Title: Four [R]
Rating: R, NC-18
Pairing: Chanbaek/Baekyeol [Park Chanyeol + Byun Baekhyun]
Summary: Chanyeol and Baekhyun bump into each other.
Disclaimer: I don't own EXO, but imagine if I did-

-

1: autumn.

It was an autumn day when they met. The leaves on the trees were turning hues of orange and yellow and the air was slowly becoming colder as the days seemed to pass on longer than usual.

Park Chanyeol, an aspiring musician, was hurriedly making his way to class- as he had a tendency to sleep through his alarm- when he unexpectedly ran into a much smaller male, Byun Baekhyun, an aspiring writer, the collision causing both of them to fall onto the sidewalk and drop their bags with a loud groan.

"Aish!" Chanyeol hissed. "Watch it!"

"Yah!" Baekhyun stood quickly, grabbing his bag. "You bumped into me first! I should be telling you that!

"Bwoh?" Chanyeol scoffed, hands reaching for the other bag. "First you get in my way, and now you try to blame it on me? Wah, you're really bad news!"

"I—" Just as Baekhyun was about to protest, Chanyeol flicked his forehead and skipped off, leaving the smaller male with a pout and a growing pain.

-

Once in class, Chanyeol bowed in silent apology towards the teacher for being late and placed his bag on the desk in front of him. As he reached for the zipper, he couldn't help but notice there were a variety of keychains that he had never remembered owning (or placing, for that matter).

The seconds passed by slowly as the epiphany struck him and his ears slowly burned a bright shade of red embarrassment as five words echoed in his head tauntingly.

I took the wrong bag.

Chanyeol quickly stood up, ignoring the way his class looked at him before he took the bag and ran out, a determined look on his face as he growled and mumbled to himself.

Almost as if they had the epiphany at the same time, the two met up at the spot where they bumped into each other earlier and threw their bags onto the floor once more.

"Yah!" Chanyeol pointed his finger to Baekhyun. "You stole my bag!"

"Bwoh?!" Came a high shriek of disbelief. "You were the one who bumped into me and then ran off first! You're the one who stole my bag!"

"Nuh-uh!

"Uh-huh!"

Their stares grew intense as the silence between them became deafening. It wasn't until Chanyeol clicked his tongue and placed his hands on his hips with a small shake of his head that their stare down ended.

"I know what you're trying to do," He chuckled. "You're trying to make me think I stole it so you can report it to the police and then throw me away in jail! Well I got news for you, thief! Those kinds of things won't work on me! I'm way too smart for that!"

Baekhyun thought Chanyeol was joking at first, but when he realized Chanyeol was completely serious, his eyes slightly widened and he had to stop himself from laughing before he too shook his head and flicked his hair back.

"Okay, since you're clearly not all there—"

"Shut up, thief!"

"Yah!"

"I'm sick of your mind games!" Chanyeol covered his ears. "Just admit you stole my bag!"

As they continued to bicker, a group of students passed by and whispered and giggled amongst themselves as they shared an agreement that the two boys argued like a married couple.

"Yah!" Chanyeol shrieked at them. "He's a thief!"

"Bwoh?!" Baekhyun pushed him. "I'm not a thief!"

"Yes you are!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Too!"

"Not!"

"Baekhyun, is that you?" Came a voice made of silk (completely in Baekhyun's imagination, while it sounded normal in Chanyeol's opinion).

Baekhyun's attention shifted and his expression shifted from anger to timid happiness as he smiled and bowed his head slightly.

"Y-Yixing, hey." He cleared his throat. "How are you?"

"Are you okay?" The taller boy asked. "I swear I could hear you a mile away?"

"W-What?" Baekhyun felt his face flush. "Me?"

At the sight Chanyeol snorted to himself and rolled his eyes, arms crossing over one another across his chest.

"Is this guy bothering you?" Yixing asked as he pointed his thumb towards Chanyeol.

"Yah!" Chanyeol growled. "I'm not bothering anyone! He stole my bag!"

"Yah!" Baekhyun snapped. "Don't talk that way towards him!"

Yixing chuckled at the sight and stepped in between them, causing Baekhyun to flush madly before stepping back.

"I apologize for upsetting you." Yixing bowed his head. "I see that there's some risen conflict between the two of you."

"Damn straight there is," Chanyeol huffed. "And he has to fix it."

"I see," Yixing turned around to face Baekhyun. "Baek, what seems to be the problem?"

"I- wait- Yixing, there's no 'problem' here, he's delusional!" Baekhyun pointed at Chanyeol, who was making faces behind the other's back. "He's being childish!"

"Now, now, Baekhyun." Yixing chuckled as he gently placed his hand over said boy's head. "I'm sure we'd all like for this to be resolved, mm?"

"Y-Yes," Baekhyun said softly as a flush of red overcame him. "But I-"

"Let's agree to overcome our differences and have a wonderful day together, yeah?" Yixing smiled.

"Whatever," Chanyeol took his bag and shrugged. "I already missed class because of you. Now I have a whole hour to kill."

"Ugh," Baekhyun rolled his eyes. "You have no one to blame but yourself! No one told you to run off with my bag!"

"You were the one who-!"

"Gentlemen, please." Yixing smiled. "Let's be glad we got our personal items back."

"I should check it just in case," Chanyeol mumbled as he plopped down on the grass.

"Excuse me?" Baekhyun scoffed. "Do you honestly believe that I-"

"Shut up, thief!"

"Yah!" Baekhyun snapped. "All your stupid stuff is there!"

"Hey, my stuff isn't stupid!" Chanyeol barked back, his hands digging through his bag. "I can't trust you!"

"Can't trust me?!" Baekhyun shrieked. "You don't even know me!"

"Precisely!" Chanyeol pointed at him. "You can never be too sure with strangers!"

"If that's the case then I should check my things too!" Baekhyun opened his bag.

"Ah, that isn't necessary," Chanyeol nodded. "I had to resist laughing at your belongings, there's no way I'd be caught dead with any of it."

"Now, now, boys." Yixing chuckled. "Let's go on about our day, mm? We should take this time to—"

"Oh my god just shut up already," Chanyeol scoffed. "I'd rather jump off a cliff than hear you speak."

"Yah!" Baekhyun pulled on Chanyeol's ear. "Apologize to him right this instant!"

"Yah!" Chanyeol moved his head with Baekhyun's hand so the pain wouldn't be so severe. "Let go of me right now!"

"Apologize!"

"Never!"

"YAH!"

-

A loud sigh escaped Chanyeol while he sat alone in his next classroom: Music. He stared blankly at his hands over the piano keys and felt his heart ache. Sometimes he wondered whether or not he should even continue attending this class, because lately it's felt so… meaningless. His blood no longer raced the way it used to, his mind often drifted elsewhere, his fingers just didn't feel comfortable on any of the instruments. It seemed like he was suddenly losing interest in the one thing that used to make him feel like he belonged in such a cruel and cold world. He shook his head and took in a deep breath before finally playing random notes, the composing side of him now making a brief appearance as he played a small composition he wrote years ago.

Baekhyun wandered the hallway, grumbling to himself as he replayed the events that happened earlier. He just couldn't believe that tall jerk had the nerve to talk to Yixi—

"I try not to think
About the pain I feel inside
Did you know you used to be… my hero?
All the days you spent with me
Now seem so far away
And it feels like you don't care anymore

And now I try hard to make it
I just wanna make you proud
I'm never gonna be good enough for you
I can't stand another fight
And nothing's alright

Cause we lost it all
Nothing lasts forever
I'm sorry I can't be perfect
Now it's just too late
And we can't go back
I'm sorry I can't be perfect"

What is that? Baekhyun quickly scurried down the hall now, his eyes lit up while he searched for such sad lyrics yet beautiful music. His feet led him to the music room, and his hand shakily came up to knock on the door, but instead he brought it back down to listen to the song.

"Nothing's gonna change the things that you said
And nothing's gonna make this right again
Please don't turn your back
I can't believe it's hard just to talk to you
But you don't understand"

Baekhyun could feel his own heart ache and his eyes water. This was such a beautiful song, but it just felt so… sad. He tried to peek through the glass windows to see who was the one playing, but felt disappointment course through him when he heard the doors begin to open and the students pour out to go to their next class. He looked around for one of his friends and smiled when he found them before leaving to go to physics together. He did, however, look back in hopes to see who the source for his touched feelings was.

Baekhyun couldn't help but continue to replay that sad song over and over again in his head. He even hummed it a bit, and his friend, Sehun, was the first to notice.

"Are you… humming?" Sehun asked.

"Yeah," Baekhyun nodded. "I heard someone singing this song and—"

"It's Chanyeol's song," Sehun nodded back. "He wrote that."

"Who's...? Chanyeol?" Baekhyun blinked.

"Here, let me show you," Sehun pulled out his yearbook camera.

Once he found who he was looking for, he leaned over and showed Baekhyun. Said boy's eyes widened and he had to do a double take to make sure he was looking at the right photo.

There, in the frame, was none other than that jerk from earlier!

"A-Are you sure this is him?" Baekhyun asked while Sehun put his camera away.

"Yeah," Sehun nodded. "He used to write songs all the time."

"What happened?" Baekhyun tilted his head.

"Ah… you transferred, right? I guess you wouldn't know then." Sehun smiled. "His mom divorced his dad and he was unable to go with her, even though he wanted to.

"Why not?" Baekhyun asked.

"She didn't want him," Sehun shrugged. "Something like that. Then after that whole thing, he just stopped being that happy-go-lucky person and dropped all of his friends. No one really likes him anymore, so to speak."

Baekhyun's heart suddenly broke and he couldn't help but feel sorry towards the other.

"How do you know all this?" Baekhyun asked. "Did he tell you?"

"No, but we had a mutual friend." Sehun nodded. "And that friend told me everything."

"Who was that?" Baekhyun grabbed his bag once class was over.

"Ah… I don't really talk about him anymore since we ended on a bad note." Sehun scratched his neck. "Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so insensitive," Baekhyun bowed his head.

"Don't worry," Sehun smiled. "You didn't know, it's okay."

Baekhyun nodded and then walked a bit absentmindedly as he continued to think about the jerk—no, Chanyeol—and frowned as he pondered said boy's lyrics.

Is the song about his mother…?

-

The days were so long and boring. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was painted a dark red and orange while Chanyeol walked along the sidewalk with his head down. His days seemed to last much longer than others, and he figured perhaps it was because he hardly thought about them, or maybe because he didn't have any friends to share them with. He normally stayed alone and went home alone, so it wasn't like today was any different.

"Yah, thief!"

But what was this? Was Chanyeol imagining things?

"Thief!"

He was mistaken. There was no way—

"I'm talking to you!" He was suddenly shoved.

Chanyeol groaned softly and finally turned to see who was responsible, eyes narrowing quickly as he saw none other than Byun Baekhyun, the thief himself!

"Yah!" Chanyeol yelled. "Who do you think you're calling a thief, thief?!"

Baekhyun chuckled and shrugged, suddenly poking Chanyeol's forehead.

"You live down this way too?" He asked.

"Aigoo don't tell me you're my neighbor." Chanyeol groaned.

"I don't," Baekhyun rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself. "My grandma does."

"Poor grandma," Chanyeol sighed. "Does she know you're a thief?"

"Yah!" Baekhyun shouted. "I'm not a thief!"

"Denial is the first step to acceptance." Chanyeol snorted.

"Whatever," Baekhyun chuckled. "So what's your name?" Baekhyun hoped to make conversation.

"Why does it matter?" Chanyeol continued his walk.

"Yah, I'm talking to you!" Baekhyun followed after him.

"And I'm not listening," The taller retorted. "Go find someone who cares."

"Why do you have to be such a jerk?!" Baekhyun screeched. "I just wanted to talk! Ugh, no wonder no one likes you!"

Before Chanyeol could give a rebuttal, he was pushed aside and a very angry Baekhyun walked ahead of him, soon disappearing in sight. Chanyeol stayed where he was, and he thought about the smaller boy's last words.

No one likes him, mm?

-

Two weeks came and went. Baekhyun couldn't stop thinking about what he had said to Chanyeol, and rather than be mad at how their encounter went, he was sorry and mad at himself. He gave Sehun a brief summary, and said boy replied with, "It's okay, he probably deserved it."

But does anyone truly deserve being told what Baekhyun said? He knew he wouldn't like it, and Chanyeol was no different. That day he planned to befriend the taller, but instead told him no one liked him. Baekhyun sighed and wrote his notes sloppily, a small pout on his face while he tried to separate thoughts from reality. It wasn't long before Sehun was tapping on his shoulder and urging him to get up as the next class flooded in.

"You're so out of it," Sehun chuckled. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Baekhyun nodded. "Just… thinking, you know?"

"And what exactly are you thinking about?" The taller asked while he reached for his phone. "Must be pretty important if it has you daydreaming."

"I just…" Baekhyun sighed and shook his head. "I'll tell you later."

Sehun glanced over at his smaller friend and was about to reply before he looked at his phone again, expression changing over the caller ID. He tapped Baekhyun's shoulder with a silent goodbye and left outside. Baekhyun dragged his feet against the tiled floor and leaned against the wall, still thinking about how bad he messed up before his eyes caught on to a very tall boy in the crowd. He smiled, thinking now was his chance to finally make up for his mistakes, and ran.

"Chanyeol!" He called out, but he must've not been loud enough since the boy didn't turn. "Chan—"

He was surprised to see another boy, one who looked very different, and looked very… handsome. Baekhyun couldn't help but stare and ogle the stranger, and he was very surprised when said stranger looked back at him.

"Can I help you?" Said stranger asked with a raised brow.

"I… I thought…" Baekhyun swallowed softly. "You…"

"I what?" The stranger crossed his arms.

Baekhyun's cheeks began to flush. This reminded him of when he bumped into Chanyeol, except this encounter was much nicer. He panicked internally and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I'm Baekhyun."

The other boy laughed softly and returned the gesture.

"I'm Yunho," he said. "Nice to meet you."

Baekhyun smiled and nodded. Why the hell was he so nervous around this guy? The students in the hallways were slowly disappearing into the rooms and Baekhyun gasped as he realized he was going to be late and quickly dashed by Yunho, leaving said boy dumbfounded. Yunho couldn't help but laugh and soon walked to his classroom as well.

Chanyeol sat outside underneath a large tree with his guitar, refusing to go to class this time. He felt like he was restricted to be original in the classroom, and who could blame him? The teacher was a constant reminder of how cruel his mother was. The teacher was his mother's new lover. Chanyeol can't even look at the other, because a smirk would slowly crawl over the educator's face.

Chanyeol groaned softly and left his guitar on the grass beside him. Why do the bad memories keep coming back to him? Why must they play over and over again repeatedly? Why, why, why? He ran a hand through his dark hair and sighed heavily.

"No wonder no one likes you!"

Ah, and now the thief's words play in his head. Chanyeol closed his eyes and felt his face suddenly burn and a lump form in his throat. Why were all the bad things happening to only him? Why couldn't he just fucking smile for once?

Why was he always the bad guy?

-

Baekhyun sat in his class with a bored expression. Half the students were either falling asleep or already asleep while the teacher played a lecture video about simple math. Luckily for Baekhyun, he was near the window and could distract himself with the scenery outside.

And so that's what he did. He looked outside and smiled at the different colored birds, the large trees, and Chanyeol sitting under one of them. Wait, what? He scratched the back of his head and suddenly gasped quietly before grabbing his things and getting up, bowing to the teacher silently, and dashed out of the room.

This was his chance, he thought. He could finally apologize and try to be friends with the other boy. He could try talking to him and let him know the song he heard last time was really nice and he liked it! This was his chance!

He ran out with his bag in hand and quickly made his way to the tree, panting heavily while Chanyeol sat there with his arm over his face, more specifically his eyes.

"H-Hi," Baekhyun smiled weakly. "Can I sit here?"

"No," Chanyeol replied quietly. "Go away."

"Please?" Baekhyun moved his hair behind his ear. "This tree has the best shade."

"Too bad, I got here first." Chanyeol shrugged. "My tree, my rules."

"Yah!" Baekhyun suddenly screeched. "The tree isn't yours!"

"Then why are you asking me if you could sit here?" Chanyeol slowly moved his arm and looked up at the other. "Literally no one is stopping you, so why bother to ask?"

Baekhyun opened his mouth to reply, but no words were coming out. He frowned, seeing as Chanyeol was indeed right, and plopped himself in front of the other as he set his bag aside. Chanyeol couldn't help but give a soft scoff before looking at his wristwatch.

"Are you skipping class right now?" He asked.

"Not technically skipping class," Baekhyun shrugged. "The teacher already submitted attendance, so I'm there but not there."

"You do know the teachers can modify that, right?" Chanyeol asked. "If you're gone more than ten minutes they can mark you absent."

Once again Baekhyun was left speechless, but he shook his head and shrugged again.

"I don't care," He tried so hard to sound brave, but ultimately failed. "Can…can they really do that?"

Chanyeol couldn't help but smile and then chuckle. He shook his head and then leaned forward to speak softly.

"Not only are you a thief, but you're a stupid thief." He continued to laugh.

"Yah!" Baekhyun shrieked. "Who the hell are you calling a thief?!"

Chanyeol's laugh got louder and his smile became wider. He held his stomach and fell to the side while Baekhyun grumbled to himself and crossed his arms. He then looked beside the tall giant and saw the guitar, but didn't see any paper or books. He wondered if Chanyeol had it for show or if he was playing a song he already made. As soon as said boy stopped laughing, Baekhyun cleared his throat and pointed at the instrument.

"You play?" He asked with his chin slightly raised.

"I do," Chanyeol made the same gesture. "Why? You play too?"

"Not really," Baekhyun shook his head. "I tried to teach myself but failed."

"You don't look like you'd be a good guitarist anyway," Chanyeol chuckled. "So it's a good thing you failed."

"Yah!" Baekhyun kicked Chanyeol's leg lightly so as to not hurt said boy.

"Yah that hurt!" Chanyeol rubbed his shin. "Are you gonna pay my medical bill if I go to the hospital?!"

"Boo-hoo you're such a big baby!" Baekhyun mimicked him. "You won't go to the hospital so shut up!"

"Don't you have a class to get back to, you big nerd?!" Chanyeol shrieked.

"That's none of your business!" Baekhyun yelled back.

"Yah!"

"Yah!"

After an intense staring contest, Chanyeol rolled his eyes and leaned back against the tree before crossing his arms behind his head and lightly kicking Baekhyun's knee.

"Why are you here anyway?" He yawned.

Baekhyun's thoughts soon jumbled up together and he nodded first before answering.

"I came here to say sorry." He looked down at the grass.

"Sorry?" Chanyeol furrowed his brows. "For what? Annoying me?"

"No," Baekhyun huffed. "For…last time…"

"What last time?" Chanyeol yawned.

"Ugh you're such a pain in the ass I swear," Baekhyun rolled his eyes. "The last time we were…that time I said…"

"Ah, when you said no one liked me?" Chanyeol chuckled softly. "Don't worry, it was something I already knew, so don't feel bad."

"N-No!" Baekhyun suddenly blurted out. "That's not something anyone should say to someone else! It was rude of me and I didn't mean it and—"

He looked at Chanyeol, who was a bit shocked at the sudden outburst.

"And…I'm sorry." He finished softly.

Chanyeol sat up and ran a hand through his hair before sighing softly.

"Don't worry about it. Really." He replied. "I didn't even remember you said that, to be honest. I appreciate your apology though. That was…surprisingly nice of you, considering you're a thief and all."

"Ugh," Baekhyun rolled his eyes with a loud groan. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm not a thief?!"

Chanyeol couldn't help but smile. How long had it been since he had someone to talk to? His feelings of sadness were nonexistent and he felt…what's the word…happy? He felt happy? For some odd reason, he didn't want this moment to end. He wanted to stay here under this tree and laugh and talk to Baekhyun forever. He just…wanted a friend.

"Yah, I'm talking to you!" Baekhyun kicked his shin again, quickly removing the musician from his thoughts.

"Yah!" Chanyeol rubbed his leg. "I told you to stop doing that!"

"And I asked you a question!" Baekhyun stuck his tongue out.

"What do you want?!" Chanyeol yelled.

Baekhyun soon turned quiet and he looked and fiddled with the grass before shrugging.

"I just…wanted to…hear you play something." He mumbled.

Chanyeol was a little surprised, but he took hold of the guitar and sighed.

"If you stop kicking me, then sure." Chanyeol chuckled.

"I promise to stop kicking you for all eternity!" Baekhyun raised his right hand and held up three fingers. "Scout's honor!"

"Are you even a scout?" Chanyeol asked.

"No…" Baekhyun placed his hand down and looked back at the grass.

"Then don't tarnish their name like that." Chanyeol laughed softly.

"Yah!" Baekhyun was going to kick him, but was stopped by Chanyeol's pointing finger.

"You said you wouldn't kick me for all eternity!"

"I—"

"Don't kick me! You promised!"

Baekhyun scoffed and crossed his legs, sighing in defeat as he waited for Chanyeol to play something. It was a little long for Chanyeol to think of a song, but eventually he sighed and let his hand strum the strings slowly and gently.

"11:05 in the morning
I don't like the sun waking me up

It's a day no different from yesterday
I don't like the world, my head hurts

I drink water
And adjust my clothes
But I still don't want to leave my house

My heart is full of us
But at that time I was alone

I feel like I'm going crazy

Hug me once more
Just once
Without him noticing

I said I love you numerous times
But there's no you in front of me
No more you

You are not beside me
I'm in pain I can only cry

This feeling, I'm the only one feeling sad
Feels like a dream all day
I feel like I'm going crazy

Hug me once more
Just once
Without him noticing

I said I love you numerous times
But there's no you in front of me
No more you

I said I love you numerous times
But there's no you in front of me
No more you

I love you
I love you

There's no you
There's no you"

Baekhyun could do nothing but stare in awe. He couldn't believe Chanyeol, Park Chanyeol, the jerk who insisted on calling him a thief, was sitting in front of him now singing so beautifully yet with such great sadness. It pained Baekhyun just hearing the chords, and he couldn't help but swallow down a small sob. As soon as the song finished, Chanyeol glanced at him and rose a brow.

"Am I that amazing that I leave you speechless?" He teased.

"Y-Yah!" Baekhyun hid his face, unable to stop the tears from falling. "You…you suck and your song sucks and you can't even play the guitar!"

Chanyeol smiled and set his guitar down before scooting closer to Baekhyun and reached out to pat said boy's shoulder.

"It's okay to cry," He smiled. "It just means my dream is slowly coming true."

"Wha…what dream is that?" Baekhyun sniffled as he wiped away at his continuous tears.

"I've always wanted to touch people with my songs," Chanyeol nodded. "And although I don't really like you, I was able to reach you."

Baekhyun couldn't help but look at the other boy. No words, no insults, nothing. Just exchanging glances. Chanyeol was still smiling and Baekhyun still had tears streaming down his face. It was a silent exchange both of them were surprised even happened.

"You're quite the ugly one when you cry, did you know that?" Chanyeol chuckled.

"Yah!"

"Stop yelling," Chanyeol leaned back against the tree. "You're hurting my ears."

"Oh please," Baekhyun crossed his arms. "You're so overdramatic."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Aish," Chanyeol hissed. "You're such a stubborn kid, you know that? I feel so sorry for your parents."

Rather than receiving a smartass response like he was already accustomed to, Chanyeol surprisingly received silence. He looked at Baekhyun, whose face was unreadable, and then cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry for calling you stubborn," Chanyeol said softly. "I didn't think it—"

"It's not that," Baekhyun looked at the grass. "I…it's not like that, I just…don't have parents." He said sadly.

Chanyeol's eyes widened and he quickly tried to say sorry, but stumbled upon his words instead.

"I-I'm!" He gulped. "Sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean—"

"It's okay," Baekhyun looked at him and smiled as best he could. "You didn't know, it's okay."

A long and uncomfortable silence ensued between the two and Chanyeol couldn't help but break it. He definitely went over the line and he'll be damned if he loses the only person on this planet who makes him happy and giggly.

"I know you said it was okay, but it really isn't." He shook his head. "That was very rude of me and it was insensitive and I'm truly sorry. You must feel so hurt to have to relive those memories."

"Eh?" Baekhyun was a bit surprised by the sudden apology, but he smiled instead and placed his head on Chanyeol's shoulder. "Yah, don't be like this. It's so cringy."

"That isn't even a word," Chanyeol rolled his eyes.

"It is, you're just too stupid to know it." Baekhyun mocked him.

"Yah!"

"Yah!"

"I hate you." Chanyeol crossed his arms.

"I hate you too," Baekhyun nodded.

Chanyeol opened his mouth to say something, but bit back instead. He probably won't get any more visits from the thief anymore, so he wanted to cherish these last moments they have together.

"Yah," Baekhyun waved his hand in front of the other's face. "I asked you a question!"

"What do you want?" Chanyeol groaned. "I swear, you're such a pain in the ass!"

"I asked if you wanted to know how my parents died," Baekhyun said. "You know, so you won't feel like you stepped boundaries or anything."

"Eh?" Now it was Chanyeol's turn to be surprised. "Why are you asking me that?"

"You know," Baekhyun shrugged. "I haven't talked about it since it happened and you're my friend, right?"

"But that's—"

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and cleared his throat as if he was going to be giving a long speech.

"I used to live on Jeju Island," he started. "I lived in a small village, you know, where all the fisherman and divers live and we have fresh fish and all of those things. My parents met each other at sea, believe it or not. My mom was the best diver in the village, and my dad…let's say he wasn't all that great."

Chanyeol chuckled at the statement and nodded. He wasn't sure why he wasn't stopping the other, but the mere fact that Baekhyun called him his friend was…comforting. And it was warm and…nice. Yes, it was nice. And Chanyeol liked how it felt.

"Anyway, my mom was out diving one day and my dad happened to go out that day too. Unfortunately, my dad's foot got stuck in some kind of seaweed underwater and he was losing oxygen quick. Fortunately for him, my mom was out in the area, and there she found him. My mom used to say that he was flailing around like the shirts hanging outside on a windy day."

Baekhyun paused to laugh softly and shook his head.

"So there they were, and she helped him get untangled and they went up to the surface. My dad was so grateful for her and he said he'd do anything for her. The village holds up parties and small festivals every few months, so on one of these events my mom decided she didn't want to go alone and asked my dad if he would go with her. Of course, my dad said yes and he would always tell me that it was a night he'd never forget because…because it was the day they fell in love. Wah, just thinking about it gives me chills, because imagine if one day you just fall in love. What does that even feel like?"

"Well aren't you in love with that really annoying nice guy?" Chanyeol asked.

"Yah!" Baekhyun blushed. "Are you talking about Yixing?!"

"That dude, yes." Chanyeol nodded.

"Shut up, I'm not done with my story!" Baekhyun hid his cheeks from the all-too-obvious crimson shade of embarrassment.

"So in conclusion, they eventually got married and out came me! My mom would say I look like my dad with her body and it would make me laugh, because clearly it's not true. But anyway, every year they'd get some fresh octopus to make into a delicious soup for my birthday and…last year…"

The pauses were more than enough to make Chanyeol know what went down. "You don't need to finish, I understand." Chanyeol shook his head, to which Baekhyun strongly protested silently.

"Last year…there was an unexpected storm." Baekhyun continued. "And…my dad was out getting the octopus and my mom went in to get him and…the water just…it was so strong and the waves…A-Anyway, it was a diving accident and it was no one's fault. I just wish I could've said goodbye or let them know I love them."

"They knew," Chanyeol said softly, patting the smaller boy's shoulder. "They definitely knew. Don't be sad."

What the hell was all this? What was this warmth growing in Baekhyun's stomach? Why was he even talking about this? Why was he getting so sad? Why is he crying again? What even-

"I…I have to go." He suddenly stood and bowed to Chanyeol, who sat there dumbfounded. "Class…I-I can't be late.

He dashed off, tears falling freely down his face while Chanyeol sat there all by himself once again. He sighed and leaned back against the tree, suddenly feeling regretful

"Sorry..."

-

A/N: The songs here are "Perfect" by Simple Plan and "11AM" by XIA Junsu, just in case you were wondering. Also this is chaptered, so be aware that it doesn't end here.

-vee.