[shorties = short side stories of past and other members]

Sixteen-year-old Baekhyun sat in the auditorium besides his parents as he scanned the room to find Chanyeol. It was Chanyeol's graduation day from high school, a day Baekhyun has been waiting for his entire life. Ever since he realized that his interest for the elder was actually love, he made a vow to himself to confess to him the day of his graduation. He has kept that since he was young, and the amount of times he practiced throughout this whole week has made him more than prepared to confess. Even with help from Jongdae and Kyungsoo, they strongly assured him that it will make Chanyeol commit to him in an instant. Lucky for Baekhyun, he was personally invited by the Parks to come to the ceremony, while his two best friends had to find a way to sneak in by 'helping' their school by volunteering throughout the ceremony.

"Baek, he's right there!" His mom said, pointing towards the giant dummy who was bashing his head from left to right to find his seat. "He looks extra handsome today," his mom nudged his arm and Baekhyun bit back a smile.

"Don't embarrass me, mom!" Baekhyun whined and crossed his arms. His dad began to laugh and told his wife to quit teasing Baekhyun, but instead it encouraged her to embarrass him more.

Baekhyun watched as Chanyeol moved through the people in his row to go to his seat, looking more handsome than usual in his graduation gown and suit. It made him a little conscious due to the fact that he knew a lot of girls were going to try to shoot their shots with him after the graduation ceremony. More specifically the girls who will be attending the same university as him.

For years, Baekhyun has been watching Chanyeol come home with stories of girls asking him out, or at least attempting to confess, and he never had the courage to say what he has been dying to confess. Even for Chanyeol, but he was more scared than Baekhyun is. Chanyeol has been in the closet, according to his classmates, in school. While at home, he was open and chill about his uality. His parents knew when he was constantly with Baekhyun after the first meeting. Baekhyun had it easy too, but he also had it worse because his parents would shamelessly in front of Chanyeol just so the elder can get the hint. They're trying to do that right now too, but not on his watch. It was a shame that Chanyeol couldn't openly reveal himself because most of his classmates were against gay men. This was one of the few reasons why Chanyeol was never close with anyone except for Sehun and Baekhyun's friends.

To everyone's surprise, Chanyeol came out to be the valedictorian of his class, and all eyes were on Baekhyun. Despite being older, Baekhyun tutored Chanyeol in calculus, which was the reason why Chanyeol achieved that ranking. The elder was very smart in everything but math, and Baekhyun was good at everything but even better in math. The whole school didn't know that an underclassman helped him, but their family and friends do. To them it was very wholesome.

"Pspspsps." Baekhyun heard from a distance and hesitantly turned his head to the entrance of the balcony. He rolled his eyes and told his parents he'll return. Once he got out, he sighed at his two best friends who were ushering for the ceremony.

"You finally made it up here to help out," Baekhyun teased. Jongdae and Kyungsoo started making faces at how nicely Baekhyun dressed up and started wooing him. The elder hated it when he gets publicly embarrassed by his friends.

"Baekhyun! You didn't have to pop off like this!" Jongdae whined. "I feel so under dressed!"

"Guys--"

"I wish I could dress like you, Baekhyun!" Kyungsoo said in a monotone, not convincing the people around him. "Who are you looking fine for?"

A staff member of the school tapped on both Jongdae's and Kyungsoo's shoulders to go usher families to their designated seats, making them stop their plans and scurrying away with their heads held down. Baekhyun giggled at them before making his way back into the auditorium. The moment he entered, he was being rushed by his parents to hurry up because the ceremony was about to start.

[shorties: four]

Nobody couldn't tell, but Chanyeol was anxious in his seat. The procession went well since he didn't stumble on a step or trip over somebody, but now the real deal was going to happen. He wondered if he ever left his speech on the podium or if anyone could tell how much he was sweating at the moment. Was his cap on correctly? Does he look unprofessional? What if he messes up? What if he can't indirectly confess to Baekhyun through his speech? He snapped once he felt his classmates nudging his arms and shouting his name along with the roar of applause from the auditorium. With wide eyes, he immediately jumped out of his seat and passed through the row to make his way on stage.

His parents and Yoora were loud, but Baekhyun's family was louder, even Baekhyun himself. No matter how embarrassing it was for Baekhyun to shout of Chanyeol's name on the top of his lungs, he still did it with little to no shame. Besides, he wasn't the only one. Jongin, Sehun, Jongdae, and Kyungsoo were ten times worst, including Jungmyeon. Thankfully there were downstairs on the ground level of the auditorium. Once Chanyeol made it up on the stage without falling or tripping, he awkwardly bowed at everyone before going to the podium. Baekhyun eyes followed him wherever he went, and it was perfect timing that he actually made eye contact with Chanyeol. Although very distant from the stage and being impossibly hard to see due to the distance, Chanyeol still managed to find him, and it did something terrible to his heart.

Chanyeol felt his heart becoming calm once he found Baekhyun, which shocked him because out of the many faces, he somehow locked eyes with the love of his life. Yes, he sees him as the love of his life. Adjusting the microphone towards his mouth and clearing his throat, he stared down at the copy of his speech on the podium and sent a prayer that all will be well.

"Today is not just a day to finally say you've graduated, but a day to celebrate yourselves and your families for the hard work you've done to sit here. I would like to welcome all of our families and friends who have came to celebrate us. Thank you for all you have done to let us be ourselves," Chanyeol chuckled as the audienced applauded. "Can you tell I cannot do public speaking?" He asked as he rubbed his nape, making people laugh. His own parents were receiving second hand embarrassment and Yoora was shaking his head to tell him to stop stalling while holding in her laughter. "I would like to thank my family for dealing with me every day, especially these past few nights since I have been rehearsing this speech!" He directed towards them, causing them to smile shyly when everyone congratulated them.

Baekhyun cracked a smile as he saw Chanyeol slowly trying to become comfortable. He, too, knew about the countless rehearsals of his speech because of Yoora and Sehun. He was proud of him for having the courage to stand up there and make his final remarks. It made him love him more for being courageous.

"Back to my speech, I am forever grateful to be a student here. I am widely known to be a basketball player, a member of the school's music band, a student representative of my class, and as myself. Not only have I made my mark here, but I have made countless memories that I will hold on to for life. I felt as though I found myself more here as I continue to mature throughout my four years here. Despite playing basketball, I found out that my passion for music was something I want to continue doing as I enter university. I found that there are many people, who are like me, that shares that same dream as I do. I've grown to become a role model for my underclassmen through music and my reputation, but I've also grown to be the best version of myself. I believe I have represented my family well enough to impact this community, and I am beyond grateful that I have people who also see that."

The boys on the ground level smiled amongst each other before glancing up at the balcony to see Baekhyun's eyes glistening. They knew he was referring to them, but it was more directed towards Baekhyun since they knew how the two were cowards about each other.

"I come to school every day with my best attitude because of my friends, and I hope you know who you are!" The boy laughed into the microphone. "Kim Jungmyeon, Kim Jongin, Kim Jongdae, Do Kyungsoo, Oh Sehun, and Byun Baekhyun, thank you for being with me. I don't think I would be up here or be who I am today if it wasn't for you all. You've defined what school is meant to be, and I hope the underclassmen look up to all of you while I am having fun at university." The audience roared with laughter when Chanyeol winked and leaned against the podium. "But for everyone else, I hope that this inspires you to find the joy of attending high school. This period of time is very impactful on our futures, so it is best now to make all the memories you can before you are shoved into reality. Have fun, take it easy, make memories, and find your forever people. Because I know I have, and I hope that person realizes his everlasting impact on me when I walk out with my diploma. Congratulations to us!" Chanyeol bowed his head as everyone clapped for him and made his way down the stage.

Baekhyun felt his heart against his chest when Chanyeol said that. He knew it was for Sehun. It had to be Sehun. But because he saw his friends look up in his direction, he knew they were teasing him. It couldn't have been him Chanyeol was mentioning. As he watched Chanyeol make his way to his seat, he saw him glance up in his direction before sitting down. His mom nudged his arm with a cheeky smile plastered on her face.

"You must be looking you at you," his mom cooed. If only Baekhyun wasn't so dense.

[shorties: four]

Baekhyun rushed to the field only to be faced with a sea of graduates in the midst of the greenery. He inwardly cursed his high school for having a big open track and soccer field. Sometimes he would forget his school has the field, and he's now a sophomore. Scanning from left to right, he did not see his stupid giant anywhere. How could he find him when everyone was wearing the same attire? Following right behind him was Sehun and Jongin while Jongdae and Kyungsoo were forced to help pass out refreshments in a different location of the school. Jungmyeon was with Chanyeol, but couldn't be reached because of the overwhelming after ceremony. Baekhyun felt his heart race as he scanned the area. There is literally no way for him to confess to Chanyeol now. As for Chanyeol, he was doing the same thing: looking for his crush to confess to him.

"I wanted to get this over with, Jungmyeon! What if I can't say it correctly?" Chanyeol hissed as he looked amongst the crowd. He has been dying to confess to Baekhyun since a long time. By a long time, he meant since the day he found out what having a crush is in kindergarten. Even though he liked him way before that time. Ironically, he wanted to confess to Baekhyun on his graduation day too because he knew college would interfere with him. If anything, it could strengthen their relationship and assure each other that nothing will happen to them. But then again, this is happening and Chanyeol is close to panicking.

The elder sighed and grabbed his arm to take him away from the crowd of girls behind him. He has been harassed for photos since the ceremony ended, and it was becoming annoying. Specially from the girls who are not going to the same college as him. Sometimes it's hard being one of the popular basketball guys. "Look, you will eventually find him! You have big eyes. You can find him in an instant," he assured him. "Also, a thank you would be nice."

Chanyeol scoffed and threw his arm around his shoulder, "Thank you for taking me away from my fans." The elder cringed as he lead him towards the bleachers. They both sat down and looked ahead of the whole field. Of course, some girls still came over to grab photos from Chanyeol, but this time he refused because he said he was 'tired' from the ceremony. They scurried away and Jungmyeon patted his shoulder to praise him.

"You know what's crazy? You were a closeted guy for the past four years of high school. How did you manage to escape the horrors they've done to those who are... like us?" Jungmyeon asked.

The taller shrugged his shoulders and played with his graduation cap. "I just keep it down low. It's crazy how they accept Baekhyun and his friends for being gay."

The dark truth about their school was that they are against those of the LGBTQ community. People would face severe criticism and discrimination for being a part of that identity, and they would face a lot of hatred from the popular kids, a group that Chanyeol happens to be in because of his basketball status. It wasn't something Chanyeol didn't want to be labeled as, but because of the amount of guys in the basketball team, they were automatically a part of popularity. He was proud that he could escape the horror of discrimination, but what he was relieved to hear was that Baekhyun was not a target.

"Could it be because they are so open about it? Open to the point that they just accept it because they don't define what they hate?" The elder asked.

"That would be ed up to think about. What if it's a trick?" Chanyeol asked, now beginning to have some thoughts in his head.

"There he is!" A voice cried out in their direction and the two saw Jongdae and Kyungsoo running towards them with flowers in their arms. Chanyeol stepped down from the bleachers and was pushed with flowers in his arms now. The two sophomores had irritated expressions on their faces while glancing at Jungmyeon to get the sign. Jungmyeon pressed his lips together and acknowledged them. "Where have you been?" Kyungsoo asked.

Chanyeol raised an eyebrow and directed towards the field. "Here. Surrounded by girls everywhere."

"Did you not hear your phone? Same for you, camper man!" Jongdae whined as he pointed at Jungmyeon. "We've been trying to reach you both for a while. We wanted a last goodbye before we leave." Kyungsoo nodded his head in agreement as he glared Chanyeol down.

Jungmyeon pulled out his phone and saw the latest text message from Baekhyun.

[Baek ^3^: I'm going to leave. I can't confess to him anymore. I think this is for the best?]

The elder bashed his head around as an attempt to find Baekhyun and quickly found the boy making his way over to where he was. He thanked God for making Baekhyun find Chanyeol. Baekhyun found him when he heard Jongdae whining from a distance. Once he saw Chanyeol being scolded by two of his tiny friends, he made his way over after telling his parents to go home first. He was carpooling with Jongin anyways. His heart began to accelerate once again as he came closer to the giant. Even without him noticing him coming over, he still felt nervous. He wanted to throw up in a corner to calm his nerves down. His world came crashing down when he came between his friends and stood in front of the elder.

Chanyeol was taken aback to see his crush in front of him and took a step back to look at him clearer. The action made Baekhyun back up too once he realized how close he was to him. "Y-You made it!" Chanyeol smiled and quickly reached into the bouquet he was gifted with and took out a flower. "I know you have a thing for pink flowers—"

"That bouquet is from me, dummy." Baekhyun chuckled but still took the flower. "I told Jongdae and Kyungsoo to give it to you since I was leaving. I couldn't find you."

Sehun and Jongin were coming to the location with plates of food in their hands and quickly gestured the others to get away from the two. Kyungsoo, seeing his boyfriend, immediately charged towards him with Jungmyeon and Jongdae walking quickly away from the two. Chanyeol eyed them leaving very secretively and took a deep breath. He looked down at Baekhyun and smiled at him. The smaller noticed it and rolled his eyes.

"Watch. You're going to forget all about your friend over here to suffer alone in high school. You will forget me in an instant!" Baekhyun said with a pout forming. "Who is going to help you in your education now?"

Chanyeol broke into laughter. "No one will ever replace you, Baek. Also, I will never neglect you. I will never forgive myself if I do." The elder took his cap off and placed it on top of Baekhyun's head, earning a giggle from him. God, the things he do to him. Baekhyun fixed the cap until it was on properly and smiled brightly at the elder, making his heart skip a beat. Or multiple beats.

"It'll be me in two years. Sophomore year is going to be a pain." Baekhyun said.

Silence surrounded them for a moment. Both of their hearts were beating rapidly, yet none of them could hear it except for themselves. It took Chanyeol a minute to gather his thoughts. It's now or never. Don't be a .

"Baek—"

"Chanyeol."

The two looked over to see a girl in front of them with a bouquet and a letter in her hand. Baekhyun noticed the girl. She was one of the girls who will be attending Chanyeol's university, and was definitely one of the popular girls at school. He hated her with a passion because the only reason she managed to be a salutatorian was because of him, and she cheated her way through her French class through him. Chanyeol bit back the urge to brush her off and took one last look at Baekhyun before listening to her. That was Baekhyun's very last straw.

"Yeol, I'm going to go home, okay? Congratulations and good luck at college." Baekhyun said as he gave his arm a gentle squeeze and returned his cap before walking away.

"W-Wait! I will still see you!" Chanyeol shouted, but Baekhyun ignored. Of course he will, but not in the way he wanted to see him.

Maybe it was for the best he thought to himself. Maybe he was not meant to be with Chanyeol. Clearly he would've cared for him if he told her to wait. Baekhyun cursed himself for being stupid. As for Chanyeol, he cursed himself for being too nice. Now he had no chance of trying to confess to the only person he has liked— loved— for years. Now making his way to his friends at the table they occupied, Baekhyun made a promise to himself to not let himself do anything stupid. By stupid, he means falling for Chanyeol, and that calls for mutual distancing. 

[shorties: four]