rustle | exo: say anything (but say what you mean) (2/3)

Chanyeol's idea of developing a great partnership is mimicking Kyungsoo's every move in the zombie zoo. He pops out from a haystack instead of a box, though, and manages to convince Kyungsoo to do the 'crawling thing' with him. "More authentic. Less…" Chanyeol gestures with his hands, worrying his bottom lip as he tries to find his words. "Less fake. Whatever. Isn't it creepier when zombies come out from a normal-looking object? Cool, right?"

"I think boxes are common enough things," Kyungsoo replies, straight-faced, but a hint of a smile tugging up at the corners of his lips. Chanyeol pinches him in his side and drags him down to the floor.

Kyungsoo is usually more agile, quick to elude arms wrapping around his waist or his shoulders, but they're in a new zombie costume today – Jongdae's birthday gift, five months advanced – and they haven't had much practice with it yet. He almost tripped on his new feet when they tried moving around in it and went for a light jog around the zoo, and Chanyeol fell flat on his butt, complaining as soon as they god out of the costume. Now, with the dull ache of his previous falls still plaguing his muscles, he struggles to get Chanyeol off of him, kicks his feet and tries to move his arms around to gain ground. Chanyeol is stronger, though, completely in control of his limbs in a costume that has been tailor-made for him, and he pins Kyungsoo to the ground, hands on his wrists, eyes locked onto Kyungsoo's own.

"What are you doing?" Kyungsoo asks, voice cracking a little. He clears his throat – it's the work of the nasty cold that has hit the office, not the weight of Chanyeol's stare.

Chanyeol doesn't answer, doesn't move, just stays rooted there in his spot and holds Kyungsoo's gaze. The scare journey isn't set to start until fifteen minutes after and he's sure no one will walk in on them like this, but there's nothing wrong about it, is there? Chanyeol is just teaching him a lesson, making him shut up, exercising his power over Kyungsoo in the most physical way possible. There's nothing wrong about getting a bit physical during break time. It's not as if they're violating any work code or any bro code. Chanyeol is harmless; Kyungsoo is just looking for an adventure, and Chanyeol just happens to be there.

"We're doing the popping out from the ground thing," Chanyeol reiterates through gritted teeth, then loosens his grip. Kyungsoo takes this as an opportunity to push Chanyeol off of him and down on the ground. Chanyeol has that toothy grin on his lips, the one that makes him look half-puppy and half-legs. It sends a sickening kind of turn to the pit of Kyungsoo's stomach.

Later, when the siren sounds off and Chanyeol's already walking over to his spot, the same silly grin on his lips as he lies flat on his stomach, on the ground, Kyungsoo realizes that he hadn't really said 'no'.

☻ ☻ ☻

Zitao arrives from his two-week trip to Japan with a bag filled with presents. Several trips around the world and too many souvenirs from Zitao after, Kyungsoo thinks he's gotten this pinned down – half of the bag is probably filled with all sorts of Japanese desserts for Zitao, Sehun, and Jongin to share stories over, and the other half has the 'good stuff' that the rest of them can enjoy. This time, it's Osaka's specialty tea for Joonmyun, a Hokusai printed scarf for Jongdae, and two stuffed toys for Kyungsoo.

"Rilakkuma and Hobbang Man, really?" Kyungsoo asks, genuinely curious but also genuinely amused, and Zitao hits him on the arm once before proceeding to sit on his hands.

"It was a limited edition Hobbang Man, okay! I thought it was cute!"

Chanyeol doesn't get introduced to Zitao; he introduces himself, even extends a hand, and Zitao immediately takes a liking to him. Ten minutes and a few stories after, Chanyeol finds his pockets stuffed with small Japanese treats that Zitao insisted he take with him. "He's really nice," Chanyeol says through a mouthful of whatever he's popped between his teeth. "Who even gives strangers food these days?"

"Didn't even cross your mind that he might've been planning to poison you?" Kyungsoo takes a deep breath and frowns when he looks up at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol has that look on, the come on, you can't be fucking around with me look. He hasn't seen this in a while, not in the past week. There hasn't been a clearer image in his mind but that of Chanyeol's soft smile and that split-second of uncertainty on Chanyeol's features. And the childish grin that shows all ten thousand of his teeth. "You're shitting me," Chanyeol mumbles, then groans when a small smile breaks across Kyungsoo's features. "I trusted you, Kyungsoo! I feel so betrayed!"

"You don't know me well enough."

Chanyeol pinches him in his side. "You won't let me."

Kyungsoo takes a step back, narrowly avoiding the another assault of pinches from Chanyeol.

It's not supposed to be easy, though, getting to know someone, wrestling information out of him like backing someone up against the wall and asking nicely, what's your favorite fruit? What's your poison? How would you like your heart served – rare, medium rare, or well-done? It doesn't work that way. Not in Kyungsoo's realm, at least, where he's gotten accustomed to having to spend an ample amount of time with someone and going through some sort of life-changing experience with him. With Jongdae, it was working on their thesis that brought them together. With Zitao, Jongin, and Sehun, almost missing work because they had to stay up and play Assassin's Creed. With Joonmyun, it started as idol worship that eventually turned into Kyungsoo assuming the responsibility of making sure Joonmyun took his vitamins.

"Let's play a game, then," Kyungsoo declares. Chanyeol stops in his tracks and tilts his head a little. "Well, not really a game. Just... Ask me and I'll answer as truthfully as possible."

Chanyeol snorts. "You're really bad at this 'thinking of how to talk about myself' thing, aren't you?"

Kyungsoo shrugs, doesn't meet Chanyeol in the eye. He knows Chanyeol's smirking, though, just by the light swaying of his body. "I'm trying, you know," he admits, then rushes, "C'mon. For the sake of this partnership."

"Just for this partnership?"

He looks up now, meeting Chanyeol in the eye. The corners of Chanyeol's lips are quirked up and his eyes are bright, fucking twinkling like he's up to no good or he's trying to get Kyungsoo into the grave he's dug for the two of them. Kyungsoo feels his throat tighten, his chest constrict. His fingers twitch when he parts his lips, poised to speak, then snaps them together again. Chanyeol starts to giggle and crosses his arms over his chest. "Don't tell me you have an issue with being honest as well."

"No, I don't," Kyungsoo retaliates, slaps Chanyeol on the arm and resumes walking. The change in scaredule means the zombie zoo scare stint will get cut in half, but that they'll have to explore the Plants versus Zombies plan with Sehun. It also means Chanyeol will be looking at him for direction, clinging to him like a leech or any object high on Mighty Bond. It sends a funny feeling to the tips of his fingers. "And fine, you're actually pretty useful in the house so I guess I'm not just doing this for the partnership."

Chanyeol purses his lips for a while, but the upward tug on his cheeks remains. Soon, he's grinning, canines peeking and pink gums greeting Kyungsoo. When Chanyeol asks about Kyungsoo's favorite color (black), favorite hairstyle (anything that's comfortable), and favorite type of clothing (underwear is most useful), he answers as truthfully as possible, keeps his fingers and toes crossed that Chanyeol won't ask anything weird.

"And your favorite person in the world?" Chanyeol asks as they bend their knees simultaneously, prepared to lie flat on their stomachs on the ground. Kyungsoo blinks twice, breathes noisily through his nose, then fixes his eyes on the door where the scare takers will be coming in.

"Myself," he answers. The siren sounds off. "And anyone who can make me smile."

☻ ☻ ☻

Friday evenings, Chanyeol leaves earlier than the usual. Closing isn't until ten in the evening, when half of them might as well be dead with fatigue and simply running on reserve energy. "Early shift tomorrow," Chanyeol whispers in Kyungsoo's ear, bends his knees like a fucking gentleman because tiny people shouldn't tiptoe for me, then pinches Kyungsoo in his side. "I'll see you?"

"You two are going out tomorrow?" Jongdae asks, eyebrow cocked and a small smile on his lips. Kyungsoo shakes his head and waves him off, then makes his way to the closet to return his costume. "How do you feel about company outings?"

"Hopeless," Sehun offers. "We haven't had one ever since." Jongin bursts into laughter and turns to Sehun for a high-five, but Jongdae kicks them in their calves faster than Sehun could react. "I'm just saying, what are the chances of us getting time out when we haven't gotten one in years? I'm being realistic."

Jongdae pouts, but turns on his heel and makes his way to the door. He holds up an accusing finger at Sehun and says, "No bonuses for you, ever."

Chanyeol hasn't left yet, still leaning against the frame of the door, eyes on Kyungsoo. He's wiggling his eyebrows like he's waiting for an answer to something he hasn't even asked yet, and Kyungsoo only tilts his head in response. It takes no more than a few seconds, but Kyungsoo feels as if he's been thrust into a romcom of sorts where the male protagonist cuts through the distance to grab the other male protagonist by the wrist. Then they'd run away, frolicking in the fields, except Chanyeol hasn't dragged him out all the way yet. Chanyeol's looking down at him, eyes wide and smile tugged up all the way. Chanyeol is close, close enough that Kyungsoo can count the pimples on his cheeks if he wanted to, or his eyelashes, or the number of times Chanyeol bites his lower lip.

The rest of the group is just a few feet away, and they're pressed so close together. Relationship-building, Kyungsoo reminds himself.

"Sssh. Keep quiet," Chanyeol whispers after a while, then slips a piece of paper in Kyungsoo's hands. "I will see you, right?"

Kyungsoo tears his gaze from Chanyeol's. "I'll have to check my fridge."

"Great! I get off at 4 p.m.."

"I'm telling your girlfriend!" Jongin calls out after Chanyeol, and Chanyeol just sticks up his middle finger in reply. When Kyungsoo opens his fists, he catches Chanyeol's hurried writing on the paper – his cellphone number and a smiley at the end.

He stuffs the paper in his pockets and gulps hard. He tries not to smile.

☻ ☻ ☻

Kyungsoo leaves his house later than the usual the following day. He'd sort of promised to meet Chanyeol after his shift, but only because he has a lot of things to pick up from the supermarket – pork, more instant noodles, yellow radish, maybe a couple of bottles of beer if he's in the mood for it. It's not like he's planning to feed a legion. It's just been him and his laptop across the table all these years, after all, catching up on dramas over the weekend and maybe shedding a tear or two over well-executed drama scenes.

"Sometimes I wonder how you manage to set aside time to, well–" Chanyeol gestures at the vegetables in Kyungsoo's cart. A few milk cartons have somehow made their way there, just beside the lettuce and carrots. "Cook for yourself when you always come to work early and get home so late."

Kyungsoo shrugs, then hands the cartons back to Chanyeol. Chanyeol shakes his head, only grins at him and giggles. "I do all my cooking in the evening and pack my lunch before I go to bed. That way, I won't have to get up early." Chanyeol slips a pack of bubblegum in the cart, and Kyungsoo quickly swats his hand away. "Get your own cart!"

"What? You're going to make me unpack your stuff later and I won't even get paid for it. The least you could do is buy me stuff."

Kyungsoo groans. "I'm not your mom."

"Definitely not my mom," Chanyeol replies, laughing a little. He ruffles Kyungsoo's hair and continues, "Too tiny. Less grumpy, but definitely cuter."

Kyungsoo steps on Chanyeol's foot but misses by a few centimeters. Chanyeol runs off, laughing, but picks up a couple of items from Kyungsoo's to-buy list.

The drive to Kyungsoo's house is more smooth-sailing this time, without rain pelting down on the streets and blurring their view. Chanyeol talks about Jongdae applauding their Plants versus Zombies act with Sehun and Zitao, and Kyungsoo only rolls his eyes and says that maybe, maybe they can work on that a bit more. "It's a crazy idea, to be honest, but if it works..." Kyungsoo voice trails off and he shrugs, then throws his head back into the head rest. Chanyeol's car smells nice – much like a spa, except the scent is tamer, doesn't lull him to sleep but calms his nerves just enough that he doesn't mind entertaining an idea of doing a sequel to their initial Plants versus Zombies act.

Chanyeol hits the brakes when they reach a red light, then turns the radio down just a little. Kyungsoo opens one eye, peeking at Chanyeol. "I love crazy."

"Not surprised," Kyungsoo replies. He sits up again when the light turns green. "You seem exactly like the type."

Only the second time that Chanyeol's been to Kyungsoo's apartment and he already seems to be at ease, moving around the kitchen like his feet know where to take him. The bowls of instant ramyun are neatly stacked, labels facing front, and Chanyeol ganders at his work with a grin on his lips. Chanyeol then proceeds to arrange all the contents of Kyungsoo's cupboard, and that's when he starts fussing – Chanyeol's rearranging his life in tiny cans without even asking permission. It's like a violation of personal space without actually toeing the line. "Hey."

"Ssh." Chanyeol waves him off. He's kneeling on the counter now as he arranges the canned goods. "I'm arranging your cans by color, by height. I accept food as payment."

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, but his fingers haven't stopped twitching yet. "How does kimchi jjigae sound?"

Chanyeol looks over his shoulder, eyes wide, a soft smile on his lips. His eyebrows are lightly furrowed, like there's confusion or surprise that he's trying to temper. "Really good."

Chanyeol hums while he works, not a single moment of silence save for when he moves from one song to the next. At one point, Kyungsoo pulls up a playlist on his phone and blasts songs on his speakers, loud enough to fill the white noise but not too loud to drown out Chanyeol's voice. Chanyeol has a smooth tone, low and warm, like a quilt wrapped around your shoulder on a cold winter afternoon. Kyungsoo finds himself humming as he stirs the broth, then adds the pork and onion leeks. The rice cooker sounds off. Bless Samsung and their devices.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" Kyungsoo asks after a while, once Chanyeol has come down from the counter and has rolled up his sleeves. His hands are covered in suds, and his eyes are twinkling with something Kyungsoo can't quite pinpoint yet. Kyungsoo hates it, not being able to decipher Chanyeol's movements, the password to cracking Chanyeol's heavily encrypted code. It's been more than a month since they've started working together and Chanyeol already knows more about him than he should. He should keep up, do something to even the playing field. He can't lose to Chanyeol.

"Well, I do," Chanyeol replies, then turns on the tap. Water pressure is good today, produces a low thrum as the water hits the sink. "But after working with kids for 8 hours, I don't think I want to go home and deal with with my family just yet. That house is a complete terror, I'm telling you." Chanyeol scoffs and towels his hands down, shucking off the last few droplets of water as he shakes his hands. "That's where the real ghosts are – back at home where it's supposed to be safe."

Kyungsoo gulps hard, then turns his eyes back on the stew. "You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to," he says. "We're all entitled to our own secrets."

"Like me working in a toy store during weekends, yeah." Chanyeol laughs lightly, then locks his arms behind his back. He knocks down a few things, but none of them are breakable. Kyungsoo covers the pot and twists his torso so that he's facing Chanyeol. "Except my cover's been blown by my scare partner. And I ran into Sehun and Zitao this morning, ogling Gundam action figures."

"Should it even be a secret? It's not as if you're living a double life."

"Eh." Chanyeol shrugs. "I just don't want too many people knowing what I do with my supposed 'spare time'." He exhales loudly, bottom lip jutting out as he ends. "I guess I just don't want to be found. Not by my family, at least."

Kyungsoo watches and waits, eyes fixed on Chanyeol's own. Beside him, the stew boils, and he tears his gaze only to add the other ingredients and a generous amount of gochujang. "Hey, I thought you hated silence," he says when he gets nothing, and Chanyeol resurfaces with wide eyes, color rushing back to his cheeks and the upward curl of his lips. "I'm trying to do my part."

"Your thoughts are so noisy, though." Chanyeol pokes him in his side, and he half squirms, half cackles. He's not supposed to be ticklish there. "Noisier than my own brain. And I thought I already talked a lot."

"Keep talking, if it helps," Kyungsoo offers, but Chanyeol only grins at him, laughing and he pokes the same spot, eliciting laughter from Kyungsoo. He should probably check the stew, see if it's spicy enough or need more salt, but he's got his hands full now – he uses one to give Chanyeol's arm light jabs and then fist in Chanyeol's shirt, and the other is on his heart, left of his chest, pressing down hard as he tries to still the loud beating inside. In the end, Chanyeol takes over cooking the stew and maybe adds too much gochujang, but Kyungsoo really can't be bothered – the way the sting of spiciness wraps around Chanyeol's lips is beautiful, paints the corners of his mouth a nice, warm smile.

Kyungsoo takes another sip of the stew and winces. It's a nice kind of burn.

☻ ☻ ☻

Sundays are relatively slow, me-days for Kyungsoo – there's no need to get up early, no need to cook something for himself if he really doesn't feel like eating. As long as he has his laptop and his dramas, he'll survive. He could run on just two cups of coffee until late afternoon and not get cranky. He could sleep half the day and he won't feel guilty about 'wasting time' and 'not doing anything better'.

Today, though, Jongdae pays him a visit, two plastic bags in tow. One is filled with an assortment of chips, and the other has cider and a couple of cans of alcohol. "Does this guarantee a free sick leave tomorrow?" he asks as Jongdae lays down the items on the table in the living room. He saves one can of beer from falling off the edge. Jongdae's estimation skills have never been the best, not in all the years that they've been friends.

"Don't do this to me," Jongdae answers, frowning. Kyungsoo takes one of the cans and opens it for Jongdae. "I've already lost you to Chanyeol; now I'll lose you to work?"

Isn't that the same thing? Kyungsoo wants to ask, but snatches the can back and takes a gulp, instead. "Oh, you know me and work – we're the PDA couple I used to barf at."

"You and Chanyeol? Not quite." Jongdae sits on the carpet, legs folded under his weight. "You've been getting along really well, though. I'm… kinda surprised."

Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow, then adds a smile to his expression, a corner of his lips tugging up when Jongdae begins to raise his arms in front of him in defense. "I'm not saying that you don't know how to socialize. I'm just surprised you actually get along with someone as noisy–"

"–obnoxious, but we're not–"

"Yeah. That, too." Jongdae scrunches his nose. "Doesn't he… Doesn't he tick you off?"

Chanyeol does, if you consider smiling and grinning ear-to-ear every single time annoying. Chanyeol's movements are too big, too, like he doesn't have control over his limbs. He craves warmth and contact and puts Baekhyun's need for affection to shame, and hates standstills and silence. Kyungsoo is adaptable, yes, but sometimes Chanyeol will lean over too much and end up with his face in Kyungsoo's lap, or he'll laugh too loud in Kyungsoo's ears. He can only take so much of Chanyeol, but Chanyeol can't seem to get enough.

"Sort of," Kyungsoo replies after a while. He raises his beer in a toast, and Jongdae meets his can halfway. "But I don't have extra energy to spend on getting mad at people. Making people shit in their pants already drains me."

"And I won't pay you for overtime just so you could pacify Chanyeol," Jongdae adds, then straightens his legs as he leans back against the couch. Jongdae accidentally jams his foot into Kyungsoo's leg and apologizes, but Kyungsoo just shrugs and waves it off, sinks his lips in alcohol and keeps drinking. Their knees bump, and the electricity that shoots up Kyungsoo's thighs jolts him awake, back to life, back to the reality that Jongdae's probably too close comfort – thigh to thigh, pinky to pinky. Ear to ear, except Jongdae's turning his head slowly, pinning Kyungsoo in place with his gaze. "You're really okay with him? Are you sure?"

"And if I'm not, you're going to fire him?" Kyungsoo chuckles. "I think you're asking the wrong question, Jongdae. Spill. You can't put this off forever."

Are you okay with this can be one of Jongdae's questions, but it's not as if they're never been more than just thigh to thigh, arms pressed against each other. Fresh from university and high on freedom, Jongdae had slipped a hand in his pants twice – first, to get his keys to his apartment; and second, to jerk him off. Jongdae's parents were away for the weekend and they'd both just gotten their first paycheck from their part-time job. So Jongdae thought, let's buy a cock ring, promise it will be great, and Kyungsoo thought, why the hell not? It wasn't as if he hadn't known Jongdae for a while, didn't trust the way Jongdae's hands mapped out his skin or the way Jongdae laid him down in bed, jeans long gone and forgotten on the floor. This was Jongdae – his best friend since college days, the only person who knew him better than he knew himself – and this was him submitting himself to Jongdae completely. So it's not a question of whether or not this is okay or if Kyungsoo's comfortable with this; it's more of Jongdae getting assurance that there isn't anything that Kyungsoo wants to know or wants from him other than his salary for the month.

"Okay, I'll start: why are you here?"

Jongdae's features soften. "To catch up with you?"

"Why are you asking about Chanyeol?"

"Because…" Jongdae worries his bottom lip. "Because he spends most of his time with you and you're the best person to ask about his progress at work?"

Kyungsoo snorts. "Sehun's lack of enthusiasm never seemed to bother you," he said, then cocks an eyebrow at Jongdae. "Come on, tell me why it matters."

Jongdae holds his gaze, eyebrows furrowing as he purses his lips. He takes a deep breath. "Because I know Chanyeol from high school and this Chanyeol you're dealing with on a daily basis isn't the same Chanyeol I knew back then," Jongdae answers. He worries his bottom lip, quirks his lips, turns to look at Kyungsoo with eyes that Kyungsoo can't recognize. It's like looking at yourself in the mirror and not recognizing yourself; worse, seeing someone else. "This is a new and improved version and sure, it's great! But–"

"But?" But the new version doesn't suit him? But it isn't Chanyeol? But Jongdae can't come to terms with this change yet because he's shit at dealing with change, battling it in a hand-to-hand combat?

"I don't know, man. It just… feels weird." Jongdae takes a sip of his beer, groans when he realizes that his can is empty. "He's in a better place now, he definitely is."

"You could just tell me what happened in high school so I can stop asking questions, you know," Kyungsoo says, but Jongdae only rolls his eyes in response. "You're gonna stay a mystery forever? Is that it?"

"Eeeexactly," Jongdae says, laughing a little. He scowls when Kyungsoo pinches him in his side. "I'm vulnerable! Don't attack me like that!"

How, then? is Kyungsoo's new question, but he tucks it at the back of his mind. He'd long given up on getting a straight answer from Jongdae, given up on getting Jongdae to sit down and talk about just one thing rather than a multitude of topics. With a deep breath, he reaches for another can of beer, but Jongdae beats him to it, hands him a can with a tab already open.

"Keep your guard up," Jongdae says, more as a piece of advice than a warning. He sounds more sure now, without the little cracks in his voice and the abnormal lilt. Kyungsoo nods.

"I won't," he promises, then clinks his can with Jongdae's. "I'll keep the shields up."

☻ ☻ ☻

(When Kyungsoo entered college, he only had one goal – graduate with flying colors. It only made sense because he knew everything else would follow. His family would be proud of him and he'd probably get a good job right after graduation. He'd land a great job then meet a pretty girl at work, and then he'd fall in love with her and ask her out. It would probably take a while for them to get together because he was shit at wooing women, but they would, eventually. Then they'd have three kids and they'd carry on the Do name. The end.

Except that wasn't how things panned out – he ended up balancing idol training and his studies and still pretty well in class, but not as good as he wanted to. He met Kim Jongdae in theatre class and ended up being the best of friends with him. Halfway through college, he'd already memorized the wicked contours of Jongdae's body, the dip of his back, the gentle swell of his stomach. He'd improved his skills at wooing girls but girls didn't seem to woo him anymore. It was Jongdae's lips that he dreamt of kissing, Jongdae's hands that he wanted to hold. The moment he saw Jongdae, he knew there was no turning back. He knew what he wanted, and that was Jongdae.

Jongdae didn't seem to know exactly what he wanted then, though. In the end, they'd turned from best friends to best fucks and then back. Jongdae offered him a job in the horror house following the fall from grace at the talent agency, and they never talked about the past again. That was Jongdae's most endearing trait – not dwelling on the bitter past and just focusing on the present. Maybe it was also his worst.

So really, Kyungsoo has always kept the shields up. It's just that for a moment, Jongdae was much too powerful and headstrong that he'd taken down Kyungsoo's walls in one hit. And here Chanyeol is now with his endless energy and enthusiasm, slowly chipping at Kyungsoo's five-foot-seven walls, carefully breaking them down. That's the difference between Jongdae and Chanyeol – Jongdae was always in a rush to progress, while Chanyeol took his sweet time.

And Kyungsoo hated being rushed.)

☻ ☻ ☻

Scaredy Cats gets packed than the usual just before Chuseok. Jongdae decides to shorten scare stints to three minutes per area instead of seven, but gives Sehun, Chanyeol, and Kyungsoo an extra five minutes for the final showdown of Lord of the Trees Oh Sehun and Zombie Leaders Chanyeol and Kyungsoo. "No fair," Jongin comments, lying flat on his belly in the oasis. "I don't even get enough time to make them dream about the red contacts." Jongdae only waves him off, then shows the new schedule to Chanyeol and Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo doesn't miss the way Jongdae's fingers wrap around Chanyeol's wrists, or the way Jongdae beams at Chanyeol like he's a walking ball of cotton candy. He does keep his vision focused on the scaredule on the board, though, and doesn't look at Chanyeol in the eye until Jongdae's well gone and fussing over Joonmyun's costume.

"Hey, you look sick," Chanyeol says. He bumps his hips into Kyungsoo's and Kyungsoo winces at the jolt of electricity that runs up his sides. "You want me to take you home?"

It's nearing ten in the evening now, and with all the work they'd done the whole day he could probably use the free lift. Granted, it will involve having to listen to Chanyeol's endless chatter and the same roster of songs for the next hour or so, but it's convenient. No more transfers to keep track of, no need to stay awake the rest of the way. If he does fall asleep on his way home, in Chanyeol's car, all Chanyeol has to do to fill the silence is to turn up the radio and sing Gavin DeGraw until he rouses from his sleep.

"Why?" he says instead of answering. Chanyeol blinks, like he's isn't used to receiving another question as a response to his own. "Why do you care?"

A small smile surfaces on Chanyeol's lips, and he snakes an arm around Kyungsoo's shoulder to pull him closer. Kyungsoo's as least three inches taller than the usual when he's in this costume and the thin guard makes the warm press of Chanyeol's body more bearable, but Chanyeol's voice slithers in his senses, wraps around his neck and takes him in a chokehold. "Because you're Kyungsoo and you're my tiny partner," Chanyeol says, earnest, laughing like Kyungsoo's asking the most incredulous question in the world. "Is there really a need for a reason?"

"It makes things easier to digest," Kyungsoo admits. It's nearing ten and he's too tired to put up a fight, and everyone else has left the dressing room, so he leans into the touch, rests his head on Chanyeol's chest. "Thanks."

"Stations, every–" Jongdae peeks into the room and stops mid-sentence as he meets Kyungsoo in the eye, then looks up at Chanyeol. Kyungsoo doesn't move, doesn't tear his gaze from Jongdae's own, doesn't even breathe until Jongdae finally blinks and takes a step back. "You two ready for the last show?" Jongdae asks, eyebrows raised, and Chanyeol flashes him a thumbs-up in response.

"You sure you can do another show?" Chanyeol asks as they make their way to the zombie zoo.

Kyungsoo is still lightheaded from three straight scare journeys that they've done in the past hour and a half but he nods, nonetheless. Chanyeol keeps a hand on the small of his back the rest of the trip. There's silence for a while, one that he feels Chanyeol's body revolting against – it's there in the cold press of Chanyeol's fingers on his back, Chanyeol's heavy breathing, the way Chanyeol's gaze is drawn to Kyungsoo every so often. So he grabs Chanyeol by the wrist, tightens his grip, and whispers, "Hey. Relax. The silence won't kill you."

"But you could," is Chanyeol's response, but Chanyeol could have said anything and Kyungsoo's muddled brain might have just made things up. With a firm nod, they exit the passageway and close the door behind them, taking their places in the zombie zoo.

"Don't screw up," Kyungsoo calls out from the haystack opposite Chanyeol's. He can hear Chanyeol's bright laughter soar above the sound of the siren.

"Watch," Chanyeol replies. The smile on his lips is blinding. "I'll make you proud."

☻ ☻ ☻

Chanyeol stays at the doorstep while he waits for Kyungsoo to finish packing up. They'd managed to dodge Jongdae's questions – What do you have planned for Chuseok? Who are you spending it with? Kyungsoo, you're not watching the entire Endless Love series again, are you? – but not the compulsory group hug before going on their separate ways. "Don't forget to wish for more customers, okay?" Jongdae reminds them, and Joonmyun is the only one who has enough courage to say, just take a break and don't think about work for once, Jongdae.

"You ready?" Chanyeol asks as Kyungsoo slings his bag over his shoulder. He nods and offers Chanyeol a small smile, then takes a few steps forward. "Awesome. Let's go!"

Chanyeol is quiet for most of the trip, humming to fill the silence between songs on the stereo. Kyungsoo sings along whenever a song that he knows comes up, but this is Chanyeol's twisted playlist they're singing to – half of the songs are of artists Kyungsoo has never heard of, and half are songs from five years back that haven't really lost their touch yet. "This one's my favorite," Chanyeol says when Let It Go comes up. He does his best imitation of Gavin DeGraw when they reach a red light, and Kyungsoo shakes his head at him.

Just before the chorus, Chanyeol stops and leans forward to poke Kyungsoo's cheek. "Now there's a smile. Thought I wouldn't see one from you today."

Thirty more seconds until the light turns green. This means thirty more seconds of Gavin DeGraw's uninhibited belting out on the stereo. Thirty seconds of Chanyeol looking at him like there's no road to pay attention to in front of them, like they haven't spent ten hours working their asses off and that he still has enough energy to pull up the other corner of Kyungsoo's lips up – a light graze of the finger, Chanyeol's nail catching on the dip on the curl of the lip. He sees his reflection in Chanyeol's eyes again and he feels a familiar sizzle roll down his stomach. His words are caught up in his throat, fighting for release, pounding at the back of his teeth. "Uh-huh."

"You've been extra grumpy."

Kyungsoo snorts, and Chanyeol drops his hand on the gear shift. "You make it sound as if I'm a walking ball of… I don't know, negativity? Frowns? Like I'm really becoming a zombie?"

"You might as well be," Chanyeol replies, then shifts in his seat. His face is facing front now, but he's still looking to his side. The green light paints Chanyeol's profile a sick glow. "Something bothering you? You can tell me anything, you know."

You are, he wants to say, You're the one who's bothering me, but the green light gets the better of him. So instead, he asks, "Why?"

Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows but keeps his eyes on the road. "Why what?"

"Why–" Kyungsoo takes a deep breath. "Why are you trying to stay as far away from your house as possible? Why would you rather face the ghosts in the horror house than at home? Why are you running away?"

There's no red light on Kyungsoo's side, no white noise on the radio to leave Chanyeol exposed. Chanyeol's grip on the steering wheel tightens. There's still a good thirty minutes ahead of them, from here to where Kyungsoo's apartment is, but Chanyeol can easily pull over and ask Kyungsoo to leave if he wants to. And Kyungsoo will, if Chanyeol finds this conversation uncomfortable bordering on rude, but Kyungsoo can't live with too many questions in his mind anymore. The voices in his mind – his own voices, the ones from certain periods of his life – are already a handful, as it is; he doesn't need Chanyeol's voice there, all the highs and lows of it, the lilts and the quirks of his tone.

"Because I know I can drive the ghosts in the horror house away if I tried really hard," Chanyeol answers after a while. "The ghosts at home will never cease to follow me around and haunt me."

So let me drive them away for you, Kyungsoo almost says, but instead his jaw goes slack and his throat goes dry, the air in his lungs dissipating when Chanyeol's voice drops to a whisper. "Tough guy Park Chanyeol shrieking because of ghosts that won't leave," Chanyeol says, laughing a little. "Funny story, huh?"

"Not funny," Kyungsoo mutters. The traffic light goes red, and he reaches out to lay his palm flat on Chanyeol's thigh. "Really scary. I'm… sorry."

Chanyeol turns to look at him, then rests his hand atop Kyungsoo's. His fingers are cold but his palm is warm and soft. Kyungsoo shivers at the weird mix. "Don't be," is the only thing that Chanyeol says, but his grip on Kyungsoo's hand tight like all that he needs right now is this comfortable silence, static on the radio, a whole world of white noise between them.

"Do you have plans for Chuseok?" Chanyeol asks much later, after taking a left turn.

Kyungsoo jerks a little, then turns to Chanyeol with wide eyes. "No, not really. Both of my parents are dead and my brother's in Hongkong with his wife," he replies, the words spilling from his lips faster than he can choke them back because Chanyeol had only asked a yes-or-no question. He didn't have to let him take a peek into his life. Chanyeol nods slowly, index finger tapping the steering wheel, and hums a small tune under his breath for the next few minutes. Only when they've reached another red light does he turn to Kyungsoo to ask, "Do you want to make plans for Chuseok?"

"I don't mind," Kyungsoo answers. Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at him, and he exhales loudly in response. "What do you have planned?"

"I could crash in your place for the next…" Chanyeol worries his bottom lip for a while. "Five days? Yeah? We could watch the Endless Love series and cry over instant ramyun. Then we can get drunk and watch the whole thing again! Or… Ah! Gundam! Gundam is best watched after too many bottles of alcohol!"

"I'm not getting my mind fucked by that anime again," Kyungsoo grumbles. "How does jjigae sound?"

Chanyeol chuckles but chokes halfway through, and there's a peculiar curve on the curl of the lip. "Anything you cook is good, but we can order pizza just in case," Chanyeol says. He turns his eyes back on the road when the light turns green. "Looks like we're gonna have the best Chuseok yet!"

Kyungsoo snorts, and Chanyeol's response is light laughter and a quick slap on his arm. He can feel the corners of his lips tugging up, can feel the force ripping through his cheeks. So he doesn't fight it, lets his body have its way with the better half of his sense and just gives in – to this smile, the weird idea of spending Chuseok watching series he's already seen at least five times, the reality that he won't be alone during Chuseok for the first time in three years, and that Chanyeol has just invited himself for an extended stay.

Crazy, he says to himself and leans back in his seat. Ghosts love crazy ideas, but hate the feeling of happiness. That might just be the trick to drive away all of Chanyeol's ghosts once and for all.

☻ ☻ ☻

For all of Chanyeol's easy confidence, he still secures his parents' approval before actually pushing through with his plans. Kyungsoo doesn't actually start digesting the whole concept of spending the weekend and the rest of Chuseok with Chanyeol back at home until he receives the news, and Chanyeol immediately delves into detailing all sorts of things that they can do over the break.

"Watching series is a go, of course. And I still insist on watching Gundam." Chanyeol worries his bottom lip, eyebrows furrowing in turn, and almost walks past his parking spot as he goes on his spiel. The orange Veloster is hard to miss, but when Chanyeol gets into things and gets lost in this thoughts, even the bright color of his car can go unnoticed. "Or maybe we should watch Evangelion. What do you think?"

"I thought we were staying away from mind fucks?" Kyungsoo asks. He laughs a little, but one of the paper bags in his arms starts to give away. "What about Inception?"

"Vantage Point," Chanyeol suggests. "Bourne Series? Or maybe…" He wiggles his eyebrows at Kyungsoo.

"I don't like how that sounds."

"Nah, I'm kidding." He nudges Kyungsoo with his elbow, then walks over to his side of the car. "Have you ever been to Kalbongsan? Godaesan? Everybody goes to Godaesan at least once in their lives."

Not really, Kyungsoo wants to say. Some people would rather spend ten hours doing a series marathon than driving up north and spending that much time on the road. It'll be fun, Kyungsoo remembers Jongdae mentioning one time, back when they were still in college and 'free time' wasn't a foreign concept. They'd already ironed out everything then – travel plans, had their bags packed, had their knees psyched for a strenuous trek. Then Joonmyun bailed out at the very last minute and said he wouldn't be able to drive for them. So they ended up in Kalbongsan, instead, lounging in the peaceful company of trees and nature. The walking trail there wasn't as challenging as that of Godaesan's, but it gave them a good laugh everytime Joonmyun almost lost his balance and had to hold onto Jongdae for dear life.

"Still haven't been to Godaesan," Kyungsoo admits after a while. He fastens his seatbelts, then checks the paper bags at the backseat. "What do you have planned?"

"Well… We can check in at Kalbongsan, enjoy nature for a while or something, then in the evening we leave for Godaesan?"

Kyungsoo glances at his watch – it's nearing twelve noon and they're still in the vicinity of Bokjeong, two hours away from Kalbongsan's quiet scene. The last trip for the mountains leaves at eight in the evening, he's pretty sure. There's enough time if he makes a decision right here, right now, in the confines of Chanyeol's car. The grin on Chanyeol's lips makes him believe that Chanyeol already made a decision, though – too much food in their backseat, an early enough call-time for grocery shopping. A clear plan of action and confidence in the way he wiggles his eyebrows at Kyungsoo, saying, "So? You up for a hike?"

He exhales loudly. It's not a sin to be relenting. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Hmm… nah, not really." Chanyeol cackles, then turns up the radio. "I brought extra toiletries. I'll give you an hour to pack?"

"Fuck you, Park Chanyeol," is the only thing he says in response. The smile on his lips betrays his words in every way.

So Saturday afternoon finds them on the road to Kalbongsan instead of roaming the noisy streets of Bokjeong, well away from both Chanyeol's part-time job at Seungjin Toy and even the horror house. Chanyeol pulls up a special playlist consisting mostly of upbeat songs, and then some choice acoustic covers. Chanyeol sings through them all, voice thinning when he reaches the high notes, and Kyungsoo goes for the save as he picks up from where Chanyeol's voice has dropped to a whisper.

"You should sing more," Chanyeol comments. His eyes haven't strayed the road, but a corner of his lips is tugged up. "You ever considered being an idol?"

Kyungsoo chuckles. "Used to be one. I mean, I was on the road to fulfilling my idol dream but–"

No red lights in sight but Chanyeol risks a glance at him, anyway. "But?"

"Some weird disease hit me and damaged my vocal chords so I can't strain them for too long." Kyungsoo clears his throat, and Chanyeol winces. "So karaoke nights? I hate those unless Jongdae's there with me. He hogs the mic most of the time so I have to give up the mic halfway through. It's a win-win situation."

"All the time, you mean!" Chanyeol adds. He takes a right when they cross the bridge. Gary Lightbody is singing on the stereo now, some old Snow Patrol song that Kyungsoo can't seem to make out with Chanyeol's voice filling his eardrums. Chanyeol doesn't only sound good; he can sing, could have made a living out of it if he wanted to. "But you've got to give it to him. He's really good. I'm surprised he didn't become an idol."

It's a complicated story, really, but for starters – they both made the cut, and Kyungsoo had to quit following the discovery of the condition of his vocal chords. The vastly different schedules kept them apart, but they still made a point to keep in touch – text, occasional calls, fleeting visits to the SM building, they lived on those until Kyungsoo had to take two part-time jobs. Jongdae pressed on with his idol dream, though, but he couldn't keep up with the rigorous training. His parents withdrew him from the program and pleaded for him to take care of himself, we'll help you find a job, honey. Just don't… put yourself in danger anymore. Somehow that was what brought them back together, the lack of danger in their lives, the calm after the raging storm. Older, more experienced, and more mature, they'd started avoiding manholes together. They're way past the stage where taking crazy risks was 'a thing'.

A couple of part-time jobs after and with some help from Jongdae's parents, Jongdae was able to put up a horror house. It became a hot topic for a couple of months, and had been used as a set for a number of series and movies. So here they are now, living with their ghosts in Scaredy Cats, reminding people of their fears that won't ever die.

"Well, he really wanted to, but wanting something doesn't mean you'll get it. Not all the time, at least." Kyungsoo shifts in his seat. "He loves the horror house, though. Says it's different from most theme parks. But he did want to turn it into an amusement park before," he replies. Chanyeol snorts this time, uninhibited, and almost chokes on his own spit. "The Lotte World or Everland type, I mean, complete with the street performances and musicals."

"Yeah, he'd look great in a dolphin costume. Or a parrot, since he can't stop talking."

"Clearly, you haven't hung out with Baekhyun enough."

Chanyeol's eyes go wide and he shakes his head vigorously. "Jongdae's already a handful, thank you very much!"

Kyungsoo gulps hard. "And you'd know because?"

Here they are again – the standstill, the vacuum where anything and nothing can happen. Chanyeo shifts in his seat, torso twisting, leaning a bit to his side. Chanyeol hasn't looked away from the road, not yet, but Kyungsoo knows he wants to when Chanyeol grips the steering wheel tight, when his hand hovers the gear shift for a while instead of immediately pushing or pulling at it. Chanyeol is rarely ever unsure of what he wants, but there's a responsibility to be carried out right now. If Chanyeol looks at Kyungsoo, maybe Kyungsoo will get the answer he wants; if Chanyeol so much as takes a full five seconds to tear his eyes from the road, Kyungsoo might not be able to get an answer from him ever.

"Jongdae and I… had a thing back in high school." Chanyeol darts out his tongue, licking his bottom lip. "Guess he didn't want anyone to know if he couldn't even tell his closest friend."

There's a song playing on the stereo, but none of it cuts through the thick silence that Chanyeol places between them – Chanyeol with his lips pressed thinly together, Kyungsoo rooted in his seat, unmoving, not wanting to move. "A thing?" he says, still, curiosity getting the better of him. If curiosity really did kill the cat then he'd long be dead. "What do you mean?"

"A thing, as in we hung out after school, studied together, stayed over at each other's houses." Chanyeol laughs a little, and Kyungsoo doesn't miss the bitter undertone in it. "We kissed and sort of did other things. A thing."

His chest grows heavy. He can't decide which is worse – having to find out from Chanyeol instead of Jongdae or finding out at all. "He didn't… give it a name?"

Chanyeol snorts. "Would you ever expect that from Jongdae? Really?"

Not really. He's long stopped expecting anything of Jongdae – to fulfill a promise of going out with him to check out a store in Seoul, to get someone new following the resignation of one of his employees. To face a challenge and tackle it to the ground instead of dodging the first sign on conflict and waiting it out until the turbulence comes to a complete standstill. At best, Jongdae is a mixbag of tricks, full of surprises; at worst, finality and constancy freak him out.

"I guess some things don't change," he says after a while. He sits on his hands, shivering a little when he feels the cold seep through the material of his pants. "We had a thing back in college and he didn't even call it 'a thing'."

Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows and chuckles. "Ah, I have an idea. Let's buy him a dictionary – a gift from both of us," Chanyeol kids, but the lack of lilts and the peculiar curl in his voice says anything but I'm just kidding. "That should help him with definitions, yeah?"

"He can't even read," Kyungsoo retorts. Chanyeol's eyes go wide and his shoulders shake. He slides the gear shift down, slipping into fourth gear. His tiny giggles are drowned out by the engine noise.

If it were anyone else, it would be weird going out on a road trip with your not-ex's ex, but this is Chanyeol, Chanyeol whose smile can make heads turn, whose laughter can draw in a crowd and turn strangers into friends. Chanyeol with his easy confidence, his warm touch, and the patience to slowly wear down people's defenses. This is Park Chanyeol whose got his hands on the steering wheel and his mind somewhere else. "So what will he do when he finds out his exes are going on a road trip alone?"

Chanyeol slows down for a while, and Kyungsoo meets his eyes for the first time that hour. "Run away?" they say simultaneously, then erupt into a lovely peal of laughter. "Jinx!"

And then it's the quickest half hour after that. Chanyeol opens the sunroof of his car, and Kyungsoo doesn't fight the strange urge to stand on his seat and scream his lungs out as they drive along the open road. There's Lady Antebellum playing on the stereo, loud, almost ear-shattering, but there's nothing in Kyungsoo's ears but the sound of Chanyeol's deep voice, lyrics stumbling from his lips in a clumsy enunciation, Chanyeol's tone wrapping around and keeping him warm despite the cold brush of autumn air on his skin.

☻ ☻ ☻

Kalbongsan Natural Recreation Forest is a welcome break from the city noise. Autumn has just started to seep through the leaves, turning from green to a nice share of golden brown. It's a different story in spring, with the garden flush with flowers of all kinds, but the warm hues of the leaves are enough to drape a blanket of warmth over their shoulders.

"Would you kill me if I said I didn't want to leave now," Chanyeol asks, teasing. His gaze hasn't left the scene in front of them yet – a wonderful play of colors – and Kyungsoo nudges him with his elbow. "How can you say no to this?"

"We're not saying no to it, just 'wait for a while'," Kyungsoo replies. They spend a few good minutes just circling the garden, nonetheless, bags haphazardly left in the cabin they'd rented for the next few days.

Chanyeol isn't fond of taking pictures, but he loves posing – with what's left of the flowers, with trees, with rocks – and Kyungsoo indulges him, snapping a picture whenever Chanyeol motions to strike a pose with an inanimate object. The best so far is one where Chanyeol is hugging the pillar with the inscription Welcome to Kalbongsan!. "Do the duck face," Kyungsoo had called out then, more as a joke than anything else, and Chanyeol followed. The result? A laughing fit that lasted until the time they reach the bus station where they were to wait for their ride to Godaesan. That, and Kyungsoo offering Chaneyol lip balm because your lips are chapped. It'll get worse when we reach the mountains.

"You're concerned about my lips?" Chanyeol asks, laughing a little, and Kyungsoo only rolls his eyes in response. He doesn't answer, just gives Chanyeol the floor and lets him talk for the next half hour, until they board the bus.

It's not the most comfortable ride for a trip that will stretch until the morning, but they make it work – there aren't too many passengers and the conductor is nice, so they recline their seats and sleep with their figures slumped. Chanyeol jerks every so often, shifting in his position, and Kyungsoo can't be bothered to move around too much. This is the closest he can get to a good sleeping position, after all, even if Chanyeol has his arm crushed beneath all his weight.

There's a pool of drool on Kyungsoo's shoulder when he wakes up, and Chanyeol's sleeping face just centimeters away. It's only six in the morning and they'll still spend a good two hours on the road, so he just doesn't brush Chanyeol off, just reminds himself to not move around too much. Waking up has never been his favorite activity, and he supposes Chanyeol doesn't enjoy it as much, as well.

He fixes his eyes in front of him, at Chanyeol's bright red sneakers, at Chanyeol's hand on his knee.

There's no good explanation for taking this trip with Chanyeol – there's just nothing better to do, really. He already has the Endless Love series memorized like the back of his hand, and while he enjoys silence and quality private time, it's been a while since he's set off on an adventure. There are a thousand things to be grateful for this Chuseok, not just Evangelion finally making sense to him or the horror house having enough people that their scaredules have become slightly more manageable now, and he wouldn't mind shouting it at the top of his lungs, ten kilometers away from the North Korean border.

And then there's Chanyeol's subtle ways of persuasion and Kyungsoo's weak resolve. It's the worst combination ever.

Chanyeol rouses with a tiny jerk of the body just a few minutes before they reach the bus station. "You've been up for a while?" Chanyeol asks, voice still heavy with sleep, and Kyungsoo only shakes his head a little. Chanyeol's hums a small tune under his breath as he keeps his head rested on Kyungsoo's shoulder, eyes only half open and focused on the scenery just outside the window. The fit if awkward, if not painful, but Chanyeol doesn't seem to mind. Instead, he nuzzles Kyungsoo's shoulder and wraps his arms around Kyungsoo's arm like it's a bolster. Kyungsoo cocks an eyebrow at him.

"Do you mind?" Chanyeol asks, but it comes out more as a statement than anything else, like he's simply declaring that hey, I'll make a bolster out of your arm; I'm not asking for your permission. Kyungsoo scoffs. It's still too early and he can't find his voice just yet, all of his words a mess in his still sleepy brain. If, back in Bokjeong, it took him an hour to boot his brain, out here in the calmness of Godaesan's vicinity without the pressure of work breathing down his neck, it takes twice as much time to wake his brain cells up. Chanyeol's warm touch keeps interrupting his brain signals; it's disconcerting.

"You drooled on my shirt," Kyungsoo mumbles. Chanyeol chuckles, buries his nose in the wet patch on Kyungsoo's shirt. Kyungsoo groans but finds himself smiling when he feels the soft touch of Chanyeol's nose through the material of his shirt. "You're really gross, did you know that?"

"My sister tells me that all the time," Chanyeol says. WIth one last squeeze, he pulls away and sits up. Kyungsoo can feel it now, the traitorous wave of cold creeping up his arm. He looks at Chanyeol's hands, his slender fingers, his sleepy smile. "So I'm used to it already. And yeah, I actually do something about it sometimes. Just–" He yawns, then quickly clasps a hand over his mouth when Kyungsoo widens his eyes at him. "Just not now. Too early. Too sleepy."

"We're going hiking in a while. You better wake up your senses."

"Hmm…" Chanyeol yawns again, and the stretches his arms in front of him. "Wake me up?"

Two options – he can smush Chanyeol's face with his hands or he can jab him lightly on the arm. Hidden option number three, he can kiss Chanyeol, nip his bottom lip lightly, suck on his tongue and take all of Chanyeol's drowsiness away, but scare partners don't do that. Scare partners don't suck face when they're outside of work. Scare partners turned hiking buddies don't just decide to kiss before they alight the bus because they have to wake up, awaken their senses, make sure that their limbs and organs cooperate before going on a hike. Do Kyungsoo doesn't do that, won't do that to Park Chanyeol. Option number three shouldn't even be an option.

Kyungsoo pinches Chanyeol's nose, then Chanyeol's cheeks. "Wake up, partner. I'm not carrying you the entire hike."

"We can take turns," Chanyeol singsongs, nudging Kyungsoo in his side, and Kyungsoo only rolls his eyes. He's found his words now, all lodged in his throat, scared to fight their way up for a clumsy enunciation. So he fights back with a nudge, harder than the one Chanyeol has given him, and taps Chanyeol's ass when Chanyeol takes too long to walk to the door of the bus.

Autumn air tousles Chanyeol's hair, softens the sharp angles of his cheeks. He's flashing his toothy grin again, pink gums peeking. "Ready, partner?" Chanyeol asks, and Kyungsoo nods as he zips himself up, pulls his beanie down his ears. Chanyeol extends a hand in his direction, gloves hugging Chanyeol's slender fingers.

"Ready whenever you are," Kyungsoo replies. He takes Chanyeol's hand and squeezes it hard.

☻ ☻ ☻

The reviews online weren't kidding when they said that Godaesan's hiking trail is a challenge. The path is steep and rocky, and if Kyungsoo so much as looks away for a second then he might miss a step and land his feet on uneven ground. Chanyeol stays focused, eyebrows furrowed as he grips the ropes tied to the trees tight, and Kyungsoo can hear his faint counting. "I stopped keeping track after 100 steps," Kyungsoo kids, and Chanyeol stops abruptly in his tracks as he chuckles.

"My knees are going to fucking give away," Chanyeol mumbles, words getting muffled by his scarf, and tries to pull it down with one hand, but his fingers seem to have frozen. Kyungsoo gestures for him to continue walking – they're five steps away from the closest flat surface, and Kyungsoo's not about to risk falling down more than a hundred steps just so he can fix Chanyeol's scarf.

Chanyeol marches in place as Kyungsoo tiptoes, fussing with the article of clothing. "Not choking?" Kyungsoo asks, and Chanyeol shakes his head and offers a grin. "Great. Because I'll choke you later if you decide to give up halfway through."

"I'm old," Chanyeol groans. "We should've brought a bottle of soju with us to keep us warm."

"I am not drinking while hiking with you. Nope." Kyungsoo walks past him, but he doesn't get far – the next series of steps is steep, a dangerous climb if he has a bottle of soju in one hand instead of nothing but the railings in both. He looks over his shoulder, past the expanse of space in front of him and straight at Chanyeol. "Hey. You're the one who wanted to take the climb. You're not leaving me."

Chanyeol pouts, bottom lip jutting out. His lips are too red. The tip of his nose, too; Kyungsoo wants to lean over and pinch it, breathe color back into Chanyeol's pale skin, his strained eyes. "Nah. You'll have to do better to get rid of me. You're stuck."

Stuck is a good way to describe Kyungsoo's situation right now – stuck to Chanyeol in this mountain trail with no other path to take, no chance to run away, stuck in this mess that he's made for himself. There's no way but up or back down, into Chanyeol's stiff arms that might as well lead them to disaster. Chanyeol's has his hands on Kyungsoo's waist, fingers digging into his sides whenever they have to take a huge step, and Kyungsoo can feel the numbing cold settling just above his hips with every hard press of Chanyeol's hands on his skin.

Chanyeol looks so much lighter now, though, despite the furrow of his eyebrows, like he's dropped bits and pieces of his worries on their way to the top, marking each step, and doesn't intend to get them back anytime soon, maybe ever.

"Smile," Chanyeol whispers in his ear when they reach a much more straightforward path, then gestures at the signage on the broomstick. Characters spelling out laugh! jump out at him in big, bold strokes. They're more than cheers to help people make it to the top; they're like these little reminders that tell you to take a deep breath, cast your worries aside, throw them on the ground and don't ever plan to pick them up because that's where they belong. Chanyeol laughs at each of them, his grip on Kyungsoo's waist relaxing, and Kyungsoo finds himself chuckling along. Chanyeol starts to hum a tune even as the hike becomes more challenging, steeper, the air thinning around them. He doesn't feel the tension in his lungs even as he tries to sing along.

Only when he pulls Chanyeol up to the peak, arms almost giving away, does he feel the fatigue in his limbs, the cold wrath of autumn air, the weight of Chanyeol's arms around his body when Chanyeol instinctively wraps them around him in an effort to not fall back down. Only when Chanyeol giggles and whispers, "We actually made it," does he realize how close they are – chest to chest, cheek to cheek – how fast the remaining heat in his fingers spills from the tips and turns into a numbing cold, how heavy the beating in his chest is, and how Chanyeol's heartbeat matches the rhythm.

"I can't believe it," Chanyeol mumbles, lips grazing Kyungsoo's ears just lightly. Kyungsoo swallows hard and drops his hands to his sides. Chanyeol's grip on him is still tight, but it isn't suffocating. "We made it to Geumhaksan's peak."

Kyungsoo jerks and leans back, eyes widening as he meets Chanyeol's gaze. "Geumhaksan?"

Chanyeol pulls away now, just a few inches back to give Kyungsoo enough space to move around. There's probably a good kilometer from where they are and a pillar down below, one Kyungsoo recalls bearing the inscription Godasesan mountain's peak. They could have stopped there – Chanyeol could have asked Kyungsoo to stop there because his knees were already getting the better of him – yet they pressed on, conquering a trail just east of the one they'd originally planned to go to. "Are you stupid? You said–" But Chanyeol hadn't pulled Kyungsoo back, and Chanyeol is laughing now, and Kyungsoo wants to punch him in the face because they're not professional hikers. This brand of physical strain is not something they're used to.

"C'mon, the view here is beautiful." Chanyeol snakes an arm around Kyungsoo's shoulder and pulls him close. There's no heat in the press of their bodies, but he can see the flush of Chanyeol's cheeks.

Chanyeol's nose is still too red. Kyungsoo gives in, reaches up and pinches it, then asks, "Are your knees okay?"

The small smile on Chanyeol's lips widens, tugs further up until his eyes almost disappear into half-moon crescents. "I'll live," Chanyeol whispers, like a faint voice in the wind, and leans his head on Kyungsoo's own.

Kyungsoo keeps his eyes on the scene ahead of them, hints of the North Korean border just beyond the thin wisps of clouds, the blue sky, all the baggages they've left behind feet below. He sinks into the touch, leaning in just a little, and lets the smile on his lips have its way when Chanyeol starts to laugh – light, bright, warm.

☻ ☻ ☻

Chanyeol insists on having a picnic at the peak, waving a bottle of makgeolli in front of Kyungsoo as they make their way to a more secluded part of the area. They're closer to the edge now, a few good feet away, and the place is blessedly quiet. Some of the people they'd hiked up with didn't go up the rest of the way, returning from Godaesan's peak to the tent below for a meal, but Chanyeol's ready with a couple of rolls of kimbap and chips. "Don't tell me this is all we have to drink," is all that Kyungsoo says as Chanyeol lays the food down in front of them, in tiny containers. He takes one slice of kimbap, but Chanyeol beats him to it – takes it between his chopsticks and pokes Kyungsoo's lips with it.

"I've got another bottle of makgeolli," Chanyeol says as Kyungsoo chews his food, then flashes a v-sign. "Let's finish this first. We're not even supposed to drink that much until the first day of Chuseok."

"And yet you brought two bottles with you," Kyungsoo says when Chanyeol stuffs two pieces of kimbap in his mouth. "Why did I tag along again?"

"Because I'm cute and you can't resist my charms," Chanyeol answers albeit muffled, voice bright, lilting. Kyungsoo swallows around his kimbap. "And because Endless Love is really boring. I can't believe you actually watched that one hundred times!"

"Only five," Kyungsoo corrects, then sinks his teeth into another slice.

Chanyeol uncaps the bottle and takes a long swig, then hands it to Kyungsoo after. Kyungsoo stares at it for a while, an eyebrow cocked as if asking, we're really going to share one bottle? But you have two– It's not as if he hasn't done this before with Jongdae or Joonmyun or even Jongin, or that Chanyeol hasn't just fed him with his own chopsticks, so he silences the other voices in his head as he takes a deep breath and mumbles, "This is a bad idea."

"Could be," Chanyeol whispers. He looks up at Kyungsoo, a small smile on his lips. "But I feel so much better now. This hike may not be the best for my knees, but–"

Kyungsoo thrusts the bottle in Chanyeol's chest. "Drink."

Chanyeol chuckles. "You're really cute when you try not to act concerned, you know that?" He reaches over, then ruffles Kyungsoo's hair under his hoodie. "You're like an angry bear on the outside but, deep inside, you're 100% jelly. Or candy. A really cute gummy bear." Chanyeol hiccups, then leans closer to poke Kyungsoo's nose lightly. "My pocket partner."

Kyungsoo chokes – on his kimbap, his own spit, Chanyeol's words. "Did you just call me a gummy bear?"

Chanyeol sneers, then lunges forward to capture him in a head lock. "My teeny tiny gummy bear!"

His first instinct, is to push the food away from them; the second, to seal the makgeolli bottle. Muscle memory tells him to claw at air, though, and flail his arms around in an attempt to make Chanyeol stop, but Chanyeol is unrelenting, his other hand flat on Kyungsoo's belly, trying to tickle him through the thick layers of clothes. He falls back into Chanyeol, head rested on Chanyeol's thigh, and from where he is, Chanyeol's features look softer, calmer. The soft rays of the sun paint his cheeks a warm hue and the smile on his lips tugs hard on his cheeks, makes the corners of his eyes crinkle. Chanyeol's cackling and Kyungsoo has never been fond of that sound, really, but Chanyeol makes it work somehow. Maybe it's just the blowing wind at work, softening the cracks, or that he knows he doesn't have a choice but to listen to this music, anyway. He's stuck – in this mountain, stuck to Chanyeol – and he hasn't really made an effort to find a way out.

Yet again, option three – he can kiss Chanyeol senseless and swallow the shrill sound, swallow all of Chanyeol's words and silence Chanyeol with a swipe of the tongue. He reaches up, fingers slipping beneath the placket of Chanyeol's jacket. Chanyeol chokes, but the laughter is still there, only slightly muted as he looks down at Kyungsoo, cheeks flush and beads of tears at the corners of his eyes. "What are you gonna do now, huh?" Chanyeol says, challenging, and Kyungsoo balls the hand that's on Chanyeol's jacket in a fist.

"I'm gonna choke you," Kyungsoo begins, then slides his hand up until he can feel Chanyeol's collarbones under his touch. The pulse at the base of Chanyeol's throat is fast, loud, beating against Kyungsoo's fingers. He's long stopped feeling the even rise and fall of Chanyeol's chest against his arm. Chanyeol darts out his tongue, swiping on his bottom lip, and Kyungsoo follows the movement with his eyes. Chanyeol's lips are too inviting.

"Or you can slam my face into the ground," Chanyeol whispers.

But Kyungsoo doesn't. He's only pulling Chanyeol closer by the collar, his nails scraping against his palm. Chanyeol's close now, too close that he can make out the pores of Chanyeol's skin, the tiny pimples lines on this cheeks. His lips, chapped by the wind and the hike, and his gaze that slowly traces the bridge of Kyungsoo's nose, traveling further south to the dip of Kyungsoo's lips, his mouth. Here Chanyeol is – less than a breath, a decision away – and there's nothing but silence around them, and Chanyeol licks his lips again as if invitation, like he knows Kyungsoo has no energy left to resist.

In the distance, Kyungsoo hears something snap, followed by hushed voices. Chanyeol looks up, eyes locking back on Kyungsoo's own, and Kyungsoo jerks back. He takes this as his cue to drop his hand, to pull away, but he sneaks in a light pinch in Chanyeol's side. There's the sound of Chanyeol's strangled cry, but their gazes haven't drifted yet, like Chanyeol's assessing and waiting in equal parts, and Kyungsoo can't be bothered to do anything else.

Another snap of the branch, and Kyungsoo looks away. The food and makgeolli are unharmed just a few inches from where they are. Chanyeol reaches out, then, takes a long swig of the drink and says, "We should finish these soon so we can go back before noon."

Kyungsoo nods, takes a deep breath, and pops a piece of kimbap in his mouth. Chanyeol starts talking about the little boys who frequent Seungjin Toy, but occasionally Kyungsoo catches Chanyeol staring at his lips. If either of them notices the change, they don't bring it up; instead, Chanyeol holds out his hand when they take the trip down, empty makgeolli bottles tucked inside his bag. The alcohol makes it harder to focus, but easier to think of threading their fingers together.

"Let's do this?" Chanyeol asks. Kyungsoo nods without question, but lets his fingers hover before taking Chanyeol's hand in his own. They pass the broomsticks again and Kyungsoo hasn't wished harder in his life for magic to be real, to have the ability to turn back time and undo things. He then looks at their intertwined fingers, Chanyeol's flushed cheeks, Chanyeol worrying his bottom lip more than the usual and thinks, I did that. I did this to him.

Chanyeol tightens his grip on his hand and Kyungsoo feels the pulse on his palm. And he did this to me.

☻ ☻ ☻

Chanyeol's conked out for most part of the trip back to Kalbongsan, but Kyungsoo knows when he's toeing the line between half-awake and pretending to be asleep. Chanyeol's head lolls forward when he's completely out, unmindful of the lack of breathing space between them, but when he's awake enough only his hair touches Kyungsoo's face. He still has a hand on Kyungsoo's thigh, though, grip tight but not uncomfortable, and there's nowhere else that Kyungsoo can place his hands, really, so he slots his fingers between Chanyeol's own.

When he wakes up, mind clearer and without the thin veil of alcohol shielding him from his own realizations, he feels a blanket cold envelop him.

He can still see it clearly, the look on Chanyeol's face when they were at the peak with nothing better to do but to kiss. Chanyeol's cheeks were flush and his lips were full and red, and Kyungsoo knew they'd look good locked with his own, but that's about it – neither of them inched closer, like they were both waiting for something, anything to happen. It's like a repeat of that thing with Jongdae, except the tension came before the kiss. With Jongdae, everything seemed to fall into place – hands on skin, lips on lips, heart to heart. All action and no explanation.

Chanyeol's been through the same thing, and he really wouldn't want to subject Chanyeol to that. It isn't fair to either of them, but when have emotions been in good terms with logic? When has the battle between mind and heart been fair?

"You're noisy," Chanyeol grumbles, fingers tightening around Kyungsoo's own. He shifts in his position a little, but moves closer to Kyungsoo until his head finds a comfortable fit. "Stop thinking and get some sleep. We still have a few hours."

Kyungsoo takes a shaky breath, but rubs his thumb along the side of Chanyeol's hand. Two hours until they get to Kalbongsang, two more hours with Chanyeol pressed closely to his side. An entire night to think about what didn't happen with Chanyeol lying just beside him.

He closes his eyes and leans his head on Chanyeol's own. If he says something, maybe Chanyeol will stop drowning in the noise and start hearing the music. If he says something, maybe he'll be one step closer to tackling his ghosts to the ground.

"I said, stop thinking."

He chuckles and turns his head to the side just a little, his lips pressed to the crown of Chanyeol's head. "Stopping now, I promise. Sweet dreams."

☻ ☻ ☻

Chanyeol passes out as soon as they get back to the cabin, mouth wide open as he snores and shirt riding up a little. Kyungsoo can still smell the scent of the mountains in Chanyeol's hair, a hint of alcohol in his breath, and he grumbles as he tries to push Chanyeol away from his side of the bed. "Move over, you giant," he whispers, frowning, but he moves Chanyeol carefully – one leg, then another, the same for his arms, and then he lifts Chanyeol gently by his hips. By the time there's enough space for him on the other side of the bed, Chanyeol's mouth has already closed and a corner of his lips is upturned as if in a challenge.

Kyungsoo takes a deep breath, then picks up his towel. Maybe a shower will help wash away all of his worries, flush all of his crazy thoughts away.

But the thing with filing worries away for another day is that they come rushing back as soon as there's silence, when there's none of Chanyeol's bright laughter or speech to keep Kyungsoo from slinking back into his hideout. Every contact of water on skin reminds him of Chanyeol's heavy breathing, his gaze focused on nothing but Kyungsoo's lips, the swipe of Chanyeol's tongue. The fact that he wouldn't have pulled away if Kyungsoo hadn't, and that he wouldn't have broken eye contact if Kyungsoo didn't.

Kyungsoo lathers shampoo in his hair and closes his eyes. There's already a stinging pain in his chest, as it is; he doesn't need more of that.

He hears the sound of the sheets rustling just before he gets back, and finds Chanyeol shifting in his position a bit too much. "Do I really have to do this?" Kyungsoo asks himself, but gets a hand towel, anyway, soaks it in water and wrings out most of it before going back to the room. He starts wiping Chanyeol's face, tucking Chanyeol's hair behind his ears as he goes along, and Chanyeol lets out this light giggle that makes Kyungsoo freeze. He holds his breath until the light laughter subsides only to be replaced by snoring, and he snorts as he wipes the underside of Chanyeol's neck.

What do I do with you, Park Chanyeol, he wants to ask, but he knows better than to think too much – Chanyeol has a strange way of hearing thoughts that he, himself, cannot hear. So he gets Chanyeol in a fresh button up shirt, a threadbare one from Chanyeol's bag, and loose shorts. He'll benefit from this as well, anyway – if Chanyeol has a peaceful enough slumber, then Kyungsoo won't have to deal with flailing arms and having to fight for space. If Chanyeol doesn't rouse from his sleep in the middle of the night then he'll be bright and shining again in the morning.

He gives Chanyeol one last look before pulling away, then leaves the hand towel in the bathroom.

The bedside lamp casts Chanyeol a glow much softer than before, light catching on the spaces between his eyelashes. WIth a deep breath, Kyungsoo leans in, hovering for a moment before moving forward all the way to place a soft kiss on Chanyeol's forehead.

"Good night, Chanyeol," he whispers, mostly to himself, but Chanyeol shifts a little and giggles again. Maybe he's already dreaming, deep in sleep, still taking the trek. Maybe he's someplace else. But his body is here, lying peacefully just beside Kyungsoo's own, and there's nothing but a few inches between them, a whole world of possibilities pulling them together and pushing them away. Kyungsoo shuts his eyes tight, sinking in his pillow, and lets the fatigue from the hike wash over him the same way Chanyeol's warmth had seeped into his clothes, prickling his skin when they were at the peak. Three more days with Chanyeol in this forest, three more days to battle with his ghosts and take them down.

He lies on his side, facing Chanyeol, and smiles a little. This one's got to be the most attractive ghost he's ever seen, one of the warmest, one he'd actually allow into his dreams and more.

☻ ☻ ☻

"Good morning, sunshine."

Kyungsoo blinks a few times, then rolls over so that he's lying flat on his back again. He can feel a dull ache in his thighs, his arms, imprints on his face that can be from the sheets or Chanyeol accidentally resting his arms on his face. It's the morning of Chuseok and he hasn't really formed a habit of waking up early on holidays just yet, but there's another person in the room, freshly showered and grinning at him, even chuckling like he actually looks pathetic lying in bed on a wonderful morning.

He bolts up, looks around, then blinks again. A few feet away, Chanyeol's laughter grows louder and his figure draws nearer. "Sorry, did I wake you up? I was feeling kinda.. er… dirty."

"Hey," is the only thing he manages to say as a response. His throat feels tight and dry, like Chanyeol has knocked out all the air in his lungs by emerging from the bathroom all fresh and clean, towel wrapped around his waist and droplets of water running down his chest. There's a tiny swell of the stomach where the droplets take a funny dip, and Kyungsoo smiles a little. If this is what he'll be waking up to for the next few days, he won't mind getting up this early.

Chanyeol walks over, plopping on the bed unceremoniously. Kyungsoo almost jumps at the sudden dip, and Chanyeol reaches over to ruffle his hair. "Thanks for taking care of my gross self. I was too tired to even freshen up," Chanyeol says. His eyes are soft, half-mast, but Kyungsoo can see the faint crinkles at the corners. His arms feel heavy but he reaches up, nonetheless, presses his thumbs on the corners of Chanyeol's eyes. "Huh?"

"Wrinkles," he mumbles, then shakes his head as he tries to ease the lines. Chanyeol chuckles, giggles, and soon Chanyeol is leaning in, resting his forehead on Kyungsoo's own.

"You're really cute when you're sleepy."

"'m always cute." Kyungsoo scrunches his nose. "I mean not cute. I mean–"

"You mean really, really cute," Chanyeol whispers. He moves forward, lips grazing the tip of Kyungsoo's nose, and he tilts his head until his lips touch Kyungsoo's cheek. "Cutest person ever."

It takes a while to register the warm press of Chanyeol's lips on his skin, the vibrations of Chanyeol's laughter, the sound of it too loud but not jarring, not deafening in his ears. He takes in a shaky breath and he feels the rest of his body jolt to life – brain going on hyperdrive as he steals a glance at Chanyeol's face, too close, at the way Chanyeol closes his eyes and the way the corners of his mouth lift as he presses another kiss on Kyungsoo's cheek. Chanyeol's fingers are cold on his nape and he shivers a little at the touch, and the unfamiliar heat that rolls down his stomach makes his breath hitch. None of it takes more than a couple of seconds, but Kyungsoo feels as if this has been going on forever, the push and pull and pull even closer until they're slipping from the trekking path, until Kyungsoo's head is on Chanyeol's thigh and there's nothing left to do but to kiss.

"Good… morning," he says, breathless, shaky. Chanyeol leans back little by little, inching away, the same smile on his lips. Chanyeol looks good, too good with that dopey smile of his and his hair sticking to his face and his eyes fixed on no one, nothing else but Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo wants to pull the covers over his head and just let the bed swallow him or something, and– "You used my shampoo."

"Ah! About that…" Chanyeol looks away. He worries his bottom lip. Fuck, those lips look good even without alcohol to cloud Kyungsoo's judgment. "I forgot where I put mine, so–"

"Doesn't matter." Kyungsoo tears his eyes from Chanyeol's pretty face and pushes himself off the bed. "Breakfast?"

Chanyeol's gaze lingers for a while, then he nods as he gets off the bed. He pulls a shirt over his head. "Yeah, let's."

The beautiful thing about spending Chuseok outside the household is getting to experience it in a slightly different manner. In the food hall, the staff have started the welcoming ceremony for the spirits of the ancestors marked by the first pour of makgeolli. The sound of chopsticks being tapped against bronze bowls fills the air for the next few minutes, and they bow whenever they have to pay respect to their ancestors. The scent of incense is thick in the air, starts to stick to Kyungsoo's hair, and he's taken to a few years back, when his parents were still alive and Jongdae and Jongdeok usually came over to experience a traditional Chuseok ceremony in the tiny Do household.

"I had to head a ceremony like this back when I was 25," Chanyeol whispers while they're down on their knees for the third time, foreheads still pressed to the wooden planks of the floor. He tries to imagine Chanyeol in hanbok, the hem tapering off somewhere in the calves, the cloth not enough to cover his long legs. He snorts and swallows the rest of his thoughts when Chanyeol nudges him in his side. "Respect, Do Kyungsoo-ssi!"

"You started it," Kyungsoo whispers right back, and Chanyeol cackles, saying something that sounds a lot like are you twelve? Are we twelve?

Chanyeol talks about the usual ceremony in the Park household during Chuseok – something akin to what they've just seen, but with a slightly modern twist only because they don't wear hanbok anymore and simply come in in business attire. "It's to save my dad time from having to change into meeting-appropriate clothes," Chanyeol explains, then takes a sip of his sogogi mooguk. "Who even works during Chuseok? My dad, apparently. And my mom. And my sister, even if she hates it. The entire family, actually. Then we just meet in the evening to eat and drink soju."

Kyungsoo looks up from his food and furrows his eyebrows. "Can't you take a break or something? You can't just make our ancestors wait."

Chanyeol snorts. "Not when the rest of the world isn't celebrating Chuseok." He pops a piece of kimchi in his mouth and chews on it, the corners of his lips tugging down. "And construction's always ongoing so I have to be on top of supply requests. Can't let construction stop in, let's say, Cambodia just because the Park family's celebrating in Korea. Materials won't get shipped out without my go signal."

"Oh? You're a boss?"

"Sort of." Chanyeol chuckles. "Well, fine, I am. I was, until I upped and told my parents that I was quitting because I was sick half of the time and being on-call 24/7 isn't something humans actually do. And well, they tried to stop me but I told them to suck it."

Kyungsoo nods slowly, an eyebrow raised as he keeps his gaze fixed on Chanyeol. Some of the fatigue he'd carried back when they were hiking is back – in the dark circles under his eyes, in the peculiar twist of his mouth, in the way he drums his fingers on the table too quickly – but his voice is steady, unwavering, rife with the same courage he'd had when he faced his parents.

"You… didn't really tell them to suck it, did you?"

"I actually did," Chanyeol says, laughing lightly. "They didn't take it too well, but–" Chanyeol shrugs, then falls back into his seat. His chopsticks hover the plate filled with jeon for a while, before he takes the zucchini one and bites off one portion of it. "I was dreading every waking moment of my life and I hadn't felt so alive until I did that and woke up at ten in the morning the following day. That's a sign that I did the right thing, right?"

There are many things that Kyungsoo can associate with Chanyeol, and living in the shadow of regret isn't one of them. Chanyeol does seem like the type who'd march up to his parents to express his concerns, but not without at least trying to work things out by himself at first. Chanyeol is patient and kind, yes, but he isn't a push over. Push his buttons and he'll smile at you until push comes to shove. Then he'll come back at you with twice as much power, but he'll apologize if he hits you too hard. And then you'll be left wondering in a corner what you've done wrong, how you could have done something to someone like him, how to make things right. Chanyeol has that sort of effect on people – keeps your mind busy with thoughts in the noisiest way possible, then makes you sink into a fit of silence that isn't so paralyzing, isn't deafening yet, but close to it.

"I admire your courage," Kyungsoo admits, then drops a piece of pork in Chanyeol's bowl. "Pretty risky, but it gets things done."

"Risk is my middle name," Chanyeol replies, winking. Kyungsoo sinks his teeth into a piece of kimchi and pushes the strangled noises threatening to crawl up his throat.

"They want me to at least think of a business worth investing in, if I don't want to take over the construction materials business," Chanyeol says after a while, just before he places his chopsticks on the rest. "I'm thinking of something I can enjoy and treat as work, at the same time. Dunno if that's even possible. I mean–"

"An amusement park," Kyungsoo offers. Chanyeol's eyes widen, and a small smile tugs up at the corners of his lips. "I mean, you enjoy scaring the shit out of people so you can have that there, but you also enjoy just… seeing people happy, so maybe that would work?" He worries his bottom lip, sucking it in. Chanyeol's gaze is focused, intense in the way he squints as he nods slowly. "That's just a suggestion. For all I know, you're afraid of heights–"

"We went up two mountains, Soo. If I was afraid of heights, I probably would've gone back down as soon as we got to Godaesan's peak."

"Fine, you're not afraid of heights. Clowns? Disney princesses? Kids?"

"Silence, just silence," Chanyeol says, then reaches for Kyungsoo's hands over the table. Kyungsoo presses his lips together, tight and firm, but he holds Chanyeol's gaze. He curls his fingers when Chanyeol grips his hands tighter. The grin on Chanyeol's lips is blinding. "Like this, when you do that withdrawing thing of yours. It freaks me out."

Kyungsoo frowns. "I'm a gummy bear in cheap packaging. Or maybe one of those factory defects."

"A gummy bear, nonetheless," Chanyeol replies, then scrunches his nose at Kyungsoo. "I'm interested in hearing that amusement park plan."

Chanyeol slips into one of his more serious expressions, but his hands are still warm on Kyungsoo's own, the slow stroke of his thumb along the side of Kyungsoo's hands gentle, intimate. Chanyeol keeps his eyes on Kyungsoo as Kyungsoo goes into the details of putting up an amusement park, all of its kinks, and Chanyeol giggles to fill some of the white noise. Kyungsoo's throat is dry and tight and his chest feels so full, but he feels oddly at peace despite the uncomfortable stretch of his arms. The steady beating of Chanyeol's pulse against his skin is enough to lull him into a familiar calm, something that feels strangely like home – seemingly thousands of miles away but actually right here in front of him, in Chanyeol's big, warm hands.

☻ ☻ ☻

Chanyeol develops a fondness for hanging out near the watermill, legs crossed beneath his weight and notebook tucked under his chin. "I used to have a better thinking pose," he mumbles when Kyungsoo cocks an eyebrow at him. His lips are drawn to a thin line, eyes sharp and focused. "Don't judge. Stop judging!"

Kyungsoo laughs a little and moves to his side, eluding the jab Chanyeol throws at his arm only by a few inches. "Not doing anything," he says in defense, and Chanyeol simply sticks out his tongue at him before sifting through the pages of his notebook, running his thumbs through the characters written on it.

When Chanyeol's deep in thought and has his business thinking cap on, his expression takes a funny turn – his eyebrows are furrowed and he's squinting, and his mouth is twisted slightly with his bottom lip jutted out. He drums his fingers on his thigh, pace quickening as he takes a breath deeper than the previous. It's like he's running through a routine in his head, or the has something playing in his ears, a song that speaks of what he wants to put on paper but he just can't put it in words. "Need help?" Kyungsoo offers after a while, once he's done soaking in everything the small pond near them can offer.

Chanyeol looks up, bottom lip still caught between his teeth. Kyungsoo remembers asking Jongdae the same thing, and Jongdae had looked at him with the same kind of wonder but with even more confusion before grabbing him by his shirt and crushing their mouths together. Chanyeol's different, though – he knows how to enunciate what the thinks, how he feels, what he really wants to say. Sometimes it just takes fifty feet of long sentences to do so, but he gets there eventually. The only thing he's not sure of is his control over his limbs.

"Yeah, sure, but I don't have anything yet." He flashes the notebook at Kyungsoo, everything that he's written down crossed out or drawn over with weird faces. Kyungsoo spots one near the edge of the page, a wide-eyed kid with messy hair. No way in hell is that him. "So if you have any ideas, shoot."

"Two things," Kyungsoo begins, then moves closer until their knees bump. "One, my hair's not that messy. Two, do you really want to put up an amusement park?"

"I'm not quite sure yet, but it kind of excites me? And that's not even you," Chanyeol teases, sticking out his tongue. Kyungsoo reaches out, snatching the notebook from Chanyeol, but ends up smushing his face on Chanyeol's chest instead. "Hey!"

In the end, Chanyeol comes up with a concept for the amusement park that Kyungsoo just laughs at. Chanyeol doesn't take offense, though, simply pinches his cheeks before saying, "We should go get dinner." Chanyeol holds out his hand, the corners of his lips tugging up as he urges, hey, come on, and really, Kyungsoo can get there on his own, without having to hold Chanyeol's hand like a child, but at least children aren't afraid taking necessary risks, of braving storms, of looking up at a not-stranger and just trusting him with everything he has.

Kyungsoo stuffs his hands in his pockets and takes a few steps ahead, but Chanyeol soon catches up and hooks an arm around Kyungsoo's own. He only looks up at Chanyeol, lets his gaze linger until Chanyeol breaks into a grin and makes strange faces at him. "You're lucky I like you," he mumbles, and Chanyeol hiccups and promptly falls silent, quietly letting himself be dragged to the food hall, their last destination for the night.

"I'm lucky you what?"

"You're lucky I'm too hungry to kick you in the balls," he replies. He pinches Chanyeol in the waist, then says, "Race you to the food hall!"

"Fuck."

The cool evening wind blows against his face, tousles his hair, makes it hard for him to see through the trees and not stumble on the rocky path. He's not used to this, not when they're tasked to literally drag their feet at work and watch people run away from them, scared out of their wits, but it's fun. He gets it now, why people run away – to not get caught grinning from ear to ear, to not let their defenses crumble so easily. So people put up a fight and so does Kyungsoo, quick on his feet as he draws closer to the food hall. Chanyeol's not too far, just a few feet away, and it isn't until Kyungsoo touches the door, until he feels Chanyeol's sweaty hands on his shoulders, sliding down his back and snaking around his waist, not until Chanyeol pulls him close for a hug that he registers his victory.

"Get your sweaty self off of me," he grumbles, but he knows Chanyeol can see the smile on his lips. Chanyeol plays along, pulling him closer, until a few people pass them and ask them to please step aside, don't block the way! Kids these days… Chanyeol pulls them to a side but keeps his arms there, as if in revenge for losing, and Kyungsoo just lets him.

☻ ☻ ☻

It's Jongdae's morning call that rouses Kyungsoo from his sleep the following day.

"Happy Chuseok!" comes Jongdae's cheery greeting, too bright at seven in the morning. Kyungsoo looks around him, then at the figure in front of him when he hears a sharp snore from close by. Chanyeol's lips are parted, saliva pooling on the bed sheets. His sleeping face is ugly, at best, terribly unattractive, but with the soft morning light painting Chanyeol a nice glow, he makes the expression work, turns pimple-pink into a nice shade of rose.

"Same," Kyungsoo mumbles, trying his best not to sound too glum. Jongdae should know better than to call at an early hour. Even on work days, Kyungsoo had insisted on following the no-calls-before-nine rule because work didn't start until ten in the morning, anyway. But Jongdae isn't so fond of rules set by other people; he's the only authority he, himself, recognizes, that asshole. "Home with Jongdeok-hyung?"

"Nah, he's–" Detached, as always. And Jongdae's probably alone, bored out of his wits at seven in the morning. Jongdae should do himself a favor and go back to bed, but making things easier for himself has never been Jongdae's specialty. "Went back to his family last night, after dinner. Said his wife needed him and… Yeah, that's about it. Nothing interesting. I miss work and driving you guys insane," Jongdae confesses. Something rustles on the other end of the line and just beside Kyungsoo, as well. Chanyeol scoots closer, nuzzling Kyungsoo's hip. It's painfully cute.

After a while, Jongdae asks, "You?"

"I'm okay," Kyungsoo replies, earnest. "Was okay until you woke me up this early. Seriously, seven–"

"I dropped by your house last night, wanted to give you some songpyeon. I know my mom's songpyeon's still your favorite." Jongdae clicks his tongue. "Where are you?"

Far away from you, Kyungsoo wants to say. Far away from his worries and the reality that between him and Chanyeol lies a hurdle named Kim Jongdae. There's nothing here in Kalbongsan that reminds him of Jongdae aside from Chanyeol, the many ways that they are different, and some few ones that make them alike. They could be twins separated at birth, only Chanyeol is more accepting – of change, the need for confrontations, of help. One of them has to be the lesser evil.

"Kalbongsan," Kyungsoo answers. He yawns, hoping to drown out Jongdae's words, but Jongdae waits until he's done before speaking.

"Alone?"

He looks at Chanyeol's sleeping figure beside him, then says, "No. Not alone."

Jongdae's breathing is heavy on the other end of the line, like he wants to say something but can't, as always. Like he's bitten off his tongue even before he could decide to speak and Kyungsoo gets to laugh at him for it… for the nth time since they've known each other. "Alright."

"You enjoy your break, okay?" Kyungsoo says. He swallows around the tightness of his throat, then, "Post-Chuseok rush, remember?"

"There's no such thing–"

"There is, now," Kyungsoo rushes. "Stop thinking. Just relax," he says now, patience thinning, but he knows Jongdae will interpret it as concern. It works, either way. "Please."

"You, too," Jongdae replies after a while, laughing lightly. "And enjoy."

When he ends the call, Chanyeol's lying flat on his back, staring up at him with a small smile on his lips. "He wasn't asking us to report to work, was he?" he asks, and Kyungsoo only wipes his hand on Chanyeol's face, dragging his fingers slowly before resting his hand on Chanyeol's chest, dead center. He keeps his hand there for a while and thinks, what would Jongdae have said if he found out that he and Chanyeol were together on Chuseok, if he found out that they took a hike up two mountains when Jongdae couldn't even make Kyungsoo ride a rollercoaster? What if Jongdae finds out– What then? But then Chanyeol rests his hand on top of Kyungsoo's own and his thoughts melt away with Chanyeol's warm touch. It's a nice, snug fit, the way Chanyeol's hand envelops the entirety of Kyungsoo's. The smile on Chanyeol's lips burns even more.

"You should go back to sleep," Chanyeol whispers. He tightens his hold on Kyungsoo's hand then pulls him down, face-first, into his chest. "Too early."

"Breakfast starts at 7."

"And lasts until 10:30." Chanyeol lays a palm flat on the back of Kyungsoo's head, then slowly slides his hand down to Kyungsoo's nape. "Take your own advice and enjoy your break. Post-Chuseok rush–"

Kyungsoo grunts into Chanyeol's shirt. He can smell the faint scent of his soap and his shampoo, and he feels his stomach lurch; he'll charge Chanyeol for using his toiletries tomorrow. "Shut up."

Chanyeol only hums in response, something Kyungsoo recognizes as one of those songs playing on the radio on their way to Kalbongsan. With a deep breath, he closes his eyes and lets Chanyeol's faint singing drown out Jongdae's voice in his head, lulling him to a peaceful slumber.

☻ ☻ ☻

The best part of breaks is not having to feel guilty about waking up late, and getting up from bed even later.

They don't leave the room until ten in the morning, catching breakfast in the food hall just in time, and they spend a few good hours in the gardens, with Chanyeol running his ideas for the amusement park by Kyungsoo. "Wouldn't it be great if we made one for adults? Like, give oldies like us the chance to be children again?" Chanyeol asks, the corners of his lips tugging up in accord. There's a lilt somewhere in his voice, as if emphasizing oldies and chance, but Kyungsoo files that sound for another day. His mind's already filled with business plans, as it is; Chanyeol doesn't need to take up another half of his brain and make his thoughts go spinning.

"Wouldn't it be great if we actually had time to go to amusement parks, though?" he asks now. Chanyeol puffs his cheeks out, deflates, then sticks his middle finger up at Kyungsoo. "I'm just being realistic."

"You're a party-pooper," Chanyeol retorts, growling. Then later, he continues, "What if you had time, though? Like, if I hired you to work for me and I gave you a more manageable workload–"

"If the price is right, I suppose," Kyungsoo says. He turns to Chanyeol with a small smile, a quirk of the lip. Chanyeol returns the favor and pinches his cheek.

An open secret: Kyungsoo's fee is negotiable, and it doesn't take much for him to lower his fee – the promise of good coffee for a year, maybe a few months, and warm arms to hold him close. Chanyeol has both the means and the limbs to make him feel warm, has lips that can make the negotiation easier, so why the hell not? He's looking for something new, an adventure; Chanyeol a breath of fresh air in his highly polluted life.

Chanyeol puckers his lips, then, and says, "How about this?"

Kyungsoo shakes his head, slams his palm onto Chanyeol's face. He feels the light brush of Chanyeol's lips and thinks, it's not even a negotiation.

Somewhere between the trip down the walking trail and heading to the forest, Chanyeol convinces him to give it a shot, that he can return to the horror house if Chanyeol ever fucks up and Jongdae won't take it against either of them (on the outside, at least, but he'll give them more shows than the others) because that's how Jongdae is – forgiving, but not quick to forget, always in a hurry to move on to something new, not the one to be tied down to something for too long. By far, the horror house has been Jongdae's longest relationship yet; he'd broken up with himself before, when he was a bit too willing to give in to Kyungsoo's touch, the need for contact, the warm press of Kyungsoo's lips.

"And what's the probability of you screwing up?" Kyungsoo asks.

Chanyeol kicks at a rock, then yelps when he remembers he isn't wearing rubber shoes. His big toe glowers at him in a bold, bright red, but he presses on, just keeps himself from kicking at the ground or anything hard. He picks up two brown leaves and tucks them behind his ears, like they're extensions of his skin. "Zero to none. Or maybe 1%, but I'll keep trying to make things right."

"But what if–"

"What if you stopped worrying?" Chanyeol interrupts, smiling. "It hasn't even materialized yet! If anything, you're the one who's gonna jinx this project. Ah... Why are we friends again?"

A good question that can be answered in many ways – Chanyeol's confidence is a force that just reels you in and keeps you magnetized to him. Chanyeol is fairly easy to get along with. Chanyeol talks a lot but knows when to listen and will actually set aside time to just sit there and nod thoughtfully at anything he hears. Half the time, Kyungsoo isn't even sure if Chanyeol's actually paying attention and not thinking of something else, but Chanyeol proves the second statement wrong every single time when he recounts your own narration to you, gives his opinion on the matter, offers a solution. Chanyeol could be quite the perfect person if he had more control over his limbs, but nobody's perfect. Chanyeol comes pretty close, though.

"I don't know with you," Kyungsoo answers after a while. Chanyeol shakes his head lightly, then reaches over to ruffle Kyungsoo's hair. "What?"

"I only keep you around because you're interesting," Chanyeol says, teasing, then pulls Kyungsoo to the center of a clearing in the forest with both hands, spinning them around. Chanyeol's grip tightens as they turn faster, pace set to the rhythm of Chanyeol's pulse in his hands, but it's not uncomfortable. At best, it's exhilarating; at worst, it feels a lot like falling.

☻ ☻ ☻

Chanyeol discovers Kyungsoo's penchant for singing when they're back in their room, full from dinner and with nothing better to do than to just lie flat on their backs. There's a rerun of the World Cup on TV and Chanyeol has gotten tired of doing a running commentary of it, so Kyungsoo begins to hum a small tune, then sings the lyrics of a song he'd written way back. He remembers performing it in one of the weekly showcases back at the talent agency, remembers the way Jongdae had applauded him after and took him in a hug. You'll make it big, Kyungsoo, Jongdae had said then. You and me on stage, Kyungsoo, just imagine– Drunk on stage lights and applause, Kyungsoo believed him. It wasn't so far-fetched, after all; he'd already been training with the company for three years then, and he was set to debut in 'a few more months'.

"What, you'll just end it like that?" Chanyeol asks now, nudging him in his side. Chanyeol head is still facing forward, but his gaze is focused on Kyungsoo. "You were doing so well!"

Kyungsoo shrugs, then snatches the pillow Chanyeol has been hugging close to his chest for the past few minutes. "I don't sing much anymore, just when I'm alone in the bathroom."

Chanyeol blinks a few times, then says, "Do you want to continue in the bathroom, then? I'd be okay with that."

"Chanyeol."

"That's an original, isn't it?" Chanyeol rolls over, lying flat on his stomach, chin propped on his clasped hands. His back is turned to the television and his eyes are focused on Kyungsoo, like there's nothing else he should be studying. Kyungsoo feels a little weird, nervous, small. It's not as if he can get even tinier. "Never heard it before, and that's saying a lot because I listen to a lot of songs."

Kyungsoo snorts, but scoots closer. "You must be listening to trash, then."

Chanyeol drops one of his hands on Kyungsoo's thigh, tracing circles on it. Kyungsoo has gotten out of his pants now, ditching bottoms for comfortable undies, and Chanyeol's touch is cold on Kyungsoo's skin. A familiar sizzle rolls down his abdomen, all the way to the tips of his toes. His breath hitches as Chanyeol keeps drawing lazy patterns – a diamond, a circle, a heart.

"I can't believe you just talked shit about Snow Patrol and I'm not waging war at you for it." Chanyeol laughs a little, inches closer until Kyungsoo can catch the scent of strawberries in Chanyeol's hair. He'll really have to ask for a refund from Chanyeol – maybe later, when he's no longer busy with noticing the very little distance between them, Chanyeol's hand stopping completely to lie flat on his thigh. Here they are again at the standstill, the traitorous silence that claws at the pit of Kyungsoo's stomach, maybe even at Chanyeol's chest. There's still a hint of laughter bubbling on Chanyeol's lips, though. "What have you done to me?"

"Pacified you, obviously," Kyungsoo whispers. When he leans back into his pillow, Chanyeol follows, craning his neck. Soon, Chanyeol is on his knees, hovering, and the pads of Kyungsoo's fingers are cold, and he can feel the thundering pulse in his palms. Chanyeol isn't even touching him anymore. "Chanyeol, what–"

Chanyeol leans closer, their foreheads bumping. Kyungsoo takes in a shaky breath, words retreating from the tip of his tongue to the back of his throat. Chanyeol is too close, too much, and Kyungsoo's too vulnerable, and he can feel bits and pieces of himself being chipped off with every forward motion, every quick breath Chanyeol takes, every light nip Chanyeol subjects his own lips to.

Silence is thick. His throat is tight and his palms are clammy. Beyond his shoulder, the World Cup ends. Chanyeol leans back, retreating to his side of the bed, sitting on his folded legs. His shoulders have fallen forward and so has the smile on his lips. Up next: the greatest US Open match the world has ever seen, and Do Kyungsoo clasping his hands over his bare thighs.

"I'm turning in," Chanyeol announces, then slumps in his pillows. He throws the covers over his head and whispers, "Good night."

Chanyeol turns into a tiny cocoon on the bed, wrapped in blankets. Tentatively, Kyungsoo moves closer, then wraps his arms around Chanyeol's curled up figure. "Good night," he whispers right back, nose buried in the cloth, and when he feels Chanyeol stir lightly, when he hears the faint gasp, he smiles.

Sweet dreams, he doesn't say, but wraps his arms around Chanyeol's body tighter. Dream of me.

☻ ☻ ☻

He wakes up with his legs entangled with Chanyeol's own in the morning. The good thing about it is that he's safe from Chanyeol's arms running wild and flailing around in his sleep; the bad thing about it is that he's here, face buried in Chanyeol's chest, inhaling a mix of sleep sweat and Chuseok morning and fabric conditioner. Outside, the sun hasn't quite risen up all the way yet so it can't be that late. He gives Chanyeol a gentle nudge and whispers, "Hey, get up."

Chanyeol stirs, crushing Kyungsoo under his weight a little, and Kyungsoo tries to push Chanyeol off of him. In the end, Chanyeol scoops Kyungsoo in his arms and he plays bolster while watching the sunrise just outside the window. The heat of Chanyeol's body pricks Kyungsoo's skin.

Their things are mostly packed now, and there's nothing but a fresh change of clothes for both of them laid on the bench near the TV. This is it, the end of the trail, the last day of their escape from the busy streets of of the city. Tomorrow, they'll be working again, forced to make people face their fears but make them run away from their ghosts; tomorrow, they'll be back to being fright partners, scare buddies, two zombies protecting their harbor.

So today Kyungsoo flushes out his worries for the very last time, closes his eyes once the sun is fully up and sinks into Chanyeol's touch. This is the closest encounter he's had with his fears, and he's not about to pass on the opportunity to conquer it.

He turns around, looks up at Chanyeol's sleeping face. He's still ugly and his nose is too red. Kyungsoo cranes his neck, places a soft kiss on Chanyeol's nose, then tucks his head under Chanyeol's chin.

Breakfast is almost about to end when they get up, and they march to the food hall in sleepwear. "You have something, right there," Kyungsoo says. He gestures at the tiny bead of drool at a corner of Chanyeol's lips, and Chanyeol just looks at him with sleepy eyes and that lazy smile of his. So he tiptoes, reaches up so he can wipe it off – the drool on Chanyeol's mouth, the easy smile that blooms into a grin, the lethargy from the stretch of Chanyeol's body and Chanyeol straightens up, makes Kyungsoo tiptoe even more.

"Asshole," Kyungsoo mumbles as they resume their walk. Chanyeol chuckles and snakes an arm around his shoulder.

"Your favorite," Chanyeol singsongs. His voice is low and syrupy sweet. Kyungsoo needs his coffee. "Your number one asshole."

☻ ☻ ☻

Kyungsoo has never been fond of endings and goodbyes, so he turns on his heel even before he could look at Kalbongsan over his shoulder to say his last words.

"That was fun," Chanyeol says once they're back on the road, bobbing his head one of Gary Lightbody's songs. This is from one of Snow Patrol's older tracks, something Kyungsoo might have encountered in a TV series. Chanyeol's singing loudly, at the top his lungs, unmindful that they're in an enclosed spaces and of the knowledge that Kyungsoo isn't so sold on loud sounds. He throws occasional glances at Kyungsoo, though, halfway through the chorus, like he's expecting Kyungsoo to sing along or say something. "You okay?"

Very much okay, Kyungsoo wants to say. He looks to his side, up at Chanyeol's smiling face, eyes brimming with youth, then reconsiders. "Yeah, I'm good. Just–" He worries his bottom lip for a while. "Back to reality tomorrow."

There's a curve up ahead, but he manages to catch the quick change of Chanyeol's expression. Chanyeol is only half-smiling now, the other half of his mouth tugged down in a not-smile, but not quite a frown. Chanyeol's deciding, probably, between digesting the truth and just focusing on this moment, the road ahead of them, and it takes a while before Chanyeol chuckles in response. "We don't have to come in early, right? I mean, it's not as if the horror house will be opening an hour earlier than the usual to make up for the missed fright days."

Kyungsoo plays along, digging in his pockets to get his phone and check for any bad news. "No texts from Jongdae." Just a call in the middle of their Chuseok getaway, and the vague acceptance that Kyungsoo is no longer alone. "So yeah, I guess we're spared from that."

"Do you… want to see my place?" Chanyeol asks. There's static on the stereo, the short period of silence between songs. Chanyeol's voice isn't as loud as it normally is, faint and tentative. "It's not as homey as yours, but I've got lots of food. You can cook them all just before they expire."

Kyungsoo snorts a little. Trust Chanyeol to know how to bounce back immediately, how to get past an awkward situation and turn it into something golden. "Do I get to take your toiletries home? Because you used up all of mine."

"Hey," is the only thing Chanyeol says in reply, and then it's a series of songs again, all from Gavin DeGraw's Chariot album. This time, Kyungsoo sings along, even tries to harmonize with Chanyeol whenever he could. He's out of shape but he still gets to practice from time to time, while taking a shower or moving around his apartment, filling the gaping holes Chanyeol had left when he first arrived at Kyungsoo's place. Later, when they take a turn on a street that leads them to a more familiar path, Chanyeol says, "I love your voice. You should sing for me more."

"I don't sing for anyone," Kyungsoo counters. They pull up at a red light, and Chanyeol pouts at him. "And I won't fall for that."

"This, then?" Chanyeol says, reaching over to hold Kyungsoo by his nape. Chanyeol's hands are cold and his fingers are trembling and there isn't much time until the light goes green again, but Kyungsoo still waits, holds his breath, counts to ten until Chanyeol stops thinking and starts leaning in. Chanyeol licks his lips as if in invitation, and Kyungsoo breathes out, lips parting in response.

Then a pop song starts blasting on the radio and Chanyeol pulls away with a tiny jerk of the body. The light turns green. His hands are back on the steering wheel, and Kyungsoo can feel his throat again, voice returning albeit hoarse. When they reach a quieter street, he asks, "Do you have clothes I can borrow?"

Chanyeol looks at him, just looks at him for a while, before chuckling. "If you're okay with shirts five sizes bigger, I guess," Chanyeol replies, a crazy grin on his lips now. Kyungsoo shrugs not because he doesn't have a choice – he does, and it's asking Chanyeol to take a u-turn and take him to his own apartment – but because his words have left him again and Chanyeol probably won't hand them back without putting up a fight. "I think I still have a few from when I was eighteen or something," Chanyeol says after a while, and Kyungsoo switches the stereo mode from iPod to radio to keep Chanyeol from seeing the smile – too wide, too bright for the evening – on his lips.

one | two | three