Baekhyun has grown to like Sehun, despite the best-friend-induced hickeys lining his throat, the confidence that overpowers the brown in his eyes, the way he doesn't listen to any words directed at him. He's a bit whiny and extremely bratty, but he matches well with Jongdae, overall. Baekhyun knows his best friend and roommate well enough to tell that Jongdae thinks the younger boy is funny, that there's sparks of happiness and familiarity between them, even when they're just playing games and yelling at each other, voices high pitched and annoyed. 

It's cute to watch, the oldest boy notes, despite every cell in his body feeling slightly doubtful about this sudden couple, about the way their hands move toward each other, about the way they seem to ignore his presence altogether. Even from across the room, perched on his bed, Baekhyun can tell that the pair is having a good time acting like teenagers, hands gravitating toward each other despite the controllers in them. Sehun wins the game and jumps from his chair, arms raised in victory. Jongdae whines that he should've have won instead, that this stupid game was rigged from the start, but then Sehun sticks out his tongue at the shorter, and they both dissolve into giggles. It's soft, and laughter like this is what Jongdae deserves, Baekhyun knows. 

Baekhyun averts his eyes, looking toward the floor instead, embarrassed to be seeing their sugary interactions. He has two hours until practice, and he's been left alone without homework or his own boyfriend. Needless to say, it's a little tough to keep himself occupied while the juvenile pair flirt openly across the room, gaming slang thrown around in ways that clearly are meant ually, though he kind of wants to clear that thought of his head entirely. He loves Jongdae, but he doesn't need to know the details of that, truly. 

His mind wanders to what Chanyeol is doing, to the way the boy's family is probably piling into his house right now. It'd been made abundantly clear that Chanyeol's mom prefers to host everything, that their extended family always came at least a week early for the holidays. As much as he'd wanted the taller to come back to school early with him, it was laid out early on that his boyfriend would be preoccupied with babysitting his little cousins until the season had passed.

Baekhyun's heart had leapt at the thought of the taller boy chasing around the toddlers and children, voice loud and laughter louder, but he'd pushed that to the back of his mind, fearing that too much of that image would actually send him into cardiac arrest. Now, however, he's zoned out on his bed, mind absently filling the void of his mind with Chanyeol's smiles, with next semester's schedule, with the notes of a familiar song drifting through his thoughts. 

Now that he's figured out how to block out the lewd flirting and aggressive gaming only five feet from him, he's pretty comfortable, honestly. Comfortable enough to close his eyes and get under the covers and take a tiny nap before he needs to go skate this afternoon. He's almost there, so close to drifting off, but then his phone buzzes against his arm, and he jolts. 

from: big dae energy
don't you have to go somewhere??????

Baekhyun's head snaps up to look at his best friend, surprised by the passive aggressive text. No, he doesn't have anywhere to go for at least a few hours. The shorter had messaged him only seconds earlier, but as he searches for eye contact, Jongdae is completely ignoring his actual, physical presence. 

to: big dae energy
no?????????? 

Baekhyun watches as his friend rolls his eyes and sets to typing, eyebrows furrowed. It doesn't seem like Sehun has noticed what's transpiring between the roommates, too focused on commenting back to someone on the chat forum, voice agitated as he explains to Jongdae what's happening. Jongdae nods along with Sehun's complaint, and the taller boy sets to formulating an equally rude response on the computer.

from: big dae energy
it wasnt really a question.....

from: big dae energy
me and sehun would like for you to be busy pls......

It clicks, and suddenly Baekhyun is mortified. Jongdae and Sehun's mindless flirting hadn't been so mindless after all. He needs to get out of here before he has to see anything he doesn't want, before this situation turns into something that Jongdae is already anticipating. He stands, throwing a coat and scarf on as quickly as he can, backpack slung over his shoulder, and waves to the pair. 

"Going to go get lunch and read at the library," Baekhyun notices the smile Jongdae gives him, genuine and shy, but still a little apprehensive. As expected. "Then I have practice. It'll be a while. Good luck on your game." 

"If you talk to Chanyeol, tell him I love him!" Sehun's not joking, Baekhyun realizes, and it takes him a moment to comprehend just how pure that was for him to say.

He nods and returns Sehun's smile, ducking out of the room with a twinge of pink of his cheeks, a hopefullness for Jongdae's relationship in each step. Maybe Sehun is whiny and bratty with a pinch of caring, but maybe that's what Jongdae needs, really. 

-- 

After hours of practice, Baekhyun is convinced that his legs might actually snap in half. He'd hoped to venture back to his dorm to see whether Sehun and Jongdae had vacated the premises yet, but after so many days without continuing his skating routine, Baekhyun is much too tired to cross the entire campus in this frigid cold. 

And so he's keying into Chanyeol's room -- empty, since both Chanyeol and Yixing were still at home for the break.

The taller had explained that, with Sehun and Jongdae being in a new relationship, it might be easier for Baekhyun to just crash at his place for a few days, giving him the ID card and pin. Baekhyun had disregarded this, feeling too awkward to break into Chanyeol's dorm, especially since he'd only been there once or twice since they started dating. However, after that grueling practice, with frigid air filling his lungs to their limit and turning his nose red, Baekhyun longs for nothing more than a warm bed that smells like Chanyeol. 

The building isn't hard to find, and the room is even easier, an obnoxious sign with Chanyeol and Yixing's names spelled out adorning the door. Baekhyun studies the way the red and purple letters glimmer against the light of his phone's flashlight as he pins in the combination and waits for the familiar sound of a door unlocking, heart racing at the thought of seeing this room by himself, at the thought of Chanyeol knowing that he's sleeping there. 

He toes out of his shoes, cautiously looking around for Chanyeol's roommate, even if it's simply out of paranoia. Luckily, he's met with a dark room, the only light a dim fragment of the winter's fading dusk. It streams in from a window by the closet, tinted green from the curtains that hang over it, and Baekhyun feels like he's wrapped up in Chanyeol's favorite green hoodie, that he's suddenly surrounded by warm hands and deep laughter -- it's calming, and every muscle that had hurt so much before relaxes almost immediately.

The room itself isn't anything special, smelling of boy mixed with eucalyptus, decorated with standard navy blue everything, but Baekhyun likes the way it feels so much like Chanyeol, the way it makes his eyes droopy and hands warm. It's only after the hottest shower he can bear, when he's enveloped in a sweatshirt that Chanyeol had left hanging in the closet, that he remembers how late it must be by now -- the children are probably laying down, and his boyfriend is free for the briefest of moments. 

He texts Chanyeol to get on his laptop, tells him that he needs to facetime. He also throws in the words "I miss you," but that's only because Baekhyun thinks he might be too scared to say it out loud, not when Chanyeol is looking back at him like he always does, eyes intense and ever-searching for a hint of emotion on his face. It's reciprocated, and Baekhyun reels over the fact that Chanyeol misses him too, moving to start the call.

The facetime goes through immediately, Chanyeol's blurry face popping up on his screen with an almost scary speed. He's laying in his bed -- Baekhyun recognizes the duvet and the way it had wrapped around him that embarrassing morning when they'd almost been caught. 

"Hey," his voice is warm and deep, everything that Baekhyun had remembered it being, and it makes his cheeks tingle pink. 

"Chanyeol," he yawns a tiny bit. "How are you?" 

Watching Chanyeol's eyes trail down to the crewneck he's got on, eyes lighting up in recognition, sends a warm thrill through Baekhyun. Suddenly, he wants to kiss the taller feverishly, wants to feel the heat between them, wants Chanyeol to know that he misses him this much. 

"I'm good. My cousins are downstairs watching a movie," Chanyeol's voice is strained, embarrassed, and Baekhyun smiles knowingly. "Are you --"

"One second," Baekhyun slides into the bed that he easily recognizes as Chanyeol's (the overflow of pillows and stuffed animals had been a great hint, but the polaroids of his family on the wall next to it had confirmed Baekhyun's suspicions.) It's warm, and it really does smell like the taller, so Baekhyun finds himself snuggling deeper into it, blanket pulled up to his neck to keep all the warmth in.

Chanyeol's beaming, eyes teeming with fondness at the image of Baekhyun curled up in his clothes in his bed, hair damp and exhaustion evident. It feels like Chanyeol is peppering kisses over his cheeks just from the intensity of his gaze, and Baekhyun's toes curl at the thought of the taller being here with him, wrapping him up in warmth, and whispering about his day. 

"You're at my dorm?" he comes off as awestruck, and Baekhyun loves that he can see just how red the taller's ears are turning, even when it's dark and blurry. He doesn't think any level of distance or static in between them could keep him from picking up on the little things about Chanyeol, could stop him from noticing everything that makes the taller so lovable to him.

The first time they'd talked in the rink, Baekhyun had thought he was oversized and gangly, prone to laughing at his own jokes, and now Baekhyun has confirmed all of this to be true -- though now these qualities send his heart into a flurry, smile forming because he knows just how Chanyeol will act next, knows that he's the kindest, prettiest boy he's ever met.

"I didn't want to walk back after practice," he pouts, loving the way Chanyeol's cheeks twinge rose. "It was too far. I was tired and cold. And I don't trust Jongdae and Sehun to not go for it while I'm in the room. So, here I am." 

Chanyeol is still flustered, but he seems to have calmed down, at least fractionally. 

"If you get thirsty or hungry, we keep water in the fridge, and there are snacks in the top left shelf of my closet." 

"You sound like a mom," Baekhyun sticks out his tongue, giggling at how offended Chanyeol's face turns. "I'm fine. I picked up something to eat before practice."

Chanyeol laughs along a little, before his voice turns softer, "I wish I was there with you." 

His words hit the smaller like a jolt of electricity and suddenly he's leaning in toward his phone with puckered lips. It feels childish, but Baekhyun thinks that it's okay to be childish and dumb when love is clouding his eyes, when all his senses are overwhelmed with Chanyeol. He moves back from this fake kiss to see Chanyeol's bright eyes following his every movement, tender and attentive. 

"That was a little gross, honestly -- the noises," Chanyeol shakes his head and adjusts to be more comfortable in his twin bed, mimicking the position Baekhyun has himself in. "But I liked it. I like you even when you're gross." 

"Oh, I know you like it," Baekhyun means to be joking, but Chanyeol's expression turns a little darker, eyes reflecting unsaid words, the want to be with each other in more ways than one. It's hard, Baekhyun thinks, to spend so much time looking at his boyfriend without being able to feel his presence next to him, without the chance to work out the frustrations that build up everytime their hands brush together, so gentle and so lacking in what's needed. 

"I wish I was there," he repeats, though the tone has changed. "I miss you. And your lips and your hands and --" 

Baekhyun wheezes out a cough, mind still recovering from Chanyeol's sudden declaration. He's not strong enough for this, he knows -- not right now. There's a lot he wants to say, to do, but he can't think too hard about any of it, not when he's so comfortable in Chanyeol's bed, not when his heart was feeling so light only moments before.

"You'll be here soon, right?" 

"Of course. I'm driving down after Christmas to watch your competition," Chanyeol's eyebrows furrow, and his eyes look to the ceiling while he thinks. "That's, what, a week? I'll be back in no time."

"Good. I want you to get back quickly," Baekhyun yawns again, this time so loudly that Chanyeol startles on the other end. It makes them both laugh, and the shorter can't make out what's happening on the other end because Chanyeol has dropped his laptop. It's endearing, so very Chanyeol of him, and Baekhyun is struck by a wave of intense fondness as he watches the blurry figure struggle to pick it back up, wheezing. 

"You need to sleep," Chanyeol's picking the laptop back up, and suddenly his face is extremely close to the camera. "You're tired and you worked hard. Get some rest, okay?" 

Baekhyun can't even feign that he's wide awake because he yawns again, this time brought on by Chanyeol's words. "Okay. Sleep tight, Chanyeol." 

He wants to say more but he doesn't. He can't do it, not when his throat catches as he thinks about being that vulnerable, about what Chanyeol might do if he lets words like that be said so casually. There'd been moments when he'd let it slip, moments when the air was warm and their bodies were inseperable, but saying it in this situation feels so open, so real, so new. 

"Goodnight," Chanyeol mimics Baekhyun and gives the camera a kiss, sloppy and gross but endearing. "I love you." 

Then the screen is black, leaving him staring at his own red face in the reflection of his phone, heart pouding. He'd been so panicked, but Chanyeol hadn't thought twice -- hadn't needed to. He'd always known that the taller was more open with his feelings, that he wore his heart on his sleeve, but this revelation sets a spark alight in his chest. Of course, the taller would fear nothing, would focus only on making his feelings known, on making Baekhyun a puddle of emotions.

"I love you too," Baekhyun whispers into his phone, watching as the voice message sends.

He suddenly feels nervous, heart drumming to a beat too rapid for him to handle, and so he puts his phone down, focusing only on the way Chanyeol's voice had sounded so sincere when he'd said it, the way Chanyeol's blankets shroud him from any worries of the world outside the two of them.

-- 

Over the week, Baekhyun gets used to staying at Chanyeol's, texting Jongdae for updates on whether he's allowed to come home, and laughing with Sehun when they all meet up for breakfast. It's nice -- Sehun is good at making conversation, is even better at sharing Baekhyun's adoration for girl groups, and, most of all, he's fantastic at making Jongdae smile. The week passes by in a flurry of sore muscles and facetime calls -- Baekhyun counts the hours until his final competition, until Chanyeol's lips are pressed against his, until his life returns to semi-normality. 

Chanyeol had, of course, been devastated on Christmas morning when he realized that they hadn't spent their first Christmas together. Baekhyun had tried to console him, had told him that, no matter what, he would still have to practice this evening -- it's better for him to be with his family, after all. 

He says this, though he still feels an empty sadness creeping into his chest, blossoming with each hour that he spends alone, giftless, boyfriendless, in the library and on the ice. Jongdae had bought him a giftcard to his favorite restaurant and written something stupid in the card about using it to buy food instead of just eating Chanyeol's -- something that Sehun had cackled about, which, in turn, made Baekhyun giggle a bit too, despite himself. 

That night, as Baekhyun gets comfortable in the taller's bed, his facetime call is picked up by a teary-eyed Chanyeol, nose running. Panic, of course, floods his veins -- was someone hurt, did a family fight happen, is Chanyeol okay?

The taller quickly assures him that he's completely fine, just torn up about not getting to see Baekhyun on Christmas, sad about missing out on kissing under the mistletoe ("There is no mistletoe here, though." "Yeah, but it's the thought that counts.")

To calm the taller down, Baekhyun sings him a carol over the phone, watching his boyfriend sullenly dry his tears and allow himself smile instead, nose still red, eyes soft and overflowing with devotion.  

Soft-hearted Chanyeol, he thinks, I love you. 

-- 

Chanyeol's hands wrap around his waist instantly, pulling him up in a makeshift jump -- one that Baekhyun easily glides into, arms finding their place around the taller's neck. His feet are dangling off the ground and Chanyeol is spinning them together, reminiscent of the time they'd spun like this on the ice, feet tangled, leading Baekhyun to initiate their first kiss, tender and scared.

This time, Baekhyun smashes his lips against the taller's confidently, smiling into it as Chanyeol slows their spin to nothing. Their lips stop moving too, slowly, just as slow as Chanyeol loosening his grip around the smaller. Baekhyun's sliding down to stand on the ground -- the snow crunches under his feet, and Chanyeol's scarf hits him in the face, but it's okay. 

"I'm back!" Chanyeol's voice is gravelly, giddy, and his grin is eclipsed by his teeth chattering against the wind. 

"You're back," Baekhyun thinks of the first time they'd sat next to each other in class, how desperately he'd worked to avoid Chanyeol's lingering eyes. Now, he thinks he could live in the sunshine of Chanyeol's smile for an eternity, could discover depths unknown in his eyes, given enough time.  

"Let's go inside," Chanyeol suggests, squinting against the sunset in search for his dorm. It tints his face a golden color, and Baekhyun can't stop himself from grabbing Chanyeol's hand in his own. "I'm cold." 

They lug Chanyeol's bags back into his room, collapsing on his tiny twin size bed immediately after, hands longing to feel each other's heartbeat. It's slow, the way they kiss as the sun sets over them, and it's slow, the way Baekhyun rids himself of the layers between them. His body is moving at Chanyeol's gentle pace, but his mind is so eager -- he wants to feel every bit of love that Chanyeol hadn't been able to express, wants to show Chanyeol how much he'd missed him, missed them together.

Chanyeol is panting as he tries to rid himself of the parka he's wearing, one hand preoccupied with the buttons on the front, the other trailing down Baekhyun's neck. It feels too warm in here -- he whispers this sentiment between kisses -- and soon he's only in a t-shirt and jeans, hands helping to get Baekhyun's sweater off. 

Suddenly, their arms are freed and touching each other, skin on skin too much for either to take in. Their mouths open against the other's, a parted breath of longing and happiness, touches that promise much more filling each moment. Baekhyun thinks he might pass out from the way Chanyeol drags his teeth across his lip, too languid and daunting, not enough of what he needs right now.

"Stop," he sounds whiny, he knows, but he can't take this, not right now. "I missed you too much for you to be all slow." 

Chanyeol smiles and Baekhyun feels it press into his lips, feels Chanyeol bite harder on them, a nip that sends fire crawling through Baekhyun's veins, volts of electricity springing to life behind his eyelids. This is what he wants -- his mind is buzzing with opportunities, with the feeling of Chanyeol's lips leaving his. 

"I can't," Chanyeol responds, dropping his head to leave a kiss at the base of Baekhyun's neck softly. Too softly, the smaller notes. "You have a competition tomorrow." 

Baekhyun stills, disappointed, just as Chanyeol's head moves to ghost over his stomach, moving lower and lower, his jumper being pulled up as the taller makes his way down. 

"I'll be fine, really," Baekhyun is squirming against the feeling of Chanyeol's mouth so close to his navel, the emptiness that his inaction is causing spreading further and further. "Please?" 

Chanyeol shakes his head, curls brushing against Baekhyun's stomach so softly. He s the shorter's jeans, and Baekhyun suddenly understands that Chanyeol doesn't want to hurt him, not when he needs to perform tomorrow, but that doesn't mean that he won't close the distance the week had imposed. Baekhyun leans over to kiss the top of Chanyeol's head, mind spinning, and allows Chanyeol to push him back on the bed, the sheer wonder of this boy in front of him overwhelming him wholly. 

-- 

Skating has always been a part of his life, just like breathing, like eating -- though Baekhyun figures he's had to work at it harder than anything else, has had to invest countless hours so that he can feel confident on the ice. The rink is a safe space, a place where he knows he can live up to his own expectations, to his coach's expectations, can defy the remarks that were spewed at him during high school.

Skating, to him, is the safety and confidence he couldn't feel in his day to day life -- and as Baekhyun takes the ice for his last collegiate competition, it feels like he's letting a piece of his worries melt away, letting himself realize that he is as powerful off the ice as he is on it. 

It's liberating, and it makes hitting every jump, every spin, feel like more of a joyous occasion. There's no struggle, no strife, not when he's alone on the ice, flowing against the cold, cutting through the elements to the most delicate song he's ever heard, one that he associates with shy glances, shared laughter, learning to breathe.

There's a peace that settles over his features as the piece starts, a dreamlike quality floating through the air. By the time he's come to his ending, to the jump he'd worked for years and years to master, the music has picked up its pace, faster and more sporadic, though the notes are still played so delicately. Baekhyun tries to be delicate, graceful, tries to let himself feel as though he's stumbling through this dream world, too, that he's suddenly broken out of a trance, that he's seen the light at the end of the tunnel for himself. 

There's nothing he can't do, not when he controls himself so well, not when the ice listens to his every command. He's leaping, floating, gliding, and suddenly he's landed the jump, legs strong and stable, mind whirring out a million possibilities. He's glowing, he thinks, he must be glowing. His cheeks hurt from smiling and his hands are so shaky, a breath coming out staggered against his own hand as he moves to cover his mouth. 

He bows, numbly registering loud cheers from the crowd and his teammates, feeling the freedom that he'd skated with following his every movement. 

Just like that, the music is over, and he’s skating off the ice, limbs so numb yet so limber, face aching with a smile that he can’t stop. He won't cry while he bows like last time, he's sure, because he'd come here knowing he could do it, had made this dream his own, had walked himself out of it willingly.

He's broken out of the revêrie that had engulfed his mind, his character, on the ice. He'd shattered the peaceful chords with his black clothes and red eyes, with the learned strength of his skating, with the confidence he hadn't known he had. Free, he realizes, he feels free. He's so light, so elated, and he knows that Chanyeol was right along -- there is nothing more that he could want, no other career that could make him feel this way.

Skating is the piece of him that he'd always come back to, no matter if there were demons in the back of his head he had to prove wrong, no matter if there was a tug on his heart to exceed his own expectations. It comes to him innately, made of tears and sweat and smiles, a sacred kind of pain and reward.

Jongin engulfs him in a hug as he stumbles off the ice, excitedly yelling, though Baekhyun can't register much right now, not even when three other skaters come to pat him on the back and leave sloppy kisses on the top of his head. 

He's still in a blur of friends and Chanyeol -- how did he get down here? Baekhyun doesn't care, not when he feels warm hands stabilize him -- when the results are announced minutes later. He can't breathe, can't force himself to struggle against the cold air and the body heat around him, feeling as though the mixture will cause a tornado in his stomach, will leave him spinning and confused.

It's all so quick, and before he knows what's really happening, he's pushed forward to receive his medal, to shake hands with the judges as the first place winner. It still feels surreal, even as he finds himself screaming in joy and leaping toward the mass of people gathered around him, sequin outfitted teammates and hoodie-wearing boyfriends alike. He's crying red-stained tears against Chanyeol's shoulder, a sense of relief and purpose settling over him so suddenly that he belatedly realizes how much his shoulders had sagged in doubt, how much each day had felt as though he was fighting himself. 

"I want to do this," Baekhyun gasps out, voice hoarse but filled with conviction. He feels Chanyeol tighten his arm around his shoulder, indicating that he's listening, that he understands. "I want to be a skater, Chanyeol. It doesn't matter what other people think. It's all I want. I want to feel like this always." 

Chanyeol nods and kisses the crown of his head so softly that Baekhyun thinks it might just be him breathing, but there's an inkling that he's right deep inside his bones. His surroundings are chaos, but he's so calm, so convinced of what he wants to do in the future, of who he wants to spend it with. The thought makes his shoulders shake again, so he turns his head against Chanyeol's neck, leaving a tiny kiss as a way of saying thank you for believing in me, thank god I believe in myself.

--

Everything is shimmering, glittery, translucent. The entire room is iridescent with fake diamonds and crafted, glimmering decorations (Kyungsoo had spent hours scouring pinterest for ideas, Chanyeol explains, pride evident in his voice and gaze.) The room is overflowing with drinks and food and people, everyone's voices loud enough to drown out the soft music that reverberates off the walls. It's enough to make Baekhyun feel a little overwhelmed, enough to send him and Chanyeol outside into the cold air for a breather. 

Baekhyun is warm enough in his fuzzy jacket, but he likes when Chanyeol's arms are around him, so he doesn't protest, especially not when Chanyeol leans his head against Baekhyun's shoulder and lets their breathing sync.

It's quiet out here, with only a faint thrumming of bass that reaches them, but the dazzling decorations can be seen from the window. It reflects sparks of rainbow on Chanyeol's cheekbones, leaves Baekhyun twinkling in the moonlight. They're both a little tipsy -- champagne adds up, at least in Baekhyun's case -- and it makes his mind focus on the tiny details of Chanyeol's face, on the moles he'll make sure to kiss later, on the dimple that fascinates him. 

"He's proud, you know," Chanyeol nods to the window. Baekhyun watches Kyungsoo beaming up at a familiar skater, eyes glittering just like the party he'd worked so hard to throw. "He's proud of you and Jongin. He was so excited to do this for you guys." 

Baekhyun smiles and lets his head rest against Chanyeol's softly, inhaling the scent of his shampoo and the clear night air. It's peaceful, unlike the utter ruckus inside, unlike the chaos he's sure will ensue in a few minutes. There's not much time left, he thinks absentmindedly. 

"I'm thankful that he made the party themed for figure skating and new year's eve," he yelps at the way Chanyeol's laugh tickles his neck, squirming away from the taller. "I'll make sure to thank him a lot later." 

"Just get him something for his birthday -- it's in January," Chanyeol's eyes go wide in panic, face reading as if he's suddenly remembered something vital. He's moving forward so quickly that Baekhyun is caught off guard, trapped in a warm hug with Chanyeol leaving his face stinging with kisses. 

"What?"

"We didn't get each other Christmas gifts!" Chanyeol whines, each word punctuated with a tiny kiss on Baekhyun's cold cheeks, nose, lips. "It's okay, though -- you're my favorite gift!" 

Baekhyun groans at the cheesiness, moving his head from side to side so that the taller has a hard time figuring out where he should kiss next. His pulse has quickened because of the words, but he doesn't want to admit that such a sentimental, corny line could have that much of an effect on him.

"Am I not your favorite gift?" Chanyeol's smiling, eyes wide and focused on Baekhyun's, sweetness dripping in his voice and warm affection pulsing through his fingers. 

Baekhyun blushes beet red, closing his eyes. 

"You're my favorite gift," Baekhyun whispers back. It feels so silly and dumb to say, but suddenly Chanyeol is kissing him like it means more than that, and it's okay -- he'll say it as many times as the taller wants. They're smiling against each other, lips and cheeks slightly numb as Baekhyun makes a grab for Chanyeol's jacket, pulling him closer in this divine light, this sacred darkness. 

Then the door is opening, and Yixing is groaning at the sight before him. 

"Stop that. Come inside and watch the countdown," Yixing's pulling them toward the door, and the pair stumble in after him, the sudden warmth hitting them like a wall as they're handed glasses of champagne. They really were almost out of time, Baekhyun realizes, cheeks still flushed from Chanyeol's actions outside. 

The crowd is screaming, counting down until the new year, and Baekhyun joins in, liking the way Chanyeol's arm wraps around his waist so naturally, as if there had never been a moment they'd been without each other. Then it's midnight, and they're downing the glass, pulling each other in for a giddy kiss, one that tastes like champagne and promises of the future.

-- 

It's........over...........

I totally didn't cry thinking about it being over? I didn't. Promise. :') 

Also: I'd like to thank Jo (softnmessy on aff) because she.......is my heart and soul? and she has been here throughout my entire fanfic journey and....this is the 3rd one I've finished with her as my part-time angel/favorite motivator. I adore you babie :(

And a big thank you to everyone who's commented, who's stuck with this story and its irregular updates. I owe you all the world, my heart, and probably a lot more. Thanks again, and  a good morning/good morning one last time! 

I love you all with all my heart <3

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