Inspiration Playlist:

“You don’t need to unpack every single thing right away, you know,” Chanyeol said, and patted the couch next to him. “Sit down and relax.”

Baekhyun continued to haul stacks of books from a cardboard box, piling them up on the floor according to genre. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and sighed.

“I know I don’t have to do it all right now… but I’m just not comfortable with leaving all these boxes everywhere. I’d rather get it over and done with.”

“Well, can I at least help, then..?”

Baekhyun shook his head and smiled. “It’s my stuff, so it’s my problem… I’ll handle it. You go to bed if you’re tired; I’ll come join you later.”

“It’s alright, I’ll stay up with you,” Chanyeol insisted. He watched Baekhyun unpack various bits and pieces of his life from a series of cardboard boxes – boxes they’d spent the past two days carting from one apartment to the other in Chanyeol’s little bomb on wheels, which had neither the boot space nor the engine power to adequately handle such a task. It had taken considerable time and effort for Chanyeol to convince Baekhyun to finally move in with him; Baekhyun was very reluctant to leave his own apartment, but Chanyeol’s was in a more practical location for them both, and so eventually he’d relented.

Baekhyun was too preoccupied to say much, and as Chanyeol’s thoughts gradually began to ade the silence in the room, the reality of their situation began to sink in: that they would be sharing a roof, a bed, a bathroom, meals, expenses, responsibilities – a whole life. Just the two of them, together at last… Chanyeol’s face as he watched Baekhyun unpack was thoughtful, expressionless, but on the inside he was glowing with happiness. Baekhyun had yet to properly divulge his own feelings on the subject – it was hard to tell what he was feeling at the best of times, unless he expressed himself verbally – but Chanyeol hoped he felt the same.

When it seemed that the unpacking was never going to end, he finally gave up and went to bed; Baekhyun was clearly determined to finish that night, and if that was what he wanted then Chanyeol wasn’t about to get in his way. He lay on top of the covers in nothing but his boxers with the door to his bedroom ajar, listening to the sound of Baekhyun shuffling between rooms, making new homes for all his belongings. He’d only just fallen asleep when he was woken up by the lamp on his bedside table being switched on; Baekhyun had come to bed at last, wearing a t-shirt of Chanyeol’s that was just a little too big for him, as always. The old David Bowie one he used to wear had since been demoted to dust-rag status and then discarded, being more holes than cloth in the final days of its life. The shirt Baekhyun wore now was plain white, the fabric soft and worn and just thin enough that Chanyeol could see his s poking through it, how it skimmed over the soft curve of his stomach underneath. The shirt was also just barely long enough to keep Chanyeol guessing about the possible presence (and much likelier absence) of undergarments.

Chanyeol lifted his head, blinking sleepily at the sight before him. “Wow,” he said.

“What..?” Baekhyun asked, running a hand through his messy hair.

Chanyeol shook his head. “Nothing. You just look really y right now, that’s all.”

“I’m wearing an old rag,” Baekhyun said, throwing him a skeptical look. “Your old rag..”

“Are you wearing anything under it..?” Chanyeol asked, slowly sitting up in bed, even though he more or less knew what the answer would be. Baekhyun looked at him for a moment and, in place of a response, lifted the hem of the t-shirt up a fraction – just for a second – before dropping it again.

Chanyeol swallowed thickly, all of a sudden forgetting how tired he was.

“ yes,” he whispered, holding his arms out towards Baekhyun. “Come to daddy..”

“Actually, I was kind of planning to just go right to sleep,” Baekhyun replied, settling down on the bed next to him. “I’m exhausted… and I’m sure you are too.”

Chanyeol’s heart sank and he dropped his arms by his sides. “You can’t come to bed wearing one of my t-shirts with nothing underneath and then expect me not to want you,” he said, pouting. “How rude is that..?”

“Sorry,” Baekhyun sighed, and rolled over onto his back with his eyes closed. “I’m just not really up for it tonight.”

Chanyeol leaned over to whisper in his ear. “I know how to get you up for it..”

“Not now, Chanyeol.”

“You do realise this will be the first time we’ll sleep together without… well…” Chanyeol filled the blank with a suggestive whistling sound.

Baekhyun opened his eyes. “I know,” he said, turning his head to look at Chanyeol. “But we live together now… we can do that whenever we want.”

Chanyeol nodded and sank down onto the mattress with a sigh of defeat. “Fine,” he said, and closed his eyes. Barely a few seconds passed before he opened them again, nudging Baekhyun’s bare leg with his foot.

“Hey.”

“Mmm,” Baekhyun mumbled in reply.

“Can I still use your tummy as a pillow...?”

Baekhyun was quiet for a while, and Chanyeol was almost convinced he’d rudely fallen asleep mid-conversation – or else was pretending to be asleep again – when he finally replied.

“Sure,” he whispered, patting his belly with one hand. “Get on.”

Grateful to be allowed that much at least, Chanyeol happily rested his head on Baekhyun’s stomach and did his best to ignore his urges for a night. Baekhyun was right, after all; they had all the time and opportunity in the world to become closer now, both physically and otherwise. He eventually fell asleep, soothed by the sound of Baekhyun’s breathing, his fingers lazily tangling themselves up in Chanyeol’s hair.

* * * * *

The next morning, Chanyeol awoke at 7.30 to an empty bed and the strong smell of coffee. The place where Baekhyun had been asleep next to him was still warm. He wandered into the kitchen in his boxers and found Baekhyun standing in front of the window, drinking coffee with the morning sun shining on his face.

Chanyeol watched Baekhyun for a moment in silence, waiting to see if he would turn around of his own accord.

“Hey,” he said at last. Baekhyun jumped a little and turned his head to look at him.

Chanyeol smiled. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Baekhyun tilted his cup to his lips, swallowing what was left of his coffee; he rinsed the cup out under the tap and left it in the sink. “That’s alright,” he said. “I’m glad you’re awake, anyhow. I wasn’t sure if I should wake you or not..”

“It’s okay, I’m not late. I don’t need to leave for another half an hour,” Chanyeol replied. “Do you have time to wait for me? I thought we could maybe walk to the subway together, grab a quick bite on the way or something..”

Baekhyun shook his head. “I can’t wait, I’m afraid… I was hoping to get to work early today. I’ve got an important meeting to prepare for this morning.”

“Ah… I see,” Chanyeol said, nodding. “Well, that’s fine… maybe tomorrow. I’ll see you tonight, anyway.”

“Okay,” Baekhyun said, and smiled. He paused in front of Chanyeol on his way out of the kitchen, stood on his toes and kissed him quickly on the mouth; the kiss was sweet and gentle, but otherwise passionless.

“Have a good day,” Chanyeol called after him, and was met with the sound of the front door being shut, the fruity scent of Baekhyun’s apple shampoo lingering in his nostrils.

* * * * *

Before Baekhyun moved in, Chanyeol had expected that they would soon fall into the predictable complacence of a normal couple’s daily routine. The routine part, at least, proved to be true – every morning he would offer to accompany Baekhyun to the subway, and Baekhyun would politely decline each time, citing a similar work-related excuse. They came home from work every evening at different times, Chanyeol usually arriving before Baekhyun did. Dinner was organised by whoever arrived home first, whether it was home-cooked or ordered in, and they ate at the kitchen table in relative silence, broken only by a few enquiries about each other’s day here and there.

After they’d eaten and washed up, Baekhyun would settle down to read the daily newspaper he’d picked up on the way home from work. Chanyeol knew better than to disturb him when he had a paper in his hands, so he would pick up his current novel or flick through the endless channels on the television, somehow never managing to find anything that could hold his attention for more than ten minutes at a time. Baekhyun often went to bed before Chanyeol did; even on those nights when Chanyeol followed soon afterwards, he always found Baekhyun sleeping peacefully, and although he was usually aching for some form of physical affection, he never had the heart to wake him.

When Chanyeol arrived home from work on the Thursday night of their first week, Baekhyun was already on the couch, reading that day’s paper.

“Dinner’s on the table,” he said, not looking up. “I’ve eaten, so don’t worry about me. You might want to warm it up a little.”

Chanyeol stood in front of the couch, watching Baekhyun read for a while. Baekhyun didn’t seem to notice, or was otherwise unperturbed by being watched; he simply turned to the next page and kept reading as though Chanyeol wasn’t there.

“I’m not that hungry right now,” Chanyeol said at last, collapsing on the couch next to Baekhyun. “I’ll probably eat later.”

“Mm-hmm,” was all Baekhyun said in reply. “Go and put it in the fridge, then.”

Chanyeol watched Baekhyun read a little longer, then subtly scooted closer to him on the couch and put an arm around his shoulders. Baekhyun didn’t acknowledge the action, but he didn’t reject it either.

So far, so good.

“How was your day..?” Chanyeol asked, kissing Baekhyu