Minseok sat in the rather large dining room.  Baekhyun was to his left.  Jongin faced Minseok with Chanyeol sitting next to him, giving Baekhyun the most incredulous look as Baekhyun shoved his third lettuce wrap into his mouth.

Minseok took a deep breath, daring to glance at his mother who sat at the head of the table.  Evidently the patriarch of the household was busy at work.  The air was pressing down on his shoulders as the sound of chopsticks on porcelain was all that could be heard.

"So, Minseok, how..." His mother faltered halfway through her sentence, "Minseok, how have you been?" His mother asked tentatively.

Minseok looked up at his mother before glancing around at the others.  While Baekhyun was busy spooning broth into his mouth, Jongin and Chanyeol looked rather interested in what Minseok had to say.  Minseok stared into his soup bowl, wondering which half-truth would be the least offensive to everyone paying attention.  "I..." Minseok began, "I have been well."

Minseok couldn't bring himself to elaborate any further.  He'd slip up and mention Luhan or speak of the troubles he had landing a job.  He'd somehow mention that he missed his family.  Of course thinking about his hometown brought up thoughts of the one that got away, or rather, the one he let go.

Minseok's mother picked up a spoon, deciding not to press further. She quickly set it down, trading it for chopsticks.  "Baekhyun, what do you do for a living?" She asked, forcing the conversation because it was far from free flowing.

Baekhyun gulped down the rice he'd been chewing, "I'm a phone worker."

Jongin choked on the water he was drinking.  Chanyeol dropped his utensils, not even bothering to keep his mouth closed.  Minseok saw the look of horror on his mother's face.

Baekhyun let out a laugh, snorting slightly, waving his hand in a joking manner, "Just kidding, I'm a secretary for a dentist."

Everyone expect Minseok's face still showed shock from the first joke.  Baekhyun rambled on a little, "It's boring. Most of the time I just play solitaire on the computer.  I get great benefits, although the dental coverage could be better ironically.  How crazy would it be if I was in the industry?"

"Baekhyun." Minseok murmured, causing his friend to look up and see all of the shocked faces around him.  Baekhyun's lips formed a perfect 'o' as he raised his eyebrows.

"It might've been too soon for a joke." Baekhyun whispered, turning his face downwards in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

"Just a little." Minseok reached for a lettuce leaf, finally ready to make his first wrap of the evening.

"Oh, you have very interesting sense of humor, Baekhyun." Minseok's mother restarted the conversation.  Apparently, she hadn't learned her lesson, "How did you meet Minseok?"

Minseok turned to Baekhyun, wondering whether or not he was going to spill the truth out.  "It was actually at an alien themed party." Minseok closed his eyes, so far it was the truth. "I helped him remove a stain from his costume."

Minseok agreed in his head.  He remembered meeting Baekhyun quite well.  The first party he attended after arriving in the city.  He'd been at the party all of two minutes when a strange woman walked up and threw her drink in his face.

He was surprised obviously, he hadn't been there long enough to offend anyone and here some chick was, dousing him in a red, sticky daiquiri, painting his white shirt a deep shade of scarlet.  Baekhyun rushed over after the girl left, dragging him into the bathroom with a bottle of club soda.

He apologized over and over, mumbling about how awful it would be if his shirt was ruined.  Of course it wasn't until after they'd bonded thoroughly that Baekhyun admitted he unintentionally sicced that girl on Minseok by saying they were lovers.

Minseok accidently chortled out loud, drawing the attention of the table.  He coughed, "Sorry."

"Anyways, we hit it off and here we are today." Baekhyun grinned at Minseok's mother, his eyes forming crescents.

Minseok's mother nodded, and Minseok prayed that no one would talk.  An awkward silence was a million times better than Baekhyun filling in blanks.

Minseok's mother turned to Jongin and Chanyeol, asking menial questions about their days.  Minseok continued slowly eating his mother's cooking.  It wasn't any different than he remembered.  It felt like he was home.  He told himself to enjoy it while he could because, when he actually spoke to his father, that's when things would spin out of control at the Kim household.

Baekhyun would be the first to admit that his personality isn't for everyone.  More often than not, his sense of humor got in his way of forming friendships.  He was prone to klutziness and almost always said the wrong thing, especially when his emotions got involved.

And dammit, his emotions just could not sit on the sidelines this time.  Just this once, he wished his heart would just stay out of it.

He had a whole lot of not-so subtle snooping to do into his best friend's past, as if he didn't catch Minseok staring longingly at the photo strip.  He was going to get answers, but good god, how on the earth was he supposed to concentrate when perhaps the most attractive man he'd seen in his life was sitting across from him.

He had nice teeth that was the first thing that Baekhyun noticed.  Was his thing teeth now?  Was working at a dentist's office changing him?  Baekhyun wanted him to smile at him.

He'd given the guy a million reasons to run the other way.  He'd caught Baekhyun singing along to Taylor Swift into a hair brush.  The phone worker joke did not seem to go over well.  Baekhyun shoved another wrap into his mouth, bummed out, but totally eavesdropping- did this count as eavesdropping- as Chanyeol talked about his day with Minseok's mother.

"Yeah, I've ironed everything out with Junmyeon.  I'm taking the photographs for the wedding." Chanyeol smiled at Minseok's mother.

Baekhyun ogled.  He was definitely the most attractive man Baekhyun had ever seen.  An artsy type, Baekhyun was doomed.

This wasn't going to turn out well, but Baekhyun was always up to make a mistake.  Park Chanyeol looked a lot like Baekhyun's next mistake.

A/N: hi, I know that it's short.

dinner was awkward. no one had figured out the relationship b/n minseok and baekhyun.

it'll get better. I promise. (tbh tho baekyeol is going to be the cutest thing OMFG. anticipate it.)