Exciting News and Sudden Realizations
She's the Man (Literally)Baekhyun is happy.
No.
Baekhyun is freakin' ecstatic.
All thanks to the small slip of paper grasped in one of his hands as he flies down the street, breath puffing with each smack of his sneakers against the sidewalk. Eyeing the tall apartment building in sight, Baekhyun sprints faster, a crazed grin spreading across his face. As he yanks the doors open to the building, however, a smaller person with black hair rounds the corner as well, gaze down on the fingers tapping across the screen of his phone.
"Sorry!" Baekhyun shouts over his shoulder as he barrels past the guy, a vague sense of familiarity crossing his mind.
But he doesn't stop, leaving the other slightly windswept behind him.
Baekhyun just sprints faster.
Baekhyun smacks the elevator button impatiently, groaning when it doesn't open automatically and then opting for the stairs instead.
He's severely winded by the time he drags himself off the last step of what feels like a million staircasesit was really just five.
'Shouldn't soccer have put me in a slightly better condition?' Baekhyun questions himself as he clutches his sides in pain.
But that doesn't stop him from practically crawling down the well traveled path of that apartment hallway, knocking rapidly on the door.
Lay's met with a handful of paper when he opens the door. Sticking his head around the handful with a quirked brow, he gives a concerned look down on his panting friend.
"Alright there Baek? What's with the-"
Lay's cut off as a headful of jet black hair slams into his stomach, sending the two careening onto the floor of the apartment room.
"I made it! I freakin' made it, Lay!" Baekhyun nearly screams from his perch on top of Lay, who's beginning to look severely worried (and winded) on the ground.
"You made...that?" Lay questions slowly, eyeing the crumpled piece of paper in Baekhyun's hand.
"Illyria University, I made it into Illyria University!" Baekhyun cries out with a smack to Lay's chest, shaking the paper frantically in the other's face.
Lay's eyes widen, realization dawning across his face as Baekhyun pauses for a second.
And then they're both squealing in excitement, Lay grabbing his friend in a hug as the pair roll around on the ground.
"Did I miss something?" a voice interrupts their celebration, and the pair glance up to see a slim, slightly damp boy staring down at them with a towel tossed over his shoulder.
He also has bright red hair.
Baekhyun snorts.
"Oh yeah, the circus came by just a few minutes ago, looking for yo-" he's cut off with a smack from the damp towel in his face.
"He got in, Kai, he got accepted!" Lay chuckles, still squashed under Baekhyun.
And then there's another person joining them on the ground as Kai tackles Baekhyun in a hug, Lay wheezing under the added weight but laughing all the same.
Once they all settle down, breathing hard, Baekhyun simply smiles at his two best friends, holding the letter to his chest. Kai and Lay smile back, before Lay shoves Kai over on the floor.
"You need a shower, like now" he says with a grin, ruffling Kai's red locks.
"Hey! I just finished dance practice with-" Kai mutters with a glare, but Lay just drags a hand down his face, shushing him and dragging longer red strands into the others face. Kai squawks indignantly and swats Lay away, before Lay reaches over and ruffles Baekhyun's black hair as well, disrupting the other from his dazed state.
"I haven't read the entire letter yet, but there's more too!" Baekhyun grins, waving the paper in the air.
"Read it read it read it!" Kai chimes in, scooting closer to Baekhyun in anticipation.
Baekhyun scrambles to his feet, clearing his throat as he holds the letter out in front of himself professionally.
"Congratulations to our new student here at Illyria University," Baekhyun begins, his smile growing as he continues through the letter, making his way to the exciting part quickly.
"You have been offered the opportunity of a full ride here at Illyria on the exception that you join our proud soccer team, the Illyrians,"
The two boys on the ground both gasp, Lay clapping his hands together in excitement while Kai begins to frown slightly.
"But Baek, isn't that-" he begins slowly, the rest of his sentence mumbled.
"Shh, I'm almost to the end, 'Please consider this great opportunity in your search for universities, we will anticipate your decisions'," Baekhyun finishes with a blinding smile, which fades a little when he looks at the expressions on his friends' faces.
Kai's still frowning slightly, deep in thought.
Lay looks like he's about to laugh.
"What?" Baekhyun asks quickly, looking between the two.
"Well, Baek, aren't the Illyrians, well," Kai starts slowly, looking hesitant.
Lay, however, holding his stomach from suppressed giggles, breathes long enough to finish Kai's thought.
"Girls' team. The Illyrians are the girls' soccer team, Baek," he gasps out as his giggles grow louder.
Now Kai looks like he's about to laugh.
Baekhyun looks horrified.
Eyes scanning back over the acceptance letter, Baekhyun's stomach drops when he reads the last line.
"'Once again, congratulations Ms. Byun'" Baekhyun whispers, lowering the paper slowly to look at his friends.
And then both of his so-called-friends are rolling around on the ground in laughter, tears streaming down their faces as they repeat the letter's words amidst giggles.
"I hate you both! They think I'm a freakin' girl and now my whole college future is doomed and you guys THINK IT'S FUNNY?!" Baekhyun wails, whacking his friends with the now crumpled acceptance letter repetitively.
"Oh yeah," Baekhyun continues, quickly making his way into hysterics, "let's all laugh at 'Ms. Byun' because this is FLIPPIN HILARIOUS!"
The two on the ground finally settle down, still leaning against each other from the aftermath of their laugh attack. Kai looks like he's still about to giggle again but seems to think better of it as he looks up at Baekhyun towering over him. Lay, on the other hand, is quiet for a moment with a thoughtful expression on his face before he cuts Baekhyun off from another rant.
"Do it." he says quietly with the look of a plan dawning on his face.
"Come again?" Baekhyun questions, arms still poised to attack Kai's huddled form under him.
"Do it," Lay repeats, a challenge glinting in his eyes as he sits up a little straighter, "it's an awesome opportunity, you wanted to play soccer in college, and we all know Illyria is the only athletic university you applied to" he finishes, now looking excited.
"But I wouldn't even be on the boys team!" Baekhyun protests, but Lay cuts him off.
"Come on, we all know Illyria is known for their girls team, they're the best soccer team around" Lay continues, Baekhyun's brow now starting to furrow in thought.
'He's right on pretty much everything,' Baekhyun thinks, beginning to slightly, ever so slightly, ponder the idea.
"Besides, then you'll be with your big bro" Kai pipes in with a grin.
"Yeah, yeah, but he'll think I'm a girl and then he'll find out I'm not really because come on, he's my brother, and then my mom and dad will find out and how am I gonna be a girl I don't even look femin-" Baekhyun's cut off from another breakdown, however, as Kai butts in.
"Don't worry, Baek, I have an idea" he says with a grin, running his fingers through his bright red hair and glancing over at Lay suspiciously, who then let's out a small "oh" of understanding.
And then the pair are both turning to Baekhyun with identical mischievous grins on their faces.
'Here we go' Baekhyun thinks with a gulp of fear.
But underneath that, Baekhyun senses another feeling.
Determination.
He'll do it.
He's gonna be a girl.
Baekhyun tries to quell the nervousness creeping up his throat as he chokes down another forkful of his dinner.
Don't get him wrong, his mom's cooking is delicious.
It's just the aftertaste of anxiety that's seeming to clog his throat.
"More, Baek honey?" his mom asks, reaching out for the pot of simmering noodles on the table as she walks past.
Baekhyun nearly overturns his water glass in his attempt to refuse, a moment too late as he realizes when another ladleful lands on his plate, emitting a pitiful squelching noisenot too different from how he feels internally.
His mom, a slim woman with black, short hair and a kind face, raises an eyebrow at his jumpy reaction, and Baekhyun simply smiles back shakily through a mouthful of food.
And then he's actually choking as a sneaky noodle slips down his throat unexpectedly, his hands dropping their utensils to clutch desperately at the table as he hacks for dear life.
A large hand claps him on the back a couple times, and when Baekhyun finally manages to breathe, teary eyed, he looks up into his father's face.
Both of his parents are looking at him with concerned expressions, likely due to his sudden choking fit and also probably because he's normally a very chatty person.
"Sorry, I'm just, you know, nerves" Baekhyun mumbles around his water glass.
"Nerves? Did something happen with your applications?" his father questions, and Baekhyun tightens his grip on the glass to keep it from falling.
'Yeah, something like that' he thinks as he slowly lowers the glass to respond.
"Well, the thing is," Baekhyun begins, feigning his nervousness as overwhelming excitement, "I got in to Illyria" he finishes, slowly raising his gaze back to his parents.
But then the air is knocked out of him as another forceful clap hits him square on the back, sending him almost face forward into his noodles.
His father laughs loudly as he continuesslamming patting Baekhyun's back at the good news and then his mom's ruffling his hair with a wide smile on her face.
"That's fantastic son," she says as her eyes crinkle up with happiness.
'Well, if I'm gonna break the news, might as well do it while they're happy' Baekhyun debates in his head before turning to his parents with a smile.
"And I know you guys wanted me to focus on my studies more than sports," Baekhyun begins, trying not to laugh at their suddenly fearful expressions, "but I'm offered a full ride if I join their soccer team" he finishes, his nervousness actually being replaced by excitement now.
Because after mulling over Lay's words when he'd arrived back home, Baekhyun had realized exactly how big of a deal this opportunity this was for him.
Whether or not he was a girl or a boy.
Looking back up at his parents, Baekhyun feels even less nervous when he sees his mom's ecstatic expression. She'd always supported him with sports, even though she also agreed focusing on his studies was more important.
His dad, however, looks thoughtful.
"I don't know-" he begins, but quickly snaps his mouth shut at the sharp look his wife sends him.
"Now, honey, this is a great opportunity for our Baekkie," Baekhyun's mom says, laying a hand on his arm as said boy nods smugly from her side. His dad just rolls his eyes at his son.
"Of course, of course it is," Baekhyun's father responds with a smile, "besides, Suho's expenses keep adding up-"
"Honey!" Baekhyun's mom says as his father laughs.
Their father likes to joke that he keeps tabs on Baekhyun and Suho's expenses for them to pay back in the future.
At least, Baekhyun hopes he's joking.
Mainly for his brother's sake.
Yup.
Because if their dad wasn't joking, Suho was going to have some large debts to repay after college, because Illyria wasn't exactly cheap.
Which brings us back to Baekhyun's scholarship to attend said school.
"So is this where you really want to go?" his mom questions as she smiles down at her son.
"Yeah, I really do, mom, and I'm super pumped to join their soccer team" Baekhyun answers with a genuine smile this time, despite the hidden truth still floating around in his mind.
"Well then, Baekhyun, we will support whatever choice you make" his dad says before pulling his son up from his chair and into a large hug.
After hugging his mom as well and making up an excuse to save himself from choking on noodles again (because he's still feeling nervous, just more of an excited nervous) Baekhyun starts to head up to his room, only to pause at his mom's voice.
"I bet Suho will be so excited to have his brother with him at college, I wonder if Baekhyun's told him yet"
Baekhyun nearly falls down the stairs in an attempt to make his way back into the kitchen. Popping his head back around into the room, he spots his parents sitting at the table.
"Oh, about that, well, I wanted to surprise him, so please don't say anything to Suho yet!" Baekhyun calls out, slipping back around the corner to head up to his room with a small chuckle.
Because if Suho found out about Baekhyun, well, surprised would probably be an understatement.
The next day Baekhyun makes his way, much less hurriedbut kind of wary, back to Kai and Lay's apartment. He's walking inside the cozy apartment, calling out to let them know he's there, when it clicks.
He should have known.
He really should have known.
Baekhyun freezes when Kai walks into the room he's in, grinning at Baekhyun with his hair still as red as ever.
"Ready Baek?" he questions, and Baekhyun pauses.
"Hell no" Baekhyun says quickly before spinning around to sprint back out the door.
Only to slam into something tall and human which sends him careening onto the ground with an "oof".
Looking up at the figure in front of him, Baekhyun gulps.
White-blonde hair styled to perfection tops the person's head, a loose, white v-neck covers their torso, and jet black jeans fit snugly to slim legs.
Accompanied with the occasional fivemore like fifty rings glinting in Baekhyun's vision.
"Tao, come on, I thought we were friends" Baekhyun whimpers from the ground.
Tao crouches down in front of Baekhyun, a wicked grin pulling at his mouth.
"Now Baekkie, you know how I like to experiment, and you've never let me do anything on you," the taller says with a fake pout, soon slipping back into a grin as he continues.
"Well I guess we get to change that now, don't we?"
No.
Baekhyun is freakin' ecstatic.
All thanks to the small slip of paper grasped in one of his hands as he flies down the street, breath puffing with each smack of his sneakers against the sidewalk. Eyeing the tall apartment building in sight, Baekhyun sprints faster, a crazed grin spreading across his face. As he yanks the doors open to the building, however, a smaller person with black hair rounds the corner as well, gaze down on the fingers tapping across the screen of his phone.
"Sorry!" Baekhyun shouts over his shoulder as he barrels past the guy, a vague sense of familiarity crossing his mind.
But he doesn't stop, leaving the other slightly windswept behind him.
Baekhyun just sprints faster.
Baekhyun smacks the elevator button impatiently, groaning when it doesn't open automatically and then opting for the stairs instead.
He's severely winded by the time he drags himself off the last step of what feels like a million staircases
'Shouldn't soccer have put me in a slightly better condition?' Baekhyun questions himself as he clutches his sides in pain.
But that doesn't stop him from practically crawling down the well traveled path of that apartment hallway, knocking rapidly on the door.
Lay's met with a handful of paper when he opens the door. Sticking his head around the handful with a quirked brow, he gives a concerned look down on his panting friend.
"Alright there Baek? What's with the-"
Lay's cut off as a headful of jet black hair slams into his stomach, sending the two careening onto the floor of the apartment room.
"I made it! I freakin' made it, Lay!" Baekhyun nearly screams from his perch on top of Lay, who's beginning to look severely worried (and winded) on the ground.
"You made...that?" Lay questions slowly, eyeing the crumpled piece of paper in Baekhyun's hand.
"Illyria University, I made it into Illyria University!" Baekhyun cries out with a smack to Lay's chest, shaking the paper frantically in the other's face.
Lay's eyes widen, realization dawning across his face as Baekhyun pauses for a second.
And then they're both squealing in excitement, Lay grabbing his friend in a hug as the pair roll around on the ground.
"Did I miss something?" a voice interrupts their celebration, and the pair glance up to see a slim, slightly damp boy staring down at them with a towel tossed over his shoulder.
He also has bright red hair.
Baekhyun snorts.
"Oh yeah, the circus came by just a few minutes ago, looking for yo-" he's cut off with a smack from the damp towel in his face.
"He got in, Kai, he got accepted!" Lay chuckles, still squashed under Baekhyun.
And then there's another person joining them on the ground as Kai tackles Baekhyun in a hug, Lay wheezing under the added weight but laughing all the same.
Once they all settle down, breathing hard, Baekhyun simply smiles at his two best friends, holding the letter to his chest. Kai and Lay smile back, before Lay shoves Kai over on the floor.
"You need a shower, like now" he says with a grin, ruffling Kai's red locks.
"Hey! I just finished dance practice with-" Kai mutters with a glare, but Lay just drags a hand down his face, shushing him and dragging longer red strands into the others face. Kai squawks indignantly and swats Lay away, before Lay reaches over and ruffles Baekhyun's black hair as well, disrupting the other from his dazed state.
"I haven't read the entire letter yet, but there's more too!" Baekhyun grins, waving the paper in the air.
"Read it read it read it!" Kai chimes in, scooting closer to Baekhyun in anticipation.
Baekhyun scrambles to his feet, clearing his throat as he holds the letter out in front of himself professionally.
"Congratulations to our new student here at Illyria University," Baekhyun begins, his smile growing as he continues through the letter, making his way to the exciting part quickly.
"You have been offered the opportunity of a full ride here at Illyria on the exception that you join our proud soccer team, the Illyrians,"
The two boys on the ground both gasp, Lay clapping his hands together in excitement while Kai begins to frown slightly.
"But Baek, isn't that-" he begins slowly, the rest of his sentence mumbled.
"Shh, I'm almost to the end, 'Please consider this great opportunity in your search for universities, we will anticipate your decisions'," Baekhyun finishes with a blinding smile, which fades a little when he looks at the expressions on his friends' faces.
Kai's still frowning slightly, deep in thought.
Lay looks like he's about to laugh.
"What?" Baekhyun asks quickly, looking between the two.
"Well, Baek, aren't the Illyrians, well," Kai starts slowly, looking hesitant.
Lay, however, holding his stomach from suppressed giggles, breathes long enough to finish Kai's thought.
"Girls' team. The Illyrians are the girls' soccer team, Baek," he gasps out as his giggles grow louder.
Now Kai looks like he's about to laugh.
Baekhyun looks horrified.
Eyes scanning back over the acceptance letter, Baekhyun's stomach drops when he reads the last line.
"'Once again, congratulations Ms. Byun'" Baekhyun whispers, lowering the paper slowly to look at his friends.
And then both of his so-called-friends are rolling around on the ground in laughter, tears streaming down their faces as they repeat the letter's words amidst giggles.
"I hate you both! They think I'm a freakin' girl and now my whole college future is doomed and you guys THINK IT'S FUNNY?!" Baekhyun wails, whacking his friends with the now crumpled acceptance letter repetitively.
"Oh yeah," Baekhyun continues, quickly making his way into hysterics, "let's all laugh at 'Ms. Byun' because this is FLIPPIN HILARIOUS!"
The two on the ground finally settle down, still leaning against each other from the aftermath of their laugh attack. Kai looks like he's still about to giggle again but seems to think better of it as he looks up at Baekhyun towering over him. Lay, on the other hand, is quiet for a moment with a thoughtful expression on his face before he cuts Baekhyun off from another rant.
"Do it." he says quietly with the look of a plan dawning on his face.
"Come again?" Baekhyun questions, arms still poised to attack Kai's huddled form under him.
"Do it," Lay repeats, a challenge glinting in his eyes as he sits up a little straighter, "it's an awesome opportunity, you wanted to play soccer in college, and we all know Illyria is the only athletic university you applied to" he finishes, now looking excited.
"But I wouldn't even be on the boys team!" Baekhyun protests, but Lay cuts him off.
"Come on, we all know Illyria is known for their girls team, they're the best soccer team around" Lay continues, Baekhyun's brow now starting to furrow in thought.
'He's right on pretty much everything,' Baekhyun thinks, beginning to slightly, ever so slightly, ponder the idea.
"Besides, then you'll be with your big bro" Kai pipes in with a grin.
"Yeah, yeah, but he'll think I'm a girl and then he'll find out I'm not really because come on, he's my brother, and then my mom and dad will find out and how am I gonna be a girl I don't even look femin-" Baekhyun's cut off from another breakdown, however, as Kai butts in.
"Don't worry, Baek, I have an idea" he says with a grin, running his fingers through his bright red hair and glancing over at Lay suspiciously, who then let's out a small "oh" of understanding.
And then the pair are both turning to Baekhyun with identical mischievous grins on their faces.
'Here we go' Baekhyun thinks with a gulp of fear.
But underneath that, Baekhyun senses another feeling.
Determination.
He'll do it.
He's gonna be a girl.
Baekhyun tries to quell the nervousness creeping up his throat as he chokes down another forkful of his dinner.
Don't get him wrong, his mom's cooking is delicious.
It's just the aftertaste of anxiety that's seeming to clog his throat.
"More, Baek honey?" his mom asks, reaching out for the pot of simmering noodles on the table as she walks past.
Baekhyun nearly overturns his water glass in his attempt to refuse, a moment too late as he realizes when another ladleful lands on his plate, emitting a pitiful squelching noise
His mom, a slim woman with black, short hair and a kind face, raises an eyebrow at his jumpy reaction, and Baekhyun simply smiles back shakily through a mouthful of food.
And then he's actually choking as a sneaky noodle slips down his throat unexpectedly, his hands dropping their utensils to clutch desperately at the table as he hacks for dear life.
A large hand claps him on the back a couple times, and when Baekhyun finally manages to breathe, teary eyed, he looks up into his father's face.
Both of his parents are looking at him with concerned expressions, likely due to his sudden choking fit and also probably because he's normally a very chatty person.
"Sorry, I'm just, you know, nerves" Baekhyun mumbles around his water glass.
"Nerves? Did something happen with your applications?" his father questions, and Baekhyun tightens his grip on the glass to keep it from falling.
'Yeah, something like that' he thinks as he slowly lowers the glass to respond.
"Well, the thing is," Baekhyun begins, feigning his nervousness as overwhelming excitement, "I got in to Illyria" he finishes, slowly raising his gaze back to his parents.
But then the air is knocked out of him as another forceful clap hits him square on the back, sending him almost face forward into his noodles.
His father laughs loudly as he continues
"That's fantastic son," she says as her eyes crinkle up with happiness.
'Well, if I'm gonna break the news, might as well do it while they're happy' Baekhyun debates in his head before turning to his parents with a smile.
"And I know you guys wanted me to focus on my studies more than sports," Baekhyun begins, trying not to laugh at their suddenly fearful expressions, "but I'm offered a full ride if I join their soccer team" he finishes, his nervousness actually being replaced by excitement now.
Because after mulling over Lay's words when he'd arrived back home, Baekhyun had realized exactly how big of a deal this opportunity this was for him.
Whether or not he was a girl or a boy.
Looking back up at his parents, Baekhyun feels even less nervous when he sees his mom's ecstatic expression. She'd always supported him with sports, even though she also agreed focusing on his studies was more important.
His dad, however, looks thoughtful.
"I don't know-" he begins, but quickly snaps his mouth shut at the sharp look his wife sends him.
"Now, honey, this is a great opportunity for our Baekkie," Baekhyun's mom says, laying a hand on his arm as said boy nods smugly from her side. His dad just rolls his eyes at his son.
"Of course, of course it is," Baekhyun's father responds with a smile, "besides, Suho's expenses keep adding up-"
"Honey!" Baekhyun's mom says as his father laughs.
Their father likes to joke that he keeps tabs on Baekhyun and Suho's expenses for them to pay back in the future.
At least, Baekhyun hopes he's joking.
Mainly for his brother's sake.
Yup.
Because if their dad wasn't joking, Suho was going to have some large debts to repay after college, because Illyria wasn't exactly cheap.
Which brings us back to Baekhyun's scholarship to attend said school.
"So is this where you really want to go?" his mom questions as she smiles down at her son.
"Yeah, I really do, mom, and I'm super pumped to join their soccer team" Baekhyun answers with a genuine smile this time, despite the hidden truth still floating around in his mind.
"Well then, Baekhyun, we will support whatever choice you make" his dad says before pulling his son up from his chair and into a large hug.
After hugging his mom as well and making up an excuse to save himself from choking on noodles again (because he's still feeling nervous, just more of an excited nervous) Baekhyun starts to head up to his room, only to pause at his mom's voice.
"I bet Suho will be so excited to have his brother with him at college, I wonder if Baekhyun's told him yet"
Baekhyun nearly falls down the stairs in an attempt to make his way back into the kitchen. Popping his head back around into the room, he spots his parents sitting at the table.
"Oh, about that, well, I wanted to surprise him, so please don't say anything to Suho yet!" Baekhyun calls out, slipping back around the corner to head up to his room with a small chuckle.
Because if Suho found out about Baekhyun, well, surprised would probably be an understatement.
The next day Baekhyun makes his way, much less hurried
He should have known.
He really should have known.
Baekhyun freezes when Kai walks into the room he's in, grinning at Baekhyun with his hair still as red as ever.
"Ready Baek?" he questions, and Baekhyun pauses.
"Hell no" Baekhyun says quickly before spinning around to sprint back out the door.
Only to slam into something tall and human which sends him careening onto the ground with an "oof".
Looking up at the figure in front of him, Baekhyun gulps.
White-blonde hair styled to perfection tops the person's head, a loose, white v-neck covers their torso, and jet black jeans fit snugly to slim legs.
Accompanied with the occasional five
"Tao, come on, I thought we were friends" Baekhyun whimpers from the ground.
Tao crouches down in front of Baekhyun, a wicked grin pulling at his mouth.
"Now Baekkie, you know how I like to experiment, and you've never let me do anything on you," the taller says with a fake pout, soon slipping back into a grin as he continues.
"Well I guess we get to change that now, don't we?"
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