It was well past midnight before Chanyeol returned to the dorm.

Baekhyun had kept himself busy for the better part of the night, in an attempt to make something useful out of their day off. He accompanied Chen to the practice room, where they spent a few hours dancing, singing and then just chatting about nothing. He had taken Kai, Sehun and Suho out for supper, insisting upon paying for it until his Hyung lightly pushed him out of the way and swiped his card like he always seemed to end up doing. After some persuasion, he even ended up watching a scary movie with Tao, although the younger boy had to get up and leave partway through because he was scared half to death. Baekhyun ended up watching the rest of it on his own, eager to kill more time and keep his mind off of the one thing it always seemed to go spiralling back to.

He now sat alone in his room, staring at the floor, actually twiddling his thumbs distractedly. How long did he say he'd be gone? Baekhyun asked himself, glancing over at the clock beside his bed. It's already 12:00. Maybe he's not coming home at all tonight. A surprisingly powerful wave of disappointment washed over him, and he let out a sad little sigh. Maybe I should just go to bed. We don't have an empty schedule tomorrow, after all. But no, despite his need to get a good couple hours of sleep before waking up bright and early for a photo shoot the next morning, Baekhyun found himself up and about, pacing around the bedroom, waiting for Chanyeol to come back.

He figured he'd stay up all night, if Chanyeol made him wait that long.

But he didn't; in a matter of minutes, there came the sound of footsteps just outside Baekhyun's door, making his heart flutter in hopeful anticipation. Chanyeol swung the door open carefully, leaving it ajar while he turned to set his pack on the dresser beside him. He seemed to be completely zoned out; he looked exhausted, his eyelids half closed like he was struggling to keep them open at all. Baekhyun felt a little put-out, admittedly, at the way the younger boy didn't even acknowledge his presence at first, and he began to wonder if Chanyeol had any intention of 'continuing things', as he had put it a handful of hours earlier.

This thought was disproved almost instantly, however, once Chanyeol turned his head as if sensing that he was being watched. His eyes fell on Baekhyun, and he broke into a coy smile on the spot, eyeing the older boy shyly before closing the door behind him. "Hey," he said quietly, and Baekhyun was a little surprised, because Chanyeol was never this quiet or shy or hesitant. "You stayed up," he pointed out, like he was expecting Baekhyun to be curled up in bed fast asleep, instead of waiting like Chanyeol had asked him to.

The thought bewildered the smaller boy to no end. "Of course I did," Baekhyun replied, giving the other an odd look. "Why wouldn't I? You asked me to."

This time, Chanyeol's smile was warm and familiar. He said nothing, only strode over to where Baekhyun sat on the bed, dropping his jacket to the floor on the way there. All signs of his tiredness seemed to disappear at once, like someone had struck a match and sent them up in flames. The fire glowed in his eyes, mysterious and inviting and burning with a startling intensity. Baekhyun watched him advance every step of the way, and was about to make a comment about leaving clothes in the middle of the floor, but the fiery look in Chanyeol's eyes caused him to think better of it. Instead, he tried to come up with a way to start more of a conversation-- there was a heavy silence hanging in the air between them, rich with tension and countless implications and a sense of desire so obvious it was almost tangible-- and Baekhyun wanted nothing more than to do away with it as soon as possible. He was sick of putting up with the discomfort between them lately.

Chanyeol seemed to be thinking along the same lines, although his method of execution turned out to be much different-- and highly preferable, if Baekhyun was to say so himself. If their first kiss was shy and sweet and simple, then this one was the exact opposite. Chanyeol's lips were pressed roughly against Baekhyun's and their noses bumped. The latter nearly toppled backwards in surprise. The kiss was slow, deep and startlingly passionate, and it left the older boy flushed, panting and craving so much more. It was followed by another-- equally heated, but painfully brief-- before Chanyeol pulled away and placed a finger over Baekhyun's searching lips. "Wait," he said seriously.

Baekhyun squirmed impatiently. "Mmph--"

"Wait, Baekhyun, please. I want to get something straight before we..." He trailed off, trying not to slap a label onto their situation without the older's consent. "Before we go any further."

He removed his finger from Baekhyun's lips, likely expecting a response. It took the smaller boy longer than it should have to realize this, but he nodded his head slowly and a bit reluctantly. "Okay... Fair enough. What's on your mind?" It was hard to keep from staring at Chanyeol's mouth, and Baekhyun had to struggle to keep his eyes level.

Chanyeol swallowed thickly. "Look... I'm not looking for a confession. You already know how I feel about you. I think I've made that pretty blunt over the past while. I don't need much... I'd just like to know where we stand. I want to know what this-- whatever this is-- is going to turn into," his voice was hushed, but steady.

And there was that look again. That ing look.

And Baekhyun was at a loss for words.

Chanyeol must have sensed this, because he continued before Baekhyun had a chance to think up an answer. Either that, or he was afraid of what the older boy's answer might be. "I think it's pretty clear that I want you right now, that I have for a long time but... it's not just a matter of anymore, if it ever was in the first place. I don't know if this applies to you, but quite frankly, I'd be prepared to walk away right now and call it a night if this is just going to end up the same way as last time," he admitted, a faint blush tinting his cheeks a beautiful rosy colour. "So if you have any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace, because I don't think I'll be able to stop myself if we go any further."

Baekhyun sat still for a moment, admiring the look on Chanyeol's face-- the one he used to shy away from, the one that used to make him feel trapped and inexplicably guilty-- but the only emotions running through his head were ones of adoration and desire. An amusing thought popped into the back of Baekhyun's mind, that he might very well be wearing that same expression at the moment himself. "Chanyeol..." He began softly, taking both of Chanyeol's hands and guiding them up under his t-shirt. He felt them press against the soft, trembling flesh of his abdomen, which burned with a fire of it's own. "See? I want you-- I need you too. I feel like a complete idiot for the way I treated you before. I'm really sorry."

Chanyeol's expression, along with his shaky hands, made his struggle to restrain himself evident. "Is that all...?" He asked. "Because I want to be sure that this isn't a mistake. That you won't wake up tomorrow and feel like you need to erase what happens next-- won't want to erase it. I don't want to be another guilty memory to you. And I don't want to pressure you into anything you're not ready for, or comfortable with. I know I can't force you to change."

"No, of course you can't. It's like you said to me earlier... I don't think I can change," Baekhyun said quietly, and Chanyeol's face fell almost instantly. "Because I'm in love with you, Park Chanyeol, and nothing can change that. I didn't believe it at first-- didn't want to believe it. But that's because I was scared."

The discouraged frown vanished, replaced with a smile that grew on the taller's face with each word Baekhun said. When he went silent, Chanyeol was almost beaming, his cheeks still rosy with embarrassment. "You mean it?" He asked almost childishly.

"I really do."

And Chanyeol was on him in the next second, pinning him back against the mattress, running his hands freely over the skin under his shirt, kissing him with fervour. Baekhyun wrapped his arms around his neck, drawing him closer, and knowing there was no way he would regret this decision.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Chanyeol?" Baekhyun whispered, lifting his head from it's pillow, which was Chanyeol's bare chest.

The taller stirred beneath him, snaking a hand up out of the tangle of limbs they had become, and rested it on the small of Baekhyun's back. He was still panting lightly from their interaction only minutes prior. "Yes love?"

Baekhyun blushed at that, and was grateful that the darkness hid his red face from visibility. He traced nonsensical patterns into Chanyeol's side, still a bit overwhelmed by what had just happened-- it was different from what he had expected entirely. Their first night had been awkward, messy and rushed, but this was nothing of the sort, slow, deep, and passionate. Chanyeol seemed to want to savour every bit of it, slowing his pace whenever Baekhyun found himself coming close to the edge, capturing every sigh and moan in open-mouthed kisses, trailing his hands up and down his skin with gentle caresses, causing Baekhyun to well and truly come undone at his fingertips. They had not had , no, nothing as fickle as that. They had made love. "What happens now...?" Baekhyun asked softly, unable to contain his curiosity.

Chanyeol took a deep breath, and Baekhyun's head was lifted with the gentle rise of his chest. "Whatever you want, I guess," he said, trailing his hand up the smaller's spine and tangling it in his messy, light hair. "We can take things as slow as you'd like."

"Like, three-years-slow?"

"If that's what you want. It might drive me insane, though," Chanyeol laughed lightly, and Baekhyun smiled. "I've waited that long already... Surely I could do it again."

Baekhyun laughed through his nose. "It won't be that long, I promise. But I'm not about to go back to the way things were before, either. I said what I meant, and I want to give the whole 'us' thing a try."

"Good," Chanyeol pressed a kiss to the top of Baekhyun's head. "Because I want to give it a try too. It won't be easy, but we'll figure something out. Together."

"Yeah. Together."

Chanyeol smiled to himself. "You know something Baek?"

Baekhyun lifted his head to look at him, resting his chin on his chest. "Mmhmm?"

"I think I was wrong. I think we have changed. Or at the very least, we've changed our future. You know, made our own fate. Crossed the point of no return."

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes, and gave an odd little grin. "Now you're just trying too hard."

"It is past 12:00--"

"Shut up, Chanyeol."

Chanyeol's laughter vibrated through the mass of their bodies, like they were a single unit. "Okay, okay. I love you."

"Yeah, whatever..."

"C'mon Baek," Chanyeol dragged his words out in a long, teasing whine.

Baekhyun smiled in spite of himself, and pressed a kiss to the hollow between Chanyeol's collarbones. "I love you too, idiot."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next day, amidst the many cameras and staff and fans, Chanyeol followed Baekhyun around like he always did. And there, in front of the familiar, flashing red light, Baekhyun slipped his hand into Chanyeol's after a moment of consideration, intertwining their fingers and smiling up at him with a sweet assurance that the younger boy had found himself falling head over heels for.

Let them see, he thought. What does it matter? Everything has changed.

And yet, nothing has changed at all.

For the first time in a long time, Baekhyun couldn't care any less what anyone thought of him. When he was with Chanyeol, things like that seemed so utterly meaningless.

When he was with Chanyeol, everything felt so right.