Baekhyun loathed summer because no good things had ever happened to him during that time of year.

He had lost his grandfather when he was eight on a summer. Baekhyun had a mental breakdown for a few weeks because he had lived with him since he was little. His parents were traveling overseas most of the times so they had left him with his grandfather. Baekhyun never felt the love of a father but his grandfather showered him with one. He taught Baekhyun how to fish. He read him bedtime stories before he went to sleep. He was the one who soothed Baekhyun when the latter curled underneath the blanket because there was a storm outside.

Ever since his loss, Baekhyun felt really lonely.

It didn’t help that his brother had come home to live with him (his parents were still living overseas even after the unfortunate event).

Baekhyun broke his fingers by accident one summer and he wasn’t able to join the piano competition. On another summer, he got robbed when he was on his way home—he was thoroughly confused because he had never dressed as fancy as his brother, how could he be a target? (The only thing he mourned over the loss was his old iPod.) Baekhyun had also walked into his brother once when he had with his boyfriend on a summer night, if you counted that as a misfortune.

If there was one good thing that ever happened to him in summer, it was Jongin.

Jongin really cared about Baekhyun and the latter felt really grateful to have him as his first boyfriend. Everything went smooth, they never had a fight and their friends thought they would make it and live happily ever after.

But on the next summer, they broke up.

Jongin was the one who had ended the relationship and Baekhyun couldn’t say anything. They still kept in touch as good friends even though Baekhyun sometimes wondered if it was the right thing to do. The way Jongin replied intensely to his texts pained him. Why would they be friends when they obviously could be something more?

Spring slowly withered away and Baekhyun wondered what kind of unfortunate events would happen to him this year.

He hoped it was nothing serious.

Yunho had a sudden crazy idea to sleep in their yacht that night and Baekhyun didn’t know why he agreed. But it was not like he had ever said no to his brother’s—and parents’—words. Yunho cared about him, he knew he cared for him a lot, but they had never sat down and talked like what siblings usually did. It pained him sometimes to hear about Jongin’s stories that he had shared a lot with his older brother, Junmyeon, while he hadn’t. So it didn’t surprise him much when they picked Jaejoong along the way before heading to the yacht—he had a feeling it wouldn’t be just the two of them.

Baekhyun preferred to stay in his room with his earphones on, listening to random songs on his (new) iPod. Yunjae and Jaejoong could be heard sharing a laugh in the next room. Their relationship had been going on for a few years and he felt a bit jealous because his didn’t last that long. Sighing, Baekhyun pulled his blanket up until it covered his face. Jongin’s goodnight text was the last thing he remembered before dozing off.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the smell of sea. He got up and stripped off of his pajamas before changing into something neater. Yunho and Jaejoong were nowhere to be found, they were probably off to buy breakfast. He stepped outside and felt the wind blew teasingly on his face.

The male stared at the deep sea below him absentmindedly and shuddered. If there was another thing he hated on summer, it was swimming—simply because he couldn’t swim. Swimming was banned from his to do list and it irked him to no end that everyone looked forward to the activity every summer. What was so fun about getting yourself drenched anyway?

He was getting hungrier and decided to just take a walk around the dock.

Baekhyun tucked his hands into the pocket of his jeans and started walking. He headed to the end of the dock where few more yachts were anchored. Some didn’t seem to be occupied or the owner could be inside, too lazy to be out of bed this early. Baekhyun spotted a guy on the yacht at the far end, sitting with his phone on his ear and chuckling lightly to the other line. The view got him to smile a little because it reminded him of Jongin. His hand drifted to his pocket, to his mobile phone and felt a pang in his heart.

Shaking his head, Baekhyun braved himself to shift closer to the end of the dock and peeked down.

The water was crystal clear and he could see the rocks and fish swimming underneath. It was beautiful. No wonder Yunho loved to come here. Sometimes Baekhyun thought his brother spent more times in their yacht than in their house. With the creeping heat of the sun and the reflecting sunlight on the water, the view was perfect. Baekhyun then knelt on his knees, observing for more. It would be nice if Jongin was there with him... For a moment, Baekhyun spaced out, lost in his thoughts.

He heard the laughter of the male on the yacht faintly and snapped back to reality. His stomach growled loudly, asking to be filled and he wondered if Yunho had gone back to their yacht. Just as he was about to stand up, someone jumped carelessly onto the dock with a super loud thud. Needless to say, Baekhyun widened his eyes at the sudden movement and lost his balance—

“Oh my God Chanyeol!!!”

—as he fell into the sea.

Baekhyun immediately held his breath as he fell and everything went black. He shut his eyes in fear and soon realized his lungs wouldn’t be able to hold much longer. He flailed his arms frantically in attempt to reach for anything but it was useless, he was drowned deeper and deeper. His thoughts ran to the image of Yunho with a disbelief expression when he found his brother’s body was floating in the sea a few days later. Baekhyun almost choked. He helplessly thought he hated summer, he hated sea and everything that was water related, he hated his bad luck, he hated everything.

Suddenly his movement stopped and he opened his eyes by instinct.

Baekhyun had reached the deepest level near the dock. He puffed his cheeks as he glanced down. The end of his jeans was stuck at what somewhat seemed to be a rusty iron between the rocks. He yanked it roughly but it was no use. Baekhyun finally gave up holding his breath and swallowed an awfully lot of the salty water. He felt his lungs and eyes burning and he thought it was really the end of his life and fear waved into him.

I’m dying.

He closed his eyes in distress, waiting for the darkness to overcome his life. Waiting for his lungs to stop breathing. Waiting for the image of his dead grandfather coming to get him and he wondered if his parents would be sorry for neglecting him.

All of a sudden, he felt something tugging on his feet.

Baekhyun cracked his eyes open once again and saw a male appeared in front of him.

He had his brows furrowed together as he held Baekhyun’s waist. The male bent down and tried to untangle the fabric from the rusty iron as quick as he could. But Baekhyun was running out of breath and the other male noticed it. So he did what seemed to be the right thing to do to save the shorter of the two. He ped Baekhyun’s jeans and pulled them down with a swift tug. It was not hard to do because Baekhyun’s sandals were gone the moment he was drowned.

Baekhyun fluttered his eyes closed as he felt a pair of strong arms pulled him closer to a chest and he could feel his head got lighter. He thought he would pass out but as soon as they reached the surface, Baekhyun gasped for oxygen in desperation and immediately cried both in fear and relief. He coughed violently as salt water was starting to spill out from his mouth and he held onto the other male’s arms dearly, sobbing as he realized he wasn’t going to die today.

“It’s okay,” the male said soothingly. “I got you. I got you...”

He held Baekhyun close in his arms—and winced in pain because Baekhyun dug his nails deeply into his skin—as he climbed for the dock and the male with the phone earlier stood nearby.

“Kyungsoo-yah, help me.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo bit his lip in concern as he helped pulling Baekhyun up and laid the poor male on the wooden dock. He blinked at the sight that Baekhyun was only in his boxers and threw a judging look at the taller male. “You didn’t.”

“Had to strip him off to save him,” Chanyeol said as he hovered above Baekhyun. He laced his fingers together and placed them on Baekhyun’s stomach firmly to pump the water out. Baekhyun coughed more water from his mouth weakly. After a while, Baekhyun finally calmed down but he was still breathless. Chanyeol then put a hand on his cheek and leaned closer.

Baekhyun felt a pair of lips pressed against his and he weakly whimpered. They were soft and salty at the same time. Strangely enough, Baekhyun just let him, to think that he had never even let Jongin kissed him. After a minute that seemed like an eternity, he slowly held up his hand and touched the cheek of the person who kissed him. His mind was hazy—it was his first kiss afterall, and to think that such sweetness happened after he had almost died back there.

Kyungsoo stared at Chanyeol in horror. “Why...did you...kiss him?”

“Eh?” Chanyeol wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I was performing a CPR.”

It was the last thing Baekhyun heard before he fainted.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

They say only stupid people got fever during summer.

So Baekhyun only assumed it as another bad thing that happened to him on a summer (he wondered if he was stupid, though). The list of his misfortunes in summer was starting to get too long and he wondered if it was alright to put them down in a journal or something. Who knew, one day he might pass the unlucky stories to his grandchildren—if he ever had any.

His memory was all a blur. When he woke up, he was already in his bedroom. Baekhyun blinked his eyes weakly and Jaejoong looked so damn relief to see him waking up. The pretty male brushed a few strands of hair from Baekhyun’s forehead and told him to just rest. He was too tired to reply and could only nod as an answer.

His fever only lasted for a few days and he was fully recovered when Luhan went back to Korea for his summer break.

Baekhyun waited in front of the movie patiently for his cousin. Luhan literally screamed into his ear on the phone as he excitedly said he had missed him like crazy and that he wanted to meet Jongin too because it had been a while (they would always talk about dancing whenever they meet and ignored Baekhyun completely) and that they should go to a movie together. Luhan’s voice dropped dead the moment Baekhyun bitterly informed him that he was not together with Jongin anymore, but alright he would try asking Jongin to come along.

Jongin couldn’t make it.

Baekhyun wasn’t disappointed.

He felt like contacting Jongin was a wrong thing to do and Baekhyun thought he should stop doing it. But he only did because Luhan was here and Jongin knew Luhan and it would be selfish to not let Jongin know that Luhan was in Korea.

Baekhyun leaned his back against the wall beside the entrance and pursed his lips. He knew he should have just picked Luhan up at his house instead of meeting him at the movie. Luhan and his damn Chinese rubber watch.

All of a sudden, his shoulder was abruptly pulled by a strong grip and everything happened too fast in a blink of an eye.

“This one! I’m gonna marry this one!”

Baekhyun froze on his track. He was greeted by the sight of a beautiful woman in her forties and his eyes widened when he recognized the person who immediately wrapped an arm around his shoulder. It was the very same person who stole his first kiss.

“Ex—excuse me?” Baekhyun choked.

The woman looked just as shock as Baekhyun before pursing her lips to observe him. “This one...?”

“Yes,” the tall male spoke.

She still had her eyes on Baekhyun. “Chanyeolie...you rejected all of those women offered to you for this one man?”

Chanyeol nodded sternly as he took a step in front of Baekhyun as if to protect him from harm. His chin was lifted high, as if he had just won a very tough battle with Baekhyun as the prize. “Yes, Umma. Take it or leave it.”

His mother elegantly facepalmed before sighing. “But you don’t even know his name.”

Chanyeol snorted before turning to Baekhyun. “What’s your name again, Sunshine?”

Baekhyun blinked. Sunshine? “B—Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol nodded. “His name is Baekhyun, Umma.”

What the—

Baekhyun wanted to scream in protest and run away and planned to just make a cave and hide forever every summertime but did nothing when Chanyeol’s mother continued to stare at him from head to toe. He felt small and inadequate under the woman’s eyes, but her gaze wasn’t judging or anything. She was merely curious. Come on, just say that you won’t buy it, Baekhyun helplessly thought. And then bring your extremely tall son away from here.

“Very well,” his mother sighed in defeat. She looked thoughtful for a moment and her eyes softened as she smiled kindly at Baekhyun. “Baekhyun-ah, I want to meet your parents.”

Baekhyun gaped at her reaction and Chanyeol broke into an ecstatic smile beside him.

“Baekhyun-ah?”

The three of them turned to another voice and Baekhyun spotted his cousin standing hesitantly a few steps away from them. He had never felt grateful at Luhan’s appearance before. It was a golden opportunity for him to run away and pretend it was just a misunderstanding and go home and hide forever under the blanket until summer was over. Baekhyun tried to detach himself from Chanyeol, but damn, the latter’s grip on him was tight.

“And who is this?”

“He’s our best man,” Chanyeol simply stated and his mother chuckled lightly.

Baekhyun wanted to cry.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

In the end, Baekhyun had to give his mother’s number to Chanyeol’s mother.

She received the paper with such kind smile and told him that she would try to contact her as soon as possible to talk about this (This unfortunate event? Baekhyun grimly wailed). The male crossed his fingers because it was even hard for him to reach his own mother. The middle aged woman excused herself before disappearing into an expensive looking car which got Luhan and Baekhyun widened their eyes in fear.

She was rich. That meant Chanyeol was rich, too.

Luhan opened his mouth to say something but before he was able to do so, Baekhyun snapped.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing??” He cried to Chanyeol in frustration. “Marrying you?? Our best man??”

“Easy, Sunshine,” Chanyeol frowned at his tone. “If you don’t want this pretty face to be our best man, I can ask someone else to—“

“His name is Luhan and he’s my cousin,” Baekhyun groaned. “And that’s not the point! What I’m saying is that—“

“Um...hi? So...you’re gonna be my cousin...in law?” Luhan tried to squeeze himself between the two with an awkward hand wave.

“Hell yeah, how about that?” Chanyeol grinned.

Baekhyun let out a strangled voice and glared to the tallest one between the three. “Hey, I never said yes to your proposal! All of a sudden, you grabbed my shoulders and told your mother you wanted to marry me and she suddenly agreed and she wanted to—“

Chanyeol leaned down to Baekhyun and Luhan gaped at the kiss scene in front of him. It  managed to shut Baekhyun successfully like a magic. Luhan scratched his head awkwardly and glanced at anywhere but them.

“—call my mother...”, Baekhyun finished the rest of his sentence meekly when Chanyeol broke their kiss. He seemed dazed for a moment before looking up at the taller male. Oh my God. The male had just managed to steal his second kiss.

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said seriously with his hands on the said male’s cheeks. “Is there any reason you don’t want to marry me?”

Luhan threw an interested look at his cousin. Yeah, is there?

“I—“ Baekhyun looked uncertain and gave his cousin a desperate look, which the latter happily ignored. “You’re...you’re a stranger.”

Chanyeol nodded slowly. “I’m a stranger. And then?”

“I... I don’t know you at all.”

“You don’t know me at all. And then?”

Baekhyun’s mind flew to Jongin. He directed his gaze to Luhan again who seemed to know what he was thinking about and gazed back softly. “...I have a boyfriend...”

“A boyfriend,” Chanyeol repeated, although he didn’t seem to be convinced. “Or an ex boyfriend?”

Luhan raised his eyebrows in awe at Chanyeol. This guy’s good.

“He’s—he’s not—“ Baekhyun stuttered.

“It doesn’t matter,” Chanyeol interrupted and stretched a hand to Baekhyun’s direction. The latter only stared at it questioningly. “Your phone.” Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to protest, only to shut up when Chanyeol sternly said, “Now.” Baekhyun reluctantly pulled the device out of his pocket and gave it to Chanyeol.

The taller male quickly dialed something on the phone. A few seconds later, they heard a phone ringing faintly and Chanyeol looked satisfied as he handed Baekhyun the device back. “Now I know your number. So, Baekhyun. I’m gonna prove to you that I am better than your ex boyfriend.”

Baekhyun’s jaw dropped. “Y-you—what?”

“And now that I saved my number in your phone, you should pick up whenever I call. Soon, in no time, we’re not gonnabe strangers anymore.”

Chanyeol grinned to Luhan and earned a sincere on in return. He casted a glance at his wristwatch before patting Baekhyun’s head caringly, taking advantage of their height difference.

“See you, Sunshine.”

With that, he waved both Baekhyun and Luhan goodbye before walking away to the opposite direction. Baekhyun looked very much stunned with all that had happened that he didn’t manage to say anything. It was when Luhan shook his shoulder a bit roughly that Baekhyun finally snapped out of his reverie.

“What,” Baekhyun whispered. “The hell was that...?”

“That,” Luhan replied. “Is the sound of your wedding bells, Baekhyun.”

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

If there was anyone that had been supporting Baekhyun all of this time, it was Luhan.

But for once in his life, Luhan took side.

The Chinese male took side to Chanyeol (“He seems nice,” Luhan commented. “And besides, you guys look great together. He’s tall and you’re...not.”) and told his cousin that he should give it a try.

Baekhyun wanted to scream.

He faked a sob and sulked to Luhan by not talking to him for a few days. He looked irritated for the past few days and had been locking himself in the room, refusing to go anywhere.

Yunho noticed his unusual behavior and asked him what was wrong, but Baekhyun only shook his head as an answer. What could he possibly say to his brother? That it was probably the worst summer for him? Breaking up with Jongin, got drowned in the sea, his first kiss was stolen by a stranger (who happened to save his life, too) got proposed and without him even saying yes, it was agreed. It was definitely the worst.

Baekhyun wished his mother would be too busy to take any phone calls.

A few days had passed in a blink of an eye and Baekhyun’s inbox was still full from the texts from Jongin (he didn’t have the heart to erase them for sentimental reasons).

But it turned out that Chanyeol was a man of his words.

Their first conversation via phone was filled with silence. Baekhyun was quite the whole time and only talked whenever he was asked. Chanyeol didn’t give up. His calls to Baekhyun were intense, but after a few tries, he gave up. Both of them knew it wasn’t working and Baekhyun almost sighed in relief because at least that way, Chanyeol would stop trying.

He was wrong.

Chanyeol changed his method by showing up in front of Baekhyun’s house. It surprised the blond haired male to no end because he thought the tall male had already given up on him. Chanyeol wasted no time to drag him into the car and kidnapped took him somewhere. They went to the movie and Baekhyun wrinkled his nose in distaste at the spot where ‘the proposal’ happened a few days ago. The tall male paid for everything (including drinks and popcorns) and they sat beside each other (of course, there was no way they would get separated) and had their eyes fixed to the screen. Baekhyun wondered absently if Chanyeol knew animated movie was always his favorite. When the movie was done, Baekhyun seemed pleased but Chanyeol looked like he was in a deep thought.

The male couldn’t help but ask as they walked to the car.

“Chanyeol...?”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t like the movie?”

Chanyeol stared at him blankly. “The movie was great. But we didn’t get to talk.”

“Oh...,” Baekhyun said. He slowly broke into a smile because Chanyeol seemed to be really taking the whole ‘stranger’ thing seriously. “We can always talk in the car...”

Chanyeol sighed. “I have to concentrate on driving, you know. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to you before our wedding day.”

Baekhyun winced at the last remark and looked down at his shoes. Did he...just...? Chanyeol was trying for him. He tried to know Baekhyun better and it just wouldn’t be fair if he didn’t give the taller male a chance... Baekhyun bit his bottom lip hesitantly when Chanyeol fumbled for the car keys. “Maybe...next time?”

“Next time?”

Baekhyun straightened the hem of his shirt even though nothing was wrong with it, trying not to notice the slight excitement in Chanyeol’s voice. “Yeah...we could have lunch...”

Chanyeol grabbed the shorter male’s arm all of a sudden and caused the latter to widen his eyes. “Promise me?”

“P—promise.”

Chanyeol broke into a helpless grin and nodded to himself. His hand stayed a bit too long on his arm and it was warm. “Alright. I’ll have your words for that.”

Baekhyun felt his heart skipped a beat at that.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

It turned out that Chanyeol preferred dinner over lunch.

Their first dinner happened a few days later after the movie date. The tall male looked very decent when he picked Baekhyun at his house and Baekhyun found himself gaping for a moment. Chanyeol noticed his expression and looked down at himself before frowning. “Do I look ugly?”

“N—no,” Baekhyun stammered and shook his head. “You look...alright.”

‘Alright’ was probably an understatement because Chanyeol looked absolutely stunning, but he looked quite happy with the compliment.

The restaurant that Chanyeol brought him to looked quite expensive and Baekhyun wanted to inform him that he was actually okay with junk food and stuffs. His hunch was right, the moment Baekhyun gazed at the menu his brain went blank because the price was quite high. Chanyeol asked him what he wanted and Baekhyun wanted to say cheeseburger, but then he told him he would have whatever he recommended.

They were waiting for their food when Chanyeol spoke.

“How about meeting my friends next time?”

Baekhyun looked taken aback. “Your friends?”

“Yeah. I’ve told them about you and they wanted to meet you in person.”

Baekhyun looked hesitant and his fingers loosely curled into a fist on his mouth. “Uh...”

Chanyeol gently smiled before grabbing Baekhyun’s fingers to link them together. “Don’t worry, Sunshine. They won’t bite.”

Baekhyun felt blood rushing to his cheeks at the intimate gesture before nodding.

Their food arrived not long after that and both were drowned in their own thoughts. Well, maybe it was only Baekhyun because Chanyeol kept on staring at him the whole time, asking if the food was okay, and Baekhyun wished he wouldn’t keep on doing it because it made him nervous.

Chanyeol insisted on paying with his credit card and Baekhyun thought they would really have cheeseburgers next time.

Wait. Next time...?

Baekhyun shifted his eyes from his glass to Chanyeol’s face—only to find that the latter had been staring at him with a smile on his face. He shyly smiled back.

Next time, definitely.

By the time Baekhyun realized it, they had already arrived his house and he wondered how time flew so fast that night. He hesitated for a moment before turning to Chanyeol. At the same time, the male had extended his arm to ruffle his hair affectionately. Baekhyun closed his eyes as his heartbeat quickened at the affectionate gesture.

“Thank you very much for today.”

Baekhyun nodded sheepishly and he was about to slide off of the car when suddenly his arm was grabbed by the taller male. He glanced over his shoulder questioningly before feeling a pair of warm lips pressed against his.

Their third kiss.

“See you,” Chanyeol said softly when they pulled away.

It was dark, but even so, Baekhyun could see that Chanyeol had that calming smile plastered on his face and he felt himself blushing.

“See—see you,” he whispered back and this time, he really got out of the car.

Baekhyun headed straight into his house without even waiting for Chanyeol to drive away, because his heartbeat accelerated like a broken speedometer. He ignored Yunho’s question which was addressed to him—something about who he went out with—and quickly went upstairs to his bedroom. Baekhyun convinced himself that his ragged breath was caused by his two steps altogether on the stairs when his phone rang.

His heart almost stopped beating at the impossible speed.

It was Chanyeol.

“H—hello?”

“Yeah. Sorry to call you, but I forgot something.”

“Eh? What did you forget...?”

There was a pause before Chanyeol’s deep voice vibrated through the line.

“Goodnight, Sunshine.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened at the words and held his breath. He slowly brought a hand to cover his mouth, hoping that it would reduce whatever it was that he felt at the moment. The way Chanyeol said those words were beautiful, in fact, it was way more beautiful than Jongin’s. Baekhyun felt warmth waved his entire body as he choked back a sob.

“Goodnight, Chanyeol.”

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

When Chanyeol brought him to meet his friends, Baekhyun let the taller male entwined their fingers together.

It was funny because it was just a simple gesture, but the way Chanyeol looked at him when he didn’t shy away made him felt like it meant a lot to the other male.

‘His friends’ turned out to be only one people and Baekhyun blinked in confusion. He was about to ask Chanyeol about it, but then he recognized the doe eyed male—it was the same male who was with Chanyeol in the yacht.

“You remember Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol said pointedly and Baekhyun shyly nodded. “He’s my cousin. I assume because I only know Luhan at the moment—your cousin, you should know about mine too. I’ll introduce you to my friends later.”

“Hello,” Kyungsoo smiled and waved a hand. “It’s really good to see you. I mean, it wasn’t easy to see you almost lost your life when this giant jumped onto the dock and sent you falling.” He shifted his eyes from Baekhyun to his cousin. “And I thought he’s lost his mind when he told me he’s marrying you.”

“Why?” Chanyeol looked nonchalant.

“You want to marry the person whose brother was going to chop you to pieces?”

Baekhyun went pale. “Eh?”

“Ah,” Chanyeol smirked and waved a hand dismissively. “I assume it was because I stripped his brother.”

Baekhyun gasped softly and stared at Chanyeol in disbelief. “My—my brother said that? Oh my god—”

“He didn’t tell you?” Chanyeol chuckled in amusement and Baekhyun felt weird because it wasn’t funny at all. “I’m surprised. Who did you think bring you home after that? He showed up right when you fainted and Kyungsoo screamed when he lunged at me.”

“I think he was just shocked,” Kyungsoo added meekly. “I mean, he saw his brother before his very eyes only in his boxer and was kissed by a stranger...”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened in realization. Oh.

Chanyeol grinned at his fiance-soon-to-be and ruffled his hair caringly. “Let’s get out of here, Sunshine. Kyungsoo’s going to meet his boyfriend and their interaction will get you to think that you’re watching a sappy drama.”

“Hey!” Kyungsoo protested. “Did Sehun tell you that? You haven’t even met him.”

“Don’t worry,” Chanyeol laughed and turned to Baekhyun with a wink. “We’re much more romantic anyway. See you, Kyungsoo-yah. Say hi to your boyfriend for me. Introduce me later.”

They soon walked out of the cafe and Chanyeol stretched his hands carelessly into the air. Baekhyun marveled at how beautiful Chanyeol looked underneath the sunlight with his long arms and long legs. When he was a kid, he had a wish to grow as tall as him...but now, maybe, it was okay for him to have his height. Because Chanyeol towered over him perfectly.

Chanyeol turned to stare at Baekhyun. Their eyes met and none of them wanted to break the contact. It was Chanyeol who put a hand on Baekhyun’s back first to drag him away. Baekhyun found himself obeying with a blush, wondering why his heart had been missing a few beats lately when all of a sudden, he caught someone very painfully similar to Jongin walking their way.

Baekhyun froze before quickly got a hold of himself and turned around abruptly. He felt Chanyeol’s questioning stare on him and pressed his lips together. Baekhyun whimpered in distress as he covered his mouth. No, it could be someone else. It could be just a resemblance. It could be not Kim Jongin. The painful memories sped back to his brain and fear was seeping into him. No. He didn’t want to remember anymore.

“Hey.”

Baekhyun jolted out of his reverie and closed his eyes by instinct when Chanyeol softly kissed him.

Was it their fourth? Their fifth? Their tenth?

Baekhyun had lost count because Chanyeol had been stealing a lot of kisses lately.

Chanyeol held his hand firmly and placed his free hand on the back of Baekhyun’s neck. Their kiss lasted for a few moments and Baekhyun flew his hand to grab the end of Chanyeol’s shirt. It was funny to think that even though they had just met a few weeks ago, but Baekhyun had let Chanyeol claiming his lips more than once. Was it wrong...? Because he wasn’t sure of what they have. They weren’t exactly dating. They weren’t exactly engaged.

Maybe he should push him away.

Maybe he should snap.

But as Chanyeol slowly pulled away from him and sent him a worried yet protective look, Baekhyun realized his fear had long gone and it was replaced with the feeling of calmness. It was the same one with the one he had been feeling ever since he met Chanyeol. The same feeling that kept on resurfacing everytime they kissed.

“Are you alright?” Chanyeol asked with his deep voice.

Baekhyun’s lips trembled slightly and Chanyeol caressed it with a thumb to stop it from shaking.

Chanyeol.

He wanted to cry.

I’m alright if I’m with you.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Slowly, but surely, Chanyeol dominated Baekhyun’s life.

The tall male had been giving him rules of ‘what a boyfriend-soon-turn-to-spouse to do’. Baekhyun blinked his eyes with a blank expression at the list of rules he was supposed to do and obey. His heart fluttered because Chanyeol called him his boyfriend and he was extremely fine with that.

Always tell me where you’re going. Okay. Never keep a secret from each other. Acceptable. No more mentioning anyone—and I mean it, ANYONE—‘s name that could cause me jealousy whenever we’re together. Or not together. Baekhyun gaped. Was it a sign of possessiveness? Baekhyun wasn’t sure.

But Chanyeol meant every words he said.

His texts and phone calls happened everyday that by the time Baekhyun realized it, he managed to forget any other (unimportant) thing. It was then that he realized Jongin had stopped texting him and to think that the younger male was important in his life before he met Chanyeol. He never thought about his ex boyfriend anymore, and even if he did, it didn’t bother him as much as before.

Like it was only a memory.

And strange enough, Baekhyun found himself obeying to every request. They had become closer and closer that exchanging kisses became a routine. Baekhyun let the tall male did as he liked because he loved the way Chanyeol kissed him.

Chanyeol wanted them to have no secrets.

So that was probably why he asked Baekhyun one afternoon.

“Who’s your ex boyfriend’s name?”

Baekhyun looked startled at the sudden question. He wondered if it was a test because he recalled Chanyeol forbid him from mentioning any other names...or did he forget? Baekhyun gave his boyfriend a solemn stare for a minute before deciding to answer reluctantly. “...Kim Jongin.”

“Hm,” Chanyeol hummed without looking up from his phone. “Kim Junmyeon’s brother?”

Again, Baekhyun looked startled. “How did you...”

Chanyeol pursed his lips as he diverted his eyes from his phone to the flat surface on the table. “The world’s surely small, don’t you think? ...Junmyeon-hyung’s my senior since high school.”

“Oh...”

“And Junmyeon’s dating my best friend in college. So...yeah.”

“I—I see...”

Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol but the latter still avoided his gaze. Was Chanyeol jealous? But no, it didn’t seem like that. However, the topic just managed to snatch Baekhyun’s curiosity about something that he had been meaning to ask. He pressed his lips into a thin line before braving himself to bring the question.

“Chanyeol...?”

This time, the said male stared straight at Baekhyun. He said nothing in reply, but his expression showed that he was listening.

Baekhyun looked hesitant. “Are you...serious...?”

Chanyeol still looked blank. “Am I serious with what?”

“With...all of this.”

“You mean, I’m joking all this time?”

“N—no,” Baekhyun stammered nervously and wondered where he had gone wrong. “I mean...it’s just...” He looked down, silently pondering if he shouldn’t ask, but he really wanted to know. “Why...me...?”

Chanyeol snorted and shook his head. “I don’t need to have reasons to fall in love with you,” he replied. “I just do.”

The male said it too nonchalantly that Baekhyun wanted to cry. Why didn’t he try to convince him or anything? Why he didn’t look like he care at all? Why did Chanyeol look displeased at his question? Baekhyun lowered his head to hide his upcoming tears. None of them said anything until Chanyeol fractured the calm first.

“Baek.”

Baekhyun closed his eyes, waiting for the tears to disappear before looking up to the taller male.

“You look prettier with brown hair.”

Baekhyun’s eyes shot up with surprise and his hand immediately reached for his locks. “Blond isn’t good?”

“You look pretty,” Chanyeol shook his head with a fond gaze at him. “You look very pretty. But I think brown hair suits you best...” The male tilted his head to a side before casually resting his cheek on his fist. “Maybe...maybe before we get married?”

Baekhyun stared at his boyfriend—special someone, husband-to-be, whatever they named it—blankly before nodding.

“Okay.”

Chanyeol’s lips curved upward in happiness and Baekhyun felt his heart stuttering.

Maybe, maybe what they had was real.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

When Chanyeol drove him home, they separated with a chaste kiss (which Baekhyun smiled into).

He watched as the car drove away until it disappeared from his sight before turning around to walk into his house. Baekhyun frowned when he heard lively chatter coming from the living room. The voices sounded familiar.

“Baekhyun!”

Baekhyun blinked in surprise when he saw his mother standing up the moment she saw him. He threw a quick glance around the room before prying his shoes off. Yunho and Jaejoong were also there. His brother looked a bit annoyed while Jaejoong only gave him a sincere smile. “Umma...? What brings you here?”

“What are you talking about, Baekhyun?” She shook her head in amusement. “Your engagement, of course.”

Baekhyun froze on his track and Yunho groaned at the remark.

“But umma, he’s not even twenty five. How could you let him marry at such young age?”

“Look at yourself, Yunho,” their mother gave him a look. “You’re past twenty five and you’re not even ready to marry Jaejoong yet.” Jaejoong turned crimson at her remark. “Besides, Chanyeol’s mother was my classmate when we were in high school. She was very kind. I’m sure her son is just as nice as her.”

“Chanyeol’s mother...is your friend?” Baekhyun gaped. “Really?”

The world is surely small.

She nodded firmly. It seemed like she wanted to say more, but she noticed the exhaustion in Baekhyun’s face and smiled kindly at her son. “Go take a shower first, sweetheart. You seem very tired. We can continue this in the morning. Your father will come home next week and we shall arrange a meeting with Chanyeol’s parents then.”

Baekhyun sent her a grateful smile before excusing himself to head upstairs to his room. Just as he stepped out of the living room into the hallway, he faintly heard Yunho continued his argument with their mother and the male paused for a moment.

“What if it’s a wrong thing to do, Umma? What if this Chanyeol’s not the best for him?”

He was too tired to eavesdrop, so Baekhyun took a step by step carefully, trying to listen to the rest of the conversation.

“Don’t be silly, Yunho. I told Chanyeol’s mother that it’s not up to us, but to them. If Baekhyun says he wants this marriage to happen, then I will give them my blessing.”

Baekhyun sighed deeply through his nose as he reached the second floor. Their voices were out of his earshot and he couldn’t hear single thing anymore. The male dragged his feet almost lazily to his bedroom, but stopped when he caught his reflection on the large mirror in the hallway. Baekhyun stared at himself for a while before slowly bringing a hand to his hair.

He looked ugly in blond.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Surprisingly, everything went according to plans.

Their parents arranged a meeting where they met for dinner, and Yunho’s eyes almost bugged out of their sockets when he found out who Chanyeol was. The latter only gave him an awkward smile in return and prepared himself for a uppercut or a death kick, but it never came.

Just like any other engagement, they were busy with preparations.

Just like any other engagement, Chanyeol ordered a ring for Baekhyun.

Just like any other engagement, Baekhyun felt himself flooding with doubts.

Because Jongin called.

Baekhyun’s eyes widened in horror when he saw the name flashing on the screen of his phone. At first he thought maybe Jongin accidentally called him because they hadn’t communicated in a while—there was no way his number was still stored at the call logs. But then, Jongin kept on calling him, leaving him several missed calls, and a final text of pleading him to pick up. Baekhyun didn’t want to. He wanted to reply to Jongin to stop being so stubborn and leave him alone, but did nothing in the end.

Jongin’s stubborn phone calls got him to think. He became scared for irrational reasons. What if Jongin needed his help? What if Junmyeon was dying and Jongin didn’t know who to turn to and—crap, stop exaggerating, Baekhyun. What if Jongin was in danger and he— Baekhyun cried to himself and unconsciously dialed Chanyeol’s number. The male picked up within the second ring.

“Jongin called!” He burst out crying the moment he heard the tall male’s voice. “Jongin called, Chanyeol!”

“Whoa, calm down, Sunshine. Did you pick up?”

“I—no—“

“Do you want to?”

“I—I’m not sure...”

“If you’re not sure, then don’t. Just ignore him.”

Baekhyun sniffled as he wiped the tears that streamed down his face with the back of his hand. He had no idea why he cried. All he knew was that the moment Chanyeol picked up, he wanted him to be there for him. “Where are you, Chanyeol...?”

“I’m on my way home. It’s okay. I’ll stay on the phone with you until you calm down. Just lie on the bed and stop thinking about it.”

“I—“ Baekhyun sobbed quietly. “I need you...”

“I’m here.”

“No, I mean...can you...can you come over?”

There was a long pause at the end of the line and Baekhyun mentally berated himself. He inwardly scolded himself for asking such thing while Chanyeol was probably busy—or tired... Baekhyun quietly sniffled and planned to end the call soon when he heard Chanyeol taking a deep breath.

“Can I climb to your window?”

“Eh...?”

“...nevermind. I’ll just knock through the front door and survive your brother.”

Baekhyun’s tears dissolved into a heartily chuckle as he slowly lie on his back, eyes fixed on the ceiling. He felt a lot better knowing that Chanyeol was willing to try. “I’m sorry.”

“Anything for you, Baek.”

When Chanyeol sneaked quietly into his room, fortunately still in one piece (because Yunho wasn’t at home and it was Baekhyun’s mother who opened the door for him), the place was dark. The tall male hesitated to come in for a second before closing the door softly behind him. He stepped closer to the bed and his heart clenched slightly when he saw Baekhyun curling into a ball. Chanyeol carefully climbed onto the bed and Baekhyun jolted awake panickly at the sudden movement.

“Ssh,” Chanyeol whispered. “It’s me, go back to sleep.”

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said and instinctively grabbed his arm. “You—you’re really here...”

“Of course,” Chanyeol pressed a soft kiss on the older male’s forehead. “Go back to sleep.”

Baekhyun leaned his head on the taller male’s chest and sighed. “Will you stay until I asleep?”

“Yes.”

“Until I wake up?”

“I will.”

Baekhyun hummed sleepily and snuggled closer to Chanyeol. The latter caressed his cheek caringly with the back of his index finger before sighing softly. Baekhyun had the curtains closed and it was very dark in the room, the only lighting available was the dimmed light peeking from under the door. Chanyeol actually couldn’t sleep without a light, so he waited until Baekhyun’s breath was steady, as a sign that he had fallen asleep, before stretching his arm to turn the lamp on the nightstand.

When he fixed his eyes back to the sleeping figure in his arms, Chanyeol literally paralyzed.

Baekhyun’s hair was brown.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

It was finally their engagement day.

As much as Chanyeol wanted to marry Baekhyun as soon as possible, but he was alright with engagement. Because it was just a step closer to marriage after this. He didn’t want to rush Baekhyun because the male just too damn special.

Baekhyun wished everything would be alright.

His parents and Chanyeol’s had been preparing hard for this and he didn’t want to ruin it. It was going to be one of the most special and important day in his life.

It was the day he became Chanyeol’s fiance.

But the excited feeling vanished instantly when Baekhyun saw the person that was once special in his life. He was about to walk into the room and an awfully familiar figure caught his eyes, but this time he knew it wasn’t just his imagination.

Jongin.

Baekhyun gasped in fear as he took a step back and he was about to run away when Chanyeol noticed him. The taller male grabbed his arm to prevent him from walking away, because their engagement party would start any moment. Baekhyun angrily slapped Chanyeol’s cheek and the latter winced both in shock and pain, but did nothing to let him go.

“Baek...?”

“Are you trying to make fun of me, Chanyeol?” He tried to sound angry but failed, because Baekhyun’s voice trembling badly.

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol’s tone was flat and tightened his grip on Baekhyun’s arm.

“You know what I mean!! Why—why do you have to invite him???”

“Him...?” It took a moment for Chanyeol to realize who he meant. His expression dimmed. “He’s here as a guest. A guest and nothing more, Sunshine. How could you say that I invite him to make fun of you?”

Baekhyun cried in distaste and yanked himself off of the taller male’s grip. This time, he was successful. “I hate you, Park Chanyeol! I changed my mind, I don’t want to marry you!!”

Chanyeol gasped in disbelief and his tone became high. “Just by seeing Jongin in the room and then you changed your mind? Are you saying that you’re still in love with him??”

Baekhyun refused to hear anything more the taller male said as he quickened his steps to walk out from the backdoor. The darkness of the night greeted him as he went to walk to the pool. He heard Chanyeol following him closely and fastened his pace. Baekhyun shuddered at the view of deep water as he passed the pool and stared straight ahead. He ignored his name being called and whimpered because he just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. But Baekhyun should’ve remembered Chanyeol had longer legs than him.

Chanyeol abruptly grabbed his hand and Baekhyun felt a hard push on his back.

He didn’t even able to scream when he lost his balance and fell into the pool.

Baekhyun became panicked and the memory of him being drowned resurfaced. He made a mistake by opening his mouth and swallowed a whole lot of water. Baekhyun could only see darkness even though the pool was bright enough and he wanted to cry. He hated summer. He hated his life. He hated everything.

The male saw Chanyeol jumping into the pool and swam closer to him.

Baekhyun felt like everything around him stopped. He let Chanyeol pulled him closer by the waist and it reminded him of how they first met. How Chanyeol saved his life. How Baekhyun felt like giving a tiny bit of his heart to him when the male kissed him. How Chanyeol made him felt loved and wanted. Chanyeol put a hand on the back of Baekhyun’s neck before pulling him closer.

Their eyes met in a longing gaze and Baekhyun closed his eyes to let Chanyeol pressed their lips together.

For once, Baekhyun wasn’t afraid of the water. He didn’t care if he was going to drown, as long as Chanyeol was beside him. He knew the male would do anything to save him. To make him feel better. To save their love.

Sunshine.

Chanyeol’s nickname for him repeated over and over again like a broken record in his mind and Baekhyun wanted to cry.

The taller of the two slowly brought them back to the surface and Baekhyun gasped deeply for air. His expression quickly morphed into fear because they were in the deeper part of the pool and he felt like drowning back. Chanyeol quickly pulled Baekhyun closer by his waist and held him steady in his arms. The male observed Baekhyun closely because dear God, he was even more beautiful under the moonlight. Chanyeol knew everyone must be worried because their engagement party was about to start, but right now he didn’t care.

“I lied,” Chanyeol whispered against Baekhyun’s lips. “I didn’t even try to perform a CPR. I fell in love with you at the first and I just wanted to kiss you so badly.”

Baekhyun whimpered as he leaned his head on Chanyeol’s chest dearly.

“It was also my first time ping someone else’s pants,” Chanyeol forgot the situation they were in and chuckled lightly. “...and I don’t want to anyone else’s ever since.”

Baekhyun flicked Chanyeol’s arm weakly. “You ert.”

“Hmm,” Chanyeol hummed as he kissed Baekhyun again. His hand was still around the latter’s waist when the other trailed to his flat stomach, yanking the shirt up.

“Ch—Chanyeol. What are you—“

“Stripping you.”

“Not—not here,” Baekhyun squeaked.

“Not here...?” There was a glint in Chanyeol’s eyes as he spoke and earned a pair of rolling eyes in response.

“I mean...”, Baekhyun hooked his arms around Chanyeol’s neck. “Don’t you want to be my fiance first...?”

Chanyeol snorted into a smile. “Ah, right...our engagement party. I bet they’re looking for us right now.”

They probably should go up, but none of them wanted to move. They stayed like that for a moment, with Baekhyun pressing his head against Chanyeol’s chest, and Chanyeol’s hands were wrapped around Baekhyun’s waist.

It was perfect.

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said with his deep voice.

Baekhyun closed his eyes and kissed Chanyeol’s jaw. “Hmm...?”

“No more Jongin.”

His eyes cracked open at the statement, but he didn’t reply. Baekhyun waited patiently.

“He’s not gonna be the one you’re going to marry,” Chanyeol said firmly. “I am. So you should forget about him. Or any other person, for that matter.”

“Chanyeol...”

“Because you belong to Park Chanyeol, Byun Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun felt tears were b in the rim of his eyes. How could a simple statement like that made him very happy? It definitely felt different. What he felt toward Chanyeol was different than what he felt toward Jongin. Jongin was nice and kind, but Baekhyun knew he only held on to him because he was lonely. And when they broke up, Baekhyun was scared because no one would be there for him anymore. But with Chanyeol, it was deeper than that. It was... Affection. Passion.

It was love.

Chanyeol was about to say something more when Baekhyun sneezed. He went panicked and quickly ushered Baekhyun out of the pool and seated him in the nearest bench. Chanyeol told him to wait and ran into the building before running back with a clean towel in his hands. He hastily dried his boyfriend’s hair and Baekhyun sneezed a few more times.

“We should go back,” Baekhyun said weakly. “I’m shivering, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol wrapped the towel around Baekhyun’s petite frame and nodded apologetically. His suit was also drenched too, but he had stronger immune system than his boyfriend. He helped the shorter male to stand up and headed back to the building with their hands linked tightly. Everyone must be very worried.

“Baekhyun?”

“Hm?”

“You like Kyungsoo, right?”

Baekhyun shot him a questioning look, but Chanyeol wasn’t looking at him. “Of course I do.”

“...then...do you think you could give your blessing for him and Jongin...?”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened in surprise. “Jongin...with Kyungsoo?”

“Yeah.”

It explained everything. Everything, from the question of the name of his ex boyfriend to the phone calls and to the presence of Jongin in their engagement party. Suddenly, Baekhyun felt very relieved and chuckled whole heartedly. He couldn’t stop giggling to himself and Chanyeol seemed surprised with his reaction. Baekhyun shook his head in amusement before smiling earnestly at the taller male.

To the male that would be his husband.

“They’re perfect together, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol smiled.

“Good, because you’re perfect for me, Sunshine.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They got married the next spring.

Baekhyun was happy because Chanyeol was everything he ever wanted. Slowly, but surely, his relationship with Jongin grew as close friends and Chanyeol didn’t seem to mind because if Jongin ever got married with Kyungsoo, they would become family.

Summer was coming near and Baekhyun found himself pouting at the upcoming season. He was starting to whine how hot it became and looked irritated when Luhan called him that he was coming over next summer (“On summer? Why not now? Now, Luhanie!” Baekhyun cried on the phone and Chanyeol never knew his husband was a whiny type).

It was unavoidable, of course.

Summer had already arrived when Baekhyun woke up that morning. He woke up with sweats all over his skin and kicked the blanket away because it was already too hot sleeping with one, but he would definitely catch a cold if he didn’t use it. Baekhyun sighed in exasperation as he sleepily gazed outside the window from their bedroom. The weather was a bit too hot and he felt like taking a cold shower right away.

Oh, how Byun—Park Baekhyun hated summer.

Something moved behind Baekhyun’s back and slowly, a long, thin arm crawled possessively to his flat stomach.

“Good morning, Sunshine,” Chanyeol mumbled before pressing a chaste kiss on Baekhyun’s shoulder. “What do you know? Time sure flies fast. It’s already the first day of summer.”

Baekhyun slowly smiled and giggled when his husband trailed butterly kisses along his neck. “Yeah...”

Maybe it wasn’t that bad.

As long as there was Chanyeol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'M SO SORRY FOR THIS T_____T