“Who’s that?”

“Hmm?” Luhan murmured, not looking up as he continued to type on the keypad of his phone.

“That guy over there. I’ve never seen him before. Yah!” Baekhyun pinched his friend, bravely weathering the glare that Luhan shot his way. “Who is he?”

Sniffing in annoyance, Luhan glanced over, his irritation fading as soon as he saw who Baekhyun was referring to.

“Ahh…him. The new guy.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “I gathered as much since, like I said, I’ve never set eyes on him before.”

Luhan smiled widely. “His name’s Chanyeol. Interested?”

Baekhyun cocked a sardonic brow. “I’ve only just seen him, how can I possibly be interested?”

Luhan shrugged carelessly. “I don’t know. Love at first sight? It’s a real phenomenon, you know.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes again. “Sure, for simpletons like you. As for me…it takes more than just a pretty face to catch my interest.”

“We can’t all be finicky es,” Luhan said sweetly, his smile feral.

“I am not!” Baekhyun denied vehemently. “I’m just…” He searched for the right word but before he could find it, he realized that Luhan was once again typing away on his phone. “You’re being rude, you know,” he grumbled.

“Hmm?”

“Can’t you two be without each other for two seconds?”

“I guess…”

“Are you even listening to me?” Baekhyun’s voice was halfway to a screech at this point.

“Sure, sure. Hey!”

Luhan’s head snapped up when he suddenly found his hands empty. His eyes locked onto his friend but by the time he realized that Baekhyun had punched in a number, it was too late.

“Yah!” Baekhyun screamed into the listener’s ear. “Oh Sehun! Must you interrupt every conversation I try to have with Luhan? It’s best-friend time so stop texting and don’t even think about calling until we’re one hundred feet away from each other, understood? What? Well…if you’re really sorry, I guess I forgive you. It’s not your fault, Luhan’s just selfish and can’t live without you. You’re a nice boy, Sehun-ah. Luhan doesn’t deserve you. Trust me, it’s not the other way around. You’ll wise up soon enough.”

As he listened to the conversation, Luhan rolled his eyes in exasperation. Baekhyun was such a drama queen. He often wondered why they were even friends.

Habit, he told himself. He was too used to having Baek around to do anything about it after all these years.

When Baekhyun ended the call and handed him the phone, Luhan cocked a judgmental eyebrow. “Needy much?”

Baekhyun shrugged, casually studying his nails. “A guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do.”

“Whatever.” Stifling a yawn, Luhan stretched. “So…do you want me to introduce you guys?”

“What?” Baekhyun asked, confused.

“Chanyeol? Do you want me to arrange an introduction? I’m sure you’ll bump into him on your own in due time since he now lives in our building.”

“And what would be the point of that?” Baekhyun asked blankly.

Luhan shrugged. “I don’t know. Getting to know the cute, new neighbour?”

“Cute? I wouldn’t know about that.”

Luhan sighed in exasperation. “You called him pretty just two minutes ago!”

“I was simply making a general statement,” Baekhyun explained calmly. “It meant nothing.”

“Uh huh… The same way you were so not staring at him until you couldn’t help yourself and just had to say something.”

Baekhyun sniffed haughtily. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. And you were busy texting your precious boyfriend, anyway, so how would you know?”

Luhan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” He stood and began grabbing his stuff off of the picnic table, shoving them into his leather bag. “I’ve gotta go meet Sehunnie.”

“Already? You don’t even know if I’m finished talking to you,” Baekhyun whined.

Luhan shot him a pointed look. “Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?”

Baekhyun had the grace to blush. “Well…no, but you didn’t give me the chance to get my mental juices flowing. Something else might have come up.”

“Well, if something does come up, save it for later. I have to come home at some point, don’t I?”

“So you say now but the next thing I know, I’ll be getting a phone call saying you’re spending the night at Sehun’s.”

Luhan frowned down at his friend. “You sound like a nagging wife. If you were my wife, I would probably never come home. I’d run away at every opportunity.”

Baekhyun scoffed. “As If I would ever marry you.”

“You should be so lucky,” Luhan muttered beneath his breath. “Anywho, Mr. Prick-ly, enjoy your solitude. Later!” With that, Luhan zipped his knapsack and walked off, leaving a despondent Baekhyun staring at his retreating back as he walked through the courtyard of their apartment complex towards the gates.

“…” he muttered.

Sighing, he dropped his chin onto his hand and glanced back over at his new neighbour.

“Not bad,” he acknowledged softly, “but definitely not my style.”

 

Weeks passed and, for the most part, Baekhyun managed to forget about the new neighbour.

He had a thesis to research for and spent most of his days either in the library poring through books or at home compiling his notes and drafting preliminary statements. Whenever he left the apartment, he would be in too much of a hurry to stop and chat with any neighbours that he passed along the way, not that he’d even noticed if he had passed the guy along the way.

Luhan also never brought it up again. He too was busy with school and when he wasn’t in school or doing school projects, he would be with Sehun.

Since they hadn’t spent much time together in a while, Baekhyun was more than a little surprised when Luhan phoned, while he was at the library, to tell him that they were going out that night.

“What? What’s the occasion?” he asked softly, genuinely curious.

“We need a break from studying…”

“Is that it? You couldn’t wait until I got home to tell me that?”

“…And I’ve met someone that I think would be perfect for you. He’s coming tonight so you need to get your home now. You know it takes you forever to get ready,” Luhan finished.

Baekhyun jumped to his feet, completely forgetting his surroundings as he squawked, “What?” He hastily glanced around, smiling apologetically as several judgmental looks were aimed his way.

“You heard me. Home. Now.”

Baekhyun quickly grabbed his stuff, shoving everything half-hazardly into his bag and leaving the books he’d been using on the table instead of placing them back on the shelves like he usually did.

“Who is he?” he demanded as he sped through the halls of the huge building. Too impatient to wait for the elevator, he took the stairs: something else he rarely ever did.

“I can’t tell you,” Luhan said calmly on the other end.

“Why not?”

“You’ll find out soon enough, geez.”

“Well is he hot at least?”

“Mmm… I happen to think he’s quite handsome,” Luhan replied after a moment’s thought.

Baekhyun stopped in his tracks, halfway across the quad. “Sehun handsome?” Sehun wasn’t really his type but he could appreciate the fact that he was attractive. Perhaps an older, more refined, more mature version of Sehun, he thought, feeling excitement grow in his chest.

“Um…Sure. He’s very good-looking. You won’t be disappointed.”

He started walking again. “I don’t know if I believe that. But I haven’t been on a date in a while so I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he won’t be so bad after all.”

“Yeah, hold onto that thought for the rest of the night. Anyway, hurry home. I gotta go. Sehunnie’s here.”

In the background, Baekhyun could hear Sehun’s voice as he greeted his boyfriend and he couldn’t help rolling his eyes. No doubt they would kiss soon, he thought and was soon rewarded with the soft, breathy giggle that usually followed a smooch. He wouldn’t be surprised if they snuck in a quickie before getting ready. He just hoped that it wouldn’t be in the shower again. The last time they’d attempted to get busy in there, it had not ended well.

“I’m on my way. Not that you care,” he muttered as he started his car, realizing that he’d lost his audience.

The drive home through afternoon traffic was killer but it didn’t get him down. The thought of going on a date and meeting someone new made him feel strangely buoyant. He decided that he would be open-minded. Even if the guy didn’t make the best first impression, he would at least give him the rest of the night to change his opinion before he completely X-ed him out of the running for his next boyfriend.

By the time he parked in his spot in the complex’s parking lot, he’d decided on his outfit, from head to toe, accessories included, and perfume.

He jogged to the elevator bank and called out, “Hold it!” when he saw the doors just closing. He breathed a sigh of relief when the doors re-opened, thankful that the person inside had heard him. He stepped in and plugged in his floor before turning to express his gratitude.

“Thank…s,” he said slowly, looking up into a face that he hadn’t thought of or seen in two weeks.

Chanyeol smiled. “No problem. What are neighbours for?”

Baekhyun couldn’t stop staring. It was the first time that he was seeing the new guy up close. He was surprised how far up his eyes went. From the distance that he’d first seen him, he hadn’t realized just how tall he was.

Good-looking. Definitely attractive.

He had orange-blond hair, which Baekhyun usually wasn’t a fan of – they were Asian, clearly they weren’t meant to be – but strangely it suited him. His hair was shiny, smooth and straight but curled at the ends in a very appealing way. The tips of his ears peeked through his silken locks, giving him an almost elfin quality. His eyes were…well, eye-catching. They were somewhat intense but when he smiled, a wide smile, his whole face morphed into something else entirely.

Chanyeol looked down at him, frowning slightly. “Is something wrong?”

Baekhyun blushed, clearing his throat to cover up his lapse in thought. “No, nothing’s wrong.”

“I’m Chanyeol, by the way,” he introduced, holding his hand out. “I just moved in. I haven’t seen you before, though.”

“Oh…uh, I’m Baekhyun. Byun Baekhyun,” he added, shaking Chanyeol’s proffered hand. “I’ve been busy lately so I haven’t been around much. Nice to meet you.”

Chanyeol smiled that bright, wide smile of his yet again. “Likewise.”

The elevator dinged and the door opened.

“Well, this is me,” he said, stepping out. “See you around.” His smile widened.

It took a moment for Baekhyun to reply, having found himself strangely captivated by Chanyeol’s suddenly uneven eyes and the tip of his pink tongue peeking through his teeth.

“Bye,” he breathed.

Once the doors closed and the elevator began moving again, he shook himself to clear his thoughts.

“What is wrong with you, Byun Baekhyun? You’re acting like you’ve never seen a cute guy before,” he scolded.

Yes, he could admit that Chanyeol was cute. Hadn’t he already that first day? Pretty, he’d called him and indeed he was. Sorta. There wasn’t anything particularly feminine about him to go with it, it was solely his face.

“Still not my type,” he murmured. Chanyeol seemed to be about his age, which was fine but he tended to go for older men since they were usually more established and mature.

Shrugging, he pushed the thoughts of his new neighbour away and started dreaming about his blind date once more.

Luhan has relatively good taste, he thought, so this should be fun. Who knows what can happen?

 

“Are you seriously not going to tell me a thing about him?”

Baekhyun glowered at his friend through the mirror in front of which he stood, checking his eyeliner.

Luhan groaned, rolling his eyes. “No. No. And no! Just stop already. You’ll find out everything you want to know soon enough.”

Baekhyun turned to glare at him. “Forgive a guy for asking. It’s not every day I get set up on a blind date by my best friend, whose longest relationship is with someone four years younger than he is.”

“Hey!” Sehun interjected, offended. “What has my age got to do with this?”

Baekhyun flashed him a smile. “Nothing, sweetie. I’m just saying. Luhan doesn’t have the most experience when it comes to dating and my tastes happen to be…”

“Impossibly picky?” Luhan supplied, cocking a brow.

“Refined,” Baekhyun stressed. “I’m not one of those people who falls in love on a Friday and is ready to move on to someone new come Monday. It takes a special kind of guy to catch and hold my interest.”

Luhan yawned dramatically, dropping his head back against the sofa. “Wake me up when the parade of excuses ends.”

“Think what you will,” Baekhyun said dismissively. “I know what I like and I’m not willing to compromise my standards under any circumstances.”

“Yeah, yeah. Like I said: enjoy being by your lonesome. Just…don’t be a to him, okay? He’s a really nice guy. If things are a bust with you tonight, I still want to be on good enough terms with him that I can introduce him to someone more deserving later on.”

Baekhyun slowly raised the middle finger of his right hand and jabbed it in Luhan’s direction with a sneer, his irritation growing when Luhan only laughed.

Turning back to his reflection, Baekhyun patted an invisible wayward strand of hair back into place.

“I hope that he at least eats properly. It’s so unappetizing to be seated next to someone who chews with their mouth open or talks with their mouth full.”

“That’s it!” Luhan exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “I’m cancelling. Or better yet, you stay home and the rest of us will go and have a grand old time without you.”

He pulled out his phone and made a show of dialing a number, unsurprised when Baekhyun leaped at him with a screech, knocking said phone out of his hand.

“Don’t you dare!” Baekhyun snapped.

Luhan folded his arms across his chest, cocking a questioning brow. “Why not? You’re already assuming the worst. If you aren’t even going to try to be open-minded and give the guy a chance, give yourself a chance, then tell me now. I won’t have you embarrass me with your haughty, better-than-thou asstitude.”

A retort sprung to the tip of Baekhyun’s tongue but Luhan’s knowing expression made him bite it back.

Luhan was baiting him, that much was obvious, but could he really blame him? If, for example, he had been in Luhan’s shoes and he was about to set one friend up with another and one of those friends was…difficult, he would probably have doubts too.

Taking a deep breath, he released it slowly.

“I’m sorry, you’re right. You’re doing me a favor and I should be more grateful. I am grateful. And I promise not to embarrass you.”

Luhan looked skeptical but nodded still, taking him at his word.

“I’m going to hold you to that, Baekkie. If you cross any lines – well, too many lines since you being you will undoubtedly put your foot in your mouth at least once – I’m going to be out that door so fast your head will spin. And the only time you’ll see me again is when I come to collect my stuff before I move in with Sehunnie for good.”

Baekhyun gulped and nodded. He could tell that Luhan was serious. Was he really that bad?

“Now, if you’re done primping, we’d better get going. I want us to get to the restaurant before he does. We’ll have to take your car, though. Mine’s still in the shop.”

Without another word, Baekhyun picked up his little evening bag, or manpurse as Sehun referred to it, and slung it over his shoulder. “I’ll meet you guys downstairs.”

As his best friend left the apartment, Luhan picked up his phone, thankful that it had fallen onto the sofa otherwise he would’ve had to kill Baekhyun before he even got to meet his date.

“You say that but I wonder if you really mean it,” Sehun said suddenly.

Luhan glanced over at him. “Hmm?”

“About moving in with me. You’ve thrown it at Baekhyun-hyung before, always as a threat, but I wonder if you really would.”

Color seeped into Luhan’s face. “Sehun-ah…”

Sehun raised a hand to stall him. “Don’t. We should get going. We don’t want to leave Baekhyun-hyung alone for too long. He may start working himself up again.”

Luhan nodded, following Sehun out the door, but the heat that suffused his face stayed there for a long while after.

 

“Where is he? Doesn’t he know that you’re supposed to be prompt, even early, on first dates?:

Stifling a groan, Luhan took a huge gulp of his wine, only stopping when Sehun put a restraining hand on his arm.

Like a blight on their evening, Sehun’s words had come true. Baekhyun had remained quiet on the drive to the restaurant but they weren’t seated even five minutes before he started up again.

“He’s only ten minutes late, hyung,” Sehun replied reasonably. “Perhaps he got stuck in traffic. It was pretty congested on the way here.”

Sehun was right but Baekhyun didn’t indicate that he agreed with him. Nerves were eating their way through his stomach and ing was the only thing that he found soothing.

“If he’s not here in another ten minutes, I’m leaving,” he said firmly.

“Why wait? Do us all a favor and go. Now. Please.”

“Hannie!” Sehun hissed, looking at his boyfriend with disapproval.

“What?” Luhan asked, eyes wide. “He wants to go, let him. We can take a taxi home or…”

“Hey there, sorry I’m late. Traffic was nasty.”

Baekhyun froze.

That voice. He knew that voice.

As if time had slowed to a crawl, Baekhyun turned and looked up into a face that had struck him dumb mere hours before.

Luhan stood, an impish smile on his face. “Chanyeol, you remember Sehun?”

The two men shook hands and exchanged casual greetings.

“And this…” He paused to gesture to his friend. “Is Baekhyun.”

There was no attempt to feign surprise on Chanyeol’s part. He simply smiled at Baekhyun and said, “It’s nice seeing you again.”

“H-Hi,” Baekhyun stammered.

“Oh? You’ve met before?” Luhan asked, lifting a curious brow.

“Just a few hours ago, on the ride up in the elevator,” Chanyeol replied, sliding into the only free seat, next to Baekhyun.

“Ahh…”

“It seems fated somehow now that I think about it,” Chanyeol said with a small laugh.

Luhan smiled but said nothing, pointedly avoiding the panicked look Baekhyun was shooting in his direction.

Realizing that Luhan was ignoring him, Baekhyun cleared his throat and said as nonchalantly as he could, “I think I’ll make a quick trip to the bathroom. Luhan, want to come with?”

Luhan picked up his wine glass again, hiding his smile behind the rim. “No, I’m fine thanks.”

Baekhyun’s gaze went from panic to hot fury in less than a second.

“Oh, Chanyeol, we should get you a drink,” Sehun said hurriedly before the best friends could wage a war against each other, already flagging down a waiter. “What’s your poison?”

“I’ll have a cranberry and vodka.”

Cranberry and vodka?, Bakhyun thought. Isn’t that a girlie drink? His eyes then fell on the strawberry daiquiri in front of him and he dialed back on the judgment. A drink was just a drink, it said nothing about a person.

Deciding to make the best of the situation, as much as one could when one was being set up with a person one had expressly told one’s roommate was not one’s type, he turned to Chanyeol, smiling pleasantly, and began his interrogation.

“So…Chanyeol, how was your day?”

“It was great, thanks. And yours?”

“Fair to fine. What exactly is it that you do? Are you a student like us or…”

Chanyeol shook his head, smiling as he accepted his drink from the waiter before answering. “I tried college, realized that it wasn’t for me, so I work.”

“What do you do?” Baekhyun repeated, a small frown forming between his eyebrows.

College was a must for him. Everyone and their grandmother needed certification to make it in the world today. For Chanyeol to so flippantly dismiss its value was heresy.

-1 point.

“A little bit of this and a little bit of that. I don’t really like being tied down.”

-2 points.

“Luhan tells me you’re a Sociology major,” Chanyeol said.

“Oh, the irony,” Luhan muttered, taking a sip of his wine.

Chuckling, Chanyeol refocused on Baekhyun. “What made you choose that area of study?”

“I find society very interesting. Evolution, our humanity, how we came to be governed by laws when we started out no different from animals running free in the wild. Speaking of laws…” He gave Chanyeol a side-eyed glance. “Have you ever been arrested?”

Chanyeol laughed. “No. Oh, wait, there was that one time… I’m just kidding!”

Sehun and Luhan laughed along but Baekhyun groaned inwardly. As if being a hobo wasn’t bad enough, he was a hobo with a cheesy sense of humor.

-1 point.

The interrogation paused when the waiter returned for their dinner orders and everyone turned to the business of deciding what to eat but so soon as the waiter departed, Baekhyun resumed his questions.

“Out of curiosity, do you regularly go on blind dates?”

Chanyeol shook his head, taking a sip of his drink before answering. “No. This is my first, actually.”

“Really?” Baekhyun didn’t know why but he was genuinely surprised.

“Yeah.”

“What made you decide to go on this one?”

“Well…” Chanyeol flashed a smile at Luhan. “I ran into Luhan and Sehun at the supermarket around the corner from the complex a couple of days ago. We got to talking, I said that I was single, and Luhan asked if I’d be interested in meeting someone.” This time, he turned to Baekhyun, eyes smiling. “Little did I know that I would meet you before actually meeting you. So much for blind, huh?”

For a moment, Baekhyun forgot that he was in the midst of an inquisition and felt himself melting beneath the rays of Chanyeol’s sunny smile. Eventually, he caught himself and cleared his throat to hide his reaction.

“Yes, well. Life can certainly be weird that way sometimes.”

Dinner arrived and they all fell silent as they got down to the serious business of eating.

Halfway through his pasta dish, Sehun picked up his unused spoon and said, “You know, I understand the reason for this but I never use it anyway. If I twirl long enough, the pasta usually stays on the fork.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Proper etiquette dictates…”

“I know, right?” Chanyeol agreed. “Usually it gets in the way and I sometimes embarrass myself when it falls off my plate.”

Sehun laughed. “Oh, man, I can’t tell you how many times that has happened to me.”

Frowning, Baekhyun glanced from one to the other. Were they serious? Like, really serious?

“I can think of one use for it, though…” Sehun said slowly. He placed the spoon on his nose, holding it steady until he felt like it would support itself before releasing his hold on the handle. It stayed in place for no more than two seconds before it fell back into his waiting palm. Laughing, he said, “I can never get it to stay.”

“Oh, my God,” Baekhyun groaned, mortified. “Are you five? What…”

“That’s because you’re doing it wrong,” Chanyeol piped in. Picking up his spoon, he rubbed the cradle of the spoon slowly up and down his nose a few times before releasing his hold on the handle, allowing the spoon to rest on its own. “Tada!”

“How did you do that?” Sehun exclaimed.

Chuckling, Chanyeol removed the spoon and gestured to Sehun. “Go ahead, try it. There’s also the breathe/ method.”

Luhan watched on with mild amusement while Baekhyun’s face was a frozen mask of horror.

This couldn’t possibly be happening. Had Luhan really thought that this individual would be a good match for him? Did Chanyeol, the cute, pretty guy from the elevator, really have this side to him? Had the world gone mad?

“I must be seeing things,” he muttered.

“Oh, lighten up, Baek,” Luhan snapped beneath his breath. “Must you always act like you have a stick up your ? Or, rather, can you forget that it’s there for just one night?”

“What were you thinking?” Baekhyun hissed. “This guy is nothing like me, not even remotely close to what I’m looking for. This is a disaster.”

“Gosh, will you stop? I’m so…”

Luhan broke off as his phone began vibrating in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out and answered with a sharp, “Hello?”

Sehun and Chanyeol wrapped up their spoon play, glancing over at him curiously.

“Oh, hi Kris.” Luhan’s voice warmed over. “No, we’re at dinner. That little Italian place, you know it? Want to join us? Oh, okay. I’ll call you when I get home. Alright. Talk to you soon.”

“Everything okay?” Sehun inquired.

Luhan gave him a pointed look. “The usual.”

“Ahh,” Sehun murmured, nodding in understanding.

“What’s the matter? Trouble with the wives?” Baekhyun asked sarcastically.

“Baek!” Luhan scolded.

“Wives?” Chanyeol repeated, eyes widening.

Baekhyun nodded. “Yes, our dear friend Kris is a bigamist.”

“They’re not legally married,” Luhan rushed to explain, throwing a dagger-filled glare in Baekhyun’s direction.

“No, they just live and do everything together. The three of them.”

“It’s really not as bad as it sounds,” Luhan explained. “Baekhyun’s just being dramatic.”

“Dramatic? There are three people in that one relationship. Tell me that you don’t see anything wrong with that,” Baekhyun challenged.

“Sounds interesting,” Chanyeol mused. “Can you tell me more? It’s okay if you can’t, I don’t mean to pry.”

Luhan chewed his lip thoughtfully. “I guess it’s okay. You would’ve found out anyway since everyone knows. Kris, my friend, lives in our building. I guess you haven’t met him yet. I’ll introduce you soon.”

“Like Baekhyun-hyung said,” Sehun continued, taking over, “Kris-hyung has two partners: Tao and Yixing. It didn’t really start out that way, it just ended up like that. Kris-hyung came from China with Tao-hyung…”

“They were my friends from middle school before I moved here permanently at the beginning of high school,” Luhan interjected.

“…and later, after they settled down, he met Yixing-hyung, who is also a Chinese immigrant. Kris loves Tao very much but…he also fell in love with Yixing. He never meant to hurt either one of them, never intended to betray Tao’s trust. In fact, he told Tao the truth once he realized how deeply his feelings for Yixing ran. It was actually Tao who suggested that Yixing move in. I think Kris was expecting Tao to break up with him so that sort of threw him for a loop. It was even more surprising when Yixing agreed. They’ve been together since. Tao and Yixing actually get along really well, like close friends or brothers, they just happen to be in love with the same man. As for Kris…I believe that he really loves them both and he just can’t choose one so he won’t.”

“Can you spell dysfunctional?” Baekhyun joked, looking to Chanyeol for agreement.

“I think I understand,” Chanyeol said, surprising them all with his serious tone. “I don’t know Kris, or any of the parties involved, but if what you say is true, about them truly loving each other, then I can see why they would try to make it work. Tao came here with Kris so they obviously embarked on a new life together. Yixing’s appearance threw a wrench into things but instead of kicking Kris to the curb or making him choose like most would, Tao invited Yixing into their home. And Yixing accepted. Why would they do that? I think it’s because neither one wants to be the one to give Kris the ultimatum to choose between them because if he does choose, he could be doing it simply because they want him to, not because he really wants to be with the person he chooses. It could also work against them. No matter how much they love him, they must feel a bit insecure about their positions in his life and heart, not knowing which way the pendulum would swing. Sharing him is the only way to avoid guaranteed heartache for at least one of them, if not both.”

“You’re not seriously condoning this insanity, are you?” Baekhyun asked incredulously. “This defies all logic, all sense of decency and tradition. How can a relationship possibly survive with that many people involved?”

“I admit that it’s unconventional but…”

 

Sehun nodded. “Chanyeol-hyung is right. Although you haven’t met them, you seem to have hit the nail on the head. I think, also, that the reason that Kris-hyung hasn’t chosen is because he doesn’t want to hurt either one and he’s waiting for them to get tired of the situation and walk out on him. He doesn’t mind if they both leave, he just doesn’t want to be the one inflicting pain. Not after everything they’ve had to endure to be with him.”

“It’s not always easy,” Luhan commented. “It’s unconventional, like you said, and requires a lot of hard work. But the love that exists there is more sincere and genuine than many that I’ve seen between two people in a normal relationship.”

“You’re all nuts,” Baekhyun muttered, shaking his head.

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand, Baek, seeing as you don’t have a heart to begin with. What can you possibly know about love and the sacrifice required to make it work when you’ve never even been in love?”

Luhan’s words were like a bucket of cold water in Baekhyun’s face. He and Luhan could go for ten rounds if the mood suited them but Luhan was never spiteful or unnecessarily mean. That was more Baekhyun’s territory. So it was extremely surprising that Luhan had hit him below the belt, using his insecurities against him

No one said a word and the four of them finished their meal with an awkward, tense silence hanging over them. They decided to skip dessert and coffee and just call it a night.

As they walked out into the brisk, chilly night, Sehun automatically reached for Luhan’s hand, linking their fingers, while Baekhyun and Chanyeol strode silently in front of the couple.

“Oh, do you guys need a lift?” Chanyeol asked suddenly, turning to encompass them all in his gaze. “I forgot to ask how you got here.”

“No, we drove,” Baekhyun replied.

“Oh, okay.”

Silence reigned once more.

“How about you take Baekhyun home?” Luhan suggested. “Sehun and I will drive his car back.”

Baekhyun spun around, eyes wide with shock. “What? You two drive my car? When hell…”

“What a great idea,” Sehun piped in. “You two didn’t really get to have any quality time together so this is the perfect opportunity. And the drive isn’t long so it shouldn’t be too awkward.”

Baekhyun shook his head. “I don’t…”

“Okay,” Chanyeol agreed. He lightly grasped Baekhyun’s elbow. “My car’s this way.”

Looking around at all those expectant faces, Baekhyun felt trapped. Mentally cursing, he gave into peer pressure and dug his keys out of his bag.

“Fine, here. But no making out or anything gross and coupley in my car. And be careful. If I see one scratch…”

Luhan rolled his eyes. “Please, you worry too much.”

“Luhan, Sehun, it was fun,” Chanyeol jumped in, before the two could start bickering as was their inclination, he’d noticed. “We should do this again sometime.”

Sehun nodded. “Sure. We’d love that.”

With a murmured good night, Chanyeol led a rigid Baekhyun off to his car while Sehun and Luhan turned in the opposite direction towards Baekhyun’s.

“Do you think they’ll be okay?” Sehun asked once they were settled in their seats.

“They’ll be fine so long as Baekhyun keeps his mouth closed,” Luhan muttered.

“What are the chances of that happening?” Sehun asked wryly.

Luhan grinned over at his boyfriend. “None to none?”

Sehun leaned over the center console and stole a brief kiss.

“Baekhyun would a brick if he saw you,” Luhan whispered.

Sehun smiled. “Good thing he’s not here.”

“Good thing,” Luhan agreed with a wicked grin, seconds before he threw himself across the console, wrapped his arms around Sehun’s neck and drew him in for a deep, thorough kiss.

 

The drive home seemed longer than usual.

The silence certainly did not help things.

Baekhyun tried to think of something to say but he really couldn’t think of anything appropriate. It had become painfully obvious throughout the course of the night that he and Chanyeol had absolutely nothing in common. This drive home was merely a technicality, after which they would go their separate ways, never to see or speak to each other again but for the requisite “hey, how’s it going?” that neighbours exchanged from time to time.

“Are you okay?” Chanyeol asked, breaking him out of his reverie.

He glanced over. “Excuse me?”

“The last dig Luhan made. It seemed to hit you pretty hard. Are you alright?”

“Oh, that was nothing,” Baekhyun replied, shrugging his shoulders. “Compared to our usual war of words, that was relatively tame.”

Chanyeol smiled. “I see. I’m glad.”

Why? Why do you care?, Baekhyun wanted to ask. Instead, he turned to look out the window, breathing a sigh of relief when their apartment complex came into view.

They said nothing as they climbed out of the car and walked towards the elevator, nothing as they waited for the elevator car to come down. When they got onboard and Baekhyun punched in his floor, it took him a moment to realize that Chanyeol hadn’t selected his.

Is he hoping for a nightcap?, he wondered. Or…more?

He hadn’t pegged Chanyeol as the type who expected on the first date but you never knew with people and clearly Chanyeol was more, and less, than he’d initially thought him.

“Do you want me to punch in your floor?” he asked.

“What? Oh, I thought I’d take you to yours, make sure you got all the way home safely,” he explained, an attractive color leaking into his cheeks.

The answer surprised Baekhyun. It wasn’t what he was expecting at all. Not that he didn’t think Chanyeol chivalrous but…it wasn’t something he’d expect from anyone, to be honest. Most people weren’t so nice.

Giving himself a visible shake, he pressed Chanyeol’s floor just as they came abreast of it.

“It’s okay,” he said. “You don’t have to.”

Before Chanyeol could say anything, the elevator doors opened. His expression had clouded considerably but he accepted Baekhyun’s decision and stepped out of the elevator. Holding it open, he said,

“I had a nice time tonight. Thank you. Hopefully, we can do this again.”

Baekhyun nodded, giving the kind of generic smile that he usually reserved for people he considered not worth his time.

“Sure. Good night, Chanyeol.”

“Goodnight.”

 

“What the hell were you thinking?”

Luhan rolled his eyes and shoved another truffle in his mouth, as he savored the flavor of the delicate chocolate melting in his mouth.

Beside him, Sehun grinned, swiped his finger at the corner of Luhan’s mouth to wipe off a bit of leftover chocolate and it off his finger.

“Stop that!” Baekhyun snapped. He had worked up a good rage, the things he’d been holding back all night dancing on the tip of his tongue, but he knew that he had to get it all out before Horn-Han got their grubby paws on each other. There was no getting between them once they started doing…stuff.

“Seriously, Luhan,” he continued, pacing the length of their living room. “What on earth was going through your mind when you hatched this ludicrous scheme of yours?”

Luhan cocked a brow, a vein in his jaw twitching as his own ire rose. “I don’t know, Baek. What could I possibly have been thinking? Maybe that Chanyeol is a nice guy, new to the area, that I’d like to help get to know people, make some friends? Maybe that my best friend, who I love dearly, has been on his own for far too long and needs a nudge, to put it mildly, in the right direction? Maybe that the two people in question could help each other out, become friends if nothing else? I don’t know, Baek. I really don’t. I must have lost my damn mind.”

Baekhyun bit back his retort and swallowed Luhan’s sarcasm as gracefully as he could. Toning down the attitude, or asstitude as Luhan called it, he said, “I…appreciate your help, Luhan, but I think it’s obvious now that Chanyeol and I just aren’t meant to be. We have absolutely nothing in common and are clearly not suited for one another. So let’s just chock this up to an adventure and put it behind us.”

Luhan cocked his head to the side. “No, I think what’s obvious is that you blew it. But your loss is another man’s gain. No worries, I’ll find someone for Chanyeol. Someone deserving.”

Baekhyun frowned. “I’m trying to be the bigger person here. You’re my best friend, it wouldn’t kill you to take my side for once.”

“And it wouldn’t kill you to stop being an insufferable a-hole but neither of us are going to get what we want, are we?”

Luhan jumped up, grabbed his bag of chocolates in one hand and held the other out to Sehun.

“Let’s go, Sehun-ah.”

“What? Wait,” Baekhyun stammered. “We’re not done yet. Where are you going?”

Gripping Sehun’s hand as he stood, Luhan flashed a wicked smile. “To have loud, angry ,” he replied, stressing the word. Turning on his heels, he started towards his room, dragging Sehun along behind him.

Sehun sent Baekhyun a wide grin. “Thanks, Hyung!” he called gratefully moments before he disappeared behind the locked door.

Sighing, Baekhyun flopped onto the recently vacated sofa.

It seemed like no matter what he did or said, Luhan was determined to be mad at him.

Taking a deep breath, he released it slowly.

It would blow over soon, he thought. Chanyeol was no longer an issue and once Luhan stopped being mad, they’d go back to being their usual loving, albeit aggressively so, selves. Just the two of them.

“Oh, Sehunnie!”

And Sehun, he added, going in search of his ear plugs.

 

Time passed and things settled down in the apartment.

The roommates never stayed angry with each other for long – it was too hard holding onto anger when, with family so far away, they only had each other – so within days, they were back to normal.

As weeks passed, they both became bogged down in end of semester papers and projects so the issue of Chanyeol never arose. There was barely enough time to sleep and eat, much less for talking about their new neighbor.

Baekhyun was so distracted with thoughts of school that when he stopped by his favorite café for a cup of coffee one day, he didn’t notice the person standing next to him until he heard his name.

“Baekhyun-ah.”

“Huh?”

Mind still miles away, Baekhyun looked up…and blinked. Once, twice, three times before it finally sank in.

“Chanyeol,” he breathed.

Chanyeol smiled that bright, cheery smile of his. “Hey. How are you? I called you from over there,” he pointed at a table, “but you didn’t seem to hear me. Unless you were ignoring me,” he added teasingly.

Baehyun’s eyes went wide, a gasp slipping through his lips. “Um…no, no. My mind…I mean, I was distracted, thinking about school and stuff. I didn’t hear you, sorry.”

“I was just kidding. It’s almost exam time, isn’t it? Must be hard.”

Baekhyun sighed. “Tell me about it. My head is swimming with theories and anecdotes and I’m running on coffee and three hours’ sleep.”

Chanyeol winced. “Ouch… Sounds rough.”

“Here’s your order, Sir,” the server said to Chanyeol, placing a cappuccino and huge chocolate muffin in front of him on the counter.

“Thanks.” Chanyeol picked up his order and turned back to Baekhyun. “Would you like to join me for a bit? Take a load off?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “I really shouldn’t. I have so much to do today. So damn much…” he trailed off.

“Baekhyun, you look like you’re about to keel over. I’m not kidding. Sit with me. Please? Ten minutes, just until you finish your coffee or feel steady again.”

Baekhyun gazed up at him, no still on the tip of his tongue. He was tired, though. He’d done a lot of walking that morning, having to run from one building to another across the huge campus of the university. It wasn’t even midday yet and he was already exhausted. Ten minutes wouldn’t kill him, would it?”

“Okay,” he agreed.

They waited for his order then returned to Chanyeol’s table, sliding into seats across from each other.

For the first few minutes, neither one said anything.

“So…do you have any plans for Christmas? Are you going home?” Chanyeol asked politely.

Baekhyun shook his head, taking a sip of his coffee. “I don’t know. Home’s kinda far and it doesn’t seem logical, not to mention economical, to go all the way there for a few days or a week when I have to come back after anyway. Luhan and I are from the same area – we grew up and went to high school together actually – so we usually spend Christmas together. Well, I guess it’ll be the three of us since Sehun is never far away. Maybe we will go, I don’t know. It might be nice to get away for a bit. Sehun’s never met Luhan’s family so this year might be the year.”

Chanyeol smiled slightly. “They’re really joined at the hip, huh?”

“You have no idea,” Baekhyun muttered beneath his breath.

“I think it’s cute. I like seeing couples in love and they most definitely are.”

Baekhyun smiled slightly. “I guess so. Even though it’s annoying sometimes when they start making out in front of me or they’re loudly going at it.” At the mention of , he blushed and looked down at his coffee cup, his fingers nervously picking at the sleeve. “But, yeah… Their love is a beautiful thing.”

“And why is it that you’re unattached?”

“Because I…” Catching himself, Baekhyun cleared his throat and took a long sip of his coffee before answering. Calm and steady. “I just haven’t met the right person. My friends say I’m picky but I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with having standards. I mean, no one is going to take home random riff-raff that they pick up on the street, right?”

Chanyeol nodded. “Of course.”

“So maybe I’m a little more selective than most. I don’t see anything wrong with that. I know what I want and I don’t see any reason why I can’t get it. Maybe I’ll have to wait a little longer than most but that doesn’t mean…” He paused, catching himself in the midst of a defensive tirade.

“It doesn’t mean...? Go on,” Chanyeol urged.

“It doesn’t mean that I’ll be single forever,” he finished softly.

“Of course not. Someone as interesting and attractive as you could never be single forever,” Chanyeol said honestly.

Baekhyun looked up quickly at his words, heat flooding his cheeks. He didn’t want to feel good but he couldn’t stop the warmth that spread in his chest.

It still didn’t mean anything, though. Chanyeol was simply stating facts as he knew them to be and Baekhyun happened to agree.

They finished their coffee with casual conversation and Baekhyun was surprised to find himself feeling rejuvenated by the end. He knew, though he wouldn’t voice it, that it wasn’t just because of the coffee, and pieces of Chanyeol’s muffin that he’d gladly accepted.

“We should do this again,” Chanyeol said casually. They were standing on the sidewalk outside the café preparing to part ways.

Baekhyun nodded. “We should.” This time, when he said it, he actually meant it.

Smiling widely, Chanyeol gently cuffed Baekhyun on the chin. “Don’t study too hard. And take care of yourself, Byun Baekhyun.”

Flashing one last dazzling smile, he strode off, leaving Baekhyun staring stupidly behind him.

The rest of Baekhyun’s day passed in a blur of activity but he was amazed to find that the energy he’d restored during his brief respite with Chanyeol stayed with him throughout the day. He didn’t think too much of it, though. Perhaps he had just gotten his second wind. He couldn’t deny that he’d enjoyed the simplicity of idle chat over coffee with Chanyeol but he wouldn’t attribute that to the man himself because Chanyeol meant nothing to him. He would have to mean something to have any kind of effect on him, wouldn’t he?

He was in the dim, silent library mentally preparing to face a long night ahead when his phone vibrated on the table in front of him. Since he was alone in this section, he wasn’t worried about disturbing anyone when he answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?”

Baekhyun pulled the phone away from his hear, wincing as Luhan’s sharp tone rang like a gong in his head.

“What is wrong with you?” he asked, gingerly bringing the phone to his ear again. A thought occurred to him and he sighed. “Or should I be asking what I did this time?”

“The latter,” Luhan replied succinctly. “Where are you?”

“The library. Didn’t you get my text? I told you that I would be late.”

“Yes, I did but that was hours ago. You could’ve called to let me know that you were okay.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mother. Now what do you want? You broke my concentration.”

“Is there anything that you would like to tell me? Anything you would like to share?”

Baekhyun frowned. “No, why?”

“Nothing?” Luhan pressed. “Anything interesting that happened during the course of your day that you think I might want to know?”

Baekhyun stifled a yawn, weariness settling over him as he said, “Can’t think of anything at the moment. Why don’t you just tell me instead of wasting my time guessing.”

“So you didn’t have coffee with a certain someone who you swore you weren’t interested in and would never see again?”

Oh. That.

“Well…”

“How could you not tell me?” Luhan yelled. “You should’ve called me as soon as it was safe to do so.”

“I didn’t think about it.”

“Didn’t think about it? You call me when you can’t decide what to eat for dinner, you call when you don’t know which shade of eyeliner to use or if you should buy the short-sleeved sweater or the three-quarter sleeved sweater. You call me when you think you’re bloated, which you never are by the way. Or when you’re constipated and get paranoid thinking that you might have colon cancer! And yet, you didn’t think to call when something actually important and worthy of calling happens?!”

Baekhyun’s face scrunched up and he knew he probably looked like a chipmunk, or so Luhan said whenever he made that face.

“I’m sorry but it simply didn’t occur to me, okay? It didn’t seem important.”

“Not important?!” Luhan exploded.

Temper kicking in, Baekhyun’s tone became snappy. “Look. I already told you that I’m not the least bit interested in Chanyeol, okay? I don’t find him attractive. I mean yes, he’s cute but he’s too tall, too immature, too unsettled. He laughs at Sehun’s jokes, for cripes sake. Sehun is a baby still. He can’t be our age but at the same mental level as Sehunnie. And he has no life goals, no ambitions. He’s a here today, gone tomorrow kind of guy. How can I possibly even consider dating someone who may suddenly decide that he wants to be with someone else tomorrow? And that’s if he doesn’t fly off to India to become the next Maharaja or something first.”

There was a heavy silence on the other end of the line and Baekhyun’s stomach sank while he waited for Luhan to reply.

“I knew you were stupid, Baek, but I had no idea you were this much of a fool.”

“Wh-what?” Baekhyun stuttered.

“I’m done. I’m giving up, throwing in the towel. If you’re too blind to recognize a good thing, too stubborn to make it work, so be it. But the next time you’re feeling sorry for yourself because you can’t find anyone to like you or you feel unloved, forever alone or whatever, go cry to someone else. My shoulders and my ears are closed!”

“Wait, Lu…”

“I’m going to spend a few days at Sehunnie’s. Be careful on your way home and don’t stay out too late.”

As the phone went dead in his ear, Baekhyun stared at it dumbly.

What the hell had just happened?

 

“Grrr! I have never met a more infuriating person!”

Luhan slammed the phone into its cradle, picking it up and slamming it two more times for good measure.

“What did he say?” Sehun asked calmly, hiding his amusement at the sight of his adorably irate boyfriend.

“I didn’t think about it. It didn’t seem important,” Luhan echoed mockingly. “Not important? My flat okay!”

“Gorgeous flat ,” Sehun added appreciatively.

Slight colour tinged Luhan’s cheeks but he was too wound up to stop his rant. “I don’t know what else to do with him. He makes me want to smother him with kisses one minute and pound his pretty face in the next. How could he be so stupid and just…stupid!”

“You know…” Sehun stood, approaching his boyfriend slowly. “Not that I’m defending Baekhyun-hyung but I remember a certain someone also letting love almost pass him by for similar shallow, baseless reasons.”

“What?” The colour in Luhan’s cheeks deepened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sehun chuckled, cupping Luhan’s hot cheeks as he came to a stop in front of him. ““You’re too young, Sehun.” “I’m not interested in dating right now.” “We’re on different paths in life.” “I could lose my job if your parents found out.” And, my personal favourite: “It would never work. The age difference is too much.” You tried every excuse imaginable to get me to stop loving you.”

“Like,” Luhan clarified.

“Love.” Sehun gently brushed Luhan’s smooth skin with his thumb. “I knew I loved you from the moment I first saw you.”

Luhan snorted. “You were young and stupid.”

“Yet smart and wise enough to realize what we had, could have, before my dearest hyung did, if I do recall,” he pointed out.

Luhan wrinkled his nose, which was one of the things that Sehun had found most irresistible about him in the beginning. He still did.

Sighing, Luhan raised his hands and began playing with the buttons of Sehun’s shirt. “When your parents hired me to tutor you, I don’t think having me corrupt their youngest and only son was part of the deal.”

“And yet they were the first ones to congratulate us when you stopped running away from your feelings. They love you and consider you part of the family. With so many daughters, I think they always wanted another son. Now they have one.”

“Your folks are strange,” Luhan muttered, a smile tugging at his lips. “The sweetest people ever, but strange.”

Sehun laughed, pulling Luhan into his arms and burying his face in his neck. He drew in deeply, inhaling the scent that was so uniquely Luhan.

Pulling back so that he could look down at him, he said seriously, “I think you’re being a bit hard on Baekhyun-hyung.”

Luhan’s eyes went wide. “But…”

Sehun nipped playfully at his nose. “I’m not finished. I agree that he’s stubborn as an ox and his reasons for not giving Chanyeol-hyung a chance are superficial at best but he needs to realize that for himself. He’s only known Chanyeol-hyung what…barely two months? And they’ve only spent time together twice, three times if you consider their drive home as a separate occasion. He needs time to see for himself what he’s missing out on. They haven’t really gotten to know each other and since Baekhyun-hyung insists that Chanyeol-hyung isn’t his type, the more you push them together, the more he’ll run away. And it’s not fair to Chanyeol-hyung either. If you keep putting them together and Baekhyun-hyung keeps shooting him down, it’s not only going to bruise his ego but he may end up being seriously hurt. Our friendship with him is really new too. Let’s not jeopardize that.”

Luhan sighed, laying his cheek against Sehun’s chest, listening to the strong, reassuring beat of his heart.

“When did you get so smart?” he murmured.

Sehun kissed the top of his head before resting his chin on it. “I don’t know but I had an excellent, insanely intelligent tutor.”

Sighing again, Luhan raised his head. “So what do you propose we do?”

Sehun smiled. He loved when Luhan used the word we, as if it was a given that he would be a part of whatever plot or scheme he came up with. They had come a long way from the days when Luhan kept pulling the hyung card on him.

“Leave them be. Give them the time and space to find their way to each other. If Baekhyun-hyung really isn’t interested in Chanyeol-hyung then there’s nothing we can do about it and Chanyeol-hyung is better off having distance between them. But if, as you suspect, Baekhyun-hyung really is secretly interested, then his curiosity will get the better of him eventually and he’ll seek Chanyeol-hyung out himself. Let’s just wait and see.”

“Fine,” Luhan agreed grumpily. “But I’m still pissed at that jerk. After the way he treated Chanyeol the last time, Chanyeol was still nice enough to even talk to him again. I know that there’s something there…or there can be at least. I just wish that idiot would forget what he thinks he wants and be open-minded for a change.”

“I know, I know,” Sehun said comfortingly, kissing the top of Luhan’s head again.

“Ah, well…” Luhan pulled away completely and stretched. “I’d better go pack my stuff so we can get on the road before it gets too late.”

Sehun froze. “Wait…You were serious about that?”

Luhan looked at him in confusion. “What? Going home with you? I’ve stayed at your place before.”

“Yeah, for a night here and there but not consecutive days, morning and night, like…” Sehun blushed. “…living together.”

Luhan’s cheeks flamed bright red, his hands twining nervously. “About that... I’ve been thinking about what you said…”

Sehun frowned. “Hannie. You don’t need to do this to prove anything to me. I didn’t mean…”

Luhan held up a hand. “Wait. Let me finish. I’ve been thinking about what you said and you’re absolutely right. I use it as a threat against Baekhyun because I know how dependent he is on me but I’ve never stopped to consider how you feel hearing it time and time again. I’ve never stopped to consider how I actually feel about it. Now that I have…I realize that I don’t mind it. In fact, I actually like the idea. Baekhyun is my best friend and his idiosyncrasies aside, I adore having him as a roommate but…I love you.” He shrugged helplessly. “We’re as together as two people can be. Isn’t this the next natural step?”

“Luhan…” Sehun breathed, afraid to move for fear that he was dreaming and would wake up at any moment.

“Besides,” Luhan added with a sheepish smile. “We’ve been together for two years so it’s not like we’re rushing into things.”

“Technically, I’ve been in love with you for three,” Sehun corrected.

Luhan rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I guess what I’m trying to say is…Oh Sehun, I’d like to move in with you. If you’ll have me.”

“Yes.” Sehun’s face split in half with a wide grin. “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.” He swept Luhan into his arms, claiming his lips for a deep, soul-searing kiss that left their toes tingling.

As Sehun set him back, Luhan his swollen lips, his eyelids heavy with lust. “Well, if I’d known that that’s what I’d have to look forward to everyday, I’d have done this sooner.”

Sehun chuckled. Sobering, he tucked a strand of Luhan’s mussed hair behind his ear. “Are you going to tell Baekhyun-hyung?”

Luhan shook his head. “No…At least, not yet. We’ll try this for a few days, then a week next time, then a couple of weeks the time after that, then maybe a month. That way, we’ll all be eased into it. I don’t think we’ll have any problems living together since we do spend so much time together already but we’ve both got a lot on our plates with school right now so that needs to be a priority. And as mad as I am at Baek, I can’t just desert him altogether. Staying with you for short periods, at least in the beginning, will help him get used to not having me around full time and it’ll give me some time to find him a roommate. I should do that much for him.”

Sehun nodded. “Okay.”

Luhan stood on the tips of his toes so that he could look down at Sehun and dropped a kiss on his lips. “I’m going to pack.”

As he turned to go, Sehun grabbed his hand and pulled him back. He looked down at the band on Luhan’s ring finger, identical to the one he wore, and smiled. A promise, he thought. A token of their present and the hope for their future. He remembered how shocked he’d been when Luhan had presented them on their one-year anniversary. Shocked and touched, unbelievably so. He’d pulled him in for a kiss then too, when words had deserted him, putting into it all of the emotions that had been choking him at the time. And later, calmer but still touched, he’d channeled those emotions into a much more…mutually satisfying activity.

“I have a better idea,” he finally said. Gripping Luhan’s waist, he slung him over his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” Luhan squawked, fingers digging into Sehun’s back for traction.

“We should at least say a proper goodbye to your bed.”

 

Baekhyun stood in front of the fridge contemplating the contents, or lack thereof.

No matter how long he stood there – and he knew without looking at the clock that he’d been there a while – it didn’t change. Food didn’t suddenly appear.

“I’m going to starve to death,” he muttered.

Days had turned into a week and one week had turned into two. That was how long Luhan had been gone and he showed no signs of returning home any time soon. He’d spoken to Luhan since, had seen him quite a few times around campus, but Luhan hadn’t set foot in their apartment since the night he’d left. If he needed anything, he sent his boy-toy.

Baekhyun had been left to his own devices. Abandoned.

Luhan had left the fridge fully stocked, had even thrown together a couple of quick-fix meals for him for the first couple of days, but that was long gone. Baekhyun had been so busy finishing up his final project that he hadn’t noticed the food in the fridge and the cupboards dwindling until it was too late. He could easily rectify that by making a trip to the supermarket except…he didn’t know the first thing about grocery shopping. Luhan always handled that.

“Luhan and Sehunnie,” he clarified to himself. “Even the baby can take better care of himself than you can.”

He started to reach into the fridge for the last piece of what he thought was moldy cheese when the doorbell rang. He looked towards the door, then back at his meager fare before shutting the fridge and walking to the door as the buzzer sounded a second time.

Without looking at the security screen, he threw it open.

“Hi.”

The bright, smiling face of Zhang Yixing greeted him and that weird feeling he always got when he saw Yixing immediately descended upon him.

“Hi,” he said softly.

“I came to borrow some sugar,” Yixing said, walking past him into the apartment even though he hadn’t invited him in. “Do you have any?”

“Sugar?” Baekhyun repeated dumbly. “Are you serious?”

Yixing frowned. “Is something the matter?” he asked, accent thickening.

Baekhyun shook his head hurriedly, afraid that he might have offended him. “No, no. It’s just…that’s something people usually say in the movies. I never thought this happened in real life too.”

Yixing smiled widely again. “Oh, hehe. Tao-ah and I are baking a cake for Kris. He has quite the sweet tooth, you know. His birthday is coming up but we decided to get a head start and try out this new recipe that we found online.”

Tao-ah, Baekhyun repeated mentally. He would never understand how Yixing and Tao could stomach each other’s presence, much less be as chummy as they apparently were. The cynic in him thought that it was all just for show, that in the privacy of their apartment, or perhaps deep down inside, they vented their hate towards each other. No one could be that genuinely accepting of such a messed-up situation. No one in their right mind, anyway.

“So do you have any?” Yixing prodded.

“Any?” Baekhyun repeated again.

“Sugar.” Yixing cocked his head to the side and gave him a strange look. “Are you okay? You’re acting weird.”

Baekhyun shook his head to clear it. “Um…I think I’m just hungry. There’s absolutely nothing in the fridge and after days of going without proper meals in order to finish my project, I’m finally done but there’s no food.”

“Oh, you poor thing,” Yixing tut-tutted.

Baekhyun led the way into the kitchen and started rifling through the cupboards. The sugar jar was running low and he wasn’t sure if there were any refills.

“Ahh, you’re in luck,” he announced, having found what he was looking for. He had stumbled upon a small treasure trove. There was sugar, flour, canned soup and a few packs of instant ramen. He realized that if Yixing hadn’t come down, he would never have found the stash because he only ever opened the upper cupboards, and the fridge, where Luhan put the things he used most regularly. “I think I found dinner,” he declared triumphantly, smiling at Yixing over his shoulder.

Yixing laughed. “You really need to get to know your kitchen better, Baekhyun.”

As Yixing poured sugar into the container he’d brought, they exchanged idle pleasantries.

“Oh!” Yixing exclaimed. “I forgot to ask you. How are things going with Chanyeol?”

Baekhyun froze. “Chanyeol?”

“Yeah. Aren’t you guys seeing each other? Luhan said you went out a couple of times. I keep forgetting to ask Chan when I see him.”

Irritation immediately flooded Baekhyun. “A couple as in two. Exactly two.”

Yixing’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh. Sorry if I crossed some kind of line or something, I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No. No…you didn’t. I’m just…a little tired of hearing that name is all.”

“Oh? Don’t you like Chanyeol?”

Baehyun shrugged. “He’s okay, I guess.”

“We’ve hung out with him quite a bit. Us and Luhan and Sehun. He’s really nice. So sweet and funny. He and Kris bonded immediately.”

Baekhyun frowned. “Seriously? Chanyeol and Kris?”

Yixing nodded. “Seems unlikely, doesn’t it, since Kris is usually so…self-contained I guess is the word. But they hit it off from the first meeting. He makes Kris smile in a way I’ve never seen. He completely relaxes when he’s with Chanyeol.”

Baekhyun gave Yixing an incredulous look and seeing the assumption behind it, Yixing rushed to dispel Baekhyun’s thoughts.

“Not like that. Their relationship is purely platonic. There’s no emotional or physical interest on either of their parts. They’re just…like brothers. Thick as thieves. Although, I will admit that it’s starting to feel like there’s another partner in this relationship. Or another wife, as you put it,” he teased.

Baekhyun had the grace to blush.

“Tao and I are happy, though. We both enjoy Chanyeol’s company as well so it’s nice having him around. And Kris…it’s nice seeing him relaxed, completely relaxed, for a change. He’s been so tense lately.”

Baekhyun shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t know how you do it.”

Yixing looked at Baekhyun directly, his expression soft with understanding. “I know that you don’t understand our…arrangement. That you think it’s wrong or blasphemous or whatever. Believe me when I say that I never intended to share my partner with anyone else. I never intended to fall in love with a taken man, never intended to be the “other woman”. And yet…here I am. And I have no regrets. I love Kris and I will always be grateful to Tao for inviting me into their family.” He paused, his gaze dropping. “I don’t expect it to last forever, how could it possibly? Sooner or later one, two or all three of us are going to want a more permanent situation. But for now…we’re happy, genuinely happy, and that’s all I could ever ask for.”

“You don’t have to explain it to me,” Baekhyun said softly. “I’m in no position to judge.”

“Judging is kind of your thing, though, isn’t it?” Yixing teased but they both heard the ring of truth in it. “Anyway, I’d better get back upstairs. Tao will be wondering where I am with the sugar.”

Baekhyun walked Yixing back to the door, holding it open for him as he stepped out.

“I’ll send you a slice,” Yixing said. “And some food. It really isn’t healthy to live off of pre-packaged, preserved food alone. Fresh is always better.”

Baekhyun nodded. “Thanks.”

Baekhyun watched as he walked towards the elevator bank. When the doors opened, before Yixing could step in, Tao walked out.

“We need more flour,” he said, holding up a measuring cup and a container.

The pair laughed and Yixing got onto the elevator while Tao headed towards Baekhyun.

Shaking his head, Baekhyun stepped back and allowed his new guest in.

“I should charge you guys,” he joked. “This isn’t a grocery, you know.”

Tao rolled his eyes and went straight to the kitchen cupboard that housed the flour. Clearly he had visited it before, Baekhyun thought.

“I hear you’re baking a cake,” he said.

Tao nodded, measuring out cups of flour into his container. “Yeah. A practice run for Kris’ birthday.”

“Sounds good.”

Tao glanced over at him. “Want to come? There’ll be lots of food and cake.”

“That’s ok…”

“I think Chan is coming over too,” Tao added offhandedly. “He and Kris are inseparable these days.”

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun repeated. Why was he sounding like a broken record today?

“Uh huh. They’ve got this bromance thing going on. It’s cute, really. Yixing and I find it amusing.”

“Chanyeol’s going to be there?”

Tao looked at him again, cocking a brow. “That’s what I said. You guys are dating or something, right?”

Baekhyun shook his head irritably. “No. Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

“Well, Luhan said…” Tao shrugged. “So you aren’t, huh? Pity. He’s quite a catch. So cute, tall and handsome. And such a genuinely nice guy. It’s so hard to come across guys like him these days. Anyone would be lucky to have him.”

“Sounds like you’ve thought about it quite a bit,” Baekhyun retorted, unable to squash the jealousy at him.

Tao laughed. “Oh, please. You know that I only have eyes for one person. All I see is Kris. All I want to see is Kris. I have a boyfriend and two best friends, what more could I want? I actually consider myself very lucky. I know that you think our relationship is weird but we’re quite happy with it and so long as we continue to be, I’ll never have eyes for anyone else. But I’m not blind so of course I’ve noticed that Chanyeol is attractive. Luhan was so sure that you two would be a great match. It’s really a pity.”

“So you said.” Frowning, Baekhyun asked, “You’ve hung out with him a few times, right?”

“More than a few. Those two, I tell ya…”

“Has he ever…uh…mentioned me?”

Tao stopped in the middle of sealing his container and turned to Baekhyun, crossing his arms over his chest. “Mentioned you?”

“Yeah, you know. Has he ever said anything about me?” Baekhyun avoided his gaze, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible.

“Let me ask you a question. You two aren’t dating right?”

“No.”

“Are you interested in dating?”

Baekhyun scoffed. “No.”

“Then I can’t answer your question.” Tao turned back to what he was doing, closing the bag of flour and placing it back in the cupboard.

“Tao-ah…” Baekhyun whined.

Tao shook his head emphatically. “No. If you were interested in him and wanted the inside scoop then I would be more than willing to help you out, Baek, because helping you would help him but under no circumstances will I betray Chanyeol’s trust just to your ego. Luhan told me you were being difficult but I thought for sure he had to have been mistaken. Now that I’ve heard it from your own mouth myself, that you’re not interested, I’ll take you at your word. However, anything that Chanyeol says in confidence or simply in your absence is not going to be repeated. At least not by me. But if you really want to know…” Tao flashed a mischievous smile. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

He walked to the door and opened it before turning back to Baekhyun. “You really need to restock your cupboards, Baek. It’s a ghost town in there. I’ll bring you some food later. And cake. Or, if you get tired of sitting in this apartment all by your lonesome, that is, if you grow some balls, don’t be afraid to drop in. Byeeee.”

Baekhyun watched the door close behind him in disgust, wishing he had slammed it for greater satisfaction.

What was wrong with his friends? Why were they all gushing over this guy? They had only known him for a few months and from the few meetings Baekhyun had had with him, he didn’t see the big deal.

“We’ve hung out with him quite a bit. Us and Luhan and Sehun,” he mimicked.

Irritated, he kicked a table leg and howled in pain when it hurt more than he’d expected.

“Dammit,” he swore. Sitting down, he rubbed his foot, his thoughts still on his now sworn nemesis.

Who was this Chanyeol and what kind of spell was he weaving over everyone who came into contact with him? How had he managed to ingratiate himself into Baekhyun’s social circle and make Baekhyun the outsider? Because that was how he felt.

Prior to Chanyeol’s arrival, he had been the odd man out, the only single one amidst the couples, or triples, or whatever XingKrisTao were. But his position in the group was special for that reason too and the others always went out of their way to include him in everything they did together. He was their special, single friend. Now, Chanyeol had taken his place and soon his friends would forget about him entirely. Soon it would become a matter of “Baekhyun who?”

He couldn’t let that happen. Something needed to be done and fast.

 

The days went by and he found himself being caught up in thoughts of Chanyeol.

Angry ones, of course. There was no way he could possibly think of that usurper in a positive light.

He was walking through town one day, the main street littered with shops and cafés that catered to the college crowd, wondering what had become of his life.

His best friend/roommate had unceremoniously dumped him in favor of his boyfriend. Without Luhan around, he’d been forced to realize just how empty his life was. Of course he had other friends, acquaintances in school who he had never gotten to know outside of campus, yet now that he thought about it, Luhan had been the one to introduce him to Kris, Tao and Yixing, the people he was closest to after Luhan, and he had been the glue that had held them all together. Not once could he remember hanging out with TaoKrisXing without Luhan and Sehun being there. Apart from running into each other at the apartment complex, they’d had very little interaction outside of Luhan’s presence.

“Am I really that offensive?” he wondered aloud. “Is my company so unappealing?”

He felt like Luhan had been a buffer in his relationship with his other friends and now that he was gone, they didn’t see the need, or perhaps found it too difficult, to try to approach him on their own. Although, they had sent him food. And cake, which had been delicious.

“Lucky Kris,” he murmured, feeling a stab of jealousy that shocked him considering how much he’d always looked down on that particular relationship.

Thinking about cake made him salivate and he found himself changing course.

What better way to drown one’s sorrows than in the depths of sinfully delicious dark chocolate?, he thought.

As he got closer to his favourite patisserie, his steps became bouncier, his expression brightening.

Mocha cappuccino would go down nicely with that cake, he decided.

As he waited across the street for the light to change, his eyes were already glued to the easily discernible clear glass window of the display case. He could already taste the chocolate in his mouth, making love to his taste buds.

“Geezus, hurry up,” he muttered impatiently.

Someone stepped in front of the display, blocking his view and as he rolled his eyes, mentally cursing, his gaze swung to the left and froze.

Luhan. Smiling. And he wasn’t alone.

Sehun was there, naturally, but so were Yixing and Tao. They were seated in a booth by the window, plates, mugs and glasses littering their table. They were talking animatedly, laughing and touching each other affectionately. It made a very pretty picture of friendship.

Jealousy clawed its way through his stomach like a living thing.

Just then, he noticed another figure at the table. He couldn’t see the person’s face but the sheer height difference and the russet coloured curly hair were enough to give him away.

Chanyeol.

He leaned forward, grinning as he always seemed to be, and held his fist out to Sehun, who bumped it. Then he turned to another unseen person next to him, someone small by the looks of things, smiling sweetly down at them. He could tell that he was smiling because even though he barely saw his side profile, he could see his blindingly white teeth.

Unconsciously, his feet began moving of their own accord, taking him a few feet from his original position at the traffic light to a spot where he could have a better view of the table, or rather Chanyeol’s side of the table.

And the person seated next to him.

He recognized the face immediately.

Do Kyungsoo.

He attended the same university. A friend of Luhan’s more so than his since they shared the same major. He had never paid much attention to the boy because he’d found his constant owlishness disconcerting – seriously, eyes were not meant to be constantly wide and rounded – however Chanyeol did not seem to have the same problem if the gentle look on his face was any indication.

Suddenly, Baekhyun had the feeling that he was being watched. He tore his gaze away from Chanyeol and glanced around but saw no one. As he looked back at the table, however, his eyes clashed with a pair of curious brown ones.

Luhan cocked a questioning brow, an obvious “What are you doing?” written on his face.

Baekhyun blushed but didn’t drop his gaze.

Luhan smiled slightly and jerked his head to the side, extending an unspoken invitation.

It would be so easy, Baekhyun thought, to join them. He missed his friends. He missed Luhan.

His eyes shifted to Chanyeol, who just happened to be feeding Kyungsoo a piece of cake or something like it. For once the boy’s eyes weren’t trying to swallow the world. Instead they were scrunched together in pleasure, whether at what he was eating or the person feeding him, Baekhyun had no way of knowing.

And he didn’t want to know. He didn’t want to sit there and watch it up close. For the first time, he did not want to be the odd man out.

Looking at Luhan, whose knowing eyes had followed his to Chanyeol and back, he simply shook his head.

Luhan frowned, as if he wanted to say something and he shifted as if to move to get up, but when, out of the corner of his eye, Baekhyun saw Chanyeol’s head starting to turn in his direction, he turned quickly and all but ran down the sidewalk.

“You’re an idiot,” he told himself when he finally came to a stop. “A major .”

What was wrong with him? He did not like Chanyeol, absolutely was not the least bit interested, yet here he was running away from him.

“I should’ve just joined them,” he muttered.

Luhan was there, his best friend who he missed, and his most precious dongsaeng Sehun, who he also missed. His friends and neighbours Tao and Yixing, who had been partly taking care of him since Luhan abando…left. And Chanyeol, the guy he’d told everyone that he would never be into. If Chanyeol had moved on, that was a good thing, wasn’t it? It meant that everyone would stop harassing him about the guy and making him feel guilty for not being interested in him.

More confused than ever before, he hailed a taxi and made his way back to the apartment. It was probably a good thing that he hadn’t driven today. He was far too distracted.

As he waited for the elevator, the doors opened and Kris stepped out, almost bumping into him.

They laughed self-consciously, both apologizing before falling into an awkward silence.

“So…How are things?” Baekhyun asked, breaking the silence.

“Good. Can’t complain,” Kris replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I saw the others in town earlier. It didn’t even click that you weren’t there. I guess I was distracted.”

“Oh? Oh, yeah. Tao-ah called to tell me about it but I had some stuff to do so I couldn’t make it. Did you have fun?”

Baekhyun blushed, dropping his eyes to the ground. “I didn’t join them.”

“Oh. Um…okay. You and Luhan still not talking?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “No, we’re fine. Or so he says. Hard to say for sure since he’s practically moved in with Sehun.”

Kris nodded. “I guess so. They’re in love, though, so I guess they can’t help but enjoy being together. Everyone goes through that stage.”

Baekhyun’s blush deepened. “I wouldn’t know.”

Kris swore. “Sorry, Baek. I didn’t mean to…”

“No, it’s okay. I’m glad for all of you. Happy that you’re all happy.”

“Happy,” Kris repeated softly. “Right.”

Though his voice was just below a whisper, Baekhyun heard him and glanced up. “Is everything okay?”

Faint color tinged Kris’s cheeks and Baekhyun realized that it was the first time that he’d ever seen Kris blush.

“I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”

Despite his assurances, Baekhyun continued to look at him closely and he saw lines of strain around Kris’ eyes and mouth.

Clearing his throat, he said, “You know, I may not have a lot of experience, may not be the best at giving advice and I know that we’ve never had a chance to get close, one-on-one, but if you ever want to talk…”

Kris’s blush deepened from obvious embarrassment. “Um…Thanks, Baek, but really, everything’s fine. Thanks, though. Anyway, I’d better get going.”

And with that, he took off as if the hounds from hell were nipping at his heels.

Sighing, Baekhyun stepped into the elevator and keyed in his floor.

There went the first and last time he ever offered to help anyone.

What was the point in trying again when they would undoubtedly say no?

 

Kris walked into the bar and slid onto a stool at the counter.

After hours of walking around, and purposely ignoring calls from Yixing and Tao, he had finally found himself in his favorite drinking hole. He didn’t visit often, and most definitely did not have an alcohol problem, but he liked the atmosphere of the place. It was simple, manly but not oozing testosterone. They served only the basics, beer and hard liquor, none of those fruity drinks some of his friends, and his boyfriends, were fond of drinking.

Seeing the lone bartender busy at the other end, he folded his hands atop the counter and laid his head down for a minute. Despite having done very little during the course of the day, he was exhausted.

“Kris?”

Head snapping up, he looked up and gasped.

“Chanyeol! What are you doing here?”

Grinning, Chanyeol pointed to the shirt he wore, which bore the name of the establishment.

“I had no idea you worked here,” Kris said. “I’ve been here quite a few times and never saw you once.”

“I only recently moved to evenings and nights. I used to work the day shift.”

Kris’ eyes widened. “The bar is open during the day?”

Chanyeol laughed. “You would be surprised how much business we do when the sun’s up. So…what can I get you?”

“Brandy. Two fingers. No ice.”

Chanyeol’s eyebrows disappeared beneath his bangs. “Trying to knock yourself out?”

“Trying,” Kris muttered.

Chanyeol fixed his drink and placed it in front of him. As he watched Kris empty the entire glass in one go, he frowned. “Everything okay?”

Kris sighed. “I wish people would stop asking me that.”

“Who else asked you?” Chanyeol inquired, refilling his glass.

Kris picked it up, took a sip. “Baekhyun. I ran into him at the elevator. Oh yeah, he said he saw you guys this afternoon. Sorry I couldn’t make it. I had some…stuff to do.”

Chanyeol’s frown deepened. “Wait. Baekhyun was there this afternoon?”

Kris thought for a moment. “Well, technically I guess he wasn’t. He said he saw you guys but didn’t join. Strange… I don’t know what is going on with him lately. Ever since Luhan left, he’s just being weird. Well, weird for him. And now Tao and Xing are always sending him food and whatnot because I guess he can’t cook for himself.” Kris paused, glancing up. “You probably know all of this already, right?”

“Why would I?”

Kris frowned. “Aren’t you guys…I don’t know…seeing each other? Or something.”

“No,” Chanyeol said flatly. “It would have come up at some point if we were.”

“Oh, true. I guess I assumed you were. Luhan did try to set you up, right?”

Chanyeol nodded.

“What happened?”

Chanyeol shrugged. “I guess we weren’t meant to be,” he said vaguely.

“Huh.”

“Enough about me,” Chanyeol said, changing the topic. “Let’s talk about you. Why are you here, buddy? Why aren’t you at home?”

Kris shook his head. “I needed some time…space.”

“For what?”

“To think.”

“About…? “ Chanyeol prodded.

“Stuff,” Kris snapped.

Chanyeol raised his palms defenselessly. “Hey, hey, I’m just trying to help. Don’t you know that’s what people go to bars for? They come here to drown their troubles, spout off to the bartenders who are more than willing to listen while they ply them with expensive alcohol.” He finished with a smile.

“Is that so?” Kris asked, lips tilting upward slightly.

“Tell me what’s on your mind,” Chanyeol said seriously. “You’re not going to find the answer you’re looking for at the bottom of this bottle.” He refilled Kris’ glass to make his point.

Kris passed a hand over his face, sighing wearily. “I’m…tired.”

“Of?”

“Everything.”

“You don’t mean…”

Kris nodded, picking up his glass and taking a healthy gulp.

Chanyeol took a moment to process his response before speaking again. “Are you going to end it?”

Kris sighed again. “I should. I really should.”

“Kris, I don’t understand. What brought this on? You all seem so happy. You love them.”

Kris shook his head. “I don’t deserve them.”

“They love you,” Chanyeol insisted.

“I don’t deserve them,” Kris repeated. “If not for me, they could’ve been in stable, healthy relationships by now.”

“Your relationship is stable. And as for healthy…so long as you guys are happy, I don’t see any problems there either. Yixing and Tao are with you because they want to be,” Chanyeol reasoned. “For the same reason that you’re with them. For the same reason that you could never choose one over the other.”

Kris shook his head again. “You don’t know…”

“I think I do. I’ve gotten to know you guys pretty well and from spending time with you, seeing the way that you interact, I’ve come to a few conclusions. You won’t choose one because you love them both and can’t bear to hurt either one. I also think, though you may not want to cop to this because it sounds selfish, that you like having them both. And they won’t leave or force you to choose because they’d rather share you than not have you at all. They love you that much. It takes a lot of effort, I’m sure it does, but you make it work. So don’t ever think that you don’t deserve them. After what they’ve sacrificed to be with you, I don’t think they’d appreciate hearing that at all. They’re respecting your choice, or lack thereof, and you should respect theirs.”

Kris laughed self-deprecatingly. “It sounds so simple when you put it that way.”

“It is simple,” Chanyeol said gently. “It’ll only get complicated if you make it so.”

Kris sighed and drained his glass. “I guess you’re right.”

“Go home, Kris. Go home to your family. You’re a lucky man, far luckier than most, to have two wonderful people that love you waiting for you at home.”

Kris smiled. “I know.” He stood slowly, taking stock of his body to see how exactly the alcohol would take effect. He was a fairly strong drinker so he wasn’t surprised to find himself still feeling steady.

“Thanks, Yeol. Really. I appreciate it.”

He started to reach for his wallet but Chanyeol waved him away.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s on the house.”

“Are you sure?”

Chanyeol nodded. “Say hi to them for me.”

Flashing a parting smile, Kris turned and walked out to hail a taxi.

He hadn’t even stepped a foot through the door when they pounced on him.

“Where have you been?” Yixing asked anxiously, grabbing his coat.

“We were so worried,” Tao spoke up, concern creasing his features. “When you didn’t answer your phone, we thought something might have happened to you.”

Kris looked from one to the other and wondered how on earth he had gotten so lucky.

Smiling, a genuine smile, he said, “Sorry, I lost track of time. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

“You must be hungry. Come.” Tao took his hand and led him to the kitchen. “We made your favourite.”

Later that night, Kris lay in bed staring up at the moonbeams streaking across the ceiling through the bedroom windows.

Tao was curled into his right side, sound asleep, while Yixing dozed on his left, back turned towards him.

Their sleeping patterns suited their personalities, he thought. Tao was just a bit clingy while Yixing was more independent and liked to do his own thing when the mood struck.

Chanyeol’s words played in his head. Despite their differences, they made it work. They talked, regularly, openly and honestly, so he knew without a doubt that they were all there because they wanted to be. They all genuinely cared for one another.

He needed to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop, he realized. He had to stop expecting things to end at some point because if he continued living like that, with that fear in his heart, he would never truly be able to appreciate and enjoy what he had. He didn’t want to look back one day and regret it.

“You’re a lucky man, far luckier than most, to have two wonderful people that love you waiting for you at home.”

Chanyeol was right. He was lucky.

Thinking of his friend, he hoped that luck would find him someday soon as well. He couldn’t think of anyone who deserved it more.

 

A/N: PLEASE remember to eat and take bathroom breaks. The comments about being too caught up in the story to stop are flattering but also make me worry for you guys so for my peace of mind, if not your own benefit, take a break. The next part is even longer than this one.