Step one : Just Take Five

Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun were both trainees at SM Entertainment. They were young and had never experienced romantic feelings before; that is, until their eyes met and both of their hearts skipped a beat.

Baekhyun was the new trainee; it was his first day in the practice room, where he would learn all the dance steps and then have vocal classes afterwards. Although he was a social butterfly in reality, he was shy at first and kept his distance from people, afraid that they would judge him. He knew not everyone would accept his cheerfulness with open arms.

When dance practice was over, Chanyeol made the first move to approach Baekhyun. The latter was drinking his water and resting with his back leaning against the wall at the back of the room, with its wallpaper of clouds against a blue sky.

It is said that the brain needs less than a second to determine whether someone is attractive, but at that time, Baekhyun and Chanyeol were both slow to recognize the significance of that tingling feeling in their feet.

“Hi, I’m Chanyeol.”

It was a short, awkward introduction as Chanyeol offered his hand to Baekhyun in greeting, but the latter was nonetheless stunned by the hospitable gesture. Baekhyun sheepishly smiled when he shook Chanyeol’s hand.

“Baekhyun. Nice to meet you.”

Chanyeol was captivated by Baekhyun’s beauty and velvety voice.

The short introduction spurred on a longer chat in which they got to know each other a little better, and at the end of it, Chanyeol asked Baekhyun if they could go home together. It had only taken one night for them to become close.

And then one day, Chanyeol approached Baekhyun after practice with his hands in his pockets.

“Would you go out with me?” he asked.

“Eh?” Baekhyun looked at him in surprise.

“Take a little time out with me,” Chanyeol repeated.

“Eh…. ?”

Those were all the words Baekhyun could find to say, but Chanyeol showed no signs of leaving until he received a positive response. Baekhyun knew Chanyeol was not playing around; he could tell from the look in his eyes that the other boy was being serious. And Baekhyun, with a blush that began on his cheeks and spread all the way down to his neck, only nodded in reply.

It only took five seconds for Baekhyun to say yes.

 

 

Step Two : Sorry Won’t Be The Hardest Word

It was fortunate that Baekhyun and Chanyeol debuted in the same group, and they shared the same room as well. Even though EXO were making headlines as the next big thing, they were still rookies at the end of the day. They had to work day and night, which robbed them of most of their energy, as well as leaving them little time to rest. Between their constant sleep deprivation and tight schedules, they were often emotionally on edge. Baekhyun was easily triggered to pick fights with Chanyeol, who would often take the bait. The other band member usually gave them their privacy; it was not unusual for them to fight, and they would always need some time to cool off afterwards.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun often fought over trivial things, which naturally made matters worse. They would start a fight in the morning and then head to the office with a straight face, ignoring each other until they went back to the dorm. But as soon as the door to their comfortable dorm was closed, Baekhyun would yell at Chanyeol, who would raise his voice right back at him. Both of them were vocals, and even the elders of the group couldn’t calm them down when they arguing.

And then the others started to look at them with concern, and Luhan would start to worry when Sehun cried over seeing Baekhyun and Chanyeol fighting, and Tao would cling to Kris in fear because Baekhyun wouldn’t calm down. And then Suho and Kris often locked them up in their room (and Tao and Xiumin would keep their distance from the room, only returning when arguments could no longer be heard coming from inside).

Sometimes when they couldn’t make it work, Chanyeol would just walk out and sleep in Kyungsoo’s room, while Jongin took Chanyeol’s place, cheering Baekhyun up with his jokes. Baekhyun would talk about Chanyeol, pouring out his feelings about his boyfriend to the younger, and Jongin, as the good hoobae, would always listen and gave the elder his advice. Jongin’s advice might not always work, but it made Baekhyun crack a smile.

They would talk all night long, disturbing Tao and Xiumin on the other side of the room, who would throw pillows at them so they would keep their voices low, but the two of them wouldn’t care. But then Jongin often fell asleep first, and Baekhyun would stay awake all night. Although he would never cry himself to sleep, he often thought about Chanyeol; about what he was doing in the other room, and he would contemplate how to apologize to the younger in the morning. The endless train of thought made it difficult for him to fall asleep.

Meanwhile, Chanyeol on the other side was quiet when it came to his relationship with Baekhyun. Although Kyungsoo would always willingly listen, Chanyeol would only say something along the lines of ‘Baekhyun was stubborn as usual, and I’m too tired to talk about it’.

“Do you think that the two of you won’t last?” Kyungsoo asked again.

Chanyeol would remain silent, laying back in Jongin’s bed and immediately falling into a deep slumber. That was what he always did when he was in trouble. But then Chanyeol would wake earlier in the morning and check if Baekhyun was awake first. Other than Chanyeol, Kris was the only one who always woke up early in the morning.

The Chinese leader would catch Chanyeol walking back to his shared room with Baekhyun. Kris didn’t say anything when their eyes met, and being a good big brother to the spoilt giant before him (as well as for the group), he would give Chanyeol a supportive nod before leaving to brew some coffee.

Chanyeol saw that Baekhyun was sleeping soundly in his bed, but his forehead was furrowed with the many thoughts he had carried over with him. Chanyeol put his index finger to Baekhyun’s forehead, between the elder’s perfect eyebrows, to ease the frown lines. And as soon as Baekhyun looked like he was sleeping peacefully again, Chanyeol would leave.

But before that, Chanyeol would steal the blanket away from Jongin (it was his blanket after all) and give it to Baekhyun, because it was becoming colder in the morning and he knew Baekhyun couldn’t stand low temperatures.

When they woke up in the morning, disturbed by the rays of light peeking through the slight gap in the curtains, Jongin would be grumpy.

“Baek hyung, why did you take my blanket?”

“I swear I didn’t do it..”

“Whatever.”

Jongin would run his fingers through his hair in frustration; he would be like a grumpy old man when he left the room, his slippers scraping against the tiles.

“This is why I don’t like to swap places with Chanyeol hyung..”

Baekhyun would snicker when he heard Jongin’s grumbling, because he knew who the culprit really was. This was what Baekhyun had always loved about Park Chanyeol; he could be so hard-headed sometimes, but at other times he made things so easy. It was easy for Baekhyun to love the giant because he knew what a sweetheart he could be. The extra blanket in his bed was a sign.

When Baekhyun walked out of the room yawning, dragging his feet lazily to the dining table, Chanyeol would greet him with his sunny smile.

“Good morning, Baekhyun. Want a cup of coffee?”

Baekhyun would smile and nod in reply. And when he slipped into his seat, Chanyeol would pour him his coffee and kiss the top of his head lovingly. Baekhyun would close his eyes contentedly and stop when he thought the others might be watching them (and possibly giggling), but before Chanyeol could leave, Baekhyun would grab his hand, preventing him from leaving, and kiss it.

“I’m sorry, Chanyeol”

“No. I’m sorry, Baekhyun”

“No. I’m sorry”

“I’m the one who should apologise, Baekhyun”

“No, I apologise, Chanyeol.”

“Baekhyun… I’m the one who’s sorry…”

“Could you take your arguments somewhere else?” Kris cut in, breaking up their disagreement.

Everyone saw the Chinese leader’s intimidating expression and it scared them into silence. Kris only ever used it to keep them all in line; after all, the house had rules that needed to be obeyed.

“If you’re done apologising, go take a bath. We’re on a tight schedule, remember..”

The couple made their affirmative responses in a low voice, and then Baekhyun finished his coffee in one gulp and took Chanyeol with him to the bathroom.

“I’ll make it up to you with a backrub.”

“I’ll wash your hair then, since you’re shorter than me.”

“How dare you say that!”

And then Baekhyun kicked Chanyeol in the using his side-kick, and they ended up chasing each other around the house before actually getting in the shower, only to have Tao barge in afterwards demanding Baekhyun rub his back too, using the excuse that the couple had wasted their time playing around in the morning when he needed to bathe as well.

 

 

Step Three : Jealousy Is  A Need

Chanyeol was close to Kyungsoo in the first place; everyone in the group knew it well. Chanyeol always praised Kyungsoo for his vocal talent, his hospitality towards the group (especially when it came to cooking), and his humility – all qualities that Baekhyun thought he possessed as well, perhaps apart from the cooking. It wasn’t that Baekhyun had no will to cook, but if he stayed in the kitchen for too long, he’d eat the contents of the refrigerator. As a result, Lay always shooed him away from the kitchen when he was cooking with Kyungsoo, and Baekhyun would play around with Chanyeol while waiting for dinner.

“I wish I had a boyfriend who could cook like Kyungsoo…” Baekhyun whispered one day while they were watching a cooking show on television. Jongin gave Baekhyun an annoyed look, and Baekhyun shot him a nasty glare in return. Then Chanyeol snatched the remote away from the other side of the couch and changed it to a Mandarin news channel, which distracted Kris’ attention from his book. Baekhyun and Jongin both groaned in defeat, knowing they wouldn’t be able to get rid of the Chinese leader now that he was focused on the television (“Guys, it’s good for your Mandarin ability progress”, Kris said, all in Chinese in which the other barely understood).

The next day, Baekhyun began to feel like Chanyeol was avoiding him. Every time he tried to call Chanyeol, he always saw that the taller boy was laughing together with Kyungsoo. Chanyeol would come to Baekhyun with his usual sunny smile, but when they separated again, he would go and give Kyungsoo more attention.

It triggered a fire in Baekhyun’s heart that Chanyeol was keeping his distance, and he started to feel inwardly jealous.

Every time he saw Chanyeol with Kyungsoo, the two were whispering and then they would burst into laughter together.

Baekhyun pouted and leaned into Jongin’s shoulder.

“Go away, I hate you and your boyfriend.”

“Well, I hate you and that multi-talented boyfriend of yours as well.”

“Not as much as I hate the two of you…”

Jongin squirmed to move Baekhyun’s head from his shoulder, having noticed Chanyeol looking murderously at them both, although it was nothing compared to the glare Kyungsoo was aiming at him.

Baekhyun, however, paid them no attention.

He pouted when he saw Chanyeol becoming closer to Kyungsoo by the day. Chanyeol never forgot to kiss Baekhyun awake every morning, nor did he forget to kiss him goodnight before they went to bed, but Baekhyun still couldn’t help feeling jealous towards the two of them.

Baekhyun scooted closer to Kris whenever the group gathered together, ignoring the fact that Chanyeol was supposed to be the one standing next to the tallest of the group every time. Chanyeol was left behind, with Kyungsoo and Luhan in the corner. Baekhyun would act spoiled around Kris, knowing that the latter would always indulge him. This in turn prompted a frown from the Korean leader, who would now have to share with Baekhyun the time Kris used to devote to him.

Suho never got mad at Baekhyun; he approached Chanyeol instead, and then he too became closer to Chanyeol and Kyungsoo, joining their little group. Jongin and Sehun (along with Tao) were secretly amused that Baekhyun’s efforts to win back Chanyeol’s attention were all in vain (“evil maknaes,” Baekhyun whispered). Throwing tantrums at them was useless since they were always in a happy-go-lucky mood, which was influenced by Chanyeol, the Happy Virus of the group.

Baekhyun later approached Lay about his problem when they were having lunch together with Kris, Chen, and Xiumin. The language barrier was inevitable; Lay could only explain himself in simple phrases, and Baekhyun became frustrated since he couldn’t speak Chinese, but with the help of the others, he eventually understood what Lay was getting at – that he should stay faithful to Chanyeol.

Baekhyun intended to do so, but he still wanted to pay Chanyeol back for what he’d done.

 

Baekhyun liked to be clingy around Kris and Lay, and also Jongin, so he took to hanging around them and ignoring Chanyeol. Chanyeol would only sigh as he watched Baekhyun playing around without him, but he didn’t say anything. Baekhyun smirked as he turned his back to Chanyeol, getting out of the van with his arm linked to Kris’ instead as they headed to the office.

Kris patted Chanyeol on the back when he passed the latter’s seat in the meeting room, seeing Baekhyun taking a seat far away from Chanyeol and enjoying talking with Luhan without even looking in Chanyeol’s direction. The meeting took almost a whole day, but in the latter half, some of the members were allowed to go home and prepare dinner, while the rest of them took care of the remaining schedules.

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were allowed to go home earlier, along with Suho, Tao, Xiumin, and Chen. Chanyeol looked very happy, while Baekhyun threw him a wrathful look; but Chanyeol could only smile mischievously as he waved him good-bye.

 Baekhyun really wanted to brick Chanyeol at that moment.

 

When the rest of the members were finally done with the meeting, they took a car back home. They couldn’t help avoiding Baekhyun. Baekhyun was usually a cheerful person, but now that Chanyeol was out of his sight, he instead began to spread the dark, gloomy aura surrounding him to the others. Baekhyun’s poisonous silence made them feel uncomfortable, and he was sharp-tongued whenever he did speak.

Jongin was the first to burst into the house, searching for Kyungsoo so that he could cuddle with him, while Baekhyun was the last to enter the room.

“I’m home….” Baekhyun said slowly, and headed directly to his room with his head lowered. He didn’t want to eat or talk to anyone until he could be with Chanyeol.

“Welcome home, Baekhyun! I’ve been waiting for you.”

Chanyeol took Baekhyun’s hand, making the elder drop his bag to the ground, and dragged him over to the table. Dinner had been served and the table was very nicely set.

“You like it? It took me hours to cook this. With Kyungsoo’s help, of course.”

Baekhyun blinked as he looked back at Chanyeol. Chanyeol’s eyes were sparkling with happiness, as though he was proud to be serving such a nice dinner to his boyfriend, and Baekhyun didn’t have the heart to deny him a sincere smile in return.

“Come on, have a seat.”

“Wait, I have to wash my hands first.”

Chanyeol nodded as Baekhyun went to the sink to wash his hands and rinse his mouth out with a glass of water. The sink was clean, courtesy of Chanyeol, who was a cleaning freak… but he could see the cooking utensils were still wet after being washed, signaling that Chanyeol was in the kitchen earlier. Baekhyun felt touched that Chanyeol had done his best only for him, and he couldn’t help but smile when he turned around and was greeted with a kiss on his forehead by the taller boy.

Chanyeol wasted no time in dragging Baekhyun back to the table, whining that he was hungry already since he’d been waiting for Baekhyun to have dinner. He pulled out Baekhyun’s seat for him in a very chivalrous manner, making Baekhyun blush as he sat down and admired the food on the table.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Kyungsoo served them in the living room… this is our private room now. Don’t worry about them. Here, try this bulgogi, since I made it myself.”

Chanyeol chirped happily as he filled Baekhyun’s plate with the meat. Baekhyun took his chopstick and took his first bite, immediately closing his mouth. Chanyeol started to panic, pleading for Baekhyun to tell him what was wrong. Baekhyun only shook his head and waved his hand dramatically as he tried to swallow the mouthful.

“It’s delicious, Chanyeol. It’s very good. How are you able to cook so well?”

Chanyeol’s jaw dropped. “Is it?”

Baekhyun nodded vigorously and then took another mouthful. Chanyeol chuckled as he watched Baekhyun happily digging in to his cooking.

“Well, now you’re happy to have a boyfriend who can cook, aren’t you? I’ve been getting Kyungsoo to teach me. I hope you like it.”

“You have…?”

“Yes, this whole time I’ve been trying to learn to cook so you wouldn’t have to always wait for the others to do it,” Chanyeol grinned.

Baekhyun burst into a fit of laughter.

“Why would you do that? I wasn’t being serious..”

“Weren’t you?” Chanyeol’s eyes widened to twice their usual size in surprise.

“No.”

Baekhyun leaned closer to Chanyeol, who happily took the elder into his arms.

“I’m being serious. Thank you, Chanyeol-ah.”

Baekhyun kissed Chanyeol on the cheek, but then they heard a whistle, making them jolt back to their own seats in panic. They heard a snickering sound from the back of the counter signaling that they were being watched all along. Both of them blushed and chuckled when they heard Kyungsoo’s angry tone from the living room.

“Jongin! Sehun! Get back here! I knew it was a mistake asking you two to do the dishes!”

 

 

Step Four : Celebrating the Anniversary

Chanyeol was not considered a romantic person; he barely remembered Baekhyun’s birthday, let alone did he remember to present Baekhyun a gift when their group won yet another award each week. Baekhyun wished Chanyeol would pay him more attention.

Chanyeol eventually did give Baekhyun a gift of a diary, of all things.

“Don’t you think a diary is too mainstream?”

“Why? I want you to write about the things we do together.”

Baekhyun’s jaw dropped. “You think I’d actually do that? That is way too girly for me..”

“Well… you kinda fit the role of the girl in our relationship..”

Blunt and straightforward - that was Park Chanyeol in a nutshell, and Baekhyun knew it all too well. Not that it stopped him from throwing the thick book in Chanyeol’s direction.

Nevertheless, Baekhyun kept the diary in his drawer. He filled the diary not only with his daily interactions with Chanyeol, but also with a record of Chanyeol’s endless embarrassing moments (the other members would go to him asking how to prank Chanyeol with Baekhyun’s writing) and he also kept a record of Jongin’s debt to him, which only seemed to increase exponentially by the day.

Baekhyun wouldn’t forget, and as a result Jongin would do his best to pay the elder back, knowing how scrupulous Baekhyun was with his finances.                                    

“Baek hyung, here’s a coupon,” Jongin said one day.

“Chanyeol-ah, let’s go shopping!”

And Chanyeol would thank Jongin for letting him have more quality time together with Baekhyun (“Baekhyun, keep the debt; who knows, Jongin might give you more shopping coupons!”)

And then afterwards Baekhyun would whack Chanyeol on the arm.

“You remembered that I lent Jongin money, but you’re always forgetting our anniversary!”

Jongin shrugged and left instead, seeing that the couple had started arguing again.

 

“What’s with that gloomy look, aren’t you happy you had a good time with Baekhyun today?” Kris asked, not shifting his eyes from the book he was reading.

Chanyeol nearly pulled out his hair in frustration.

“Baekhyun’s always going on about something and now it’s about our anniversary…. I read in his diary that he was disappointed in me for not paying it more attention.”

“You peeked into his diary…?”

“Well, it’s not like no one else is reading it…”

“I haven’t..”

“You’re the exception then.”

“Junmyeon hasn’t either.”

“Anyone else?” Chanyeol asked in a rather disinterested tone.

“Listen, I respect Baekhyun’s privacy, and so does Junmyeon. The other’s are probably just sneaking a peek without Baekhyun’s permission but I doubt they’re reading entire passages from it. Chanyeol, you have to start getting to know Baekhyun a little better. When he’s like an open book for anyone to read, why are you the only one who can’t read him?”

“What else can I do when I already give him everything? I cook for him, I give him massages when he’s tired, I do his laundry…”

“Don’t make out that Baekhyun doesn’t do anything for you. He does all the rest of the jobs you refuse to do, like cleaning your wardrobe, for instance…”

Chanyeol groaned in defeat. “Ok, I admit it. My wardrobe is neat because of him…”

“Chanyeol… Baekhyun doesn’t necessarily expect anything extraordinary from you, but a little bit of extra attention would work wonders..”

“How would you know that, Kris hyung?”

Kris chose not to answer; he simply rolled his eyes deceivingly and went back to reading. Chanyeol tried to wheedle it out if him, but Kris refused to spill the beans.

 

Baekhyun was reading a sci-fi novel that night when Chanyeol entered the room. The elder boy didn’t bother to look up to see who was standing in his doorway until Chanyeol spoke to him.

“Baekhyun, go to the window and open the curtains.”

“Why? You want me to jump out of the window?”

Baekhyun retorted, but nevertheless he did what Chanyeol asked him to. He put his book down on the nightstand and saw that Chanyeol was suspiciously hiding something behind his back. Baekhyun shrugged and let it slide; even if Chanyeol had the intent to kill him, he’d have probably been ready to die for him anyway. But as Baekhyun approached the window, he couldn’t help wondering if he really was starting to think as though he were the girl in their relationship.

Damn that diary ….

Once the curtains were opened, Chanyeol closed the door and switched off the light. The lights coming from outside enabled them to see as Baekhyun turned around and watched Chanyeol approaching him with a cupcake in his hand and a single lit candle.

“Happy second anniversary, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun was taken aback, but he cracked a smile.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“It’s been two years now, and we’re still together despite our fights. It’s like a roller coaster, making me fall deeper and deeper for you.”

Chanyeol confessed his feelings; all the things that Baekhyun hardly ever heard coming out of his mouth.

“Why only one candle when we’ve been together two years?” Baekhyun asked bluntly.

“Ah, well… I could only really fit one candle on there…”

Chanyeol looked a little embarrassed as he scratched his head, and his cute expression made Baekhyun chuckle.

“But it means that we’ll always be one, with no one to separate us. You’re the light, while I’m the fire.”

Baekhyun laughed as Chanyeol posed in imitation of an action he had performed in the Mama MV. He gestured for the taller boy to come closer, and Chanyeol did so. They stood face to face, with that lone candle as the only source of light, and it only made the setting rather serene and romantic.

“Let’s blow it out together, okay?” Baekhyun whispered.

Chanyeol nodded. They counted to three and blew out the candle. Now there was no light at all apart from the lights outside, but they didn’t care. They simply looked at each other and smiled, feeling grateful that they’d had each other over the past few grueling years.

Chanyeol was still holding the cupcake when Baekhyun gently removed the candle and put it on the windowsill. Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun softly grazed his skin with his finger, making him shudder, until the elder’s hand made its way towards the chocolate cupcake, tasting it with a of his beautiful finger. Baekhyun clicked his tongue in joy after he tasted the sweetness of the cake, and Chanyeol looked at him curiously. Baekhyun chuckled and began to hand-feed some of the cake to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol took the morsel of cake in Baekhyun’s hand and his finger clean. It sent a shiver down Baekhyun’s spine when he saw Chanyeol run his tongue over his finger, giving him y thoughts about Chanyeol and his sinful tongue. Baekhyun shook his head in denial.

“You’re being naughty,” Baekhyun whispered.

Chanyeol took Baekhyun’s finger out of his mouth and chuckled softly. “I can be naughty, sometimes..”

And then Chanyeol captured Baekhyun’s lips in a chaste kiss, their noses rubbing together as their lips grazed each other gently, after which the kiss became much more passionate.

 

 

That night, when everyone was asleep, Baekhyun and Chanyeol were still in the latter’s bed, sharing the blanket and relaxing with their backs against the headboard, watching the moon hanging in the night sky through the window. They wore couple pyjamas, which Baekhyun had bought for them earlier at the mall, and Chanyeol’s were a little too small for his body. He looked like a giant wearing baby clothes, but he still wore them because he wanted to show appreciation for Baekhyun’s gift.

“Anyway Chanyeol, what made you remember our anniversary this time..?”

“It’s quite simple; I read your diary.”

“How dare you…!?”

And Baekhyun pinched Chanyeol on the arm way too hard, making Chanyeol’s painful scream echo through the night, earning a pillow smack from the sleepy Tao who shared room with the two of them.

 

 

Step Five : Five Steps Are Enough

It only took five steps from Chanyeol’s bed to Baekhyun’s.

Chanyeol often woke up in the middle of the night, hearing Baekhyun whimpering from across the room. Baekhyun was shivering from the cold, as he usually did. Chanyeol would get up and make his way to Baekhyun’s bed in five steps (or two big leaps), holding the smaller boy while he slept.

Even in his barely conscious state, Baekhyun would always recognize the warmth radiating from Chanyeol holding him in his sleep. The warm breath ghosting on his neck, and his gentle humming would soothe Baekhyun, sending him off to a peaceful sleep.

Baekhyun would put his hand over Chanyeol’s, wrapping up his thin body, caressing him with circular motions of his thumbs that grew weaker by the second; a faint whisper of ‘goodnight’ in his ear and a gentle kiss on the nape of his neck soon sent him into a deep slumber.

And when Baekhyun woke up in the morning with Chanyeol’s face close to his, the other boy still holding him as he slept, he thought he already had the best thing in life; to have Chanyeol by his side, sharing everything with him.

Baekhyun couldn’t ask for anything more.

Chanyeol made his life complete, and he was sure Chanyeol would feel the same about him. All he could ask for would be to spend many more years with Chanyeol  - to be together for the rest of their lives.

Baekhyun kissed Chanyeol on the cheek in greeting, which made the taller squirm a little as he opened his eyes.

“Good morning, Chanyeol…”

Baekhyun smiled tenderly while planting a kiss on the taller’s plump lips. Chanyeol gladly returned the favour, making them both feel alive.

“Ready for the first day of our third year?” Chanyeol asked innocently when they broke the kiss. Baekhyun nodded slowly.

“I’m ready to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“So am I.”

And they shared one more kiss to seal their promise.

 

Because their love still goes on.