Chapter 4

“You can barely walk, how are you even going to kick anything?” Minseok huffs, watching you limp towards him.

“I’ll be fine by then, I have a week to get better.” You grunt, slumping in the seat next to him.

Jongdae has his eyebrows raised as he slides a cup of hot chocolate towards you.

“I really don’t want to say this, but maybe you should consider sitting this one out?” He suggests timidly.

You start shaking your head before he has even finished his sentence.

“No way,” you reply.

“What does Baekhyun think of this?” Minseok suddenly asks.

You startle at the mention of the name and have to consciously try not to act too sensitively and flush like a tomato.

That morning after, you had woken up in an absolute tangle with Baekhyun, your face shoved so far the crook of his neck you had wondered how you hadn’t suffocated yourself. He had wrapped himself around you like a very dedicated octopus, his arms keeping you attached to his chest as if his life depended on it.

You were so warm that you had kicked off the duvet from you in your sleep, only using Baekhyun as your source of heat, as he could apparently heat up to the average temperature of a small active volcano.

At the first sign of movement, he had woken up and groggily wished you good morning, before he repeatedly pressed his lips to your forehead and temple. As soon as awareness of what had transpired hit you both, you had frozen still. But then you gave him a squeeze with your arms and he squeezed back, and soon you were both laughing messily until you moved your hurt foot too sharply and groaned in pain, causing a fit of panic in your snuggles partner.

“He hasn’t said anything about it,” you admit, sipping your drink and refusing to look either of them in the eyes.

“Really? You spent the entire night together and he said nothing about it?” Jongdae asks.

You heart lurches.

“How do you know we were together?!” You almost screech.

Jongdae snorts, a disgustingly smug smile on his face.

“I didn’t, but now I do.” He says, winking at you.

Minseok laughs from your side and you groan, dropping your head in your hands.

“I hate you,” you mumble.

“You don’t,” Jongdae says matter of factly. “Now tell us what happened.”

And so you do. You tell them about your stupid fall and how Baekhyun almost carried you home and took care of you and how he ended up staying with you.

“Just sleeping?” Minseok asks dubiously.

“Just sleeping.” You nod.

“I like Baekhyun,” Minseok suddenly says. “He’s good for you, I hope you finally get together soon.”

“He will have to do.” Jongdae says with a sigh.

Both you and Minseok look at him curiously.

Jongdae notices.

“What? I’m basically like her older brother, I can’t ever be satisfied with who she dates.”

“We’re not dating!” You hiss. “But thank you,” you add, flushing a little.

“You’re welcome, sunshine.”

~~~

Because of his rigorous training regime and your prescribed rest, you barely see Baekhyun during the days before the competition. He texts you every morning however, and calls you in the evening after practice to check up on you.

The night before the competition he doesn’t call when he usually does and you’re starting to get antsy. Finally your phone buzzes, but it’s just a text.

‘Can you come downstairs?’

Without a moment’s hesitation, you quickly pull a hoodie over your head and rush down the stairs.

Baekhyun is by the entrance of the building, he is wearing his post-workout outfit again and a big grey hoodie, bag draped over his shoulder with his hands in his pockets. His hair is slightly damp, falling over his eyes. Your heart thuds in your chest.

When he hears the door open, he immediately turns to face you. You are smiling excitedly, but you falter when you see the look on his face.

He looks royally pissed off.

“Hey,” he says quietly, taking a step towards as you stand in front of him.

“Hi,” you breathe out, aware of the very small space between the two of you.

Baekhyun leans in slowly and gently rests his cheek on the crown of your head.

“Sorry for making you come out so late,” he whispers.

“Is everything okay?” You ask quietly, your hands lifting to hold on to his sides.

Baekhyun nods, rubbing his cheek on you in the process. You can’t help but giggle at that and he moves away from you, facing you again.

To your relief, there is a hint of a smile on his lips now.

However, that’s when you notice the small cut on his bottom lip and the redness on his jaw.

Your lift your hand, your fingers tracing the marks.

“Did someone in the dojang do this?” You ask, your heart dropping at the sight of him being hurt.

Baekhyun’s lips purse, his eyes darkening and he nods.

“But, how?” You ask. You have never seen anyone there get hit in the face during practice, especially not Baekhyun, nobody could beat him.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” he starts. “But some of the guys there really hate me.”

You shake your head vehemently. But then you remember - the people staring, the whispers while he was sparring, the quiet scoffs when he won a match.

“I guess one of them just couldn’t handle the stress of the competition and attacked me in the changing room,” Baekhyun says.

“Did you fight back?” You move to hold his face gently, your eyes watering.

Baekhyun shakes his head.

“I wouldn’t fight like that,” he says quietly, his hand finding its way to the top of your head, patting it gently. “Mr Han got involved, dragged him out before it could get worse.”

“I doubt we’ll see him again then,” you nod, exhaling in slight relief. You’re gently rubbing his cheeks with your thumbs, trying not to let tears fall. It seems to be helping him as Baekhyun’s eyes soften.

“I got angry,” he whispers, holding one of your hands gently. “So I came to see you without thinking, sorry.”

You shake your head, “No need to apologise, I’m always happy to see you.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Baekhyun smiles ever so slightly.

“Do you want to stay over?” You ask, surprising yourself.

Baekhyun bites his lip as he nods.

“We have to be up early though, are you sure it’s okay?” You ask, making sure you’re not going to make everything worse for him on the day of the competition.

“I have everything I need with me,” he says quickly, shaking his head. “It’s fine.”

“I hope you like instant ramen then,” you tease as you let go of his face and grab his wrist, leading him inside.

~~~

This time you’re falling asleep already in a tangle, limbs around each other as you soak up his warmth.

“How is your foot?” Baekhyun whispers as he pulls you into his chest.

“It’s fine, I can even run now.” You say, fighting back a yawn.

“I’m glad,” he replies, pressing his lips to your forehead and leaving them there, the spot tingling pleasantly.

“I’ll still get my bum kicked though,” you sigh.

Baekhyun laughs lightly at that, his warm breath fanning your face.

He rolls on his back then, pulling you with him, until you’re on top of him. He hooks his legs around yours securely and leaves his arms to rest around your waist.

You giggle at his clinginess, pinching his cheek lightly.

“Am I a sleeping pillow?” You ask in mock disbelief.

“Absolutely not, but I love hugging you,” he whispers back, squeezing you a little.

You flush at that, your tummy doing somersaults from his words.

You don’t know what comes over you, but you lift your head and press a chaste kiss on the side of his chin.

“Goodnight Baekhyun,” you whisper, immediately shoving your face back in his chest in embarrassment.

Baekhyun seems completely dumbstruck for a moment, before he presses his lips to your hair and whispers back goodnight.

And that moment you’re not sure if it’s your heart that you feel beating so hard or his.

~~~

When you walk into the arena you’re absolutely terrified and there isn’t even any audience yet. It must be showing on your face, because Baekhyun suddenly grabs your hand.

“It’s gonna be fine sweethear