Every waking moment, he sees it.

Again and again, it plays in his mind. Well it’s only been two days.

He hadn’t meant for it to happen. It was supposed to be a good-hearted prank. They were all supposed to just laugh it off and move on.

But Baekhyun didn’t laugh. He left, to everyone’s surprise.

He was their funny guy, the clown of the group. But when Kyungsoo dropped the bomb to his joke, Baekhyun lost his smile. He just left. He didn’t even get to hear the punch line.

*****

“Baekhyun, stop running!” Kyungsoo shouts at the guy. “Will you please just stop and listen to me?”

The former stops and looks Kyungsoo in the eye. “What do you want to talk about? I have somewhere to be.”

“Somewhere to be at 10 in the evening?” Kyungsoo reaches him and looks at him questioningly.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes at him. “Yeah. I have a whole ‘other life from just sitting around at that coffee shop, listening to stupid lies and promises and cliffhangers in life…letting stupid guys get your hopes up about nothing and suddenly being put on the spot by an arranged marriage announcement. I mean, you couldn’t have just run it by me first before shouting it to the world and to everyone in our social circle over crappy coffee?”

Baekhyun leaves then, leaving a surprised Kyungsoo by the sidewalk. How could all those things come out after that?

*****

“It’s been two days, Jongdae. He hasn’t called or texted in two days,” Baekhyun whines.

They’re at the same coffee shop where Kyungsoo made his ‘announcement’.

Jongdae looks at his friend pitifully. “You exploded in front of him. You basically confessed having feelings for him and that all this time, you were expecting for something to happen. What do you say to that? Your best friend from nursery actually is in love with you.”

Baekhyun whines some more. “It doesn’t matter anyway, he’s getting engaged.”

Sputtering the coffee he was just sipping, Jongdae laughs out loud. “You blithering idiot! It was just a joke!”

“What?”

“Kyungsoo was joking! He meant to see our reactions but you just left so suddenly. You didn’t even wait for him to finish.”

“What?”

“You’re an idiot.”

*****

“Come on, get up,” a slap on his behind. “Get up Kyungsoo!”

The said boy groans to his pillow. “I don’t want to…”

Junmyeon stares at his younger brother’s figure on his couch. “Just go call him. Tell him how your joke was actually a plan to see how he’d react. Tell him you’ve been in love with him since he gave you that stupid candy.”

“It was nice.”

“It was expired.”

Kyungsoo sits up all of a sudden, startling his brother. Junmyeon just slaps him lightly on the head.

“Oww! What was that for?”

Junmyeon tags on the hem of his shirt by the neck, pulling him to the bathroom. “Take a bath, you stink. I invited a friend over. I’d like for you to meet.”

Already inside and getting out of his clothes, Kyungsoo peeks out the door. “Is it a friend or a ‘friend’ friend?”

A towel is suddenly thrown on his face along with the words ‘just get under the shower, you brat’.

*****

In his head, Kyungsoo is killing Junmyeon slowly. They’re at dinner and sitting right across from him is Baekhyun, best friend, crush and apparently, admirer too. He came with Yoona, his older sister and Junmyeon’s ex.

Known for being blunt and upfront, Yoona didn’t hold back.

“So Kyungsoo, you already know my brother’s in love with you, what now?”

Both of them are taken aback and panicking.

“Oh come on, you two. I’m sure all your friends are already teasing you.” Turning to Kyungsoo, she starts telling funny stories about Baekhyun’s efforts in keeping Kyungsoo to himself. “Did you know he took the liberty of disposing all love letters in your locker in high school? He also stalked and hacked the accounts of whoever courted you, threatening them and lying to them.”

“Noona!”

“Baek?!”

“What?”

“What –“

Kyungsoo stands up and makes to grab Baekhyun’s wrist but the latter is faster, pulling his hand back thinking the former was going to hit him. “Come with me or you’re never going to have another chance,” Kyungsoo growls and heads to the balcony.

Baekhyun glares at his sister then stands up to follow Kyungsoo. The two older siblings end up giggling after the younger ones left.

*****

They just stand there for a while, looking at the city below. Kyungsoo speaks first.

“I can’t believe you ran from me that night.”

“I couldn’t bear it. You know, you getting married…to someone else.”

“I like you.”

Baekhyun looks at Kyungsoo then. “What?”

“I like you. I mean it.” Kyungsoo looks shy and frustrated but Baekhyun keeps quiet. Honestly, he’s happy but he doesn’t know what to say. “Say something, dammit!”

Baekhyun kisses him. He kisses back.

They move to get back inside after a while of talking and some kissing but they see their older siblings looking at them through the glass door, both smirking, and everything figures then. They had planned this dinner tonight.

*****

Junmyeon and Yoona leave for a night out. Baekhyun stays with Kyungsoo saying he needs company.

“So,” Kyungsoo starts, “are we together now?”

Baekhyun hugs him closer as they lie in bed together. “Yeah we are. I’m keeping you forever.”

Kyungsoo hugs him back and buries his smile in his chest.

They stay quiet for a while but Kyungsoo suddenly perks up and looks Baekhyun in the face. “Who were my suitors in high school?”

“What? Don’t believe what my noona said. She just made it up.”

“Spill.”

Baekhyun grins then. “There was Jongin…and Luhan. And Jaehwan. Then Myungsoo. And Chunji. And some others.”

“Hmm…” Kyungsoo nuzzles further into Baekhyun then he mumbles, “I liked Myungsoo in high school.”

Baekhyun flicks him on the head. “Don’t talk about them. You’re with me now.”

Kyungsoo giggles and it tickles Baekhyun’s chest.

“Yeah, I am. Finally.”

They dream that night.