When he completed most of the breakfast’s preparations, Chanyeol returned to his room and sat on the other side of the mattress, planning on waking up Baekhyun. But his resolution died as he let his gaze linger on the latter’s face. Without realizing it, he leaned in closer, so close he could count each of his eyelashes. He perfectly knew that he should retreat before Baekhyun stirred awake from his sleep and caught him staring in this awkward situation. But he couldn’t help but look at this beautiful sleeping face, simply enlightened by the early morning dawn. Baekhyun looked eerie in the white sheets, a peaceful expression adorning his traits. His pink lips moved imperceptibly as he mumbled a little, eyebrows furrowing the slightest bit. If possible, he wanted to engrave this moment in his memory forever, since he wouldn’t have the opportunity to witness it ever again.

Because of his thorough observation, Chanyeol noticed that Baekhyun’s milky white skin had lost its redness, meaning the fever had probably gone down to an acceptable level. Thus, he proceeded to remove the still moist towel from the other’s forehead, careful not to wake him up, but to no avail.

The large windows overlooking Seoul covered an entire wall, and its open curtains certainly didn’t help filter the bright morning sunrise light coming from the outside. But there was a shadow - a very tall one, at that – in Baekhyun’s blurred vision. The man recognized the outline of a backlit human silhouette leaning towards him, and an internal alarm immediately started ringing in his brain. Danger. The feeling of fingers brushing the top of his head enclenched Baekhyun’s self-defense instincts for good. Intruder. He impulsively threw himself on the stranger, adrenaline rushing through his tired body as he aimed for the throat. « Oof ! » Intruder neutralized. All clear.

« Wait. Intruder ? »

Baekhyun blinked, his overgrown bangs falling over his eyes. The one he was straddling appeared way too familiar to actually be a stranger. He immediately released the pressure of his hand on the other’s neck.

« Chanyeol ? »

« Get off me, please. » The sound was a bit too strained to be faked, so Baekhyun hurriedly obliged.

« Are you okay ? Did I hurt you ? »

« Nah. » Baekhyun still cupped Chanyeol’s jaw, and made him lift his chin up so that he could inspect the aftermath of his stranglehold. The tender skin had turned a faint pinkish red, but no traces of scratches were to be seen whatsoever.

« …it seems fine. »

« Told you so. Luckily, you didn’t try to demonstrate your 3 dan hapkido skills on me. » Slightly flushed, the actor pouted, amusement dancing in his dark brown orbs. Baekhyun couldn’t prevent the carefree smile that made its way on his face from unfolding, and let out a nervous laugh he didn’t know he was holding. At that, the corners of Chanyeol’s mouth curled upwards. The smaller immediately pinched his right cheek, where his dimple was showing. « How was I supposed to know it was you, huh ? I almost had a cardiac arrest ! » But the actor’s grin only became wider, ever so charming. His lips looked inviting, Baekhyun noted, and he bit the inside of his own cheek at such thought. Chanyeol and him never belonged to the type of people who were affected by the notion of personal space, but presently, their faces were too close for comfort, so he loosened his hold, murmuring some vague apology.

In return, Chanyeol cleared his throat, and rose from his position on the bed, reaching for the towel which had landed on a pillow nearby, and threw it carelessly in the plastic basin located on his nightstand. The spell was broken, seeing that he was now all serious. He then looked at Baekhyun in a contemplative manner, so the latter patiently waited for Chanyeol to say something, give him a somewhat realistic explanation of why he found his confused self in someone else’s bed first thing in the morning. But the other simply stated « You’re awake now, at least. The bathroom is on your right, therefore, ehrm, make yourself at home. When you’re ready, come down for breakfast. », before walking out of the room like nothing major had happened.

Baekhyun’s alert eyes scanned fretfully the unfamilar surroundings. For sure, this hotel-like bedroom wasn’t his. Logically, if Chanyeol was there, he was in the latter’s apartment. But how did he end up here ? His brain was empty of any recollection of what had happened the night before. « I trust myself enough to know I was sober last night. Thus, let’s try to think rationnally. » He resolutely headed for the bathroom. A splash of cold water on the face would surely refresh his spirit. That’s when he noticed the sweater paws covering the entirety of his hands, way past his wrists. Baekhyun didn’t want to let his body surrender to panic, and actually thought he was doing pretty well so far. However, his growingly accelerated pulse proved him otherwise.

The wedding planner wanted to runaway, sneak out of Chanyeol’s place without having to face its owner, but he couldn’t possibly do so wearing such clothes. Oversized clothes were fine, but he was dressed in a black hoodie three times his size. Just like the pair of pajama pants he sported, hanging loosely on his narrow hips. No need to be an IT genius to understand to whom these borrowed pieces of clothing belonged. Baekhyun sighed, running a hand through his messy bedhair as he prepared himself to face whatever fate was awaiting him.

The kitchen area smelled like freshly-brewed coffee beans, accompanied by a faint scent of tuberose. It opened on a wide living room, which showed a stunning view of the city, in the cool, misty morning, colored in every shade of pink and purple. Baekhyun nervously looked around, taking in the sight of the Steinway grand piano, the vases full of roses scattered in the spacious and modern room.

« So. » Baekhyun smacked his lips together, awkwardly. « Why am I here ? » he asked as he settled on one of the chairs in front of Chanyeol. « Something happened yesterday, right ? »

Chanyeol looked him in the eye for a good five seconds, before turning his gaze away. Okay, something did happen - for sure.

« As you may probably remember, we were at Tao’s studio the other day. Until, I’d say, pretty late in the afternoon, so the others decided to go to the club. And, well, you… you fainted, and wouldn’t wake up. Plus, it was raining hard last night, I couldn’t leave you unconscious on the pavement to fend for youself. Since I didn’t know your adress, I decided to bring you back with me. » the other said curtly, suddenly concentrated on his French press.

Baekhyun clicked his tongue. « ual fantasies, huh ? » Chanyeol raised his head so fast Baekhyun thought he might get whiplash. But the latter took an insistent look at his clothes, and the actor visibly relaxed at the sight of the fading printed red letters. « Oh…you were soaking wet, and so was I, so I had to…you know, undress you and put you into dry clothing. » (He looked so embarassed that the wedding planner, in this very moment, wanted to kiss his embarassment away.)

« Thank you. » Baekhyun smiled, but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. « Did I … »

« Say something weird last night ? » Baekhyun could feel heat creeping up his cheeks. Chanyeol leaned in, and put a hand on his forehead. The older quickly backed up, surprised.

« Sorry. I was just checking your temperature, I couldn’t do it earlier. Hum, it seems like it went back to normal… Fried rice ? »

« Oh, sure. » The other contemplated the steaming bowl of rice, as Chanyeol explained. « I wasn’t sure what you wanted to eat, but I guess you can never go wrong with homemade Korean food… I didn’t put cucumbers in it, if that’s what you’re worrying about. » He put a fried egg on top, adding a sprinkle of pepper and salt. « Wait a minute, it’s still hot. »

« Kimchi fried rice. It’s been a while since I had a proper homemade Korean breakfast. »

« I guess NYC might not be the best place in the world to get Korean dishes. » There was a hint of resentment in his tone.