"Okay, shoot. I'm ready to die."

Kyungsoo did shoot, but no more than a judgmental look over the lump of fabric in his lap. Chanyeol didn't blink as he stared at him earnestly, holding a notebook and a pen like a metaphorical sword and shield.

"You're by far the most proactive, social and independent person I've ever met," Kyungsoo said blankly. "None of these formalities are going to kill you. Moving houses is way less scary than you think."

Sword and shield were lowered a little, but Chanyeol's unsure, slightly pouty expression was even more effective on Kyungsoo, who blinked tiredly and sighed in defeat.

"First you need internet in your new apartment."

"Is that really top priority?" Chanyeol asked jokingly, without looking up from his notebook as he scribbled it down obediently.

"I really don't know about you, but I know I can't live a day without the internet. As soon as you gotta google some official phone number, you’re done for."

"True."

Kyungsoo wriggled until the cushion in his back was more comfy and then decided to take a sip of his espresso macchiato (the good, cheap one coming in a trusty plastic cup), in case the couch got too comfy. Only three more weeks. Until his presentation, that is. The shooting would be in 10 days, which meant he had to be done with his collection by then. Which was a disaster, because he still had to-

"Okay. So I gotta do research on which company is the best?"

Kyungsoo blinked the panic away. Right. Priorities.

"I'm assuming you're already with the best company?" he asked right back. "Or at least a good one?"

Chanyeol blinked right back at him.

"So?"

"Why would you think you need a new one? Just call them and tell them you moved houses."

The following 'oooh' spoke of a mind-blower Kyungsoo had last experienced during his early sewing lessons, when he’d learnt that it was totally legitimate and not cosplay-ish at all to glue leather together.

"And they just do the rest?" Chanyeol asked, and Kyungsoo couldn't bite back a grin.

"You're the one paying them, I think you can expect that much. They should want to keep you as a customer."

"...yeah, I'm sure they're really desperate for customers like me, who they have to chase down for monthly payments. Probably keeps the interns busy," Chanyeol replied in a surprising moment of light sarcasm that may not make Kyungsoo's heart flutter, but it made him smile - and that was just as valuable. He picked up the needle again to serge a part of a shirt that he wished he could just glue on instead.

"Next up you need to think of phone, electricity and gas - same procedure to be honest. Just call them and they'll tell you what to do. Then you need a change of address order, so letters and your monthly Bravo will still arrive."

"I never subscribed to-"

"Then you're basically set," Kyungsoo concluded swiftly. "Sure, you can call a bunch of people and tell them your address changed, but no need to hurry for that - who cares, really. Except for the health insurance people. Maybe call them soon. Still, you should just worry about packing for now."

Chanyeol looked doubtful, and when the last sentence sank in, it changed to vague panic.

"You think it'll take that long?"

Kyungsoo looked around the cluttered living room, the clash of tidiness and mess, of properly stacked wooden puzzles in a shelf to the undefined pile of objects on another one.

"Maybe it'll take even longer than that," Kyungsoo mumbled. Chanyeol looked at him in confusion, and Kyungsoo could already see his own, very few hours of future sleep kissing him goodbye. He'd start losing hair way too soon at this rate. They could kiss his bald head if this went on.

Still, he didn't judge Chanyeol, and if he weren't so stressed, he'd openly look forward to actually helping this warm, wonderful person who rarely allowed anyone to do so.

"I'll help you."

Chanyeol lifted his notebook and the pen - sword and shield, defenses up.

"You don't need to, it's-"

"Utterly necessary," Kyungsoo cut him off blankly, but softened to reassure Chanyeol, who still tripped over his drier than a desert humor sometimes.

"It's alright, I got plenty of experience. This is nothing to me."

"It's hours worth of your time when you could be working on your collection..." Chanyeol argued quietly, looking clearly guilty. Kyungsoo shrugged.

"I put all my free hours into it already and this greedy monster of a collection can it up for a day or two."

Oh, this monster would bite his for that comment later, but Kyungsoo would worry about that another time. Ideally never. He'd love to ignore the worries until he stepped over the finishing line, which would then laser them to ash.

Chanyeol looked at him like he was a kitten that had just rolled up to sleep. Or a baby bunny or something. It was pure adoration to the point that he looked like he'd cry at any moment.

Kyungsoo felt heat crawl up his face and blamed it on the warm, warm look of Chanyeol's.

"You're so amazing," Chanyeol said, barely above a whisper, and Kyungsoo broke eye contact.

"It's okay, really. There's a first time for everything, after all."

He saw Chanyeol inching closer and almost expected a kiss but instead, he put his head on Kyungsoo's shoulder, forcing his arm into the narrow space between the couch and Kyungsoo's back. It tingled in an inappropriate way, and Kyungsoo mashed his cheek into the coarse hair to distract himself from it.

"Can you sew like this?" Chanyeol asked.

With my whole body sending me various signals ranging from exhaustion and inappropriate interest to coziness and straight up adoration? Hardly, he thought.

"Probably," he said.

Chanyeol's arm fell asleep at some point, and so did Kyungsoo. Just for a bit.

"No, no, I should go backwards-"

"It's fiiine-"

"I don't think it- oh -"

Chanyeol exhaled audibly when he caught the box just before it could slip Jongup's fingers. Kyungsoo patiently waited until Tao and Chanyeol made it up the first few flights of stairs, wordlessly handing a dejected-looking Jongup one of the wooden parts of the bed he had been carrying.

Chanyeol had been deeply touched by how many people were actually willing to help him move. In his defense, his smile hadn't even faltered when the two declared-useless interns of the workshop had lost the rock-paper scissor game of who would help him out (it was all a big joke, Chanyeol knew none of them would have minded helping him. Probably.)

His best friend Kyung had shown up, too, of course, and made sure to carry as little as possible and whine about the stairs for all his worth - together with Tao, who liked workouts and was physically strong, but also loved whining. He was basically a part-time whiner. A volunteering one, even.

Kyungsoo couldn't really blame him though. After all, moving into a high building without an elevator was the certified worst, and this particular apartment was on the fourth floor. Definitely not the place for drunkenly stumbling into the apartment at night to make out against the door and then throw off the clothes in the entrance area- no, they'd probably literally stumble up the stairs, break a few bones, and in the best case scenario, they'd make it to the door unharmed, but breathing like a hyperventilating dog, the mood left behind by the door downstairs. Not that Kyungsoo would have been naive enough to believe scenarios like this ever happened in real life. Not at all.

When he finally reached the top, he handed one of the parts to an eager Sohee, who carried it over to her future bedroom, where most things were stored for now.

The layout of their new apartment was simple: upon entering, you were standing in a short hallway leading to a tiny bathroom (not that Kyungsoo was one to talk), and doors leading off to the remaining rooms on the way there. To the right was the kitchen, followed by Chanyeol's room, and to the left was Sohee's room, followed by the living room. While the little girl hadn't asked for a particular room, Chanyeol had given her the considerably larger room, making her promise not to cause too much chaos.

As of now, Sohee was still enthusiastic about all this, so Kyungsoo made sure to let her stay upstairs and walk the stairs as little as possible so it would stay that way. Moody kids could really bring such an event down.

"Did you find the speakers?" he asked, swallowing and reaching for one of the water bottles on the windowsill.

"I did! See, I plugged them in over there!" Sohee said in the tone of someone who was proud on having an overview in the current chaos. They walked over to the living room, where Sohee had placed the little speakers just by the door and Kyungsoo knelt down to plug in his phone.

"It's not really moving houses if you have no music," he stated, flipping through his playlists to open the yellow one - in his head known as the 'I might just be on drugs' playlist. He figured that overly hyped, happy music would be to Sohee's taste, who was a huge Kyary Pamyu fan.

Kyungsoo lived vicariously through music, thus he worked with playlists sorted by mood... and named by colors. There was Pale Blue for chill, slightly sad music, Black for downright depressing and Silver for disturbing songs. Against all expectations, Kyungsoo wasn't entirely emo-stuck-in-a-young-adult though, and also owned a list for party songs, a list of music to put on in public when forced to, a hot playlist (it was not his fault that some songs screamed to be categorized as 'hot')... and a sunshine-yellow playlist of songs way too happy and energetic to be tolerated by commoners.

As expected, it didn't take Sohee long to find the shrillest song on the list, and a huffing Tao arrived to the high-pitched, Japanese pop song doing nothing but repeating the syllable 'mi'. For some odd reason, he didn't seem all that pumped. Probably just a front to hide his inner love for cute things. Kyungsoo wasn't fooled that easily.

"So, how are you doing?" he asked as they both went down the stairs to make themselves useful.

"Luhan is still not my type, no change on that front," Tao said, taking the next flight of stairs with his palm lightly grazing the railing. "I know he's your friend, but I'm sorry-"

"I was actually asking just in general," Kyungsoo deadpanned. "You know. Life. Work. These things."

"Oh."

"Unless that's what's on your mind and you really want to talk about it, I guess," Kyungsoo added, even though he doubted it. He wasn't that close to Tao and not one to stick his nose where it didn't belong. Not like he wasn't curious at all, but showing that would go against his moral code. To his surprise, Tao didn't even hesitate elaborating.

"He's texting me so much," he moaned, complete with a hand gesture usually reserved for black women in internet memes. "Like you wouldn't believe. And it's all such obvious 'I want to be your boyfriend' stuff, and he's literally the sweetest. Like, wishes me a good morning and sends me pictures of cute dogs-"

"I thought you love cute dogs."

"I do, but-"

"Don't you own a dog?"Kyungsoo cut him off again as they left the building and went towards the truck, "that you showed us three photo albums of already?"

"I do, but- hey, you didn't call Candy cute just now. You don't think she's cute?"

"Super cute," Kyungsoo said without much enthusiasm. "So what's the problem now?"

He took a few parts of the metal bed while Tao went for a box that Chanyeol had pried out of the mess.

"You know how it is," Tao said meaningfully as they took the first flight of stairs, passing by a merry Jongup who seemed to enjoy the healthy glow of exhaustion and the slight sheen of sweat already showing. Kyungsoo couldn't relate. Nor did he know how it was, and he strongly doubted it was a reference to a certain awful pop song that had gone viral a few months earlier.

"Actually, no. No idea what you're getting at," he huffed out, already preparing to save words and breath. Not like the parts were that heavy. It's all on the stairs, he assured his male ego. Stairs were universally evil, as Kung Fu Panda had already stated in whenever that movie came out. Kyungsoo was still rather strong for his frame. Yes.

"Well, some things are really great and you enjoy them a lot, but they're still not necessarily what you're looking for in a partner," Tao vaguely said, and Kyungsoo almost put down the parts to send him a properly judgmental look.

"You like bad boys," he stated, and with his hands occupied, Tao could only lightly shake his head.

"Not really bad boys," he disagreed, and Kyungsoo wondered whether his Korean was still rather poor or whether he was being purposefully wasteful on the italics. A few plain words could do wonders for him, that much was certain.

"Just a little... more manly, you know? A little less soft and fluffy? I mean, soft and fluffy is also great," Tao added, obviously talking himself into a hole while Kyungsoo was too out-of-breath to even try and stop him, "but it doesn't really get you excited, right? Not like I think he's boring, but isn't it nice to be on equal grounds and be able to discuss things and-"

Kyungsoo zoned out after that, half-heartedly trying to identify the floor they were at. Only when they had reached the top did the oxygen return to his brain, and the absurdity of the situation sank in. He placed down the headrest, maybe a bit too clumsily, and looked up at Tao, feeling generally disheveled.

"Luhan is too fluffy for you."

It was almost like an out-of-body experience. He needed sleep. And water.

Absently, he reached for the water while the surge of defensive justifications rained over him.

"That makes me look like an and I don't want to string him along and give him false hopes, but how can you possibly dump a guy because he's 'too nice'?"

Kyungsoo blinked. And stared. Furrowed his brows in thought.

And stared some more.

"I thought you were way less oblivious than I thought, realizing that Luhan has the hots for you," he said slowly. "But now I'm realizing you're even dumber. This is ridiculous."

"Huh? Why?"

But Kyungsoo was already walking down the stairs, muttering something about hidden cameras and being done with this day. This was too much. He was not going to become a sidekick in that sitcom, too. He's had his fill with the ‘best friends to lovers’ romcom between Minseok and Chen and would much rather concentrate on his own story right now. So nope, thank you. Actor Kyungsoo was booked out for this year.

Even after thoroughly sorting out Chanyeol's and Sohee's belongings, the truck just wouldn't empty down for some reason. Again, Kyungsoo blamed it entirely on the stairs. They were weakening them all, causing them to make more and more breaks. Chanyeol almost physically forced him to take more breaks than the rest, voicing out his worries of Kyungsoo possibly collapsing from exhaustion. Kyungsoo hated to be treated like a... weak, skinny boy. It was a big pet peeve of his - when you were outed as gay, many people expected you to be 'less of a man', to be weak and fussy. Kyungsoo wasn't like that at all! But when he almost walked into an obviously closed door, Chanyeol made him sit down and drink half a bottle of water.
He watched Sohee stem her whole weight against a box in a futile attempt to sort things while happy music blasted through the apartment, echoing off the empty walls. He felt overall unhappy. This was a special day and they were supposed to make memories. Carrying things together, laughing and exhausting themselves, joking around... Kyungsoo wanted to be a reliable boyfriend, wanted to support Chanyeol and look back on this with a smile - but no, he was just too tired to function, as usual. His eyes were burning a bit, but this was not the time-

A familiar song popped up, filling the room with cheery synths and Kyungsoo focused on it. Don't focus on the negative things, don't break down now, he told himself. The playful, excited synth was supported by a relaxed, stable beat and when a youthful voice began singing, Kyungsoo found himself distracted enough. He knew this song, but he'd never thought it would make him feel so invested in such a situation. The lyrics were simple, menial even, but the music spoke of yearning, putting on an energetic tune despite the story of longing. Kyungsoo felt oddly entranced, pulled along by the happy sounds.

'It's obvious that I'm pretending to be fine,' the singer said almost cheerily, and Kyungsoo felt like an emo teenager, but the way the phrase was delivered was so happy. As if... that was alright. Not ‘pretending to be fine,’ but not being fine. He wasn't making sense anymore, but that was alright, too. He was here, Chanyeol was here, this situation was happening and even if he wasn't in his best condition, he was still making memories. Maybe his body was tired, maybe his mind was also a bit fuzzy, but he was there. This time was still precious. He just had to allow it.

Kyungsoo felt drunk on the music, and fueled by a sudden burst of energy, he jumped to his feet, walked towards a heavily breathing Chanyeol who had just placed down a box, and grabbed his arm.

"Come on, let's go get the rest!" he exclaimed, feeling himself beaming. Chanyeol was so stumped by the sudden change of mood that he forgot to protest and make Kyungsoo take a longer break. He let himself get tugged along, and couldn't seem to stop staring at Kyungsoo's glowing smile.

When Kyungsoo tumbled over a stray box on the ground, Chanyeol attempted to catch him and they both nearly kissed the asphalt. When a way too heavy plastic box gave way under the weight somewhere around he second floor just a couple minutes later, Kyungsoo found himself faced with Chanyeol's underwear that had been used to generously cushion the glasses and plates. He snorted. Chanyeol got all defensive and refused to try and put the lid on top to hide them, despite his obviously red ears.

"What? You told me to cushion them with newspapers or clothes. They had a practical size."

Kyungsoo just sat on the stone floor with Chanyeol and kept looking at him with his head slightly thrown back, lips biting back a grin, shoulders shaking. The silence seemed to fluster Chanyeol even more.

"They're clean!"

Kyungsoo gestured at the checkered pair of boxer shorts closest to him. Chanyeol looked, hesitated, and then leaned over to give it a closer look. Without warning, Kyungsoo gave his forehead a quick peck.

"You're funny," he said. Chanyeol seemed actually tempted to start making out with him on a public staircase, if only to prove a point, but then Tao and Jongup stood on the stairs, carrying a heavy box and lamenting the traffic jam they'd caused. Kyungsoo hurried to make way for them, and while he felt a bit woozy, he was content with the overall situation.

While a positive, open mindset could do wonders, Kyungsoo would need more than that to arch into Chanyeol's touch, to feel the proper excitement and contribute something to return the favour. But the darkness around them was alluring, the simple mattress they were lying on was seductive in its own right, and Kyungsoo was so tired. It was a shame since Sohee slept over at Kyung's because her bed wasn't ready yet. Nobody was around, the perfect opportunity-

Chanyeol's shirtless body was warm on top of him, the air uncomfortably hot with the blanket draped across them, and then Chanyeol groaned into his neck, ripping Kyungsoo out of his reverie.

"I forgot my jacket in the truck," he complained, and Kyungsoo chuckled with closed eyes, grasping at the opportunity to soften the mood by running his palms along his upper back.

"And you remembered that just now?"

Chanyeol placed half of his weight on Kyungsoo with a huff.

"Well," he began petulantly, "the lube and stuff were in there."

His voice still awkwardly danced over the word lube, but the context was too distracting for Kyungsoo to .

"Oh," he dumbly said.
With a sigh, Chanyeol flopped to his back, breaking skin contact.

"It was a stupid idea, anyway. You're very tired," he stated, and Kyungsoo would have loved to deny that... but he was too tired for that. Instead, he snuggled into Chanyeol's side, nuzzling his cheek into his shoulder as he stared at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry," he replied. Immediately, Chanyeol pecked his cheek.

"Don't say that. I'm sorry," he insisted, entangling their fingers. "I just watched too many movies. I thought it would be kinda romantic - or hot, I don't know - to do this stuff in a brand-new apartment, without any furniture. Like, uh. Inaugurating the flat. This sounds even stupider out loud, what the hell-"

"Is that why Sohee isn't here?"

Silence. Kyungsoo felt the tension in Chanyeol's shoulders. Could basically feel the embarrassment radiating off him.

"This is actually the reason she isn't here, I don't believe you," Kyungsoo said, suddenly both amused and a little flattered that Chanyeol, too, went to odd lengths when it came to what he perceived as being a good boyfriend.

"Don't make fun of me now-"

"I'm not. I'm really not," Kyungsoo softly intervened, tightening his grip on the other's hand. "It was a nice idea. We can still do that another day."

His effort to sound nonchalant about that seemed successful since Chanyeol hummed and turned to his side, maneuvering them around until he could hug Kyungsoo from behind, which was more than fine by him. Kyungsoo could just as well be the big spoon; either was fine and better than stealing each other's breath and possibly suffocating.

For a long time, it was silent. Almost long enough for Kyungsoo to doze off, but the calm, barely audible breathing of Chanyeol, the way he his side and the way the lights danced along the ceiling kept him awake. Whenever a car passed by down below, the lights would grow, stretch across the ceiling and then wander off. He felt like a child again, watching them. It was calming.

"I never saw any lights like that in my old apartment," Chanyeol mused.

"Are you home sick?" Kyungsoo asked, without a trace of mirth this time. "Do you regret this?"

He felt the hand tighten around his waist.

"No. I don't think I'm homesick either. It's just... new. Different."

Another car passed by and in the dim light, Kyungsoo looked at the possibly dusty floor around them, at the empty walls and ground.

"But it's not bad. It'll be like a new beginning," Chanyeol added and with this being said, Kyungsoo could finally stop worrying and let himself be lulled to sleep by the security and warmth he was being held with.

About the chapter:

Moving houses is funnn...!
...it really isn't *haha*
I actually moved houses 10+ times in my life, so I consider myself a pro!
(I'm still not)
Anyway, never forget to not pack your boxes with TOO heavy stuff - only fill it with books for one third, tops, and stuff in a few clothes on top!
Obviously, there is a song that inspired this, and it's "One More Night" by my alltime faves.
(There's also a cute mv, but I feel like it's easier to focus on the music without it - and build your own, happy associations/ideas! I'm a weirdo)
If you were wondering about that viral video that was mentioned… it was a really obscure pun on the ridiculous single “How it is” from Germany’s richest youtuber. It was so bad that it got international attention, and is the 7th most disliked YT video worldwide. Amazing.
 

Caution, personal note ahead (you don't need to read this):

So... I'm back! This chapter was hard. You can't imagine just how hard it was. There are a couple reasons for that, with the obvious one being that it's been so long since I wrote for this fic. Also it's hard to write goofy stuff when you don't feel very happy, so pardon if this wasn't funny. I'll get back into it. But also I was forced to stop updating this when the story was rather close to the finishing line.
(You could now tell me that no one forced me to write for fic fests and that it's all my fault - and you'd be right, but that is a story for another day)

Point is that there is not a lot left to tell for this fic, and if there is anything you want to see, this is your time to tell me! I will earnestly consider all your suggestions, promise ❤
You are all wonderful gems for staying with me on this unpredictable ride and I'm willing to return the favour!
(Aside from Luhan/Tao, who are gonna get their little bonus chapter for sure)

Sorry, for this whiny rant - I just wanted to let you know exactly why the update came so late.

Much love,
Sugar-and-Salt ♡