Phantasmagoria

25 | Pretend

Baekhyun closed his eyes and focused back to what Luhan had told him, what Luhan had done when Chanyeol stopped by his home that day. He knew exactly who was trapping him right so he kept telling himself that if he didn't see him, he wasn't there, nothing was.

"Baekhyun you have to forget him, he used you... How can you still be in love with.. with someone like that!" Luhan closed the book Baekhyun was reading and glared at him, the latter whined and looked up at the blonde with a pout. "Now I need to find the page again!" Luhan stared at Baekhyun's lips for a while, he softly ghosted his hand on the smaller's should.

He's been patient since middle school. He has been waiting patiently for this moment.

The deer boy delicately turned Baekhyun around to face him and looked down at the floor with a smile that could break at any second. "Baekhyun... Can I be a little selfish today...? Just for today?"

The latter blinked. "Do... You want the last slice of cheesecake in the fridge? Is this what this is about? You can have it if you want it that bad–"

"Goddammit Baekhyun! It's not about that!" The older rose his voice which alarmed the younger slightly. Luhan snapped his head back up with a sad smile, tears threatening to fall from his glassy eyes.

The latter opened his mouth to ask what was wrong and at that moment Luhan had leaned in and kissed him.

Baekhyun's eyes widened. Luhan snaked his hand down the latter's arm, knowing he might want to get away like he did with Chanyeol. This was nothing like the time he kissed the giant, his lips fit perfectly on his and Luhan's didn't. Chanyeol deepened the kiss and Luhan didn't. The giant's lips were softer than the deer boy's lips and sweeter too. The latter knew better than to compare tho, he gave in and kissed back.

The kiss didn't last long, the blonde soon pulled away.

Baekhyun gazed at Luhan with half lidded eyes.

"I should hold up after that." Luhan smiled, "Alright, back to studying now. C'mon! Focus dammit!" The blonde flicked at Baekhyun's forehead like nothing had ever happened and he had no choice but to comply...

"Baekhyun."

He's not here.

"Baekhyun."

If I pretend he's not.

"Goddammit Baekhyun, tell me what I did so I can fix it from there!"

Baekhyun snapped his eyes open and his fierce gaze met Chanyeol's annoyed eyes. He couldn't see very well since the room was dark but he knew he was glaring down at him.

"Oh? So you don't even know what the hell you did wrong?!" The latter rose his voice at the taller. He wasn't pleased with how Baekhyun was acting.

"If I did we wouldn't be in this situation and you wouldn't be out there avoiding me like the fucking plague for fucks sake!" Chanyeol snapped back. "Why don't you fucking tell me so we can get all this sorted?"

"You seriously don't know?" Baekhyun chuckled quietly. "Unbelievable." He chuckled again, only this time louder, the latter began laughing hysterically while Chanyeol just stood there and watched, afraid to do anything to further anger the tiny trapped man.

"You might wanna go to the hospital and say you're suffering from amnesia or else there is no other way I'd believe you. Not now anyways..." Baekhyun muttered to himself with a crooked smile, he began laughing again, his laughter soon enough escalated to sobbing. The latter covered his face as he quietly let the tears fall.

Chanyeol's eyes widened, he moved Baekhyun's delicate hands away and pull his chin up so he was looking at him.

With a tiny voice, it all began... Or should I say, it all unraveled.

"W-Why haven't you left yet...? D.. D-Do you just want to s-see me in m-more pain..? That's i-it, isn't it..?" Chanyeol could feel his heart shatter, he cupped Baekhyun's cheeks and smiled down at him.

"Why would I leave you here like this? When you have snoot running down your nose like this." He chuckled, the smaller sniffed, which made Chanyeol's heart feel like it was getting stomped on. "You know, you look beautiful when you cry... But I'd rather have you happy than upset." The taller softly swiped his thumb across Baekhyun's face to wipe his salty tears away. "Your bright smile is better than your tears." Baekhyun grabbed the giant's wrist with one hand, the other, he put over Chanyeol's hand. "S-Stop leading me on... It's not funny..."

"Not until you realise what my true intentions are."

"What d-do you mean? You weren't using me all this time? You–"

"What? Of course not! I wouldn't kiss just anyone in the street, I have standards." Baekhyun smiled softly. "And you've met them all so far."

Baekhyun felt his knees melting, he had to keep himself standing, to know the actual truth.

"I'd never use you, or take advantage of you, I didn't mean to. I apologise if you felt like you were used..."

Baekhyun stayed silent. It was good enough.

Chanyeol sighed. It was about time he told the latter, everything, from the very start.

"It's useless trying to hide this any longer so I might as well tell you about it, you deserve to know." Chanyeol took the latter's hand in his and softly pulled him to a desk. Baekhyun tilted his head.

"Know what?" The taller pulled a chair for Baekhyun then at across from him, their hands never separated.

"Do you know the clothes I gave you that one night you spent at my house?" Baekhyun nodded hesitantly, thinking back to that day. "I thought they were your old clothes or something, they didn't look like they could fit you." Chanyeol inhaled deeply. "That's because they can't. Those weren't my clothes. Nor were they yours, or any of my maids."

"Then who?"

"I don't know. They didn't have a name."

Baekhyun looked even more confused now, he was hoping his wasn't what he thought.

"When I was in middle school, I met someone who looked awfully like you. If you two just so happen to stand next to each other, you'd look like twins. We never got close back then, they were always an outcast, ignored by teachers and students. When I first joined this school and I saw you, I thought that it was it, I could see them again, I finally knew their name! I thought you were them for the first few days, but as we became closer, I began to notice differences. The closer we got, the easier it was to spot them. And the closer we got, the more differences I found."

(the next chapter will be chanyeol's backstory.)

To Be Continued...