Baekhyun woke up to the sound of Gee blaring into his ears, and for the first time in days, be had woken feeling happy, rested and excited for the day to come. Sliding from his tangled sheets he stretched his arms toward the ceiling and yawned, shaking his tangled and dishevelled hair from his eyes. Bounding up from his bed he strolled into his bathroom tugging off his pyjama bottoms as he went. Stepping into his shower he the tap, sighing in relief as the hot water cascaded down his back, loosening any remaining knots of tension in his shoulders. His mood was that of such elation that his shampoo bottle took the place of a microphone as he sang his own rendition of Gee, whilst bouncing around in the warm water. Stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel securely around his waist he looked at his reflection in the mirror above the bathroom sink, having to wipe away the condensed steam that had settled there. 

Shaking out his wet hair he was glad to see that the deep set bags under his eyes and the red sheen that had remained on his face for the past 3 days had gone. In their place were his milky translucent skin, free from any imperfections and bright, dark eyes that shone and glistened in the light. He smiled and his reflection retuned the angelic smile, revealing a straight row of pearly, white teeth. Back in his room he riffled around in his draws for his white skinny jeans and tugged them on, sliding on a pale blue t-shirt and deep midnight blue cardigan afterward. His good mood still going strong, as he reached the top of the stairs he decided to do something reckless, something that his parents, had they not been at work, would have scolded him for. At a high speed he leapt onto the banister and laughed as he slid down to the bottom, tumbling off at the end. He knew it was only a small form of rebellion, but it made him feel free and ecstatic. 

Glancing at the clock and seeing that he still had plenty of time he decided to sit down to eat his breakfast rather than rushing off with it. He popped a bagel into the toaster and clicked the kettle on, settling into one of the wooden chairs at the far end of the kitchen table. The slight crackle of the old toaster; the hissing, puffing noise of the kettle and the delicate chirps of the birds outside all came together to form a symphony of calming noises that lulled Baekhyun into a dreamlike state, broken when both the kettle and the toaster popped at the same time. Spreading his bagel and pouring a steaming cup of coffee, Baekhyun sat back down at the table and savoured the flavours. The thick, buttery, bread of the bagel mixed perfectly with the steamy rich and almost bitter aroma of the coffee. up the last few crumbs from his plate Baekhyun rammed his plate and mug into the frothy, hot liquid in the warship up bowl, setting to work at scrubbing them clean. 

Back in his room, Baekhyun plonked down onto his bed, sliding his feet into his lace up, navy blue plimsolls to complete his outfit. Once again staring at his reflection he styled his hair and added a little eyeliner to his lids, making his eyes really stand out, before finally scrubbing his teeth to smooth perfection. He picked up his rucksack from his bed and slung it over his shoulder, flicking the switch as he walked through the door. A few meters from his room he stopped, and gathering his courage he returned to his room, placing Chanyeol's jumper carefully into his rucksack before redoing the zip. He had decided that he would go and actually speak to Chanyeol and return his jumper, the idea of speaking to him made his knees weak, but he knew that it was something that he had to do, a fear that he had to overcome. He just had to figure out how. 

Grabbing the keys off of the kitchen surface he tugged the door shut, locking it behind him as he left, the cold metal felt nice in his hand, but he still stuffed it into his awaiting pocket. He made his way to school, glad that he had gone out with Kyungsoo the night before, knowing that if he hadn't his muscles would have been paying for it now. As he walked through the corridors to his locker a few people asked if he was feeling better and he replied but continued to walk to his locker. When he arrived he found Kyungsoo and Suho were already standing there waiting for himself former already having seen the night before that his friend was better, was leaning casually against the metal door, whereas the latter was scanning the crowd of bustling students, needing to see for himself Baekhyun's improved health. Upon seeing Baekhyun striding towards them both boys faces spread into wide grins, the relief he felt was evident in Suho's eyes. 

"Hey guys!" Baekhyun exclaimed upon coming to a stop before his two dearest friends, "Do you guys know when everything is happening today, with the competition?" Suho gave an exasperated sigh.

"Of course I know." he said, raising an eyebrow to emphasise his point. "We have to be in the hall a the beginning of second period, but only the people who got through the rapping and singing audits can be there." seeing the question about to burst from Baekhyun, Suho held up a hand to stop him , "Before you ask, yes of course Chanyeol got through...I mean shave you heard that guy sing?" he chuckled at his friend's relieved expression and earned a light, playful punch on the shoulder from Baekhyun, who was by that point smiling contentedly at the information that he had just been bombarded with.

"Speaking of Chanyeol, do either of you know where he is?" Baekhyun asked, "I need to give something back to him." both of his friends raised their eyebrows but Suho told him that he had seen him at his locker a few moments before. Baekhyun started down the corridor, but was stopped as Kyungsoo grabbed his wrist and pulled him back, "Wait Hyunnie, wanna borrow some lipstick for Yeollie? Or maybe some blusher?" Kyungsoo teased, "Oh forget it darling, you look wonderful. Go get your man." Kyungsoo dissolved into a fit of hysterical giggles as Baekhyun gave him another punch to his arm. Kyungsoo didn't even feel it as he continued to laugh; Suho even chuckled under his breath, trying to fight back the smile stretching across his rosy cheeks. Baekhyun shook off his friend and continued down the hall, his embarrassment increasing as he heard Kyungsoo wolf whistle behind him, a blush creeping up his cheeks, turning them crimson. 

Rounding the corner to the corridor where Chanyeol's locker was located Baekhyun spotted the fiery hair and tall slender frame of the person he was looking for. Riffling in his bag he pulled out the jumper, and before he could change his mind he strode towards the taller boy. “Hey Chanyeol,” Baekhyun called after a deep calming breath. The tall boy turned from his conversation with Kai to see who had spoken, “Here’s your jumper, thank you for lending it to me. Oh and I heard that you got through, congratulations! You too Kai.” Baekhyun pushed the jumper toward Chanyeol and realised that he was babbling with nerves. He halted the words spewing from his mouth and tried to calm his pounding heart.

“Baekhyun-ah, you’re better?” Chanyeol asked. Only when his face lit up and glowed with happiness did Baekhyun realise that beforehand his expression had been blue and his eyes had been directed at the ground. Chanyeol pushed the jumper back towards Baekhyun and smiled broadly, lighting up his caramel swirled eyes, “Its fine, you keep it.” As Baekhyun began to protest Chanyeol just laughed and told him that he didn’t have a choice. Just then the bell rang out, shocking the two of them, Kai motioned for Chanyeol to follow him to class and Chanyeol began striding away down the corridor after his friend. “See you second period Baekhyun!” He called over his shoulder as he retreated down the hall. Somehow Baekhyun found his way to his classroom in his shocked state, still gripping the jumper tightly in his hands he flopped into his chair at the back of the room. All he could think was, he smiled at me.