2014: This Night Is Sparkling (Don't You Let It Go) 1/2 (for baekmebacon)

[baektobaek]

For: baekmebacon
From: ANONYMOUS until December 30, 2014

Title: This Night Is Sparkling (Don't You Let It Go)
Rating: PG
Pairing(s)/Focus:Baekhyun/Kris, Kris-centered
Length: 17,000 words
Summary: Kris helps Baekhyun find his way home. Baekhyun helps Kris find his way to his heart.
Warnings: Peter Pan!AU twisted beyond recognition and then slaughtered. Character death.
Notes: I'm asking for forgiveness in advance before you start reading this monster, hahaha, but I really hope you enjoy this fic!

Kris is a no-nonsense man of facts, statistics, the believe-it-when-I-see-it-and-maybe-still-not-because-I-refuse-to type. He doesn't take shit from anyone, but he might do another's projects if he's given a good incentive, or money -either works. He spends most of his all of his time cooped up in his room. He doesn't remember the last time he felt the sun on his face and when he looks out the window to attempt marveling at the beauty of the sunlit sky, he only sees stars struggling to shine against the polluted atmosphere. The moon is ugly tonight, he observes (The moon hisses back a silent insult). Kris shuts the curtains when he realizes with a resigned sigh that he was off from the supposed daylight time by a full twelve hours (where does time go?). It doesn't matter though, because time flies when you're having fun, and writing up in-depth word docs that exceed the required word limit for project reports is very very fun. Even if his back kills him from sitting in one position all day and his knees tremble when he attempts to walk to the fridge or the bathroom. Kris hears the front door opening with a loud bang and his flat mate's voice as he returns in his full drunken glory. Kris pities the male. Park Chanyeol has little brain cells to begin with, and with his ritual nightly drinking Kris doesn't doubt the male losses little parts of his brain every time he trips down the stairs, is slapped or suddenly drops dead in slumber whilst simply walking. It is a miracle the man is still alive and plain stupidity that he goes out drinking with his chums each night despite all the alcohol induced accidents he gets into. He had the galls to even invite Kris - absolutely scandalous! It's bad enough they're flat mates. Kris waits for the sound of the door slamming shut. Even in his normal state Chanyeol doesn't open and close the door like normal a person should. When Kris doesn't hear the exploding boom that he has filed as 'Drunk Chanyeol 2', he irritatingly gets up, his joints scream in pain and sigh in pleasure simultaneously, and meets the sight of his flat mate laying still in the middle of the small corridor. Unfortunately, Chanyeol is neither covered in blood nor dead. The male walks over him to lock the door when a monstrous bug flies in and Kris has half a mind to keep himself from screaming. He can't remember where they put the electric fly swatter. Did they ever even buy one? Or did he stop the purchase at the last minute because he thought Chanyeol might kill him with it by accident? Dismissing any regretful thoughts, he quickly picks up one of the flip flops lying next to the door and with a well aimed and calculated slap, smashes the bug against the wall. Nothing makes Kris happier than success. Except money. Money and success are interrelated. Also, nothing maddens Kris like Disney. It might have something to do with his senior year graduation title being 'Grumpy of Snow White', but Kris disagrees. He insists it's because he hates lies as fodder for entertainment. News, stock exchange updates and transport schedules are entertaining enough. Thus, when Kris' eyes zero in on the bug, which has now slid down the wall, he thinks he might have caught Chanyeol's stupid. Stupidity isn't supposed to be contagious. He had checked the first week he moved in with the male. Really though, nothing can explain what he's seeing right now except alcohol, or drugs, or rose-tinted glasses, or a wickedly imaginative imagination, or being Chanyeol. Kris pinches himself two times, makes sure he hasn't exchanged bodies with Chanyeol and goes through his Ten Breaths Procedure that he uses every time he thinks he might have a panic or rage attack. The thing is still present. Laying there with a tiny human body, twitching limbs and transparent wings with glittering veins. It's magnificent and absurd and unbelievable and this is a fucking prank isn't it? Kris picks up a small glass jar placed in the corner -this apartment has a brilliant history with that specific jar- and pokes the little retarded bug with it. Since the little thing obviously does not fit the definition of an insect, Kris terms it a 'mutant'. Damn radiation. The only reason Kris traps the thing under the jar is because it looks too real and alive to be let go of so easily. Kris must prepare a private case study of this mutant. Kris must plan manslaughter if he finds out this is a hoax. He would have touched it properly to examine it thoroughly, but he's afraid he might catch the radiation. Chanyeol would finally come in use here. Little sacrifices needed to be made for the greater good of gaining knowledge. - It's one of those rare mornings where Kris is woken up by Chanyeol instead of the other way round. Wait. Kris never wakes Chanyeol, and Chanyeol never wakes up on time. The youth slowly sits up in his bed, brows pulled down, pupils constricted and focused on his flat mate in a menacing glare. "Why are you polluting my room with your presence?" Chanyeol doesn't look the least bit fazed - he never does. The world could go boom behind him and he'd still be looking for a matching pair of socks in his cupboard. Kris hopes Chanyeol hasn't misplaced anything in his room. His lanky flat mate has a tendency to make inanimate objects commit suicide every time he enters a room -especially the kitchen. Things just start falling off for no logically apparent reason. Park Chanyeol is one of the enigmas of the universe that Kris will neither dare nor take the time to figure out. "Krease, get up! You have to help me!" Kris slaps his hand over his face. His palm slowly drags down, stretching his skin, as he tries to make his irritation obvious. "What did you try to cook and on a scale of one to ten, with ten being highest, how much is it moving on your plate?" "I didn't cook anything, now, come on! Get up! You really have to see this!" Chanyeol bounces on his spot, his expression the opposite of his usual teeth-rich-happy-go-lucky face. It is then Kris notices that the male is wearing glasses, and Kris knows now that whatever it is, it's shit serious. He finally resigns himself to his fate. Kris straightens down his old shirt and follows the other out into the kitchen where his vision instantly zooms in on the only thing out of place. "Why is the dustbin on the counter? Why is it upside down in the first place? Why do you struggle to think normally? Why have I tolerated you for this long? Did I say that out loud?" Chanyeol ignores him completely, "Krease! Look!" He exclaims as he stands next to the counter and animatedly points at the netted bin. "Why on Earth would you hold a mouse under a bin?" Kris cries out exasperated. "I wish it was a mouse, but I don't know what it is. I think my eyesight got worse!" Chanyeol clutches his face desperately, "I can't remember what I did last night. Oh God!" The male reaches into his pocket to take out another pair of glasses and puts them over the one he's already wearing. He looks at the downturned bin, blinks furiously a few times before he miserably turns to his taller flat mate, "It's still a fairy!" Last night comes back to Kris like a rock plummeting in his stomach juices -forever to remain undigested- and it feels like he's the one with a memory loss from a being drunk instead of Chanyeol. "It's really a fairy?" Kris asks in a quiet voice. "It is?" "I'm asking you." "I don't know," Chanyeol whines, "I'm stressed!" He gestures to the two pairs of glasses he's wearing. So then, the little mutant he saw last night wasn't a joke from his flat mate. But ... "How did it get here?" Kris asks because he remembers he trapped the mutant in the entry way. "It was under my special jar," Chanyeol pouts, "So I brought it here and put it under the bin." "Chanyeol, I swear to God, if you try to grow an Opium Poppy in that jar again-" "It's going to be a Cannabis this time." Chanyeol cuts him off. From the expression apparent on the younger's face, Kris can tell Chanyeol clearly remembers the day Kris yanked the Poppy out of the jar and started whipping Chanyeol with it. "Isn't that what marijuana is made of?" He raises an eyebrow. "Really? Jongin already sold me the seeds." Chanyeol frowns, "Maybe I'll just grow a Cactus." Kris doesn't want to damage his IQ so he turns his attention to the netted bin and tries to peer at the thing inside. He isn't sure if his eyes are deceiving him but the little mutant/fairy is sitting cross legged with arms crossed and staring back at him. It looks like a little diva, Kris thinks to himself. "Chanyeol," Kris calls, "Can you pick this thing up. I want to see it up close." "Should we call him Tom Thumb?" Chanyeol asks, his nervousness at his deteriorating vision turns into excitement for other unimportant things of the world. He picks up the dustbin and the little thing suddenly whizzes out past their waists, leaving a trail of shimmering gold dust in its wake. Kris swears he sees it turn its little human face around to stick a little pink tongue at them, and then the flat mates wince when the thing suddenly crashes heard first into the wall. The sound of the harsh contact is very loud in the room. No one would be surprised if the thing broke a bone, or two, or even its little skull. "Do you think Tom Thumb is ok?" Kris is hesitant about picking up the mutant -he doesn't want to have any direct contact with anything created from radiation- but he doesn't have to worry much. (Now that he thinks about, just having something around him made out of radiations is dangerous. He hopes Chanyeol is an absorber.) Chanyeol, ever the good stupid Samaritan, hurries over to the thing and starts prodding it. "Hey, are you ok?" Kris rolls his eyes. "Krease look, I think his wings are broken." Curious, Kris saunters over and crouches beside Chanyeol. His younger flat mate picks the thing and places it on his palm (good job, radiation absorber). Now Kris can clearly see the thing is a 'he'. The mutant boy is out cold, naked except for the tiny leaves hanging between his legs with a thin cord, and indeed, as Chanyeol points out, one of the wings looks immensely wrinkled, crippled. The other also looks damaged but not as much. The wings aren't glittering as Kris remembers them from last night. Kris has an odd feeling brewing in the pit of his stomach when he gets an inkling of suspicion that he might have been the person to damage those wings. Of course, he's not sure. It could have been anything, really. Even flip-flops (which make it NOT Kris' fault because they weren't his flip-flops. Not anymore anyway. He disowns them from this moment onward) It could have even happened right now. "What do we do?" Chanyeol asks as if the matter is of great stress and importance to him. Kris feels bad for the younger because Chanyeol's sympathy is too easy to arouse. "Try to straighten out his wings...?" Kris suggests. Chanyeol immediately begins brushing his finger over the thin transparent organ. "It's not working." He whines. "May be he's dead?" "Oh no!" Chanyeol looks like he's genuinely in pain from the news. Kris is surprised at the intensity of the emotions. The only thing that gets Kris so emotionally involved is, of course, money. "We have to help revive him, Krease! What if he's the last of his kind? What if he's from an extinct species? What if he's on the verge of extinction?" "What if he's a mutant?" "Or an angel? Or a fairy? He looks like a fairy though." The edges of the little creature's wings start to shimmer, thin twinkling veins appearing on them as the miniature human starts rousing back to consciousness. Chanyeol starts attempting to straighten his wing with a newfound vigor. Kris is about to warn him, that he's maybe doing it a bit too enthusiastically, when the wing under Chanyeol's finger suddenly plucks off and the shining fades. Kris stares. Chanyeol stares. The little guy shoots upright, and stares. They keep on staring at the wing separated from his body. "Well, shit huh?" It's not the most appropriate thing to say, but it's all the words Kris has for the time being. And he is being very sympathetic at this moment. He might -and that's a BIG might- have crippled the wing, but nothing beats breaking it. - Kris spends most of the remaining day isolated in his room, as usual. The time he does comes out, he sees the fairy weeping and Chanyeol on a spiel of apologies. The second time Chanyeol is making stupid faces and the fairy is watching him as if scrutinizing his intellect. The third time he is manhandled out of his room by an excited Chanyeol who claims that the fairy's voice is like little tinkling bells, "It's amazing, Krease!" Kris and the fairy -the two flat mates came to a mutual agreement to call him 'fairy' instead of mutant or Tom Thumb- stare each other down. Chanyeol tries to make the little thing talk but it refuses to open its lips. "Awh, you're missing out on something great." Chanyeol says teasingly. "I'm not really interested in listening to a naked little boy talk." Kris responds. The fairy visibly flares up; face and chest turning red. Chanyeol tries to calm it down by tickling it with his finger but the fairy bites down on it and that concludes Kris' entertainment for the day. - The next day, Kris wakes up at his usual hour. He is sleepily heading to the bathroom when he hears a musical sound and pauses in his steps. It's unlike anything he's ever heard before; the chiming of bells with a small tinker appearing in between before the sound of chimes resumes, and, Heaven help him, the sound is so beautiful it actually makes things inside him stir. This diluted ringing sound, all by itself, sounds like a melody weaved with tales, sounds like foreign lyrics, sounds like love. Kris is in love with bells. He follows the sound to the tiny kitchen but sees no source. He wonders if it's a ringtone that Chanyeol has or if it's a sound floating in from outside. He walks around in circles in the kitchen, chasing the music before it gradually fades out as the notes end and Kris wants to tell it to wait, to replay or extend, but he doesn't know whom or where to direct his voice to. So he miserably shuffles out and settles back into his routine. It's when he's having breakfast that a haggard looking Chanyeol stumbles into the kitchen. "You're up early," Kris raises an inquisitive brow. "Fairy," Chanyeol answers before he goes to the counter and taps on the tissue box. The fairy pokes his head out, "How are you?" Kris will never admit that he 98% forgot they had found (or maimed, whatever suits one's taste) a fairy. His entire life is oriented around a schedule filled with a laptop and project deadlines, so it's easy to side line most other things. By now the fairy has stepped out of the tissue box, where it apparently spent the night, and is fluttering its remaining useless wing. He looks sad. He has a really small face, and still Kris can tell just how fucking sad it is. Kris doesn't need these feelings. He doesn't need these emotions. This fairy was supposed to be a case study and one doesn't get emotionally involved with a case study. Now that Chanyeol is involved though, Kris wants nothing to do with it. He cleans his bowl and leaves. - Kris is busy typing freelance articles when he hears Chanyeol's scream, categorized as 'Gleeful Chanyeol -no need to react'. He resumes his work. "Krease!" Chanyeol hollers. He is purposely ignored. "Krease!" Ignored. Another scream. "Krease!" Ignored. "Krease! You have to see this!" The door bell rings and Kris knows it's the neighbors. If he doesn't get up now it will be the cops next. He stretches himself and leaves the sanctuary that is his sunlight deprived room, "What, Chanyeol?" "Over here." It had better not be anything stupid and-WHOA! Kris takes a step back because- WHOA! His brain is still processing this information- WHOA! WHOA! "Whoa!" "I know!" Chanyeol is levitating. Fucking levitating. With all his fucking stupid teeth on display. Kris is a man of facts and statistics- Bullshit. He realizes on that very moment that he's been lying to himself, and everything has been lying to him, all this time. Facts say that humans can't float and fairies don't exist and happiness can't be bought. Kris thinks he is a man of facts and statistics, a no-nonsense believe-it-when-I-see-it-and-maybe-still-not-because-I-refuse-to type. Right now he sees it and he believes it. He has Park Chanyeol for a house mate. The day the two shook hands should have been the first sign for him that he was changing man. The moment he accepted that thing was a fairy should have been a glaring banner for him that he was no longer a man lead by rationality. "How on Earth-" Kris cuts himself off as Chanyeol laughs gleefully, "It has to be you." He whips his head towards the counter where the fairy sits on packaged bread and smiles back at him. With his little hand he gestures Kris to come forward and the male curiously does so. The fairy narrows his little kohl lined eyes at the human before turning his attention to something else and sighs helplessly, as if silently declaring that Kris is a lost cause. Kris feels scandalized. Chanyeol spends a good amount of time floating in the air when Kris decides he's seen enough happiness and any more will give him a stomach ache, "Chanyeol, Yura's calling." He doesn't expect Chanyeol to suddenly drop out of the air but Kris can't say he's sorry, or disappointed for that matter. - The week passes in a blur. The fairy becomes a part of routine and Chanyeol even sneaks him into classes. At least that's what Kris suspects. Close to nothing changes for Kris but quite a bit of things change for Chanyeol. Instead of going out with his drinking buddies he spends the time watching movies with his new fairy friend and teaching him how to pronounce the syllables. Despite all the hard work he puts into the it, the only sound that escapes those tiny pink lips is still that of bells. By now Kris has also heard it many times. He's often walked in on Chanyeol and the fairy talking, as if they both understand each other's conversations. It's also within this week he discovers that the fairy sings every day early in the morning when he thinks everyone is still asleep. Kris enjoys the sound a lot. He waits quietly out of sight until the fairy finishes his songs before Kris starts with his routine. At the end of the week, the fairy's second wing falls. At the end of the week, Kris realizes he's accepted a change in his routine without putting up much of a fight. - Kris wakes up, early as usual. Rubs his eyes a bit. Checks the time. Checks the work he's lined up for himself. Leaves his room quietly and sits outside his door. He waits for a few minutes but he doesn't hear the sound he's made himself an audience for the past week. Instead, he hears the kitchen cabinets opening and things being moved around. He remains stunned for a moment because how the fuck did Chanyeol wake up so early? Did he pull an all-nighter for an exam or project submission? Kris goes into the kitchen and before he knows it, he's screaming. The naked man in the kitchen also yelps, the slice of bread hanging from his mouth drops as he matches Kris' pitch. Kris shuts up and so does the naked stranger. Kris is furious. He marches towards Chanyeol's room and is about to barge in when he considers the state his flat mate must be in. He resorts to furiously pounding the door. "Five more minutes!" Chanyeol yells. "NO! Get out fucking right now or else!" "I hate you!" "I'm glad we've established that." Kris mutters to himself. In his peripheral vision he can see the naked male coming out of the kitchen to check what the racket is about. "What?" Chanyeol groggily asks as he opens his door. His eyes move past Kris onto the stranger standing in the kitchen entrance before returning to the elder with a knowing look. Chanyeol suggestively wiggles his brow, "Krease? Had a luck night?" "What?" Kris' brows furrow, "If that's not your fuck buddy ..." Chanyeol also seems to be suddenly grappled in the confusion. "I thought you brought someone here last night." "I didn't go out," Chanyeol answers, "You made a rule not to bring anyone home." Yes, because they have thin walls and not being laid is not nice. The frown on Kris' brows deepens. He turns around to address the human body displayed in all of his natural nude glory, "Who the hell are you?" "I'm Baekhyun!" The youth chirps. His expression suddenly turns into one of surprise, "My voice!" He grasps his neck, "I'm Baekhyun." He repeats, "Baekhyun, Baekhyun, Baekhyun, Baekhyun, Baekhyun," "We got that!" Kris holds up a hand to shush him. "You can understand me!" Baekhyun exclaims, though his face remains flabbergasted, "Did my face change too? Can you not recognize me?" He pats his cheeks and keeps babbling on. The flat mates lean a bit closer and squint their eyes at the stranger. Kris tries very hard to keep his eyes away from those nipples or to wander anywhere else inappropriate. It clicks in both their heads at the same time. "The fairy!" "You're the fairy!" Chanyeol exclaims, "Magic is real! Please tell me Santa is real too!" Baekhyun steps out of his reverie, "You broke my wing." Silence. - It amuses Kris to no end how Chanyeol avoids Baekhyun as if the latter is an ex he recently had a bad falling out with. The two were joined like a soul to the heart and now Baekhyun is being cut off like an appendix at the operating table. It amuses him, until Baekhyun saunters into his room and stands behind him as he works on his laptop. Kris knows it's Baekhyun because the door is opened and closed humanely, his bare feet are silent and he carries with him a scent exclusive to himself; something a mixture of mint and citrus, perhaps something a bit flowery too. He's not too sure. It has been ages since he has last seen an actual living flower, let alone smell one. The looming presence of Baekhyun over his shoulder suddenly gets too much and Kris abruptly stops working. He swivels around in his chair, crosses his arms across his chest and folds one leg over the other. He instantly scrambles back to his old position, trying to tear the sight of the naked male out of his eyeballs and hopefully his neurons too -forever. It's one of those moments when his father's voice echoes inside his head, and he hates it, because of course it will be an inappropriate time ("You can tell the level of a man's wisdom by the size of his dick!" Greek philosophers must have had amazing sizes then.) "Yes?" Kris squeaks more than demands. "Nothing." ("A man isn't a man if his dick isn't bigger than the size of his shoe!" Father, please be quiet!) The tall male saunters towards his cupboard, careful to keep Baekhyun even out of his peripheral vision. ("A dick should be strong enough to puncture a hole through-" Oh God no! Not that one!) "You need to put on some clothes." He demands in one quick breath as he goes through his collection. He knows none of his sizes will fit the fairy, not even the ones he's outgrown but refuses to throw. So he finds the ones he hates the most and tosses them over his head. "Put these on." "Will I be able to go outside then? I need to find Chen." "Yea, yea." Kris answers carelessly, slowly closing the cupboard as the sound of clothes rustling fill up his room. The fairy takes up enough time to make him concerned that he might have to help with a dress up game, but mercifully, the need doesn't arise. The fairy has observed Chanyeol enough. ("The thing about dicks is-" One extreme mental slap is ordered and received.) When he turns around, Baekhyun stands before him, his smile a brilliant beam that shoots straight into Kris heart, his eyes sparkling with silent mirth and radiant in a manner one can only find in innocent children. Kris' eyes trail down to thin pink lips. Somewhere in the back of his head he can hear bells tinkling. His heart skips a beat. He sighs. "These are very big." The tiny male says. His hands are fisted at his waist where the large shirt is held crumpled beneath his closed fingers, holding up his pants under them. Kris hands him a belt but Baekhyun has no idea what to do with it. Thus, after a torturously slow gulp, Kris bends down to show him how to put it on. He ignores the fat that's he's very much aligned with Baekhyun's- and Baekhyun should probably roll up the bottom of the pants a bit too. They slip under his heels and make him look like a dwarf. So, Kris does that too. "Have you ever been to Neverland?" Baekhyun asks curiously when Kris stands up. "What?" "Neverland? Have you ever been there?" "Is it at Disneyland?" Kris slumps back in his chair, his body sagging with relief at the distance between the two of them. "Nah-uh, just Neverland. Second star to the right, and then straight on till morning." Baekhyun informs animatedly as he moves his hands around to specify the directions. Kris wonders if he caught it from Chanyeol or if it's his own habit. Then he wonders what the fuck because these directions make no sense. It must be a fairy thing, he concludes. "You look familiar," Baekhyun says as he taps his chin thoughtfully. His eyes roll up to stare at the ceiling, "Where have we met before?" "I've never met a nude little fairy before." Kris answers and turns back to his laptop. He knows he won't be able to get any work done with Baekhyun's shadow hovering around him, but he pretends to be busy anyway. "Are you, by any chance, on the Jolly Roger's crew? Or perhaps you once were?" "Jol- what?" Kris frowns. He throws a nasty look over his shoulder to let the intruder know his words, nor his presence, are appreciated. No matter how pleasant he is to look at. "Oh!" Baekhyun pounds his fist onto his small palm - Kris can't help but notice from the corner of his eyes, "Now I know!" He exclaims. "Yaey," Kris deadpans as he starts scribbling non-existent alphabets on a sheet of paper. He is very very busy. He hopes Baekhyun realizes that and leaves or else his entire room will accumulate Baekhyun's scent. "You look like Kevin!" The fairy exclaims. Kris chokes on his saliva. "There's a painting of Kevin in the lagoon. The mermaids made it ages ago in one of abandoned parts. You look a lot like him, I swear! Except older, I suppose." "Who was Kevin?" Kris asks, and definitely not out of curiosity. "He was the previous Fisher King," Baekhyun says excitedly, "I'd never met him though. I wasn't born then. But Chen knows him. Chen was a Lost Boy at the time." Half of the things Baekhyun says make no sense to Kris. He vaguely wonders if it really is a fairy thing or if Baekhyun is a mental asylum escapee. Surely fairy cities must have them too. "Alright," He answers. "I have to find Chen so he can take me back home." Baekhyun shuffles closer to Kris and the taller scoots backwards, attempting to sink himself into his chair, "But I can only recognize things from the sky. I would be lost on the ground. Will you help me?" "Take Chanyeol," Kris waves his hand at the other's face in an attempt to shoo him away. "Chanyeol does not want me around anymore," Baekhyun pouts, his lower lip juts out in a way Kris wants to declare forbidden in this apartment. "I've lost my wings and grown into human size. I do not know what else might happen if I stay here any longer. I really need to find Chen." But... we barely got acquainted. Of course, Kris didn't think that. Kris does not want to leave his laptop. The machine is challenging him, a faint whir of the fan in its system, daring him to even try. He looks at Baekhyun's sad slash hopeful face, and then at the infinite numbers of alphabets all staring back at him, sucking his soul. Baekhyun's fair face and pretty pretty eyes, then his laptop's screen which dims due to inactiveness. It's a bleak representation of what his life is like. The answer is a no brainer for him. He doesn't even have to think twice. "No." Kris swivels around, tapping the touchpad to bring his laptop screen back to life. He can hear Baekhyun let out a disappointed sigh. It's not long after he hears his door quietly shut. When Kris leaves his sanctuary to raid the kitchen, he's met with the sight of Baekhyun staring out the small window, chewing on a slice of bread. The gloom rises off the smaller male in constant incoming waves, maybe even radiation. Kris isn't a people's person so he pretends Baekhyun is a housecat going through menopause, or divorce or something. It stifles his conscience somewhat until the next time he comes out and sees the brunet sitting on floor and staring into space. There's a little part of him that tells him he should drag Chanyeol out and force him to help Baekhyun. Kris has a lot of work to do and he can't spare any time for pretty lost boys or any Chens. He has to meet the deadlines for projects that don't belong to him and there was another freelance article he saw an hour ago that he wanted to type up. If he weighs Baekhyun against money, he doesn't have to think twice about what he's going to prefer. It's not like owes the male anything. He doesn't even know him. Then it's beyond him why he's grabbing his bag -more out of instinct than need- and running out, down the stairs and almost breaking the entrance door on his way out to chase Baekhyun. It's way past evening, with streetlights on and the nightlife alive. He wouldn't even have noticed the fairy (is he still eligible to be called that?) had slipped out unless Baekhyun had crashed into the metal bins and send them all toppling against each other in a clatter of obnoxious noise, right under the window of Kris' bedroom. Kris is surprised at the stamina he exhausts in catching up with a person as small as Baekhyun. His small stature betrays how fast his legs carry him, and Kris is slightly panting when he grabs a fistful of the smaller male's shirt to pull him back to a stop. "Where are you going?" Kris asks just as Baekhyun turns to look over his shoulder, eyes wide and surprised. "To find Chen," He answers like it's a fact. Perhaps it is, because that's all Baekhyun has been talking about ever since he could properly communicate. "Where is Chen?" Kris asks, because he wants to prove to the other what a stupid idea it is to go out in search of someone that could be anywhere in a city i.e., equal to non existence. "Where there is happiness," Baekhyun answers and Kris raises a brow. "So, where exactly is Chen, again?" "Over at the lights," Baekhyun says as he points ahead. Kris follows the direction of his finger to the grey building. "I saw it from the window. It looks like a place where he would like to go." The amusement park. Kris weighs the pros and cons of it. He can humor Baekhyun and who knows, this Chen might even turn up and get the boy off his hands, or he'll waste a good few hours on exercise he doesn't need and welcome fatigue that will haunt his muscles for days after. In the end, Baekhyun decides for him as he starts jogging ahead. Kris grabs the other's elbow and locks his grip there. Baekhyun rushes forward like a hyper pup and the taller is dragged after him towards 'the lights'. The small male keeps tripping over his feet because of the large flip flops he wears and Kris knows he's supposed to feel irritated about it, but he feels endeared instead. A bus arrives at the stop just as they do -Kris thanks any deity willing to listen- and guides Baekhyun onto it. The smaller still manages to trip twice and hits his head against a pole. Wait, are those his flip flops? The one he never wears but still doesn't let anyone touch? His thoughts are dissipated by the sound of Baekhyun's laughter. Apparently Baekhyun finds bus rides extremely funny. He continuously mentions how his entire body is vibrating and keeps asking if the bus will really take them to 'the lights'. Kris wishes the male would shut up now because the girl sitting two seats ahead of them turns back around a number of times to see who's saying such psychotic things. He supposes the sight of a youth in oversized everything must not seem very normal either. Top that off with being accompanied by an oversized male with, as one of his exes put it, 'a default bitch face'. They have to change to another bus line and Baekhyun keeps him entertained and embarrassed by asking about anything and everything he sees. A bruise starts forming on Baekhyun's otherwise unblemished skin, where he's hit his forehead on a pole each time he entered a bus and tripped. Kris supposes he should call him a klutz, but he calls him precious instead -in his head only. The second the vehicle stops and the door opens, Baekhyun is out like a hunting dog released on his prey. This time Kris is only able to catch up because Baekhyun can't get past the tall barrier of iron railings that separates the amusement park from predators like Baekhyun. He extends his hands, whines mournfully and tries to reach for something past Kris' sight on the other side of the barrier. "Doesn't look like Chen's here," Kris is in no mood to spend his hard earned money on tickets and something called Chen. "We have to get closer," Baekhyun answers without even sparing him a glance, "As close to the lights in the sky as possible. We have to get to the other side." Baekhyun tries shaking the metal rods, tries bending them, but only ends up turning his arms at odd angles until a security guard yells at them to scamper off. Kris is about to put in his two cents of pessimism when Baekhyun's is struck by a revelation and he runs to where everyone is queued up. He excitedly points out his discovery to Kris. Kris has half a mind to turn around and leave the male, but a string -more like two dozen of them- rivet him to Baekhyun, and he ends up getting two entry passes. Baekhyun, the little dodger, does not thank Kris for sacrificing his money for his selfish little cause and instead gets lost in the crowd within two minutes. Kris has to place an announcement for a lost male with oversized clothes, a brilliant smile and ugly blue flip flops, before someone calls the center and tells them where the boy was seen. The fairy-turned-human is trying to get on the Ferris wheel and the keeper is struggling to keep him off. With another mournful sigh, Kris reigns in the male, purchases tickets and they queue up for the ride. "Chen will be at the top," Baekhyun sounds so assured, Kris actually believes him. His eyes are sparkling as he watches the Ferris wheel go round and round, its twinkling lights shining against the black starless sky. "He flies the highest amongst us all." "Mhm." "When I find Chen, he will take me home." "I'm sure." Kris nods absently. He feels uncomfortable surrounded by so many people, at the same time he feels astounded by Baekhyun's ludicrous statements, because of course, it's very logical for a Chen to be flying around the top of the Ferris wheel waiting for Baekhyun. "What if he isn't there?" "He will be." Baekhyun's eyes remained trained on the large wheel, "Chen loves gatherings like this. He likes lights and music. That's why I'm his favourite. I shine the brightest amongst all the fairies, and I am the best singer!" Baekhyun giggles. Kris rolls his eyes at Baekhyun's obvious crush on this Chen thing, but he can second Baekhyun's claim of being the best singer. It's the only thing he likes about Baekhyun, honestly. What about his smile? And twinkly eyes? And- Baekhyun throws himself in the passenger cabin. With just the two of them, the wheel moves a bit to let other visitors into the next cabin. "How will you be able to see someone so small in the dark?" Kris inquires. Baekhyun finally looks at him, "Who?" "Chen?" "Chen isn't little. Only fairies are that size," Baekhyun says as if it's common knowledge and manages to make Kris feel silly, "Chen is the Fisher King. He'd be as tall as any boy should be." Joy. A boy flying around the top of the Ferris wheel. Kris wonders if he'd even be able to see Chen or if only Baekhyun's eyes would be able to spot him. Baekhyun is restless in his seat. He keeps looking out at how high they are, keeps darting his eyes everywhere around them. When their cabin pauses at the very top, Baekhyun stands up and starts looking at the sky. "Is Chen here?" "He will be." Baekhyun replies, resolute. The ride starts its normal rotation as soon as its full. "We fly higher than this. Much, much higher," Baekhyun says, his eyes fixed on the dark abyss that serves as the night sky. "It would be difficult for him to see me." It sounds more like he's trying to convince himself of something rather than reciting a fact to Kris. "I'd know if he was around." He murmurs, a hand going to rest right over his heart. When the ride is over, Baekhyun refuses to get off. He stubbornly clings to the cabin as Kris purchases another ticket for him. Baekhyun takes two more rounds with other people before Kris puts his foot down. "I think I know where he would be." Baekhyun grins. He loops his arm around Kris' and drags him through the families towards the flashing carousal. "Oh God, no." Kris' feet are bleeding. Or he's pretty sure they are. But it's really just him sweating from all the strenuous activity required, both physically and mentally, to keep track of Baekhyun. It's already past midnight, past Kris' self declared curfew time and past dinner time. What started as a search for Chen gradually turned into an adventure of a curious visitor. Baekhyun is wilted in spirit, but Kris has it ten times worse. He's drained out of every ounce of energy, the thought of his disrupted schedule and abandoned projects haunt him, and the fact that he had to consume food prepared under probable unhygienic conditions makes his stomach churn uncomfortably. "Please, we can come back here tomorrow," The words slip past his tongue before he even knows what he's saying. Baekhyun's face lights up at the promise. Kris groans loudly. With the public transits shut down, they have no choice but to accept a ride from an old couple. The old woman looks convinced that Kris is a pimp in training and Baekhyun is his little money-maker. She doesn't say it, but her eyes accuse Kris of all the cookies he's never stolen from the jar. Kris is glad when they reach home (and he's not sure if he imagined it or if the woman really just noted down their residential area address on her phone). "I know you're angry," is the first thing Baekhyun says as soon as Kris shuts the door after them, "I promise I'll leave as soon as Chen comes. I'll go back to Neverland and will never be a bother again." Kris is tired, and he's angry, but the only reason he doesn't explode is because of his perfect Ten Breaths technique and the underlying guilt that it's his and Chanyeol's fault that Baekhyun is stuck here like this. But Baekhyun doesn't know that, so he's not going to say anything about it either. He's also not going to tell Baekhyun that Neverland sounds more like a place a crack recluse would retreat to but, ok, never mind, whatever. Baekhyun goes into the kitchen. Kris takes a peek in and sees the smaller prodding the tissue box. He seems despaired as he looks up at Kris, "My bed." His lower lip and chin quivers, and it's been a long day, and Kris is tired, and Baekhyun is disappointed and he's home sick, and Kris has wasted a lot of time and this really just can't get any worse. "Take my bed. I'm sleeping elsewhere." His tongue is out of control! "I can sleep in your room?" Baekhyun asks surprised, and then excited. In the little time he spent here, he knows Kris hates Chanyeol in his sanctuary. "Don't touch anything." Kris says sternly, letting him in. "I'm really going to spend the night in here? Where will you sleep though?" It's a very good question, because they don't have a living room. It's just one straight corridor, a kitchen, a bathroom and two bed rooms. "You can sleep in these clothes." Kris says instead, gesturing to the clothes Baekhyun is already wearing. It's an inconvenient setting, but Kris makes a bedding for himself on the floor, right next to his rightful sleeping place. After changing and laying down ramrod straight, Kris attempts to find peace within himself but his heart is thudding at an unnatural pace due to unexplainable reasons. Every muscle fiber, every bone hurts and his head is pounding from stress but he can't seem to find any sleep. Baekhyun's head peeks over the bed. Kris can make out most of his features due to the light that sneaks past the blinds and his adjusted night vision. "We'll go to the place with the lights again, right?" "It's called an amusement park." Kris answers, rubbing his temples. "I like amusement parks." "Go to sleep, Baekhyun." "Okay," He answers in a small voice, and then in an even lower tone, Kris hears a muted, "Thank you." before Baekhyun retreats from his vision. Kris isn't sure when he falls asleep in the night, but it feels like only a second has passed when he closes his eyes, before a weight suddenly drops on his chest and he's screaming himself awake. "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Baekhyun yelps and screams, jumping away from Kris. The bloody jinx stepped on him! - Yesterday it was funny, but today Kris finds it absurd and ridiculous how Chanyeol avoids Baekhyun. He thought he was the one who ran away from his problems, but Kris realizes that he not only solves his own problems, but other people's as well - for example all these projects he does for a fair fee. Baekhyun wants to follow Chanyeol outside. He still wants to look for Chen, and frankly, if Kris was in his place he'd have given up and moved onto plan B by now. Physical activity and Kris don't go in the same sentence unless it's a negative sentence. But Kris has an inkling Baekhyun's search has more to do with the little taste of freedom he had last night instead of any real enthusiasm for any finding any Chen. He has every intention to let Chanyeol babysit the male while he rests his sore muscles. Then he hears the familiar clanking of metal bins as they tumble down the stairs and Baekhyun's familiar yelp and he sighs deep and regretful, because he suddenly remembers that Chanyeol would have left for his class by now. Kris grabs his bag, curses any Heavenly body laughing at him and forces himself to trace Baekhyun's trail -who's already a rapidly shrinking figure on the road. The sun stings his eyes. It's been so long since he last stepped into any source of natural light. He pathetically runs after Baekhyun but can't catch up. Then he notices that the male himself is chasing school children. Oh God. No. Just no. He speeds up and reaches the menace just as he's about to follow the children inside the school gate. "Stop!" Kris hisses, grabs Baekhyun's wrist and pulls him back towards himself. "What are you doing?" "I'm looking for Chen." Kris is sure if he hears that name one more time... "I was not under the impression that Chen is under ten." "Oh no, Chen isn't that little. It's usually the Lost Boys," Kris makes a grand show of rolling his eyes, "But, you usually find Chen where there is happiness. And children are the happiest amongst everyone, aren't they? That's why Neverland calls out to them." Kris squints his eyes, as if doing so will tell him what drugs Baekhyun is on. Then he remembers that Baekhyun's supposed to be a mutant fairy, so he stops racking his brain for the other's words to make sense. "We should leave." Kris says when he hears the bell ringing. "I want to wait for Chen." Kris huffs. It's like dealing with a spoilt child. Somehow, he manages to convince Baekhyun to at least get away from the school and they crash in the park on the opposite side of the road. Baekhyun plays on the swings, climbs the jungle bars, takes the slide, the seesaw, the sandpit, everything. Kris verily sits on a bench and observes the smaller as he runs from one kiddy attraction to the next, finally approaching Kris when his nails are filled with grime, the knees of his jeans dirty and his eyes and grin so alight, they compete with the morning sun. "Maybe Chen will detect your happiness and find you." It's meant to sarcastic and it comes out anything but. Baekhyun seems jubilant with the comment, "Maybe," They both look up when two children come running into the park, one of them singing a nursery rhyme at the tops of his lungs. Kris isn't sure what the kids are doing here when they're supposed to be at school, but Baekhyun looks elated to see someone of his mental age, Kris believes. No sooner, he joins them with a bounce in his steps and the kids take to him like flies to a candy. Kris thinks Baekhyun would make a good babysitter. Baekhyun starts singing. This time there's no chiming bells or tinkering sounds. It's words and full sentences. It's a human voice, and it's beautifully melodious and it's beautifully Baekhyun. He's singing the nursery rhyme the boy came singing in his pitched voice. Kris doesn't know how Baekhyun manages to make the poem sound like a beautiful musical piece. He watches in awe as Baekhyun enchants his small audience. It's no wonder Chen marked Baekhyun his favourite. If Kris were in Chen's place, he'd have done it too. When midday rolls around, Kris has had enough. He's starving, he's sleepy and all of Baekhyun's optimism is killing him. Baekhyun is enjoying himself, and he's not ready to be cooped into an apartment. Kris pushes his backpack in the smaller's arms before he lifts Baekhyun up and hoists him over his shoulder. The male shrieks in surprise, but he laughs all the way back. Goddamn it, Baekhyun is not as light as he looks. Kris takes an apple from the kitchen, finishes it within a few bites on the way to his room and promptly falls asleep. He wakes up around sundown to the sight of Baekhyun laying on his stomach, on the mattress set on the floor next to his bed. "Hey," He beams at him. Kris wonders why Baekhyun's smiles always seem to make him so fuzzy and warm. "Have you eaten?" Kris asks. The other nods. "We're going there again today, right? The place with lights- the amusing park...?" Kris had forgotten all about that. He eyes his laptop lying on his study table, neglected since yesterday night. It's the longest he's gone without it, and the device makes sure to make him feel extremely guilty by looking extra shiny. "I'll see if Chanyeol can take you today." "Okay." Baekhyun nods enthusiastically. Kris frowns. It's so rude of Baekhyun to replace him so easily. Kris spends his previous, valuable, money making time with Baekhyun and he expects some appreciation for it. "Thank you, for everything so far." Baekhyun smiles widely. It's easily one of the best smiles Kris has ever seen and the only one he's been blinded by so far. - Kris tried. Really, he did. He wanted to spend tonight working on his laptop, hunching his back and having his eyes pierced by rays from computer screens. He slept all day, wearing out his exhaustion and he now wanted to get some work done. Instead he was once again taking the bus to the amusement park, one firm harm wrapped around Baekhyun's elbow. He belatedly notes that Baekhyun's clothes are pretty wrinkled and the male looks absolutely ridiculous in a pair of oversized slippers. The first thing he does is buy a pair of crocs for Baekhyun, who is utterly fascinated by the shoes -it's only too late when Kris realizes the shoes glow in the dark. Now the fairy keeps bumping into things because he can't keep his eyes off his feet. Kris pulls an arm around the other's waist to keep him steady and close. He wonders why his heart lurches when Baekhyun's arm also comes to hang around his waist. It's a repeat of yesterday; the Ferris wheel, carousal, flying scooters, pirate ship, troika, wind seeker and then some slow kiddy rides to keep the food from coming back out. Bakehyun rides alone this time, accompanied by kids, embarrassed siblings and overprotective parents on the slow children rides. Kris uses the time to practice on shooting games and realizes he has pretty decent hand-eye coordination. Maybe he can offer some other services too, apart from just writing ... He has to put an announcement for a lost person in outsized clothes and glowing crocs when Baekhyun does not meet him at the designated spot. This time he drags Baekhyun home before the public transits shut down. one | two