Chapter Text
Header by @FLAU
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“You can't be serious.”
Chanyeol rolled his eyes, taking a sip from his coffee. “It’s not like I’m asking you to go to Iraq.”
“It certainly feels like it, though.” Kyungsoo tilted his head and pursed his lips. “No, wait. It’s actually worse. I’d rather go to Iraq.”
“It’s a date, Kyungsoo-ya.” Chanyeol gestured at the table between them that was set with coffee and two plates. Their cakes hadn’t been served yet.
“Sitting at a table with you and… this,” Kyungsoo argued with a quick glance at the chair next to him, “isn’t a date. How did you even get the idea?”
Chanyeol sighed, pushing a hand through his black hair. “We never have time for dates, do we? We’re finally off for a few days at the same time. I’ve always wanted to go on a double date with my best friend. It’s romantic.”
Kyungsoo looked unimpressed. “And you couldn’t find actual people who wanted to go on a date with you?”
Chanyeol laughed at that. He had known beforehand that Kyungsoo wouldn’t be enthusiastic about it, but seeing him sulk like that made it look like he had the worst day of his life. “Real people make everything complicated. Look. This is nice. We’re having a coffee date with two beautiful ladies.”
With a snort, Kyungsoo picked up the teddy bear from the chair next to him and threw it right at Chanyeol’s face. “You’re nuts.”
Trying to dodge the teddy bear, Chanyeol hid his face behind his arms, but wasn’t quick enough.
“You made me get out of bed, dress nicely and actually drive down here for an hour to make me go on a double date with fucking teddy bears?” Kyungsoo crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I should have known it. How could I believe that not only one, but two women would agree to meet up with you?”
Kyungsoo wasn’t wrong with that. After all, their job made it difficult to go on dates, let alone pursue a romantic relationship. Their days off were rare, and even then, a call could always come, so they were always on standby.
Them having a whole week off was only possible because they had finished a mission in North Korea that had been more than dangerous. Chanyeol briefly let his hand brush along the side of his stomach. Under his t-shirt he could feel the gauze covering the wound - a dull pulsing accompanying his every move.
If only he were allowed to tell anyone about the missions he went on with his alpha team. He was sure there’d be plenty of women impressed by that.
“Hey,” Chanyeol protested. “I could find a hundred women interested in going on a date with me.”
Kyungsoo snorted. “Yeah, sure. I can find you a hundred girls who would like to date a soldier. You, specifically?” He pulled a face. “Nope. No chance.”
Chanyeol kicked Kyungsoo’s shin under the table. “And you call yourself my best friend.”
About to reply, Kyungsoo opened his mouth, but quickly shut it when the waitress came with their cakes. He seemed to instantly forget what he had wanted to say when he saw what Chanyeol had ordered.
Just like Chanyeol had anticipated, Kyungsoo forgot everything else when he was served good food.
“Lemon meringue?” Kyungsoo asked, inspecting the tarte.
“Your favourite.” Chanyeol took the caramel brown teddy bear Kyungsoo had thrown at him and placed it back in the chair next to his best friend. “Sour, tart and yet sweet.”
Kyungsoo threw him a short glance from his dark brown eyes, obviously understanding the hint, before he pointed at Chanyeol’s plate. “What did you get?”
“Strawberry cream.” Chanyeol smirked. “Yes, you get to try it.”
“I didn’t ask.”
“You don’t have to.”
The smile on Kyungsoo’s lips was genuine when he picked up his fork. “Just three more days,” he mumbled before taking the first bite. “Time’s running.”
Chanyeol hummed, not touching his cake. The thought of their next mission made his stomach turn slightly. He felt like he had spent more time at the demilitarised zone this year than he had at his own flat.
Then again, time at his own flat was rare anyways. The majority of the year was spent at the headquarters just outside Seoul where he shared a room with Kyungsoo, Junmyeon and Minseok. They had been roommates from the first day, and somehow, over the curse of the past seven years that hadn’t changed.
Chanyeol was comfortable with them, and all three of them were like brothers to him by now.
“Have you heard of Minseok?” Chanyeol asked.
“No,” Kyungsoo said, drawing his brows together. “He hasn’t replied to my texts.”
“Well, he probably didn’t because you never reply to our texts, either.” Chanyeol put his arm on the backrest of the chair next to him, where he had placed a white teddy bear that had a pink ribbon around its neck.
Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “I guess he didn’t reply to yours?”
Chanyeol wrinkled his nose, and shook his head. “But Junmyeon did.”
“I don’t text Junmyeon if I don’t have to.”
“Didn’t he text you every day of the past week?” Chanyeol tilted his head, blinking. Not a day had gone by for him that Junmyeon hadn’t texted or called, asking if Chanyeol’s wound was healing properly.
“Of course he did. He’s Junmyeon.” Kyungsoo shrugged as he finished his tarte. “I left him on read.”
Chanyeol laughed, shaking his head as he took another bite. In a way Chanyeol admired Junmyeon for the responsibility he felt towards them – Junmyeon was the born leader and the most reliable person Chanyeol knew. He’d never admit it out loud, but the way Junmyeon cared so much, not just as their commander, but as a friend, touched Chanyeol deeply.
That didn’t change the fact that Junmyeon was the image of a mother hen, too – and neither of them could let him live that down.
Chanyeol wanted to tell Kyungsoo about the last thing Junmyeon had texted him, but noticed that his best friend was distracted. He followed Kyungsoo’s line of vision and saw a group of young men running past the café.
“What’s going on there?”
Kyungsoo tilted his head and leaned to the side to not lose sight of them. “They’re chasing someone.”
Frowning, Chanyeol turned around to keep his eyes on them, too.
“Shit.” Kyungsoo pulled a face. “They’re ganging up on him.”
Chanyeol got up from his chair and gestured for the waitress. “We’ll be back in a minute. Keep an eye on our girls, would you?”
He heard her stammer out a confused “But, Sir, you have to…”, then he was out of the door, hearing Kyungsoo following him.
“Just for good measure, I’d like to remind you that we’re off,” Kyungsoo said as he caught up to Chanyeol.
“You’re not off from serving the country, Kyungsoo-ya.” Chanyeol stopped when they reached an alleyway with a dead end. A bunch of at least six people were ganging up on a boy that didn’t look much older than twenty.
Kyungsoo sighed. “Guess not.”
“Hey,” Chanyeol yelled, slowly walking towards the group. “What’s going on here?”
Several heads turned around to them, and one guy lifted a brow, looking unimpressed. “None of your business, grandpa.”
Chanyeol snorted. “Grandpa, hm?”
“Looks like there’s a bit of an unfair fight going on,” Kyungsoo said, burying his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
“He stole from us, so we’re just teaching him a lesson.” One of the guys turned around fully now and crossed his arms in front of his bulky chest.
“Maybe that can be solved without using violence?” Chanyeol suggested.
“Why don’t you just keep walking?” another one of the men replied.
“Why don’t you let it go?” Kyungsoo stepped up to stand beside Chanyeol. “Then we’ll let you get away with it and no one’s getting hurt.”
The bulky one laughed, coming closer. “You threatening me, dwarf?”
Chanyeol crossed his arms, knowing that he wouldn’t have to do much. Provoking Kyungsoo usually ended in a hospital visit for the other party. No matter how big the party.
“Listen.” Kyungsoo cleared his throat. “I’ll give you one last chance. Turn around and leave, and we’ll forget about this.”
“You’ll forget about it one way or the other.” One of the guys almost jumped at Kyungsoo, his fist flying at high speed towards Kyungsoo's face.
With a calm tilt of his head, Kyungsoo dodged the fist, grabbed the man’s arm and threw him to the ground. He immediately got hold of another man’s head when he was attacked from his left. Chanyeol nodded, appreciating Kyungsoo’s moves.
He certainly was the best in close combat out of their group.
When four of them came at Kyungsoo at once, Chanyeol decided to help. He was sure that Kyungsoo could do it on his own, but why should he miss out on all the fun? With a smooth turn, Chanyeol tackled one of the guys to make him stumble directly into one of the others. Immediately, they attacked him, too, and Chanyeol saw the bulky one take out a knife.
“They’re playing dirty,” he commented when he came back to back with Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo snorted. “Not really surprising, is it?”
They parted again, both taking on two of the men at once. Chanyeol grabbed the bulky one’s wrist and twisted it until he dropped the knife, then Chanyeol kicked the other man’s knees to make him buckle. Fisting his hand in the bulky man’s hair, Chanyeol yanked him down to smash their heads together.
When he let go, they were both whining in pain.
“Took you long enough,” Kyungsoo said, arms crossed in front of his chest.
The rest of the group was down the alleyway, almost vanishing around the corner.
Chanyeol rolled his eyes and let the two remaining men run, too. “You’re such a show-off.”
Kyungsoo just smirked and approached the guy the others had been chasing. His face was bruised, his nose and lip bleeding, and he held his side like he was in pain. He didn’t look older than twenty, now that Chanyeol got a better look at him.
“That looks like you could need a doctor,” Kyungsoo mumbled.
“I don’t need anything.” The boy spit out blood.
Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol got out his mobile. “I’ll call an ambulance and ask for a first aid kit at the café.”
When he left the alleyway, he could see the waitress already standing in front of the café, looking lost. As soon as she saw him, she grabbed her chest and heaved a sigh of relief.
“Sorry, love.” Chanyeol followed her back inside the café. “Thank you for keeping our girlfriends company.”
She just frowned at him and got the bill. “I thought you’d run off without paying.”
“I wouldn’t.” Chanyeol collected the teddy bears and got out his credit card to pay. “Do you have a first aid kit here?”
“Just plasters and disinfection.” She tilted her head, obviously checking him for visible wounds.
“Can I get a bunch of napkins then?”
Without asking, she handed him the ones lying on the counter, so Chanyeol winked at her, which made her blush. For a second, Chanyeol pondered if he should act on that, but decided against it.
Instead, he turned around and left with a nonchalant wave of his hand. It wasn’t like he’d force himself to date a woman anyways. He’d been there; he tried that. Chanyeol had long come to the realisation that he’d never end up with a woman, so he didn’t even look back.
He squeezed the teddy bears under one arm and called the ambulance to tell them where to come.
“Of course you’d pick up the teddy bears.” Kyungsoo shook his head when Chanyeol came back. “What I don’t see is a first aid kit.”
“They didn’t really have anything of use.” Chanyeol knelt down next to Kyungsoo, poking the boy’s arm. He hissed in pain. “Looks like you’re pretty beat up.”
“Just leave me alone.”
Kyungsoo shook his head, sighing in annoyance and looked around to find something to stabilise the boy’s arm with. Chanyeol pushed the boy back carefully to make him lie down, but made him cry out.
“Are you fucking trying to kill me?” he asked, batting Chanyeol’s hand away.
Chanyeol lifted a brow. “You’re taking good care of that yourself.”
With the napkins, Chanyeol secured the teddy bears on each side of the boy’s neck to stabilise him. Kyungsoo came back with a few pieces of wood he tied to the boy’s wrist. He was complaining throughout all of it, telling them to get lost and threatening to pay it all back tenfold.
The ambulance arrived shortly after and Chanyeol got up to greet the paramedics and inform them about the boy’s injuries. “I think he may have a few broken ribs, and his wrist is sprained. His face is pretty beat up, so maybe he’s got a concussion, too.”
“Do you know who did this?” The paramedic wanted to know. “Looks like we have to get the police involved.”
“No police,” the boy croaked from behind them where another paramedic checked on him.
Chanyeol exchanged a look with Kyungsoo – they were both aware that getting the police involved would mean writing endless reports for them.
Clearing his throat, Chanyeol shrugged a shoulder. “Not sure that’s of any use here.”
The paramedic joined his colleague to help him put the injured boy on a stretcher, so Chanyeol stepped back and touched Kyungsoo’s shoulder to lean in to him, when he joined Chanyeol.
“They’re distracted. Should we see ourselves out before the police get here?” he whispered.
“Absolutely.” Kyungsoo slowly took a step back. “Not gonna write any reports this week.”
Without the paramedics noticing, they sneaked out of the alley and then sped up to get away as quickly as possible. When they reached a crowded street lined by shops and cafés, Chanyeol slowed down and bent over to catch his breath.
“How can your stamina be that weak?” Kyungsoo asked, standing next to him, shaking his head. “You’re an elite soldier. Special forces. A sprint shouldn’t tire you out like that.”
“Fuck off.” Chanyeol inhaled deeply. The wound on his stomach throbbed vigorously, making it hard to breathe. “I’m on holiday.”
They kept walking slowly, blending in with the crowd.
“What a shame. The date was going really well.” Chanyeol buried his hands in the pockets of his olive green bomber jacket to keep himself from touching his side even more.
“Only because the teddy bear couldn’t talk back,” Kyungsoo said. “I could see in her face that she hated it.”
Laughing, Chanyeol tilted his head back. “She didn’t. She loved me.”
“She'd have rather been in the room of a toddler, who pulls at her ears and rips her stuffing out than spend one more minute with you.” Kyungsoo stopped at a shop, checking out the showcase.
“Yours is probably happy she’s tied to the neck of some rascal instead of having to sit next to you,” Chanyeol shot back.
“I’ve got a photo of yours looking like they’re screaming internally.”
“You do not!” Chanyeol shoved Kyungsoo. “As if you took photos.”
Kyungsoo shoved his hand in the pocket of his dark grey jacket. “I do. She looked so miserable. I knew I’d need it as bribing material one day.”
Chanyeol watched as Kyungsoo checked his other pocket, before he slid his hands inside the pockets of his jeans and started frowning to himself. Frantically, Kyungsoo started to run his hands across his torso, pulling his jacket open to check the pockets inside.
“My mobile is gone,” he finally stated.
“Maybe you lost it while we were running.”
The expression on Kyungsoo’s face told Chanyeol that he doubted that.
“How can your reflexes be that weak?” he immediately asked. “You’re an elite soldier. Special forces. How did you not notice a clumsy boy stealing your phone?”
Kyungsoo was wise enough not to answer that.
Bickering with each other, they turned around again, but when they made it back to the alleyway, the ambulance was gone and there was no sign of what had happened there mere fifteen minutes ago.
“That little shit,” Kyungsoo growled.
Taking out his own mobile phone, Chanyeol tried calling Kyungsoo’s phone. It rang several times, but no one picked up.
With a sigh, Kyungsoo turned around. “I’m not sure, but I think it’s on mute.”
“Well.” Chanyeol patted Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “Your captain will have to take care of that.”
“I hate that you’re a rank above me.” Kyungsoo shook off Chanyeol’s hand.
“Let’s get to the nearest hospital and see if we can find that little rascal.”
Kyungsoo fell into step with Chanyeol and their shoulders brushed. “Let’s just hope there won’t be any reports involved.”
“I’ll try to prevent it,” Chanyeol promised.
+++
“What’s the memo?” Baekhyun asked as he came outside.
Yixing checked the tablet again. “Apparently, the patient got into a fight. Probably rib fractures, a sprained wrist and concussion.”
Baekhyun pursed his lips. “Seriously. Thought fights like that only happened in dramas anymore.”
The ambulance stopped in front of them and when the door was opened, one of the paramedics got out, approaching Baekhyun. His colleague pushed the stretcher out of the car, revealing a young man with two teddy bears tied to his neck and a strange construction of wood and napkins covering his arm.
“What’s that?” Baekhyun asked, touching one of the teddy bears.
The paramedic tilted his head. “Someone gave first aid. Quite creative, if you ask me.”
“Looks like he got lucky that person found him.” Baekhyun gestured for Yixing to push the stretcher inside. “Anything else I should know?”
“We didn’t get police involved yet, because he won’t tell us anything about who did it to him.” The paramedic handed Baekhyun a mobile phone. “It keeps ringing, but we haven’t picked up, because … well, the caller’s name seems suspicious.”
“So you thought, leave the unpleasant part to the hospital staff,” Baekhyun said, unimpressed. Paramedics had to get to the next site, so he understood. “We’ll deal with him.”
“He’s complaining the whole time. Don’t be too gentle with him,” the paramedic told him.
Grinning, Baekhyun patted the paramedic’s arm. “Got it. Thanks.”
He followed Yixing inside the A & E department, preparing for a difficult case – not in treating a few fractures, but in getting the patient to talk.
“Can you tell me your name?” Baekhyun asked when a couple of nurses had helped put the patient on a bed. He inspected the boy’s eyes, pulling a lid up and flashing a light to check his reflexes.
“None of your business,” the boy snapped at him.
“All right.” Baekhyun shook his head and looked at Yixing. “Remove the teddy bears. I’ll see if we can get him an x-ray.”
He had only made it down the corridor when the phone in the pocket of his lab coat started ringing. Baekhyun stopped and took it out, reading the name on the display with a frown: Arbiter .
“Hello?” Baekhyun answered it.
“Um–” the person at the other end of the line – clearly a man – answered. “Who are you?”
“I’m a doctor at Haesung Hospital in Seoul. Who am I speaking to?” Baekhyun asked.
The man audibly inhaled. “I’m Doh Kyungsoo’s legal guardian, Kim Junmyeon. Is he hurt?”
“I’m sorry to inform you that it seems that he got into a fight. We’re still checking on him, but he might have one or two broken ribs, his wrist is sprained and he’s got a concussion.”
It was silent on the other end for a moment. “ Who did he get in a fight with?”
“I don’t know, sir.” Baekhyun frowned. It sounded almost as though the man couldn't believe his friend would take that much in a fight rather than that he got in a fight in the first place.
“I’m sending someone to clarify.” Suddenly, the man sounded professional, his voice back to a natural tone. “Thank you for taking care of him.”
“Thank you.” Baekhyun hung up and went to the radiology department to inform the nurses there that he’d bring in a patient.
“The one with the teddy bears?” Jongin asked. His gentle eyes lit up with excitement with just the idea.
Baekhyun buried his hands in his white lab coat. “That made the rounds fast.”
“Not everyday that someone is admitted like that.” Jongin sorted through a bunch of folders, obviously looking for something. “There’s a free spot in twenty minutes.”
“Perfect.” Baekhyun walked backwards towards the door. “I’ll have dinner with Jongdae and Yixing tonight. Care to join us?”
Jongin smiled fondly, nodding his head. “Always.”
“We’ll pick you up.” Turning around, Baekhyun left the radiology department.
It didn’t happen often that all four of them had the same shift and could go out for dinner afterwards. If it weren’t for Yixing, Jongdae and Jongin, Baekhyun probably wouldn’t make it through most of his days. They were his best friends and closest colleagues at work,who always managed to cheer him up and make the daily chaos bearable.
He’d known Jongdae ever since university, where they had hit it off almost immediately. Baekhyun was glad they had ended up at the same hospital, too, even though they didn’t work in the same departments.
It had been Jongdae who had met Yixing first. As a Chinese, it hadn’t been easy for him to connect with the rest of the staff at the hospital, but of course he had connected with Jongdae rather quickly. Jongdae got along with everyone, and he never had problems approaching people. They’d gotten close, and in consequence, Baekhyun had spent more time with Yixing, too. He had found that Yixing was hard-working, the best nurse at their hospital, and on top of that, he was the most loyal friend one could imagine.
Jongin was the newest addition to their friend group. He had only just finished his apprenticeship as a nurse a year ago, and to Baekhyun, he was the gentlest soul he had ever met. Sometimes that worried Baekhyun, because in their job, they saw a lot of misery and despair, which could get draining and demanding mentally.
Maybe Baekhyun could get one of those teddy bears to give it to Jongin later – he’d definitely like that.
The mobile started ringing again, pulling Baekhyun out of his thoughts. He got it out of his pocket and frowned when he read the name the display flashed this time: Peter Pan .
With a shake of his head, Baekhyun ignored it and let the phone slide back into his pocket.
That Doh Kyungsoo really had a strange way of saving his contacts to his phone.
When he came back to the A & E department, Yixing was busy helping a patient, who had a visible head wound. The young woman was crying, and as always, Yixing used his charme to calm her down.
He was a pro at that.
“Listen, love,” Yixing said, when Baekhyun approached. “You don’t have to worry. Even if there’ll be a scar, nothing could ever deform a face as pretty as yours.”
She sniffled and hiccuped before she laughed tearily. “I don’t want a scar.”
“I’m telling you, there won’t be a scar.” Yixing took her hands into his. “Dr Kim is our best surgeon. You're in the best hands.”
Another nurse wheeled her off and she kept looking back at Yixing, as if she’d rather he went with her.
“You’re such a liar,” Baekhyun commented when he stepped up to stand next to Yixing.
He turned to Baekhyun, lifting a brow. “I’m pretty sure it won’t scar.”
Humming, Baekhyun crossed his arms. “I’m talking about Jongdae. He’s not the best.”
That made Yixing laugh. “You know he is.”
As much as Baekhyun hated it, it was true. Jongdae was more than skilled as a surgeon. Even the older doctors working with them admired and constantly praised him for his excellent work.
“In any case,” Baekhyun settled on saying. “She’s in good hands with him.”
Yixing nodded, patting Baekhyun’s back when they moved on to the next patient. He handed Baekhyun the tablet to go through the memo for the elderly man, who had fallen down the stairs at home.
“Jongin’s joining us for dinner tonight,” Baekhyun mentioned as he sat down next to the stretcher the man lay on. “Should we go for Samgyeopsal?”
“We could have Chinese,” Yixing suggested.
“You always want Chinese.” Baekhyun flashed him a quick smile, knowing that all of them would give in. Yixing just had to give them his puppy look and they’d be done for.
Clearing his throat, he leaned in to the patient. “That looks rough. How did it happen?” he asked as he inspected the man’s arm. His elbow was bleeding.
“I fell down the stairs,” the man mumbled. “It’s not that bad.”
Baekhyun wheeled his stool to the board across the stretcher. “Well, the fracture of your arm does look bad, though,” he pointed out as he looked at the x-rays.
Yixing took to disinfecting the wound on the patient’s elbow, when the mobile in Baekhyun’s pocket started ringing again. With a frown, Yixing glanced at him. “Do you have your mobile with you?”
“It’s the phone of that teddy bear boy.” Baekhyun took it out, seeing Peter Pan calling again. He declined the call.
Just as he wanted to pocket the mobile phone again, it started ringing again. “Excuse me for a second,” Baekhyun said with an annoyed sigh to the patient, before he picked up.
“Hello,” he said impatiently.
“Um…” a low voice greeted him, and Baekhyun thought that he didn’t just hear it through the line. “Hello?”
“Yes, who’s there?” Baekhyun demanded.
“Excuse me,” he heard the other person say, but also heard it right behind himself. Turning around, he lowered the mobile phone to check.
In front of him stood a man, looking at him with big, clear eyes. He was so tall, Baekhyun had to tilt his head back to properly look at him while he himself was seated. The man’s black hair was pushed out of his face, the sides shaved short, and he wore a dark green jacket over a black jeans and t-shirt.
In his right hand he held a mobile phone that was clearly connected to a call.
“Peter Pan?” Baekhyun asked, feeling a little perplexed.
“That would be me.” The man cleared his throat. For reasons not quite clear to him, Baekhyun noticed the movement of the man’s lips – quite pretty lips. “I don’t mean to keep you. I just need that mobile phone back.”
Baekhyun tore his eyes from the lips and let his gaze roam the man’s body, up and down, before he let the mobile phone slide back into his pocket. “I’m sorry, but I can’t hand it to you. The patient’s legal guardian is on his way to pick it up.”
For a moment, time was suspended between them, as the man didn’t answer. He instead intensely stared at Baekhyun, his eyes roaming Baekhyun’s face as though they were looking for something specific.
“What? Who?”
That made Baekhyun realise there was a second man. He was much smaller, sporting a buzzcut that made his eyes look huge in his small face. He had a perfectly shaped mouth, but for some odd reason they didn’t have the same effect on Baekhyun as Peter Pan’s.
The other man looked positively alarmed by the news that someone was on their way.
“Considering that you could be the people who attacked the patient, I certainly won’t give you any information.” Baekhyun turned back to the taller man – Peter Pan . “Please wait outside.”
“Us?” Peter Pan snorted. “We didn’t hurt anyone. Listen, it’s not a big deal. Just give me the mobile phone and we’ll be out of your hair.”
“Well, my patient’s got fractured ribs, a sprained wrist and a concussion. The bruises on his face are bad. That is a big deal to me.” Baekhyun turned to Yixing. “These men are not allowed in here. Call security.”
Peter Pan looked annoyed, opening his mouth again, but Yixing stepped up and gestured for the door to the waiting area, blocking him from approaching Baekhyun any further.
At that moment, Jongin came in, not grasping the situation. “Kyoong, where is the teddy bear patient?”
Baekhyun frowned at him and got up from the stool. “Yon-ha should have brought him to you.”
“She says he’s not there.”
Peter Pan pushed past Yixing again, ignoring the nurse’s protest. “Excuse me. Who am I talking to here?”
Baekhyun threw him an annoyed glance, burying his hands in the pockets of the coat. “Head of the A & E department — and I asked you to leave. You have no warrant to be here.”
Once again, Yixing got into the men’s space and ushered them out, while Jongin drew the curtains around Baekhyun and his patient. It was only within fractions of a second, but when Baekhyun’s eyes made contact with Peter Pan’s, he thought he could see a glimpse of amusement in those eyes. A mischievous glint and a slight upward curl of those pretty lips.
For some odd reason, it made Baekhyun’s stomach flutter with excitement.
A moment later, Yixing came back, slipping through the curtain, immediately turning to Jongin. “You’re right. The teddy bear patient isn’t in his bed anymore.”
Baekhyun sighed. “Jongin doesn’t know what he looks like, so there’s no use in sending him to look for the patient. Yixing, can you check in with security?”
Yixing nodded. “I’ll see if the CCTV footage is of any use.”
“I’ll stay to assist you, Kyoong,” Jongin offered.
“You’re not even trying to be professional, are you?” Baekhyun asked, amused by Jongin calling him nicknames at work.
Yixing snuck out again, and Baekhyun gave a small smile to Jongin before apologising to his other patient for the hold-up. With calm hands he got back to treat the man, carefully stabilising the broken arm.
If his heart was beating a little bit faster than it should — well, no one had to know.
It just didn’t happen every day that a man, who was just his type, crossed Baekhyun’s way. What a pity, though, that it seemed said man was a criminal – and thus, completely out of question.
That was just Baekhyun’s luck.
+++
He was fucked. So, so fucked.
“Maybe he’s still nearby,” Kyungsoo said, walking a step ahead of Chanyeol as they left the hospital. “We gotta find him and make him tell that doctor that we didn’t do anything to him.”
Chanyeol tried to focus on the conversation and not let Kyungsoo onto his inner tumult. If Kyungsoo noticed, he’d ask questions that Chanyeol didn’t know how to answer.
“Yeah. Maybe he’s still nearby,” he said lamely, cursing himself inwardly.
Kyungsoo didn’t seem to notice, though. “Do you think it’s Junmyeon who’s on his way?”
“Most likely,” Chanyeol mumbled, trying to erase the image of that incredibly – incredibly – hot doctor from his mind. Not even the thought of Junmyeon did the trick; even though the thought of their commander usually always helped to get Chanyeol back into focus.
This was different, though. That doctor had just thrown Chanyeol completely off.
The moment he had looked over his shoulder, Chanyeol had been done for. The doctor’s warm, brown eyes had been such a contrast to his pale, light skin and his cool, blond hair. He’d had the tiniest face and Chanyeol would bet his arse that he had worn chapstick on those lips.
They couldn’t possibly be that shiny and pink naturally.
God. He had to get a grip.
No one was supposed to know that it was another man who let Chanyeol’s heart beat faster, and who made his blood run warmer. Chanyeol had been so good at hiding it, but if anyone found out, it’d cost him his career.
Chanyeol couldn’t let that happen.
Then again, no other man had ever had an instant effect on him quite the way that doctor had had. Talk about instant attraction.
“If it’s Junmyeon, I’m so fucked. I’ll write reports for the rest of the month.” Kyungsoo stopped in his tracks, grabbing Chanyeol’s arm. “There he is.”
Chanyeol shook out of his thoughts, spotting the boy from before. He was crouching on the ground, surrounded by the group of men from before. His injuries seemingly had gotten worse, and he was breathing heavily, barely being conscious.
“These guys really haven’t learned a thing.” Chanyeol sighed. “Dunno how long it’s been since I’ve had to beat up the same people twice a day.”
“Last month. North Korea,” Kyungsoo provided.
“That doesn’t count.” Chanyeol rolled his shoulders. “I hope you’ll watch your phone more carefully in the future.”
Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “You’ll never let me live it down, will you?”
“Nope,” Chanyeol affirmed before he raised his voice. “Hey, you! Didn’t we tell you to leave him alone?”
The guys turned around and Chanyeol could tell the moment the bulky one realised it was them. To Chanyeol’s surprise, he didn’t pick a fight, but instead, stumbled two steps back.
“Are you his babysitter?” the man asked angrily.
“We’ve got unfinished business with that kid, so better get in line.” Kyungsoo shoved up the sleeves of his grey jacket.
“I’m not taking these two on again,” one of the men said, and before anyone could react to it, he fled the scene.
Several others did the same.
“Better listen to your friend,” Chanyeol advised the rest. All of them looked apprehensive. “You can still run.”
That seemed to work, since the rest of the men now fled, too. Chanyeol pursed his lips and lifted his eyebrows, hands on his hips as he watched them run away.
“Okay. That was easier than expected.” Kyungsoo whistled in appreciation and then took hold of the boy who was trying to get up from the ground. “You’re not getting away, though.”
“Please don’t kill me,” the boy begged.
Chanyeol snorted. “I’d have let those amateurs do that, if I wanted to see you dead.”
“Listen, you little punk,” Kyungsoo poked his finger at the boy’s chest. “We’ve helped you there, and to thank us, you steal from me?”
“I’m sorry,” the boy whined. “But the paramedics took it and gave it to that doctor.”
“We know.” Chanyeol took one of the boy’s arms and slung it over his own shoulder to hold him up. “That’s why you’re gonna come inside and tell them that we didn’t do this to you, and that you stole the phone.”
The boy tried to squirm out of his grip. “They’ll call the police.”
“If they do, you deserve it.” Kyungsoo took his other arm, supporting the boy’s right side.
When they came to the door leading to the A & E department, Chanyeol hesitated. He stopped, which made Kyungsoo look at him with questioning eyes.
“Why don’t you go alone? I’ll wait here.”
Kyungsoo frowned. “What for?”
“Just–” Chanyeol shrugged. He didn’t even have an excuse. He just knew that seeing that doctor again could get him into trouble. The kind of trouble where Chanyeol would daydream about him for the next five days.
He couldn’t afford dreaming about another man. He had been so good at suppressing his feelings for the past year. If he saw that doctor again, that’d be all in vain.
“Are you afraid of that doctor?” Kyungsoo asked, chuckling. “He didn’t take any shit, did he?”
“I’m not afraid.” Chanyeol straightened his back. “That’s nonsense.”
“Then let’s get it over with.”
Kyungsoo started moving again, and Chanyeol didn’t have a choice but to tag along. His feet moved on their own accord and when the door to the A & E department opened, they were greeted with loud noises once again.
“Chanyeol! Kyungsoo!”
Stopping in his tracks, Chanyeol looked over his shoulder. To his relief, it was Minseok who approached them. He was dressed in his uniform, complete with the beret.
Falling into a light jog, he approached them. “What the hell is going on? Junmyeon said Kyungsoo got into a fight?”
Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, tilting his head towards the boy. “I didn’t. We helped this kid here, who got into a fight.”
“He stole Kyongsoo’s mobile. That caused the confusion,” Chanyeol explained.
“But you’re all right?” Minseok asked, looking Kyungsoo up and down.
“Of course, Hyung.” Kyungsoo smiled at him. “I’m sorry I worried you.”
“There he is!”
Chanyeol saw the nurse approach, who had assisted the good-looking doctor earlier. He looked angry, his dark eyes shooting daggers at Chanyeol.
“What did you do to him now?” the nurse asked. “His condition is even worse!”
“We helped him,” Chanyeol defended himself.
“I see that you did. Fighting against someone who’s already injured.” The nurse shook his head, pushing Chanyeol to step away from the boy. “Doesn’t sound like a fair fight to me.”
Chanyeol hadn’t noticed before, but that nurse had an accent – most likely Chinese.
“Excuse me,” Minseok intervened and bowed to the nurse. “I think there’s a misunderstanding here. I’m Kim Minseok, chief of medical staff at the ninth division, Seoul. Is there anyone in charge I can talk to?”
“The military?” the nurse asked and looked from Minseok to Kyungsoo and Chanyeol.
“Your supervisor?” Minseok urged him on.
“Um, yes.” The nurse looked taken back. “Please follow me.”
Chanyeol let the nurse take over with the boy, which was probably for the best anyway. He fell behind, following Minseok, who had a serious expression on his face.
Minseok being a chief of staff made him rank the same as Chanyeol, so technically, Chanyeol knew there wouldn’t be consequences. Then again, even though they were the same in ranks, Minseok always felt like a supervisor to Chanyeol. He had a natural authority, and being the oldest of their group made him automatically rank higher in Chanyeol’s perception.
“Can I get a hand here?” the nurse asked when they got back into the area where patients were treated.
Immediately, two other nurses came to help put the boy back onto one of the beds. He was whining the whole time.
“How did that happen?” the pretty doctor came back, looking appalled at the condition his patient was in.
“Those guys got hold of him again,” the nurse explained.
The doctor looked up and his eyes landed on Chanyeol. His gaze was fierce, strong-willed, and so intense, Chanyeol couldn’t help his pulse picking up speed. “Are you out of your mind? His condition was bad as it was, and you go—”
“Byun Baekhyun?” Minseok interrupted him, stepping closer.
The doctor turned his head, blinking at him. “No way.” He gasped and grabbed Minseok’s hands. “Kim Minseok. It’s really you!”
Minseok’s eyes were warm, his smile genuine. “It’s so good to see you again. How long has it been? Five years?”
Chanyeol shrugged when Kyungsoo looked at him in confusion.
“At least,” the doctor answered. “It’s so great to see you again. What are you doing here?”
Minseok chuckled when the doctor looked him up and down, as if to check if he was injured. “I’m here because there seems to be a misunderstanding.”
The doctor frowned, looking past Minseok at Chanyeol and Kyungsoo. “Are you here for those two?”
“Yes. You spoke to my commander, Kim Junmyeon. He’s sent me. Lieutenant Kim Minseok, head of medical at the ninth division, Seoul.” Minseok pulled out his ID-card. “Apparently, this kid here stole Doh Kyungsoo’s mobile phone. Doh is in our division.”
The doctor raised a brow. “And he beat him up for it.”
“Sir—” Kyungsoo started, but Minseok stopped him, simply raising a hand.
“He didn’t.” Minseok turned to Chanyeol, nodding at him, for him to speak.
“We’re soldiers, and we’re on holiday,” Chanyeol explained, forcing himself to directly look at the doctor. From that up close, he could see that he had the slightest dust of freckles covering his nose. That was probably something that would haunt Chanyeol for the rest of the week. He cleared his throat. “We saw him get into trouble with some gang, and helped. He’s stolen my friend’s mobile phone while we gave first aid. The teddy bears? That was me, actually.”
The doctor didn’t look impressed. Instead he turned to the patient, who was treated by the nurse. “Did these men hurt you? You can tell me if they did it.”
Chanyeol laughed in disbelief. That doctor was a little cocky shit.
The boy cried in pain when the nurse cleaned a wound above his eye. “They didn’t. They helped me.”
“You can be honest,” the doctor urged him. “We’ve got security here. They can’t hurt you anymore.”
That got Minseok snorting out a laugh, too. “Typical Baekhyun.”
Baekhyun . Minseok had addressed him before, but now that he had said the name again, it slowly tickled into Chanyeol’s consciousness. The unfairly hot doctor, who gave off a natural arrogance that was tragically more attractive than annoying, was called Baekhyun.
Of course he’d have a pretty name fitting that pretty face.
“They helped me,” the boy repeated, sounding annoyed.
Baekhyun hummed, pursing his lips. “All right. Since it’s Minseok who confirmed their identities…” He pulled Kyungsoo’s mobile from his pocket and handed it to Minseok.
“Thank you.” Minseok took the mobile. “I’m sorry for the trouble they caused.” He bowed properly.
Immediately, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo followed suit.
“Yixing,” Baekhyun addressed the nurse. “Can you get him to Jongin for an x-ray? Make sure to not leave him unattended this time.”
Yixing nodded. “I think we’ll have to inform Jongdae, too. His wrist might need surgery.”
“I’ll let him know,” Baekhyun said, getting out a pager.
“Jongdae?” Minseok asked. “Kim Jongdae is here, too?”
“We both ended up in the same hospital, yeah. We’re still close friends.”
Minseok turned to Kyungsoo and Chanyeol. “Byun Baekhyun is a friend from university. We studied together.”
Now Baekhyun focused his attention back onto him, and Chanyeol wanted to squirm under his gaze. He felt like if he looked at Baekhyun for too long, he’d be exposed and everyone could see who he really was – what he’d been hiding for so many years.
Kyungsoo bowed next to him, speaking in a friendly voice. “Nice to meet you. I’m Doh Kyungsoo. I’m sorry for the trouble caused.”
Chanyeol swallowed, tearing his eyes from Baekhyun’s face as he bowed, too. “Park Chanyeol. Pleased to meet you.”
Baekhyun bowed his head slightly, and with everyone else that attitude would have set Chanyeol off, but with Baekhyun, he couldn’t help but find it attractive.
God, he had to get out of here.
“I have to take care of my patients now, but it was nice seeing you again,” Baekhyun said to Minseok. “Should the police have further questions, I’ll forward them to you directly.”
Minseok nodded. “Please do so.” He touched Baekhyun’s arm. “We’ll not keep you any longer. Thank you. And say hello to Jongdae from me.”
“I will.” Baekhyun smiled, and this time it seemed genuine.
And it was unfair. So, so bloody unfair , because, of course Baekhyun looked nothing short of ethereal when he smiled. His eyes crinkled with it, and his gaze was soft and gentle. Chanyeol wished he could be the recipient of that smile.
No wonder he acted so arrogant and cocky. With a face and a smile like that, he could probably get away with it.
“Okay, let’s go.” Minseok turned and ushered Kyungsoo to the door. “We’ve got no more business here.”
Baekhyun’s eyes met Chanyeol’s again, and he looked curious, a mysterious glint in his eyes. For a second, Chanyeol held it, wondering what it was that his own eyes gave away – afraid that they gave away too much.
Forcing himself to turn around, Chanyeol broke their eye contact, stuttering out a fragile “Goodbye,” before he followed Minseok and Kyungsoo.
It was like there was an invisible string attached to his head, pulling him back. He wanted to look back — see that face one last time. He’d dream of it for the next weeks to come, so it was only fair to commit it to his memory as correctly as possible. But Chanyeol forced himself to keep his eyes ahead.
He had moved onto thin, thin ice, and he needed to get back onto safer grounds.
Yet, when he reached the door, it was like a magical pull; something he couldn’t control. The invisible string pulled one last time, and Chanyeol couldn’t help it. His head turned and he glanced over his shoulder.
Immediately, his eyes met Baekhyun’s, who was still standing exactly where he had been a minute ago. As if he had been waiting for Chanyeol to turn around.
His eyes softened, and Chanyeol saw the tiniest smile pull at his lips; soft and gentle, but just a little dangerous and victorious at the same time.
Chanyeol’s heart took another leap as he quickly pushed through the door.
He was so, so fucked.
===