“,” Baekhyun groaned as he stood up. The stainless-steel bed had the thinnest mattress he’d ever slept on in his life and he thought nothing could be scratchier than the dorm blankets but he was clearly wrong. The heavy wool blanket he’d spent all night under might as well have been made of sandpaper. The alcohol in his system had been the only thing that helped him get through the night. His mouth tasted like and was dry, his lips chapped and cracked, and his head pounded with the worst headache he’d ever had.

“Get up!” he heard a voice at the cell next to him and he moved closer so he could see though the bars. A MP way too cocky for the early hour was harassing Chanyeol into waking up and Baekhyun knew they were only minutes away from their punishment.

“Sergeant wants to see you both. Now.”

It wasn’t a question. It was an order.

They were both bedraggled, still dressed in their jeans and shirts from the night before, their shoes outside the cells. “Can I have those?’ Baekhyun asked and the MP shook his head. “No.” He kicked a pair of slides over to Baekhyun who slid his socked feet into them and he knew he shouldn’t ask any more questions. He shuffled along behind the first MP, Chanyeol behind him, a second solider behind him to make sure they didn’t lag. At least they weren’t handcuffed. Hopefully they weren’t in too much trouble.

“Sneaking out to drink. You’d think you guys would be smarter than that,” the sergeant didn’t even stand up from behind his desk. “’s been going on for years. You act smart, we turn a blind eye. You act dumb and get caught I have to deal with you and I hate paperwork.”

He scowled down at the table and flicked though what looked like their files. “Well……. A couple of pretty boy idols. I suppose you’re expecting special treatment?”

“Excuse me sir,” Chanyeol stood a little straighter, “it was all my fault. I take responsibility. Baekhyun was innocent and shouldn’t be punished.” “Is that so?” the sergeant looked amused. “You threw him over the fence, forced him to drink, dragged him back here by his neck?” Chanyeol stammered a little but his back was straight and he kept his eyes stoic and his gaze never wavered.

“The VP wants to see you. Now.” It wasn’t a question. Baekhyun sat up and rubbed his eyes and looked over to see Chanyeol still sleeping beside him. They’d snuck out again, drank a little in the park across the road, stumbled back into the dorm way too late and a little too loud. One of the other boys must have ratted them out.

It wasn’t the first time one of the managers had woken them up in the same bed. There were limited beds in the dorm anyway and Baekhyun and Chanyeol both hated the top bunk. It made more sense to keep their bags and clothes and stuff on the top bunk and stuff themselves under one blanket into the bottom bed. It definitely helped keep them warm; the heat was always broken in their run-down crappy dorm.

“Yeol,” Baekhyun patted him on his bare chest, “Yeol wake up. We’re in trouble again.” The manager just tossed a shirt onto them from the floor and Chanyeol sat up and rubbed his eyes. “What?” he murmured and Baekhyun clambered over him and onto the floor. “We’re in trouble. Someone’s obviously ratted on us for sneaking out and we have to see the VP.” Chanyeol just groaned and pulled the dirty t-shirt over his head before trying to smooth his hair down a little.

“It was all my fault sir. I take full responsibility.” Chanyeol stood just in front of Baekhyun trying to form a metaphorical wall between the smaller boy and the Vice President of the company. “I-I convinced him to go with me. You shouldn’t punish him.” Baekhyun wanted to reach out and pinch him, tell him to shut up, but he didn’t want to be kicked out of the company. This was his dream.

“Is that so?” the VP raised one eyebrow as he examined the boys standing in front of him. “Baekhyun, you are very talented. A vocal prodigy even. Are you really willing to risk your future to be so easily led into trouble?’ “Y-yes sir, I mean no sir,” Baekhyun’s tongue felt too thick as he tried to speak. He was cripplingly shy in front of his peers; faced with the well dressed executive he was terrified.

“No sir. I’m very sorry. It won’t happen again.” He bowed almost to the floor and held it until the VP cleared his throat. “You can leave. No more warnings,” he looked over to where the manager was waiting for him by the door and turned. He stopped to wait for Chanyeol but he wasn’t moving. “I will be speaking to Chanyeol alone.”

Baekhyun reluctantly walked from the room, head hanging in shame. He should have spoken up and defended his friend. It wasn’t all Chanyeol’s fault. He’d wanted to sneak out and he’d wanted to drink the soju shots as much as Chanyeol. The other boys didn’t like him much and the mood in the dorm was stifling. He attended school all day and trained all afternoon and evening until so late, every night, working without any sort of break. He’d just wanted to have a little fun with his best friend. They’d spent the early hours between midnight and 3am passing the soju and shot glass back and forth, their butts wet from the damp grass, the stars barely visible overhead.

Chanyeol promised one day he’d take him camping far out of the city where a million stars decorated the night sky and there was nothing to dim them from their sparkling glow. “I bet they look beautiful,” Baekhyun had slurred a little, drunk off three shots, and Chanyeol had nodded. “Beautiful,” he agreed as he clutched at Baekhyun’s cold hand and the soft skin of his long elegant fingers.

He waited downstairs in the company van for what felt like forever. “What did he say to you?” Baekhyun asked as soon as Chanyeol appeared. “Nothing,” Chanyeol replied and Baekhyun knew from the look on his face he didn’t want to talk about it.

That night Baekhyun settled under the thick blanket and shifted close to the wall to make room for Chanyeol. To his surprise the other began to toss the bags and hoodies and stuffed animals from the top bunk and clambered up without a word. Chanyeol never shared his bed again.

“No.” Baekhyun straightened his back and looked the sergeant in the eye. “No sir. It was as much my fault as his. I did the wrong thing too. I take full responsibility for my actions.”

He could feel Chanyeol shift uncomfortably beside him but he held his position. He was done, done being scared, done being frightened. He’d spent his whole life trying to be fearless and now it was time to start really living. Maybe if he’d spoken up all those years ago then maybe Chanyeol wouldn’t have left. Maybe they’d still be together every single day, making music and laughing loudly, dancing together and sharing shots of cheap soju in the park at night.

He should have been fearless all those years ago but it was too late to turn back time. All he could do was move forward and try to make it right. Something deep inside, the spark of hatred and resentment, mellowed at the memory of how warm it felt to rest his head on the skinny flesh and skin of Chanyeol’s bare chest.

“One week dish duty,” the sergeant waved his hand and they were dismissed. “Dish duty?” Baekhyun whispered as they walked out and Chanyeol shushed him. As soon as they were outside and headed across the lawn to their dorm they began to laugh. At first it was just a chuckle, then Baekhyun was giggling, then they were both laughing so hard they could hardly walk. They laughed until Baekhyun’s head hurt even more and were still laughing as they walked into the dorm to find everyone else already gone.

“,” Chanyeol began grabbing for clean clothes, “we’re late for class this morning. We’ll get another sanction.” “Hurry up then,” Baekhyun began to laugh again as they rushed out of their clothes and into clean uniforms, dragging on boots and pulling caps down over tousled hair and unwashed faces. Their expressions were still twisted in mirth as they slipped into the back row of the lecture hall just in time to see the instructor walk in.

“ this,” Baekhyun was elbow deep in the sink with bubbles everywhere. “Yeah,” Chanyeol agreed as he tossed the wet tea towel down and picked up a dry one. “A week of this? With that perfectly good dishwasher over there?”

Baekhyun buried his elbows even deeper into the huge sink and began to slosh water everywhere. He was always so messy when he did anything but it never bothered him. It did, however, bother Chanyeol who frowned at the shorter man elbow deep in suds. “We’re not washing the floor,” he grumbled and Baekhyun was just about to snap back with a signature cutting remark. Instead, he took the soapy cloth from the water and lobbed it, screaming with laughter when it hit the side of Chanyeol’s head.

“What the ?” Chanyeol stood and stared, bubbles dripping from one ear and slowly down the side of his face. For a split second Baekhyun felt real fear, the look in Chanyeol’s eyes pure unadulterated rage, before it morphed into something much more evil.

“You’re going to regret that shrimp,” Chanyeol lunged for him and grabbed him by the shirt. “Eat them,” he pushed Baekhyun’s head closer and closer to the bubbles lingering on top of the water. “No way,” Baekhyun reached out and grabbed another handful and managed to somehow slap them all across the side of Chanyeol’s t-shirt and then it was on.

Chanyeol loosened his grip just enough to allow Baekhyun to slip free and escape with a giggle more real than any laughter that had left his lips in years. Chanyeol chased him with a handful of bubbles, laughing as he pursued the giggling man across the huge industrial kitchen, finally pinning him to the door of the walk-in fridge.

“Eat them,” Chanyeol kept one arm across his chest, pinning him to the metal door with the other raised high. “No way,” Baekhyun tossed his head from side to side and wondered if Chanyeol was really going to shove the bubbles into his mouth. He held his breath just in case but at the last minute Chanyeol’s grip softened and he slid one hand down the side of his cheek leaving a scattered galaxy of bubbles in its wake.

Baekhyun couldn’t breathe as he stood still and stared up at Chanyeol’s eyes. They were just as deep and dark as they’d ever been but they glowed with an unusual sparkle in the dim fluro lighting of the kitchen. He watched Chanyeol’s gaze follow the bubbles down his cheek and down the side of his neck where a little water was just beginning to make a slow trail into the neckband of his t-shirt. He watched Chanyeol his lips slowly as his eyes followed the drop of water and then suddenly his concentration was shattered.

“You’re too easy to catch,” Chanyeol muttered as he stepped back and let him go. “Maybe I wasn’t really trying to run away,” Baekhyun replied as he gathered the cloth from the floor and went back to his sink full of dishes.

“We could stack the dirty ones back in the cupboard and just put a clean one on top of each pile.” Chanyeol said to break the strange silence that had descended on the room. “Nah,” Baekhyun handed him a clean plate to wipe. “We’d get caught and probably get an extra week on this. Or worse.” He stared into the swirling white bubbles as he thought hard. “I couldn’t handle another night in the cell.”

Finally free from their punishment, they only had an hour before they had to be in their dorms. Everyone else was still mixing in the common rooms but Chanyeol was already headed for their dorm to get his sneakers. “Want to run?” he asked and Baekhyun nodded. He definitely did. He was feeling fitter and stronger than ever and laughing and clowning around with Chanyeol somehow made him feel ten years younger.

That night he couldn’t sleep. Everything played over and over in his mind. The cell, the bubbles, the look on Chanyeol’s face as he stared at him pressed against the fridge. The elusive memory of his cheek resting on soft warm skin all night; the comfort of a steady beating heart. He tossed from one side to the other and eventually squashed himself up against the wall. He was just dozing off when the rustling from the top bunk stirred him into wakefulness. Chanyeol must be awake too; probably getting up to go to the toilet. He lay as still as he could pretending to be asleep as the taller climbed down from the top bunk and padded across the wooden floor of the dorm. When he came back Baekhyun didn’t know what came over him but he reached out with one hand and, to his surprise, Chanyeol squeezed in beside him.

“Can’t sleep. I hate the top bunk,” he mumbled as he shifted closer and Baekhyun folded himself into Chanyeol’s side. “You always did,” he smiled to himself as he let his cheek rest gently on the rhythmic rise and fall of Chanyeol’s bare chest and let the silent lullaby of his heart lull him into a deep sleep.