Baekhyun kept quiet.
Back in the days, in Seoul, when he yet had been a young, inexperienced boy, he always used to speak out his mind. Nothing had stopped him, nothing had feared him, nothing had buttoned his lips. He used to scold Luhan for keeping secrets from him, used to scold him for being tight-lipped, because honestly, locking up your worries and griefs would get you nowhere.
But Baekhyun kept quiet.
His head ached, so much that it even hurt to think.
He couldn't think.
He silently and continuously took stabs at his food. His shoulders hunched together like he was trying to disappear inside himself.
"Aren't you hungry, B?"
Thoughts trundled through his brain like a through train, with no intention of stopping. He should be happy, he should be joyful and glad that he could finally be together with Chanyeol, but he was not.
Baekhyun studied his plate with a definite lack of interest, then lifted his eyes. When their gazes collided, Baekhyun threw in what he hoped was his best smile so the giant wouldn't worry. He shook his head. "No, not really. It's fine, I'm rarely hungry."
Behind the masked smile he wore on his face, there was slight sadness.
He tried his best to not glance down at the elder's arms. The track marks.
Baekhyun felt terrifying. This was terrifying.
But was it really worth it?
Were the worries, the stressful thoughts, the weird churning in his stomach all worth it? Baekhyun began thinking about it. Chanyeol was strong - Chanyeol wasn't the type of guy who needed help.
And Chanyeol was doing good - Chanyeol didn't seem like he suffered, like he was hurting.
He shouldn't be worrying, right? He should be enjoying his time. Baekhyun mentally convinced himself that those marks didn't and shouldn't mean anything. Maybe they had always been there-
"Alright, I'll believe you, babe," Chanyeol sighed before he continued, "anyway, there'll be a pool party tonight. No strangers this time, so don't worry," he grinned, his eyes with a mischievous glint that seemed to reflect the corners of his mouth. "Only the crew will be present. Sounds fun, doesn't it?"
Baekhyun blinked. It did. He thought about it, concluding that he was in need of a nice distraction anyway.
He had never had a pool party before and the adventurous part of him that had only recently developed couldn't help but wonder.
Instead of breaking his head he should be rather enjoying this trip. Baekhyun and Chanyeol; they weren't emotionally attached to one another. So why was he even thinking at all?
And as soon as Chanyeol gave him that smile, his fear whisked away like a bunch of leaves caught in a heavy gust of wind, and instead, his heart fluttered. That was also when Baekhyun finally knew,
it wasn't worth it.
"Ah, can't wait. I'll need to ask someone for some swim shorts, though."
Baekhyun decided he shouldn't care.
Baekhyun believed that Chanyeol was fine.
*
*
The location was filled with people, but just as Chanyeol had assured, it was only them. Most of them were in the pool, splashing around and shooting each other with water guys - well, who would have thought that these guys were also in fact criminals - others were eating pizza - lemonades, Piña Coladas and cocktails were scattered among them.
The darkness of the night had fallen like a rich velvet blanket of black, swallowing up the day, draining the colors to grey and then to nothing at all. Neon lights flashed everywhere like police sirens, but much more colorful, artificial palm trees enhanced the atmosphere.
Half naked people, who were probably already on some shit, loud music, yells, drugs, alcohol; hilarious how Baekhyun found all of the things he used to think of as gross and obnoxious pretty usual and normal today.
Wearing nothing but a pair of short swimming trunks a guy called Minho had lent him, Baekhyun was sitting on the seats in the pool, beside him Chanyeol whose arms were around the smaller male's neck.
As it seemed, the elder was in a pretty good and playful mood, a fact that confirmed Baekhyun's beliefs. Chanyeol had been laughing and smiling the entire day now; Chanyeol was doing good - and Baekhyun had worried for nothing.
He should've just ignored the little discovery earlier in the morning, he shouldn't have acted surprised in the first place, moreover, there was absolutely nothing to be surprised about. Chanyeol had been literally jailed due to drugs, Chanyeol was literally the leader of an actual drug trafficking organisation.
He should just enjoy all of this. Enjoy his life, enjoy his time with Chanyeol.
There was nothing to worry about, Baekhyun lightly smiled and found himself gazing the other a little too long.
Whenever Chanyeol laughed, Baekhyun felt like he was filled with light. His laughter was sweet and soft, like the sound of tinkling bells.
Much to his embarrassment, he didn't notice that Chanyeol was staring back, their eyes locked. And it was then when he noticed that Chanyeol was also smiling, his smile shone like stars after dark, the deep curve on his lips made the world stop around him. Happiness flared in the elder's eyes and for the first time that day it began to in Baekhyun's too.
Even if the world around them started collapsing, Baekhyun was convinced that his heart would not get crushed as long as he was looking at Chanyeol.
Worries were a dissipation of time, unnecessary and bothersome. If Chanyeol smiled, if Chanyeol laughed, everything would be okay, things would be fine.
And they remained like that, smiling at one another. Baekhyun felt like the water around them had suddenly gotten hotter - and suddenly, their faces were only inches apart, and suddenly they felt each other's hot breath against their skin-
"AH! Don't loooook at me! Stop staring, you perverts! Ugh!" Junmyeon's throaty scream filled their ears, making Baekhyun flinch and back away, embarrassed.
His heart soared, his cheeks tainted pink. Baekhyun felt weird, the feelings were alien. They were strange; they stretched throughout his whole body. It was overwhelming, yet made him feel complete. It felt as though he was in a dangerous fire, but completely safe at the same time. It felt as if he was given peace. It felt as if his heart was dancing around his chest.
It was probably just the high temperature.
Without giving it a second thought, Baekhyun shifted his gaze away from the warm water, his eyes finally trained on the disturber on the other side of the pool.
Junmyeon seemingly tried to cover his naked torso with his arms, sending anyone in the close proximity to him a threatening look. "Gosh, Krease... Kris... will be jealous, you piiigs!"
Oh, yes, right - the guy was drunk. And cried. And imagined that people were checking him out. Baekhyun had to suppress his laughter.
The moment got abruptly cut off, though; next, the location was filled with screeches and laughter, all caused by a super energetic guy that randomly decided to cannonball into the pool. Minseok.
Baekhyun softly giggled as he unconsciously, almost naturally, snuggled closer to Chanyeol, all the while laughing about Minseok's childish action.
He had a great time, they all had a great time. Baekhyun didn't want it to end - Baekhyun didn't want this type of new life he now had to end.
Expect, perhaps one of them didn't seem to have a whale of a life as everyone else did. Baekhyun felt it. He felt how Yixing caught fleeting glimpses of Chanyeol and him, well, especially on him. And they felt as uncomfortable as wearing a corset.
His eyes sent a sort of longing, however, they also felt apologetic, and maybe even diffident.
Was the Chinese male feeling ashamed? Baekhyun thought that he shouldn't. Truth to be told, Yixing had initiated sexual contact by checking him up, sensually stroking the curve of his waist and telling him how hot he had been. But he had cut off the sexual gestures right away, knowing he had been betraying Chanyeol, hence backing away flustered.
To no avail.
As a consequence, Baekhyun had then started to seduce him shamelessly, basically convincing Yixing to take him. He could still remember the kiss they had shared - how Yixing's soft lips had moved against his. And he could also remember how Chanyeol barged in between them, how he was nanoseconds away to knock out the Chinese.
The sigh that escaped Baekhyun's lips was slow, as though his brain still needed that time to process what had happened the other night.
"Are you having fun, baby?"
Chanyeol's voice shook Baekhyun out of his thoughts. The teen raised his head and eyed the taller, blinking perplexedly.
Surprisingly, Chanyeol's face was dangerously close, causing a flustered and warm feeling to explode inside Baekhyun. He pushed all thoughts aside and out of his system, playing it off cool by granting him a soft smile. "Yeah..." He almost stuttered.
"I was almost worried earlier," Chanyeol's eyes were so different in moments like these, softer than Baekhyun thought eyes could be. Chanyeol was so focused on him, and Baekhyun saw the honesty, the warmth in them. And something meaningful- something akin to fire. And that something made him sheepishly break off the eyes lock by dropping his gaze.
Baekhyun bit his lower lip, his eyes everywhere but on Chanyeol. It led Chanyeol to move even closer, his eyes looking so deeply into the 16 years old's. "You sure that there's nothing bothering you?" He softly asked, the baritone of his voice reverberating through the smaller's bones.
"It's okay, really," Baekhyun muttered. He averted his gaze again, his eyes then fixed on the glass filled with mixed vodka in Chanyeol's hand. A sudden, inexplicable urge to get wasted coursed through his system.
Wordlessly, he snapped away the drink, and pressed the cool glass rim against his lips. The ice fell against the glass as Baekhyun swallowed down the substance. He felt the chill run down his throat, his head making an involuntary shake. His mind anesthetizing slowly, and his vision wavering slightly, Baekhyun remembered how bad of a drinker he actually was.
Flabbergasted, Chanyeol watched the younger male with parted lips. The corners of his mouth then curved upwards, "oh, slow there, babe. I don't want you to pass out." He said with a teasing voice.
Baekhyun set the empty glass aside, chuckling lightly. He looked up again, his body squirming as he took in the somewhat-affectionate- tender look in Chanyeol's eyes. He felt his muscles relaxing, feeling painfully drawn to the other, his insides fluttering. Perhaps, it was just the alcohol kicking in?
There was something about Chanyeol's gaze he would never find in another man, in another woman, in anyone.
Not knowing how and when it happened, Baekhyun's lips were suddenly pressed against Chanyeol's, kissing him. It was slow, it felt soft and it sent a strong feeling of warmth spiraling inside him. Baekhyun's eyes closed, yet it didn't let him see nothing but darkness, instead he saw colors of something like... fondness.
This. This felt true. This felt good. This felt right.
The kiss obliterated every thought and the worries Baekhyun had throughout the day evaporated like a summer shower splashed onto a hot car.
The kiss went on, their lips moved in perfect sync as the kiss became heavier, more passionate by the second, and eventually, Baekhyun found himself wrapping his arms around Chanyeol, his ass on Chanyeol's lap. Chanyeol tightened his grasp on Baekhyun's naked curvy waist as the water moved softly against their bodies.
There were people around them, some of them probably even watching (like Yixing), but at that moment the brunet didn't care. Their lips parted and clasped onto one another once again with an adding of more pressure.
His past life back in Seoul was a loss of time compared to this.
He remembered his parent's words back then at his sixteenth birthday.
"I got it." Baekhyun sternly claimed, sitting with an elegant straight back as usual, his hands resting on his thighs. "No alcohol, no drugs, no smoking. No parties, no clubs. No activities outside the house past 9PM. No sexual intercourse."
Baekhyun grinned into the kiss. It was entirely amusing how he had already broke all of these rules his parents had set for him.
They parted, both out of breath as Baekhyun gazed down at Chanyeol, thrilled beyond words to be the recipient of his affection. Their bodies were pressed against one another, chest to chest, Baekhyun's arms still around Chanyeol as they were looking into each other's eyes. Chanyeol spent a moment studying his flushed face, making Baekhyun feel his blush deepen under his look.
"You're so perfect, baby..." Chanyeol gazed at him fondly, his eyes softening with tenderness before sparking with something else again. Baekhyun swallowed and held his breath. He wanted to blame it on the buzz of the alcohol. "And I hate how you're half-naked and how everyone here can check you out as much as they like."
Before Baekhyun's mind could process anything, he had already gotten pulled out of the pool, the sudden action almost earning a yelp from him. He never felt the floor under his feet, instead he got lifted up bridal style.
He instantly adhered closely to Chanyeol, his arms circled around his neck. "Let's get out of here and have a little more fun."
Having dried themselves, they were then sitting around a table, all alone since the other kids, as it seemed, preferred trying to drown each other in the pool and yelling unnecessarily instead. Baekhyun was wearing nothing but his tight, short boxers and Chanyeol's hoodie, his alluring milky fleshy thighs provocatively on view.
"By the way..." Baekhyun started, a sudden observation crossing his mind. He puckered his rosy lips. "Just a thought... but why isn't the... the guy... what's his name, man..." Let's say he was slightly drunk. "Sehun! Where's that hoe? I never saw him..."
Chanyeol chuckled, setting some things up on the table. "Don't know, he had some things to do apparently, he didn't seem like joining us on this lil trip. He's probably just too much of a pussy," The elder grinned, snickering as his eyes were focused on the table.
Baekhyun giggled in return, watching Chanyeol's hand movements.
He quietly moved forwards, pressing his chest against Chanyeol's naked muscular back, his arms twined around the elder as his chin rested on his strong shoulder. "What are you doing, handsome?" Baekhyun murmured as he sneakily felt up the other's naked torso, caressing his toned chest.
His eyes fell on the few transparent bags on the table, all containing something green, which in Baekhyun's opinion looked like a mixture of dried leaves, flowers and sticks.
He gazed the foreign materials. Colorful pills, capsules in different shapes, needles, crystalline rocks that looked like soap, dried-looking mushrooms, some white powdery substance here and there.
The table was covered with different type of... drugs.
"Oh, it's fun, believe me, babe. You'll love it."
***
(a/n:) this chap sucks a little ikkk but be ready for another goooood update in less than a week ;)
also, thank you so much for 4k+ followers! i'm tearing up, I can't even express my gratitude. love youuuu!