you must know that you're lovely,

you're kind and you're beautiful too. 

•••

everything was still. the air, the room, his body. the only slight movements were made by the slow blinking of his dopey eyes and the steady rise and fall of his chest. 

chanyeol's gaze was trained on the ceiling, his expression dull and cemented, as it had been for quite some time. the young man cast his vision around his small bedroom: he took in the fact that he should probably get a double bed, as a 6"2 man takes a lot of effort to be comfortable in a single bed. he took in the dust particles that danced in the cold sun that streamed through his open blinds. chanyeol never opened his blinds. however, today he did. 

the young man wasn't really sure why he woke up with a strange surge of hopefulness, an emotion he hadnt had the pleasure of relishing in for a long while. he also didn't know why, when he stared himself down in his stained mirror, he began to smile. chanyeol had surveyed his face; and as his eyes fell on his own lips, and a hand subconsciously was raised to them, he began to smile. then he had laughed. he laughed and laughed until it became uncomfortable, although he wasn't really sure if he could feel uncomfortable in such a mood. 

as his glassy eyes analysed his cluttered living space, the young man found himself in a whirlwind of contrasting emotions. he felt happy, but had no idea why. (he tried to tell himself, although he knew the exact reason and person), he also felt slightly empty, but that was a daily affair, so the musician payed that no heed.  he felt slightly useless, he felt the need to do, instead of just sit and lie around and exist, rather than live. 

chanyeol thought about this often. 

and so, to distract himself from the complications of ones head, he threw on his black jeans and hoodie, clutched his guitar and bumbled hastily out of his apartment. 

as the young man entered the slightly damp, florescently lit hallway, he pondered about where to head to. somewhere tranquil, he thought. he wanted to be alone, but he needed to seek warmth from people.

correction: he wanted to see baekhyun. 

chanyeol plodded down the corridor, guitar in tow, replaying his and baekhyun's kiss like a broken record in his head. he felt his cheeks flush as he reimagined baekhyun's soft lips, his puppy-dog eyes that gaped at chanyeol seconds after the kiss, his endearing bedhead and the way his delicate palms rested on chanyeol's chest and balled the front of his shirt into little fists. 

the musician smiled to himself, an embarrassingly large grin played upon his lips. he didn't realise how odd he would look to passers-by until he trundled past a girl from college, who, evidently, found his dumb smile amusing, and snorted to herself as she walked past him and into what must've been her apartment. chanyeol ducked his head in embarrassment, ears burning as he quickened his pace to reach baekhyun's home. 

chanyeol knocked gently on baekhyun and sehun's wooden door, fidgeting from foot to foot as he awaited an answer. he caught a hold on the hem of his hoodie and began wrapping it around his forefinger, folding and picking at the fabric as he stood alone. 

the doorknob twisted roughly, and the musicians' heart began to race, the echoes of a drum beating loudly in his ears. 

baekhyun swung the door wide, and chanyeol had to hide his smile. the smaller had on his rounded glasses, which framed his pretty eyes, and a large bright yellow sweater with the words, 'daddy's girl' , printed in large pink letters across his chest. chanyeol's eyes fell on the slogan and burst into hiccuping laugher, to which baekhyun chucked softly.

what chanyeol didn't notice was the way baekhyun gazed at his keeled over, wheezing self, with such adoration and warmth that the sun would have competition. 

once the taller's chuckles simmered to a more controllable level of laughter, he spoke. 

"hello, byun," he sighed, smirking clumsily at the smaller, who hadn't uttered a word. 

"hello there," baekhyun's lips quirked upwards at chanyeol's dopiness. "you may enter"

chanyeol laughed again, and so did baekhyun, and the two pondered over to the overly cushioned sofa. baekhyun plopped himself down in between two enormous fluffy pillows, and chanyeol followed suit, setting his guitar on the floor before adjusting his body until it was comfortable amidst the fort of pillows. baekhyun watched chanyeol. he watched how his eyes looked too tired, yet there was a sparkle to them which he hadnt really seen before. he noticed how chanyeol's hair was fluffier than it was yesterday. he observed the way chanyeol's hands clutched at a cushion and pulled it into his chest, and he saw the way his lips moved. god, did he see the ways his lips moved. baekhyun's gaze was fixated on chanyeol's plump lips, and wanted nothing more than to kiss them again, properly this time. 

"so.. um," chanyeol began, as he turned to face baekhyun's curled up figure, noticing the way his eyes were slanted slightly, and a dazed smile sat on his lips. the lips that chanyeol had - well, he technically didn't have the chance to kiss him back - but the lips that chanyeol had been kissed by. an all too comfortable shudder spread like wildfire down his spine, and a rosy dusting of a blush graced his cheeks and the very tips of his ears, which, even in his delirious seeming state, baekhyun noticed, and his lazy smile stretched. "how have you been since... yesterday?" 

baekhyun stretched, "i couldn't sleep at all last night," 

oh. chanyeol had had a lot of experience with lack of sleep. some sort of protective instinct overwhelmed him, and the taller accidentally(on purpose) reached out a hand and took baekhyun's palm, rubbing his thumb over the smaller's suddenly tense hands. 

baekhyun's breath hitched, and chanyeol relished in the fact that it was him that made baekhyun become flustered and jittery. "why couldn't you sleep?" 

baekhyun observed their hands, and how chanyeol's thumb slowly and reassuringly trailed over his knuckles. back and forth. back and forth. 

 "i couldn't stop thinking about you," he breathed. 

"oh-" 

"not in a weird way, just... i couldn't stop thinking about yesterday and the way you smiled afterwards and the way it felt and-" 

"byun, it's not weird..." chanyeol's grip on his hand tightened minutely. "it's actually really cute," 

baekhyun buried his face in a pillow, inconveniently trying and failing to hide his crimson blush. "no it's not, stop it," he mumbled, groaning at his own embarrassment. 

chanyeol peered closer to baekhyun's hidden face, and chucked as baekhyun burrowed deeper into the blankets and pillows. "byun, come out, it's cuuute," he teased, blowing at the boy's bangs and smiling madly to himself as he noticed the tips of baekhyun's ears flush a deep blood red - the same red, chanyeol remembered, was the smaller's favourite colour. 

chanyeol leaned closer to the hibernating bear, breath disturbing baekhyun's already messy hair. 

"no it's not, you egg bread- oh!" 

at this very precise moment, baekhyun's head shot up, and the two found themselves frantically scanning eachothers rosy red faces, gasping at the close proximity. 

their breath mingled, their vision bored into each other, in some form of want. 

what could've been hours passed as the two stared into eachothers eyes, and lips. finally, chanyeol spoke, croaky and low. 

"baekhyun," chanyeol whispered, loathing how unstable his voice became at such a simple turn of events. his heartbeat flooded to his ears, cutting off all noises but his and baekhyun's wobbly breathing.

 "baekhyun, can i kiss you?" 

the smaller let out a tiny whimper that probably wasn't supposed to come out, and nodded his head, his lips and letting his eyes flutter shut, shakily.

chanyeol gently took baekhyun's chin in his fingers and drew him closer, if that were possible. he turned the latter's head to the left slightly, and leaned in with nervous yet excited tingles spreading through his body. 

as their lips connected, chanyeol felt baekhyun gasp slightly; just the tiniest intake of breath, and baekhyun gave in completely, leaning into the kiss, angling himself at a more convenient position. the smaller's hands trailed upwards, to chanyeol's jawline, before slipping down and latching onto his hoodie. he pulled the taller's torso towards him, and the two's body's were as close as they physically could be. 

chanyeol deepened the kiss; he s one hand to rest on baekhyun's lower back, while the other clasped his cheek, gently tracing his cheekbone with his thumb as baekhyun opened his mouth slightly, and a mewling whimper echoed from baekhyuns lips, down chanyeol's throat. 

they pulled apart as chanyeol began to snicker against the smaller's mouth, breathless and dizzy and impulsive. they stared at eachothers faces for a moment before simultaneously bursting into wheezy laughter, knees bumping together and hands brushing against thighs. 

"what are we doing, byun," chanyeol's eyes sparkled. 

"i have no idea," baekhyun smiled, eyes crinkling at the edges as he smiled brightly at the man opposite him. "but i like it," 

(i feel like this is rlly bad bc im v tired and delirious and maybe didn't intend for them to kiss this chapter oops im sorry if it's going to fast, don't worry,, something is going 2 happen that's important soon, just wait and see ;-) hehehh)