r e d (2/2)

---

 

"Ah, this ." Baekhyun muttered, releasing a deep sigh as he ran his finger idly across his phone screen.

It's been weeks since 'the incident', and neither Sehun, Luhan nor Jongin have said anything about it. The only indications that it ever happened was the fact that he experiences an unexplainable pain in his chest when he sees Wu Yifan, and the fact that Sehun and Jongin have been more touchy feely with him (it's gross, really, but it's not every day that his friends go sweet on him, so hey, why refuse). The basketball varsity team members also gives him this knowing look, and it just reminds him of the embarrassing rejection he got.

Groaning, he let his face fall (gently) on the table, feeling like a total loser. Ever since the rejection, he ran out of things to do during his free periods. He doesn't really feel like watching (stalking) Wu again as he doesn't believe in unrequited love; that never goes well in fanfics and manga. It's not like his favourite fanfic authors update weekly, and his favourite television series were all on season breaks. Sehun has his chemistry class, and Jongin's always pestering that squishy kid from the culinary department. So really, Baekhyun doesn't have anything to do except from hanging out at the school's open area with its many tables and chairs.

"Why can't they just update weekly? It's so unfair. I want to know what happens next already...!" He grumbled under his breath, bringing his phone up to his face and swinging his legs around under the table--

--until he felt his foot hit something (quite hard, really).

He pulled his phone down, staring at the boy sitting in front of him currently cringing in pain. Baekhyun knows how painful getting kicked in the shin is, so he remains quiet, keeping his sass on the down low. The boy finally managed to recover from his pain, and he directed a shaky smile towards Baekhyun before waving his hand in a form of hello.

"Hi."

"You're not getting in my pants, okay." Baekhyun blurted out defensively, frowning at him.

The boy stared at him for a full minute, an awkward silence floating thick around them, until Baekhyun noticed how the boy's cheeks and the tips of his ears turned red. He watched as the boy sat up straight in panic and realization, waving his hands around in a flustered manner before frowning rather adorably at him.

"Th-that's not why I'm here!" He stuttered, and Baekhyun gave him a disbelieving look, cocking an eyebrow.

"I know pretty much how these things go, mister. I've read my fair share of fanfics and manga to know that a good-looking kid like you approaching a nugu like me is--

"Look, okay. I just wanted to introduce myself. And to ask if you liked the flower." The boy cut in, and Baekhyun felt a light bulb light up in his head, a small ting! resonating along with it.

"Oh." Baekhyun muttered under his breath, and suddenly, the boy in front of him is not the only one turning red. He quickly looked away, his eyebrows furrowing in thought.

Baekhyun remembered everything that happened the day that he got rejected by Wu Yifan. He remembered how he had woken up late (a sort of premonition that he'd have a ty day, maybe?), and how his phone's battery was almost dying when he went out. He also remembered the boy with the tulip. Or the boy who gave him the tulip. Either way, there was a boy and a yellow tulip. The yellow tulip was currently being pressed back at his room by his Harry Potter series (since he wanted to laminate it and turn it into a bookmark), and the boy, well, he was there in front of Baekhyun.

Baekhyun twiddled his fingers, opting to stare at the shadow that his hands were making. Such awkward. Much eloquence. "Uhm." Baekhyun started, and he dared to look up at the boy.

However, Baekhyun only frowned deeper. He had expected the boy to be looking at him, really, but the boy was currently laying out playing cards on the table, his dark lashes contrasting against his cheeks and his large hands fluidly moving over the cards. He suddenly looked up at Baekhyun, and Baekhyun almost fell off his chair.

"Choose one." The boy directed professionally, and Baekhyun hesitantly took one.

"I don't really like magic that much..." Baekhyun mumbled, and the boy suddenly stood up and grabbed the card back, surprising Baekhyun.

"Are you serious?! Why?! I mean, magic is, well...magical! It's that one thing that makes us forget how dull and mean reality is! Magic is cool! Magic is--

"Stupid, if you ask me." Baekhyun shrugged his shoulders, and the boy frowned.

"W-well, I wasn't asking." He defended, flopping back down on his seat and placing the card back down his neatly arranged ones. He rested his chin on his hand and looked away, a frown on his baby face.

Baekhyun suddenly felt guilty. He had a habit of speaking without thinking, really (look at where that brought him with Wu) and for all he knew, magic might have meant something much more deeper to the kid. Biting his lip and hating that ugly feeling in his chest, he leaned on the table and lowered his head, trying to catch the boy's attention again.

"H-hey. Uhm, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call magic stupi--

Baekhyun never really finished his sentence. His words got caught in his throat as the boy suddenly looked back at him, their faces probably only a foot away from each other, his frown gone and a smile on his face. He slowly reached up towards Baekhyun's face, and just like that time with the tulip, he felt the boy's empty hand touching his ear gently, fingers brushing against his earlobe. Baekhyun could only blink in response, and the boy grinned before pulling back his hand.

"Here. My name's been with you all along, it seems."

"E-excuse me?" Oh dear God this kid is ing corny.

"Look."

Baekhyun pulled back to see a paper in the boy's hand, pink and neatly folded. He eyed it suspiciously and the boy rolled his eyes before shoving it towards Baekhyun. Baekhyun took it unwillingly.

"Just open it." The boy urged on, and Baekhyun sat back down, still giving the kid a suspicious look.

Despite his hesitations, he carefully unfolded it, his eyes running over the lines messily scrawled on the pink paper. Baekhyun wasn't really sure if he should feel touched, or embarrassed, or disgusted, but he's guessing it's a mix of all of three. The feeling was quite intense.

"You are so beautiful that you give the sun a reason to shine. -Park Chanyeol"

Baekhyun may have shuddered or not. He frowned at the note for a few seconds more before looking back up again at Chanyeol (his name, apparently). Only, Chanyeol wasn't in his seat anymore. He was standing beside Baekhyun, and before Baekhyun could say something about how he shouldn't go scaring people like that or giving people weird as notes, Chanyeol leaned down and placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

"See you around, sunshine!"

Baekhyun watched as Chanyeol ran away, and he touched his cheek with his hand, frowning and feeling stupid. Not to mention, embarrassed as hell. He felt like he had just been ually harassed, and he didn't even do anything.

"What the ."

 

♦ ♣ ♦

 

The next time that Baekhyun saw Chanyeol was a few days after the kiss.

He was having lunch with Sehun, Luhan and Jongin peacefully. Sehun and Luhan we're being all lovey-dovey again, and Jongin was trying to rain on their parade by showing them disgusting pictures of bugs he found on tumblr (Luhan hates bugs, 'nuff said). Baekhyun was lazily feeding himself as he kept his eyes glued on his phone screen, watching his bias group's comeback showcase when suddenly, a wild Pokemon with giant ears and long limbs appeared beside him, flopping down on the seat next to him and obnoxiously laying almost half his body on the space in front of Baekhyun.

"What the are you doing here again, you erted magician." Baekhyun drawled, not even bothering to look at Chanyeol.

"Well, see. I never really managed to hear your answer about the flower." Chanyeol stated casually, eyes never leaving Baekhyun's face.

Baekhyun frowned. Honestly, he liked the flower. Yellow was a nice colour, and the tulip was very pretty and fully bloomed. The meaning was very beautiful, too, and maybe just what he needed at that time, but now that he had a face and a name to the person who gave him the tulip, he's not entirely sure if Chanyeol even knew what it meant.

"What flower." Baekhyun stalled, pausing his video and just opting to watch it later. He was never going to finish when Chanyeol was around. He just knew it.

"The yellow tulip I pulled out of nowhere and romantically tucked behind your ear, in case you forgot." Chanyeol offhandedly reminded, grinning widely when Baekhyun's cheeks flushed a light pink.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Baekhyun snapped at him, glaring at him. Chanyeol only grinned wider.

"Oh, who's your friend, Baek?" Luhan suddenly piped up from his seat, and Baekhyun could only groan in frustration.

"Shhh, Luhan, ignore him. What you're seeing is an ugly figment of your imagination."

"Hey!" Chanyeol protested, but his protest fell on deaf ears as Baekhyun took off his cap and jammed it on Chanyeol's face.

"Nobody talked to you, ."

Chanyeol took hold of him by the wrist and pulled his hand down with the cap, pouting at Baekhyun. Baekhyun would have found it cute if Chanyeol wasn't Chanyeol. He's sure that made sense.

"Why are you calling me a ert, anyway? I don't remember doing anything indecent to you."

Ignoring the curious stares he was getting from his friends, Baekhyun scoffed before pulling his hand away and glaring murderously at Chanyeol.

"You kissed me, you ! I don't even know you!"

[Sehun: "He kissed you?!"]

"Yeah, you do! I'm Chanyeol!"

"A name's not enough for you to ing kiss me, dweeb." Baekhyun deadpanned, and Chanyeol suddenly grinned as if he already knew exactly what Baekhyun was going to say.

"Then what should I do so that I can kiss you without you lashing out at me?" Chanyeol asked, grinning smugly as he leaned on the table again.

Baekhyun could feel his face heating up from embarrassment and at having been cornered by his own words. He could hear Sehun and Jongin conspiratorially whispering to each other about how Chanyeol had the moves, and Luhan shushing them.

"Excuse me?" Because really, Baekhyun had no idea what to say.

"What should I do? What is it that you deem 'enough' for me to able to freely kiss you?" Chanyeol leaned a little closer, and Baekhyun felt the urge to bash his face in with his foot.

"Nothing! What makes you think you can kiss me?!"

"Well, technically speaking, he already did." Sehun cut in, earning him a glare from Baekhyun.

"Baekhyun, the kiddo's right, you know?" Chanyeol never wiped the smile off of his face, and it irked Baekhyun to no end.

[Sehun: "I'm not a kid--", Luhan: "Shh, babe, let the adults talk."]

"How the do you even know my name? Are you stalking me? Oh my ."

"Well, what can I do? I know everything. And not so harsh, I'm not a stalker! A stalker is a person who harasses or persecutes someone with unwanted and obsessive attention. I don't do that, Baekhyun." Chanyeol sat up straight in his seat, eyes still on Baekhyun.

"I don't think you fully understand the definition of stalker--

"If you give me a chance to show you more than my name, then it won't be stalking anymore. Please?" Chanyeol clapped his hands together in front of him, closing his eyes tightly and oh, Baekhyun really doesn't want to think that he's cute but he is (Luhan cooing in the background wasn't helping).

"...oh God why am I even considering this...if I give you another chance, you won't bother me anymore. Clear?" Baekhyun released a deep sigh, massaging the bridge of his nose and ignoring how Chanyeol beamed brightly at him.

Chanyeol didn't leave their table after that, though. He just opted to sitting beside Baekhyun, leaning on the table and watching him like a puppy. It made Baekhyun feel nervous because he's really not one to yearn for unwanted attention, so he tried his best to ignore Chanyeol. However, it was a pretty hard task to do when--

"Hey, Baekhyun."

"Shut up, I'm reading."

"Are you an interior decorator?"

"Baek's a lit major." Jongin lazily supplied, and Chanyeol waved him off.

"Because when I saw you, the room became beautiful."

Baekhyun could only cover his face in embarrassment. He really doesn't know what he got himself into.

 

♦ ♣ ♦

 

"So hey. Who's that stalker dude?"

Baekhyun stopped in the middle of folding his clothes to look at Sehun. Quirking an eyebrow, he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly before focusing on his task again. He heard Sehun click his tongue before the brat decided to flop down on his bed and ruin the pile that he had just folded.

"Oh Sehun, god damn it, if you don't fold those again, I will rip your Chatime point card."

"Then talk to me like a normal human being, hyung! I'm just curious!"

"Curious about what?! Chanyeol's just an ugly figment of your imagination!" Baekhyun snapped, throwing a shirt at Sehun's face.

"But you just talked about him! And seriously speaking, he's not ugly. He just has ears fit for a colossal titan but hey, it's aaall cool." Sehun commented.

Baekhyun just scowled at him before pushing him off the bed and resuming his folding. The door to their room suddenly opened and Jongin came rushing in like an excited puppy, that squishy kid from the culinary department trotting after him with an amazed look on his face.

"Baekhyun, Sehun, look, look! I've got something to show you!" Jongin spluttered, and Squishy Kid nodded his head along in excitement.

"If that's another one of your disgusting bug pictures, I'm going to punch your face in, Jongin." Sehun warned, and Jongin shook his head, holding out two of his fists to Baekhyun and Sehun.

"...Jongin, if that's a real bug, I'll kick you in the face." Baekhyun said, holding up a shirt in defence.

"Come on, guys, don't you trust m--

"No, not really."

"Well, yeah, you all, too. Now, choose!" Jongin demanded, shoving his fists towards his friends.

Baekhyun and Sehun looked at each other hesitantly. Jongin has been known for pulling pranks on them, really, so the two have already learned not to trust Jongin too much. Sehun pushed Baekhyun forward, and the older sighed, complying to Jongin's wishes. Something was really fishy about it.

"If I end up getting hurt or grossed out because of this, expect to sleep on the streets tonight, Kim Jongin." Baekhyun started, and Jongin scoffed, gesturing at Squishy Kid behind him.

"Whatever, Baek, I have Kyungsoo. He'll take me in."

Baekhyun rolled his eyes before focusing on Jongin's closed fists. He quickly chose the one on the left, and Jongin opened both his palms.

"Now, see, there's a coin here and-- eh? Wait, where's my coin? What the ?" Jongin mumbled, staring at his empty palms. Squishy Kid--  Kyungsoo-- looked over Jongin's shoulder, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Are you wasting my time, Jongin?" Baekhyun crossed his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow at said boy.

"No! I swear, I was gonna show you something cool an--

"Jongin! I think you left your coin with that dude..." Kyungsoo cut in, and Jongin stopped mid-sentence before slumping his shoulders in realization. "Oh, right."

"What dude?" Baekhyun asked, and before Jongin could answer, somebody knocked on their door.

"Hey, uh, Jongin? I know you're excited and all about that trick, but you left your coin and bag with me so-- oh."

Baekhyun stared as Chanyeol awkwardly stood under their doorway. He waved sheepishly at everyone in the room, and slowly shuffled in. Baekhyun could only sigh in annoyance. He was having a perfectly good and Chanyeol-free day, but Jongin just had to pull Chanyeol along.

"Oh, 'sup, man. Sorry." Jongin took his bag from Chanyeol, moving a little to the side to give Chanyeol some space.

"Were you showing the trick to Baekhyun?"

"I was going to, but, yeah, no coin."

Chanyeol laughed slightly before turning to Baekhyun. He smiled widely, and Baekhyun would be lying if he didn't think that Chanyeol looked nice.

"Hi, Baekhyun."

"...what are you doing here." Baekhyun mumbled in irritation, and Chanyeol pouted.

"Well, remember when you agreed in giving me another chance to show you more than a name?"

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes suspiciously but nodded his head anyway. Chanyeol smiled.

"Well, I'm here to take it! Not immediately, but..."

Chanyeol suddenly put up his hands in front of Baekhyun, one coin atop one of his palms. He closed them both, lazily moving around the coin and Baekhyun thinks it's stupid because really, it's too slow and he can still see where the coin is. Chanyeol finally stopped, and he pushed his hands towards Baekhyun, just like what Jongin had done earlier. Chanyeol wiggled them around slightly when Baekhyun did nothing, and the smaller of the two just sighed before choosing where the coin obviously was.

Chanyeol just smiled, opening the chosen hand slowly, and Baekhyun let out an involuntary and quiet, "eh?" when he saw no coin. He looked up at Chanyeol in question, and Chanyeol opened his other hand. There wasn't any coin, either.

"...where's the coin?" Baekhyun forgot his irritation at Chanyeol for a moment, and was genuinely bothered about the coin's location.

"Oh? Wait, I think there's something right here..."

Chanyeol moved his hand closer to Baekhyun's face, almost cupping it. Baekhyun could feel his cheeks heat up from the touch. Chanyeol's fingers lingered on his ears for a second too long, and then the taller kid was pulling his hand away...a cute little paper flower in between his fingers. Kyungsoo gasped in amazement, and Baekhyun could only stare at the flower. Chanyeol smiled at him.

"Guess there wasn't any coin there, but hey, I'd take a pretty little flower like this over a rusty old coin any day." Chanyeol offered the flower to Baekhyun who took it rather hesitantly.

"...I'm seriously not following, Chanyeol."

"There's something written on the stem, I think. Look."

Baekhyun did as he was told, and for the first time ever since he stopped watching (stalking) Wu Yifan, he felt butterflies in his stomach dance around. Not too many butterflies, but just enough to make him feel nervous.

"Your smile lights up my world, so please smile more.

Disneyland, Saturday, 9AM?"

Baekhyun could feel Chanyeol's expectant gaze on him. Sehun, Jongin and Kyungsoo were all looking at him, too, but they couldn't really see what the flower said, so taking this into consideration (and the fact that he has never been to Disneyland), he nodded his head shyly, peeking up at Chanyeol to see if he was serious or not and if he saw his answer. Chanyeol was smiling brightly, and if anyone's smile lit up a world, it was probably Chanyeol's smile.

Baekhyun didn't expect another kiss on the cheek, though.

And Chanyeol didn't expect a kick in the shin, either.

 

♦ ♣ ♦

 

Saturday came faster than Baekhyun expected, and honestly, he was nervous. Living his eighteen years of life in front of his laptop and phone fanboying about girl groups and 2D characters didn't really help his social skills. If social skills consisted of lunch breaks with equally dumb and 4D friends, then Baekhyun's got it. If not (which is most likely the case), then he's got every reason to be nervous.

Because he's currently standing beside the bus stop, waiting for Chanyeol and waiting for their 'date' to begin.

Baekhyun couldn't remove the frown on his face and he couldn't stop his hands from fumbling with his shirt. He wasn't used to such pretty clothes (and he wasn't used to wearing Sehun's clothes, either). The brat had forced him into them, even going so far as to calling Kyungsoo over and asking the culinary kid to style Baekhyun's hair. When Baekhyun had threatened to rip Sehun's Chatime card again, the brat had reasoned that it was only natural that Baekhyun went all out for this date because, "Hyung! This is your first date and that magician kid's really cool, we like him so don't this up, okay? I'm lending you my clothes, hyung, go get your Romeo!".

Baekhyun had given Sehun a glare that even Wolverine couldn't match, but in all honesty, Baekhyun was glad that the brat had lent him some clothes. All he had were fandom shirts and hoodies, and that one nice hoodie he had was too thin for the weather. He guessed that Sehun probably knew what he was doing, so he was going to have to bear with the brat's leather jacket and plain white shirt.

"Sorry! Did I make you wait? The bus was late-- woah."

Baekhyun turned to his side and saw Chanyeol standing a few feet away, looking breathless and surprised. Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, and Chanyeol blinked, suddenly back in action. He walked slowly towards Baekhyun, gesturing to his outfit.

"You look--

"I-It was Sehun's fault! I'm not excited or anything, okay?! Sehun made me wear these and Kyungsoo put eyeliner on me and I--

"Calm down, Baekhyun! I was going to say that you look nice." Chanyeol laughed, and Baekhyun felt his cheeks flush. God, he's such a tsundere.

"W-well...whatever, let's go."

Baekhyun kept his eyes on the floor, missing Chanyeol's amused smile. The taller of the two casually led the way, a hand placed gently on Baekhyun's elbow. Baekhyun, for the first time in forever, didn't push Chanyeol away. He was too busy being concerned over how he looked and if what he was doing was right (am I walking right ohmygod I hate this date thing).

They stepped into the special bus headed for Disneyland, and Chanyeol headed for the backseat. Baekhyun followed quietly, and watched as the taller male occupied a seat, saving one for Baekhyun right next to him. Baekhyun hesitated for a moment, but a kid behind him bumped into him, altogether pushing him forward and unceremoniously forcing him into the seat beside Chanyeol. Chanyel grinned at him.

"Calm down, Baekhyun, the seat's not going anywhere." He teased, and Baekhyun glared at him before fixing himself.

"Shut up, Park Chanyeol." Baekhyun crossed his arms over his chest, his frown deepening when Chanyeol leaned over into his field of vision, an annoyingly cute pout on his lips.

"Hey, I've been wondering...why are you so hostile against me?"

Baekhyun rolled his eyes before pushing Chanyeol back onto his seat. "Are you seriously asking me that."

"Yes! I need to know why you're always feeling the need to bite my head off."

"Because you ually harassed me, Park Chanyeol!" Baekhyun hissed, ignoring how some of the parents in the bus gave them dirty looks. Chanyeol blushed a soft pink at the attention that they were getting, and he quickly bowed his head in apology before turning back to Baekhyun.

"I did not! And keep your voice down, there are kids, if you haven't noticed."

"I don't care, Park. Point is, you harassed me, so I see no need for me to act friendly towards you!"

"Then why are you here with me right now?" Chanyeol asked, looking genuinely confused. Baekhyun frowned deeper.

"Because it's Disneyland, okay? And...And Sehun, that brat, threatened to kick me out of our room if I don't go with you today. I have a hunch they're going to follow us."

"I don't think that's enough reason for you to go out with someone who, as you so adamantly claim, ually harassed you. Which, by the way, isn't true because kissing someone on the cheek is a sign of friendship and greeting! It's very common in Southern, Central and Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Latin America." Chanyeol informed, looking very serious and Baekhyun could almost imagine glasses on him and a blackboard behind him. He  sounded very much like a teacher.

"...but we're not in any of those places, Chanyeol. So technically, you weren't even supposed to do that." Baekhyun countered, fighting the urge to smile at Chanyeol's face.

Chanyeol frowned slightly, pouting before releasing a soft sigh, bowing his head towards Baekhyun.

"Okay, fine, I'm sorry. I just...your cheeks were so pink that day and the previous night, I came across this article on cheek kissing and--

"Okay, okay, I get it, stop. You're freaking out the kids and me." Baekhyun held up a hand, pushing Chanyeol's face away towards the window.

Baekhyun, for reasons unknown to him (but of course, known to us), felt something heavy lifted off his shoulders. He suddenly felt like relaxing his face, wiping the frown on his face, and he genuinely thinks that Chanyeol's nice, even with his constant corny pick-up lines and weird magic tricks. He found himself initiating conversation more than once during the bus ride to Disneyland, and it felt nice talking to somebody other than Sehun, Jongin, Luhan and his online friends from Twitter.

When they arrived, Baekhyun already felt comfortable around Chanyeol. He was still a little unused at how touchy Chanyeol was, but he just learned to go with the flow. Chanyeol pulled him to the ticketing gate, and when Baekhyun started taking out his wallet, Chanyeol smacked it away. Baekhyun was about to growl at Chanyeol for being a when somebody tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, excuse me. Your wallet kind of flew towards my friend's face."

Baekhyun froze, and his heart started hammering in his chest. Even Chanyeol looked shaken, but he was the first one to regain composure, suddenly pulling Baekhyun closer to him and taking the wallet from the man before them. Baekhyun kept his eyes glued to the floor. He didn't need to see the face to know who it was. He knew that voice well.

"Thanks, man. Uhm...you're Wu, right? We go to the same school." Chanyeol awkwardly greeted, and Baekhyun noticed that Chanyeol still hadn't removed his arm around him. Baekhyun didn't push him away, though. It felt nice and comforting.

"Yeah, that's me. You're...I'm sorry, but I don't know you...?"

"It's okay, man. We're just nobodies, really." Chanyeol waved his free hand dismissively, an easy smile on his face.

"But your friend's familiar..."

Baekhyun tensed up, and he just wanted to get away from there, really. Wu didn't have to remember him. Baekhyun started pulling himself away when--

"Oh, you know my boyfriend?"

Baekhyun swore his neck cracked when he abruptly turned to look up at Chanyeol, a scandalized look on his face. What the is this idiot saying?! Boyfriend?! I'm going to kill--

"Oh, that's cool. You look nice together." Wu genuinely sounded like he was complimenting them. Baekhyun dared a peek at him, but Chanyeol suddenly hooked his arm around Baekhyun's neck and gently pulled him closer, planting Baekhyun's face on his chest. I'm going to murder this Yoda lookalike.

"Thanks, but we really have to go. Baekhyun's excited to go on the jet coasters, and the lines are going to get long if we stay around here any longer. Nice meeting you, Wu!"

"Yeah, same. Uhm, you are...?"

"Park Chanyeol. See you around, man." Chanyeol waved, pulling a frozen Baekhyun away.

As soon as they got into the amusement park and were far away from Wu who went to look for his suddenly missing friend, Baekhyun pushed Chanyeol away, a pissed off look on his face. Chanyeol held up his hands in defence, looking at Baekhyun in alarm.

"Why would you say that to Wu?!" Baekhyun clenched his fists, and Chanyeol just shrugged his shoulders, lowering his hands and shoving them in his pockets.

"I don't know. It's not like it matters, right?"

"It matters!"

"Why?" Chanyeol leaned closer, and Baekhyun just wanted to rip his own hair out in frustration.

"Because!!" Baekhyun stomped his foot, and Chanyeol suddenly looked annoyed. Baekhyun wasn't used to it.

"He rejected you, didn't he? Why do you still care about his opinion about you? He rejected you in front of the whole basketball team! Have some respect for yourself, and stop pining after him!"

Chanyeol's words hit right home that Baekhyun just reflexively punched Chanyeol in the gut. Baekhyun felt so embarrassed, and he didn't even know how Chanyeol knew about Wu rejecting him. Baekhyun ignored Chanyeol silently cursing under his breath because of the pain, and Baekhyun stomped off, leaving him.

Baekhyun found himself a seat under some shade, and he sat down, trying to cool his head off. Chanyeol was right, really, and he knew that. But he was the type of person who hated admitting his own mistakes easily. He was a stubborn kid, and Sehun and Jongin have been friends with him long enough to know that it was one of Baekhyun's traits that just couldn't be helped anymore.

Baekhyun suddenly sobbed, and he felt like the biggest jerk for punching Chanyeol in the gut. Sure, the kid stole one, maybe two, kisses from him, followed him everywhere, cracked pickup lines on him and used him as the test subject to his magic tricks, but Chanyeol had been nice to him. When Chanyeol wasn't doing anything that was mentioned previously, he was being a normal human being and just talking to Baekhyun and his friends. Chanyeol had been nice. He knew that Baekhyun wouldn't want to be around Wu after that rejection, and though his method was cliché and unorthodox, he got the job done.

But Baekhyun just er punched him, and it was a move, really.

"Here."

Baekhyun shrieked out of surprise, looking up to see a single yellow tulip right in front of his face. Blinking at it, he slowly took it into his hands, and behind the flower, all he could see was Chanyeol's worried face. Something bloomed in his heart right at that moment, and somehow, Baekhyun couldn't even hear the screams and laughter around him in the amusement park.

"Are you okay? You suddenly ditched me back there and--

"I'm sorry for punching you. I'm sorry for being a , Chanyeol. I'm so--

"You know what a yellow tulip means?" Chanyeol cut him off, sitting down beside Baekhyun. Baekhyun noticed Chanyeol still clutching his stomach, and he felt a twinge of guilt in his conscience.

Baekhyun nodded his head, and Chanyeol smiled back.

"Then I hope you know that I mean it, and that I'll give you more yellow tulips if I have to."

Baekhyun felt the blood rush to his cheeks, and he unconsciously used the tulip to hide his face. Chanyeol laughed, reaching over and pulling his hand down. Baekhyun glared weakly at him.

"That tulip's not going to hide your pretty face, if you ask me."

"I wasn't asking..."

"...you're still down. Come on, you punch like a girl, it didn't hurt at all!" Chanyeol leaned closer, invading Baekhyun's field of vision again.

Baekhyun only blushed harder, and he suddenly stood up, surprising Chanyeol. Clutching the tulip to his chest for dear life, he pointed aggressively at a random jet coaster, trying to keep Chanyeol from seeing his flushed face. He heard Chanyeol's quiet chuckle of amusement, and the boy's footsteps as he neared Baekhyun.

"L-let's go on that one...please." Baekhyun mumbled, still pointing at the ride.

Chanyeol hummed in agreement, and Baekhyun's mind went into overdrive when Chanyeol slowly took his hand into his, cupping it gently and then smiling at him. Baekhyun opened his mouth to say something, but the words died in his throat.

"Okay, sunshine, let's go, then."

Baekhyun suddenly felt like Sunako, Chanyeol's warm smile blinding him and making him feel lightheaded. Chanyeol's hand around him was a very weird and foreign feeling, but surprisingly, it was greatly welcomed. He wasn't one for physical contact, but he'd let this slide just once. Maybe twice? He's not sure, but he's positive he'll let it slide again. All thoughts about gummy smiles and perfect blond locks got hidden underneath teeth-rich smiles and tousled black locks, and Baekhyun found himself not minding it one tiny bit.

 

♦ ♣ ♦

 

It was one lazy Tuesday morning, days after he and Chanyeol went to Disneyland, that Baekhyun found himself being pulled away again by the tall boy. The warm fingers wrapped around his wrist made his heart skip some necessary beats, and had it not been for the fact that Baekhyun was worrying about his firsts class, he would've blushed a deep red to his roots.

"Chanyeol, what are you doing? Where are you taking me? I have classes to go to! I can't flunk tha--

"Shh, come on, I'm taking you to a secret place, Baekhyunnie."

"If you're going to me or something, I swear you're going to regret it 'cause I know hapkido and I will beat the shi--

"You talk too much, Baek, just shut up and come with me!" Chanyeol complained, and Baekhyun kept muttering under his breath as Chanyeol pulled him through the throng of students all going to class.

They passed by the different buildings on campus, past the basketball and soccer field, and into that one building on campus that wasn't really used anymore. Only broken chairs and supplies remained in the building. Baekhyun eyed it suspiciously, his gaze flitting back and forth from the building to Chanyeol's broad back.

"Chanyeol, I swea--

"Look, no one's going to you, okay? I just want to show you something."

"I don't want to see your family jewels, though."

Chanyeol suddenly turned to him, an amused look on his face. "Byun Baekhyun, where do you get all of these weird ideas?"

"Uhm...the internet...? And fanfics...manga, too..." Baekhyun mumbled, suddenly feeling shy under Chanyeol's gaze. The taller male just looked at him before laughing softly.

"God, do you know how adorable you are?"

"Are you talking to me, or God?" Baekhyun relied on his sarcasm in times of embarrassing moments and compliments.

"...and I love how naturally sassy and sarcastic you are, Byun." Chanyeol added with a smile, making Baekhyun blush deeper.

Baekhyun didn't say anything after that, and Chanyeol started dragging him along again. They entered the building together wordlessly, and Chanyeol didn't let go of him until they reached the backdoor. Chanyeol grinned at him before opening the door.

Baekhyun got blinded by the sunlight for a moment, but when his eyes adjusted, he let out a soft gasp. There was a small flower garden right behind the building, and Baekhyun could now see where Chanyeol got his yellow tulips and other flowers that he always gives Baekhyun from, either normally or through magic tricks (Baekhyun preferred the magic tricks because Chanyeol always does that ear-touching thing but Baekhyun would never admit that, nooo).

"Ta-dah~." Chanyeol said softly, hands gesturing to the flower garden.

"...this is the part where I gasp and ask you if you did this, right?" Baekhyun smiled slightly, and Chanyeol laughed.

"Yes, but unlike the usual clichés, I didn't make this, unfortunately. I just found this garden a few weeks ago, and whenever I needed to think or just be alone, I go here. It's nice and quiet. Plus, it's an eye candy. I don't get to see you every day, so a flower garden will suffice. Though, it doesn't really match your beauty and--

Chanyeol suddenly stopped talking, and for him, it was as if time stopped and the angels started singing as he watched Baekhyun double over in laughter, his voice music to Chanyeol's ears and his smile a thousand times more priceless than Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Baekhyun continued laughing, tears in his eyes, and when he calmed down, his cheeks were flushed pink. He wiped his eyes dry and looked at Chanyeol in amusement.

"I'm sorry, but...you just looked so entranced in your monologue about flowers and well, me, and you looked so cute, I couldn't help but laugh. You looked like a proud kid talking about his mother." Baekhyun waved his hand around dismissively, and Chanyeol cringed at the comparison.

"That's...I don't want to be your son, though. No offense."

"None taken. Besides, we're friends, I kno--

"Can we be more than that?"

Baekhyun's smile froze, and he just stared at Chanyeol blankly. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest wildly, and when Chanyeol stepped closer, he swallowed nervously. Baekhyun clenched his fists beside him, and then suddenly, Chanyeol's in front of him. He could feel Chanyeol's body warmth envelope him, and Chanyeol's hands lightly resting on his shoulders.

"Is that okay?"

Baekhyun kept his eyes on Chanyeol's neck, not entirely sure on how he should react. Sure, he may have developed a slight crush on the boy because of his nice nature and friendly attitude, but Baekhyun was still confused. He still wasn't entirely over his crush on Wu, to be honest, and then Chanyeol asking him to be more than friends was making his head hurt.

"...I'll take that as a no, then?"

The dejection in Chanyeol's voice that he tried so hard to mask with his usual easiness touched something in Baekhyun. He quickly looked up at Chanyeol, and without thinking about what consequences his action will make, he stood on his tiptoes and placed a light kiss on Chanyeol's cheek (but he's pretty sure it landed more on the corner of his lips but he can't really remember since he just winged it).

"L-let me think about it...for now, I'm going to give you another chance to show me more than your name, o-okay?"

Chanyeol just nodded his head, face blank and eyes wide. Baekhyun punched him lightly on the shoulder before looking away, focusing on the tulips and mumbling something about sunshine and smiles. Unbeknownst to him, he had just made Chanyeol the happiest man on Earth at that moment.

 

♦ ♣ ♦

 

Baekhyun tried to ignore Sehun's pointed looks at him, and Luhan's knowing smile on his pretty angel face. He also tried to ignore the smirk on Kyungsoo's face and the smug grin that Jongin just couldn't wipe away. Groaning in frustration, he straightened himself and noisily pushed his seat away from the table and his books, earning an annoyed "Keep it down, Byun, we're in the library!" from the other students. Baekhyun glared at them before pulling his earphones out of his ears and turning to his friends.

"What." He hissed between clenched teeth, and his four dumb apes for friends simultaneously smiled wider, wiggling their eyebrows conspiratorially.

Baekhyun groaned again, shaking his head. He knew exactly what this was about. It was his fault, anyway. When he had come back from his Disneyland date with Chanyeol, he had this huge contented smile on his face, and his friends immediately knew what it meant. Of course, Baekhyun didn't admit anything to his friends, so the night ended with a pillow fight (and maybe a few broken toy figures but Baekhyun had Jongin take responsibility). This pattern continued every time Baekhyun came home from meeting up with Chanyeol, be it a date to some extravagant place or just a simple lunch/dinner date.

Looking back at his friends, they were still giving him that greasy 'we knoooow' look, and Baekhyun couldn't concentrate on his homework. Leaning closer, he wrung the air in front of his friends in a strangling motion, and Jongin was the only one who faltered (he was always at the receiving end of Baekhyun's wrath).

"I swear to God, if you guys don't stop--

"We just want you to admit that you like Chanyeol! Come on, Baekhyuunnnniieee~." Luhan teased, quickly hiding behind Sehun and sticking his tongue out at Baekhyun.

"Fine! He's nice. Happy? Now leave me alone!"

Baekhyun turned back to his table, and was confused for a moment when he saw his table empty, his notebook gone. He turned to look beside him, and had it not been for Kyungsoo covering his mouth, they would've been kicked out of the library because Baekhyun had almost shrieked in surprise. Again.

"Oh, you pressed the tulip I gave you, sunshine. How sweet." Chanyeol looked genuinely happy, the flower-turned-bookmark in between his fingers as he smiled at Baekhyun.

"G-give that back!" Baekhyun hissed through clenched teeth in embarrassment, feeling his cheeks heat up. He doesn't know if it's from embarrassment or because Chanyeol was there smiling at him, but guessed that it was both.

"Alright, alright, but hey, listen. May I borrow you for a moment? I'm taking another chance."

"You don't just borrow people!" Baekhyun protested, but his words fell on deaf ears as Kyungsoo pushed him off his seat and literally, into Chanyeol's open arms. Cheesy.

"Easy there, sunshine, I'm not going anywhere without you. No need to fling yourself at me." Chanyeol murmured teasingly, his baritone voice reaching into the deepest pits of Baekhyun's soul.

Baekhyun scrambled away from him, totally flustered and red. Chanyeol just laughed in amusement before taking hold of Baekhyun's hand and pulling him away from his friends and out of the library. Baekhyun just followed quietly. He could feel his hands getting sweaty and he wanted to die right then and there because oh God Chanyeol's going to get disgusted at me an--

"So hey, you never really asked me how I knew your name and...other things that I shouldn't know." Chanyeol started suddenly, his steps not ceasing and his hold on Baekhyun's hand growing firm.

Baekhyun hummed in realization, trying to forget about his sweaty hand and jogging faster to catch up with Chanyeol's large steps. Their arms brushed against each other, and Baekhyun felt some kind of electricity jolt his heart into another wild beating episode. Since when was he this cheesy.

"Now that you mention it...why do you know so many things? And don't sass me."

Chanyeol laughed before glancing at him and subtly linking their fingers together. Baekhyun didn't notice until Chanyeol squeezed his hand gently. The taller male didn't speak until they were at the flower garden again and until he led him to a bench by the side, and they sat down. Chanyeol didn't let go of his hand, and Baekhyun opened his mouth to repeat his question but Chanyeol beat him to it.

"Ah, well...I've known you for quite a while now, really. We're both lit majors--

"You're a lit major?!"

"--and yes, I'm a lit major, in case you didn't know, which apparently was the case. Anyway, yeah, we're both lit majors, and I've been seeing you around. You're always glued to your phone and friends, and the only time I see you smile is when you go to the basketball court--

"You were stalking me!"

"Shh, you're ruining my story, Baek." Chanyeol gave him a pointed look, and Baekhyun smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"So yeah, I didn't really follow you, trust me, but somehow you're always there at the places that I needed to be at. That day that Wu, uhm..." Chanyeol stopped, looking at Baekhyun hesitantly.

Baekhyun smiled, the familiar pain in his chest at hearing Wu's name absent. He nodded his head for Chanyeol to continue, and Chanyeol sighed in relief.

"So, yeah, that day, a professor asked me to get one of the players, and when I arrived at the basketball court, all I heard was you screaming out your inner thoughts. It was...surprising, really. Quite a nice change from all the usual confessions I hear. It was so quiet after though, and then when Wu answered you, all I could see was you running away, crying. I heard Sehun and Luhan calling you, hence why I knew your name, and you didn't even hear them."

"So...why'd you follow me?"

"Have I ever told you how pretty your smile is?"

"Is this another pickup line?"

"No, it's a legit question, Baekhyun."

"Oh."

"I didn't like seeing you cry that day, so I followed you. I remembered you doing a report on flowers during one of our lit classes last term-- and yes, we were classmates. I didn't have any other thing to cheer you up with and the only thing I knew was magic so I thought, why not use magic to show you that there's still something nice in reality?"

Baekhyun found himself smiling wistfully. Something clicked in him at that moment, and suddenly, he didn't mind his sweaty hand anymore. He scooted closer to Chanyeol, their arms pressing against each other. Chanyeol was still talking, telling Baekhyun about how he knew so much about him, but Baekhyun wasn't listening anymore. He was just watching Chanyeol.

How Chanyeol's lips opened and closed as he talked enthusiastically, his cheeks blushing slightly when he said something embarrassing or deep. How his tousled black hair contrasted against his skin, making him look paler than how he actually is. How his forehead wrinkled when he frowned, and how his eyelashes fluttered and casted these tiny little pinpricks of shadow on his chubby cheeks. How his nose was slightly bent at the bridge, and how it suited him perfectly. How his jaw line looked so perfect and smooth and--

Baekhyun really couldn't help himself anymore. He was done being a ing tsundere.

He leaned closer, his chin resting on Chanyeol's shoulder. Chanyeol stopped talking abruptly, his eyes widening in effect. Baekhyun closed his eyes and thought, ah to hell with it. YOLO. He pressed his lips against Chanyeol's cheek, letting them stay there for a few seconds before pulling away.

"That's payback for stealing my first kiss. On the cheek, but still, first kiss."

Chanyeol blinked, and his cheeks turned an adorable shade of rosy red. Baekhyun found himself smiling at Chanyeol, and the taller male glanced at him before planting his gaze on their intertwined hands.

"B-but...I stole two kisses from you...?" Chanyeol sounded hopeful, and Baekhyun let out a soft laugh.

"Right."

Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol before leaning in again. This time, he made sure to let out a loud, smacking sound, and Chanyeol couldn't help but cover his flushed face with his free hand. So adorable~.

"Now, see how it feels to get your kiss stolen?"

"Were you this happy and ecstatic, too?" Chanyeol asked, turning to him and peeking through his fingers shyly.

Baekhyun bit his lip for a moment, thinking about the question. Was he? During that moment, when he barely knew Chanyeol, of course he wasn't, but now...

Baekhyun shrugged his shoulders, nonchalantly shaking off the question. Chanyeol clicked his tongue in annoyance, and then suddenly, his big hands were cupping Baekhyun's face, the smaller male's eyes widening in surprise and his cheeks blushing deep red. His heart started hammering inside his chest because Chanyeol had never been this close physically. He could probably count Chanyeol's lashes, and god, he feels like the heroines in the shoujo mangas he read.

"Cha--

"You know, you stole one kiss from me, too. That day I showed this garden to you." Chanyeol started, eyes boring into Baekhyun's.

"I-I did? D-don't be silly, I didn--

Baekhyun never really got to finish his sentence. His words got lost in translation-- more like, lost in Chanyeol's lips-- as the taller male carefully pressed their lips together. Baekhyun doesn't really know what to do, nor does Chanyeol, so they stay still, but it's okay. They don't really care since they know they'd find out how to do it properly together. Chanyeol pulled away, and he smiled at how red and dizzy Baekhyun looked, like he's lost in some Chanyeol Wonderland.

"Baekhyun, are you still there?"

"U-uh....uhm...yeah...I."

"I got my stolen kiss back!"

Baekhyun could only stare before breaking out into laughter. Chanyeol slowly let go of his face, and he smiled as Baekhyun just kept on laughing. Baekhyun leaned on him, his cheek pressed against the taller male's shoulder, and Chanyeol thinks that all's well in the world.

"So then I guess we'll be stealing kisses from each other from now on, huh?" Baekhyun asked as soon as he had calmed down, leaning down towards the flowers and randomly touching them with his pretty fingers.

"Can't we just kiss each other if we want to? I already showed you more than a name, didn't I?"

Baekhyun didn't answer. Chanyeol just watched the back of his head, and when Baekhyun straightened back up, a red tulip in his hand, Chanyeol felt the corners of his lips tugging up into a smile.

"Here."

Chanyeol raised an eyebrow at him, but Baekhyun just pushed it forward, the tulip falling onto Chanyeol's hands.

"Hey, where's your originality?"

"Shut up, Park. Do you even know what a red tulip means?" Baekhyun snapped, standing up with his hands on his hips.

"...no, not really."

Baekhyun sighed, rolling his eyes. He leaned towards Chanyeol and planted a quick kiss on his cheek before standing up and heading for the exit. Chanyeol frowned.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going? This was going so smoothly already!"

"Just research it, I don't want to tell you. You have internet, I'm sure." Baekhyun waved his hand, and Chanyeol pouted as he watched Baekhyun leave.

"Aish, what a tsundere."

 

♦ ♣ ♦

 

That night, as Chanyeol decided to imitate Baekhyun and press the red tulip into a bookmark, he picked up his phone and did a quick research on the flower's meaning. Chanyeol almost dropped his phone at the results that Google showed.

Because in the language of flowers, a red tulip meant "perfect love", and Chanyeol's not sure how to stay calm after that.

 

---

 

_{a/n: so many references, too many dumb. such stupid, much cry. im sorry.}

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