Yixing sunk into the couch with a tea cup in his hand. He was quiet. Chanyeol was quiet. They sat in silence for a while, giving Chanyeol a chance to soak in everything the old man shared with him. After all this time, he finally knew the truth. The entire truth. What to do with that information was still a mystery to him.
"He told me you were his roommate, nothing more." Chanyeol commented after a long pause. "Now that I know what really happened, it all feels so...obvious."
"Of course he wouldn't tell you. He was paranoid. I can't imagine that would change after being murdered." Yixing stood up to wash his teacup in the sink. The frown lines on his face deepened as he stared into the soapy water for a while. "I told you everything you wanted to know." He eventually said. "You can leave now."
Chanyeol hesitated to stand, but there was no point in bothering Yixing anymore and he had places to be. He walked up to the front door, slowly reaching for the knob. "Thank you for telling me the truth, Mr. Zhang." he mumbled. The old man responded with a nod. Nothing more.
He walked down the street with the moon casted over his head. Halloween had officially begun; kids were running around in costumes and carrying buckets of candy, neighbors shuffled onto each other's lawns for activities, lights and music and decorations invaded the usually quiet street. The school dance had already started. Chanyeol was beyond late, but he continued to walk at a steady pace, in no rush to get home.
He was still thinking about Baekhyun and Yixing. The old man told him everything, but what now? He still couldn't set the ghost's soul free. His killers were still dead; he still couldn't get justice for him. Even if they were alive, it probably wouldn't make a difference. The police brushed it off then; they would do the same now. This was his last night to set things right; to take all of the information he collected and use that to finally put Baekhyun to rest. It was his last night, and he had no idea where to start.
He sat down on the curb and leaned back against a streetlight, watching the party across the street. Through the window, he saw people dancing, holding their partners close, some kissing. Kyungsoo; he was probably waiting for him at the dance, thinking his date stood him up. Chanyeol felt horrible for not reaching out to him, saying he would be late or reassuring him he would be there eventually. He was probably at the dance all by himself, hoping he'd show up, willing to wait even after the dance ended because he had no idea what was going on or if Chanyeol would ever come for him...
Wait. He shot up. A thought popped into his head. A ghost couldn't carry over until they got closure, and Mr. Kim said that murder victims needed justice, but what if their grudge against the killers was never the reason they were trapped in the first place? Baekhyun said it himself that he didn't hold grudges, meaning he let go of the resentment he held for his murderers. So if he wasn't holding onto his desire for justice, then he must've been holding onto something else. Someone else.
"Yixing!" He ran back to his house and banged on the door once again. "Look, I know I literally just told you five minutes ago that I was done with you, but I take that back."
The old man cracked the door open a little, peering through the gap. "You've got some nerve showing up here again."
"I know, I know. You're sick of me, but I think I've finally figured it out."
"Figured what out?"
"How to set Baekhyun's soul free."
Yixing stared at him with his mouth slightly hanging open. "Are you serious right now?"
"Yes! Mr. Zhang, I don't think it was ever about getting justice or punishing those responsible. I think this is about you."
He narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"Mr. Zhang, I know you don't want to hear this, but you have to come back to the house with me." Chanyeol barely finished his sentence when Yixing tried shutting the door. "Wait, Mr. Zhang! Please, hear me out!"
"I am not stepping foot near that house. Now, get the fuck away from me-"
"But this might be the only way to set his soul free. He misses you, Yixing. And no matter how much you act like you don't care, I know you miss him too."
Yixing pushed on the door again, trying to force it closed. "You don't know a damn thing about me."
"Why are you pretending like you don't care about him? He still loves you and all of these years he's been holding onto hope that you might come back for him. That you'll be reunited."
"And how do you know this? How are you so sure I'm the solution to all of your problems? Not long ago, you didn't know what to do to help him." Yixing barked.
"I know because I've been there. Because there's somebody I love too, and he's waiting for me without a clue if I'll ever show, just like Baekhyun is waiting for you."
"Shouldn't you go find him then? Instead of wasting your time with me?"
"And shouldn't you go find Baekhyun before it's too late?"
The permanent scowl on Yixing's face finally softened into a frown. He stepped back, releasing the door so Chanyeol could push it open and fully see him. "I can't go back." He said quietly.
"I know, but this might be Baekhyun's only chance to finally get closure. You are his only chance, Yixing."
The old man stared down at the floor, thinking back to his time spent in that house. It wasn't long, but it was a time in his life that he would never forget, nor would he ever get back. He could never have the life he wanted. Seeing that house again might break him. But it hurt more to know that Baekhyun could never escape and move on like he tried to for so long. That while he could bury the memories and distance himself from the pain, Baekhyun was stuck living through it every single day.
He never believed in ghosts and Chanyeol sounded crazy for suggesting he befriended one, but the possibility of Baekhyun's spirit being trapped in the place he died broke his heart. He didn't think going back would magically set him free, but if it gave both of them the closure they so desperately needed, then so be it.
👻👻👻
Yixing stood in the driveway, staring up at the window that looked into their old bedroom. A bittersweet feeling filled his heart, making tears prick the corners of his eyes. He shouldn't be here. He didn't want to be here. But a part of him knew he couldn't avoid the pain he had been running from for years. He had to come back eventually, while there was still time.
"Are you ready?" Chanyeol asked. Taking one last look at the front of the house, Yixing nodded and followed him in.
It looked about the same as the last time he saw the interior. He still remembered where the old rotary phone used to be before it was smashed to bits. He could picture the trail of blood that went from the front door to the kitchen. The faucet that hadn't been turned off and the glass of water that overflowed. The floorboards still creaked; he noticed as he trailed behind Chanyeol going up the stairs. The bedroom was still on the right and the bathroom was still on the left, right across from each other. Yixing always had to close the door in the morning when he was taking a shower so as not to wake Baekhyun.
"Let me go in and talk to him first." Chanyeol said. He left Yixing to stand in the hallway and quietly entered his room, where Baekhyun remained seated in front of the window. When he heard him enter, he flew down from the window sill and put his hands on his hips.
"Where the hell have you been? You're supposed to be at the dance with Kyungsoo. He's called you a billion times now and I couldn't answer to cover for your ass."
"I know, but I had to talk to Yixing first."
"Why exactly? Are you meddling in my business again?"
"Baekhyun," He said seriously, catching the ghost off guard. "I think I finally found a way to set your soul free."
He rolled his eyes. "That's what you've been doing this whole time? Chanyeol, I told you-"
"Here me out." He interrupted. "I talked to Yixing and he told me what happened. He told me everything; the kids, the candy, the back door, the neighbors. He wasn't just your roommate. He was your lover."
Baekhyun visibly tensed. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the right words and dropped his head instead.
"All this time I thought you didn't understand me." Chanyeol continued. "But really you knew all too well. They killed you because they saw you two together, and because of this Yixing left. He moved away and never came back." He dropped his head slightly to be eye level with Baekhyun, who refused to look up from the floor. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Shrugging, Baekhyun met his eyes for a fraction of a second. "Because I couldn't. Because I didn't want anyone else to know and risk getting hurt again."
"You know I wouldn't judge. All I want is to help you, which is why I went to Yixing in the first place. Now that I know the truth, I've finally figured out how to lay you to rest."
"What are you getting at?" He mumbled.
Chanyeol stepped closer, tempted to reach out and settle his hand on the ghost's shoulder. "You've been waiting for him, haven't you? You've been waiting to see him again after all these years. That's why you won't let go of this life. That's why you're still a ghost."
The tears returned to Baekhyun's eyes. He brushed his hair back and adjusted his glasses, sighing deeply. "I never got to say goodbye." He spoke in a shaky voice, failing to control himself. "If only he had come home earlier, I might have had the chance. But now I don't think I ever will. He doesn't want to come back, and I guess I don't blame him."
"I know," Chanyeol reached for the door and poked his head into the hallway. "Which is why I forced him to come instead."
Baekhyun's hands flew to his mouth. The water works came rolling down his face at the flip of a switch. Yixing walked into the room, oblivious to the spirit watching him. Even in his old age, the ghost recognized him immediately.
"Yixing?" He whispered, too in shock to do anything but stare.
The old man slowly paced the room, taking in his surroundings. Despite being completely rearranged to fit the preferences of a teenage boy, it was still the same old room where he lied with Baekhyun every night, holding him close until they fell asleep. It was also the same old room where he found a puddle of blood in the very spot he now stood. The thought made his heart clench.
"He's here." Chanyeol said, talking to both of them. Yixing looked around as if he would be able to see Baekhyun emerge from nowhere, alive and well. Chanyeol took him by the elbow and led him forward, positioning him directly in front of where the ghost stood.
"He's really here." Baekhyun said. A smile spread across his face through the tears; the most genuine smile Chanyeol had ever seen. "I want to talk to him. I want him to see me." He reached up to touch Yixing's face, but his hand phased through. Yixing shivered.
"I don't know how." Chanyeol admitted.
Baekhyun finally pulled his gaze away from Yixing and looked towards Chanyeol, hope filling his eyes. "What about Mr. Kim? Can't you ask him?"
Of course. Mr. Kim knew all there was to know about ghosts. If anyone was going to reunite them, it would be him.
"Wait here, Mr. Zhang. I'm just going next door for a minute." He sprinted out the door and across the lawn, pushing through the party at Mr. Kim's house to find the old man. Despite being rather early in the night, plenty of people had already shown up and the annual pumpkin carving contest was about to begin. Mr. Kim stood by the carving table, helping the contestants get their tools set up.
"Mr. Kim!"
He looked up to see Chanyeol running towards him in a Joker costume and makeup sweating off of his face, appearing more insane than he probably realized.
"Mr. Kim, I need your help." He slapped his sweaty hands down on the old man's shoulders. "Is there any way to make others see ghosts?"
"What?"
"I'm the only one who can see Baekhyun. Is there any way to let others see him too?" He squeezed his shoulders tighter. "Please say yes."
Mr. Kim narrowed his eyes, thinking. "There...might be a way."
They maneuvered through the crowd and went down to the old library in the basement. Mr. Kim grabbed the same book he showed Chanyeol before, where he ripped a page out. He flipped through it, skimming each page until he found what he was looking for.
"Here." He pointed. "In order for someone to see a ghost that has already been summoned by another, they need an object that the ghost is attached to or that is significant to them. This way, they can channel the spirit through the object."
Chanyeol threw his hands up. "Great. I have no idea what object Baekhyun is attached to. Yixing will never be able to see him."
"Yixing?" Mr. Kim slammed the book shut. "You mean he's with Baekhyun? You actually got him in the house?"
"Yeah. I think I might actually be able to set his soul free, but he needs Yixing to see him first. I don't know what's significant to him though."
Mr. Kim stroked his chin thoughtfully. He thought back to when he was child, seeing Yixing and Baekhyun together everyday. There must've been something that could connect them, something that held great importance.
"I remember they liked gardening together." He said, spitballing ideas. "They had a rose bush in the backyard. Baekhyun cooked for him a lot too. He'd make dinner and then Yixing always had candy from Delight Candy for dessert. What else..."
"That's it!" Chanyeol shouted, making Mr. Kim jump. "Chocolate!" He threw his arms around the old man's neck and pulled him into a swift hug. "Thank you, Mr. Kim! You're the best!"
"You're welcome. And Chanyeol?"
He skidded to a stop. "Yeah?"
"Good luck."
He nodded, before sprinting through the party and back out on the street.
God, he had been doing so much running that night. His legs and feet were screaming at him to stop, but he refused. He bursted through the doors of the mall and nearly threw himself through the entrance to Delight Candy, turning the heads of all the late night customers.
"Dark chocolate!" He heaved, panting like a hot dog. "I need...a bar...of dark chocolate."
The cashier grabbed one bar of dark chocolate and slid it across the counter. "Nice costume."
"Thank you." He tossed him whatever money he could find in his wallet, then went right back to running. Most of his makeup melted off by then, his hair dye was starting to wear away, sweat stained parts of his wrinkled suit, but he didn't care. He bolted down the street, dodging the Halloween parade and the confetti and the candy being thrown to the crowd and made it back to his house in record time.
"I've got it!" He yelled after kicking open the door and lunging into his room. Yixing shot up from the swivel chair, staring at the chocolate in his hand.
"You left to get...candy?"
"Take this." He shoved it into his hands. "In order to see a ghost, you have to channel him through an object they're attached to. This will let you see Baekhyun again."
"A chocolate bar?"
"Just do it."
Sighing, Yixing closed his eyes and held onto the candy tight. He wasn't exactly sure what channeling meant, so assumed whatever he was doing would be enough.
"Think about him. Think about seeing him again." Chanyeol instructed.
He held the chocolate tighter and watched the memories of his time with Baekhyun replay behind his eyelids. He imagined that one fateful Halloween night, only instead of coming home to find blood and no body, he saw Baekhyun sleeping peacefully in bed, resting after being so stressed for so long. He imagined himself shimmying out of his work clothes and climbing into bed beside him, kissing the top of his head and whispering good night as Baekhyun stirred. He imagined that they never left each other after that night; that no one ever knew what they had and Yixing didn't mind. He liked having this all to himself. It didn't matter if they suspected something or if they judged them. At least he still had Baekhyun, and that's all he needed.
"Yixing?"
The voice didn't sound like Chanyeol. He opened his eyes and looked up from the chocolate bar in his hands. He nearly dropped it when his eyes landed on Byun Baekhyun; not a day over twenty four and still wearing those big glasses with that striped sweater.
"Can you see me?"
Yixing furiously nodded his head, before reaching forward to pull Baekhyun into his arms. His fingers phased through his torso, causing him to stumble forward.
"I'm still a ghost, Yixing." Baekhyun laughed, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Oh my god...it's you...it's really you..." Yixing broke into a smile; a rare sight for Chanyeol, who was watching the exchange from the doorway. "I never thought I'd see you again."
"I didn't think I'd see you either. I thought you wouldn't come back for me."
Yixing fell back into the chair, too overwhelmed to stand. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I couldn't face you. I couldn't face what I did."
"What do you mean? You didn't do anything." Baekhyun knelt down so he was looking up at Yixing.
"I wasn't there. I should've been there to protect you, but I wasn't. I'm so sorry, Baekhyun." He buried his face in his hands, letting the tears stream down his cheeks. Baekhyun reached out to touch his hair, and though he couldn't feel him, he sensed his presence.
"It's not your fault, Yixing. You didn't know."
"But I shouldn't have abandoned you. I should've come back to lay you to rest."
"And you did." He leaned in so his face was close to Yixing's. "That's why you're here right now."
"I shouldn't have waited so long."
"It's okay. Better late than never, right? At least we finally get to see each other again. This is all I wanted."
Yixing hovered his hand over his cheek. He wanted to feel his skin under his fingers so badly. "I love you, Baekhyun."
"I love you too, Yixing." He leaned in for a ghost of a kiss. Yixing felt a tingling sensation on his lips and a shiver run down his spine. This was good enough.
Baekhyun pulled back and turned towards Chanyeol, smiling sadly. "Thank you."
Chanyeol nodded. "You're welcome."
He went in for one last kiss with Yixing. The old man instinctively reached for his face, trying to make it last forever, but the ghost soon faded into thin air. His lips felt cold. When he opened his eyes, he saw no one there.
"It was you all along." Chanyeol said, wiping his tears. "I knew it would work."
They walked out onto the lawn together to watch the Halloween parade pass by. Yixing stood on the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets, breathing in the night air. He was crying, and yet he had never felt so relieved in years. Baekhyun had finally been laid to rest, and so had his regrets.
"Mr. Zhang?"
He turned back to see Mr. Kim standing across from him, fiddling with his hands. He seemed hesitant, but took a step forward regardless and extended his arms out.
"Would you like a cookie?"
Yixing glanced at the plate of pumpkin shaped cookies. They were just like his mother used to make them. "Thank you, Minseok."
"Why don't you stay for the party? Chanyeol, you can come too."
"That's alright, Mr. Kim." Chanyeol said. "I have a school dance to get to first."
👻👻👻
There were only a few kids left in the gym, waiting for their rides to come pick them up. Streamers littered the floor. All of the food and punch had been consumed. The DJ stood atop the stage, packing up his turntable. Kyungsoo sat against the back wall with a deflated balloon in his lap, staring up at the disco ball and cursing to himself for showing up to this stupid dance.
A teacher came up to him and asked if he had a ride. He said he'd leave eventually. Kai and Sehun went ahead without him to catch the parade before it was over. Kyungsoo originally didn't plan to stay at the school the whole night, but he had hope Chanyeol would show up eventually. Or at least he did.
Tossing the balloon aside, he pushed himself off of the floor and wandered the dance floor. Was it worth waiting any longer? He could always talk to Chanyeol some other time. The dance wasn't that big of a deal anyway. Who cares if he got all dressed up in a vampire costume and arrived early and cancelled any other plans to be here with him?
Groaning, he sat down on the edge of the stage. The DJ was still behind him, just about ready to leave. "You look like you've had a rough night."
"My date didn't show." Kyungsoo mumbled. "He's the one who asked me out and he didn't even have the decency to contact me. I thought for sure he'd be here."
"He isn't by chance wearing a Joker costume and carrying a bouquet of flowers, right?"
Furrowing his brows, Kyungsoo glanced up to see who the DJ was talking about. Sure enough, Park Chanyeol was standing at the entrance of the gym, wearing a Joker costume and carrying a bouquet of flowers. His hair and makeup were a mess, tear streaks on his face, sweat staining his suit, and completely out of breath. He looked like he had a far more hectic night than Kyungsoo, but he was there. He finally made it.
"Am I late?"
Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. "Not at all."
"Does that mean I still have time to ask you to dance?"
Smiling, he jumped down from the stage and accepted the flowers. "Fine. One dance."
The DJ took it upon himself to set up the turntable again and put on a slow song. Kyungsoo wrapped his arms around Chanyeol's shoulders and Chanyeol took him by the waist, trying not to look as awkward as he felt.
"I'm sorry." He began. "I got caught up with Baekhyun and Yixing and...let's just say it's been a long night for me."
Kyungsoo could see whatever happened, it was best not to talk about until later. For now, all Chanyeol wanted to think about was now; here, at the dance with his crush, slow dancing under a disco ball.
"Better late than never." He said.
At this, Kyungsoo felt the tension in Chanyeol's shoulders dissipate. He smiled and relaxed into his embrace, pulling him closer.
"So, about what I said the other day," He cleared his throat. "Do you...wanna...um...I mean will you...will you be-"
"Your boyfriend?" Kyungsoo snorted.
"Yeah. My boyfriend."
He went up on his tiptoes to kiss Chanyeol on the cheek, making him blush a bright red. "Buy me a jumbo chocolate bar from Delight Candy after this. Then I might say yes."
Chanyeol couldn't help but laugh. "Deal."
👻👻👻
"And that is how LGBTQ+ rights have changed from the nineteen sixties to our current day and age."
The class clapped as Chanyeol gathered his notecards and returned to his seat. He let out a much needed breath of air, relieved that his stupid project was finally over with. While the teacher announced who would be presenting next, Kyungsoo leaned over his desk to whisper to him. "You did the whole thing last night, didn't you?"
"Was it obvious?"
He chuckled, patting Chanyeol on the back. "It was good."
After class, they met with Sehun and Kai in the hallway. The two of them were trying to do their own projects at the last minute, huddling around the lockers to scribble down notes for their speech. "How'd you guys do?" Kai asked while fumbling with his notecards.
"Pretty good, I guess. She's going easy on us for grading."
"Thank god." Sehun huffed. "I'm totally underprepared."
Kyungsoo pushed past them to get to his own locker. Taped to his door was a picture he and Chanyeol took at the school dance. Chanyeol leaned over to get a look at it. "When did you put that up?"
"This morning." He stacked his books in his arm, closing the locker with his elbow. "By the way, you never told me what exactly happened that night. You looked like you ran a marathon before arriving."
"It's..." He scratched the back of his neck. "A long story."
"Let me guess; Baekhyun was giving you a hard time? He wanted to be a pain in the ass one last time before you moved out?"
Chanyeol laughed. "It is about him, but no he was not being a pain in the ass for once."
"Oh? Come on, you have to tell me now. I've got time."
They ditched Kai and Sehun to walk to their next class. Chanyeol thought for a moment, trying to determine where he should start the story. There were a couple different places to begin - from his confrontation with Yixing, his heart to heart with Baekhyun, or even his costume shopping spree - but only one felt most fitting. He nodded to himself, then turned back to Kyungsoo.
"Well, it started with a chocolate bar."
Fin.
A/N: This was such a weird and random story, but I'm going to miss it :( Thank you all for reading