"Welcome to the Ritz-Chanyeol," Chanyeol announced proudly, tossing his backpack on the floor and kicking off his sneakers. Kris couldn't help but laugh at Chanyeol's introduction. 

 Though clean and very organized, the apartment was at least three times smaller than his own, and no where near the size of even a restroom at the Ritz-Carlton. Other than that, Kris felt very comfortable and warm here. It was almost as if the apartment were giving him a Chanyeol-scented hug. 

 "Nice place," Kris commented, placing his shoes next to Chanyeol's as Chanyeol disappeared behind what Kris guessed was his bedroom door. 

 "Thanks, bought it myself," came the muffled answer. 

 "You bought it?" Kris asked, genuinely impressed. 

"I worked my aśś off as an office aide for 6 years until I saved up enough money. Hard work, but it was worth it," Chanyeol replied as he came out of his room. 

 Kris blinked and tried to take in the sight of Chanyeol wearing green flannel pajama pants and a white t-shirt that said "I ❤ NY" without letting loose a very unmanly squeal. Kris usually hated describing anything as "cute" or "adorable", but at this moment, Chanyeol was the embodiment of those exact words. 

 To mask his inner fangirl, Kris tried his best to appear aloof. 

 "Why are you wearing pajamas already? It's only 5:30," he scoffed. A second later, something soft hit him in the face. 

 "I usually walk around núde, but you're here, so," Chanyeol replied lightly, disappearing again, this time into the kitchen. Kris's face turned red as he tried not to think about a nakėd Chanyeol. He looked down at the items Chanyeol had tossed at him; gray sweatpants and a navy blue thermal shirt. 

 Kris huffed and shook his head, but stepped into Chanyeol's bedroom anyway and closed the door. He kicked off his jeans and pulled on the sweatpants, finding them a little tight on his bûtt, but comfy nonetheless. Just as he was tossing off his shirt, the bedroom door flew open. 

 "Hey, what do you usually like on your--oh."

 Chanyeol stopped in mid sentence.

 His mouth was slightly open as his eyes unashamedly raked over Kris's bare upper body. Letting out a strangled yelp, Kris scrambled to pull the thermal shirt over his head.

 Except his head got stuck and then he couldn't see anything and one of the sleeves was in his mouth and oh god, he just wanted to die. Not only was this embarrassing, but the shirt was saturated with Chanyeol's scent, and the intoxicating smell was turning him on.

On top of it all, he could feel Chanyeol's eyes on him, and it just made him flail around even more frantically. He could only hope that Chanyeol wasn't looking anywhere in the vicinity of his crotch. 

 Suddenly, two very large hands were steadying his hips and Chanyeol's deep voice was saying, "Hold on, let me help you. Lift your arms up for a second."

He did as he was told as Chanyeol helped him get untangled. Kris muttered a quick thank you and pulled on the thermal, tugging it low around his waistline.

 The two of them stood in awkward silence for a few seconds before Chanyeol said something.

"What happened to your arm?" Chanyeol asked. 

 "What?" Kris wondered, but as soon as the words came out of his mouth, he knew what Chanyeol meant.

Chanyeol reached for his right wrist, but Kris snatched it away. 

 "It's a skin condition," he blurted out, quickly pulling the sleeve over his wrist.

"Really? Can I see?" Chanyeol inquired, reaching for his hand again. 

 "NO! I mean uh, it's really disturbing. I don't want you to see it," Kris lied, holding his arms behind his back. Chanyeol just looked at him, face unreadable and large eyes unblinking as they searched Kris's face.

 "I'm gonna go make pizza," he muttered suddenly, exiting the bedroom. Kris let out a sigh of relief, slightly pulling up his sleeve to reveal the scars, as if he were worried that they might have mutated into something more terrifying.

No, they hadn't mutated, but they were still ugly and pale brown, the most recent scars much darker than the others. Kris pulled the sleeve down, already feeling uneasy at the sight of them. He'd have to take more caution in hiding them, especially since Chanyeol was always so curious. 

Kris's secret was safe for now, but it wouldn't be safe forever. 

*