Since Chanyeol knew that Baekhyun likes cats (and bikes and leather) he decided to bring Harry to class every day. He would play with Harry outside, in the same spot he knew Baekhyun could see them from his history class. He waited diligently every day for Baekhyun to see them, but it wasn’t every day that Baekhyun had history class, so there were days when he would get no response.

                On the days that Baekhyun was there, he would hold Harry in his arms and play with him in Baekhyun’s direction. Baekhyun always smiled watching the two of them. Once, Baekhyun spent the whole class just watching Harry and Chanyeol play together. He loved watching Harry standing on his hind legs and trying to catch the food in Chanyeol’s hand.

                It was odd for others who didn’t know Baekhyun, but Baekhyun secretly adored cats. He used to have so many of them before his parents died. When his parents passed, authorities gave their cats to the pet pound because now Baekhyun was an orphan, and he couldn’t support himself much less the cats.

                Baekhyun was taken in by Mr. Wu, the boss of an underground drug ring. His son, Kris is now running the business as well as playing loan sharks to starting businesses. Baekhyun himself learnt the tricks of the trade, but never involved himself in it. He loved the occasional fights and smoking weed, but as a lifestyle, maybe not so much. That was why he wanted to go to school. His parents emphasized a lot on education. This is the one wish he could afford to keep to his parents.

                He liked riding big bikes and feeling the speed it came with. He lined his eyes every day because he was self-conscious about it and walked around pretending he was the . He probably is the , but deep down inside he was just a boy who liked cats. Sometimes he needed to pretend he was tough so that people wouldn’t find out how broken he was inside.

                But here comes this…this boy. This boy who he has never met or seen before, holding a grey cat and sitting outside his class window. He smiles too widely to be considered cute and he’s really just like all the other guys or girls who try to get to know him. They try to come off as friendly and charming, and usually run off when Baekhyun locks them out and throws the key.

                But this boy, this Chanyeol kid, is a bit more difficult. Baekhyun can’t seem to close the door on him. In fact, he kinda wants to open it and let Chanyeol in his life with his cat Harry. On some days, when he’s far away from school and hanging out with Tao and Kris, he could shut Chanyeol and that stupid cat out of his mind.

                On days like this, when the sun is shining outside and Professor Kim just wouldn’t shut the up, it feels like a battle.

                He could feel his heart thumping. He tried to calm it down and focus on class instead. It’s strange, he thinks. This is something that has never really happened before, not even when Kris suggested ing each other in his dad’s office.

                He spent so much time day-dreaming and watching Chanyeol and Harry play that he didn’t prepare for the history quiz the next day. When Professor Kim started giving out the papers, Baekhyun panicked. He wasn’t prepared at all and his head was blank.

                “Sir, May I be excused?”

                “Yes you may.”

                Baekhyun high-tailed it out of class and ran out the building. He jumped a few steps and crashed head first into someone.

                “What the why don’t you…”

                “Baekhyun? I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to bump into you!” Baekhyun looked up and found Chanyeol holding Harry, apologizing profusely. “Let’s get out of here.” He grabbed Chanyeol’s wrist.

                “Where are we going?” Chanyeol asked, letting the shorter male drag him in confusion. They ran past the back of the building and across the street into the next building. The engineering students were studying there and usually Baekhyun would rather be caught dead than be in the vicinity of the area, but now all he can think about was disappearing before Professor Kim realized he had skipped an important quiz.

                “Stay here!” he practically threw Chanyeol to the ground while he checked if the surrounding was clear.

                “What’s going on? Are you kidnapping me?! I am so sorry I bumped into you and leaned onto your bike and played with it just please don’t kill me...”

                “Chanyeol...”

                “I’m too young to die! I have too many things left undone and too many things left unsaid! I was supposed to be famous and make albums! Please let me off I promise I won’t do it again!”

                “Shut up before I do kill you Chanyeol!”

                That did the trick.

                “I’m not going to kill you.” Yet, at least. “I’m trying to run away from history class.”

                “Why? Is someone in your class out to kill you?”

                “I didn’t study for my history quiz.”

                “That was it?” Chanyeol raised an eyebrow.

                “Yeah. Why?”                                                                                          

                “Nothing.” Chanyeol for once didn’t know what to say to that. He merely shrugged and tried to look for Harry. Baekhyun slumped down on the ground and sighed in content.

                “Harry! Harry! Come here boy!” Chanyeol called Harry’s name as the grey fur ball made its way right underneath his legs and tucked himself under Baekhyun’s arm. Baekhyun chuckled and lifted the grey kitty while kissing its temple.

                “You like cats?”

                “I do.”

                “What about puppies?”

                “I like animals in general.”

                “What about colour?”

                Baekhyun sat up with Harry in his lap. “What’s this? An interrogation?”

                “I just want to get to know you.”

                “Why?”

                “Because I think you’re cool.”

                “Because I have a bike and leather clothing?”

                “Maybe.”

                Baekhyun scoffed. “You do realize I could get you killed?”

                “I do.”

                “Then what the are you still doing here?”

                “You dragged me here!”

                “I was trying to make sure no witnesses me running away.”

                “Right, well…” an awkward moment of silence passed through for what felt like decades. Baekhyun sat there quietly, Harry’s back. Chanyeol racked his brain for things to say, but nothing seemed to be right. This is unusual, because Chanyeol never runs out of things to say.

                “Do you have a girlfriend?” is all he could muster.

                “What’s it to you?”

                “Because I saw a girl kissing you under the bridge the other night.”

                Baekhyun scoffed. “She’s not my girlfriend. She was just drunk. We did date for a while though.”

                “Oh. What about Tower Guy?”

                “Who’s Tower Guy?”

                “Uhm…the really tall one next to Ninja Boy.”

                Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before gasping a little in realization. “Ah, you mean Kris?”

                “That’s his name.”

                “It is. He’s my stepbrother.”

                “You kiss your stepbrother?”

                “We’re not related, and he’s not really a stepbrother and more of my adopted dad’s son. That’s it.”

                “You kiss your adopted dad’s son?”

                “Is that wrong?”

                “Were you two involved?”

                “Only ually. We ed for quite a bit, only because Kris was and he liked boys better than girls. We stopped ever since he found Tao.”

                “Who’s Tao?”

                “Ninja Boy.”

                “Oh….” Chanyeol nodded. “Do you miss it then?”

                “I miss the . Him, not so much. I see him every day.” Baekhyun shrugged. Chanyeol swallowed his saliva, unsure of what to say next. Talking about a relationship like this isn’t exactly Chanyeol’s forte, but at least he found out that Baekhyun is single. Somewhat at least.

                “Now I can imagine you must be storing all the information in your head and thinking of when would be the right time to extort me with this. Well you can go ahead and do what you like. Broadcast it all over the news and even to the moon for all you like. I don’t give a anymore.”

                “No no, I have no intentions to do anything like that.” Chanyeol scrambled for his words. “I just wanted to get to know you.”

                “Knowing me won’t do you any good. It’ll just get you into trouble.”

                “You’re talking to a guy who was suspended for a week from short-circuiting a building. I’m not afraid of trouble.”

                “You obviously haven’t seen my troubles.”

                “Maybe I should so that I can decide for myself.”

                Baekhyun sat up straight instantly and stared at Chanyeol like he was an alien with 10 eyes and a silver tongue. “You’re insane. You don’t know what you’re getting into.”

                “I think I do,” Chanyeol gulped. “But I can’t help wanting to.” He scooted a little closer to Baekhyun, eyes trained on his beautiful face to watch for a shift in his expression. Baekhyun tucked one hand under his jacket and darted his eyes.

                “Why?”

                “What?”

                “Why?” Baekhyun asked a little louder. “Why are you so curious?”

                “Because…” oh God no, is Chanyeol really going to confess now? This is so unromantic and unlike him, but Baekhyun was looking at him with the softest and probably even desperate expression, like a puppy begging for food. Chanyeol could feel himself stammering.

                “Because…I’m so attracted to you.” He breathed out.

                “You…you like me?”

                This time Chanyeol was the one who darted his head down in shyness. Harry mewled at his owner’s response. Chanyeol could feel his cheeks heating up and the need to bury himself in a whole so deep he could see the earth’s core.

                “How can you possibly like someone you have never talked to before?”

                “Haven’t you ever heard of love at first sight?”

                “Yes, but it can’t be real.”

                “It is for me.”

                “You can’t like me Chanyeol.” Baekhyun stood up as Harry jumped out of Baekhyun’s lap, mewling in disapproval. “I’m…I’m not what you think.” He tried to walk away but Chanyeol held onto him.

                “Give me a chance.”

                “Chanyeol…”

                “Just one date. Please.” Chanyeol begged. “I don’t care if you enver wanna see me again after that or you wanna go all assassin on my after that. I just want to be given a chance.”

                “What for?”

                “A chance to be with you.”

                Baekhyun shrugged Chanyeol’s arm off. He looked at Chanyeol like he was a mad person, a mixture of anger, disgust and even fear. Chanyeol picked Harry up in his arms.

                “Please?” he asked again.

                Baekhyun wanted to say no. He looked at Chanyeol’s sad face and down to that pathetic grey cat in his arms. The cat mewled sadly and looked at Baekhyun. It almost looked like it was going to cry. Baekhyun tucked his arm once more under his jacket. He could feel his heart pumping again.

                “Once.”

                “What?”

                “Just once. One shot is all you get.”

                “Oh my god.” Chanyeol nearly dropped Harry in shock. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

                “And stop looking like some pathetic fool. You look stupid and someone might take advantage of you, .”

                “Aye aye captain!”

                “Don’t do that!”

                “Do what?”

                “All that…” Baekhyun waved his hand around, trying to motion something behind Chanyeol. “All that cheeriness.”

                “Why shouldn’t I? I just got a date, of course I’m excited.”

                “Don’t do that!”

                “Do what?” Chanyeol asked again, clearly confused.

                Don’t use that stupid expression on your face, no matter how cute it is.

                Don’t try to use that grey cat to get to me, because it is not cute at all.

                Don’t try to sweet-talk me with words. I won’t fall for it.

                Don’t try to know me. You will be disappointed.

                Don’t try to make me like you too.

                Because I’m afraid it’s working.

                Baekhyun stomped his foot impatiently and huffed away, his hand tucked under his jacket over his chest.