“Please, Chanyeol? I’ll never ask you for anything ever again, I promise! I’ll do your homework for a month and take you out for ddukbokki on Saturdays and bring you coffee on the way to school. I’ll even try to convince Sehun not to make fun of your hair anymore!” 

Chanyeol snorts. Like that would ever happen.

“Luhan,” he starts. He pauses and reminds himself not to include any harsh insults in his words; the last time he said something remotely too brash he made Luhan cry, and Sehun wouldn’t talk to him for a week. “I…I don’t like plays. They’re not my type.” He swallows another bite of whatever the cafeteria had decided to play off as food that day; whatever it is, Chanyeol is sure it can’t be too healthy.

“Musical,” Luhan corrects sternly. “It’s not a play, it’s a musical.”

“Exactly, that makes it even worse. Luhan, I can’t sing. I don’t sing. And I most certainly do not participate in musicals.” He shoves his tray away from him and watches as tiny bits of rice mixed with what he thinks must be chicken spill on to the table. Luhan eyes the mess warily but neither of the boys make a move to clean it up.

Luhan reaches for his bottle of water and takes a long sip before clearing his throat. A victorious look flashes in his eyes. “You can too sing! I know because I’ve heard you. And, well, let me just say that you dance girl group songs very well.” Chanyeol’s cheeks redden and he looks away from the tray in surprise.

“When exactly did you hear me sing? And see me…dance?” Luhan smiles and Chanyeol swallows; he’s never liked that smile. It’s too evil.

“Let’s just say it’s up here,” he says coyly, tapping his temple, “and possibly recorded here.” He waves his phone in the air and Chanyeol’s eyes widen. He snatches for it but the other boy ducks easily, grinning.

“Yah! Delete that now Luhan or I’ll…I’ll…” Luhan grins, resting his chin against two clenched fists.

“You’ll what?”

Chanyeol grits his teeth.

“Either way, I’ve got dirt on you Park Chanyeol. And it just so happens that we need a strong, deep voiced stunner to play the lead in the musical.” He bats his eyelashes sweetly and Chanyeol almost gags.

“So you blackmail me just because I don’t give in like Sehun does when you plead,” he mumbles, rolling his eyes. Luhan pretends not to hear it.

“What was that Yeollie?”

Chanyeol sighs. “I’ll do it. Just…please delete that.” Luhan grins victoriously and slings his arms around Chanyeol’s neck, squeezing the air from his lungs. There’s something odd about his spiteful glee that makes Chanyeol think there might be an ulterior motive to this ridiculous situation.

“Thanks Chanyeol, you won’t regret it, I promise.” He practically bounces away from the table before glancing back over his shoulder. “Oh, and rehearsal is everyday at four!”

Chanyeol finds the auditorium with great difficulty. Maybe he really should’ve attended all of those speeches and pep rallies.

When he steps into the room, he notices that there’s a small group of boys gathered around Luhan in front of a dingy-looking stage. He makes his way over and winces when his shoes squeak against the floor, making his presence known to the entire group.

“You’re sixteen minutes late,” Luhan huffs, crossing his arms over his chest with a frown. Chanyeol salutes sheepishly to him and the other eight pairs of eyes that glance at him warily.

“My apologies, Mr. Director, I was held up in the chemistry lab.” He accidently meets the eyes of a boy that seems far too awkwardly short to be considered a high school student.

“Woah,” the boy breathes. “He really does have a deep voice, Luhan hyung.” Luhan seems flattered and he smirks.

“Well, I can’t take all of the credit for getting him to agree,” Luhan praises himself. Chanyeol is surprised that he doesn’t physically pat himself on the back. “Chanyeollie is just an absolute sweetheart for volunteering. He practically begged me when he found out that the role was open.” 

“Actually, you kind of blackm-”

“Should we start looking over the script?” Luhan reaches for a large stack of books behind him and thumbs for a page. “I’m trusting that you all already looked over the cast list and studied your parts.” The boys nod off beat, engaging in rapid “theatre garb” and Chanyeol glances at his hands, feeling horribly awkward and out of place.

Luhan finally hands him a script and thumbs it open, pointing at a list of characters. “This is you, Chanyeol. You’re the main so prepare to memorize.” Chanyeol frowns and glances at the page. His role seems decent.

He scans the rest of the page and his breath hitches in his throat when he reads the description of the role beneath his. “Um. Excuse me, uh, Luhan?” The boys fall silent and Chanyeol regrets speaking up.

“It says here that this character is my…love interest. We, ah, we go to an all boys school.” The boy with the messily cut black hair and the piercing dark eyes snickers and Chanyeol is positive that his cheeks are crimson.

Luhan snorts and rolls his eyes. “You are so dense sometimes, Yeollie.” He reaches out and slings an arm around the neck of a boy that is far too pretty to be labeled male. Chanyeol’s breath hitches again and he makes a mental note to practice breathing. “Meet your ‘girlfriend’, Baekhyun-ah.”

Baekhyun waves, wobbling awkwardly with his chin pressed against Luhan’s elbow. “Hi,” he says. He smiles and it’s so blindingly beautiful that Chanyeol can only stare.

“Why didn’t you tell me that I was going to have a love interest?” Chanyeol hisses at Luhan over his Latin textbook as the librarian casts them a dirty glance. “Didn’t you think it was important to mention that I have a kissing scene with another boy?”

“See that sign over there?” Lay points an agitated finger towards the front of the library. “It says that you need to shut the hell up before you get us kicked out. Some people have actual work that needs to get done”

Chanyeol frowns at his textbook. “See, Lay, this is why I hate you almost as much as I hate Luhan.” Luhan rolls his eyes with a smirk staining his lips and rapidly flips the page of the encyclopedia, almost knocking over Sehun’s drink.

“You’ll get over it,” Luhan whispers. “Besides, I figured it was a better idea than the blind date approach.”

“Blind date?! Luhan, I’m not even gay!” Chanyeol sputters and shouts, curious heads swiveling to see what all the commotion was about. He shirks back into his seat and lowers his voice. “Why would you want to set me up on a blind date?”

“Because you’re annoying us all and we want to get rid of you,” Luhan deadpans a bit too loudly.

The librarian clears loudly and Lay gives Chanyeol a pointed glare. He holds up his hands in defense, saying wasn’t me.

He hunches forward in his seat and glares at Luhan over the open textbooks and half drained coffees. “I like girls, G-I-R-L-S.”

“I don’t know about that one Yeollie,” Luhan says slowly. “You haven’t had much luck in the department of women. I thought maybe you might have more luck if you explored other options.” Chanyeol flushes furiously and frowns.

“Excuse you, I have had plenty of girlfriends, thank you very much.”

“Online ones don’t count,” Sehun pipes up. Luhan high fives him giddily as Lay rolls his eyes and huffs in irritation. Chanyeol fights the urge to toss Sehun out of his chair.

“Shut up Sehun, no one asked you.”

“Well at least I’m not wearing a poodle on top of my head,” Sehun interjects. “I still don’t understand why you thought that perm was a good idea.” Chanyeol practically fumes and he mentally pats himself on the back when he refrains from strangling Sehun.

“Luhan, you said you would shut him up about that,” Chanyeol growls through clenched teeth. Luhan shares a sharp glance with Sehun and the younger boy shrinks in his seat.

“I’m leaving before I get kicked out because of you idiots,” Lay hisses. He shuts his textbook and breezes past the other boys without a second glance. Chanyeol sighs and stands as well.

“I’m leaving too,” he announces. “Oh, and I’m not kissing him. Change the script or something.”

He gathers his textbooks and is halfway out the door when he hears the “Don’t knock it till you try it!” followed by a very loud “Shhhhh!”

Chanyeol has never felt so awkward in his life.

He fumbles with the script in his hands and focuses on looking at anything in the room but the way Baekhyun’s lips move when he reads his lines. He can’t pay attention when his eyes are locked on the graceful way Baekhyun speaks and moves as if he was floating on a cloud. Everything about Baekhyun is too blinding and too stifling and Chanyeol can barely collect he thoughts when they’re standing on the same stage.

He struggles through his lines and tries not to notice Luhan’s heated glare and Baekhyun’s sympathetic gaze.

“Two weeks,” Luhan shouts, holding up his hand to silence Chanyeol’s misery. “We’ve been practicing for two weeks and you can’t even get through the first act!”

“I still don’t understand why I have to do this,” Chanyeol groans. “I and that’s obvious. Why can’t Kris just have my part? He’s got a deep voice too! He’d be great for the part.”

“Just a stage manager,” Kris calls from behind the curtain. “Don’t drag me into this too.”

“But-”

“Stage manager.”

Chanyeol pouts and gives Luhan his best puppy dog eyes. Tao, the boy with a terrible habit of snorting and snickering obnoxiously at everything Chanyeol does, well, snorts. Luhan presses his fingertips against his eyes and furrows his eyebrows.

“Chanyeollie, I love you, but you . And if we’re going to put on an amazing performance you’re going to have to not .”

“Not my fault,” Chanyeol mutters under his breath, but Luhan ignores him.

“You’re just going to have to…” He trails off and his eyes light up. He’s smiling that evil smirk that Chanyeol despises and all he can think is oh what have I gotten myself into?

“You’re going to have to spend a lot of quality time with Baekhyunnie, aren’t you?” His eyes twinkle maliciously and Chanyeol freezes, pulse pounding too ridiculously fast to be considered normal. “I’m sure he’d be glad to help you get the hang of your lines.”

“I can help you,” Baekhyun says suddenly beside his ear. Chanyeol pictures the way his lips curl when he says the syllables, lips that are barely an inch from the shell of his ear. He shivers involuntarily. “I’ve been doing theatre for years; it’s no trouble for me to teach you.”

Chanyeol ignores Luhan’s knowing smirk when he gives Baekhyun a shaky okay.

Chanyeol doesn’t why he feels so nervous. It’s just Baekhyun, after all.

Just Baekhyun, with the perfect teeth and the long piano fingers and the voice spun from silk. Just Baekhyun with his breathy laugh and extremely touchy tendencies and sparkling eyes that rival diamonds.

Chanyeol tells himself that he’s only noticing these things because he’s going to have to be kissing this guy in a few scenes and it’s only natural. It’s a valid reason, but he can’t quite convince himself that it’s the real one.

The buzzing of his doorbell nearly stops his heart. He welcomes Baekhyun in with shaking hands and a dry mouth, trying not to focus on the glimmer of the studs on the collar of his slim jacket or the way his jeans hang sonicely on his small hips. He clears his throat desperately but can’t get rid of the slight tickle urging him forward. He wants to touch, and that is definitely taboo.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Chanyeol asks as Baekhyun makes himself comfortable. Baekhyun purses his lips and Chanyeol swallows. God, that was cute.

Wait, cute?

“Just some water please,” he says, flashing Chanyeol a dazzling smile. He stumbles into the kitchen, temporarily blinded, and curses under his breath. He curses Luhan for forcing him into theater with stupid Byun Baekhyun and his love interest and curses stupid Byun Baekhyun for being so…so…perfect.

He runs a hand through his hair and retrieves the water bottle before returning to sit beside Baekhyun. He makes sure to leave plenty of space between the two of them but Baekhyun fills it instantly, sidling up beside him in a flurry of warm gangly limbs and breath scented with peppermint.

Baekhyun fans through the script, pointing out certain lines. “The problem is in the emotion. You just have to be confident and portray what your character is saying-er, singing, in this case-with the right emotion.” He takes a deep breath and turns to Chanyeol. He’s so close that Chanyeol could count his eyelashes. “For instance,” he says, warm breath fanning against the skin along Chanyeol’s jaw. His breath hitches.

He starts to sing his line from a duet between the two of them, breathtaking voice ringing in Chanyeol’s ears like twinkling bells. He stares, eyes glazed as they take in the perfection before him. He thinks forward to that stage, Baekhyun in front of him with a dress and a wig and that sweet, clear voice ringing out for all to hear. It makes his heart rate speed up considerably.

When it’s his turn to sing, he starts out low and shy, gradually growing more confident as the smile on Baekhyun’s face widens from lovely to outstanding. He finishes his lines and the two are just a breath apart, air mingling and voices tired.

“This is where we kiss,” Baekhyun says quietly.

“Yeah,” Chanyeol breathes. And to be quite honest, he doesn’t mind one bit, doesn’t flinch at the idea of Baekhyun’s lips pressed hungrily against his own.

“Guess we should save that for the next rehearsal of this scene,” Baekhyun chuckles, leaning back and leaving Chanyeol with an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. “No need to do it now.”

“You’re right,” he answers. Oh, he thinks.

He should feel relieved. Shouldn’t he?

“So how’s the extra help with Baekhyun-ah going? Those lines improving at all?”

Chanyeol doesn’t meet Luhan’s gaze or responds to his suggestive tone, just picks through his daily inedible mush and crinkles his nose in distaste.

“I assure you Luhan, your feeble attempts at hooking us up are futile. Baekhyun is a great friend, but that’s all he is.”

Sehun rolls his eyes and nudges Luhan with raised eyebrows. Lay continues ignoring them and focuses on breathing instead as per usual. Chanyeol doesn’t blame him.

“Yeah, a friend,” Sehun says.

“You’ll be thanking me when you realize how head over heels you are,” Luhan interjects. “You guys will be making out in a week tops, and it won’t be because of the script.”

Chanyeol sighs and presses his palms to his eyes in exasperation. “For the last time, I most certainly like girls.”

But when Baekhyun laughs at one of Chanyeol’s lame jokes during their next study session, doubling over in his chair and nearly dropping his copy of the script, Chanyeol gets a sinking feeling in his gut that he most certainly does not like girls.

“Okay guys, let’s run through scene three.”

Chanyeol flips to the right page and swallows because oh. It’s the duet again and he’s going to actually kiss Baekhyun this time.

He’s going to kiss Baekhyun.

He tries not to panic; it’s for the show. It’s all part of the job. It doesn’t mean a thing.

But he’s sure that his blush shows all.

“Chanyeol, you ready?” He winces and nods. Whoever thought it was a good idea to let Luhan purchase a megaphone was sorely mistaken. He shuffles across the stage, dropping Baekhyun’s gaze as the two meet in the center. The music starts and there’s that angelic voice again, that heartbreaking melody that trembles through Chanyeol’s bones. He shuts his eyes, then opens; no, Baekhyun hasn’t grown any wings. He’s still that same…perfect boy.

He starts to sing his own part, a bit shaky at first but nonetheless, better. He can tell that Luhan is happily surprised as well because he hasn’t shouted at him through the megaphone yet.

And then his voice wavers away and there’s a line of two exchanged; to be honest, he doesn’t even remember if he’s recited the correct words. The only thing he can bear to think about is the way Baekhyun’s rosebud lips will feel pressed against his own.

He doesn’t have to think for long, because before he knows it, Baekhyun’s hand is cupping the back of his neck ever so gently and his lips are pressed securely against Chanyeol’s. A second, two. And then parting, such sweet sorrow.

Chanyeol gasps silently. Baekhyun smiles. Luhan is simply excited beyond belief and he accidentally slugs Chen’s arm a bit too hard.

“Perfect!” He booms through the megaphone. Everyone cringes and slams their hands over their ears.“Absolutely perfect! Très bien! Excellente! Fantastique!”

“Someone take that away from him,” Kai whines from his position backstage.

“Shut the hell up,” Luhan booms back.

Chanyeol is oblivious to it all, still rooted to his spot, ears ringing with only the sound of Baekhyun Baekhyun Baekhyun as he scrambles for air. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Inhale- what comes next again?

Baekhyun’s voice shakes him from his stupor. “You did great Chanyeol,” he says happily. “That was our best run yet.”

Chanyeol can only stare at the perfect crescent curve of his lips and think wow. 

And then he has a teeny, tiny, little bit of a crisis. Just a little one though, nothing big.

It’s as if he’s tossed into a whirlpool. The following days are plagued with the horrid buzzing of Chanyeol’s thoughts, his mind in a whirlwind, because the only thing he can manage to focus on is the soft feeling of that perfect pair of lips encasing his own and wow what would it be like to really kiss those lips, to taste them, to know them, and-

Chanyeol stops. Breathing. That was important, right?

Oh god, he’s got a crush on Byun Baekhyun.

Luhan, of course, is smug, and he lets everyone know it. He knows exactly what’s going on even if Chanyeol won’t give him the satisfaction of saying it out loud. In return, he makes Chanyeol’s life both decadent bliss and a living hell by running through the kiss scene at least twenty times in one rehearsal.

Chanyeol makes a mental note to kill Luhan.

It doesn’t get much better in the few weeks leading up to the performance. Baekhyun still comes over for “tutoring”, though their sessions usually tend to end up in a tickling battle or a round of Halo 3, and Luhan still basically forces them to molest each other onstage. Chanyeol’s life begins to revolve around that routine; school, rehearsal, Baekhyun, rinse and repeat.

He’s tries to truly hate Luhan, he really does, but he simply can’t, not when Baekhyun is laughing and smiling and touching him like that. He finds himself melting and he’s conflicted because he’s giving Luhan exactly what he wanted and there’s nothing he can do about it.

No, strike that. He doesn’t want to do anything about it.

And then, before Chanyeol can even register how much time has passed him by, it’s the night of the performance.

He’s much more ready than he ever predicted; with Baekhyun’s help, he’s become quite the prodigy onstage. Still, that doesn’t stop the furious butterfly fiesta from erupting in his gut.

Backstage is hell. Mics are adjusted, costumes altered, makeup slathered on. It’s a bit ridiculous for a school play but Chanyeol still kind of enjoys the authentic feel of it all. Tao smears eyeliner all over his eyes and snorts habitually when Chanyeol squirms. Xiumin breaks out into tears when his cape snags on a lamp and tears a hole right along the seam. Kyungsoo has to sew it back up, eyes wide and fearful like a deer caught in headlights.

It’s hell, but surprisingly, Chanyeol finds himself enjoying the rush. Just a bit.

Not that he’d ever tell that to Luhan, of course.

Baekhyun sits beside him, humming his lines over and over and tapping the armrests of the chair to the beat of the cadence. Chanyeol watches him out of the corner of his eye and flinches when Tao nearly spears him with a stick of kohl. He’s never been one for makeup; Baekhyun, however, looks incredible with his eyes traced in wisps of smoke and his lips plumped with just a dash of gloss. Chanyeol wants to kiss the sheen right off of them.

“Four minutes,” Luhan cries, and earsplitting sound causing everyone to flinch. He’s taken to using a bullhorn to get peoples attention after Kris snapped the megaphone in half. “This show better be great or you all aren’t getting paid.”

“This is a high school play,” Chanyeol interjects. “We don’t get paid.”

“Musical,” Luhan huffs, spinning on his heels.

And then there’s some more frantic scrambling and the room behind the curtain is simply buzzing with families. Chanyeol swallows, then swallows again, then chokes on air.

“You’ll do fine,” Baekhyun says, patting his back and Chanyeol coughs uncontrollably. “We’ll all do fine.” Chanyeol nods hesitantly and wrings his hands. How did he get roped into this again?

The curtain rises, and he sings. He really sings.

“You were incredible,” Baekhyun pants, clinging to Chanyeol’s forearms. “I mean, really incredible. That was the best you’ve ever sung.” Chanyeol blushes slightly, the warmth of Baekhyun’s skin against his just a bit disconcerting.

“What are you talking about? Your voice was amazing. You were absolutely flawless.” Baekhyun blushes. Blushes. Chanyeol thinks his heart might explode.

They hold each other’s gaze for a long moment and simultaneously speak.

“Can I-”

“Would you-”

They freeze. Baekhyun laughs nervously and Chanyeol’s eyes fall to those lips, his arms hooking easily around Baekhyun’s waist. He can feel Baekhyun’s breath hitch, feel his heartbeat pounding through his veins. He leans close, the sharp musky scent of mint and roses and Baekhyun tickling his nose and before he stops to really think, he finally catches those lips between his own. This time it’s real, nothing scripted, and Chanyeol thinks Baekhyun tastes like absolute heaven. 

A loud horn and a chorus of popping startles them apart and suddenly Luhan is there, bullhorn in hand and streamers in the other. “Welcome to our side Chanyeollie! Here we enjoy romantic comedies, long walks on the beaches, and Calvin Klein discount sales. I also cordially invite you to-”

“Luhan,” Chanyeol says, voice strained. He’s pretty sure that he’s a walking tomato by now. “Why am I your friend again?”

Luhan grins. “Because you love me, that’s why. Speaking of love, I need to find my Sehun so he can congratulate me on a job well done.” He turns to go but stops, leaning in between Chanyeol and Baekhyun.

“By the way, I forgot to mention,” he whispers against Chanyeol’s ear. “There was never any video.” He dashes away laughing and leaves a fuming Chanyeol in his wake, fists clenched and teeth gritting in fury. Oh, he was going tokill that boy one day.

“I’m going to have to suggest that you abandon all of the assassination plots you’re thinking up right now,” Baekhyun jokes, slipping his arms around Chanyeol’s neck. He relaxes immediately into the touch and admires the way that Baekhyun fits so snuggly against him.

“No promises,” Chanyeol says. Baekhyun laughs and god Chanyeol loves that sound. He wants to taste that laugh, wants to hold him close, wants to talk to him for a lifetime because he doesn’t care anymore, he’s with Byun Baekhyun and he wants to scream it to the world.

“What are you thinking about?”

Chanyeol swallows, not wanting to admit what he had really been pondering. “Luhan’s early death,” he answers, only half joking. Baekhyun laughs again, melodic and breathtaking, and Chanyeol catches the vibrato with his lips.

It tastes even sweeter than it sounds.