“Yah, where do you think you’re going with that? Gimme!!!” I laugh as Baekhyun fails in another attempt to snatch the credit card away from me. After picking up Suho’s black credit card from the floor and being told that the cost doesn’t matter, I can’t possibly miss out the chance on buying actual breakfast. For as long as I can remember, the boys usually eat nothing but chicken, chicken, chicken, and oh, what a surprise: CHICKEN. They can eat chicken for all three meals and not complain. Even if they do vary in opinions sometimes, the mention of chicken can make at least six of them join forces, and since Baekhyun is one of the loyal chicken followers, I can’t trust him to buy some decent breakfast when we have a freaking rich ’ credit card in our possession. Well, now it’s mine.

 

          Baekhyun has never been a fan of exercising; neither have I, to be honest. But one thing’s for sure: I’m definitely fitter than him, even if it’s just a bit. The only part of the body Baekhyun exercises regularly on a daily basis is his mouth; he can talk nonstop and even wear out those ahjummas who love gossip more than anything.

 

          Anyway, bottom line is, he will never catch up to me. We’ve been running ever since I picked up the credit card, waved it in front of bacon’s face saying, “if you want it, come get it!” and bolted out of the house with him in tow. In the first few minutes, Baek had been hot on my trail, shaking a fist in the air as he demanded that I hand the credit card over. After turning into the pavement downtown though, he started huffing and puffing and his pace slowed down. I was also panting by then but not as much.

 

          A smirk grows on my face as I turn my head to see Baek already slacking behind by at least three miles. I laugh triumphantly and slow my jogging pace down into a fast walk. I breathe in the fresh air as a cool wind blows by me and I sigh contentedly. Morning doesn’t seem so ugly for once.

 

          As I turn into the park for a shortcut to the market, a loud war cry rings out from behind me and I glance back a second too late as Baekhyun comes launching himself at me with his arms outstretched and sends us both tumbling onto the dew covered grass.

 

          “B-baek!!” I yell, lifting my face slightly hovering above the grass. I don’t even need to check to know that there are at least a few grass strands and some mud on my cheek since I feel a cool sensation on it and the rest of my body that is in contact with the ground. Baekhyun is lucky enough to land on top of me, having only his hands on the ground as I’m trapped beneath him.

 

          This is so not the cliché picturesque pose where the girl and the boy gaze into each other’s eyes as their heart beats become one and their faces are so damn close they should just freaking kiss or confess their love and get it over and done with already. No, this is the ideal picture of what happens when two six-year-olds fight over who gets to go on the swings first and end up racing each other there only to tumble down and get muddy. That’s the picture you're looking at.

 

          “Bacon, you’ve probably never noticed this but you’re fat. Like, as fat as a cow kind of fat. Get off me, dammit! You're killing me!!!” I nudge my elbow upwards, titling it in a particular angle so that it comes into contact with Baekhyun’s jaw. He mutters a few cusses under his breath and tries to get up, only to slip down and fall on top of me again, this time even worse than the first because the back of his head collided with mine and it hurts like hell.

 

          “Ow....” Bacon and I reach out to touch our sore heads subconsciously. How are we ever going to make it back with breakfast on time? We’ll be lucky enough to get there by noon, I can assure you that.

 

          “You know what? Forget it. I’m crawling out and buying the groceries myself. You can find your way back home Baek. I’m done.” I struggle to grab at the grass an arm’s length away from me and pull myself forward. I only manage a few inches before someone grabs me by the waist and pulls me back roughly, my entire body scraping past the muddy ground. I feel something snap inside me and I sit up to glare at Baekhyun who is undoubtedly behind me, still holding onto me.

 

          “Bacon, do you mind? I’m trying to be like Tarzan here. I don’t need freaking Titanic.” I gesture to his hands which are still on my waist and he pouts, but takes them away and looks at me sternly.

 

          “Okay, but I’m not letting you go alone. How can I know for sure that there’ll actually be enough money left to buy food for the others after you’re done?”

 

          I frown at him. “Hey, I don’t eat that much, do I?” I ask sceptically, turning around so I can face him without straining my neck. We both sit crisscross applesauce and I tighten my grip on the credit card I still hold behind my back.

 

          Baekhyun scoffs but doesn’t answer my question. Instead, he gets up and pulls me up with him. “C’mon, we don’t have time to waste, and I know you’re gonna need help carrying the bags. Don’t even argue,” he says over his shoulder as I slack behind him, trying to match my wobbly pace with his fast ones. How does he even have enough energy after all that?

 

          We get several stares from people on the streets, no doubt questioning our appearances. After all, we do look like two giant six-year-olds who just rolled in the mud for the fun of it. On the other hand, I’m too engrossed in keeping my head down and thinking of a way to get the stains off to even bother about the fluttering feeling I get whenever Baekhyun tugs on my hand ever so slightly. He doesn’t seem bothered by the stares, despite gushing over how he has to take super extra good care of his skin for the sake of his beloved fans in school.

 

          Bacon drags me right pass the market and I come to an abrupt stop, making him raise an eyebrow. “What is it? Why’re you stopping?”

 

          “The market is this way, bacon.” I jab a thumb in that direction as Baekhyun blinks at me blankly.

 

          “Uh, yeah, I know that.”

 

          “Then why are we walking right pass it?” I shake his hand off to put both my hands on my hips. A flash of disappointment seems to come across Baek's face but it disappears all too quickly for me to confirm that theory.

 

          “Do you want to continue walking around looking like that?” He asks bluntly as he gestures to both our muddy appearances and makes a disgusted face. I grimace and shake my head.

 

          “Exactly. So we’re going to shop for clothes,” Baek says briefly before grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me once more. I should have known he’d take this opportunity to go shopping. 

 

          “I can walk by myself, bacon.” I break the silence after a while, knowing that the shopping mall is still a five minute walk away.

 

          “And you expect me to let you go so you can bail on me? No way! This time, I’m making sure you’ll shop with me right to the very end.” Baekhyun chuckles softly as I grumble silently. He’s lucky I’m too tired to order him around.

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun's POV

 

“Baek, are you sure this is necessary...?” I sigh and give the curtain separating us a hard look.

 

          “Either you try on all these or go back looking all dirty,” I deadpan and wave the credit card in my hand even though she wouldn’t be able to see it. She lets out a frustrated cry and hits the wall before opening the curtain. The previous smirk which was firmly fixated on my face falls and I feel heat rush to my cheeks as I gulp.

 

          She’s wearing a crop top and a spaghetti strapped singlet underneath with a pair of high waist shorts and tights which reach her ankles, and she looks absolutely adorable, not to mention the fact that she’s wearing her hair the way I love it most.

 

          “See, I told you it doesn’t suit me,” she complains, crossing her arms as she looks down embarrassed. “I look horrible.”

 

          “NO.” I object all too quickly. She snaps her head up to look at me questioningly and I silently curse myself for being so quick to react.

 

          “You look adorable, really.” I manage a sincere smile and it’s totally worth it when I see her flush red and look away. I love it when I make her speechless. “Let’s go get those paid.”

 

          Begrudgingly, she trails behind me obediently. I find it really ironic how she’s supposed to be my ‘master’ and not the other way round. But I’m not complaining though, I like this.

 

          Once I pay for her clothes, I turn to smirk at her. She eyes me and backs away slowly and cautiously. “What? Bacon, you better not be planning something stupid again...”

 

          “What do you mean ‘again’?” I feign innocence and blink my eyes rapidly.

 

          She scoffs and points a finger at me accusingly. “Don't play dumb, you’re going to do something stupid and I know it; the look on your face is giving you away.” I shrug her off and grab her hand. She struggles to break free at first but since I’m stronger than her, she gives up after a few minutes.

 

          I smile to myself happily. “Now, you’re going to pick out my clothes,” I say over my shoulder once she settles down and walks behind me obediently. I always wonder why she doesn’t walk beside me even when I take her by the hand. Does she not trust me to this extent? That’s kinda...hurtful. 

 

          I shake off the unsettling feeling in my gut and plaster on the biggest smile I can afford. She looks at me weirdly but doesn’t comment on it. It might be just me but she looks so out of it, she doesn’t utter a single word or even let out a small sigh until we reach the male department and I remind her that she’s in charge of selecting my attire.

 

          “W-what?!” Her face flushes red. She’s so cute, I feel like pinching her soft cheeks, but I hold myself back. “Why do I have to do something so troublesome?” She wines.

 

          “Hey, I graciously offered you my amazing sense of style earlier, so it’s time you do the same.” I smile cheekily and lean in closer to her. “Besides, this’ll be the perfect excuse for when they ask about our new clothes.”

 

          “Excuse? Why not just tell them the truth?” She asks dumbly. I sometimes wonder how this girl gets by at school.

 

          “Dummy.” I knock her head lightly. “Do you want to sound immature? If we say that it’s a treat for each other, we won’t sound selfish, right?”

 

          “Yeah, of course we don’t sound selfish and greedy when we take a rich guy’s credit card to buy branded clothes for ourselves. Yep, we’re totally selfless.” As much as I think she’s perfect (most of the time), she still constantly annoys me with her sarcasm. Like I’m one to talk, though.

 

          “How’s about a deal? You choose my outfit, and if I like it, I’ll buy you whatever you want to eat. Using my own money.” At the sound of me using my own allowance, she grins like a Cheshire Cat and smirks smugly at me.

 

          “You sure about that? I can rip a hole in your wallet with what I want right now.” No , Sherlock. The girl can practically eat a bear if she’s hungry.

 

          I gulp inwardly. “Well, it’s only if I like it, and it’s not like you to give up this perfect chance to ruin my image with some ugly mismatched clothes,” I state nonchalantly and she frowns.

 

          “Oh yeah,” she snaps her fingers and looks up at me. “I totally forgot I could do that.” I roll my eyes and turn her around, pushing her to a variety of button up shirts and normal t-shirts.

 

          “She’d better not choose a ridiculous get up,” I mumble to myself quietly as I watch her pick up a few button up shirts to look at. Her expression is full of confusion and if anything, clueless. I groan and throw my head back. She’s going to make me look like a mess.

 

          When I look back however, all I see is her smiling goofily as she picks up a shirt and does little twirls in satisfaction. I chuckle at her adorableness. She has this habit for when she’s happy about her accomplishments. I rest my chin on my palm as my eyes follow her, drifting in and out of different clothing sections, looking serious, which was totally unexpected. She finishes faster than I thought and before I know it, a pile of clothes is dumped atop my head.

 

          “Done!” She says chirpily. “And don't you dare say you don’t like it all for the sake of saving your money; I worked hard looking for all these!”

 

          “Took you long enough, I thought I was going to turn into a fossil!” I reply as I look at my choices. She glares at me but I ignore it and look at the shirts instead, which aren’t half bad at all. In fact, almost everything is my taste, and she didn’t add any dress shirts because she knows I’m pretty conscious about my height.

 

          “Well, what are you waiting for?” She looks at me expectantly. “Start the fashion show!”

 

          Somehow, I have a feeling that this is payback for what I did to her.

 

 

 

 

 

I take it back. This isn’t payback; this is freaking torture. It can’t even be compared to payback — the difference is like from the sun to non-existent Pluto (or maybe even a planet out of the solar system). Either way, it’s horrible.

 

          I grit my teeth and clench my fists as I try to calm myself down. Actually, I can’t even think straight because of the constant laughter that echoes around the entire floor, gaining stares from others. My eye twitches in agony as I contemplate what’s worse: being seen with her when she’s rolling on the floor laughing like a lunatic or being seen wearing terrible clothes like this. I honestly don’t even think I’m wearing clothes anymore. I’ve never seen something so hideous in my entire life.

 

          I probably should’ve suspected something when the sneaky little cheek suddenly became so enthusiastic about shopping with me. I was too happy with the normal clothes she chose that I didn’t pay attention to the stack of embarrassing clothing I would be forced to wear afterwards. That cunning little girl knew right from the start that I would have to wear everything that was present in the changing room so she gave me false hope.

 

          “Yah, don’t you think you’re going overboard? You’re so mean to me!” I whine, hoping to at least get out of wearing the rest of the horrendous selection.

 

          “I-I...I can't believe you actually thought I would be nice to you!” She chokes out in between laughs as I groan. “You really should’ve expected it after giving me such a fantastic idea.”

 

          I turn away from her and instead stare at my not-so-presentable reflection. I look like a clown. A fairly short clown. I curse inconsistently under my breath.

 

Bright red suspenders go down from my shoulders across a bright yellow and multicolour spotted button up shirt to a pair of bright purple balloon pants that’s unsurprisingly hideous when paired up with rainbow striped knee high socks. Just throw in a ridiculously large bow tie, a stupid nose and retarded big foot sized shoes and you’ll have a short bacon clown staring at you with hateful eyes.

 

          I hear people behind me snickering and I click my tongue. I swear: if any one of them goes to our school, that girl is going to get the biggest prank the universe has ever seen.

 

          “Ew, what is that getup for? Halloween? He’s like 9 months too early.”

 

          “Halloween? More like nerd fest.”

 

          “Is there anyone who would be caught dead wearing suspenders? Well, unless he’s secretly an old geezer.”

 

           “I don’t know about you guys, but don’t you think that guy is a little shor-“

 

           “’Scuse me,” I hear a familiar voice say. I glance back a little to see what I thought was impossible before. “Don’t you have anything better to do? I don’t see you having the balls to put suspenders on so shut the hell up.” She then sticks her tongue out and flips the bird at them. They don’t say anything as they walk past us quickly, avoiding further eye contact with the seemingly pissed off girl.

 

          I can’t believe it. She defended me. My childhood friend who I’ve teased since we were little defended me. I thought she would laugh her off but she didn’t.

 

          I gulp and hurry off into the changing room as my face heats up. Somehow, even though I still have to wear these stupid clothes, it doesn’t feel as dreadful anymore. In fact, I actually feel happy, honoured even, because the girl who I thought hates me to no end just helped me.

 

          I smile a little as I rummage through the stack for another carelessly put together outfit. As a little reward, I’ll amuse her for a few more rounds. The clothes don’t even bother me as I see her cackle a laugh or just smile goofily and make remarks about the clothes. I’m satisfied.

 

 

 

 

“This...this...” I open and close my mouth, unable to form words. She crosses her arms and smirks as he holds her head up high and puffs her chest out proudly, like a puppy wanting praise from its master.

 

          “Yes, yes, let it all out. Say that it’s terri-“

 

          “This is the one!” I cut her off as I smile at my now fashionable self once more. She sputters and looks at me bewildered as I beam at both her and my reflection. “I gotta hand it to you; I didn’t expect something like this from that pile of junk you handed to me. This is definitely my style!” I give her my best hundred watt smile as she squints both of her eyes at me.

 

          “You...you’re not really serious, are you?” She asks slowly as she eyes me up and down in my getup. “And stop stealing Kris’ lines, I feel like punching that giant right now.”

 

          I frown and take in my appearance once more. Does it look bad? I’m wearing a simple black t-shirt with a jock styled jacket over it and a pair of dark blue jeans to match. It isn’t anything special, really, and that’s why I like it. Because it’s the only normal thing in the pile of hideous clothes that evil little girl chose for me. Sure, I looked through the normal ones but they didn’t really catch my eye. But this - the outfit that she personally threw together - is what I’m comfortable with.

 

          “Okay, you cheeky little kitten.” I pinch her cheeks as she pouts at me and I laugh and ruffle her hair a little. “I guess you deserve some breakfast now.”

 

           Her eyes begin to sparkle at the mention of food. “Really? Baek, you’re really gonna pay?” She asks hopefully. I let out a small puff of air as I rethink it and her smile falters. She knows that I’m starting to change my mind.

 

          “Yes, really. Now let’s pay for this and get out of here.” The smile grows back on her face and I return it. She looks better when she smiles anyway.

 

 

 

 

Maybe I should’ve known that this would come after entertaining her so much but I didn’t expect her to empty out half my wallet in five minutes. And she’s still looking for the main course.

 

          “Hmm...Should I go with a western or Chinese breakfast? Aish, this is so troubling.”

 

          “Troubling my foot. I'm the one who’s paying! Just pick the cheapest one, arasso?” She scoffs and returns the glare.

 

          “Excuse you, bacon, but who is my pet/slave again? Oh yeah, you.” She pokes my nose and smiles wickedly. “So be a good boy and just fork the money over when I need it.”

 

          I grumble silently as I shove my hands into my pockets and watch her pick something. With the way she’s choosing, I don’t think there’ll be enough money to feed everyone once we’ve eaten our own portion; even if we are using Suho hyung’s platinum credit card.

 

          “Miss, why don’t you order the couple set? That way, both of you can enjoy a meal and your boyfriend won’t fuss over it so much,” the shopkeeper tells us and all I hear afterwards is gaging sounds.

 

          “Um, ahjussi, I'm sorry, but-“

 

          “We'd love to,” I say gratefully before she can object and prevent me from saving my wallet. Upon hearing the word ‘couple’, I wonder if that’s how we look like to the people around us although in reality, nothing can be further from the truth.

 

          When I turn my head back - ready to reprimand her for almost deliberately killing my wallet - all I see is an adorable puffed out face with pouty lips as she stares as me menacingly.

 

          “Yah, what did you do that for? We’re not a couple!” She hisses as her cheeks turn rosy pink.

 

          “Just this once, okay? My wallet is dying.” I wrap an arm around her and pull her against me. Her blush deepens and I feel the heat radiating off her face.

 

          “Y-y-yah! W-what are you-?”

 

          “Just put up with this act for a while, hmm?” I whisper into her ear and take in the scent of her hair. She smells like strawberries and morning dew. “For me. And also because we might get a discount.”

 

          “I hate you,” she mumbles but complies anyway, trying her best to look love struck next to me.

 

          It’s fun to watch her reactions. Whenever I do something like whisper into her ear, she’ll get torn between slapping me and keeping up the couple act. Her face grows redder and redder consecutively and by the time our couple set arrives, she looks as red as a ripe strawberry. I’m this close to eating her up whole.

 

          “C’mon, sweetie. Let’s go!" A shiver goes down both our spines, but with her showing it more on her face than body language. We both force a smile but I’m sure that no matter how forced my smile is, it can’t possibly compare to the slanted and crooked smile she was straining to keep on her face. (It came to the point where she had to use her fingers to keep the smile from turning into a frown.)

 

          A smirk slowly works its way onto my face as a devious plan forms in my head. It’s not really anywhere close to as embarrassing as my ‘fashion show’ earlier but it’ll suffice.

 

          “Psst,” I hiss, trying to get her attention. She glances at me but turns away immediately as she realises how close we actually are. We both blush but I work up enough courage to ask her. “Let’s keep this couple thing up till we leave.”

 

          She snaps her head back to look at me, mouth hanging wide open. “Bacon, are your brains fried or something? What is wrong with you?!”

 

          “Oh, nothing~” I say, pretending not to know anything. “Just thought we should make it look realistic.” She opens to protest so I lean in close to her face and she shuts up immediately. Smiling smugly, I bring her over to a table at the centre of the food court, with several people around us. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but just the thought of making her embarrassed makes me feel all giddy inside. This will totally be worth the hassle.

 

          “Open wide~” She blushes deeply and looks between me and the spoonful of omelette, unsure if she should really go through with my plan. In the end, she couldn’t resist the aroma of the food and chomped the egg clean off the spoon. I laugh as she looks away, completely embarrassed. I’m so immersed in feeding her, I don’t even care when people start whispering nonsense about us. They can say whatever they want; I just wanna enjoy my time.

 

          “That’s enough, Baekhyun. You’re gonna get it now!” She smirks as she takes a slice of bacon and shoves it in front of my face. “Say ‘ahhhh’.” I blink blankly for a few times. “Well, what’re you waiting for? I’m gonna eat it if you won’t.”

 

          Shaking my head, I take the bacon and stare at her dead in the eyes. One way or another, it becomes a staring competition as she feeds me without breaking eye contact. The staring competition is so intense; it doesn’t feel like we’re trying to pretend to be a couple anymore. Either way, we just stare at each other in the eyes, boring into each other’s souls with our stoic robot faces.

 

 

 

 

---

 

Saerin's POV

 

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s weird. 

 

          I hate this guy. H-A-T-E HATE. So why am I unable to tear my gaze away?

 

          At first, I stared at Baekhyun because he was looking at me. I didn’t want to appear submissive so I stared back. But before I knew it, it already became a staring contest. 

 

          I don’t even want to continue this, but for some reason, I can’t look away dammit! URGH, this is so frustrating!

 

          “Have I ever told you how much I hate you?” I ask Baekhyun as I rest my head on my palm without breaking eye contact. Baekhyun’s eye twitches ever so slightly and I grunt inwardly. So close. 

 

          “Yes, tons of times. In fact, you’ve said it so many times, I’m sick of it.” I scoff and roll my eyes at him. Hey, I’m pretty good at this if I can roll my eyes and not blink. 

 

          “Ah, ah, you looked away! I won!” Baekhyun exclaims as he flutters his eyelids at 9267 times per second. “Thank God! I thought my eyes were gonna shrivel up and die.”

 

          “Baek, I didn’t blink,” I state nonchalantly as I give him a look. “So technically, I won since you blinked like, a billion times just now.”

 

          “Nu-uh!” Baekhyun retorts like a kid, even waving his finger at me all sassy like. “I totally won it! You’re not supposed to look away in a staring competition!”

 

          “Yeah, but the main point is not blinking, you idiot!”

 

          “Don’t call me an idiot all because you lost, dummy! I didn’t put you through one hell of a fashion showcase!”

 

          “I’m calling you an idiot because you are one, you stupid idiot. And I didn’t lose; you did! And for the record, that fashion show was totally worth three hours, okay?”

 

          “Three hours?!” Baekhyun’s eyes widens as he glances at his watch. “Holy , the guys are going to kill us! By the time we get back, it’ll be lunch!”

 

          “See, I knew it,” I state confidently as I cross my arms. “Right from the moment when you dragged me into this shopping mall, I knew we weren’t gonna get back on time.”

 

          “Well, we could’ve done it if you didn’t need my amazing entertainment skills,” Baekhyun says flamboyantly as I snort. 

 

          “Say that again and those pictures are going international.” Baekhyun gasps and gapes at me. 

 

          “Oh no. No no no no no you didn't-“ At the sight of a confident smirk on my face, Baekhyun throws his head back and groans. “Why do you have so many things to blackmail me with?”

 

          “Because unlike you, I use my brains.” I stick my tongue out at him and gesture him to come with me. Baekhyun doesn’t say a word as we pick up random items, filling up at least six baskets worth of food since we’re gonna get chewed out when we arrive back at Sehun’s place. For counter measures, we even put in microwave ready food and instant noodles to keep them from dying so fast. It’s a good thing Baekhyun came with me because the bags are literally killing my arms. 

 

          “Hey, should we take a cab or a bus? These things are really heavy,” Baekhyun puffs out as he readjusts his hold on the bags. I nod and walk towards a bus stop nearby, with Baekhyun following suit. We board the bus the minute it arrives and load the things in. We can’t find a place so we put the things around us and stand. But soon afterwards, it becomes so crowded that I can barely see what’s in front of me. 

 

          “B-Baek?” I call out. I can’t see him. All I see is black suits, ties and stuff like that. A hand reaches out to me and I screw my eyes shut as I try my best to lean away. Two erts in a row? No thank you!

 

          “Yah, Saerin!” A familiar voice hisses. I open one eye precariously and see the hand making grabbing notions at me. “Take my hand, you idiot. I’m not covered in diseases, for goodness’ sake.”

 

          “Baekhyun?” I ask as the hand continues to reach blindly. I grab a hold of it and take a closer look. Smooth milky white skin, long slender fingers, soft and delicate.... Yup, this is a 100% Byun Baekhyun’s hand. 

 

          “Aish, jjinja!” Baekhyun takes his hand out of my grasps and snatches one of my wrists, then pulls me to his direction as the door opens and passengers rush to get off. The wave of people around me move along and soon, I’m right back where I was before; standing in front of Baekhyun with the numerous plastic bags around us. 

 

          “The least you could do was try and claw your way back,” Baekhyun says as he sighs. “I thought I lost you.”

 

          "Yeah, but I was calling for you, wasn’t I?" I roll my eyes at Baekhyun’s exaggeration. People don’t just disappear on buses, do they?

 

          “Still, I was worried.” He rests his chin atop my head and in the blink of an eye, my face is in flames. 

 

          “You stupid bacon, what do you-“

 

          “Shut up, will you?” I glare at Baekhyun but he continues talking anyway. “You had your fun the first time so it’s my turn. Now be quiet and let the puppy take a nap.”

 

          Unable to argue with that, I cross my arms and stand as still as I can, which is pretty difficult since the only thing within my view is Baekhyun’s neck, collarbone and his chest the shirt I chose for him. I can’t even lay my head on anything since his chin is restricting me from moving a muscle. 

 

          I sigh and close my eyes in irritation. Somehow, I wish that I was taller so Baekhyun could rest on my shoulder instead. My head hurts.

 

 

 

Letting Baekhyun sleep with his head on top my mine is one thing, but getting him to wake up is another thing entirely. 

 

          One is somewhat tolerable but the other is almost impossible. 

 

       

          Luckily, he doesn’t do aegyo like this morning and instead grunts and waves me away, ignoring my constant threats, commands, hits, etc. I’ve tried everything I can do while holding his head up - which is surprisingly heavy considering how I always think of him as an idiot.

 

          “Baekhyun-ah! Wake the hell up, dammit! We’re getting off soon!” Baekhyun grunts and shifts his head to one side, giving me a hard time trying to stand upright. 

 

          “Then call me when we're there....” He barely makes out. 

 

          “Oh yeah, and you’re so confident that you’ll wake up when I tell you to.” I roll my eyes and add, “Like hell you’re cooperative like that.”

 

          “Stop moving. And talking. I don’t like it when you vibrate.”

 

          “Then get your fat head off mine, you idiot.”

 

          “Heads aren’t fat,” Baekhyun protests as he shifts his head again. 

 

          “Then explain why yours weights an elephant.” Soft snoring answers me and I facepalm. He fell asleep while we were bantering. Again. 

 

          “Gangnam district, Gangnam district. Passengers please exit now.”

 

          “Bacon, wake up! Our station is right after this one!”

 

          “I will when the time is right,” he retorts snappily. I snarl and duck my head from under his and move out of the way so his head dips down on its own. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? I’m too nice to a bastard like him. 

 

          “You idiot, you have to wake up now and help me with the bags or we’ll never get down before the door closes!”

 

          “Hey, I’m not a sloth, I can move fast.” Baekhyun has his eyes closed as he crosses his arms and lets his head hang low. 

 

          “I don’t care, just start gathering the things now before-“

 

          “XOXO district, XOXO district. Passengers please exit now.”

 

          Fantastic. We missed our stop again. 

 

          Slumping down on the now empty seat behind me, I silently fume at Baekhyun and shoot him numerous death glares. 

 

          “When we get chewed out, I’m blaming you for everything.”

 

          Baekhyun snorts and an eye open as he smirks at me. “We’ll see about that.”

 

 

 

 

I can't feel my legs.

 

          “Get your head off,” I growl. “People are gonna start gossiping.” Pain shoots up my spine as he ignores my command and turns his head, his hair tickling my legs in the process, making me flinch. “Can I at least shave your head bald? You’d look so much prettier.” Baekhyun cracks his eyes open slightly to give me a look. 

 

          “No. I have fan clubs, remember? I’d like to see you try and survive their attacks.” I roll my eyes as Baekhyun chuckles and goes back to sleep again. 

 

          “Why did I have to doze off?” I ask myself as I massage my temples and groan. Ironically, we missed our stop for a second time; all because I wasn’t wake. After what happened with Baekhyun yesterday, we agreed that today, I would be the one to make sure we get down the bus at the right time. But of course fatigue had to kick in and we missed our stop three stations too late. So despite me being the master over this bacon, in order to ‘repent for my sins’, I have to let him sleep on my lap. 

 

          Worst. Punishment. Ever. 

 

          But it’s not the sleeping in my lap thing that’s killing me slowly - okay, yes, maybe it is but there’s something else that’s ten times worse - and that’s the fact that there are senior citizens in the bus. I love old people; they tell such amazing stories about how romance used to be pure but cheesy like in those movies. But what I can’t stand is the not-so-hushed whispers that make me barf. 

 

          “Omo, look at that! Sweet young love~”

 

          “I know, right? It reminds me of when I was young! Ah, sweet memories~”

 

          “Oh, how I miss those days when I would be surprised with flowers in hand and maybe even a compliment or two!”

 

          “Exactly! Men were so flattering back then.”

 

          “It’s too bad most of the youngsters these days fool around and take love for granted.”

 

          “Yes, yes. Ah, but that couple looks sincere and cute. I think they’ll last.”

 

          “Oh, I do hope so. Just imagine how cute their grandchildren would be!” A shiver goes up my spine and I resist the urge to yell out the infinite protests welling up inside me.

 

          “Aigoo, too bad we won’t be around anymore~" The two old ladies chuckle and go back to their gossiping and I heave a sigh of relief. Just hearing them chatter about this makes me sick. Seriously, do we look like we can even stand each other?

 

          “Ohorat district, Ohorat district. Passengers please exit now.”

 

          “Holy crap!” I stand up by reflex and of course, the fat headed bacon hits the seat with a loud thud, resulting in a loud groan to escape from his mouth.

 

          “Yah, are you crazy?! What did you-?”

 

          “No time, bacon! This is our stop!” I hiss and grab as many bags as I can carry. Baekhyun’s slow brain processes the information slowly so I decide help him by smacking the side of his head. He yelps and glares at me but manages to get the remaining bags and stumble out the bus with me. When we get close enough to the bus stop outside, we drop the bags, sigh and slump our worn out bodies on the vacant seats, being in perfect synchronicity for once.

 

          “Baekhyun-ah,” I breathe out, once I manage to relax a little after having a mini heart attack. I actually thought we might miss our stop for the third time today.

 

          “Mmm?” Baekhyun hums, still slightly drowsy from his nap earlier.

 

          I roll my eyes. “Do you think they'll kill us?” I ask warily. Baekhyun sighs and looks up.

 

          “Definitely. Unless they found a buffet somewhere, we are totally dead meat.” I groan and force my tired body to stand up and gather the groceries.

 

          Baekhyun starts to whine. “What, we have to go now? Can’t we at least enjoy our last moments enjoying the scenery?”

 

          I scoff at him and start trudging the last five minutes’ walk back to Sehun’s place. “Thanks but I don’t want to spend my last moments with the one who supposedly caused my death in the first place.”

 

          Baekhyun pouts a little. “Meanie! You had your own share too, you know.”

 

          “Yeah, yeah, whatever. We better get back before we’re even more screwed than we already are.” Baekhyun then finally finds the strength to pull himself up and catch up to me. We walk back silently the whole way, with me thinking of who would answer the door and yell at us first.

 

          Probably Chanyeol and Chen. Then there would be Tao and his wushu stick.

 

          As we stand in front of the door, I can’t help but gulp. Sure, we’ve been buddies for years but these guys took food seriously and if I had a choice, I wouldn’t wanna be part of their fight if it involved food. The aftermath would look like a zombie apocalypse had just taken place.

 

          “Aish, we’re gonna get yelled at anyway so let’s just get this over with already!” Baekhyun exclaims when I refuse to open the door. As I brave myself for the endless nagging of Suho and possibly the anger of Chen, the dark silent hallway greats me and I stare, jaw slack at the lack of life in the entire house.

 

          I step in and look around. None of the lights are on and I don’t even hear snoring or the sound of video games upstairs. What on earth happened to them?

 

          “Hey, do you think they really died waiting for the food?” Baekhyun asks jokingly as he flips on the switch. Everything is in order, so I’m guessing nothing out of the unusual happened.

 

          “Or maybe they became savages and decided to hunt in Sehun’s backyard?” I suggest as I place the food on the dining table. It’s only then that I notice the sticky note stuck to the refrigerator door.

 

 

 

“Waited for an hour. 
Too hungry to bother. 
Went out to dinner. 
Feel free to make yourselves at home.

 

- Jongdae & the peasants

 

 

 

  Oh, Sehun too.”

 

 

 

          “What the actual-“ Baekhyun cuts me off as he takes the note from my hand, reads it and facepalms.

 

          “Of all the- the least they could’ve done was called! Aish, and I was so worried about them too.”

 

          I chuckle as I reread the note once again. “Well, whatever. At least we have all this food to ourselves.”

 

          “And this mansion too,” Baekhyun adds and then it hits me.

 

          Baekhyun and I are alone in Sehun’s mansion, for possibly a few hours, because the guys will stuff themselves to the brim.

 

          Anything can happen in a few hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Time for my second revenge~

 

---

Yes, so like I promised, I finished 'Shopping'! :D with part 3 included, mind you.

Anyway, what I wanted to say was that I won't be on for a while since I have exams coming up. I'll probably be back around Xiumin's birthday and EXO's comeback.

Lol. It'll be like: 

EXO's comeback = my comeback to AFF

haha okay no ._. 

Now please enjoy this Baekhyun as an apology