everyone in the world know about them.

Baekhyun grimaced, like the prospect of it was already a nightmare for him. But he still nodded in the end. "Okay. That, I could manage. What else?"

Chanyeol guessed the condition he gave Baekhyun for their business contract was so generous that Baekhyun let him set the relationship rules for them. "We have to meet often. Like today, if I asked you to meet, please don't go out of your way to reject me."

Baekhyun pouted at that, crossing his arms on his chest. "Seriously? Why does it have anything to do with us being fiances?"

"So people will see us together, obviously. Make them believe that we actually together."

What Chanyeol had said so far was reasonable. It rendered Baekhyun nothing to protest. "What else?" he grumbled.

This one he was going to say next was the most important thing that Chanyeol needed Baekhyun to understand and do. Not because he was afraid that people would find out that they were faking it or anything. But it solely because when he said that Baekhyun was his, he wanted him to be really his and his alone. "You can't date anyone else. I get it that we're technically just fiances bound by contract. But we're exclusive . For the period of our contract, I won't see anyone else, and neither will you."

Baekhyun was stubborn, that part of his was what made Chanyeol going crazy about him. But Chanyeol was ready to be more stubborn than Baekhyun regarding this matter. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. He expected Baekhyun to protest, or at least sneered at him. But Baekhyun only lowering his head as he looked at the contract on the table, before he finally gripped his pen tighter and signed the contract with one suave pull.

Then he looked up with a determined gaze directed at Chanyeol. “Deal.”

A/N: Now that the technical chapter is out of the way, fluff chapters incoming <3 FINALLY!