TWO MONTHS FORWARD

It's almost the middle of winter; Christmas is lingering just within sight, although there's another week and a half to go, and the closer that daunting date gets the more pitiful Baekhyun feels. The holiday seasons are their busiest, sadly. Starting the week of Christmas and running all through January and February the company goes into full performance mode, and most of those dates they'll be out of town, out of state, and for a small stint they'll be gone halfway across the country. That's days and weekends, and at least one full week when Baekhyun will be on the road sharing a bed with Tao, and they'll be sharing a room with Minseok and Luhan. Neither Baekhyun nor Tao are looking forward to it exactly, and Baekhyun's willing to bet the other two aren't either. It'll be one hell of an awkward trip, and the season starts in two days. They take off on the first round on Sunday.

Baekhyun slumps to the side of the dance room chugging water like he's dying for it, just like everyone else he's been dancing with all day. It's now suddenly so vital that rehearsals go without a fault that every instructor, choreographer, assistant instructor and even Mrs. Kim herself has been attending, or at least wandering around full-time. 

Luhan looks a little like he's dying too. He doesn't even bother with sitting against the mirror but straight out flops onto the floor like a snow angel, which is probably how Minseok sees him - a melting snow angel at least. The elder of the two fans the weaker with his hand, Luhan whines that it's not enough circulation, and Minseok pulls out a random flyer from his bag to fan harder.

Tao observes them with a sly, disgusted smirk.

“Who's watching your cat when we leave?” Baekhyun asks them a minute later. About a month ago Luhan moved in and the two promptly rescued a cat to complete their impromptu little family.

“Suho,” Luhan wheezes between breaths.

“Oh,” Baekhyun comments softly, and then looks around. Suho, after trying to rehabilitate had been trying to work himself into a few of his older routines, but the strength and stamina he'd lost were his downfall. Essentially kicked out of all holiday routines, he remains still on the sidelines, watching the dancers rehearse with a serious stink face. All progress Baekhyun had made with him on a personal level too was almost destroyed by the return of a perpetually grumpy Suho, destined to remain on hiatus until the company returns and he can try again.

“You did actually confirm with him, right?” Minseok suddenly asks Luhan.

“Yes, of course. Why? Are you doubting me?”

Minseok mumbles something unintelligible, lips pursed and eyes suspiciously rolling just a hair's breadth. 

Luhan blinks a few times, and then instantly fumes. “Minseok, babe! Look, just because I forgot to pay the water bill that one time doesn't mean I'm always going to forget everything else!” 

“I was just asking,” Minseok retreats airily, innocently. He goes on with his fanning, probably because Luhan needs it even more now.

“It was one time! And I'd only been there a week. I've never been in charge of bills before!”

Baekhyun can't decide if Luhan's just whining now to be petulant or whining because he knows Minseok thinks his pout face is cute. Knowing Luhan though it's a little of both. Baekhyun and Tao both happen to make eye contact through the mirror and smirk at each other. The display between these two has been nearly unbearable in the months they've been together. It's kind of like Baekhyun and Kai, but they don't technically work together and so not everybody has to witness their insufferable togetherness all the time. 

“Travelling's going to be such a nightmare,” Tao commiserates in advance.

“Tell me about it,” Baekhyun replies.

As they stand up, their break now over with, Minseok asks Tao, “What about your cat then?”

Tao looks over at Baekhyun and Baekhyun shrugs and says, “Kai's gonna check on her at least every day.”

He texts his boyfriend later that night when they're nearing home.

Baekhyun: Hey want to come over tonight? Just got off and I'm dead but I would probably find some hidden energy for you ^_~`

There's no immediate reply, although Tao's phone receives a message shortly thereafter. He reads it, snorts, and then shoves it down into his pocket as he and Baekhyun walk. 

“Sehun's on his way over if that's alright,” he says.

“Ahh, sure. Kai probably will come too so... that... yeah, that's cool.” It's a strange universe when the four of them can all manage to hang out and everybody acts like this is cool, but something about the dynamic is off. Sehun and Tao continue to be just-friends, even though Baekhyun is rooting for them. Kai refuses to make a play to aid them in either direction although he does find it amusing. 

Baekhyun is saved the trouble of doing another night though.

Kai: Can't. Dress rehearsal tonight and I probably won't be done until super later. Sorry.

“Oh, right. Damn.” Now Baekhyun remembers. Kai has only mentioned it like about ten times in the past two weeks and here Baekhyun goes forgetting again. He must be getting too old if he can't manage to dance all day every day and still remember to keep tabs on what his boyfriend is doing. 

“What's that?” Tao asks him.

“Oh, nothing. Kai's not coming though and I forgot. Hey what are we going to eat? Want me pick up something and meet you back there?”

“I'll never say no to someone else arranging dinner.” Tao laughs. “Hey, I guess you're going to his thing tomorrow night then?” he asks.

“Yes.” Baekhyun may forget a lot of things - like tonight - but he doesn't forget everything all the time. Baekhyun shivers uncomfortably when he realizes he's starting to think like Luhan. “Wanna come?”

“Yeah, I do. Just asking if I could tag along with you.”

“That's fine. Okay, meet you at home. I'm detouring here to get Thai food. Last chance to pick someplace else! Going going gone. Thai food it is!” Baekhyun yells.

Tao only half-heartedly tries to contradict him. “Aww, and I wanted--”

“Nope. The majority has already spoken. See you in a few!” Baekhyun smiles proudly and disappears around the corner. 

Twenty minutes later Baekhyun returns to his apartment swinging two bags of take-out to find a strange scene happening right outside his door: a tall, looming and somewhat scared looking man with blond hair paused with his hand up ready to knock, but he can't quite find the courage to actually knock.

“Kris?” Baekhyun says with some suspicion.

The blond drops his hand and cranes his head, frightened. A sound comes out of his mouth, but it's not intelligible.

“What are you doing here?” Baekhyun asks. He steps forward, inevitably making Kris take a few steps back so that Baekhyun can open the door himself. 

Kris gulps loudly. “T-Tao,” he whispers. “I came to see... ehh... or... apologize... to Tao...” 

Baekhyun smirks. Kris doesn't look at all confident, and he grows even less so at Baekhyun's face, but he steels himself as the door opens. Baekhyun doesn't know what Kris expects to do, but to his own personal glee he hears two voices coming from inside which means Sehun is already over. “Good luck,” he tells the outsider. “Guess you can come in and say it yourself.” 

The invitation is without a drop of kindness, but Tao sees him already and Kris can't back down now. 

The room goes silent as he enters, although Baekhyun goes on like nothing is happening. He sets the food on the counter and tries not to look interested in how Tao is taking this whole thing. Sehun stands off to the side, his mouth hanging open a little like he wants to ask, but doesn't know how to.

“Kris? What are you doing here?” Tao asks. He's more curious than anything else, Baekhyun notes.

“Uhmm.”  With Baekhyun plus an extra guest, Kris looks doubly uncomfortable. “I came.... apology...” he mumbles.

“What's that?” Tao makes him repeat himself.

“Came to apologize...” says Kris with just slightly more meaningful purpose. 

Tao inclines his head. “Wow, okay. But it’s been a while.”

“I know…” Kris looks miserable. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for being late, or sorry in general?”

In a small, hesitant voice Kris says, “Both?”

Tao blinks once, twice. Then, “Okay.”

Kris blinks too. “Okay, what?”

“You came to apologize. Okay, I accept that. Anything else? I'm about to eat.” He nudges his head in the direction of the food bags where Baekhyun stands and Sehun looks on awkwardly. Tao goes on. ”You're not about to say something else stupid though, are you? Like you apologize and want another chance, right?”

Another strange noise emanates from Kris' mouth. 

“Right? Because, that answer isn't okay. It's a no.”

Baekhyun does a mental fist pump, and he imagines he also sees Sehun doing it too. At least Sehun looks pleased that Tao isn't backing down. 

“I... wasn't... wasn't...” Kris almost answers, and then catches himself so he's not caught saying a lie. “Anyways, I just wanted to say that. And I'm sorry. I'll go now. Uhm, Merry Christmas?”

“Bye,” says Tao with finality, a little cheerfully. “Merry Christmas.” He smiles.

Kris doesn't speak again. He heads for the door and disappears behind it, and as it shuts Baekhyun whistles long and low and then starts pulling apart bags noisily as he reveals all the food. Tao strides over to them and catches Sehun staring.

“What?” he asks.

Sehun shrugs. “Nothing. That was... that was interesting, is all. That the ex?”

“Not even,” says Tao.

“Oh good. Well, because I wasn't sure what to do. I mean like, you looked pretty capable of handling it, but I wasn't sure if I should step in and pretend to be the new boyfriend or something, and so I just… didn’t.” Sehun grabs a box of food, utensils to eat it with and sits down at the table. 

Tao joins him and nonchalantly sniffs at his meal. “I wouldn't have minded if you did.”

Behind them, Baekhyun gleefully rejoices and reaches for his phone.

Baekhyun: It is so going to happen one day I swear to God. Tao and Sehun I promise you it's gonna happen.

Kai: If you say so

Baekhyun: Oh I do say so.

Baekhyun: Btw why are you there when Sehun is here?

Kai: His rehearsals were yesterday. They split them up into two nights. It's everybody tomorrow though. You're going to be there right? 

Baekhyun: of course. I'm treating you to dinner afterwards too remember. Better look forward to a hot meal. ;)

Kai: As long as it's Italian. I haven't had Italian in years.

Baekhyun: Sounds good

Baekhyun: Wait but I'm not Italian... 

Kai: Too bad for you ;)

The backstage area is cold, colder than Kai remembers. Maybe because the air is on full blast for the benefit of the dancers, but Kai is standing around being relatively still. A flock of students rush past him in haste, a whole string of little girls in purple, flowery tutus, several harassed looking stage moms and a teacher issuing commands in a whisper that nevertheless carries weight over the entire group. Across the stage on the opposite side Kai thinks he can see Sehun standing bored with his own class and, unfortunately, several others that aren't even his to begin with. He's drawn the card for crowd control until the finale is over, and Kai can't think of a worse person for the job than Sehun. The mob of dancers all under the age of ten swirling around him and chatting aimlessly proves it. Kai can hear them even from where he stands. 

“Curtain up in five... four... three...” says a man in the corner wearing a head-set. 

Kai looks up as a stream of light pours in from the door to the back hallway and dressing rooms, and he breathes a sigh of relief as he sees his class making their way backstage under the careful tutelage of another couple moms. The one nearest to him gives him a sigh and a shrug, and she mouths something that looks like 'wardrobe malfunction sorry we're late'. Fourteen little girls in cat costumes file in line next to him, their pink dresses acting as a buffer between them, and more than one girl carries her tail in her hands, flicking her neighbor. One brave little boy with a black tail stands more silent than the rest. Normally a ham but a very charismatic kid, Kai might almost say he's cowed by the performing atmosphere. Except the way he takes in every detail of his surroundings in rapt attention reminds Kai of something not unlike his own sense of awe when he was that age. 

The finale music kicks on just as the curtain opens, and the first swarm of dancers pours onto the stage. Kai gathers his class close. He's only had them for two months but even he's impressed how well they adjusted to getting a new teacher halfway into the year. 

“Alright, guys,” he says. Almost fifteen heads turn to look at him, although a few are still off in la-la land, and a few more are rubbing at their make-up with their hands. It's really too much to expect ten-year olds to look completely flawless after a three-hour long performance with so much downtime in between.

Kai inhales steadily and tries to look friendly. “Alright! You've already performed your dance, and the hard work is done. Last number now, and all you have to do is go out there and smile and wave and remember the ending part and then you can be done, okay? Now smile big - and yes, Choa, yes Way, when this is all over you can go back and take off your make-up, I'm sure of it. Promise. Okay? Now, go get 'em! Break a leg!”

One of his girls near the end of the line pauses on her way by and tugs on his hand. “Mr. Kim? We don't really have to break a leg, do we?”

“No no,” Kai laughs. “You don't actually have to do that. In fact, I wouldn't advise it. So... don't... break a leg. Okay?” It's too hard to get his tongue around the phrase, but he does it anyway.  

The boy, Dongwoo, who is last in line, smirks when he walks by. “Girls,” he complains. “They just don't get it.” 

Kai resists the urge to pat him on the head for good behavior; he settles for smiling blandly instead. That kid will go far, he hopes.

The rest of the finale is out of Kai's hands from then on. Line after line of dancers from teenagers to toddlers pour across the stage in succession, each backing up when a new group comes out until there are literally a hundred of them under the bright lights and the music finally ends. The audience claps and everyone bows again and again, and finally it is over and most everyone sits down on the stage. 

It's awards time.  The lights equalize over stage and audience, and the music dims. Kai's mother's friend Boa who manages this particular studio steps out on stage with a mike. Kai hears her start to speak without actually hearing her words. Too many recitals and performances he's had in theaters like this, and never before has it ended with him still in the wings. He wishes Baekhyun was backstage with him instead of sitting in the audience like a dutiful partner watching not Kai perform, but just his students. 

Sehun startles him, all of a sudden appearing at his side. “Heyyy, what's up?”

“Nothing,” says Kai, a little winded.

“Nothing? Hey, you okay?” Sehun squints at him worried.

“Yeah, fine. Just tired.”

“Tired tired, or tired from being on your feet all day?”

Kai sighs. “A little of both probably.”

A nearby mom hushes them for talking too loudly. Kai and Sehun both back up a few feet further into the wings to continue talking.

“I'd suggest we high-tail it out of here like good rebels,” Sehun whispers and Kai laughs.

“Sneak out the side and up to the catwalk?” Kai reminisces.

“Watch the show from the rafters and hope nobody actually bothers to look up.” Sehun sighs fondly at the memories. “Man there was that one time I was positive your mom looked up and saw us—”

“— She did.”

“— but she didn't notice – wait, what? She did see us?” Sehun looks flabbergasted to learn his childhood memories are wrong.

“Of course she did!” Kai clarifies. “How could she notice us? We weren't actually discreet up there.”

“We were thirty feet higher than the stage!”

“And giggling. Loudly. I got such an earful for that. Promised never to do it again, blah blah blah, and then got yelled at the very next time. You were lucky you weren't her son because she never dared to actually scold you herself. I don't know why, but mom always thought I was the ringleader of the two. She never realized what a rotten kid you were; otherwise maybe she wouldn't still be employing you.”

Sehun looks scandalized now. “Ringleader? Troublemaker? Me? No way. It was all you,” he says, though neither believes him. “Shame we can't do it now, for old times' sake.”

“What, sneak up on the catwalk?” Kai asks.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, shame,” Kai agrees. He reaches with his arms above his head and bends over to give his poor beleaguered legs a stretch and then yawns loudly as he rights himself.

“Responsibility ,” says Sehun. “Why do they make us go out there and pass out the attendance awards?”

“I don't know? Maybe so you aren't forcing the three-year olds to walk up to a stranger and put out their hands for a flimsy piece of paper that says 'Congratulations! Your mommy and daddy brought you to every class this year!'“ 

Another of the stage moms cranes her head around to give them a stare down. Both flinch and shut up. 

“We really are bad at this,” Sehun whispers a minute later.

“Bad at what?”

“Being adults. What else?”

Kai snorts and continues to whisper. “Speak for yourself. I'm doing just fine.”

“Yeah, right. Oh well. At least we have the holidays off. That's a couple weeks of no school and no dance classes, and I can go back to being a bum for a short while until next semester starts, and then we do this whole thing all over again, day in day out.” He sighs wistfully, and then panics because he's lost track of time and the first line of little ones are standing up to receive their certificates from their teachers.

“Just one more semester for me,” Kai clarifies.

“Huh? Oh, that's right. Are you sure then?”

“Pretty sure. Just gonna finish this semester and then I'm handing my class over to Ms. Jung again,” Kai says quietly.

Sehun sighs glumly. “Oh well. If it's too much, it's too much. Hey maybe that means you can stop popping those muscle relaxers like candy,” he says with a little attempt at humor. 

“What? I don't— it's not that often,” Kai protests.

Sehun laughs, quietly because they're starting to draw attention again, and in any case it's almost time to step forward and go on stage with their kids. 

“Hey, you've told Baekhyun already, right?”

“Yeah, couple days ago. Why?”

“Just curious what he said,” says Sehun.

Kai doesn't remember Baekhyun's words so much as he remembers what they did after that not-entirely-sad conversation. Recently they'd been doing a lot of things that didn't require words. Or lights. Or clothes, for that matter. 

“He understands. He says he's happy I tried,” Kai summarizes it briefly.

Sehun hums, but there's no more time for chatting. 

Kai has to step up first. He takes the stack of certificates and awards from the assigned pile and waits patiently for the teacher before him to finish. He walks slightly on stage. It's disconcerting that he can see faces in the audience when typically they're just a sea of gray, washed-out features. He looks for Baekhyun instinctively, although it's definitely no easy task. Lights there may be, but it's still a packed auditorium of dancers’ family members, parents, and a whole lot of fidgety siblings. 

He can't find Baekhyun, or Tao, although he knows based on earlier texts that his boyfriend is out there somewhere. 

Baekhyun: Omg kitty cats how can you handle teaching that much cuteness every week?!

Baekhyun: Sehun's class can't even compare. Not as cute definitely not

Baekhyun: Stick your leg out the wings and I'll consider that your solo ok?

Baekhyun: Still waiting for y legs

Baekhyun: You

Baekhyun: Love you <33333  

The teacher ahead of him finishes with her class and it's Kai's turn now. He walks up to the podium, nervous suddenly when he realizes how bright are the lights that shine down on him in this particular spot. They're way brighter than when he stood on the edge of the stage, and a million times whiter than from where he's been standing all evening, in the shadows. 

Suddenly, he does see Baekhyun, barely. His boyfriend is waving and smiling from somewhere a quarter of the way back, Tao sitting beside him. He realizes with a jolt that this is the first time Baekhyun has seen him on stage since they were younger, not since the days they competed against one another, knowing each other's names but not really knowing each other. Baekhyun's never seen him dance, really dance, in all the time they've been together. 

And he won't. Not ever, probably. Not anymore.

That thought gets stuck like a sore spot on the back of his throat, something he can't swallow and he can't dislodge. Were the stage lights always this bright? It seems unreasonable that Kai can't remember anymore. It's been too long. He shuffles his way to the podium and sets down the stack of certificates, smiling vaguely at the audience before turning around partially to locate his students. He clears his throat, but he fears he may come out sounding hoarse. 

How much time has gone by, he can't tell. All he knows is that he can't keep standing here, but he also wants to be able to use his voice and he's not entirely sure he's still got it.

So many of the dancers fidget about on the stage, particularly the little ones. They're tired and hungry and most definitely distracted by the hoards of people now looking back at them. Some of them have started waving. Others actually try to shout cute greetings to their parents in tiny, high-pitched voices. A few adults attempt to shush them, but it only works a little.

The lights flicker, or perhaps it's his imagination. He clears his throat once more. “Good evening,” he says, bending forward a little to speak into the mike. His voice isn't as shaky as he thought it might be. 

Before he can speak more, however, the lights definitely flicker again. The stage crew has decided it's wiser to dim the audience just a tiny bit, not completely, but Kai can no longer see Baekhyun when he looks again. And he needs to see him; needs that support. He needs to know there's somebody out there with eyes only for him. Just not looking at him, observing him, but knowing him. 

Kai grits his teeth. It's unfair that he can't see him anymore. By comparison, there's a very large stage light focused on him now, blocking out his view of everyone else. He doesn’t need this kind of spotlight. Doesn’t want it. He doesn't need all eyes on him. He just wants two. 

This isn’t exactly how he planned his life, but there are still plenty of things he can do, wants to do even if this wasn’t the particular goal. Well, he did kind of plan on getting Baekhyun. Everybody has a fantasy they carry that they don’t entirely expect to come true. Who knew it would be possible to get Baekhyun like he did? Deep down he never imagined life turning out like this. This is enough.

“Good evening,” he says again, turning his brain around and finally focusing on the task at hand. “I want to thank all the dancers for their performance tonight, and their parents for making this happen. Especially for those in my classes who got me in the middle of the semester. They've done so well, and I thank you for the opportunity of getting to teach them. First up are our perfect attendance awards...”

The restaurant Baekhyun drags them to is a fairly big, sprawling spot with tables and booths all over the place. He tried only reserving a table for two, but several days before their mutual friends shot down Kai and Baekhyun’s plan.

It'll be one of the last nights of the year that everyone can hang out before those in the company start their grueling travel schedule. Baekhyun, Tao, Minseok, Luhan, and Yixing are all soon to disappear, and the others will remain. Kai and Sehun are pretty resigned to the event, although Suho hasn't gotten over his failed recovery. He taunts Yixing through their entire wait time with threats of stealing back his role come next spring, and judging by his look of formidable intensity, Baekhyun is fairly certain he'll do that, or die trying.

“Hey, where's Kyungsoo?” Kai asks when most everyone slides in and around the large circular booth. 

Luhan grabs a stack of menus and starts shoving them around, grumpy because Minseok wouldn't agree to sit in his lap. 

“He ditched us,” Sehun answers after a moment. “He's on a date. Can you believe it? A date. With a girl. And here I always halfway suspected he was gay.” 

“Kyungsoo was gay?” Baekhyun says, astounded. “Who for? You?” he jokes to Sehun.

Sehun scoffs. “Me? No way. Actually I always thought-” his voice trails off. “Oh well, never mind.” 

“I'm hungry!” Luhan interrupts randomly.

Minseok tries to shush him. Suho scowls at the outburst, but Tao only quietly agrees with him. “Family platter? Share? Anyone?”

“I will,” says Sehun, raising a hand.

“Oh good, well since there are eight of us, we can get four large meals and split them, couple-style!” Baekhyun declares happily. He winds an arm firmly around Kai's lower back and rubs circles through his shirt with the tips of his fingers. 

“Who said anything about couple-style?” Suho complains while avoiding direct eye contact with Yixing. Nobody even deigns to notice his statement. Suho might still think he and Yixing were keeping up the farce of not dating, but nobody else did.

“Don’t you think that’s going to be too much food?” Minseok suggests.

“Nope! I’m ravenous!” Luhan cries. He spreads the menu open before him and Minseok and scoots closer so they can both see it, shoulders touching and cheeks nearly flat against the other's.

Baekhyun laughs. “Yeah? But for what?” He winks at the two of them and Minseok glares back just a tiny bit.

“Do they have pizza? Isn’t pizza Italian?” Yixing asks. Everyone leaves that explanation for Suho, although Yixing rejoices when he does find it on the menu. Suho is then left with persuading him to get something else.

It takes too long for the food to come out, but in the meantime Baekhyun is entirely cozy. He messes with Kai’s hair without hindrance until half of it is sticking up on one side, and Kai can’t shake it out enough to make it settle back down. Once through that though, Baekhyun goes to work on the sleeve of his sweater shirt. He sneaks a hand all the way inside along the inner part Kai’s arm.

Kai hisses at his cold fingers. “What are you doing?” He squirms.

“Warming my hands!” Baekhyun cries innocently. “I’m cold.”

“You have your own sleeves.”

“But like I said, I’m cold. And you’re hot.”

“Not even going to react to that statement.” Kai shakes his head.

“You know what?” Baekhyun whispers to him a few minutes later.

“Hm?”

“You looked really good today. In a suit on that stage. Please tell me it won’t be the last time you dress up like that because I really could barely contain myself. Ask Tao if you don’t believe me.” Baekhyun snickers.

“Oh, I believe you alright.” Kai laughs.

“Reminded me of the old days when I got to stare at you like that, and you never even knew I was looking.” Baekhyun knows his voice is sultry and low. Knows that it drives Kai crazy, especially in a public setting where he can’t do anything about it. “Shame it wasn’t as skintight as the things you used to wear though. Ohhh well. Guess I don’t need to use my imagination too hard these days.”

His hand that’s not twisted across and into Kai’s sleeve slides stealthily along the lower part of Kai’s back and sinks just barely below his belt. Baekhyun smiles normally while keeping a watch on Kai’s expression, steely like he’s trying not to squirm or say anything in front of their friends. He’s gotten too good at this, Baekhyun thinks, pretending like Baekhyun’s not really a lovesick ert who likes to mess with his boyfriend in public spaces. Baekhyun has probably given him too much practice.

He untucks Kai’s shirt just a bit to warm his hand on direct skin, and finally Kai does gasp as his touch.

“Why are your hands always so cold?” he complains loudly.

Sehun finally takes notice. “Hey, Baekhyun. Quit bothering him! It’s disturbing for the rest of us, okay?” He narrows his eyes at Baekhyun, although he doesn’t spare Kai a scathing glance either for allowing it all.

“If you want to complain about something, how about you interrupt those two love birds over there then?” Baekhyun retaliates with a finger in Minseok and Luhan’s direction. Luhan halts guiltily with a piece of bread dripping with olive oil just inches from Minseok’s open mouth.

Suho grimaces. “Geez Minseok, can’t you even feed yourself? I—“

Yixing shuts him up by popping a piece of bread into his own mouth and Sehun and Tao fall completely into giggles at Suho’s look of mortification, mouth full like a chipmunk and not of his own doing. Luhan joins in then and continues dipping bread.

Meanwhile, Baekhyun uses the distraction he’d earned.

“Psst,” he whispers directly in Kai’s ear.

“Hmm?”

“Have I mentioned I love you today?”

“Mmm. You haven’t really. Not enough times,” Kai answers and pouts. “Not enough to make up for all time you’ll be gone.”

“Oh, well I guess I should do something about that then. I love you.” He presses a small kiss to the side of Kai’s mouth, checks that their friends are still occupied with Suho-baiting, and then twists to kiss Kai again, this time full on the lips.

Kai doesn’t have to do much in return. 

He leans forward just as Baekhyun sits back, huge smile in place and eyes glistening.

“I’ll miss you,” Kai says.

Baekhyun tuts. “No you won’t. In fact you’re probably be ready for a short break from all this togetherness.”

Kai starts to protest, but Baekhyun stops him.

“And you better use your vacation from me to your fullest, because when I get back, I’m not letting you out of my sight for days.”

“Days?” Kai asks softly, slyly, because he doesn’t want to draw their friends’ attention and possibly interrupt their fun.

“Weeks,” Baekhyun amends with a sneer.

“Weeks? How about months?”

“Months? I could do months,” Baekhyun agrees, his lips. “How about years though?”

“I could definitely do years.”

“Decades? Think you could live with me for decades?”

“How about we start with the next set of holidays and work our way to decades,” Kai says with an enticing eye smile.

“I guess I can agree to that,” says Baekhyun.

They seal the deal with another kiss, and when the gagging noises of their friends’ reach their ears, Kai and Baekhyun can’t even be bothered to respond with more than a haughty sniff. They’re beyond such teasing now.

5,415 words

It's done! Well, there's still an epilogue to come. I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I was tempted to just rush it and skip some scenes just so I could be done with it, but then I didn't want to spoil everything! This was so stressful to even write, because it means the story is basically done, and I've spent months and months on this. It's practically my baby. I'll be sad to see it go.

Please look forward to one more chapter, and then maybe a separate, final and long author's note chapter because there are things I want to say and explain about how this story ended the way it did, and I won't be able to work that in using just the characters themselves.

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To the readers who have been with me from beginning, thank you so much. And to everyone who joined me along the way, I appreciate everyone so much! If you're a new reader and you just marathoned this far, then lucky you. You didn't have to wait through endless months of cliffhangers to see this story to its completion.

Thoughts, comments? Any last requests? The epilogue will be KAIBAEK only!  But maybe someday I might revisit the other characters in this au and write something small for them. And/or plot out some of the more rated scenes I never did really put into words... We'll see ;)

<33333 a billion times,

Rosie

P.S. If you're reading my Taohun kitty!au Little Cat, Who Made Thee, then yes you should have seen a hinted cross-over this chapter between Kai and cats. I had to do it. I'm sorry. :p