So.

Not as romantic as he’d hoped. Not that he expected that. Not that he expected any of this. Not that he expected Chanyeol in the first place. Not that-

“I feel slightly uncomfortable in this alleyway,” Baekhyun confessed, eyes darting in every direction. Chanyeol rolled his own eyes like a pair of loaded die and stared down at the typical squatting Asian.

“I’ll protect you with my life like I protect bacon.”

I don’t even know if that was sarcasm or genuine.

It’s Chanyeol. Of course it’s genuine.

Genuine sarcasm.

And for your information ChanGURL I am entirely capable of looking after myse-…

Baekhyun examined his bloody kneecap by tapping on it lightly and stopped when he could feel the stinging.

WELL I WASN’T EXPECTING A ING BIN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FOOTPATH!

It wasn’t in the middle.

It was about 50% in the middle.

That means it was 25% into the footpath. That’s like, on the side.

It was totally in my way!

Yeah that’s what your foot said as it KICKED your other foot out of the way.

I ing hate you brian.

Bria-

BRAIN! I MEANT BRAIN! UGH-

Baekhyun accidentally slapped his knee out of annoyance at himself for being absolutely and utterly pathetic. Luckily for him, the pain hadn’t totally set in yet, and to be quite honest, Baekhyun wanted to be wrapped up in blankets with Kyungsoo feeding him delicious pancakes and cream when it did. But no. He was stuck in this unlit alleyway, hiding from a pair of sniffer dogs…well Kai was the sniffer dog and he was just following his meal – cough – Kyungsoo – cough.

Ugh!

It was only a minute-past-midnight and Baekhyun was done.

Done with himself.

Done with running.

Done with hiding.

Done.

Don.

Do.

D.

Do.

Don.

Donu.

Donut.

Donuts.

No.

Baekhyun slumped even further into the brick wall behind him. If by some chance an invisibility cloak was made, he would travel to the fiery pits of Mordor…wait – that’s not the same movie. Well Baekhyun’s life was stupid enough that he could be in his own movie. Baekhyun was stupid. EVERYTHING WAS STUPID.

THESE STUPID UNCOMFORTABLE BRICKS WERE STUPID.

The biggest problem was that idiot. Baekhyun death glared Chanyeol. Ah he’d missed that crazy mop of hair. He bet it still smelled like ginger and chicken nuggets (it was an accident). Baekhyun desperately tried to hide his smirk, but instead looked like he was trying to lift 10kg weights with the corners of his mouth. That then turned into him trying to hold in his laughter, then resulting in various outbursts of SNNRKK and PFFTTKKK and even the famous BBBBBRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTT (That last one may or may not – for the sake of Baekhyun’s humility we’ll roll with not – but it totally was – a fart.

Chanyeol glanced over. Baekhyun forcefully stared ahead, with a guilty mouth, pursed lips and deep frown lines, a furrowed brow and every little detail that screamed, just don’t say anything.

That invisibility cloak was looking pretty good right now.

More so he just needed a non-existence cloak.

“If I had known your musical capabilities extended beyond just singing, I would have chosen a better venue.”

Baekhyun ignored him.

Nobody would understand the suffering he would endure for a jumbo bean burrito.

Nobody.

“Where have you been,” Baekhun quietly broke the awkward silence.

Chanyeol sighed deeply.

“I was diagnosed with bowling ball eye syndrome and-”

“-No.”

“-Kyungsoo is a bad cook-”

“-Try again. I’m telling him you said that.”

“I’m just running from my fans.”

“Fans?” Baekhyun narrowed his eyes.

Chaneyol stared wistfully into the near distance.

“I’ve been trying to hide my private life from the cameras. I’m actually famous.”

Baekhyun hummed and nodded for him to go on.

Chanyeol rested his arm casually on a nearby stack of plastic crates and put one foot over the other peering up into the sky.

“I’m a rapper-”

“sure”

“-in a boygroup-”

“like Backstreet Boys”

“-called EXO-”

“how ‘bout EX-NO”

Chanyeol shrugged with a deep chuckle that’s hot that was not arousing in the slightest, “You never know. Maybe one day.” Baekhyun snorted.

“Yeah when I become a famous lead vocalist.” Chanyeol’s response of I see your point made Baekhyun’s joke fall flat on its face in a puddle of undried concrete complete with kitty prints and dried bird .

Just a normal answer would be nice, Chanyeol, glared Baekhyun.

Chanyeol glanced around. “Not here.”

“Is it because it’s a dark dingy alleyway?! Because I can sure as hell assure you I didn’t choos-” Baekhyun snapped to his feet.

And immediately retreated because. Pain. Knee. Flesh wound.

Voices arose quickly and Baekhyun and Chanyeol ducked into the shadows as they watched two loud obnoxious girls scamper past like drunk poodles. Cause that didn’t make them look like ic kidnappers at all. At this rate they were going to get arrested. And then stuck in jail. And Baekhyun was all out of jail free cards, especially since the time he got sent there after ATTEMPTING to eat Kai’s birthday cake. But there’d be no way he’d be going there for real. And if he did, there was a 900.1% chance that Baekhyun was going to get the short end of the stick.

Not because he looked like a girl.

Just because that was the bloody way things turned out for most of his life.

AKA

YOU.

PARK CHANYEOL.

Baekhyun stared intently at the idiot next to him with the most sour expression he could muster. If he stayed like this anymore, they could cut his head off and sell it as a Halloween decoration.

“Geez you’re looking ugly,” Chanyeol snorted when he caught the shorter one staring.

“I just happened to look this way,” Baekhyun muttered, as he turned away, pulling an even uglier face. He was still mad. Yes, still mad after a year because of that stupid Houdini-yeol and his soap opera dramatics. Mad because Chanyeol wrecked over a year’s worth of Baekhyun life through his stupid actions of hide and seek. Mad because Chanyeol had called him fat on his very first not-a-date (Yes he was still mad. No he would not forget). And pretty much being in a dark creepy alleyway with a sore knee and a giant talking paddlepop hiding from BIG MAMA and THE BEAST were not on the top of his bucket list.  

“GYARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!! YOUMAKEMESOANGRYYYYY!!!!!”

Baekhyun raged as he grabbed a fistful of Chanyeol’s hair in both hands. He remembered everything, and it made him mad.

“JESUS CHRIST WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!” Chanyeol roundhouse kicked Baekhyun in the chest out of habit(?) as he writhed to get out of the grasp of the mini-muffin-monster.

Okay. That hurt.

I guess I expected that.

Baekhyun lay flat on his back wondering what his life had come to. Would he die here – his beautiful hair wrecked by the pile of god know what he’d just fallen in to – frozen in fear as a psychotic murderer approached from the sharp shadows of the back-lit alley? No. Not today, Luhan.

“I think we should head back to the apartment,” Chanyeol muttered seriously, causing Baekhyun to pop out of his dream nightmare bubble. He took one look at the idiot lying on the dirty street ground and looked up again, “however we’re guaranteed to be caught with your speed.”

He began to walk around the corner.

“So you’re just going to leave me?!” Baekhyun scampered to his feet.

“I was just checking if the coast was clear!” Chanyeol yelled back annoyed, “Why did you think I was going to leave you in a dark alley.”

Baekhyun deadpanned.

There were several reason why.

Mainly because-

“I’d at least leave a sign on you saying Cripple For Sale.”

-you’re a jerk.

Chanyeol chuckled off the banter and gestured for Baekhyun to follow him. Baekhyun hobbled along slowly, checking for any rubbish bins that lurked in the shadows to jump out at him.

Damn.

They really are going to catch us at this speed.

Why are we running anyway?

What are you hiding Park Chanyeol?

Chanyeol turned around almost instinctively and frowned. Okay, so Baekhyun was a few metres behind him, no big deal. So he was propping himself against a wall, no big deal…

“Look away!” He hissed, swatting at the air. The taller let out the biggest most depressing sigh as he trotted back towards him. You are so pathetic, Byun Baekhyun.

Chanyeol crouched down in front of him.

“Get on my back.”

Baekhyun seized up. There was no way. Not in a million seconds.

“Get on your own back!”

Why are you such a girl?

Actually no. Getting on his back would make me a girl.

Getting in his arms would make you a girl.

What would getting on his back make me then?

A monkey.

you Bra-

Brian. Please.

“NYARRRR I’M NOT A MONKEY!” Baekhyun screeched as he slapped Chanyeol’s hand away. Chanyeol just muttered an okay……? and instead put Baekhyun’s arm around shoulders and lifted him up a little.

“Ch-chanyeol what are you do-doing?” Baekhyun could feel his face going red. Chanyeol ignored him as they started to walk.

After everything this idiot had put him through, and as much as he thought he was over him, Chanyeol still managed to make him squeal like a little monkey…girl*. His cold hand gently around his wrist and his other arm around his waist. Dear God, Baekhyun would have happily let death take him like this. Why couldn’t it have always been this simple? What made it so hard?

Baekhyun.

Okay well, that’s a given. But considering they both liked each other, what was stopping them from confessing it now. Why did it feel like they were back to square one in a way? Why did it feel like something what holding Baekhyun back?

Oh that’s right.

Chanyeol’s little box of secrets.

And multiple ex’s.

And Luhan.

you Luhan.

They arrived at the entrance of the apartment and Chanyeol guided him to the elevator. The copper haired boy untangled his limbs from around him…and shoved him in. Baekhyun shouted a quiet what the actual and stared up at him as the doors slowly closed in slow motion. On the other side, Chanyeol just smirked, shrugged and pointed at a sign on the wall. As the doors shut entirely, Baekhyun strained to read it.

9 PERSONS MAX

1000KG

No.

The problem wasn’t him.

It was Chanyeol.

Things really hadn't changed.

---

Hello everyone ARGH Bold writing!
Hi everyone - more peaceful sounding...

So i've chosen to continue this story, but I am going back to uni studies next monday, but at least i've started something, right? Like a lot of you i've actually forgotten what the hell has happened and I (shameful i know) actually had to reread my own story...So yeah, some things are a little different from the way that I planned, but I really wanna say thank you to all of you for your support and dedication to this story and omfg i love you all. XOXOXOXOXO XNO.