I Can't Change [Baekyeol]

Coming to Terms

It didn't take long for Baekhyun to start regretting his decision.

They continued as if nothing had ever happened between the two of them-- which, as Baekhyun soon found out, was much easier said than done. He had no clue how it came so easily to Chanyeol; his bright, cheerful nature was hard to dampen at the worst of times, whereas an air of awkwardness always seemed to follow Baekhyun around--even when he wasn't trying to conceal the fact that he had slept with his best friend. But despite his obvious efforts to remain unfazed by their predicament, Baekhyun sensed an odd change in Chanyeol's behaviour, however subtle it was. The other members were-- or at least seemed to be-- completely oblivious to the situation, but somehow Baekhyun suspected that his friend wasn't quite as unaffected as he was trying to seem. He might have been mistaken, but if he knew his best friend as well as he ought to (and he liked to think that he did) Baekhyun figured he would know if something was up.

Regardless, Exo made their debut just as planned. Baekhyun soon realized just how passionate he was about his job, and was extremely pleased to find that many people enjoyed his talent. There was something so dreamlike about performing on stage in front of so many people, and Baekhyun knew it wouldn't take long for him to become obsessed with the sound of their fans screaming his name. The one thing he couldn't quite get used to, were the cameras. They followed the twelve boys as if they were their shadows, capturing every moment from their practices, to their concerts, to the rare "free" time they spent in their dorm. There was a sliver of worry eating away at the back of Baekhyun's mind, that the cameras might pick up some of the tension between him and Chanyeol, and that every last detail of their private life might be broadcasted for all of their fans to see. But as he soon found out, Chanyeol was very good at acting like nothing was wrong.

And eventually, as he watched Chanyeol gradually settle back into the way he used to be, Baekhyun started to wonder if anything even was wrong-- anymore, at least. Chanyeol still came to him when he wanted to talk, still laughed and joked around with him, and it was almost like waking up the next morning had erased the events of that one night from his memory. Neither of them brought up the subject, not even once after time passed, and Baekhyun thought perhaps that everything had played out the way he (thought he) wanted it to.

But one time, as they sat alone together in their room getting ready to leave for promotions, his hopes were dashed. They were both unusually silent, compared to how loud and hyper they normally were whenever they spent time together. Baekhyun stood in front of the mirror, carefully examining his hair and outfit, before getting an odd feeling that he was being watched. He caught a glimpse of Chanyeol in the corner of the mirror-- he was, in fact, watching the older boy quite intently. The shorter was about to turn around and ask what he was staring at, when the look in Chanyeol's eyes stopped him dead in his tracks. It was difficult to pinpoint exactly what emotion was hiding in the darkness of his eyes-- they were tender, yet somber, and Baekhyun could have sworn he saw a look of pure longing flash briefly somewhere in the two deep brown orbs. But when they both left the room, Chanyeol was smiling brightly again as usual, and the look was gone. Baekhyun never saw it again.

So three years later, there they stood-- the pair of them, arms draped around each other's shoulders, smiling and nodding and listening to their leader talk about the preparations for their upcoming album. Baekhyun couldn't help but think how overjoyed their fans would be to see Chanyeol's long arm pulling the smaller boy closer, until they were both pressed together. How they seemed to squeal with delight, every time the taller laid a hand on him, or smiled at him, or even spoke to him, for that matter. I wonder what they'd do if they found out we had sex, Baekhyun thought to himself, and the thought made him laugh for some strange reason.

Chanyeol, who took notice of the other's chuckle, leaned down to whisper in his ear. "What are you thinking about?" He asked innocently. There wasn't any trace of mischief in the question, but Baekhyun felt the need to regain his composure instantly nonetheless.