Like Night and Day

Black and White

By the time Baekhyun clocked out of work, the sun had gone down. He stepped onto the streets after saying good-bye to the old man and the older co-workers. Jihoon was one of them. As Baekhyun found out, the man was three years older than him. Taking a break from college, it seemed fitting for a music major to take up a job with something that involved music even if it meant only stocking and keeping inventory of merchandise.

Baekhyun treated all his new co-workers the same, always at an arm's length away to a point where they were only close enough for workplace comfort.

The shop was fairly far from his house, but Baekhyun preferred to walk rather than riding his bike to and from work. Walking in the night usually gave him time to think; however, the thoughts that visited him weren't too bright and happy on any subject that came to mind.

Turning at a corner to head down a street full of neon lights and visiting people, Baekhyun stopped when he looked up from the ground and saw Chanyeol standing not too far from a cupcake store. As soon as he noticed him, he saw the boy smile, raising the brown bag in his hand up in the air.

It wasn't a rare occurrence for Chanyeol to meet with him after his hours were done, but it was uncommon for it to be unannounced. Baekhyun thought nothing of it, shaking his questions away with every step that closed the gap between them.

"You look tired," Chanyeol commented, tilting his head to the right. "Rough day?"

Shaking his head, Baekhyun let the giant intertwine their fingers together before walking down the street again. "No. There were just a lot of boxes and number crunching today. Kind of boring, but I shouldn't complain about something I get paid for to do."

"When you get home, you should treat yourself to a nice bath or something. I got you that cherry scented candle jar a while ago. Have you used it yet?"

Baekhyun yawned. "Yes. It smells nice, but I don't know. I think I'm going to take a quick shower and go to sleep right after."

"That's good, too," Chanyeol reasoned. Then he remembered the bag he was holding. "I stopped by the bakery just before they closed on my way here. The rolls are still kind of warm. Are you hungry?"

"Not particularly," Baekhyun responded. Nonetheless, he took the brown bag from Chanyeol's hand. "I'll see if I can do anything with these when I get home."

"Butter them up and just eat them."

"I think the carbs will go straight to my ass if I did that," Baekhyun said, laughing softly when he looked up and saw Chanyeol's face. "I'm guessing you wouldn't be too opposed to that."

"Not really," the giant said with a shrug.

Weaving around people going in the opposite direction, Baekhyun tried his best to keep around the same pace as Chanyeol. The feat wasn't easy especially with their different leg lengths, but Baekhyun managed.

Once pedestrian traffic ceased, Baekhyun noticed how Chanyeol wasn't as talkative as he usually was. Curious, as they walked by an empty children's park, Baekhyun stopped, pulling Chanyeol from his quiet state.

"What's wrong?"

Baekhyun raised a brow. "Isn't that my line?" he asked, giving a half smile. "Why're you so quiet tonight? Did the physics homework make you depressed?"

Grinning, Chanyeol shook his head as he pulled Baekhyun closer to him and kept them walking at a slow pace. "No. I think I actually did good without you this time."

Snorting, Baekhyun looked at him, feigning disappointment. "Sounds like you don't need me coming over anymore."

"No! I'm still terrible at it, I swear," Chanyeol refuted. "Honestly, if I ever stop needing you for homework, I'd go out and break a leg or something just so you'll come over to hang out with sad, injured me."