Boss Complex

28. Akihabara Lovers

Chanyeol appraises the man standing before him. Five foot nothing and some change at best, his brown hair side swept on his face, pastel blue button down shirt tucked into pastel yellow skinny jeans with a Lilly Pulitzer blue pattern belt. He scrolls absently through pictures on the ipad in the lobby, looking at the various guests who have been through there with a far off expression.

"Ready?" Chanyeol asks.

He looks up, eyes lighting at the sight of him like he was special from all the rest, and Chanyeol almost backs out of his plans for the night. Almost.

"Come here! Let's take a picture!"

Chanyeol rolls his eyes but he lets himself be pulled into contentment by the infectious presence of his love and poses for a picture.

"What is this bullshit?" Baekhyun asks after looking down at the result. "Are you using aegyo? Where did this cuteness come from?"

Chanyeol's cheeks heat and he shoves Baekhyun. The man abandons the ipad to follow baekhyun to their cubbies, unlocking the shoe box and pulling forth his shoes without giving into Baekhyun's teasing.

"Chanyeol! You're secretly very cute aren't you?" Baekhyun demands and Chanyeol grabs the man's hand and pulls him along without checking to make sure he's gotten his shoes on, leaving Baekhyun to tap his foot a few times as he stumbles along.

"I can't be the cute one in this relationship, you've clearly taken that title." His boss states with some finality as he hails one of the resting cabs.

"That's true. But you're not as much of a stick in the mud as you seem."

"I'm not a stick in the mud."

They climb into the backseat of the cab and Baekhyun quickly settles in at Chanyeol's side, head resting on his shoulder.

"Are you going to be this sticky all day?"

Baekhyun shakes his head no and takes a long breath.

"I'm going to be this sticky with you forever."

Chanyeol looks out the window, his heart torn at how nice that sounds.

The trains on the Yamanote line have velvet seats with white handles hanging from the ceilings. Despite the misconception that the trains are always packed in downtown Tokyo, it's actually not so bad at 10 in the morning on the Yamamoto line on this day. Seats are available but some people choose to stand. Housewives with big shopping bags chatter together and college kids hold books covered in brown and blue book covers in their hands. A lone child sits with his mother and the rest of the strangers gathered together adhere to the "Manner" posters stuck to the windows stating you should be quiet, mindful of others and keep your personal devices on silent.

The city whirs past, an endless sea of sekisui housing and apartments, greenery lost between the colors of rooftops and power lines and Baekhyun turns from where he's seated at the window to find Chanyeol standing over him, admiring a different scenery. He takes in the way Baekhyun looks around, his eyes wide on the adventures unhad, still waiting and he wonders just for a moment if this is the way he'd always feel when he lay eyes on the man before him. However sure he is in the feelings he has right now, he couldn't be sure that throwing away his family, his fortune, his security and all he's ever worked for and effectively sabotaging Baekhyun's only hope at familial dignity would be worth it in the long run. He was sure he'd never fall in love, and that had been false. Now he's sure he wants to be with Baekhyun forever but what if that too changes?

Mamonaku akihabara, akihabara eki e touchakushimasu

Chanyeol reaches for Baekhyun's hand at the sound of the lady ovet the loud speaker snnouncing their immin arrival and pulls him up from the seat, loving the way the man collides with his chest as he looses footing whrn the train starts to come to a stop.