Turn Up The Bright Lights

Cruise From Hell

Some weeks later, the managers announced that Exo had been invited on a cruise around the East Sea that would last three weeks and stretched all the way up the Russian coast and back down again, with some ports in Japan and China on the itinerary as well. In return, they would be obligated to perform a little, but nothing that should prove too strenuous. All of the members were excited about it.
For Chanyeol, it felt like the honeymoon vacation after a wedding, and he and Baekhyun looked forward to the cruise for more than just one reason.
They drove down to Busan to catch the boat, using three vans to give everyone some space. Chanyeol was privately amused at the way they arranged themselves. He and Baekhyun shared the first van with Luhan and Sehun, who spent the majority of the trip in the far backseat, huddled together and talking in low voices. Chanyeol would have liked to have claimed the back seat to get a chance to cuddle with Baekhyun, but he didn't begrudge them their choice. He knew that Sehun wanted to get close to Luhan, and Luhan - while friendly - continually put him off. The second van contained Kris, Tao, Jongin, and Kyungsoo, while Lay, Xiumin, Chen, and Suho rode in the third. He was positive there was something between Tao and Kris, but he hadn't been able to figure out the exact details yet, and while there had been no hints of it, he was pretty sure there was something going on between Kai and D.O., too. It bothered him that he didn't know exactly what it might be. Privately, he began referring to the vans as The Couple Van, The Almost-Couple Van, and The Bachelor Van. Baekhyun laughed out loud when he shared it, drawing odd looks from the driver, the manager, and Luhan and Sehun in the back, but they refused to explain it, which added to Baekhyun's hilarity.
The trip was largely uneventful. Sehun fell asleep against Luhan's shoulder, and Chanyeol found the older singer smiling fondly at him, reaching up to gently move a lock of hair off his face. When Luhan looked up and found himself caught in the act of being tender, his face flushed and he looked away, but he made no move to shift Sehun off of him. Chanyeol tried to keep the smile off his face, but even when he failed he didn't comment. Luhan and Sehun had to work it out between themselves, and neither one would welcome any interference.
Though they'd left relatively early, it was getting dark by the time they reached Busan, and the managers arranged hotel rooms for them. The next morning they were woken at six, and arrived at the cruise ship just a couple of hours later. Sehun bounced excitedly, acting more like he was twelve than twenty-one. Luhan patiently kept an eye on him, and gave off an air of a particularly overwhelmed nanny. Once they were boarded and settled in, the captain came and greeted them personally, thanking them for agreeing to perform in exchange for the tickets.
"How else would we ever get a chance to go on a cruise?" Luhan piped up, animated. "It's a small exchange."
The captain looked pleased. "We hope the accommodations are to your liking. We've given you the entire floor, and all the rooms connect via the restrooms. There is also a large sitting room on this side of the hall," the Captain gestured to the wall with fewer doors that lined the hall. "It contains a private mini-theatre and a kitchenette, though if you have need of anything at all, please feel free to contact one of the servers at any time of the day or night." He bowed repeatedly, and to Chanyeol, seemed overwhelmed by their presence. They returned the bow in unison, and were given schedules of all the nights they would be performing, as well as an itinerary of performances by other singers, dancers, even a full play performed by a popular American theatre troupe. The schedule included the hours of the restaurants on other floors, when the pools would be open, and what ports they would visit along the trip. Sehun was practically vibrating with excitement, and eventually Luhan led him away. As if that was the cue, the group broke up again to choose rooms and conversation rose into a dull roar as they all started exclaiming over the various ports of call, the play, and the other forms of entertainment. The cruise was a decadent, luxurious trip based solely on a reckless hedonistic streak.
"What do you want to do first?" Chanyeol asked when he and Baekhyun were settled into their room and unpacked. Baekhyun flopped down on the gigantic bed and rolled around for a moment before answering.
"Sleep! It's got to be what, midnight?"
Chanyeol laughed and crawled onto the bed next to him. "Sure you're tired?"
Baekhyun gave his wicked smile. "Not too tired for you." He reached for him, and they kissed, among other things.