‘No, no, no… I said no.’

 

‘Baekhyun, we’re already here. No point arguing about it now. This stay can only do you good. Believe me.’ Junmyeon mutters  this last sentence under his breath, clearly irritated. He closes the door on his side with a loud bang and proceeds to the opposite side of the car, nearly dragging his younger brother out of the limousine.

 

‘No, no, no. This must be a mistake. I know that I've agreed to spend some time on the countryside, but this is nothing like what I had imagined.’

 

‘What is there to imagine? Did you think that it would be a luxurious resort with a swimming pool and people serving you drinks?’

 

‘Will you hit me if I say yes?’ Baekhyun looks at him unsurely. Junmyeon deadpans, but feels somewhat hopeless, nonetheless. He sighs deeply, praying for patience that his brother always seems to abuse, and says:

 

‘Baekhyun, you know what you did to deserve this timeout, and I must remind you that you did it all by yourself. You never come to work, and even when you do, you constantly slack off. You party all the time. You’ve made it to the headlines of some of the dirtiest magazines out there. I know that you’re not the one to inherit the company, but for god’s sake, can you at least spare us the bad press?’

 

Junmyeon says all these things, but immediately realizes that it’s falling on deaf ears. Baekhyun simply doesn’t care.

 

‘Yeah, yeah. Whatever.’

 

‘You will stay here until I call you back. It will take ages for me to clean up the mess that you’ve created.’

 

‘There is nothing to do here, though,’ The younger shrugs, looking around. It’s just fields, fields, fields and more fields. With some weirdly-shaped bushes.

 

‘You’re wrong. There is plenty of work for you to do here.’

 

‘No, no, no, I do not… wow.’

 

Baekhyun reacts instinctively, objecting to putting himself and the word “work” in the same sentence, but is cut short when he turns around and realises that the voice is deeper and does not belong to Junmyeon. Opposite him stands a man dressed only in a tank top and dungarees - one of the straps hangs loose on his chest. Baekhyun swallows hard at the sight of a small smile.

 

‘Ah, Chanyeol-sshi. I’m terribly sorry for being late. It’s almost impossible to get out of Seoul at this hour. Traffic makes you wish you had wings.’ Junmyeon jokes and Chanyeol shakes his head knowingly, still smiling.

 

‘I keep forgetting about it. It’s been quite a while since I last visited the capital.’

 

His gaze shifts back to Baekhyun, looking him up and down with a lingering curiosity.

 

‘And this is my younger brother Baekhyun. I’m really thankful that you agreed to have him here for a couple of weeks. My family is very much indebted. You’re doing us a great favour.’

 

‘How about raising the commission, then?’ Chanyeol responds with a cheeky smile and Junmyeon laughs.

 

‘I’m sure that we can work something out. In the meantime, I will call to check up on him every once in a while. Just treat him as you usually treat your employees. No need for preferential treatment. He needs to finally learn the value of money.’

 

Baekhyun opens his mouth to retort, but is too surprised to actually come up with anything.

 

‘Yah! Hyung! Are you just gonna leave me here?’

 

‘Yup.’ Junmyeon is already in his car, motioning at the driver to start the engine.

 

‘You can’t! Why is that you leave me in the middle of nowhere and you get to ride off to our penthouse in a limousine?’ He bends over to look at his brother through the tiny little gap that Junmyeon made by rolling down the window.

 

‘I’ve worked for it, you brat.’ The older just waves at him and the next that Baekhyun knows, he is gone. Just like that.

 

‘Yah!’ Baekhyun shouts one more time, but to no avail. His hyung has really left him alone. Well, technically he’s not alone. He hears Chanyeol clear his throat behind him.

 

Baekhyun turns around and eyes the taller suspiciously. He cannot deny that the man in front of him is quite attractive, but Baekhyun will think twice before jumping anyone again, especially considering the fact that it was what got him in this mess in the first place. Plus, no offence, but those clothes are really ridiculous. Dirty farmers aren’t really Baekhyun’s type.

 

‘Hello, I’m Park Chanyeol,’ the man introduces himself and bows slightly. He stretches out his hand in greeting, but Baekhyun is reluctant to touch him. The soil and sweat on his fingers are quite…  Well. Baekhyun sends him an tight, awkward looking smile and raises his hand slightly, instead.

‘Byun Baekhyun.’

 

The older man chuckles and motions at the landscape around them.

 

‘By tomorrow you will be equally dirty and smelly. But it’s good. I find that grapevine soil smells the best at this time of year.’

 

‘Y-Yeah…’ Baekhyun doesn’t know what to say to that, so he just looks away.

 

‘Take your bags, I’ll show you to your room. You’ll be staying with me.’ Baekhyun only bows in response. He has no intention of getting cosy with this guy, no matter how nice his exposed arms look.

 

He only has two pieces of luggage, so he picks them up and follows the other through the front lawn.

 

‘The vineyard is quite big, but at this time of year there is not much that we can do. However, if we were to have you stay until the harvest, you would have to brace yourself for hard work.’

 

Baekhyun prefers not to announce just yet that he has no plans to work whatsoever. He merely nods.

 

‘There are several contract workers helping out, but no one lives in the house with me. They all stay in the village that is nearby. You will meet them soon enough. Since it’s your first day, I’ll let you rest for a bit and give you a tour in the evening. We’ll also split the house chores between us, since we’re now housemates.’ Chanyeol continues, not noticing his guest’s eyes widening dramatically. Just what exactly did Baekhyun get himself into?

 

They reach a neat house with two floors, which appears to belong to Chanyeol. The taller ushers him upstairs, but not before showing him the ground floor first , and then opens the door to what now will be Baekhyun’s room. It’s quite small, the younger decides. Definitely small comparing to his own back in Seoul. Whatever. Hopefully it won’t be for long.

 

‘I’m gonna take a shower and let you unpack. If there is anything that you need, let me know. The dinner is in the oven in case you’re finished before me. Oh, and tomorrow we’ll be going to the market, so you might want to make a list of things that you’d like to get. There is no shop nearby, which is why I tend to run all my errands once a week on Saturday.’ Just perfect, Baekhyun barely refrains himself from commenting.

 

Once left alone, the younger takes out his iPad and waits for the Internet connection to load. It’s here, he sighs in relief. And pretty good, too, better that he expected it to be in this goddamn forgotten place.

 

He opens his other suitcase and almost screams in terror. No leather boots. No Armani scarves. No white shirts. And where are his suits?

 

It’s Junmyeon’s doing, he immediately knows as he spots a small note under one of the… jumpers? Is this how they call them?

 

The contents of your suitcase have been repacked. I’m sure you understand why. You cannot possibly work outdoors in your D&G suit. You’ll thank me later. J.

 

How Baekhyun hates his older brother in that particular moment. He unpacks those… those jumpers and jeans and… oh, he’d rather not name the other parts of his new wardrobe. At least they are of good quality. He puts on a pair of black trousers and a grey T-shirt and, feeling very much hillbilly, descends the stairs. Chanyeol’s already there, preparing coffee.

 

Baekhyun nearly forgets how to breathe at the sight of Chanyeol’s shirtless back greeting him from the threshold. The younger stops at the door. Chanyeol’s frame is more than nice. It looks… Well, it’s definitely nicely-shaped and the muscles seem real, formed in a natural way, unlike those that Baekhyun hopes to get from doing overwork at the gym.

 

‘Come on in.’ Chanyeol says without turning around and Baekhyun sort of blushes, before shaking his head to move the feeling aside. It’s ridiculous. He’s slept with the handsomest models and actors, yet feels like a high school student all over again, just because he saw one dirty farmer? Really? Ridiculous.

 

‘Thanks.’

 

‘Do you drink coffee?’ Chanyeol motions at an empty mug standing on the counter.

 

‘Yeah. Latte with caramel.’

 

Chanyeol turns around at that, looking highly amused.

 

‘I’m afraid that there is no such choice here. You either drink it or not. I have black coffee, instant coffee, I have milk and sugar. If you can work with that, be my guest.’

 

Baekhyun pouts, praying for patience. He does not do sugar. Or milk that he does not know the origins of. So he settles for a bitter black coffee. Judging from the fragrance coming from the other mug, Chanyeol must have prepared his the same way. Baekhyun approaches the counter and not entirely sure of what he’s doing, he randomly pushes some buttons to start the grinder. He tries very hard to make the coffee machine cooperate with him for several moments, until a shot of hot water pours out unexpectedly and burns his fingers. Baekhyun jumps out, but the damage is done. He moans in pain.

 

‘Watch out!’ Chanyeol immediately appears behind him and drags him to the sink, splashing cold water on his palms. ‘What are you doing? Do you not know how to use a simple coffee maker?’

 

The lack of response quickly gives Baekhyun’s secret away.

 

‘Seriously? I know your family is rich, but… Don’t you think this is too much?’ Chanyeol doesn’t say anything else, but those words  of astonishment sting Baekhyun deeply. For the first time in his life, he feels ashamed.

 

‘Can you show me how to do it?’ The younger almost whispers, not looking at Chanyeol, but is thankful when the other nods without any ironic comments.

 

‘Sure.’

 

The older demonstrates the mechanism and later, serves them both dinner. Baekhyun is too ashamed to do much besides quiet chewing of the meal in front of him.

 

‘I’ll put the chore plan up on the fridge later tonight. It’s about cleaning, shopping, cooking and things like that.’

 

‘Wait, cooking? I don’t know how to cook.’ He doesn’t mention that he knows nothing about cleaning, too. That would hurt his pride too much.

 

‘Well, if you don’t want to cook, you will have to take over one of the other responsibilities.’ Baekhyun shrugs. At this point, he doesn’t care. He’ll be out of here soon enough.

 

‘You won’t.’

 

‘What?’ Baekhyun raises his head, turning his eyes away from his spaghetti.

 

‘You won’t be out of here by tomorrow. You will most likely spend several weeks in this house. Your brother has told me stories about you. It seems that you need to get your priorities straight once again, or am I wrong?’

 

‘You know nothing about me.’

 

‘Maybe. Or maybe I do.’

 

Baekhyun decides not to grace this odd comment with a reply and with a shrug, returns to his dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Get up.’

 

‘Wh-haa…?’ Baekhyun blinks, but his eyes don’t stay open for long and annoyed, he turns to his other side, away from the deep voice invading his consciousness.

 

‘Baekhyun, wake up. We have to go.’

 

Baekhyun very reluctantly rises his head from the pillow that he’s lying on, and drops it back almost immediately.

 

‘What the ? It’s dark outside!’ He groans. The night was terrible, the bed is nothing like the one he has at home. And now this.

 

‘It doesn’t change the fact that the work day has already started.’ Baekhyun looks up to the amused Chanyeol standing above him and curses him in his head.

 

‘No way. No way.’ The younger buries himself in his pillow, refusing to acknowledge reality.

 

‘Get up. You have 20 minutes to get ready. I’m going to prepare breakfast.’

 

Chanyeol leaves and Baekhyun drifts away to dreamland once again. After 20 minutes, counting to the second, he feels cold water splashing all over him.

 

‘What is your problem?!’ The shorter shouts angrily, jumping out of bed. He’s shivering.

 

‘From today onwards, I will give you twenty minutes to prepare in the morning. You can’t hold me responsible for things that happen after that. Since it’s your first day, I’ll give you 10 more minutes for a quick shower and your breakfast. Don’t put on anything too thick – the day is going to be hot. Oh, and hang your bed sheets outside since they’re wet.’

 

‘ you.’ Baekhyun spats angrily.

 

‘Maybe one day.’ Chanyeol responds calmly and leaves Baekhyun completely speechless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They take Chanyeol’s pick-up car and go over to the work site. He’s been given a tour around the night before, but the vineyard appears to be bigger than Baekhyun initially thought. So this Chanyeol is a land owner, Baekhyun thinks to himself, but quickly dismisses the thought with a grimace. Nah, just a farmer.

 

‘I’m not a farmer.’

 

‘How did you…?’ Baekhyun shoots back before he can stop himself. Chanyeol smirks.

 

‘You’re really easy to see through. But anyway, I’m not a farmer. I don’t have vegetables here or animals for that matter. Just grapes.’

 

‘It’s still playing around with the soil.’ Baekhyun mutters and Chanyeol doesn’t comment any further for the time being. However, when they leave the car, he continues:

 

‘I know that it’s not your cup of tea, but don’t underestimate this business. It takes months and many, many people to produce just one bottle of alcohol. Maybe you will think twice, next time you drink your favourite wine.’

 

‘I’m a whiskey kid of guy, anyway,’ Baekhyun rejects the idea just to contradict the other’s words, but Chanyeol seems to be aware of it, because he deadpans, somewhat mockingly.

 

‘Hyung, you’re here!’ A young man about Baekhyun’s height approaches them and Chanyeol sends him a genuine smile. Baekhyun doesn’t like that, but he’s not exactly sure why. ‘What happened? You’re later than usual.’

 

‘We ran into some… communication problems. We’re good now, though.’ Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun, who only frowns at the obvious challenge in the other’s voice. ‘Baekhyun, this is Kyungsoo, he works here. Kyungsoo, this is Baekhyun. He will help out for a bit.’

 

‘He’s the one that you were talking about, isn’t he? The good-for-nothing who only sleeps around and spends his parents’ money?’ Kyungsoo’s overly sweet voice cuts like a knife. ‘Welcome.’ He adds with a fake cheerfulness and Baekhyun suddenly feels like hitting him. Chanyeol only smirks at the bizarre exchange.

 

‘Yeah. Baekhyun, I will have to go and supervise other areas later on, so I might want you to follow Kyungsoo and pay close attention to what he’s doing. He will guide you.’

 

Baekhyun looks at the nasty smile that the younger gives him and it’s obvious they will not get along well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun wants to grab Kyungsoo by the hair and bang his head against the wall, he hates him that much. He hates how he has to do the job in the first place, but tries nevertheless. However, he either sprays too much fertilizer or too little, or sprays it in his own face, under Kyungsoo’s careful surveillance. Baekhyun has had enough, he really needs a break. However, not even a second has passed since he sat down, when he hears the little rat’s annoying voice again.

 

‘Hyung, Baekhyun is not working.’

 

God, he could just kill Kyungsoo and bury the body in that fertilizer.

 

‘At least call me “hyung”, you little-’

 

‘In order to be called respectfully, one needs to earn the respect first. The way I see it, you are inferior to me in every way, so how about you try calling me hyung instead?’ Comes a cold reply, which is immediately replaced by a toothache-inducing fake smile, which makes Baekhyun want to throw up. Of course that the younger would be up to Chanyeol.

 

The pattern continues for days. After three mornings, Baekhyun finally realises that Chanyeol has every intention of waking him up with a bucket of cold water, so grumpily, he leaves the bed after the first warning. They eat and leave for work. Chanyeol introduces him to many workers, but the only one who is always around, minding somebody else’s business, seems to be Kyungsoo. It’s obvious that he has a thing for Chanyeol and for some reason, it makes Baekhyun extremely angry. And being angry makes him scared. He doesn’t want to be angry or develop any kind of feeling towards those people.

 

One of those evenings, he lies down on his bed. It proves difficult to move, it’s rather painful. He honestly thinks that he has pulled a muscle in his shoulder, but Chanyeol brushes it off as a complaint. Baekhyun wants to cry. The work is really daunting.

 

He takes out his cell phone and presses 2 on his speed dial.

 

‘Hyung, are you working on it?’ He asks as soon as he hears the other pick up his phone.

 

‘It’s not that easy, Baekhyun. You know that Jun is still angry with you,’ Yifan sighs into the receiver. ‘Plus, we really have a lot of work nowadays. I think you and your situation are the last thing on his mind right now.’

 

‘But can’t you just ask him? You know, when he’s relaxed and happy… Do something to put him in a good mood and then make him promise to bring me back. I’m dying here, you know.’

 

‘I knew you were plotting behind my back!’ Baekhyun suddenly hears the voice in the background, undoubtedly belonging to his older brother. The receiver falls to the floor.

‘Baekhyun, I’ll talk to you later!’ Yifan shouts, laughing, and the footsteps cease in the background. Baekhyun sighs and disconnects. Just perfect.

 

He tries to massage his own shoulder, but it’s even more painful when he twists like that. Stupid, stupid Chanyeol. Stupid farm! Baekhyun knows that he behaves like a child, punching his mattress and throwing himself all over it in distress.

 

‘It’s not a farm,’ Chanyeol says calmly, appearing in the door. Baekhyun turns around, surprised. ‘I can hear your thoughts from downstairs. Stay where you are. I’ll take care of your back.’

 

Before the younger has time to react, he feels the mattress deepen and Chanyeol ends up basically stranding him, his long legs on either side of Baekhyun’s hips. Baekhyun stills. Not good. So not good. Actually, it’s perfect, his mind is telling him, as he feels the older’s hands on his shoulder, massaging it slowly. After a while, he adds an ointment and rubs it gently for a better effect.

 

‘It should get better by tomorrow.’ Chanyeol says, still rubbing. Baekhyun’s mind drifts away and he groans – that’s how good it feels. He attempts to shift a little and then he realises: Chanyeol’s manhood is settled between his buttocks. He gulps. Chanyeol’s not exactly hard or excited, but he feels heavy because of the track suit trousers that he wears. And Baekhyun is going to die.

 

This is not good. Baekhyun suddenly feels and hot all over, and not only because he hasn’t been with anyone in ages. He wants Chanyeol. He feels that the land owner has been ing with his mind ever since they first met. Sometimes he sends Baekhyun a teasing smile, sometimes he acts all innocent while walking around shirtless…. He is a tough cookie to crack. They may both want it, but it doesn’t change the fact that Baekhyun just doesn’t understand Chanyeol. But if he wouldn’t tap that . The younger’s pants are getting tighter.

 

He feels the weight above him moving and Chanyeol gets off. He gathers his things. Baekhyun watches him leave.

 

‘I’m not really a bottom material.’ Chanyeol mumbles before he’s out, so quietly that Baekhyun doesn’t know if he’s heard him right. He silently screams into his pillow, feeling even more frustrated than half an hour before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Saturday and Baekhyun has nothing to do, with Chanyeol out shopping. He turns on his iPad and types in his own name to Google. There is still some buzz about his latest activities, but not as much, and the news is getting old, anyways. Junmyeon must have done a good job covering it. He types in his hyung’s name, and then Yifan’s as well, but nothing seems out of ordinary. Baekhyun feels bored. So he types Chanyeol’s name.

 

And seriously, he does not expect anything to pop up, with millions of people sharing this common name. But he gets more than he was hoping for.

 

Park Chanyeol is 29 years old and very much single, according to the vineyard owners’ association’s bulletin, or whatever that is. He’s been selling his wines all over the world, Baekhyun’s family’s company being only one of his retailers. Best of the best, the rating says. He skims through the websites, looking at the pictures. There is one that particularly catches his eye – Chanyeol in a suit, receiving a quality award.

 

Baekhyun has never seen the older in a suit – damn, Baekhyun hasn’t seen a suit in ages, period – and even though this looks handsome, Baekhyun somehow prefers the image of him in his dark jeans and white tank top, working outdoors, with sweat covering his back. He brushes the fringe away from his eyes and there is a smudge of mud on his forehead. And then he leans closer and Baekhyun can smell that unique scent that he’s learnt to recognise over the past weeks-

 

What the hell?! Baekhyun wakes up from his daydream and shakes the thoughts away. That scent is terrible. It’s not even a scent; it stinks, Baekhyun decides, but then he looks down and gulps. Ok, so it may not be the most pleasant of smells, but it happens to arouse him greatly. No big deal. Baekhyun’s thoughts drift towards Kyungsoo next, and he grinds his teeth at the memory. The kid has no problem with Chanyeol’s scent. Quite on the contrary, he practically throws himself at the land owner every time that Baekhyun is around, and sends the latter an evil smirk. Baekhyun hates his guts.

 

               

Later that night, they sit in the garden and Chanyeol prepares barbeque. They drink soju, not wine as one would expect. Baekhyun doesn’t really like soju, but drinks it anyway. Ever since he came here, he’s found himself doing many strange things. He rarely drinks – because as he tells himself, there is nowhere to buy his favourite liquors – and he has stopped smoking (He has given it up after one of the verbal fights they had with the taller. Chanyeol nagged him about spoiling fresh air, and Baekhyun found himself to be short of arguments, which doesn’t happen to him often.). He now wears strange, albeit more comfortable clothes, he eats whatever Chanyeol cooks and doesn’t complain as much about the work that he has to do. It’s been 7 weeks and the harvest is about to start. Baekhyun checks his phone less and less for Junmyeon’s calls.

 

There is this bittersweet feeling overwhelming him, every time he looks back at his own existence. What he used to do in Seoul seems like another life. Parties, drinks and random one night stands. People that he used to consider his best friends cannot be bothered to pick up the phone when he calls them nowadays. He is not surprised, not really. He knows he would do the same, being in their shoes.

 

He would never admit it out loud, but he’s got used to the work and the satisfaction that it brings every day. Even when he doesn’t have enough strength to keep his eyes open and Chanyeol has to carry him to bed. Especially when he feels the other’s arms circle his waist for better support. He likes the small routines that they’ve fallen into, even the morning wake up calls, although he still pretends to hate them. And Chanyeol knows it, but he keeps his stern face anyway.

 

‘What are you thinking about?’ Chanyeol hands him the plate.

 

‘You,’ admits Baekhyun truthfully for once. ‘I Googled you today. Couldn’t help myself.’

 

‘Oh.’ Chanyeol smiles, taking a sip of his drink. ‘I’m surprised that you only thought of it now. I’ve done my homework on you a long time ago.’

 

‘You have?’ Baekhyun looks at him in awe.

 

‘Of course, I’m not stupid. I wouldn’t have taken a random stranger under my roof. I had to know what I would be dealing with. But after reading a couple of articles, I figured that you - you I could handle.’ He laughs and Baekhyun decides to join, albeit a bit bashfully.

 

‘Yeah, I’m pretty dumb.’ The younger admits, thinking about his past actions.

 

‘Not dumb. It might have been because of your temper or bad company. But either way, you’re not so bad.’

 

‘You’re not so bad yourself. When Junmyeon told me that he would send me here, I thought you were some boring old man.’

 

‘Oh, great. Well, if you had come several years earlier, you would have found one. My grandpa founded this vineyard and my dad took care of it after him. Now I’m taking care of it.’

 

‘Has your father…?’ Baekhyun asks tentatively, hiccupping. Chanyeol laughs shortly at how cute it sounds, before answering.

 

‘He died 4 years ago.’ But there is no sadness in his voice. There are only good memories. ‘I married my sister off two year ago and I’m living on my own now.’

 

‘So that’s why you gave up your job in the city? So you could continue your father’s work?’ Baekhyun asks, remembering the bits that he’s learned about the older from the articles online.

 

‘No, I had wanted to quit long before my dad passed away. I’d come to understand that I cannot live in the city. It’s suffocating. It’s nice to go once in a while, maybe receive an award for my hard work, but nothing more than that. I want a peaceful life. When you’re there, having a full time job, there is always something to do, somewhere that you feel obliged to go… I don’t want that. And I don’t need that.’

 

Baekhyun doesn’t know what to answer to that, so he focuses on eating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The between them is getting unbearable - they tease each other mercilessly, but Chanyeol never allows it to go further than that. It makes Baekhyun frustrated, but he understands.

 

Then the harvest comes and Chanyeol is upset. Various things happen – not the least of which are birds attacking his bushes and the older is running out of ideas as to how to keep them away. It’s never happened before.

 

‘It’s like they are angry at me.’

 

‘Angry? Birds? Wait, angry birds…’ And Baekhyun starts laughing, but Chanyeol stares at him like he’s lost it, so he quickly composes himself. ‘Never mind…’ Of course Chanyeol wouldn’t know about the game. One day the birds finally give up and disappear, and it all appears to be going well.

 

 And then the biggest storm Baekhyun has ever seen in his life strikes.

 

He’s determined to help; he goes out there with the rest of their team and puts the thick foil over the bushes. He pulls and pulls, the wind is so strong. He calls Chanyeol over to check the ropes but they can hardly hear each other. It’s getting really dark. The rain is cold and harsh.

 

Chanyeol is the last one to come back to the house, with the rest of them trying to warm themselves up with hot soup and brandy. Baekhyun hugs him tightly the moment the taller appears at the door. Baekhyun’s been waiting at the window, anxious for the other’ safety.

 

‘Don’t ever scare me like that.’ Baekhyun whispers into his ear and Chanyeol only nods, tightening his hold on him. They change their clothes and persuade the other five to stay overnight. It’s not like they can go home anyway. When Baekhyun gives up his room for their guests’ comfort, they both know what it means.

 

They make love desperately, trying to warm up their bodies, yet trying to savour the moment. But Chanyeol is delicate with him; they both feel there is something more, there has always been something more. No one says anything. They make love until they can no longer move.

 

The next day Junmyeon calls for him to come home. It’s been long enough, his brother decides, almost 10 weeks have passed since Baekhyun’s arrival. It was a nice holiday, but the real world needs him back. Chanyeol tells him about the phone call over breakfast. It’s quite convenient, because they have never promised each other anything; the older is giving him a way out. It’s also a way for Chanyeol to keep his pride and deem what’s happened between them casual. Baekhyun, like the big coward that he is, packs his bags and says goodbye. And he’s gone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun is back in town, still attending parties and hanging out with his so-called friends, but it’s not the same. For the past 2 weeks all he’s been thinking was: this is not my life. He still wakes up at 6am, waiting for the steps that never come. He can’t be bothered with whiskey, when he’s drunk so much good wine and cheap soju. He even starts coming to the company, although he’s as inefficient as ever, because he sometimes spaces out in the middle of the sentence. Junmyeon doesn’t know what to do with him.

 

On the third week after Baekhyun’s return, Junmyeon and Yifan hold their engagement party. It’s high time for them, they’ve always been too busy to do something as simple as registration of their relationship. Baekhyun sits alone at the table - the girls have left him, because he’s no fun tonight. He looks at the flirting guests, drunk uncles, all that buzz going on around him. And then he looks at Junmyeon and Yifan as they stand close to each other, discussing something in a whispered tone. And just by looking at them, the whole world knows that they are in love, only for each other. No one else would do. No one else.

 

He abruptly stands up and runs up to them.

 

‘Hyung!’ He turns Junmyeon by the elbow to face him.

 

‘Ouch! Baekhyun, what are you doing?!’

 

‘Hyung, please, give me your car, I need to go.’

 

‘Baekhyun… What is going on?’ Junmyeon asks, now concerned.

 

‘Your license has been taken away, in case you’ve forgotten.’ Yifan reminds him carefully. Another painful reminiscence of Baekhyun’s past self.

 

‘Hyung, please. Please, get me a driver, then, please.’

 

‘Baekhyun, what is going on? Tell me what’s happened,’ Junmyeon urges.

 

‘I’m in love. I’m hopelessly in love with him.’ Baekhyun only says, feeling breathless out of a sudden. The other two look at each other in mild surprise, but are smiling. Yifan calls his best friend Luhan over and asks him for the biggest favour in his life.

 

The men arrive at the vineyard about two hours later – they are in luck, it’s night time hence no traffic. Baekhyun breathes out a quick thank you and leaves the car. Luhan takes it as a sign not to wait for him, and drives away.

 

But Baekhyun has no courage to go and knock on the door. He knows that what he did was wrong - he proved to be a real coward. He was scared of all the feelings – he just felt so overwhelmed and out of control, for the first time in his life. Running away seemed like an easier thing to do at the time. Now he regrets his actions. He doesn’t even know if he has the right to beg Chanyeol for forgiveness. So he goes for a walk to the vineyard, instead. Just to try and clear his mind. The bushes are now, the harvest has finished. It pains him, because he wanted to be here, to see the fruit of their labour with his own eyes.

 

The night is warm and the moon is really bright. Baekhyun sees that during harvest Chanyeol has installed small lamps to lead the way in the dark. When they suddenly switch on, Baekhyun immediately spots a figure walking towards him.

 

He doesn’t know who sees who first, but it’s Chanyeol that stops on his tracks and looks at the other incredulously.

 

‘Baekhyun?’ he asks only and Baekhyun nods his head like crazy. He’s too scared to say anything. ‘What are you doing here?’

 

‘I-I came to apologise for not helping out during harvest.’

 

‘You came… at this hour?’ Chanyeol frowns, almost smiling. But deep inside he’s scared.

 

‘I also came to apologise for slacking off when you weren’t looking, for destroying several rows of your bushes, and for all the trouble that I’ve caused you.’

 

‘You don’t have to-‘ Chanyeol starts, but Baekhyun cannot seem to shut up.

 

‘For being a jerk when you were nice to me. For not understanding anything. For not understanding your heart. For taking what I wanted from you, but being too scared to admit out loud that I feel the same.’ He’s on the verge of shedding tears now, hiccupping like he always does in stressful situations. ‘I know that it’s way too late for that now, and I keep telling myself that I have to get over the fact that you probably like that stupid Kyungsoo better anyway… God, I hate so much… But deep inside I know that it’s not possible. I can’t get over you, I might never be able to. So if there is still a chance that you might take me back, I swear that I’ll do anything-’

 

And he is in Chanyeol’s arms once again, the other wiping his tears away with his thumbs and kissing him greedily.

 

‘But what about Seoul? What about your life? I mean, I don’t really believe in long distance relationships, they rarely work. My life is here and you’re…’ Chanyeol trails off, smiling sadly.

‘I’ll give it all up without a second thought.’ Chanyeol looks at him, surprised. ‘You were right, I don’t need it. I don’t need any of that. When I went back, the superficiality of it all overwhelmed me. I couldn’t relate to anyone – I started wondering how those people had become my close friends in the first place. What you and I had… What he have felt so much more genuine despite the short period of time that we spent together.’ He laughs nervously at Chanyeol’s hopeful expression. The taller seems to radiant out of a sudden. ‘I mean, I will have to go back once in a while to check up on my finances, and my brother is getting married, but… I still want to be your housemate. I will clean properly, I will wake up earlier and I’ll even learn how to cook. How’s that sound?’

 

‘And will you marry me?’ Chanyeol asks quietly, deaf to all the other promises.

 

Baekhyun’s shocked by the forward question, but he smiles widely in relief and then narrows his eyes in mock suspicion.

 

‘But if I do that, that will make us roommates, right?’

 

‘Bed mates even.’ Chanyeol responds happily.

 

‘No, how could I refuse such an offer? Your bed is definitely way comfier than the one in my old room.’ But Baekhyun has no time to burst out laughing in joy, because Chanyeol has already captured his lips in a heated kiss, that lasts for a long time. Then they kiss some more.

 

And do other things, too.

 

 

A/N: Upvote if you liked? Thank you! *-*