The smartest way to make people laugh is to tickle them and put a smile on their face

But the noblest way to make them happy is to be ready to be sad, just to make them happy.

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Sacrifice is a word Byun Baekhyun would never understand. This word is usually associated with love, a word which is if not, equally incomprehensible for him. He knew great people fall by sacrificing themselves for the one they loved. Romeo for his damsel Juliet, Jack for his Rose, Mark Anthony for his conniving Cleopatra. In his world, in his own understanding, it never really made much sense. If you have achieved something great, something marvelous, something grand, how could one let it go so easily? How could someone wholeheartedly give everything up just for a thing called love? It’s an absurd concept that he knew he would never understand.

He grew up self-centered and no one could really blame him for it. Born with a face that would make goddesses envious, he always held the spotlight naturally. People would always just gravitate towards him like magnets drawn by their opposite. Friends, relatives, teachers, classmates heck even random strangers always gave him all the attention whether he wanted it or not. He grew up like this, with people fawning all over him and ready to give in to his every whim. He never really knew the harshness reality has to offer until his parents died 3 years ago.

They were volunteers that worked occasionally for the government. They’ve helped hundreds of families over their 10 years of service without asking for anything in return, even just a little bit of recognition. A volcano erupted that year, leaving hundreds of people homeless and just like the numerous times before, his parents decided to help without even so much of a blink of an eye. When they left that day, telling him goodbye, his mother kissing his cheek like she usually does before leaving, his father ruffling his hair playfully, Baekhyun never really thought that it would be the last he would ever see of them. The world rocked below him as the news of another eruption wiped half of the village his parents were in. The rescuers never even found their bodies.

It was his relatives that decided to sign him up for this, a help drive for homeless children that left Baekhyun cold to his very bones. He grits his teeth as he sees the children laughing, the sound somehow irritating. He looks at them running and playing games, wanting nothing more than to run like them except towards somewhere far away from the place. They were orphans just like him, though he was fortunate enough to have relatives who were willing to take him in. These children were unwanted, left behind by relatives and used by the society and politicians to make themselves look perfect in front of the cameras. But no matter how much he looks, he despises them and couldn’t find a string of compassion for them in his heart.

 “Hi!” Baekhyun turns to the deep voice that interrupted his rather distasteful trance. He sees a rather young man smiling widely at him. He scans the surroundings quickly for another person, unbelieving that such voice belongs to a smiley giant. The smile unnerved him for some reason too. It was all teeth, right eye going crinkly, double dimples showing on each cheek. It just wasn’t humanely possible to smile as wide as that he notices. He smiles weakly in return, wanting nothing more but for the day to pass by quickly and to get away from it all.

 “Annyeong! Park Chanyeol imnida! Nice to meet you,” the boy in front of him introduces himself and extends his hand enthusiastically. Baekhyun eyes it warily, an eyebrow arching high up, disappearing in his bangs and Chanyeol looks down at his hand and sees how dirty it is. “Ahh, mian!” he apologizes as he wipes his hands on the back of his denim pants. Chanyeol grins at him, and extends his now cleaned hand once again.

Baekhyun decides to accept it despite his better judgment. “Byun Baekhyun,” he says and feels his hand being shaken rather energetically. When Chanyeol finally lets go, he feels the blood rush back into his hand. The man obviously doesn’t know his own strength.

 “So, you’re new here?” Chanyeol asks as they start giving out food to the children. Baekhyun just nods as he hands another plate to another kid; the line looking like it will never end. “What made you decide to sign up for this?” he asks. Baekhyun doesn’t answer, doesn’t really want to, because if he does it will just raise questions. New ones that will require another set of answers he never really wanted to answer again. Chanyeol notices his silence and decides that maybe he was poking in another person’s business too much again. So he just smiles widely and greets the children who were coming up to him.

At the end of the day, Baekhyun finds himself more emotionally stressed than physically drained. He successfully manages to duck out from some jobs but seeing these people happily helping out others pained him immensely, suffocates him even. He can’t see the logic why they sacrifice their time to help out people they don’t even know. It was kindness they say, but to him, it was complete idiocy.

He manages to slip out without too much trouble and happily walks toward the bus stop. When he gets home, he finds his aunt and uncle eagerly waiting for him, wanting to know everything that happened on that day. But, before they can even ask anything, he heads straight into his room and locks himself in. They knew it was still hopeless. The young man obviously still doesn’t understand what his parents died for.

A few weeks pass and Baekhyun tells his aunt and uncle that he wants to move out. It didn’t really come as a big surprise for the couple. Baekhyun is an adult now, no matter how scarred his heart and twisted his outlook on life is, they already knew that this time would come. Baekhyun wasn’t theirs to keep. He was someone God created with something unique, and he was meant to be shared with the world. He had to grow up and stand on his own now.

It wasn’t even a tearful goodbye. It’s more like a goodbye between two business partners. They had a great time working together, but it’s just not working anymore. And within minutes, Baekhyun finds himself alone, travelling to his new home where he hopes he can start all over again.

A small apartment in a quiet neighborhood, that’s all he finds after countless of searching but he’s happy with it. He realizes that most people around the area know each other as people stare at him as he passes by, probably wondering who the stranger is. He hears soft, hushed whisperings as he trudges on and a strong gut feeling in him rises that rumors easily spread throughout town. He settles his things on the floor upon arrival and looks around. Arranging his stuff will not be a hard task since he didn’t take much of his stuff anyway. The room was fully furnished when he decided to rent it.

The room’s small, with a few faults here and there needing some repairing attention. The sofa’s a little worn out. The TV looking like it still shows black and white scenes. The shower’s rusty and the tiles a little broken. It’s nothing like his room he’s used to back at his uncle’s home. But this is home. This is his, and no one else’s.

He rests that night wondering what his life will be tomorrow. He wonders what will happen to him in this new place. He sighs and stares out the window. The stars are twinkling and he closes his eyes. He just wishes for a better tomorrow and falls asleep right after that.

He wakes up with sunlight pouring in his room and the sound of busy people down in the street. He yawns and stretches out his muscles. He blinks his eyes for a few more minutes, adjusting his eyesight to the light in the room and sits up a minute later. It’s a new day for his new life. “Things better be right,” he says to himself as he looks out of his window, trying to motivate himself. He walks to the bathroom and takes a shower, relishing the feeling of hot water on his skin. It relaxes him and when he steps out, he feels like he could face anything that day.

After eating breakfast, he steps out of his apartment and gets ready to go meet his new boss. His new office is just a few minutes away from his apartment. He has no reason to leave so early but he figures the day is too nice to pass up. He’ll get the meeting over and done with then he’ll probably meet up with friends or whatever. He’s putting his keys in his jeans’ pocket when he bumps into someone.

 “Ahhh!!! Jesonghamnida!” he says while bowing, quite shocked at the unfortunate event that happens to him first thing in the morning. “It’s nothing,” the boy says, bowing too in response. Baekhyun looks at him, about to ask if he is okay, and is then greeted by a familiar face. “Ahhh!!! It’s you!!!” the guy said, the same wide smile appearing on his face.

Baekhyun can’t believe his luck, or lack of it thereof. He can’t believe that he has to meet this person again. “Hi,” he says meekly. “I’m Chanyeol remember? We met at the charity drive a few weeks ago! I didn’t even get to say thanks for your nice job on that day, since you disappeared so quickly,” He says. “I guess you’re the one who moved in 305? The landlord mentioned that someone was moving in yesterday. I’m really surprised that it’s you! But don’t get me wrong okay? I’m happy to know it’s you and not some weird old dude or lady with lots and lots of cats or something,” he continues to ramble on. Well, the man doesn’t know his strength and is very talkative, Baekhyun noted.

 “Ah, you live here too?” he asks not wanting to be rude by showing his lack of interest. “Yes, I live next door actually. I’m in room 304,” he answers, still grinning. ”Ahhh…” he says, trying to figure out what to say next. “So, I guess I’ll be seeing more of you? Excuse me, but I really have to get going now. Take care ok?” Chanyeol says and leaves him with a smile on his face. Baekhyun barely has time to nod before Chanyeol disappears from his view.

The meeting with his new employer is something that Baekhyun is not looking forward to. He graduated at the top of his class in one of the most prestigious business school in the country so he’s very confident about his own ability. Companies practically beg for him to even consider working for them. It’s just that he doesn’t like interacting with new people. He hates the process of opening up to them and trying to form new “bonds”.

His job starts at 8am and ends at 5pm, with 1 hour lunch break in between. He basically just has to do everything his boss tells his to do and to meet the deadlines. The building isn’t very big but the job pays handsomely. His employer tells his to be there the following morning and Baekhyun bows down politely and leaves.

The bright sunshine almost blinds him as he steps outside. The streets are busy and he decides against his first plan to meet up with friends and opts to familiarize himself to the neighborhood. He takes mental notes of where restaurants are, the nearest drug stores, combinis and hospitals or clinics in case of emergency. The people are generally friendly, smiles pasted on their sun burned faces, and always offering their help. Baekhyun smiles in return, remembering that it isn’t wise to snob them because he’s new to the community. You’re new here Baekhyun he reminds himself. You said you wanted to start a new life right?

He’s walking back home, late in the afternoon, when he spots a playground that is empty. He bites his lip as he resists the urge to go and sit on one of the swings; he knows he would look like an idiot if someone sees him. But he gives in with a sigh as he trudges towards the swing set, a small smile creeping up on his small face. He sits down and as he starts to sway gently; he hears the wind rustling the leaves on the trees. He gingerly touches the chains of the swing and remembers how he would always hold on to it tightly whenever his dad pushed him. His childish laughter echoes in his reverie and he starts to feel the wounds in his heart open up again. A cold wind suddenly blows against him and he clutches his brown jacket tighter against his body.

Then the swing starts to go a bit higher and Baekhyun looks behind him. A tall figure was there and he could trace out the figure of a smile on the stranger’s face, the sunset making it hard for his to see the face clearly. “What are you doing here?” and Baekhyun knows who the stranger is. “Nothing really,” he says and faces in front again; Chanyeol doesn’t stop pushing the swing ever so gently.

 “I like hanging out here,” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun can almost see his smile growing wider. “Do you like swings too Baekhyun-ah? Can I call you Baekhyun-ah?” he asks and Baekhyun shrugs lightly. The swing suddenly stops and Chanyeol is now standing right in front of him, offering his hand. “It’s getting late now, we should probably go back,” Baekhyun closes his hand around Chanyeol’s and he is pulled up.

They walk side by side as the cold night’s wind blows on them, Baekhyun shivers. “Cold?” Chanyeol asks and Baekhyun shakes his head no. But he feels the weight of a jacket on his shoulders anyway. He looks at Chanyeol confusedly. “You can have it,” he says. “I’m not that cold anyway.” Chanyeol grins at him and Baekhyun knows that this expression could make someone feel warmer than any jacket in the world could offer. When they arrive in front of his apartment Baekhyun gives him back his jacket. Chanyeol accepts it as he smiles warmly at him and tells him goodnight, tells him that he hopes to see him again tomorrow morning. Baekhyun thinks that maybe seeing him tomorrow again wouldn’t be so bad too.

Baekhyun finds 2 bottles of milk in front of his doorstep the following morning and searches left and right who left it there. He sees a neon green post-it stuck on one of the bottles, a black squiggly writing contrasting nicely from the bright color. Baekhyun arches his eyebrow in confusion, a habit he’s quickly developing since meeting his neighbor.

Ayooo! Baekhyun! I don’t know if you’re allergic to milk or not but I figured you still haven’t talked to the milk delivery boy yet so here’s mine for now. –Chanyeol

He stares at the door next to his, weighing his odds at knocking at the door. It’s much too early for a confrontation of some sorts and he’s not keen on using his reservoir of smiles for meeting his new office “buddies”. He’s thinking of just returning the milk but the sole reason why he’s out cold so early is indeed because of milk. The store is just a minute or two walk away but it’s still quite chilly and he’s not really fond of walking in the cold. But, he doesn’t want to owe the guy a favor after last night so his thoughts jumble up together in a mess of what to do. He slips inside his door a full five minutes later and scribbles a neat thank you underneath the messy writing. He sticks it quickly against his neighbor’s door and ducks inside his apartment again, afraid of being caught and looking like a weird stalker of his neighbor.

Baekhyun sees him again later that afternoon. As he steps out of his bus from work, a flash of smile and too tall kid catches his attention immediately. Chanyeol is holding unto an elderly woman trying to cross the busy street. He almost laughs as Chanyeol almost always trips on his own feet and Baekhyun thinks the lady is better off without the help. He’s quite sure the man could cause a traffic accident without really meaning to and he’ll be all sorry and polite with people leaving in frustration because they can’t really blame a kid who looks like a mess himself. He continues to watch until they reach the other end of the street and the lady smiles tenderly in appreciation. Chanyeol grins in return and says something Baekhyun can only assume to be along the lines of take care before the woman waves and heads toward another direction. He’s about to leave when Chanyeol sees him and makes eye contact.

“Baekhyun-ah! Baekhyun-ah!” he yells from across the street, waving his arms in an effort to get his attention, as though his booming voice isn’t enough. Baekhyun almost wanted a hole to open up and swallow him whole from embarrassment. He waves slightly in acknowledgement before Chanyeol dashes across the street in excitement, narrowly missing a car beating the red light.

“Are you okay?” he asks worriedly. People stop by around them, the scene startling them as well, the kid missed a freaking car by just a few inches. “I’m okay, I’m okay,” Chanyeol repeats and adds a goofy smile like nothing happened. He keeps on panting though and leans his weight on Baekhyun’s shoulders. Bystanders disperse after that, the thought that he’s probably with a friend enough to leave them together. Baekhyun decides to settle them down the waiting bench at the bus stop. He can feel Chanyeol’s knees trembling and he thinks he can’t really support him if he decides to go and meet the pavement face to face.

“Are you sure you’re really okay? I can call an ambulance and have them take you the hospital you know,” he offers a little later. He can feel Chanyeol’s breathing starting to even out and return to normal, his knees starting to stop from trembling.

“I’m okay, just winded,” Chanyeol replies while straightening himself out, dusting out imaginary partcles from his shirt and pants. He stands up without too much trouble and Baekhyun only stares at him, waiting for any sign that he’s still not okay as he’s letting him on. He shrugs as he stands up and heads home, well if the man says he’s okay, then he’s okay. He deliberately leaves him behind but feels a presence catching up next to him a few meters on.

“I suppose the reason that happened has got nothing to do with you being clumsy and all?”

“He beat the red light! That’s illegal! How could you blame me for that?”

“I was talking about you walking the lady cross the street and tripping over your own feet every step or so.”

“Oh, that. Of course! She’s too small? I can’t help her properly without hunching down. It’s got nothing to do with my awesome and perfect ability to walk.”

Baekhyun can almost see a flush of red creeping slowly across the other’s face. Well, he’s glad he knocked the depression off the air. It’s getting quite…depressing to walk home.

“Thank you,” a small whisper.

“It’s nothing, I owe you for the milk right?”

“Oh, right. The milk, I forgot about that.”

Baekhyun hears a tinge of disappointment maybe and manages to glance at the form walking behind him to affirm his suspicion. Hands in his pockets, head hung low, feet kicking random pebbles on the road, the man truly looks like a dejected puppy. He dismisses the strange tugging in his feeling and looks forward again.

“I still haven’t met the milk delivery boy you were talking about. Can I still have yours?” Baekhyun asks as they reach their respective doors. Chanyeol beams widely at him and nods before disappearing behind his door again. Baekhyun doesn’t really know what to think anymore.

2 bottles of milk and a newspaper greet Baekhyun the next morning he opens his door. The same neon green post-it stuck in front with the same squiggly writing.

Newspaper? I think you like reading newspapers. I only read them for the comics though.

Baekhyun laughs at the simple-mindedness of his neighbor. He quickly writes a “yes, thank you” underneath and sticks them on the door again. The man is every little bit weird and every fiber of his being is telling him to stay out of the way because he is nothing but trouble. But Baekhyun counters himself and thinks he needs weird in this new life of his.

He always finds Chanyeol at the oddest of places in their neighborhood. He sees him in the day care centers, rallies for random human rights, support group sessions and LGBT fund raisers. The weirdest he considers is that once, he saw him at a dark alley in the middle of the night with a man. Baekhyun almost didn’t recognize him, the shadows of the night almost obscuring them from view, but the voice is a dead give away. He’s almost too afraid to go any nearer yet ask what he was doing because none of it is really his business. But, Chanyeol almost jumps at the sight of him and Baekhyun thinks the guy had the nerve to be surprised when he’s the one having a shady business in the middle of the night. No pun intended.

Chanyeol drops what looked like a bag and picks it up from the floor. He waves at him, urging him to come closer and shoves him in front of the man. Baekhyun quickly mutters that he isn’t interested in drugs and will never be even before the man got the opportunity to say his name. Chanyeol laughs at him and says that he got the wrong idea. The man was homeless and he just brought his extra clothes to give to him, even showing the contents of the bag he dropped earlier. Baekhyun sighs in relief and apologizes fervently for thinking wrongly at the situation. The man laughs it off and thanks Chanyeol for the clothes before leaving them alone in the dark alleyway. Baekhyun pulls Chanyeol home before cops pass by and thinks wrongly too. He really doesn’t want to spend a night in prison just because his neighbor thinks that an act of kindness knows no bounds of time and place. Even if that meant looking like drug trafficking.

A particular day manages to drain Baekhyun’s physical reserves and he wants nothing but the feel of his soft bed underneath him and feel slumber wash over him. He is slowly but steadily walking his way towards his apartment when he hears a muffled cry coming from the playground. He pretends to hear nothing, all senses screaming for a rest but a particular voice catches a small part of his attention. He turns back towards the playground despite his body protesting against the unnecessary action, and sees a small girl crying.

“So, you’ve managed to make a small girl cry too?” he asks as he approaches the scene. Chanyeol looks back at him and lets out a relieved sigh.

“Baekhyun-ah! She’s lost but she won’t tell me where she lives!” Chanyeol pouts as he resumes patting the girl’s head and making shushing noises in an attempt to stop her cry. Baekhyun walks past them and sits on the swing instead. Helping still isn’t his thing, and brats are still brats in his book. He’s interested though on how his neighbor will pull through this one so he decides to stay.

The sun’s setting steadily in the horizon but the little girl still wouldn’t stop her crying. Chanyeol is now reduced to a curly mess of panic and frustration, Baekhyun being happy to be sitting comfortably at the swing, without the drama to deal with. However, when Chanyeol looks up to him with his eyes pleading, Baekhyun sighs in defeat. He stands in front of the girl and snatches her hands away from her face.

“Yah, you little brat. Don’t you think you’re wasting our time too much on this? I really don’t care much about you crying your eyes out but my neighbor here is stressed out. Don’t you think this is too unfair for us? We’ve got things to do you know, we also have our own lives. Aren’t you even thinking about how worried your parents are for you? Are you really that selfish enough to just cry there and do nothing about finding them yourself too?” he lashes out.

“Baekhyun-ah, that’s too harsh. She’s just a little girl,” Chanyeol coaxes.

The girl however reduces her crying until it becomes a sniffle here and there. Her right hand reaches for Baekhyun’s hand and wipes her remaining tears messily with the other. “I’m sorry oppa,” she quietly says as she tugs at his hand for forgiveness. “I really don’t know my address but I remember we always cross a small river going home,” she volunteers the information.

“Ah! I know the place!” Chanyeol shouts out in excitement. He grabs the girl’s other hand and heads out of the playground. Baekhyun yelps out, not appreciating the fact that he’s being dragged around by his neighbor and the little girl refusing to let go of his hand. They walk with the girl prancing in the middle of them, skipping and singing random nursery rhymes. Baekhyun uses the time to seriously rethink the past decisions he made that made him arrive to this regrettable scenario.

“Kyung-jin!” the shout startles Baekhyun and he sees a middle aged woman burst into tears at the sight of them. “Auntie!” the girl cries out and promptly runs toward the woman. “Where have you been? Aunt and uncle got so worried about you. Aigoo, what would we do if something bad happened to you?” she says as she crushes the girl in a bear hug. Kyung-jin cries in relief and apology.

Chanyeol smiles at the heart warming reunion and faces Baekhyun. But the latter is already walking away, short legs working overtime to bring him far away without the need to run. Chanyeol catches up with him easily and grabs an arm.

“Baekhyun-ah are you okay?” he starts to ask but stops as a tear almost escapes Baekhyun’s eye. The older man swipes at it angrily cutting the tear short from falling. This is too much, this is all too painfully familiar, Baekhyun thinks as he jerks his arm away from the other’s grasp. He remembers the time he ran away from home after the news of his parents died shook him to his very core and his aunt and uncle worrying about him to no end. It’s not fair for life to make him think that maybe this once, he’ll finally be okay to forget. But life rears his ugly head back at him and all the pain comes down at him like a freight train gone rogue without any chance for survival.

“Oppa, thank you for bringing me home,” a small voice interrupts their awkward and tense moment. “You were right, I was being selfish but thank you for telling that to me, I wouldn’t know what to do if I lost my aunt and uncle too,” she grins as she pulls on Baekhyun’s hand one last time.

“Auntie, they are my new oppas!” she introduces. “Don’t you think they’re angels that Umma and Appa sent for me too?” she smiles as her aunt wipes fresh tears from her face. “Umma, Appa, I’m sorry Kyun-jin is being stubborn and naughty. I promise I won’t do it anymore okay? Thank you for sending my angels to bring me home,” she declares at the sky.

Baekhyun reels from the sharp stab centered at his heart, his emotions takes over, his mind shuts down, he becomes a shell in an instant, cold and distant. Chanyeol’s hand at his back keeps him standing, but he feels himself still slipping away into nothingness. A movement however anchors him to the ground, it starts out small but soon Chanyeol is rubbing his back in comfort as Baekhyun feels waves and waves of emotion drowning him all at once.

It’s been a while since they said their goodbyes to Kyung-jin and her aunt and uncle. They’ve been invited over for dinner some other time as gratitude for bringing their niece home. Chanyeol did most of the talking and Baekhyun only stood by, not really trusting himself to say anything. He wanted so much to go but Chanyeol’s firm grip on his wrist prevented him from doing so. And here they are, walking home side by side yet a great wall of awkward silence kept them apart.

Baekhyun feels himself slowly being eased unto a cold swing chair and a gentle push sending him forward. The night air is chilly and he can see his breathe as he releases a staggering exhale. And he hates the feeling, hates how cold the air he’s taking in, hates the feeling of his hands getting cold against the metal chains and his nose becoming red and runny. But he hates the feeling of being vulnerable most of all. He closes his eyes as though the tears might stop from falling if he squeezes them shut enough. A broken sob escapes him though and another and another but the swinging never stops, it remains slow and steady, as he cries his heart out.

The tears eventually stop but never the slow motion of rocking backwards and forwards. The tears have dried against his cheeks, and he sniffles but his eyes hurt and he can’t see with all the puffiness. He looks like a mess and he knows it, and doesn’t really know how to face his neighbor anymore to tell him he wants to go home. But he feels a large pair of warm hands wrapping around on his own and the weight he’s been lifting disappears slowly. He leans against that hand, wishing it would take all of the pain away and instead fill him in with warmth that it naturally emanates.

That hand never left his as they continue to walk home. Silence still fills in the air, but this one more electrifying but comforting at the same time. He feels a thumb brush against the back of his hand occasionally and he almost sighs at how good it feels against his cold skin.

When they reach their doors, he reluctantly lets go of Chanyeol’s hand and thinks of how perfect their hands were together.  When Chanyeol gently wipes the tear stains away, his eyes looking straight into Baekhyun’s soul in full understanding of how broken he is without needing any explanations really, he wonders just what exactly Chanyeol is to his life. When Chanyeol finally says sweet dreams to him that night with a swift press of his lips to his forehead, Baekhyun finally understands. He finally knows why he feels so comfortable around him. Chanyeol is his angel that heaven sent down to guide and protect him, in exchange for his parents, just like Kyung-jin said them to be.

He enters his room grinning, happy at his realization. He sleeps peacefully that night, knowing that his angel is just on the other side of the wall, ready to protect him from whatever nightmares that might come along the way.

He wakes up with a smile on his face. He dreamt of him. He dreamt of his angel. He gets up and gets ready for the day.  

He sees Chanyeol getting out of his apartment as he checks for his daily free milk and newspaper; he smiles and greets him before finally walking up to him. Chanyeol looks like he didn’t get a wink of sleep and it worries Baekhyun. He asks Chanyeol about it but the young man simply shrugs at the question with a smile. Baekhyun doesn’t really remember what he had asked after seeing that expression on Chanyeol’s face.

Work isn’t tough and he looks forward to the end of the day when he will meet up with Chanyeol. He promised they will celebrate Baekhyun’s arrival in the neighborhood since they really haven’t done that. It seems silly and long overdue to him but it makes him truly happy. The hours couldn’t pass quickly enough and anxiety starts to build up. He almost darts off when office hours are finally over.

He knocks at Chanyeol’s door, short of breath from running, but smiling. Chanyeol shyly opens the door and invites him in. He sees how neat the small room is and praises Chanyeol about it. Chanyeol beams at him and say it is a habit of his to keep his room clean and tidy.

They had kimchi soup for dinner that night, among other things, Chanyeol cooked everything himself. Baekhyun eats heartily, laughing at Chanyeol’s random and just plain awkward jokes. They watched a movie and Baekhyun couldn’t remember the last time he enjoyed himself like this.

 They didn’t realize that they got deeper into the night and it’s finally the time to go home. Baekhyun reluctantly says goodbye and Chanyeol smiles at him and tells him he had a good time. Baekhyun smiles back,”We should do this more often. Don’t you think so?” Chanyeol made his heart flutter all over with his simple reply, “Anytime Baekhyun-ah.”

The following weeks are spent hanging out together. Sometimes, Chanyeol even drops by Baekhyun’s work place, during lunch hour breaks, so they can eat lunch together at a restaurant close by. It is really fun and Baekhyun feels like a child when he’s around Chanyeol. His smiles are always infectious and his positive demeanor never fails to amaze Baekhyun.

They’re hanging out at the playground again. Baekhyun’s sitting on the swing and Chanyeol’s gently pushing him. It’s nice to end a long day like this, just sitting on the swing, the autumn scent being carried around by the wind. Baekhyun closes his eyes and rests his head on the chain. A few minutes pass and the swinging stops. Baekhyun opens his eyes slowly, revealing Chanyeol in front of him, crouched low so that he was on eye level with him, smiling as he brushes Baekhyun’s bangs away from his face.

“You look cute when you’re sleeping,” Chanyeol says making Baekhyun blush. “I… I wasn’t really sleeping… I was just… just…” he stammers, hating himself for looking like such an idiot in front of Chanyeol. Chanyeol’s grin widens and Baekhyun doesn’t realize what happens next, or how it happens, he just feels soft lips on his. He closes his eyes as he feels Chanyeol kissing him again, and Baekhyun pulls his face nearer as he starts to kiss back. He’s getting dizzy from lack of oxygen and pouts at the loss of lips on his as he pulls back. Chanyeol presses their foreheads together, short of breath but nevertheless, smiling.

“I like you Baekhyun-ah,” he says as he thumbs Baekhyun’s smooth face, eyes peering into Baekhyun’s eyes and soul. “I like you too Chanyeol-ah,” Baekhyun says shyly, as his heart beats a thousand times faster as Chanyeol smiles just for him and leans forward to share one more sweet kiss.

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A/N: As Luhan said, penny for your thoughts?

I'll post the second part once I'm fairly happy with it.

Suggestions for a main image? :)