The next morning Chanyeol got up, got dressed, and got out of town as quick as he could. Suho had scheduled interviews and appearances and he had his shoot for Vogue scheduled for the next day. He couldn't wait to leave. 

The night before he had overeaten to try and negate the effect of watching Sehun and Baekhyun enjoying an open flirty affection at the barbeque. Baekhyun had fetched beers while Sehun cooked and Sehun had served up the nicest cuts of meat to the short man smiling up at him. Chanyeol hid his envy with a pile of meat, too many carbs, and way too many beers. He swallowed two painkillers with the takeaway coffee he purchased with his petrol and drove home.

As soon as he got into the city he felt like himself again. Fansites were waiting outside his building and snapped pictures of him as he rushed inside. Here, in the concrete jungle that was his natural habitat, he hid himself behind dark glasses and dark caps. This was where he hid who he really was.

He set his alarm for 12pm and climbed into his king size bed. It was only then that he realised he was sick of sleeping alone. He found his phone under the pillow and decided to try and facetime Kyungsoo. He said he would be out of range but it was worth a try. Chanyeol thought he didn't miss him but now he realised he did. He had been holding back a little part of himself all along in the tiny hope that he might be able to reconnect with Baekhyun but seeing him with his brother had killed that dream completely. It was too late. Maybe if he had gone home earlier, maybe if he hadn't been so stubborn or so scared, everything might be different. But it was too late. It was time to move on.

He hit the dial button and the phone rang. Kyungsoo had been mistaken, he wasn't out of range at all, and Chanyeol hoped he would pick up. He just wanted to hear his voice, see his face, he just wanted to be special to someone. With Kyungsoo he always felt wanted. After a long time Kyungsoo answered and the video feed kicked in. "Hi." Chanyeol mumbled as he rolled over on his pillow. "I miss you." Never one for cheesy romance or sweet words, Chanyeol surprised himself with his spontaneous confession, and the shock was evident on Kyungsoo's face as well. "I miss you too." He said as he smiled. 

Kyungsoo looked so beautiful, his army buzz cut just enhancing his huge features, his big eyes staring up at the camera on his phone. Chanyeol assumed he was also in bed as he was shirtless. "How's filming? I thought you said you were out of range." Chanyeol said. Then a thought crossed his mind and he voiced it without containment. "Why didn't you call? If you had service." Kyungsoo's eyes flickered momentarily and he smiled as he replied. "I'm busy babe. So are you. You know what it's like. Look, I've got to go, but congratulations on your song I'll call you in a couple of days. Ok?" "Ok." Chanyeol hung up and dozed off immediately.

A couple of hours later he wandered the luxury shopping district alone. He impulsively walked in to a big jewellers and looked over the rings. The last few days had been so confusing but one thing was for sure. He didn't want to be alone any more. "Can I look at that one please?" He pointed out a thick masculine looking ring, platinum banded and studded with high quality diamonds, it was perfect. "Sure." The sales assistant took it out of the cupboard and laid it on the black velvet cushion. The diamonds sparkled under the bright lights of the counter and Chanyeol handed over his credit card. It cost more than a small car but he had money and it was an investment in the future. When Kyungsoo came back in a few weeks he was going to propose. He wasn't going to end up alone.

His fansites had followed him from the interviews to the shopping district and he ignored them as they snapped pictures of him leaving the store. A few media outlets were among the small crowd that seemed to gather wherever he went these days and he wasn't too bothered. He held tightly to his little bag holding the ring as he wandered in and out of a few other shops, mindlessly buying an expensive scarf and a new wallet. Eventually he made his way to the end of the road and into the restaurant where Suho was waiting for him so they could have dinner.

Suho smiled as his star sat across from him. "Excited for the shoot tomorrow?" Chanyeol smiled. "Yeah, more than I thought actually, I'm glad you got it moved forward." Suho grinned. "They want to dye your hair red." Chanyeol almost choked but quickly recovered. "Red? As in orange, or like, red red." Suho laughed again. "Red." He looked at the packages next to the table. Chanyeol had plenty of money but wasn't known to be a big spender so the bags, especially the little jeweller's bag, were suspicious. 

"What's that?" he asked and Chanyeol blushed. "I want to propose to Kyungsoo when he gets home." He looked down at the table as Suho's mouth hung open. "Really? A few days with your family and you're suddenly soft. What happened?" "Nothing." Chanyeol answered. "It's just, well, everyone I know has someone. They're all settling down, and I don't want to be left alone Suho, it's too scary." Suho sighed in resignation and indicated to the waiter to bring a bottle of wine. "The media will eat it up. It might be good for publicity especially with his movie coming out." Chanyeol poured a glass of the wine and chugged it down. "It's always about the publicity with you." "Well." Suho clinked his glass with Chanyeol's before taking his own sip. "That's my job. Congratulations in advance Chanyeol. I hope he says yes."

He fell into bed early that night, a wine and a good steak helping him settle, and as he closed his eyes he was torn between excitement and nervousness. Tomorrow was the photoshoot, one of the biggest things he had ever done, and growing up he never dreamed he would ever be considered for modelling let alone the cover of Vogue. It was beyond his wildest dream.

——-

"What's wrong?" Baekhyun found Chanyeol crying under the slide. His chubby cheeks were streaked with dirt and tears and he rubbed at his puffy eyes with two fat and dirty hands. "They teased me." "Who? Who teased you?" Baekhyun was a gentle boy until someone made him mad and turned him into a tiny ball of ferocity. "Them. They teased my ears and said I look like Yoda." 

Chanyeol pointed out a group of boys. They looked about 9 or 10, a couple of years older than them, and Baekhyun knew how to pick his battles. Knowing he had no chance of beating the older boys he turned instead to comforting his friend. "I like your ears." Baekhyun said as he put his arm around his still-sobbing friend. "Anyway. Yoda's the best. He's my favourite Jedi. Who cares what they say?" He used his shirt sleeves to wipe Chanyeol's cheeks and smiled when the other boy stopped crying.

——-

Chanyeol woke suddenly, his alarm blaring, his brain foggy with the confusion of his sleepy state. He'd dreamed a memory, the vision playing out in his mind, so long ago but so real it could have been yesterday. But it wasn't yesterday, it was twenty years ago, another memory he thought he'd buried deep in the past. But as he sat upright in his bed, the early morning grey of dawn just barely giving way to sunrise, Chanyeol's hand went to his cheek and felt the tears were fresh and new.

And somehow the past had caught up with him again. It was entangled in his present whether he liked it or not. Every part of who he was had a piece of Baekhyun within.