keep me running
Author: ANONYMOUS
Recipient: wufan_senpai
Title: keep me running
Word Counts: 8220
Side Pairing(s): Jongin/Kyungsoo, slight Luhan/Sehun
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): smoking, slight violence, mentions of illegal mafia business
Disclaimer:The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Chanyeol reeks of nicotine and expensive perfume as he chases after the boy who smells like overpriced coffee and old books. (a.k.a. Chanyeol is a lame mafia boss who has a huge crush on a university student.)
Author's Note: to my lovely recipient, i hope you enjoy reading this even though i feel like i didn’t give you what you completely wanted, and i didn’t get to expand this more :( but anyways, enjoy mafia boss chanyeol and uni student baek!! special thanks to M for beta-ing about 3/4 of this fic, despite having a busy schedule, this wouldn’t be possible without you ♥ and to R who has held my hand and caressed my cheek all throughout the writing process of this 8k monster :( and thank you mods for hosting this exchange and being so patient with me ily ♥
Chanyeol wakes up with a dull ache in his head and a rumbling stomach. It takes him a few moments to recall their trip to the casino last night, and how Sehun just gave away half of the month’s profit by being the bad liar he is. Chanyeol exhales as he squints, eyes adjusting to the brightness and searching for the said boy inside their humble headquarters. The couch is too tiny for his long limbs but Chanyeol stretches anyway, almost falling onto the carpeted floor - once bright red in color, but has lost its luster due to the dust and cigarette ash.
“I heard someone left Silver Dragons.” He hears Kyungsoo speak through sound of crackling oil in the frying pan. Chanyeol sniffs in the scrumptious smell of bacon and hears the distinguishable sizzle in the pan. Standing in the kitchen area with an apron on is an unfazed Kyungsoo while a scurrying Jongin finds safety away from the crackling oil.
“Who?” Chanyeol yells through the cramped living room, still lying down on the couch, and wipes his face with his blazer; it nearly suffocates him with the strong smell of his perfume. His face feels so pasty, he doesn’t like how he smells, and he just wants a long shower knowing Sehun probably used up all the hot water again. Sehun scurries past him, and Chanyeol scrutinizes Sehun’s dripping wet hair.
“Someone Chinese.” Sehun replies, his eyes too bloodshot for some reason, as he runs all over the place in his boxers to gather his wrinkled clothes. His butt gets a slap from Chanyeol as he passes by the couch for the second time, and an incoherent, tired curse comes out of Sehun’s mouth.
“Aren’t all of them Chinese?” Jongin asks, patiently waiting for breakfast as he sits on the floor and rests his head on the glass surface of the coffee table.
Sehun hisses under his breath as he trips over a stack of documents. “Minseok isn’t.” he replies after recovering and successfully putting on his pants.
Kyungsoo walks to the living room carrying a plate of bacon and eggs, and miraculously finds a space to put his plate down on the coffee table brimming with piles of junk and somewhat important paperwork. “Can’t you guys clean up around here?” He asks, and Chanyeol groans in reply. Kyungsoo glances at him and exhales as he organizes the thick piles of papers into one neat stack.
Chanyeol finally gets up from the couch, groaning loudly as he stretches. “Who left the gang?” He asks and heads over to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee. His head feels like it’s currently being hammered, and he feels fatigue coursing through his limbs.
“Some senior member left, but not Minseok-hyung.” Sehun brushes past him in a hurry, now dressed in a wrinkled shirt that actually belongs to Chanyeol, and grabs a piece of bacon from a plate and shoves it in his mouth. “See you later, hyung.” He hurriedly bids goodbye and runs straight to the door.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going with my shirt?” Chanyeol yells as Sehun walks out of the door and slams it loudly, muttering excuses about how late he is for second period.
Kyungsoo keeps staring at Chanyeol with wide eyes. He shrugs. “It’s weird.”
“It’s definitely weird that he knows so much about the Dragons.” Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows as he sips his coffee, leaning against the kitchen counter and scanning the mess of suitcases filled with thousands of bills in the living room, surrounding the TV. He makes a mental note to organize the mess later, along with the guns which are not in their respective cases.
“He’s banging Lu Han.” Jongin suddenly speaks, half-awake, head still flat on the coffee table.
Chanyeol scoffs in offense. “I can barely handle the both of you, don’t add another goddamn couple into the list.”
Kyungsoo flips him off with one hand as he stabs at the bacon on his plate with the other.
*
It starts to get boring for Park Chanyeol.
The cop chase, the casinos, the leather jackets, the suits with matching ties, the generous supply of guns, the shitloads of cash, the overly expensive perfumes - Chanyeol’s had enough. It felt thrilling at first, made him experience the adrenaline rush on a whole new level. Chanyeol honestly felt downright frightened the moment his father had told him that he was next in line for the Red Phoenix. A shiver ran down his spine the moment he realized all the responsibilities he needed to carry on his own, and it was terrifying. He knew he was going to mess up, and so did Kyungsoo - the only son of the Do Family who has this unbreakable tie with Chanyeol’s whole clan. It was sort of automatic for Kyungsoo to be appointed as his underboss, and Chanyeol will forever be grateful to the tiny guy for stopping him from almost burning himself that one time and for always cooking their meals at the headquarters. It was also sort of automatic for Jongin and Sehun to join in on the reckless fun as well, since Jongin is a well-known business prodigy that attaches himself onto Kyungsoo, in whatever he does and wherever he goes. Sehun is just a filthy rich spoiled brat who used to play with Chanyeol when they were kids, and he just wanted a cool mafia tattoo.
Chanyeol is not bored with his friends. He will never forget that one time they woke up at Daegu, too hungover to remember how the hell they got there, or that time they panicked inside their van because they thought Sehun will bleed to death from one gunshot (because the kid was acting delirious as fuck and was muttering things about milk), or that time they were running away from the cops on foot and Chanyeol looked back to check on them, only to see that all three of them heaving as they ran for their lives; he’d felt a sudden surge of gratefulness, then, for having the best set of guys who are more than willing to accompany him in his haphazard and insane adventures.
Change is constant, and it fuels Chanyeol to wake up everyday with anticipation for the crazy mishaps that are about to come at him at full speed. But gone are the days when there were always something new, something insane, or something so crazy that makes him almost piss himself. He’s just bored of the unavoidable routine, which apparently comes with the package of being a young mafia boss. And maybe it just seems like he’s done everything he’s ever wanted to do that there seems to nothing left to amuse him. There’s nothing else left to challenge him. Maybe Chanyeol just needs something to spark up change in his routine. Maybe he just needs some sort of catalyst, a flame that will slowly give him a comforting warmth to ease him into the bright blaze he once was.
*
His phone tells him that it’s fifteen minutes until midnight, and his fingers tap against the wooden table rather noisily under the silence of the coffee shop. The café is almost empty except for two middle-aged businesswomen lining up by the counter and a university student sitting on the table adjacent to his. His phone buzzes.
Kai’s with them, they’re on their way. I’ll be there in ten.
Chanyeol exhales as he reads Kyungsoo’s text. He never liked being in university areas - the roads get congested a bit too easily when there are big college events happening around and he looks like an eyesore everywhere he goes. Students would always give him a second glance the moment he takes out a cigarette, probably judging the suit he’s wearing and trying to guess whether he’s some rich businessman or a sugar daddy waiting for his college girlfriend. The moment he looks at them right in the eye, they’d look away immediately. Underneath the expensive suits and pungent perfumes that typically repel normal citizens, Chanyeol likes to think that he is a warm, gentle giant. Chanyeol thinks he’s a genuinely nice person, despite the fact he’s waiting for the suitcase full of cold, hard cash to be delivered at their headquarters.
His order arrives, a steaming cup of coffee on a cute little porcelain cup is placed on his table. He mutters a low thank you before downing large gulps, and he feels the warmth travel through his body. It relieves him of the subtle but annoyingly persistent worry about the transaction, even if Kyungsoo had already confirmed him with a text that it went well. The security of the places around the university are always a bit tighter than the other areas they handle, newly recruited guards are usually meat eaters who are too corrupt for their own good and that makes it harder for them to establish some sort of connection or alliance. Besides, he looks way too out of place which practically makes him stand out like a sore thumb.
“Um, excuse me,” the boy from the adjacent table reaches out to him, his arm extended a little hesitantly as he taps Chanyeol’s shoulder.
Chanyeol flinches. He looks at the guy, and Chanyeol is 99.9% sure this guy is actually one of those undercover spies that Kyungsoo has dealt with before, and he tries to calm himself down unless this spy wants to interrogate him. Chanyeol straightens up, and faces him.
The university student stares back at him, a highlighter in his extended hand. He does not cringe nor does he seem to be intimidated. He just looks at Chanyeol straight in the eyes. “I’m pretty sure we have our orders switched.” He mutters, retracting back his hand to tap the highlighter on his table.
A bit baffled and overwhelmed by the brave approach of a stranger, Chanyeol glances back at him and the cup of coffee he’s currently holding. “How sure are you?” He says, eyebrows meeting together in doubt.
And then he chuckles lightly, and Chanyeol almost dropped what’s left of the hot coffee onto the floor because the boy had an eye smile that’s sort of overwhelming. “I’m pretty sure,” he replies with a smug expression that looks a bit ridiculous. “I don’t order cappuccino.” He grabs the slightly larger cup on his table, and offers it to Chanyeol.
“Oh,” Chanyeol replies dumbly, realizing that he already drank almost half of this student’s coffee. “I’m so sorry, I’ll buy you another one.” Chanyeol says, taking his cappuccino, and sliding down the small cup to the adjacent table. “Like, right now.” Chanyeol fumbles through the pockets of his slacks for cash, large eyes trying to apologize to the student who only has a half cup of coffee.
He laughs, a bit shyly. “I would take advantage of that offer,” he says, placing his own cup in front of him. “but I actually have to go in about fifteen minutes.” he takes a sip and Chanyeol’s pretty sure an indirect kiss just happened between the two of them.
Stuck in an awkward about-to-stand-up-but-nevermind position, Chanyeol exhales and composes himself before sitting back in his chair. He proceeds to just glance at the student every now and then, trying not to look like he is actually interested and intrigued, and miserably failing to do so. He clears his throat. “You have a class at this hour?” Chanyeol asks, sniffing his own cup to find the difference. He can’t seem to figure it out, both of them are just coffee.
“No, no,” he answers while busily packing up the study materials on his table - a stack of photocopied papers, actual books, and a few colored pens. “I just have an online assignment I need to submit.” The student seems so busy that he doesn’t spare Chanyeol a glance.
Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows as he takes a sip of his lukewarm coffee. “At midnight?” He asks, and his words are jumbled with his content exhale as a tinge of warmness envelopes him once again. He clicks his tongue, staring straight through the busybody across him as his eyes glaze in contemplation. “Man, I’m confused.”
He stands up, the chair scraping against the floor rather noisily, disturbing the silence of the café. “I really don’t tell this to strangers but I’m actually a procrastinator.” He tells Chanyeol in a faux whisper, before giving him an overconfident smirk. “I’ll see you around.”
Chanyeol gives him an awkward wave paired with an awkward smile.
“You can buy me coffee next time.” The student yells back at him, halfway out the door.
*
Chanyeol clears his throat. “PCY will now speak.” He announces, his voice modulated. He’s wearing a bathrobe, his hair still dripping wet, as he sits in the middle of the couch. Kyungsoo’s beside him, putting as much space in between them possible to avoid being splashed wet whenever Chanyeol turns his head. “Kindly make them settle down, D.O.” Chanyeol commands, and Kyungsoo stares at him with furrowed eyebrows.
Sehun occupies half of the large bean bag, sharing the space with Jongin who looks a bit too comfortable as he leans on Sehun.
“I invited all of you here to discuss something really important.” Chanyeol starts, leaning towards the younger boys.
“Oh boy,” Kyungsoo sighs beside him.
“We need to hunt down someone.” His head hangs down, as if he were contemplating a serious matter.
Sehun exhales and grabs his phone in his lap. “Just when I thought I was finally getting my own mafia name.” Sehun whispers a bit too loudly to Jongin and proceeds to text on his phone.
“Tough luck.” Jongin whispers back, and Chanyeol eyes the both of them sternly. The both of them clear their throat before silencing themselves, Sehun tucking away his phone and Jongin sitting upright.
“Shut up, Kai.” Sehun quietly mutters with venom.
Suddenly distracted, Chanyeol shifts in his seat to face Sehun a bit too eagerly. “Wait, before I forget, are you fucking Lu Han?” He asks, eyes large and lips pursed as he leans in closer, his butt almost sliding off the couch.
Sehun’s mouth hangs open for a few seconds. “Fucking with Lu Han, or fucking Lu Han, like on the bed?” He stutters, and his phone suddenly chimes a short tone and the screen lights up to reveal a new text from Lu Han.
Chanyeol eyes Sehun’s phone for a few seconds before leaning back on the couch. “Oh my god, you’re fucking him.” Chanyeol thrashes on the couch, his limbs flailing everywhere as Kyungsoo moves away from him.
“I told you he was.” Jongin breathes out, a smirk on his lips.
“I am not fucking Lu Han,” Sehun’s reply was in between sulking and defensive as he nudges Jongin and hides his phone inside his pocket. “yet.” He continues, hiding his face in his hands.
Chanyeol groans. “And this is exactly why we really need to hunt down this person.”
Chanyeol decided that today is a very nice day to stalk someone. After ratting out the details about the university student who wore a sweater saying dopeshit, who doesn’t drink cappuccino, who has way too many colored pens, and who has the best eye smile Chanyeol has ever seen, Kyungsoo simply told him to ask their trustworthy informant to search for his coffee shop crush. But Jongdae, the trusthworthy informant, was apparently too busy searching for the guy who abruptly left Silver Dragons and was charging Chanyeol double. Chanyeol told him to fuck it and forget about it and Jongdae just gave him his signature fake ass laugh in reply before hanging up on him.
And before even agreeing to the plan, and before having an actual well-thought plan for Operation Dopeshit Sweater Guy, the four of them find themselves cramped in a narrow, dirty alley that gives them a perfect view of the café near the university.
“This is so stupid.” Kyungsoo breathes behind Jongin, who is currently squished in between Sehun’s side and Chanyeol’s back.
“Keep it down.” Chanyeol whispers, his head peeking out of the alley, and adjusts his sunglasses as he extends his whole body a bit further out.
Just when he least expects it, he sees the familiar mop of brown hair walking towards the café. He is wearing a different sweater today, and oh god he’s wearing glasses and it makes him look so damn adorable and Chanyeol’s heart is about to claw its way out of his throat.
“Oh my god, there he is, my soulmate.” Chanyeol flails within the little space they have, and Kyungsoo tells him to calm the fuck down along with a few other profanities.
“Hey, Sehun-” Jongin mutters, and is cut short speaking as his mouth meets Chanyeol’s shoulder.
“What am I gonna do? Am I supposed to follow him?” Chanyeol alternates between looking over at Dopeshit Sweater Guy who’s currently entering the café, and frantically giving his friends panicked stares.
“Wait, that’s-” Sehun nudges Jongin as he cranes his head to get a clearer view.
“Holy shit, everyone calm the fuck down, please.” Chanyeol cuts him off as he tries to calm himself down with deep breaths.
“Hyung, that’s Byun Baekhyun.” Jongin says exasperatedly, leaning on the wall.
Chanyeol blinks at him, eyes wider than ever, and Jongin almost squirms in place. “You actually know who he is?”
“We have Algebra together,” Jongin tells him, and Chanyeol almost grabs his own hair off from his head from the frustration and surprise. “and Sehun lives on the same floor as him.” Jongin adds to save himself.
Kyungsoo clears his throat. “Well, looks like Byun Baekhyun isn’t gonna stay in that café much longer.” The three of them witness Byun Baekhyun, now clutching a bag of pastries, head out of the café.
Chanyeol runs off.
“Um, are you okay?” Byun Baekhyun, the university student who lives on the same floor as Oh Sehun and has Algebra with Kim Jongin and is the maybe-hopefully potential boyfriend of Park Chanyeol, asks.
Chanyeol heaves, bending down with his hands on his knees, and he thinks that he should stop being such a loser and be cool for once in his life. So he straightens himself up, noticing their height difference almost instantly and finding it kind of endearing. “Coffee?” Chanyeol removes his sunglasses and flips his hair, or at least attempts to, because his bangs are sticking onto his sweaty forehead.
Baekhyun’s eyes gives him a hint of recognition and they turn into crescents once again when he gives Chanyeol a laugh. “This is so lame-I keep giving you excuses-but I actually have a test tomorrow.”
“And?”
“And I sort of need to study?”
“I can help you study?” Chanyeol blurts out and regrets it immediately. He has only experienced one year of college, and he sort of just breezed through it, prioritizing his illegal duties before his studies so he’s not entirely sure if people actually helped each other study for exams or not. He cringes. “I mean, it’s okay if you think I’d be a distraction, it’s totally fine, I’ll just leave my number-”
“Sure, you can.” Baekhyun starts walking, slowly, urging Chanyeol to keep up with him. “I’d have to know your name first, though. I mean, I absolutely have no experience having a random stranger be my study buddy.” He smiles a bit unsurely.
“Park Chanyeol.” He stops walking, offering a hand.
Baekhyun shakes it with no sign of hesitation. “Businessman?” He says as he eyes Chanyeol’s long-sleeved button down that probably smells like strong perfume and cigarette smoke.
Chanyeol is suddenly too self-conscious and there’s a siren in his head telling him to abort the mission. “Sort of.” He replies, not letting go of Baekhyun’s hand. Chanyeol mentally punches himself for what he’s getting into.
“Byun Baekhyun.” He replies, and the mere sound of his name sends some sort of electric pulse through Chanyeol’s blood.
I’m at his room IM FREAKING OUT!!!
It took Chanyeol a few minutes to text that one line because his hands are slightly shaking from the new kind of excitement he’s feeling. Baekhyun’s unit is noticeably smaller than Sehun’s, but it has enough space for Baekhyun’s stack of books and papers. Chanyeol notices that his things are not that organized, but are not messy either. Polaroids are tacked onto a corkboard by his study table, as well as notes about deadlines and a few motivational scribbles. He shifts on the bed as he waits for Baekhyun, who is currently inside the tiny kitchen of his unit.
well that was quick
Sehun replies a few seconds after, and Chanyeol decides to ignore him.
Reminding you that we’re just here on unit 375, in case you embarrass yourself too much.
Kyungsoo’s text follows almost instantly. Jongin doesn’t reply, and Chanyeol isn’t even surprised.
Baekhyun enters the room carrying two mugs, and sets them down his study table. “You sure you’re not a psychopath or anything?” he suddenly asks out of the blue, facing Chanyeol with scrutinizing eyes. He crosses his arms, raises his eyebrows, and tries his best not to smile.
“I’m pretty I would have already murdered you a few minutes ago if I were.” Chanyeol replies, standing up to grab a mug of hot chocolate, only to find out it’s not really hot chocolate after taking the first sip. His face scrunches up and Baekhyun chuckles as he pulls a chair.
“It’s mocha.” He informs Chanyeol, sitting himself comfortably and grabbing a stack of papers.
Chanyeol nods to himself, and sits himself on a chair near the edge of Baekhyun’s table. He leans closer, one leg shaking, as he curiously eyes the contents of papers. After encountering difficult phrases such as ‘the essence of becoming’ and ‘the juxtaposition of man’, he stops trying to understand what Baekhyun’s studying and just stares at Baekhyun instead.
Their eyes meet, and Chanyeol almost chokes on his own spit.
“You aren’t here to help me study, are you?” Baekhyun sighs with a little smile on his lips, an elbow on his table and his cheek on his palm.
“Um,” Chanyeol gulps, blinking at him. Baekhyun lifts his eyebrows, and Chanyeol gives him a breathy laugh as his hand scratches the back of his head. “I just wanted to know you, to be honest.” He replies, leaning forward on his chair. “And I’m sorry if I come off too creepy, but I sort of waited for you today at the café where we first met.”
Baekhyun’s hand is covering his mouth as he tries to hide a smile and a few fits of laughter in between. “I already find you creepy though.” He replies, eyebrows raised, and waits for Chanyeol’s response with a slight hint amusement and anticipation.
Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows and pulls his chair forward to close in the distance between them. “Then why’d you let a creepy guy like me inside your room?” He smirks.
Baekhyun’s expression falters and he seems caught off guard for a few seconds, before recovering himself with a laugh. “Maybe I find this creepy guy cute?” he shrugs.
It takes Chanyeol his whole being to restrain himself from fist pumping into the air as he keeps himself from giggling like an idiot.
“But you should really be helping me study.” Baekhyun whines before taking a sip of his mocha.
Chanyeol stretches in his seat. “Well, then tell me how I can help you.” Chanyeol replies, waking himself up by straightening his back and stretching his arms as far as he could.
Baekhyun is a noisy guy, Chanyeol concludes after spending three straight hours with him to help him study for his major exam. He had a weird way of reciting all the important points and arguments such as the pre-existence of a human soul and the ____, all of which Chanyeol does not entirely understand but eagerly nods to anyway. At one point, Chanyeol had asked Baekhyun why he cares so much about the existence of a human being, and he learns that Baekhyun is actually a philosophy major and that Baekhyun’s taking classes in the same building as Sehun.
Baekhyun likes talking, he likes to talk about how he hates cucumbers with passion that he can smell it a few feet away and feel absolutely disgusted. He likes to talk about how this one video of him sort of went viral for a day, and everyone in his class wanted him to reenact his light switch dance. He talks about how he has friends in every class he has, but he doesn’t mention any kind of best friend or any kind of close friend. He doesn’t talk about his friends that much, as if he’s too detached and a bit distant. But Baekhyun likes to talk about himself, in little fragments, in scattered puzzle pieces that doesn’t give out the whole picture. He gives out bits and pieces of his life, too animatedly, too eagerly for someone who’s talking to a complete stranger.
“Do you usually tell this to everyone you meet?” Chanyeol asks cautiously.
For a few moments, Baekhyun blinks at him in contemplation. “No.” He slowly shakes his head, giving Chanyeol a serious stare. “I just feel this sort of connection between.” He inhales audibly before continuing, “I just know that we’d get along well.”
Chanyeol spends a few seconds feeling the sort of connection that Baekhyun’s talking about, and he feels it the moment Baekhyun glances at him to give him a smile, without hesitation, without any sign of reluctance. There’s this sort of feeling that he’s felt with Kyungsoo, with Jongin, with Sehun - it’s similar but entirely different at the same time - and this is the exact feeling that consumes him the moment he meets someone who’s going to be with him for a very long time.
Baekhyun glances at him, and he lets it linger for a while. Chanyeol smiles, and is convinced that this is the beginning of something good.
*
Chanyeol needed to clarify it three times for everyone to understand that, yes, they did sleep together, but they just slept - because the both of them have so much to talk to about, and they ended up falling asleep halfway through their discussion about eyeliner and leather jackets. Chanyeol was swooning, his whole body flailing on the couch, as he told them how great Byun Baekhyun is and how they are so compatible and how he broke one of Baekhyun’s mugs so he had to clean up before leaving for the night which is why he has a cut on his finger-
“Wait, hyung,” Sehun interrupts, an unlit cigarette in his mouth, and shifts on the beanbag to face Chanyeol. “Did you actually tell him you’re an almighty mafia boss?”
“No.” Chanyeol answers firmly.
“You’re fucked.” Kyungsoo says, lazily draping onto Jongin who’s too focused on watching a soccer game.
He rolls his eyes as he scoffs. Chanyeol thinks his friends are overthinking too much. “How would he even know?” He says, standing up to plunge himself on the large beanbag, fitting himself in the little space beside Sehun.
“You’re fucked, hyung.” Sehun tells him, as he flicks the lighter on.
“Sehun, we’re pretty sure that you’re fucked,” Chanyeol replies, hooking an arm around the younger boy. “quite recently.” He wiggles his eyebrows as he nudges him.
Jongin laughs too loudly and accidentally hits his head on the wall, but keeps on laughing anyway even if the back of his head must be hurting. Kyungsoo bends over from chuckling too much, his almost teary eyes still looking at Sehun.
Sehun gives all of them a look that represents how shocked and violated and confused and harassed he feels.
“Lu Han tells us everything.” Chanyeol breathes.
*
Chanyeol wasn’t fucked (figuratively and literally) since he’s probably an expert at putting up fronts and hiding in different masks. It doesn’t even make a difference. Mafia boss or ‘businessman’, Chanyeol is still Chanyeol, still dumb, still head over heels for Baekhyun. During high school, Chanyeol didn’t really know how to date girls - always being too indecisive, too rash, too sloppy, too rough. It was a sign, back then, that he should just stop dating girls and, maybe, date boys instead. Dating Byun Baekhyun was like an extreme roller coaster ride, a cliff diving experience, a brave bungee jump - it was exhilarating, to the point of taking Chanyeol’s breath away and making him more alive than ever.
It’s been about two months of push and pull, of unavoidable embarrassment and cringe-worthy moments. It was supposed to be a romantic roam around the amusement park, but they took advantage of their ride-all-you-can ticket instead by actually going on every single ride, and Chanyeol scared the shit out of Baekhyun by forcing him to walk through the horror house. On a supposed-to-be-cliché movie date, Baekhyun was practically drooling on Chanyeol’s shoulder and suddenly yelled “five more minutes” during the silent, breathtaking part of the film when Chanyeol tried to wake him up. One weekday afternoon, Baekhyun was sort of stress-eating, so they just ate for two whole hours at a food district near the university and Chanyeol had to rush to Baekhyun’s unit because his stomach was acting up. (The both of them ended up inside the elevator with Sehun who was on his way to his own unit, and Chanyeol almost screamed. Sehun kept texting him sex jokes while giving them side glances that are way too obvious. It was the worst elevator ride in Chanyeol’s whole life.) There were good days with Baekhyun, and there were better ones. And Chanyeol could retell, recite, and give anything to relive all the best ones by heart.
Recently, any day with Baekhyun seems like a day well spent. Even if a day with Byun Baekhyun consists of spending about three hours in his favorite café and watching him study and letting him talk about philosophical arguments that are actually hard to understand, Chanyeol would never trade it for anything else. Even if Chanyeol sees Lu Han, the leader of Silver Dragons, sauntering straight to the counter in a flashy leather jacket, even if Chanyeol sort of panics and fidgets in his seat.
Baekhyun nudges him, a hint of worry and amusement in his eyes. “You okay?”
“Hey, PCY!” Lu Han eagerly walks over to their table before Chanyeol could answer Baekhyun. Chanyeol almost makes a run for it. Lu Han is glancing at Baekhyun, and his plastered smile falters due to tinge of confusion overtaking his face.
Baekhyun is alternating glances between Lu Han and Chanyeol, face scrunching up in confusion. “PCY?” He repeats through an awkward smile.
Chanyeol is currently sending telepathic waves to Lu Han, piercing him with a strong gaze that sends a warning. Before he knows it, Lu Han is reaching out to shake Baekhyun’s hand with an oblivious smile.
“I’m Hannie,” Lu Han introduces himself enthusiastically, his hand still waiting for Baekhyun’s.
Chanyeol is seriously deliberating on whether to pour the warm coffee on top of Lu Han’s head to intentionally make a scene, abruptly run out of the café, and never set foot near the university area ever again.
“Hannie,” Chanyeol cringes a bit. “This is Baekhyun.” He doesn’t break eye contact with Lu Han, still hoping to get his message across with his bulging eyes.
Still a bit confused, Baekhyun just gives Lu Han a smile and shakes his hand. “Nice to meet…” He trails off, looking down at their hands.
Chanyeol hears a siren inside his head the moment he sees a sliver of tattoo on Lu Han’s wrist, the inked dragon peeking out from the sleeve of his leather jacket. Chanyeol catches Baekhyun’s eyes stealing a quick a glance at him, before looking back at Lu Han’s wrist.
“Nice to meet you, Hannie.” Baekhyun says, a hint of doubt coating his voice.
Chanyeol opens his mouth to say something, but Lu Han beats him to it. “New recruit?” He asks, genuinely curious. Chanyeol gives up on life right there and then. “This guy right here is a really unusual gang leade-”
Someone from the counter calls out a green tea latte for Hannie, making Lu Han automatically crane his head at the sound of his ridiculous nickname and cut off what he’s trying to say. He hurriedly bids goodbye and runs off to his order.
Baekhyun stares at Lu Han as he exits the café.
“Um,” Chanyeol fidgets and starts to explain everything. “Baekhyun-”
“I get it.” He chuckles lightly, busying himself as he highlights sentences on his notebook, and remains a bit timid for a whole hour.
*
It’s been two weeks and Chanyeol is still glued to the couch, with no intention of setting foot outside the headquarters. Kyungsoo is still accomplishing the paper works, and is still berating Chanyeol about his poor life decisions. Jongin is still locking himself up at his own house, until the end of week, because he’s apparently failing three minor courses. Sehun is still acting like a bum at the headquarters, constantly reminding Chanyeol how he fucked things up.
Baekhyun doesn’t seem like himself, and is telling Chanyeol that he doesn’t have time to meet up or just talk since he’s too busy studying for finals. Baekhyun is avoiding him, maybe because he doesn’t want a mafia boss as a boyfriend or maybe because he doesn’t trust him anymore or maybe because he just didn’t really like Chanyeol in the first place.
It’s been two weeks since he last saw Byun Baekhyun.
Chanyeol suddenly thrashes on the couch quite violently. “I’m screwed.” Chanyeol groans.
Sehun’s drags the old, smelly beanbag and places it in front of the couch. “Told you.” Sehun replies, lazily flopping down the beanbag.
Chanyeol scrambles to sit himself up, a look of determination painting his face. “I need to win him back.”
Sehun stares at him with hooded eyes, and lifelessly breathes out cigarette smoke towards Chanyeol’s face.
*
Kyungsoo stares at the delivery scooter at the corner of the living room. Chanyeol and Sehun are standing beside the motorbike, doing jazz hands to elaborate the cleverness of the whole idea.
“Who thought of this?” Kyungsoo asks, glancing from Sehun to Chanyeol alternately.
“I did!” Chanyeol grins. “But he was the one who got the bike, though.” He gives credit to Sehun, placing an arm around the younger boy’s shoulders.
“This is probably the dumbest plan you have ever came up with in your entire life.” Kyungsoo tells Chanyeol.
“IT WILL WORK.”
*
Chanyeol pulls off a Cha Tae-hyun from My Sassy Girl, riding through the streets clad in a delivery boy uniform, on his way to steal Byun Baekhyun from whatever class he’s currently having. The university guard lets him pass rather easily, and Chanyeol parks the delivery bike in front of the Liberal Arts building. He checks a note on his phone that consists of Baekhyun’s schedule for the day, courtesy of the beloved Kim Jongin who takes classes in the same building as Baekhyun. He heaves a breath under his helmet, and detaches the metal storage that has an obnoxious sticker of ‘Mr. Lee’s Special Jjajangmyeon House’.
The security inside the university is weaker than unexpected, Chanyeol thinks, as he strides down the unfamiliar hallways, and eventually finding his way to Room 205.
“Delivery for Byun Baekhyun?” Chanyeol shouts through the open door, and everyone’s staring at him, but his vision blurs out everyone as it focuses on Baekhyun who’s seated by the window, at the other side of the room.
Baekhyun has this look of confusion on his face, but it completely dissolves into surprise as Chanyeol takes off his helmet. Chanyeol knows he probably looks like shit in his bright yellow delivery outfit and with some of his hair sticking flat to his forehead, but the obnoxious, loud laugh that Baekhyun gives him makes the creeping embarrassment worth it.
Chanyeol clears his throat and straightens his back as he grabs the bouquet of pink tulips from the delivery box. He inhales and makes his way to Baekhyun, hearing cheers and screams erupting from the whole class. He shoves the bouquet, a bit too abruptly, in front of Baekhyun’s face. “I’m sorry,” he says and the room goes silent. “I love you.” Chanyeol’s face feels furiously hot as the whole class cheers and applauds rather noisily; some of Baekhyun’s classmates holding their phones in the air to take pictures.
Baekhyun takes the flowers, and he laughs. He seems like he’s at lost for words, which is very unusual for Byun Baekhyun. But he’s suddenly pulling Chanyeol into a hug, the ends of the tulip stems clumsily poking Chanyeol’s shoulder blades, and he tells Chanyeol “It’s okay, I kind of love you too.”
However, their moment was short-lived as the door opens roughly, and two security guards are calling for Chanyeol The Delivery Guy.
Chanyeol takes Baekhyun’s hand, grabs Baekhyun’s backpack, and makes a run for it instead of giving an explanation.
The guards are shouting as they chase after a delivery man who’s tugging a university student with him out of the building. Baekhyun’s laughing so much that he loses his breath too quickly. Chanyeol feels Baekhyun’s hand gripping his own a little bit tighter, and he steals at glance at Baekhyun. Baekhyun’s forehead is a bit sweaty and his speed is never consistent, but a smile is plastered on his face and he’s looking at Chanyeol with bright crescent eyes, and everything is okay. Everything is okay, because Baekhyun could have rejected him, but he didn’t. Everything is okay, because something feels different with the way Baekhyun looks at him, as if there are no walls in between them anymore, no pretentions, no filters. Everything is okay, because Baekhyun kind of loves him too. Everything is okay, Chanyeol thinks, because it doesn’t feel like he’s chasing after Baekhyun anymore. He holds Baekhyun’s hand a bit tighter, and they run out of the building together.
*
Sometimes though, it’s frightening to be so happy because being so goddamn happy can also be a sign that something else is going to go wrong later on. Chanyeol has been feeling something unusual in his gut, but he tries to kill it off instantly. He’s supposed to be happy, because he’s got Baekhyun who isn’t even scared of dating a mafia boss. (Even though Baekhyun avoided him for two weeks because, according to Byun Baekhyun, it was “too much to take in, I mean, you went from an unreasonably young businessman to an unreasonably bubbly mafia boss real quick. Of course, I needed to think about my life decisions.”)
“Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo calls him from the passenger seat. They’re currently inside a van, on a lookout for the new recruits who are handling their first ever transaction with a small group of teenage junkies. Jongin’s settled on the driver’s seat, and Sehun’s seated beside Chanyeol at the back.
“Hm?” Chanyeol hums, a small smile on his lips. His phone is in front of his face and he sort of giggles when he reads Baekhyun’s text.
“Park Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo uses his full name, and it only means one thing: shit’s serious and Chanyeol should immediately drop everything he’s currently doing.
Chanyeol scoots closer from the back of the van, settling himself in between the driver’s seat and the passenger seat. He feels his muscles tensing as gets a clear view of the situation. A few meters away from the van, in an alley that’s almost hidden, their three new recruits are standing in front of a group of lanky teenagers. He sees the teenagers sporting bloodshot eyes, giving off an unkempt aura, and the mere sight of their stance gives Chanyeol a bad feeling. Kyungsoo must have been feeling the exact thing, his hand readily positioned on the door handle, and his gaze focused on the scene.
Jongin jumps in his seat from the sound of the gunshot, and Sehun gives out a small yelp. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo are out of the van in a flash.
There are two things that differentiate Chanyeol from his predecessors: his unpredictable, hasty decision-making skills and his will to save people who are part of Red Phoenix, no matter where they stand in the hierarchy system. If someone messes with a member, they’re messing with Kim Jongin, they’re messing with Oh Sehun, they’re messing with Do Kyungsoo, and they’re definitely messing with Park Chanyeol. Ever since Chanyeol was appointed as mafia boss, the system changed completely. Each and every member felt like they’re part of something that secures them a place to run to if the dark, messed up world decides to betray them at one point.
Chanyeol has always believed that he’s a warm and nice person, even if he currently has a gun in his hand.
Kyungsoo shoots, the bullet goes straight to the last guy’s forehead. Chanyeol wipes the sweat off his neck, his vision is starting to blur occasionally and he’s pretty sure that it’s a bad thing if that starts to happen.
“You’re bleeding.” Kyungsoo tells him, his grey suit sliced up and stained with blood, and kicks the lifeless bodies on the ground for a double check before tugging Chanyeol’s arm.
Chanyeol feels nauseous and numb as he trudges along with Kyungsoo for support, and he hears Sehun shouting in the background mixed with the piercing sound of a siren. Chanyeol sees their van swerving around a corner before speeding off, and Kyungsoo’s pulling him off to run. He feels his legs sprinting off while Kyungsoo tells him to keep it together. The sirens get louder, and he hisses as he feels the pain throbbing in his head.
“We need to split up.” Chanyeol breathes out and pushes himself to run a little faster. “Sehun’s.” He mutters, and Kyungsoo nods before running off to the opposite street, understanding Chanyeol’s one-word brief.
Chanyeol sees red and blue lights in the corner of his eyes, and he pushes himself to run the fastest he can.
The adrenaline already left his system and Chanyeol feels like shit. He’s felt worse than this, but the last time they were involved in a fight was about a year ago, and he’s thinking he needs a little bit of training to condition himself again. His head feels a little bit hazy as he stumbles down to Sehun’s unit. Just a few more steps, he thinks. He breathes, in through nose and out through the mouth, and he successfully knocks on the door.
Chanyeol thinks he must be delirious because he sees Baekhyun, not Sehun. It takes him a few seconds before the realization hits him. “Oh shit, I went to the wrong place.”
Baekhyun’s mouth hangs open, and the shock makes him take a step back. “What the hell happened-”
“No, no, no,” Chanyeol steps back, hands hovering over his face. “Oh God, you’re not supposed to see this.” He exhales, leaning against the wall of the hallway, breathing heavily as he takes in the worry and shock in Baekhyun’s eyes. “I’m such a mess.” Chanyeol gives a dry laugh.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Baekhyun asks, for the third time, while taping the last piece of gauze on his right arm, where a bullet grazed his skin. He’s kneeling on the bed, hovering close to Chanyeol who’s occupying most the space.
Chanyeol sighs and finds himself smiling at Baekhyun’s persistence. “Same old,” He answers dismissively, and is suddenly hyperaware of their proximity. He could a see a sliver of skin due to Baekhyun’s loose shirt. Chanyeol gulps, trying to avert his gaze.
“All done.” Baekhyun announces, shifting to sit on the bed. “What do you mean by ‘same old’?” He’s tidying up his first-aid kit when he feels Chanyeol grabbing the sleeve of shirt, pulling him closer, and making him almost lose his balance.
Chanyeol fidgets, and leans closer. “It’s almost three months since we’ve been together, yet I still haven’t kissed you.” He suddenly mutters, his eyes hooded as he stares at Baekhyun’s parted lips.
Baekhyun smirks, and he actually positions himself in front of Chanyeol, hovering above him. He kneels, his knees sandwiching Chanyeol’s thighs, and he teases Chanyeol as he closes in on the distance between them. “Does that bother you?”
Chanyeol catches his own breath; inhaling sharply because Baekhyun’s face is so close and he could practically smell the mint on his breath as he speaks, so he places his hand on Baekhyun’s neck and answers “It kind of does.”
Chanyeol pulls him closer, and he captures Baekhyun’s lips with his own.
Chanyeol learns that Baekhyun likes to roam his hands around Chanyeol’s body when they’re kissing, his pretty fingers exploring some places that sort of drives Chanyeol insane. He learns that Baekhyun’s occasional moans can actually send electric currents through his body, clouding up his hazy mind even more. He learns that Baekhyun deepens the kiss, coating their lips with aggression and hunger, whenever Chanyeol’s fingers would lightly run down his neck. He also learns that he actually has a knee injury, because the pain suddenly made him yell when Baekhyun unintentionally seated himself on Chanyeol’s legs.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” He apologizes through a shy laugh, sitting beside Chanyeol once again and running his hand through his disheveled hair.
“It’s fine,” Chanyeol says through his gritted teeth, trying to stop himself from wincing. “I didn’t know either.”
Baekhyun chews on his bottom lip and looks at Chanyeol. “You’re a sloppy kisser.” He says.
“Excuse me?”
Baekhyun laughs, scooting closer to rest his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder. “It’s alright though, we can work on that.”
Chanyeol scoffs. “I am seriously offended.”
“Don’t get hurt, next time, okay?”
He hears the plea in Baekhyun’s voice, and Chanyeol’s heartstrings are tugged with so much force. “I’m sorry,” his cheek nestles in between the strands of Baekhyun’s hair. “Do you still want to date a mafia boss?”
Baekhyun chuckles. “No.”
Chanyeol abruptly lifts up his head. “That’s it, I’m out of here.”
“I want to date Park Chanyeol.” Baekhyun adds, nudging Chanyeol with fits of laughter.
“Forget about it, you’re such a sap.” Chanyeol chuckles, and he thinks that he’s actually pretty lucky; even though his head hurts and he probably needs days to recover from this, everything’s okay, because he has Baekhyun.
*
Baekhyun had to meet Chanyeol’s friends eventually. Baekhyun met Jongin, Sehun, and Kyungsoo at their headquarters, where Chanyeol opted to rest and recover; Baekhyun tagging along to nurse Chanyeol to perfect health whenever he’s free. Chanyeol’s pretty sure that he should have locked Kyungsoo inside a closet and should have never let him meet Baekhyun, because Baekhyun’s mean streak would automatically level up whenever he teamed up with Kyungsoo. Chanyeol couldn’t even retaliate properly the moment they started dissing him in tandem, firing shots at him alternately. Jongin was shying away from Baekhyun, even if they had Algebra together, since they never really talked in class or anything. Sehun was still a spoiled brat upon a meeting Baekhyun, only a bit less hostile.
Chanyeol’s surprised how Baekhyun fits himself all too naturally within their closely-knit group, as if he’s been there all along. It’s amazing how everything seems so easy with Baekhyun, and maybe that’s some sort of sign from the whole universe that’s telling Chanyeol to keep him around for as long as he could.
The door opens and Chanyeol lifts his head up from the couch to see Baekhyun enter the headquarters, a plastic bag of snacks and fruits on one hand and cup of coffee on the other. Sehun runs over to Baekhyun, snatching the plastic bag almost instantly, muttering praises about how great Baekhyun is. Kyungsoo immediately calls him over to the kitchen, asking him for some help in preparing the porridge he’d been making for Chanyeol, and Jongin greets him with a smile.
Baekhyun gives Chanyeol a grin, all sunshine and pixie dust, before running over to peck his cheek. “Feeling alright?”
Chanyeol tells him he’s feeling much better, and urges him to go ahead and help Kyungsoo. Baekhyun smiles, and Chanyeol’s sure that he really wants to keep him around for an entire lifetime.
*
At one point, Chanyeol needed something to spark up change in his routine. He never thought that the certain spark of change would start at a coffee shop near the university, where he actually drank someone else’s coffee. He never thought that the certain spark of change would make him dress up in a yellow delivery boy costume just to apologize. He never thought that the certain spark of change would give him an injured knee. He never thought that the certain spark of change would make him feel fireworks inside every inch of his body, just by looking at a pair of crescent eyes. Chanyeol gets tired of constant things too easily, he wants change. Yet, change is the only constant thing in his world. Chanyeol wouldn’t mind keeping something constant in his life, he wouldn’t mind keeping Byun Baekhyun.
He should probably hunt down the waiter who got their orders mixed and thank him.
Recipient: wufan_senpai
Title: keep me running
Word Counts: 8220
Side Pairing(s): Jongin/Kyungsoo, slight Luhan/Sehun
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): smoking, slight violence, mentions of illegal mafia business
Disclaimer:The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Chanyeol reeks of nicotine and expensive perfume as he chases after the boy who smells like overpriced coffee and old books. (a.k.a. Chanyeol is a lame mafia boss who has a huge crush on a university student.)
Author's Note: to my lovely recipient, i hope you enjoy reading this even though i feel like i didn’t give you what you completely wanted, and i didn’t get to expand this more :( but anyways, enjoy mafia boss chanyeol and uni student baek!! special thanks to M for beta-ing about 3/4 of this fic, despite having a busy schedule, this wouldn’t be possible without you ♥ and to R who has held my hand and caressed my cheek all throughout the writing process of this 8k monster :( and thank you mods for hosting this exchange and being so patient with me ily ♥
Chanyeol wakes up with a dull ache in his head and a rumbling stomach. It takes him a few moments to recall their trip to the casino last night, and how Sehun just gave away half of the month’s profit by being the bad liar he is. Chanyeol exhales as he squints, eyes adjusting to the brightness and searching for the said boy inside their humble headquarters. The couch is too tiny for his long limbs but Chanyeol stretches anyway, almost falling onto the carpeted floor - once bright red in color, but has lost its luster due to the dust and cigarette ash.
“I heard someone left Silver Dragons.” He hears Kyungsoo speak through sound of crackling oil in the frying pan. Chanyeol sniffs in the scrumptious smell of bacon and hears the distinguishable sizzle in the pan. Standing in the kitchen area with an apron on is an unfazed Kyungsoo while a scurrying Jongin finds safety away from the crackling oil.
“Who?” Chanyeol yells through the cramped living room, still lying down on the couch, and wipes his face with his blazer; it nearly suffocates him with the strong smell of his perfume. His face feels so pasty, he doesn’t like how he smells, and he just wants a long shower knowing Sehun probably used up all the hot water again. Sehun scurries past him, and Chanyeol scrutinizes Sehun’s dripping wet hair.
“Someone Chinese.” Sehun replies, his eyes too bloodshot for some reason, as he runs all over the place in his boxers to gather his wrinkled clothes. His butt gets a slap from Chanyeol as he passes by the couch for the second time, and an incoherent, tired curse comes out of Sehun’s mouth.
“Aren’t all of them Chinese?” Jongin asks, patiently waiting for breakfast as he sits on the floor and rests his head on the glass surface of the coffee table.
Sehun hisses under his breath as he trips over a stack of documents. “Minseok isn’t.” he replies after recovering and successfully putting on his pants.
Kyungsoo walks to the living room carrying a plate of bacon and eggs, and miraculously finds a space to put his plate down on the coffee table brimming with piles of junk and somewhat important paperwork. “Can’t you guys clean up around here?” He asks, and Chanyeol groans in reply. Kyungsoo glances at him and exhales as he organizes the thick piles of papers into one neat stack.
Chanyeol finally gets up from the couch, groaning loudly as he stretches. “Who left the gang?” He asks and heads over to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee. His head feels like it’s currently being hammered, and he feels fatigue coursing through his limbs.
“Some senior member left, but not Minseok-hyung.” Sehun brushes past him in a hurry, now dressed in a wrinkled shirt that actually belongs to Chanyeol, and grabs a piece of bacon from a plate and shoves it in his mouth. “See you later, hyung.” He hurriedly bids goodbye and runs straight to the door.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going with my shirt?” Chanyeol yells as Sehun walks out of the door and slams it loudly, muttering excuses about how late he is for second period.
Kyungsoo keeps staring at Chanyeol with wide eyes. He shrugs. “It’s weird.”
“It’s definitely weird that he knows so much about the Dragons.” Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows as he sips his coffee, leaning against the kitchen counter and scanning the mess of suitcases filled with thousands of bills in the living room, surrounding the TV. He makes a mental note to organize the mess later, along with the guns which are not in their respective cases.
“He’s banging Lu Han.” Jongin suddenly speaks, half-awake, head still flat on the coffee table.
Chanyeol scoffs in offense. “I can barely handle the both of you, don’t add another goddamn couple into the list.”
Kyungsoo flips him off with one hand as he stabs at the bacon on his plate with the other.
*
It starts to get boring for Park Chanyeol.
The cop chase, the casinos, the leather jackets, the suits with matching ties, the generous supply of guns, the shitloads of cash, the overly expensive perfumes - Chanyeol’s had enough. It felt thrilling at first, made him experience the adrenaline rush on a whole new level. Chanyeol honestly felt downright frightened the moment his father had told him that he was next in line for the Red Phoenix. A shiver ran down his spine the moment he realized all the responsibilities he needed to carry on his own, and it was terrifying. He knew he was going to mess up, and so did Kyungsoo - the only son of the Do Family who has this unbreakable tie with Chanyeol’s whole clan. It was sort of automatic for Kyungsoo to be appointed as his underboss, and Chanyeol will forever be grateful to the tiny guy for stopping him from almost burning himself that one time and for always cooking their meals at the headquarters. It was also sort of automatic for Jongin and Sehun to join in on the reckless fun as well, since Jongin is a well-known business prodigy that attaches himself onto Kyungsoo, in whatever he does and wherever he goes. Sehun is just a filthy rich spoiled brat who used to play with Chanyeol when they were kids, and he just wanted a cool mafia tattoo.
Chanyeol is not bored with his friends. He will never forget that one time they woke up at Daegu, too hungover to remember how the hell they got there, or that time they panicked inside their van because they thought Sehun will bleed to death from one gunshot (because the kid was acting delirious as fuck and was muttering things about milk), or that time they were running away from the cops on foot and Chanyeol looked back to check on them, only to see that all three of them heaving as they ran for their lives; he’d felt a sudden surge of gratefulness, then, for having the best set of guys who are more than willing to accompany him in his haphazard and insane adventures.
Change is constant, and it fuels Chanyeol to wake up everyday with anticipation for the crazy mishaps that are about to come at him at full speed. But gone are the days when there were always something new, something insane, or something so crazy that makes him almost piss himself. He’s just bored of the unavoidable routine, which apparently comes with the package of being a young mafia boss. And maybe it just seems like he’s done everything he’s ever wanted to do that there seems to nothing left to amuse him. There’s nothing else left to challenge him. Maybe Chanyeol just needs something to spark up change in his routine. Maybe he just needs some sort of catalyst, a flame that will slowly give him a comforting warmth to ease him into the bright blaze he once was.
*
His phone tells him that it’s fifteen minutes until midnight, and his fingers tap against the wooden table rather noisily under the silence of the coffee shop. The café is almost empty except for two middle-aged businesswomen lining up by the counter and a university student sitting on the table adjacent to his. His phone buzzes.
Kai’s with them, they’re on their way. I’ll be there in ten.
Chanyeol exhales as he reads Kyungsoo’s text. He never liked being in university areas - the roads get congested a bit too easily when there are big college events happening around and he looks like an eyesore everywhere he goes. Students would always give him a second glance the moment he takes out a cigarette, probably judging the suit he’s wearing and trying to guess whether he’s some rich businessman or a sugar daddy waiting for his college girlfriend. The moment he looks at them right in the eye, they’d look away immediately. Underneath the expensive suits and pungent perfumes that typically repel normal citizens, Chanyeol likes to think that he is a warm, gentle giant. Chanyeol thinks he’s a genuinely nice person, despite the fact he’s waiting for the suitcase full of cold, hard cash to be delivered at their headquarters.
His order arrives, a steaming cup of coffee on a cute little porcelain cup is placed on his table. He mutters a low thank you before downing large gulps, and he feels the warmth travel through his body. It relieves him of the subtle but annoyingly persistent worry about the transaction, even if Kyungsoo had already confirmed him with a text that it went well. The security of the places around the university are always a bit tighter than the other areas they handle, newly recruited guards are usually meat eaters who are too corrupt for their own good and that makes it harder for them to establish some sort of connection or alliance. Besides, he looks way too out of place which practically makes him stand out like a sore thumb.
“Um, excuse me,” the boy from the adjacent table reaches out to him, his arm extended a little hesitantly as he taps Chanyeol’s shoulder.
Chanyeol flinches. He looks at the guy, and Chanyeol is 99.9% sure this guy is actually one of those undercover spies that Kyungsoo has dealt with before, and he tries to calm himself down unless this spy wants to interrogate him. Chanyeol straightens up, and faces him.
The university student stares back at him, a highlighter in his extended hand. He does not cringe nor does he seem to be intimidated. He just looks at Chanyeol straight in the eyes. “I’m pretty sure we have our orders switched.” He mutters, retracting back his hand to tap the highlighter on his table.
A bit baffled and overwhelmed by the brave approach of a stranger, Chanyeol glances back at him and the cup of coffee he’s currently holding. “How sure are you?” He says, eyebrows meeting together in doubt.
And then he chuckles lightly, and Chanyeol almost dropped what’s left of the hot coffee onto the floor because the boy had an eye smile that’s sort of overwhelming. “I’m pretty sure,” he replies with a smug expression that looks a bit ridiculous. “I don’t order cappuccino.” He grabs the slightly larger cup on his table, and offers it to Chanyeol.
“Oh,” Chanyeol replies dumbly, realizing that he already drank almost half of this student’s coffee. “I’m so sorry, I’ll buy you another one.” Chanyeol says, taking his cappuccino, and sliding down the small cup to the adjacent table. “Like, right now.” Chanyeol fumbles through the pockets of his slacks for cash, large eyes trying to apologize to the student who only has a half cup of coffee.
He laughs, a bit shyly. “I would take advantage of that offer,” he says, placing his own cup in front of him. “but I actually have to go in about fifteen minutes.” he takes a sip and Chanyeol’s pretty sure an indirect kiss just happened between the two of them.
Stuck in an awkward about-to-stand-up-but-nevermind position, Chanyeol exhales and composes himself before sitting back in his chair. He proceeds to just glance at the student every now and then, trying not to look like he is actually interested and intrigued, and miserably failing to do so. He clears his throat. “You have a class at this hour?” Chanyeol asks, sniffing his own cup to find the difference. He can’t seem to figure it out, both of them are just coffee.
“No, no,” he answers while busily packing up the study materials on his table - a stack of photocopied papers, actual books, and a few colored pens. “I just have an online assignment I need to submit.” The student seems so busy that he doesn’t spare Chanyeol a glance.
Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows as he takes a sip of his lukewarm coffee. “At midnight?” He asks, and his words are jumbled with his content exhale as a tinge of warmness envelopes him once again. He clicks his tongue, staring straight through the busybody across him as his eyes glaze in contemplation. “Man, I’m confused.”
He stands up, the chair scraping against the floor rather noisily, disturbing the silence of the café. “I really don’t tell this to strangers but I’m actually a procrastinator.” He tells Chanyeol in a faux whisper, before giving him an overconfident smirk. “I’ll see you around.”
Chanyeol gives him an awkward wave paired with an awkward smile.
“You can buy me coffee next time.” The student yells back at him, halfway out the door.
*
Chanyeol clears his throat. “PCY will now speak.” He announces, his voice modulated. He’s wearing a bathrobe, his hair still dripping wet, as he sits in the middle of the couch. Kyungsoo’s beside him, putting as much space in between them possible to avoid being splashed wet whenever Chanyeol turns his head. “Kindly make them settle down, D.O.” Chanyeol commands, and Kyungsoo stares at him with furrowed eyebrows.
Sehun occupies half of the large bean bag, sharing the space with Jongin who looks a bit too comfortable as he leans on Sehun.
“I invited all of you here to discuss something really important.” Chanyeol starts, leaning towards the younger boys.
“Oh boy,” Kyungsoo sighs beside him.
“We need to hunt down someone.” His head hangs down, as if he were contemplating a serious matter.
Sehun exhales and grabs his phone in his lap. “Just when I thought I was finally getting my own mafia name.” Sehun whispers a bit too loudly to Jongin and proceeds to text on his phone.
“Tough luck.” Jongin whispers back, and Chanyeol eyes the both of them sternly. The both of them clear their throat before silencing themselves, Sehun tucking away his phone and Jongin sitting upright.
“Shut up, Kai.” Sehun quietly mutters with venom.
Suddenly distracted, Chanyeol shifts in his seat to face Sehun a bit too eagerly. “Wait, before I forget, are you fucking Lu Han?” He asks, eyes large and lips pursed as he leans in closer, his butt almost sliding off the couch.
Sehun’s mouth hangs open for a few seconds. “Fucking with Lu Han, or fucking Lu Han, like on the bed?” He stutters, and his phone suddenly chimes a short tone and the screen lights up to reveal a new text from Lu Han.
Chanyeol eyes Sehun’s phone for a few seconds before leaning back on the couch. “Oh my god, you’re fucking him.” Chanyeol thrashes on the couch, his limbs flailing everywhere as Kyungsoo moves away from him.
“I told you he was.” Jongin breathes out, a smirk on his lips.
“I am not fucking Lu Han,” Sehun’s reply was in between sulking and defensive as he nudges Jongin and hides his phone inside his pocket. “yet.” He continues, hiding his face in his hands.
Chanyeol groans. “And this is exactly why we really need to hunt down this person.”
Chanyeol decided that today is a very nice day to stalk someone. After ratting out the details about the university student who wore a sweater saying dopeshit, who doesn’t drink cappuccino, who has way too many colored pens, and who has the best eye smile Chanyeol has ever seen, Kyungsoo simply told him to ask their trustworthy informant to search for his coffee shop crush. But Jongdae, the trusthworthy informant, was apparently too busy searching for the guy who abruptly left Silver Dragons and was charging Chanyeol double. Chanyeol told him to fuck it and forget about it and Jongdae just gave him his signature fake ass laugh in reply before hanging up on him.
And before even agreeing to the plan, and before having an actual well-thought plan for Operation Dopeshit Sweater Guy, the four of them find themselves cramped in a narrow, dirty alley that gives them a perfect view of the café near the university.
“This is so stupid.” Kyungsoo breathes behind Jongin, who is currently squished in between Sehun’s side and Chanyeol’s back.
“Keep it down.” Chanyeol whispers, his head peeking out of the alley, and adjusts his sunglasses as he extends his whole body a bit further out.
Just when he least expects it, he sees the familiar mop of brown hair walking towards the café. He is wearing a different sweater today, and oh god he’s wearing glasses and it makes him look so damn adorable and Chanyeol’s heart is about to claw its way out of his throat.
“Oh my god, there he is, my soulmate.” Chanyeol flails within the little space they have, and Kyungsoo tells him to calm the fuck down along with a few other profanities.
“Hey, Sehun-” Jongin mutters, and is cut short speaking as his mouth meets Chanyeol’s shoulder.
“What am I gonna do? Am I supposed to follow him?” Chanyeol alternates between looking over at Dopeshit Sweater Guy who’s currently entering the café, and frantically giving his friends panicked stares.
“Wait, that’s-” Sehun nudges Jongin as he cranes his head to get a clearer view.
“Holy shit, everyone calm the fuck down, please.” Chanyeol cuts him off as he tries to calm himself down with deep breaths.
“Hyung, that’s Byun Baekhyun.” Jongin says exasperatedly, leaning on the wall.
Chanyeol blinks at him, eyes wider than ever, and Jongin almost squirms in place. “You actually know who he is?”
“We have Algebra together,” Jongin tells him, and Chanyeol almost grabs his own hair off from his head from the frustration and surprise. “and Sehun lives on the same floor as him.” Jongin adds to save himself.
Kyungsoo clears his throat. “Well, looks like Byun Baekhyun isn’t gonna stay in that café much longer.” The three of them witness Byun Baekhyun, now clutching a bag of pastries, head out of the café.
Chanyeol runs off.
“Um, are you okay?” Byun Baekhyun, the university student who lives on the same floor as Oh Sehun and has Algebra with Kim Jongin and is the maybe-hopefully potential boyfriend of Park Chanyeol, asks.
Chanyeol heaves, bending down with his hands on his knees, and he thinks that he should stop being such a loser and be cool for once in his life. So he straightens himself up, noticing their height difference almost instantly and finding it kind of endearing. “Coffee?” Chanyeol removes his sunglasses and flips his hair, or at least attempts to, because his bangs are sticking onto his sweaty forehead.
Baekhyun’s eyes gives him a hint of recognition and they turn into crescents once again when he gives Chanyeol a laugh. “This is so lame-I keep giving you excuses-but I actually have a test tomorrow.”
“And?”
“And I sort of need to study?”
“I can help you study?” Chanyeol blurts out and regrets it immediately. He has only experienced one year of college, and he sort of just breezed through it, prioritizing his illegal duties before his studies so he’s not entirely sure if people actually helped each other study for exams or not. He cringes. “I mean, it’s okay if you think I’d be a distraction, it’s totally fine, I’ll just leave my number-”
“Sure, you can.” Baekhyun starts walking, slowly, urging Chanyeol to keep up with him. “I’d have to know your name first, though. I mean, I absolutely have no experience having a random stranger be my study buddy.” He smiles a bit unsurely.
“Park Chanyeol.” He stops walking, offering a hand.
Baekhyun shakes it with no sign of hesitation. “Businessman?” He says as he eyes Chanyeol’s long-sleeved button down that probably smells like strong perfume and cigarette smoke.
Chanyeol is suddenly too self-conscious and there’s a siren in his head telling him to abort the mission. “Sort of.” He replies, not letting go of Baekhyun’s hand. Chanyeol mentally punches himself for what he’s getting into.
“Byun Baekhyun.” He replies, and the mere sound of his name sends some sort of electric pulse through Chanyeol’s blood.
I’m at his room IM FREAKING OUT!!!
It took Chanyeol a few minutes to text that one line because his hands are slightly shaking from the new kind of excitement he’s feeling. Baekhyun’s unit is noticeably smaller than Sehun’s, but it has enough space for Baekhyun’s stack of books and papers. Chanyeol notices that his things are not that organized, but are not messy either. Polaroids are tacked onto a corkboard by his study table, as well as notes about deadlines and a few motivational scribbles. He shifts on the bed as he waits for Baekhyun, who is currently inside the tiny kitchen of his unit.
well that was quick
Sehun replies a few seconds after, and Chanyeol decides to ignore him.
Reminding you that we’re just here on unit 375, in case you embarrass yourself too much.
Kyungsoo’s text follows almost instantly. Jongin doesn’t reply, and Chanyeol isn’t even surprised.
Baekhyun enters the room carrying two mugs, and sets them down his study table. “You sure you’re not a psychopath or anything?” he suddenly asks out of the blue, facing Chanyeol with scrutinizing eyes. He crosses his arms, raises his eyebrows, and tries his best not to smile.
“I’m pretty I would have already murdered you a few minutes ago if I were.” Chanyeol replies, standing up to grab a mug of hot chocolate, only to find out it’s not really hot chocolate after taking the first sip. His face scrunches up and Baekhyun chuckles as he pulls a chair.
“It’s mocha.” He informs Chanyeol, sitting himself comfortably and grabbing a stack of papers.
Chanyeol nods to himself, and sits himself on a chair near the edge of Baekhyun’s table. He leans closer, one leg shaking, as he curiously eyes the contents of papers. After encountering difficult phrases such as ‘the essence of becoming’ and ‘the juxtaposition of man’, he stops trying to understand what Baekhyun’s studying and just stares at Baekhyun instead.
Their eyes meet, and Chanyeol almost chokes on his own spit.
“You aren’t here to help me study, are you?” Baekhyun sighs with a little smile on his lips, an elbow on his table and his cheek on his palm.
“Um,” Chanyeol gulps, blinking at him. Baekhyun lifts his eyebrows, and Chanyeol gives him a breathy laugh as his hand scratches the back of his head. “I just wanted to know you, to be honest.” He replies, leaning forward on his chair. “And I’m sorry if I come off too creepy, but I sort of waited for you today at the café where we first met.”
Baekhyun’s hand is covering his mouth as he tries to hide a smile and a few fits of laughter in between. “I already find you creepy though.” He replies, eyebrows raised, and waits for Chanyeol’s response with a slight hint amusement and anticipation.
Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows and pulls his chair forward to close in the distance between them. “Then why’d you let a creepy guy like me inside your room?” He smirks.
Baekhyun’s expression falters and he seems caught off guard for a few seconds, before recovering himself with a laugh. “Maybe I find this creepy guy cute?” he shrugs.
It takes Chanyeol his whole being to restrain himself from fist pumping into the air as he keeps himself from giggling like an idiot.
“But you should really be helping me study.” Baekhyun whines before taking a sip of his mocha.
Chanyeol stretches in his seat. “Well, then tell me how I can help you.” Chanyeol replies, waking himself up by straightening his back and stretching his arms as far as he could.
Baekhyun is a noisy guy, Chanyeol concludes after spending three straight hours with him to help him study for his major exam. He had a weird way of reciting all the important points and arguments such as the pre-existence of a human soul and the ____, all of which Chanyeol does not entirely understand but eagerly nods to anyway. At one point, Chanyeol had asked Baekhyun why he cares so much about the existence of a human being, and he learns that Baekhyun is actually a philosophy major and that Baekhyun’s taking classes in the same building as Sehun.
Baekhyun likes talking, he likes to talk about how he hates cucumbers with passion that he can smell it a few feet away and feel absolutely disgusted. He likes to talk about how this one video of him sort of went viral for a day, and everyone in his class wanted him to reenact his light switch dance. He talks about how he has friends in every class he has, but he doesn’t mention any kind of best friend or any kind of close friend. He doesn’t talk about his friends that much, as if he’s too detached and a bit distant. But Baekhyun likes to talk about himself, in little fragments, in scattered puzzle pieces that doesn’t give out the whole picture. He gives out bits and pieces of his life, too animatedly, too eagerly for someone who’s talking to a complete stranger.
“Do you usually tell this to everyone you meet?” Chanyeol asks cautiously.
For a few moments, Baekhyun blinks at him in contemplation. “No.” He slowly shakes his head, giving Chanyeol a serious stare. “I just feel this sort of connection between.” He inhales audibly before continuing, “I just know that we’d get along well.”
Chanyeol spends a few seconds feeling the sort of connection that Baekhyun’s talking about, and he feels it the moment Baekhyun glances at him to give him a smile, without hesitation, without any sign of reluctance. There’s this sort of feeling that he’s felt with Kyungsoo, with Jongin, with Sehun - it’s similar but entirely different at the same time - and this is the exact feeling that consumes him the moment he meets someone who’s going to be with him for a very long time.
Baekhyun glances at him, and he lets it linger for a while. Chanyeol smiles, and is convinced that this is the beginning of something good.
*
Chanyeol needed to clarify it three times for everyone to understand that, yes, they did sleep together, but they just slept - because the both of them have so much to talk to about, and they ended up falling asleep halfway through their discussion about eyeliner and leather jackets. Chanyeol was swooning, his whole body flailing on the couch, as he told them how great Byun Baekhyun is and how they are so compatible and how he broke one of Baekhyun’s mugs so he had to clean up before leaving for the night which is why he has a cut on his finger-
“Wait, hyung,” Sehun interrupts, an unlit cigarette in his mouth, and shifts on the beanbag to face Chanyeol. “Did you actually tell him you’re an almighty mafia boss?”
“No.” Chanyeol answers firmly.
“You’re fucked.” Kyungsoo says, lazily draping onto Jongin who’s too focused on watching a soccer game.
He rolls his eyes as he scoffs. Chanyeol thinks his friends are overthinking too much. “How would he even know?” He says, standing up to plunge himself on the large beanbag, fitting himself in the little space beside Sehun.
“You’re fucked, hyung.” Sehun tells him, as he flicks the lighter on.
“Sehun, we’re pretty sure that you’re fucked,” Chanyeol replies, hooking an arm around the younger boy. “quite recently.” He wiggles his eyebrows as he nudges him.
Jongin laughs too loudly and accidentally hits his head on the wall, but keeps on laughing anyway even if the back of his head must be hurting. Kyungsoo bends over from chuckling too much, his almost teary eyes still looking at Sehun.
Sehun gives all of them a look that represents how shocked and violated and confused and harassed he feels.
“Lu Han tells us everything.” Chanyeol breathes.
*
Chanyeol wasn’t fucked (figuratively and literally) since he’s probably an expert at putting up fronts and hiding in different masks. It doesn’t even make a difference. Mafia boss or ‘businessman’, Chanyeol is still Chanyeol, still dumb, still head over heels for Baekhyun. During high school, Chanyeol didn’t really know how to date girls - always being too indecisive, too rash, too sloppy, too rough. It was a sign, back then, that he should just stop dating girls and, maybe, date boys instead. Dating Byun Baekhyun was like an extreme roller coaster ride, a cliff diving experience, a brave bungee jump - it was exhilarating, to the point of taking Chanyeol’s breath away and making him more alive than ever.
It’s been about two months of push and pull, of unavoidable embarrassment and cringe-worthy moments. It was supposed to be a romantic roam around the amusement park, but they took advantage of their ride-all-you-can ticket instead by actually going on every single ride, and Chanyeol scared the shit out of Baekhyun by forcing him to walk through the horror house. On a supposed-to-be-cliché movie date, Baekhyun was practically drooling on Chanyeol’s shoulder and suddenly yelled “five more minutes” during the silent, breathtaking part of the film when Chanyeol tried to wake him up. One weekday afternoon, Baekhyun was sort of stress-eating, so they just ate for two whole hours at a food district near the university and Chanyeol had to rush to Baekhyun’s unit because his stomach was acting up. (The both of them ended up inside the elevator with Sehun who was on his way to his own unit, and Chanyeol almost screamed. Sehun kept texting him sex jokes while giving them side glances that are way too obvious. It was the worst elevator ride in Chanyeol’s whole life.) There were good days with Baekhyun, and there were better ones. And Chanyeol could retell, recite, and give anything to relive all the best ones by heart.
Recently, any day with Baekhyun seems like a day well spent. Even if a day with Byun Baekhyun consists of spending about three hours in his favorite café and watching him study and letting him talk about philosophical arguments that are actually hard to understand, Chanyeol would never trade it for anything else. Even if Chanyeol sees Lu Han, the leader of Silver Dragons, sauntering straight to the counter in a flashy leather jacket, even if Chanyeol sort of panics and fidgets in his seat.
Baekhyun nudges him, a hint of worry and amusement in his eyes. “You okay?”
“Hey, PCY!” Lu Han eagerly walks over to their table before Chanyeol could answer Baekhyun. Chanyeol almost makes a run for it. Lu Han is glancing at Baekhyun, and his plastered smile falters due to tinge of confusion overtaking his face.
Baekhyun is alternating glances between Lu Han and Chanyeol, face scrunching up in confusion. “PCY?” He repeats through an awkward smile.
Chanyeol is currently sending telepathic waves to Lu Han, piercing him with a strong gaze that sends a warning. Before he knows it, Lu Han is reaching out to shake Baekhyun’s hand with an oblivious smile.
“I’m Hannie,” Lu Han introduces himself enthusiastically, his hand still waiting for Baekhyun’s.
Chanyeol is seriously deliberating on whether to pour the warm coffee on top of Lu Han’s head to intentionally make a scene, abruptly run out of the café, and never set foot near the university area ever again.
“Hannie,” Chanyeol cringes a bit. “This is Baekhyun.” He doesn’t break eye contact with Lu Han, still hoping to get his message across with his bulging eyes.
Still a bit confused, Baekhyun just gives Lu Han a smile and shakes his hand. “Nice to meet…” He trails off, looking down at their hands.
Chanyeol hears a siren inside his head the moment he sees a sliver of tattoo on Lu Han’s wrist, the inked dragon peeking out from the sleeve of his leather jacket. Chanyeol catches Baekhyun’s eyes stealing a quick a glance at him, before looking back at Lu Han’s wrist.
“Nice to meet you, Hannie.” Baekhyun says, a hint of doubt coating his voice.
Chanyeol opens his mouth to say something, but Lu Han beats him to it. “New recruit?” He asks, genuinely curious. Chanyeol gives up on life right there and then. “This guy right here is a really unusual gang leade-”
Someone from the counter calls out a green tea latte for Hannie, making Lu Han automatically crane his head at the sound of his ridiculous nickname and cut off what he’s trying to say. He hurriedly bids goodbye and runs off to his order.
Baekhyun stares at Lu Han as he exits the café.
“Um,” Chanyeol fidgets and starts to explain everything. “Baekhyun-”
“I get it.” He chuckles lightly, busying himself as he highlights sentences on his notebook, and remains a bit timid for a whole hour.
*
It’s been two weeks and Chanyeol is still glued to the couch, with no intention of setting foot outside the headquarters. Kyungsoo is still accomplishing the paper works, and is still berating Chanyeol about his poor life decisions. Jongin is still locking himself up at his own house, until the end of week, because he’s apparently failing three minor courses. Sehun is still acting like a bum at the headquarters, constantly reminding Chanyeol how he fucked things up.
Baekhyun doesn’t seem like himself, and is telling Chanyeol that he doesn’t have time to meet up or just talk since he’s too busy studying for finals. Baekhyun is avoiding him, maybe because he doesn’t want a mafia boss as a boyfriend or maybe because he doesn’t trust him anymore or maybe because he just didn’t really like Chanyeol in the first place.
It’s been two weeks since he last saw Byun Baekhyun.
Chanyeol suddenly thrashes on the couch quite violently. “I’m screwed.” Chanyeol groans.
Sehun’s drags the old, smelly beanbag and places it in front of the couch. “Told you.” Sehun replies, lazily flopping down the beanbag.
Chanyeol scrambles to sit himself up, a look of determination painting his face. “I need to win him back.”
Sehun stares at him with hooded eyes, and lifelessly breathes out cigarette smoke towards Chanyeol’s face.
*
Kyungsoo stares at the delivery scooter at the corner of the living room. Chanyeol and Sehun are standing beside the motorbike, doing jazz hands to elaborate the cleverness of the whole idea.
“Who thought of this?” Kyungsoo asks, glancing from Sehun to Chanyeol alternately.
“I did!” Chanyeol grins. “But he was the one who got the bike, though.” He gives credit to Sehun, placing an arm around the younger boy’s shoulders.
“This is probably the dumbest plan you have ever came up with in your entire life.” Kyungsoo tells Chanyeol.
“IT WILL WORK.”
*
Chanyeol pulls off a Cha Tae-hyun from My Sassy Girl, riding through the streets clad in a delivery boy uniform, on his way to steal Byun Baekhyun from whatever class he’s currently having. The university guard lets him pass rather easily, and Chanyeol parks the delivery bike in front of the Liberal Arts building. He checks a note on his phone that consists of Baekhyun’s schedule for the day, courtesy of the beloved Kim Jongin who takes classes in the same building as Baekhyun. He heaves a breath under his helmet, and detaches the metal storage that has an obnoxious sticker of ‘Mr. Lee’s Special Jjajangmyeon House’.
The security inside the university is weaker than unexpected, Chanyeol thinks, as he strides down the unfamiliar hallways, and eventually finding his way to Room 205.
“Delivery for Byun Baekhyun?” Chanyeol shouts through the open door, and everyone’s staring at him, but his vision blurs out everyone as it focuses on Baekhyun who’s seated by the window, at the other side of the room.
Baekhyun has this look of confusion on his face, but it completely dissolves into surprise as Chanyeol takes off his helmet. Chanyeol knows he probably looks like shit in his bright yellow delivery outfit and with some of his hair sticking flat to his forehead, but the obnoxious, loud laugh that Baekhyun gives him makes the creeping embarrassment worth it.
Chanyeol clears his throat and straightens his back as he grabs the bouquet of pink tulips from the delivery box. He inhales and makes his way to Baekhyun, hearing cheers and screams erupting from the whole class. He shoves the bouquet, a bit too abruptly, in front of Baekhyun’s face. “I’m sorry,” he says and the room goes silent. “I love you.” Chanyeol’s face feels furiously hot as the whole class cheers and applauds rather noisily; some of Baekhyun’s classmates holding their phones in the air to take pictures.
Baekhyun takes the flowers, and he laughs. He seems like he’s at lost for words, which is very unusual for Byun Baekhyun. But he’s suddenly pulling Chanyeol into a hug, the ends of the tulip stems clumsily poking Chanyeol’s shoulder blades, and he tells Chanyeol “It’s okay, I kind of love you too.”
However, their moment was short-lived as the door opens roughly, and two security guards are calling for Chanyeol The Delivery Guy.
Chanyeol takes Baekhyun’s hand, grabs Baekhyun’s backpack, and makes a run for it instead of giving an explanation.
The guards are shouting as they chase after a delivery man who’s tugging a university student with him out of the building. Baekhyun’s laughing so much that he loses his breath too quickly. Chanyeol feels Baekhyun’s hand gripping his own a little bit tighter, and he steals at glance at Baekhyun. Baekhyun’s forehead is a bit sweaty and his speed is never consistent, but a smile is plastered on his face and he’s looking at Chanyeol with bright crescent eyes, and everything is okay. Everything is okay, because Baekhyun could have rejected him, but he didn’t. Everything is okay, because something feels different with the way Baekhyun looks at him, as if there are no walls in between them anymore, no pretentions, no filters. Everything is okay, because Baekhyun kind of loves him too. Everything is okay, Chanyeol thinks, because it doesn’t feel like he’s chasing after Baekhyun anymore. He holds Baekhyun’s hand a bit tighter, and they run out of the building together.
*
Sometimes though, it’s frightening to be so happy because being so goddamn happy can also be a sign that something else is going to go wrong later on. Chanyeol has been feeling something unusual in his gut, but he tries to kill it off instantly. He’s supposed to be happy, because he’s got Baekhyun who isn’t even scared of dating a mafia boss. (Even though Baekhyun avoided him for two weeks because, according to Byun Baekhyun, it was “too much to take in, I mean, you went from an unreasonably young businessman to an unreasonably bubbly mafia boss real quick. Of course, I needed to think about my life decisions.”)
“Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo calls him from the passenger seat. They’re currently inside a van, on a lookout for the new recruits who are handling their first ever transaction with a small group of teenage junkies. Jongin’s settled on the driver’s seat, and Sehun’s seated beside Chanyeol at the back.
“Hm?” Chanyeol hums, a small smile on his lips. His phone is in front of his face and he sort of giggles when he reads Baekhyun’s text.
“Park Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo uses his full name, and it only means one thing: shit’s serious and Chanyeol should immediately drop everything he’s currently doing.
Chanyeol scoots closer from the back of the van, settling himself in between the driver’s seat and the passenger seat. He feels his muscles tensing as gets a clear view of the situation. A few meters away from the van, in an alley that’s almost hidden, their three new recruits are standing in front of a group of lanky teenagers. He sees the teenagers sporting bloodshot eyes, giving off an unkempt aura, and the mere sight of their stance gives Chanyeol a bad feeling. Kyungsoo must have been feeling the exact thing, his hand readily positioned on the door handle, and his gaze focused on the scene.
Jongin jumps in his seat from the sound of the gunshot, and Sehun gives out a small yelp. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo are out of the van in a flash.
There are two things that differentiate Chanyeol from his predecessors: his unpredictable, hasty decision-making skills and his will to save people who are part of Red Phoenix, no matter where they stand in the hierarchy system. If someone messes with a member, they’re messing with Kim Jongin, they’re messing with Oh Sehun, they’re messing with Do Kyungsoo, and they’re definitely messing with Park Chanyeol. Ever since Chanyeol was appointed as mafia boss, the system changed completely. Each and every member felt like they’re part of something that secures them a place to run to if the dark, messed up world decides to betray them at one point.
Chanyeol has always believed that he’s a warm and nice person, even if he currently has a gun in his hand.
Kyungsoo shoots, the bullet goes straight to the last guy’s forehead. Chanyeol wipes the sweat off his neck, his vision is starting to blur occasionally and he’s pretty sure that it’s a bad thing if that starts to happen.
“You’re bleeding.” Kyungsoo tells him, his grey suit sliced up and stained with blood, and kicks the lifeless bodies on the ground for a double check before tugging Chanyeol’s arm.
Chanyeol feels nauseous and numb as he trudges along with Kyungsoo for support, and he hears Sehun shouting in the background mixed with the piercing sound of a siren. Chanyeol sees their van swerving around a corner before speeding off, and Kyungsoo’s pulling him off to run. He feels his legs sprinting off while Kyungsoo tells him to keep it together. The sirens get louder, and he hisses as he feels the pain throbbing in his head.
“We need to split up.” Chanyeol breathes out and pushes himself to run a little faster. “Sehun’s.” He mutters, and Kyungsoo nods before running off to the opposite street, understanding Chanyeol’s one-word brief.
Chanyeol sees red and blue lights in the corner of his eyes, and he pushes himself to run the fastest he can.
The adrenaline already left his system and Chanyeol feels like shit. He’s felt worse than this, but the last time they were involved in a fight was about a year ago, and he’s thinking he needs a little bit of training to condition himself again. His head feels a little bit hazy as he stumbles down to Sehun’s unit. Just a few more steps, he thinks. He breathes, in through nose and out through the mouth, and he successfully knocks on the door.
Chanyeol thinks he must be delirious because he sees Baekhyun, not Sehun. It takes him a few seconds before the realization hits him. “Oh shit, I went to the wrong place.”
Baekhyun’s mouth hangs open, and the shock makes him take a step back. “What the hell happened-”
“No, no, no,” Chanyeol steps back, hands hovering over his face. “Oh God, you’re not supposed to see this.” He exhales, leaning against the wall of the hallway, breathing heavily as he takes in the worry and shock in Baekhyun’s eyes. “I’m such a mess.” Chanyeol gives a dry laugh.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Baekhyun asks, for the third time, while taping the last piece of gauze on his right arm, where a bullet grazed his skin. He’s kneeling on the bed, hovering close to Chanyeol who’s occupying most the space.
Chanyeol sighs and finds himself smiling at Baekhyun’s persistence. “Same old,” He answers dismissively, and is suddenly hyperaware of their proximity. He could a see a sliver of skin due to Baekhyun’s loose shirt. Chanyeol gulps, trying to avert his gaze.
“All done.” Baekhyun announces, shifting to sit on the bed. “What do you mean by ‘same old’?” He’s tidying up his first-aid kit when he feels Chanyeol grabbing the sleeve of shirt, pulling him closer, and making him almost lose his balance.
Chanyeol fidgets, and leans closer. “It’s almost three months since we’ve been together, yet I still haven’t kissed you.” He suddenly mutters, his eyes hooded as he stares at Baekhyun’s parted lips.
Baekhyun smirks, and he actually positions himself in front of Chanyeol, hovering above him. He kneels, his knees sandwiching Chanyeol’s thighs, and he teases Chanyeol as he closes in on the distance between them. “Does that bother you?”
Chanyeol catches his own breath; inhaling sharply because Baekhyun’s face is so close and he could practically smell the mint on his breath as he speaks, so he places his hand on Baekhyun’s neck and answers “It kind of does.”
Chanyeol pulls him closer, and he captures Baekhyun’s lips with his own.
Chanyeol learns that Baekhyun likes to roam his hands around Chanyeol’s body when they’re kissing, his pretty fingers exploring some places that sort of drives Chanyeol insane. He learns that Baekhyun’s occasional moans can actually send electric currents through his body, clouding up his hazy mind even more. He learns that Baekhyun deepens the kiss, coating their lips with aggression and hunger, whenever Chanyeol’s fingers would lightly run down his neck. He also learns that he actually has a knee injury, because the pain suddenly made him yell when Baekhyun unintentionally seated himself on Chanyeol’s legs.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” He apologizes through a shy laugh, sitting beside Chanyeol once again and running his hand through his disheveled hair.
“It’s fine,” Chanyeol says through his gritted teeth, trying to stop himself from wincing. “I didn’t know either.”
Baekhyun chews on his bottom lip and looks at Chanyeol. “You’re a sloppy kisser.” He says.
“Excuse me?”
Baekhyun laughs, scooting closer to rest his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder. “It’s alright though, we can work on that.”
Chanyeol scoffs. “I am seriously offended.”
“Don’t get hurt, next time, okay?”
He hears the plea in Baekhyun’s voice, and Chanyeol’s heartstrings are tugged with so much force. “I’m sorry,” his cheek nestles in between the strands of Baekhyun’s hair. “Do you still want to date a mafia boss?”
Baekhyun chuckles. “No.”
Chanyeol abruptly lifts up his head. “That’s it, I’m out of here.”
“I want to date Park Chanyeol.” Baekhyun adds, nudging Chanyeol with fits of laughter.
“Forget about it, you’re such a sap.” Chanyeol chuckles, and he thinks that he’s actually pretty lucky; even though his head hurts and he probably needs days to recover from this, everything’s okay, because he has Baekhyun.
*
Baekhyun had to meet Chanyeol’s friends eventually. Baekhyun met Jongin, Sehun, and Kyungsoo at their headquarters, where Chanyeol opted to rest and recover; Baekhyun tagging along to nurse Chanyeol to perfect health whenever he’s free. Chanyeol’s pretty sure that he should have locked Kyungsoo inside a closet and should have never let him meet Baekhyun, because Baekhyun’s mean streak would automatically level up whenever he teamed up with Kyungsoo. Chanyeol couldn’t even retaliate properly the moment they started dissing him in tandem, firing shots at him alternately. Jongin was shying away from Baekhyun, even if they had Algebra together, since they never really talked in class or anything. Sehun was still a spoiled brat upon a meeting Baekhyun, only a bit less hostile.
Chanyeol’s surprised how Baekhyun fits himself all too naturally within their closely-knit group, as if he’s been there all along. It’s amazing how everything seems so easy with Baekhyun, and maybe that’s some sort of sign from the whole universe that’s telling Chanyeol to keep him around for as long as he could.
The door opens and Chanyeol lifts his head up from the couch to see Baekhyun enter the headquarters, a plastic bag of snacks and fruits on one hand and cup of coffee on the other. Sehun runs over to Baekhyun, snatching the plastic bag almost instantly, muttering praises about how great Baekhyun is. Kyungsoo immediately calls him over to the kitchen, asking him for some help in preparing the porridge he’d been making for Chanyeol, and Jongin greets him with a smile.
Baekhyun gives Chanyeol a grin, all sunshine and pixie dust, before running over to peck his cheek. “Feeling alright?”
Chanyeol tells him he’s feeling much better, and urges him to go ahead and help Kyungsoo. Baekhyun smiles, and Chanyeol’s sure that he really wants to keep him around for an entire lifetime.
*
At one point, Chanyeol needed something to spark up change in his routine. He never thought that the certain spark of change would start at a coffee shop near the university, where he actually drank someone else’s coffee. He never thought that the certain spark of change would make him dress up in a yellow delivery boy costume just to apologize. He never thought that the certain spark of change would give him an injured knee. He never thought that the certain spark of change would make him feel fireworks inside every inch of his body, just by looking at a pair of crescent eyes. Chanyeol gets tired of constant things too easily, he wants change. Yet, change is the only constant thing in his world. Chanyeol wouldn’t mind keeping something constant in his life, he wouldn’t mind keeping Byun Baekhyun.
He should probably hunt down the waiter who got their orders mixed and thank him.