EVERLAST [EXO Baekhyun]

FINALE - EVERLAST

Two days after being rescued, Baekhyun found himself getting his hair ruffled and his ass smacked by the man he missed more than anything in the universe. It took two days to get medical care and give statements to the police about what happened, but it was a painless process. Now Baekhyun was back in New York. And not only that, but he was back in his roommate's arms as well.

"You're never traveling without me again," Chanyeol said, his voice edging on a dramatic whine and genuine concern. Chanyeol continued to ruffle his hair, squeezing Baek's ass perhaps a bit too hard before pulling back to inspect his face. "You left me here, worried sick. How dare you. I had to buy a cat to cope."

"You had to... What?"

'Meow'

A fur-covered body came over, sitting and staring at Baekhyun from its spot on the polished wooden floor. It was plopped down right in the middle of their living room, hints of scratch marks littering the side of their dark couch. Luckily, their TV was still on its stand and no signs of damage was there. Their rug was also intact, and that didn't even have a scratch on it. Baekhyun didn't realize there were two scratching posts in the corner of the room until that moment when he glanced around.

"You bought a cat?" Baek asked, raising a brow.

"Maybe."

"Does our landlord allow cats?"

Chanyeol grinned. "No."

Baekhyun whacked the man on the shoulder, and Chanyeol giggled like a baby. Although Baekhyun could see the pain in his irises. His gut churned at the thought of the sleepless nights Chanyeol got, or the tears he shed because of Baekhyun's disappearance. It was a thought he couldn't bear, so he threw it in a box and swallowed the key. Metaphorically, anyway.

Baek knelt and pet the animal behind the ears, and it purred because of the touch. Its coat was black, the body resembling the length of only a kitten and not a fully grown cat. Baekhyun sighed and shook his head, shifting his attention back to Chanyeol. Chanyeol was, ironically enough, giving Baekhyun puppy eyes.

"Well, you weren't here, so I made the executive decision to get a cat. This is our cat now. Her name is Marbles."

"Marbles?"

"Marbles, like those little marble ball things you play with. Isn't that cute?"

"You're something else, Chanyeolie," Baekhyun said as he stood, giving Chanyeol's shoulder a squeeze. "And before you ask me for the fourteenth time: yes, I'm okay. I even met a girl, and I-"

Just like that, Chanyeol led Baekhyun to the couch and sat. Marbles came over and laid down in front of them, licking her paws and listening to their conversation. "You met a girl?" Chanyeol asked, his little gasp the most adorable thing Baek had ever heard. "Tell me about her. All the details. Even the gross ones. Yes, even the sexy stuff. I'm your best friend, don't hold back any details, okay? Like really, not a single on-"

"Chanyeol."

"Sorry."

Baekhyun snickered and leaned back, the cushions welcoming his weight. "Her name is Kim Rona, she's a businesswoman who works around here. She was on that plane since she was visiting the company's headquarters in Seoul. We ended up being the only survivors of that crash, and we had to survive together. Best part: she was such an asshole."

"Tell me there's a but coming."

"Kind of," Baek said, his eyes averting to the ceiling for a moment. "She taught me a lot, Chanyeol. And I think I taught her a lot too. We inspired each other to be better. I gave her a bit more of an open-mind, and she gave me a much needed reality check on my optimism."