Euthymia

Cigarettes And Gasoline

The definition of an inconvenience: trouble or difficulty caused to one's personal requirements or comfort.

Chanyeol has a similar definition of the word. A couple, actually.

An inconvenience: cosmic power, predetermined fate, soulmate culture, hit jobs, angry bosses, gang wars, Byun Baekhyun.

Chanyeol sleeps on the roof remembering stars in his eyes and mulling over this definition. Inconveniences, inconveniences, inconveniences; his life became nothing but inconveniences overnight. He wakes up to the smell of coffee and the inside of a new car, the sun beating down on him and burning his skin. He sits up, a headache throbbing behind one eye, and looks across the street at the balcony. Of course that's where his eyes first go. But there are no rose gold satin pajamas or blonde hair with streaks of gray or salty tears to stare at anymore. Byun Baekhyun doesn't step foot on the balcony again. Instead he goes down to the first floor and rendezvouses with his chauffeur on the curb.

Chanyeol lunges forward, the sniper gun still sitting on the edge of the roof. Down below, on the busy street crowded with suits and luxury cars, Byun Baekhyun exits the building wearing uninteresting colors – a nude coat, a white shirt, a tan pair of pants, black shoes. His hair looks more gray than blonde in the morning light. Sunglasses mask his eyes. Chanyeol has that feeling again and he just knows his eyes frown as clear as his mouth does. He doesn't say anything to anyone; the chauffeur bows and the concierge waves goodbye, but Baekhyun keeps his head forward and slips into the backseat, missing a smile.

As the car departs, Chanyeol memorizes the plate number, ingraining the license plate into his mind. Follow him wherever he goes. Find another opportunity to kill. The cosmos want to make this his most challenging hit yet? Fine. Challenge accepted. He can kill his own mate, no problem. He can kill anyone.

He finds his motorcycle again and engages in a day-long tailing debacle that has him traveling all over Gangnam, no longer under the cover of night as if his situation isn't bad enough. Baekhyun goes to a bakery first to buy vanilla eclairs. His chauffeur remains in the car. He stands alone at the counter, fishing through his wallet for a card. Chanyeol points his gun at the side window, in between two buildings. Baekhyun takes his box of eclairs and walks away.

Then he drives to a club, an unlit neon sign reading The Taboo above the door. He takes the eclairs inside and offers breakfast to the employees. An early morning treat, but also a routine. Chanyeol watches through the back door. He takes aim when Baekhyun comes out of an office. He doesn't back out. The door simply blocked his path. Honestly.

After the club, Baekhyun goes grocery shopping. Except he doesn't do any of the work; he walks alongside his chauffeur with a checklist while the driver pushes around the shopping cart and collects the items. Lots of wine bottles, red meats, crispy vegetables, vegan ice creams. A pack of cigarettes. A couple of candles chosen by name and not by smell. Baekhyun doesn't take a whiff of any of them; the chauffeur chooses all the flower scented ones. Chanyeol follows behind with a dagger, a hood thrown over his head. Baekhyun never notices him because he won't get very close.

Next stop: the pharmacy. Baekhyun enters alone this time. The chauffeur doesn't see Chanyeol follow him inside. Baekhyun walks down one aisle and Chanyeol walks down the next one, watching his target between shelves and products. He tries to keep a reasonable distance, avoid Baekhyun picking up his alpha scent and noticing a problem, but his gun will do him no good in this cramped store. He needs his dagger, and a dagger requires close range.

With his hands in his pockets, fingers caressing the handle of the dagger, and a hood low over his eyes, Chanyeol wanders into the cream and lotion aisle. Lemons, strawberries, lavender fill the air. A little hint of something sweet and baked. Sugary and warm. Between two bottles of rosewater scented shower gel, he watches Baekhyun pick items off the shelves using only twenty percent of his focus. He has a small basket dangling from the crook of his elbow, tossing in all the omega products he came across.