I'm finally going to do that idea I mentioned three chapters ago. It's... A but different than the rest of the chapters. You'll quickly see what I mean.

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Baekhyun's POV

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While I definitely appreciated the fact my best friend was off across the world getting himself the love of his life, the least he could've done was bring me with. My palace offered no entertainment to me anymore, not after traversing the globe over by Junmyeon's side. Though I did miss seeing mother and father, and being back in their presence was comforting. There were only two people that could complete my perfect little picture. Though the likelihood of seeing either was slim to none.

Kyungsoo I understood. We'd finally reconnected after several months of silence, and Kyungsoo merely told me he'd been studying abroad for awhile and didn't want to upset me with the news. In many ways I understood his twisted logic. In other ways I still felt hurt over the fact. But it was what it was. He said the next time he found himself in Seoul he'd make the trek down to see me and explain better in person. I tensely told him I'd look forward to it. We talked in scattered conversations now.

But Chanyeol... Damn it all I fucked up so bad with him. Park Chanyeol was the son of a multi millionaire inventor (what he invented, I never could figure out. Chanyeol never said). We met when father drug me out of the house to a convention for the rich and noble, where all anyone did was swap stories and drink way too many fruity drinks. I'd been ready to blow my brains out. Or strangle myself with my tie, whatever happened first. Then Chanyeol quite literally fell into my life, tripping over his own too large feet and crashing into me, toppling us both. He was clumsy and apologetic and adorable and my heart damn near stopped the second I laid my eyes on him.

We discovered many shared interests between the two of us that night. A love of older video games and counsels. A mutual loathing of the positions that lay ahead of us in time. Chanyeol didn't have the same savvy with plants as I did (mother always claimed I'd popped out of the womb with a green thumb), but watching the way he handled the tiny seedlings like they were the most fragile things on the planet always spread a warmth through me. Chanyeol was goofy, sweet, lovable, cuddly. Overall a good person.

I'd been so hopelessly smitten with him it wasn't even funny.

Junmyeon made it look so... Well, not easy, per se. Effortless. Loving Yixing came so natural to him, like he'd never thought of doing anything else with his time. He made it seem like it wasn't such a bad thing. Maybe that was what pushed me into suddenly diverting his attention away from the game and kissing him. Junmyeon and Yixing made it look so flawless. It couldn't harm anything, right?

I doubted I'd ever forget the look on Chanyeol's face afterward. He sat, frozen, his mouth slightly open and eyes wide. The controller tumbled from his hands and onto the floor, long forgotten. He opened and closed his mouth like he wanted to say something to me, but no words came out. Something flashed across his face, a look I still couldn't decipher, and he was on his feet in an instant. Then he bolted. From my room. From my home. From me. I sat in my room so long after that, slowly breaking, wishing I had someone to talk to but not knowing where to go. Why did everyone good in my life have to leave me? We still hasn't spoken properly, several months later, aside from a random text reminding me not to miss this event or that gala or a million other things I didn't care about.

"Baekhyun?" I glanced up from my sketchbook, arching an eyebrow at mother framed in the doorway. She leaned heavily to one side, a small clay pot between her hands. She presented it to me. "The beginnings of a new cherry blossom tree," she said proudly.

"No way!" I exclaimed, throwing my book aside and springing up. "We've been trying to get them to take for years. How'd you do it?" Mother's lips upturned at the corners. I strode across the space and peered down, taking in the tiny sapling. I gently brushed my thumb along a little branch. "How'd you do it?" I repeated.

"Finally a mixture of soils it seemed to like," she explained. She set it down next to my door. Excitement flared inside me. That meant I would be the one to nurture it until it was ready to be transported to the front yard. "That's not all I came to say though," she added. "One, Junmyeon called a day or two ago requesting more sunflowers. I said I'd send a few seed packets with you the next time you visited." I nodded. Simple enough. "Two, there's someone here to see you." She jerked her head a little. "Come on. It's important."

"Okay?" I agreed hesitantly, falling in step just behind her as she led the way down the stairs. Passed several rooms we went, finally landing outside the dining hall. Mother turned, her lips pursed.

"They're in there," she said, motioning to the door. My curiosity only grew from there. Kyungsoo maybe? He didn't mention anything about coming here though. I swung the door open, peeking around. A figure near the back caught my eye. They stood near the head of the table, head bowed.

"Hello?" I called, startling the figure. Their head snapped up, and my heart dropped to my knees and rose again. I staggered back like I'd been hit, though I might as well have.

Chanyeol.

"Hey Baek," he greeted, his hand flying up to scratch the back of his head. I placed my hands on my hips, intending to be furious at him for giving me the cold shoulder and then suddenly appearing like nothing happened. But one look at his face and I knew I couldn't do it. My adorable, puppy like, giant boy was here. And my heart felt like it might burst out of my chest and race laps around the long table between us. "I'm so sorry Baek," Chanyeol babbled, inching closer. I stood, rooted, no chance of going anywhere any time soon. "I was just shocked and didn't know how to handle any of that." I balled my hands at my sides.

"So you left?" I accused, my voice pitching at the end. I didn't shout, barely rose my tone at all in fact, but the words seemed to slam into Chanyeol all the same. He winced, his forward progress halting. His hands came up, then dropped limply to his sides. He bowed his head again. I sucked in a breath, regaining my composure. "It's fine if you didn't like me back. It's fine if you didn't... Didn't return anything. But not calling? Not texting even though I sent you a million messages? Blotting me out of your life like some stain you didn't want to see anymore?" Chanyeol glanced up sharply, his gaze hardening. I gulped at the dark expression.

"I'm stupid, okay?" he said, spreading his hands out wide. "I never said I was smart. I know what I did was dumb. I know it was unfair to you. Mostly because..." He snapped his jaw shut. I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest, glancing away as tears began pricking at the backs of my eyes. "Baekie..." A shudder travelled down my spine at the nickname. His nickname for me. He was the only one who ever called me that. "Please can we... Start over? Start again?" And suddenly he dropped into a bow, his arm coming up to touch his chest. "Hello, I'm Park Chanyeol. And you are?" He straightened, closing the gap between us as the barest traces of a smile touched my features.

"Byun Baekhyun," I responded, offering my hand. He took it, his goofy smile that I adored so much returning. "Pleasure." When he released my hand, I let it fall to my side again. "What does bring you back here?" I asked at last. Chanyeol's smile dropped.

"I, uh, need some advice," he said. I hummed. "I think I like someone." My stomach sank. Chanyeol had a crush? And he came to me for advice? That seemed like an awful idea. But I swallowed my own feelings. Chanyeol had finally come back to see me after months of avoiding me. I should've been utterly thrilled. "I've liked this person for awhile," he continued. I plastered a smile on my face. "They're constantly on my mind. They're super sweet and caring. They like games. And I don't know how to tell them."

"They sound nice," I gritted, hoping it didn't come out forced. Chanyeol sighed. Then his expression lit up again as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Wanna see a picture of them?" he asked. Wordlessly, I nodded. I didn't trust myself to speak right now. Not when Chanyeol was so close but so, so far. His fingers danced across his screen, his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth in concentration. I waited impatiently, already trying to picture what they would look like. "Found one," he said, turning the screen to face me. I glanced over. And my brain short circuited.

"But..." I trailed off, words failing me. Chanyeol smiled softly, nudging me with the phone. I took it with trembling fingers, gazing down at the picture on the screen. A window in the background, the sun beginning to set as it threw colors on the walls. And... Me. "But..." I looked to him, confusion overtaking any other emotion.

"I know I'm trash for saying this now, especially after everything I've put you through." He took his phone back and tucked it into his pocket. "I know I should have said something sooner. But my thoughts and feelings felt so jumbled and confusing and I didn't know how to handle any of it. That night you kissed me... I wanted to do it again." My eyes widened a little. "And, maybe this is so selfish, but I was so scared to want it more. Being gay isn't acceptable. Not where we grow up. But Junmyeon and Yixing... They get to make it work. They get their happy ending. Why can't I have mine too?" He heaved a breath, his shoulders slumping. My brain went a million kilometers an hour, trying to process his confession. "I guess what I'm saying here is this. I really, really like you Baekhyun. More than my friend. I have for awhile."

"I..." It still kind if felt like someone flattened my brain with a mallet. What was happening here. I shook my head. "Don't you ever pull a stunt like you did again, okay?" I said, my hands on my hips. He laughed unexpectedly, the sound bouncing off the walls around us. He surged forward, scooping me up until my feet didn't touch the ground. He twirled us around as he laughed some more, and soon I joined him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He stopped and set me down, but didn't let go, instead touching his forehead to mine.

"You drive me crazy Byun Baekhyun," he confessed, giving my waist a little squeeze. "But I wouldn't want it any other way." I grinned like crazy, tears brewing again, but this time of relief and happiness. I buried my face in his chest, sniffling a little as I felt him squeeze me again. Eventually he captured my chin in his fingers, gently lifting it so we were face to face again. "What do you say Baekie? Want to be my boyfriend?"

"Yes Chanyeol, I do," I whispered. "I do." Chanyeol smiled again, his fingers going from my chin to the back of my head. He wrapped his other arm around my middle and pulled me closer, crashing our lips together messily. It was far from a perfect kiss, but damn it all it drove me wild all the same. I closed my eyes and kissed him back, only pulling apart when we couldn't breathe. Chanyeol gazed down at me, eyes full of wonder and stars, and for the first time ever, I understood what Junmyeon always talked about.

Right here, right now, I felt like I'd finally found something that was missing and I didn't even know it. I found my home. I found my forever.

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CHANBAEK! For those who've patiently waited, and for everyone who asked what happened. I know it's not Sulay, but their relationship was just as important in the main story. Besides, who doesn't like fluff?

Not even gonna lie to ya'll this was supposed to get put up long ago but Ateez got on vlive and I'm freaking whipped so off I went.