Chapter Text
“I can’t believe we’re doing this again.”
“What, are you tired of losing all the time?”
There was a pause, and then a forced laugh.
Apparently, Baekhyun was having none of his shit, who was turning around to face him properly, and how easy it was to see his plan had worked out by seeing the smirk the boy was wearing. But that didn’t last long.
“I could swear you’re the only one who thinks that way,” the boy said returning to his usual glazed expression, awakening the same passionate fire Chanyeol was so used to fight every time the blond showed no interest in their obviously crucial contests, leaving a sore taste on his tongue.
There was something different about the shorter these days, however. And that was a realization Chanyeol didn’t like to admit at loud, not even to make fun of Baekhyun.
Something he couldn’t name, and yet he couldn’t ignore.
The two students were passing by some crowded streets now, skipping the people who were too busy to send them any kind of look back in their direction.
Walking straight into an old-fashioned building at the end of the next corner, the silence started to take place in the noisy life of the city.
A thought invaded his mind when looking up to the series of windows now in front of them. And based on the grunt he received from the other before even saying anything, they both knew what was about to happen in the next seconds.
“I challenge you to reach the 7th floor before I do. If I’m the first one to arrive, you will do whatever I ask you to, but if you win, I’ll do whatever you want.” The corners of his mouth turned up in a smile no matter how much he tried not to show he was enjoying these never-ending competitions.
Raising an eyebrow, Baekhyun glared at him as if analyzing his proposal for a moment before sighing with closed eyes. “Okay, but–”
“Too slow!” he shouted, leaving the cold air of the outside to run up the stairs with all his will. There was no time to lose. Not for Chanyeol.
Calloused hands grabbing the dusty stairway handrails, and loud steps announcing its proximal arrival. Nothing but excitement filling his body like a familiar tale he had memorized since a kid.
It was nothing new, so why did it always felt that way with the other?
Chanyeol had run out of breath when reaching the last floor, not knowing whether the last ray of sunshine coming through the square glass in nothing but warm hues was the responsible behind his momentary difficulty to see or not.
The day was finally coming to an end, but there was nothing to think at that moment apart from winning.
Life could be as simple as that sometimes. And how much he had missed the good old days, and how many things he would trade to go back to the time his responsibilities weren’t as big as they were now.
Pushing the door with a hand, he stepped outside the stairwell with a victory grin that soon banished. Because there was Baekhyun, standing a few meters away from him, adjusting his backpack over his shoulders with no sign of tiredness on his features.
“Wait, h–how could you–”
“The elevator,” Baekhyun cut him off unimpressed.
Opening and closing his mouth several times in frustration, Chanyeol walked closer to the other. “How come you always win, you lazy kitter?”
After hearing the last word, Baekhyun blinked twice before grabbing something from his pants pocket. “Why do you always call me like that? I’m not even fond of cats.”
Resting his head on the wall, Chanyeol saw a plain plastic keychain on Baekhyun’s hand. “What do you like then?” he asked casually. Not like he cared about knowing or anything.
And then he heard a click coming from a door, and god, he was sure he could smell the warm scent of coffee he was sure to have smelt so many hours ago.
Suddenly, the hallway lacked illumination now that a new light was turned on in a room in front of him, and he didn’t waste any time to step into the safe chamber, afraid of being left behind in the darkness.
There was a pile of clothes in a laundry basket beside the washing machine, a couple of trash bags if his nose didn’t fail him to perceive, and way too many dishes on the sink to count from where he was. But none of that mattered when the tiny apartment felt like home.
Chanyeol flinched when he crashed into a small figure, one that only dared to move his head to one side to acknowledge his presence. The face of someone who didn’t even care about mocking him.
“Doggos. Now let’s talk about all the dishes we didn’t wash this morning.”
Had anyone told Chanyeol he was going to be living with his enemy before, he would have called them crackheads and punched them with those fiery fists of him.
But contrary to what his past self would have thought, the Chanyeol of the present had sure changed. Because when he saw Baekhyun tidying up the mess of the kitchen to make things easier for him, a part of Chanyeol would tell him how lucky he was.
Shaking his head, he moved ahead and reached for Baekhyun’s wrist, stopping him in track and reciprocating the gaze he was giving him for a quiet moment until the running water reminded them what they were supposed to be doing and they returned to their tasks in silence.
---
Teenagers. The group of people who are neither adults nor are they kids anymore, and the ones the rest of the people from all ages always talked with strong negativity.
For someone like Chanyeol, who had once been an easy-going boy who didn’t care much about what happened around him, puberty had hit him like a brick on the face, or the brain if he had to be clear.
Along with the embarrassing changes his body began to suffer, it also came the shift of mindset he never thought would ever change.
Up until that moment, matters like being outstanding were never an issue for him, a lover of friendships and seeker of silly adventures. He didn’t have the time to focus on his studies when every day meant a new opportunity to try new things.
Why would he worry about being the number one in the first place? What could that possibly bring him if not unnecessary stress?
It wasn’t like he didn’t study either, but why would anyone go all their way to achieve perfection? He just couldn’t get it.
Or that was until he entered high school, and his reduced view of the world until then was exposed to a wider truth. One that made him feel uncomfortable. A truth that scared him deeply.
Having been the youngest son of the family, Chanyeol had grown up being the center of attention. Whatever he wanted, he got it, never having to put any effort into going for his goals.
That was probably why when he started his first day on high school with a lot of students he had never seen before in his life until that day, the truth he had always thought as a fact became a lie in front of his eyes; the little kid who had always been special wasn’t as special anymore.
It didn’t take much for Chanyeol to see how many qualities he lacked in contrast to a bunch of classmates who were smarter than him, more skilled at sports than him, and better than him in pretty much everything. Perhaps a week or less.
The fact that most of his closest friends –friends who had similar personalities to his– ended up on different classes or transferred to other schools could also count as one of the reasons why everything seemed to have changed in his world.
And just like that, the Chanyeol who was perfectly okay with his position in life disappeared to greet the newest version of himself and his new monster of a friend; the frightful low self-esteem.
Without a single close relationship inside the classroom, and with no real talents –academically speaking at least– Chanyeol had made up his mind after a tiring day of dealing with his poor abilities.
His old days as a carefree child had come to an end. He no longer wished to sleep on his opportunities.
It was time to work hard for the spotlight.
To become someone worthy.
A little more than a month had passed since Chanyeol’s first day of high school, and no trace of his old self could be found anymore.
He had never believed in his mother’s words about how much people could change if they wanted to until now, never paying attention to what he should.
“Hey, Chanyeol”
That was what he heard as soon as he entered the classroom that morning, still too early to find any of his classmates who weren’t one of his new smart friends.
Just by hearing the sound of the pencils, he could guess who the person he was about to greet was, confirming his assumption when seeing someone’s school utilities perfectly arranged over a clean desk.
Holding up his hand, Chanyeol waited until his friend raised his head to wave back at him. “Morning, Kyungsoo. Are you ever planning on arriving 5 minutes later than every morning?” he asked with a playful tone, noticing the look Kyungsoo was giving him.
“Not for now, thanks for your concern.”
Dropping the topic, Kyungsoo moved to the windows with quick steps while Chanyeol shuffled when walking behind him and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, yawning loudly.
Without sharing any other word, the two boys followed their routine of opening the classroom’s curtains before running to the teacher’s table, being the first one to grab the blackboard duster the responsible for cleaning the board.
That was what they had been doing for a while, ever since Chanyeol decided to become a top student.
During the first days of classes, he had got to learn most of his classmates’ names, but he had also figured out their personalities as well as their quirks.
In the jungle of a class he had been thrown without prior notice there were all kind of people; there were noisy brats, there were cocky students who liked to show off, but among them all, there were two classmates that Chanyeol had seen have a good performance on most of the subjects with a peculiar humility he hadn’t seen in his past experience at school.
All it took him to get closer to the two boys who had caught his attention was to approach them after an assignment, requesting to work as a group as he explained his desire to be a better student, something that illuminated the two faces in an instant.
Chanyeol got to know later that what made his now-friends accept him in that first instance what his honesty, one of the rarest characteristics to find on people, as Junmyeon had told him one day.
Just as said boy, also known as the president of the class, made his way into them and smiled cheerfully at Kyungsoo after the latter had jumped in surprise at his sudden arrival, Chanyeol rested his head on his hands while sighing.
When peeking outside the four walls, there was morning dew adorning each of the cherry blossoms, a beautiful sight to behold before the steady silence could be broken.
A long day of duties was about to start, and he couldn’t be any more excited to receive it with open arms.
---
Chanyeol had fallen into a comfortable routine for the past few weeks, finding his place in this new chapter of his life. Every day was the same, until one day it wasn’t anymore.
That was the day when saw him for the first time.
There was nothing particular about that Monday, not a single difference between all the previous first classes of the week and this one that could hint what was about to happen, so when the often-late teacher had stood right next to the door after waiting for the students to sit, it came as a surprise to hear him call for a person none of them could yet see.
Many years would have passed after that sunny morning, but Chanyeol would still remember it perfectly, even now.
When the math’s teacher opened the door and let a petite boy entered the classroom, all the noise in the room stopped at once, dozens of eyes focused on one single body with unspoken words wandering through the air. Chanyeol’s eyes were lost on the facial features though, not a thought running around his mind for a moment.
He didn’t have the chance to hear the new student’s speech, as it seemed his head had shut down and didn’t intend to continue functioning. There was however one thing his ears caught at the end of the self-introduction, and that was–
“Baekhyun, Byun Baekhyun. I’ll ask you to take care of him from now on.”
A forced smile.
Ah, that was unexpected.
Scratching the skin under his earlobe, Chanyeol followed the unfamiliar face moving through the area with no noticeable agitation, no anxiety detected on his actions as the curious whispering started to grow at the back.
Why couldn’t he stop looking at his small frame for a second? He didn’t know. Did he have something that stood out for Chanyeol? Nothing apparent if he was asked. So why?
Baekhyun, as he now knew he was called, was pretty normal, with two droopy eyes that gave him a younger appearance for his age and a small nose that went well with his round face.
Chanyeol’s gaze was lingering on the other’s lips as a thought came and heated his cheeks when the unfazed kid turned to him. And as soon as their eyes met, a loud cough coming from the teacher’s desk made him look away, not without noticing the lingering of the other’s gaze upon him for a little longer.
The lesson started, and more than an hour was filled with one unique voice that wasn’t as pleasing to hear anymore as it had been during the past month.
The rest of the day went by quickly, with a busy schedule that made everyone forget about the time until reaching home with heavy shoulders and a bag full of books.
On a night like that, Chanyeol’s sleep would come the second his head touched the pillow, but this time it took him at least ten minutes for him to fall asleep, daydreaming about the cute classmate he had yet to know, and trying to guess what kind of person the guy was until his eyelids failed him, and darkness embraced him.
“Open up your books on page 21”
“Could you repeat the number again, Mr.?”
Kyungsoo rolled his eyes at one of their classmates’ question; an obvious habit the laid-back boy seemed to have that didn’t pass unnoticed to him because of how many times he would happen to hear the request per day.
The topic of the lesson was of Chanyeol’s interest, and any other day he would have taken as many notes as he could, but today’s Chanyeol was busy sneaking a glance at the only person that hadn’t spoken to anyone since the start of the class, nearly jumping when the history teacher stood in between him and Baekhyun.
If the teacher decided to ask him a question, he thought right then, he was fucked. There was no way he would guess the answer to any of his questions when the only thing he had written was the title and the date, and a few words that could count as brainstorm.
As he bit his lower lip, the teacher turned around to face Byun Baekhyun.
He didn’t know if he should feel relief for saving his own ass and later reprimand himself for not paying attention, or to feel bad for who was the new guy. But a part of him alerted his system, excited to hear what the boy had to answer and see what kind of a character he was.
When Baekhyun’s answer came, he realized he wasn’t the only one who was left speechless at his classmate’s skills.
Baekhyun had given the right answer, that was true, but the way he stated his opinion with clear conviction and with not a hint of fear, or any kind of emotion anyone would expect a new student would feel when getting used to a different environment was certainly impressive.
He didn’t stutter, nor did he use an impolite tone of voice. Actually, Baekhyun took his time when answering, keeping his eyes on the teacher’s without blinking as he spoke, or if he did, Chanyeol couldn’t tell. Only when he stopped talking did his gaze returned to his notebook.
Looking at him lost on his own world, there was one word that could be read all over his face, and that was… indifference. As if what he had done didn’t matter to him.
He was brilliant, and he probably knew that, but he didn’t care. Not at all.
Baekhyun didn’t see Chanyeol frowning at him right then. He didn’t know how hot his head felt and what a mess of an emotion wreck he became.
After that event, the lesson continued as if nothing had happened, but Chanyeol didn’t look to his side again for the rest of the class.
Watching most of the girls and boys chasing Baekhyun and asking him questions related to different subjects during the recess didn’t help either, no when the person in the center of the attention didn’t bat an eye at the people surrounding him when they expressed their notorious admiration. A polite nod was all they would get from him.
“Chanyeol?”
The hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality, a curious Junmyeon shaking him with light force, guiding them to their friend who was already standing next to the circle of people wearing sports uniforms.
“Hurry up, you two,” shouted the young teacher in charge of the P.E class.
Even though the season had brought back the burning sun and the colorful flowers abounded around the city, the chilly wind could still send shivers down his body.
“Okay kids, today we’ll have a fun activity at the end of the lesson,” said Ms. Sejeong while stretching, making everybody copy her movements. “But first, we’ll follow the last class routine.”
The next hour was spent by doing a fitness circuit, cold hands long-forgotten, and sweaty foreheads suffering under wet hair. When the time of working in pairs came, Chanyeol would take turns to work with Kyungsoo first before going with Junmyeon, as they had decided to do previously.
Finally, the time for the extra task had come. The class had gathered around the teacher once again, coughing and whining.
“I’m telling you, it’s gonna be football again,” Chanyeol said while leaning on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, who never flinched to push the former’s hand away despite the fake pouts Chanyeol would give him every time.
“So, as I told you earlier, today we’ll do an activity– Jongdae, Minseok, I’m sure you are talking about a matter of life or death, but could you please let me continue?”
“Sorry Ms. Sejeong!” shouted the two boys at the same time.
“Thank you. Today’s activity is called back-to-back–”
Before she could continue, the grumbles of a whole crowd were heard around the volleyball court.
“If all of you know the instructions already, then we’ll start immediately.”
Someone who couldn’t be seen in between all the people yet rose a hand then, revealing themselves when the others moved away to let them speak clearly.
Chanyeol snorted.
“I don’t know the rules,” Baekhyun simply said, not noticing the confused expressions the people around him were giving him or probably choosing to ignore them.
Before the teacher could explain anything, Minseok –one of the noisiest students of the school, and therefore close friends with golden throat Jongdae– walked closer to Baekhyun until his hands rested on the smaller’s waist. Coughing once, Baekhyun quickly recovered his previous stern attitude before glancing at him.
“We can explain it to him,” added Jongdae loud enough to be heard from the back of the circle.
“Ok, then I’ll start forming the pairs.”
While everyone was waiting for their names to be called, Chanyeol was already thinking about the best options to win the game in a short time, analyzing each movement his mind could come up with.
He could position his body at this exact angle to make the descending part easier, and he could push with all his strength to stand up in less time, or maybe he–
“Park Chanyeol, and…”
A smile was spreading through his face, pure adrenaline filling his body thanks to his competitive ass and his strong desire to prove himself worthy with each given opportunity. Chanyeol was so happy that even after hearing the name of his partner, his smile lasted a few more seconds before turning into a sour grimace.
“Byun Baekhyun. Get together please.”
Baekhyun was still talking with the two rascals when the teacher called his name, and while Chanyeol was staring at him since then with a clenching jaw, this body part relaxed right when Baekhyun’s eyes finally found his at the other end.
He had to remind himself of all the negative traits the boy walking to him had, such as his stupid personality, and his stupid little face. What a stupid, insufferable boy he was, and what a strange attitude he possessed.
He was too lost searching for every single word he could use to paint a bad image of the boy in his head to notice their distance had been reduced to zero, with the brunette boy standing unbearably close to him.
“Hi, I’m Baekhyun,” he said without breaking eye contact.
“I know.”
He was sure to have given Baekhyun a cynical smile, but the other seemed to not have caught up the mood, which somehow made him even angrier.
“Two of our classmates taught me the steps of the game, but I’m afraid I didn’t understand everything we–”
“Yeah, yeah, we’ll do it like I say,” Chanyeol cut him off.
He looked like he had given it a thought in a split of a second. “Okay"
It surprised him how easy it was to persuade him to follow his orders, a part of him feeling guilty for taking advantage of his apparent naivety, but he rushed to shrug it off.
“Are we ready, class?”
“Yes!”
All the cries from the other kids created a surreal atmosphere, one where everybody could set free for some moments as only young people could.
“Then, three–”
Chanyeol looked up at Baekhyun, who was staring back motionless, just waiting.
“Two–”
Placing his hands over his shoulders, he ignored the urge to laugh at the funny kid, turning him around and positioning his arms as he needed them.
“One–”
Turning around in a flash, he intertwined their arms together, taking a deep breath.
“Go!”
And the music came back.
The failed attempt of squatting, forearms rubbing forearms, the push and pull of their bodies. Everything was happening too fast at their surroundings to catch up, the only sure thing was their horrible teamwork.
When Chanyeol tried to get down to sit on the floor, Baekhyun would push too hard and they would end up losing balance, and vice versa.
Noticing most of the class succeeding on the activity, jumping and celebrating when they couldn’t even complete the first part of the task was a failure for Chanyeol, a complete failure.
How could he ever achieve anything when he couldn’t even win a game?
“Hurry up, Chanyeol! Or you’re tidying up the mess during the recess.”
Pushing with more force, the chants of Baekhyun’s name and the laughs coming from the people around them made him tense.
For the last minute he had stopped feeling the strong pushes from Baekhyun’s back against his, so when he turned his head to check on his teammate, he found out there was only one person who had the intention of winning, all the noise and the fatigue finally riling him up.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Fewer voices could be heard now.
“Pardon?”
“I asked what you think you’re doing because it seems to me you’re not doing anything.”
Baekhyun was silent, still. Chanyeol, on the contrary, was all fired up.
“And if you don’t mind, I’m trying to do something here.”
At the lack of an answer and the stopped on the other’s movements, Chanyeol decided to work on his own, not expecting to make Baekhyun fall when pushing too hard and making him fall too on the process. With his arms still linked with Baekhyun’s, he took in the view of all the faces cheering them around them, wondering why the situation felt so out of place.
Once the teacher sent the class to the showers excusing herself for leaving earlier, he and Baekhyun remained in the same pitiful position.
Chanyeol felt defeated and embarrassed, too embarrassed to say anything, but his anger helped him to rise from the ground with a jump. “Hey kid,” he said with a pointing finger.
Baekhyun was already on his feet, all of his attention on him.
“I don’t know who you are, but I can see you don’t give a shit about anything,” he said after biting the inside of his cheeks. “But I do.”
He could see the frown forming on the other’s face, but he needed to continue, to let out his frustration.
“If you feel like being an average person, you do you, but I’m not losing again. I’ll work hard, I–I’ll work hard to be better.”
It was hard to breathe, too many emotions doing no good to his heart either.
But Baekhyun frown was no longer there because his eyebrows were lifted and his mouth slightly open.
Feeling like he had nothing else to add, Chanyeol didn’t wait for Baekhyun to speak when he was about to. He simply walked passed him, leaving everything behind, Baekhyun included.