"So... Valentine's Day is in three days." Taeyeon says, swirling a baby blue straw in her iced mocha. Baekhyun still can't quite grasp the way she's so efforlessly beautiful. Her black hair cascades on her shoulders and she gracefully flips it back with a flick of her wrist. "Are you guys doing anything interesting?" Tilting her head to the right, she looks up at Baekhyun, her brown eyes curious.

The cafeteria is quiet in the morning hours, occupied only by a small group of other students besides the three of them. The rays of sunlight are pushing through the clouds and dancing on the table they're sitting at, much to Baekhyun's distaste. How can such a pretty day be so cold? He can see the dust flying aimlessly in the airand the view reminds him of warm summer afternoons spent in the safety of his room, back in his hometown. It was back then when he realised just how much he loved reading foreign words printed carefully on pages and pages of old volumes of English poems

He sighs. "Not really. Chanyeol's not really the Valetine-type and neither am I, to be honest."

Tiffany snickers from her seat next to him, her eyes smiling as she's taking a sip of her flat white. "I bet for you everyday is Valentine's Day, right?" He can't disagree."Nichkhun will be in Japan at that time." she adds, clearly trying to cover her anxiousness with a smile. "We're having a dinner together once he's back though."

Taeyeon rests her chin on her palm and scrunches her nose. "It to be the only one without a love life, let me tell you that."

Baekhyun glances up at her and hugs his cup of hot caramel macchiato. How is it even possible for someone so elegant not to have a lover?

"Three weeks left, Taeyeon." he throws hopefully. "You still have a chance." The said girl glares at him and Baekhyun laughs.

"Don't be so helpful, Byun Baekhyun." she responds and takes a slow drink of her coffee. Her red lipstick constrasts with the pastel colour of the straw. He has never thought that watching someone can be so interesing, but the way Taeyeon moves really seems out of this world. She leans back a little and tilts her head to look out the canteen's windows, eyes drifting smoothly from one thing to another. Her delicate fingers are playing with the straw, twirling it in the cup absentmindedly. She parts her lips and lets out a sigh ahead of looking down at her drink, black hair falling to the front of her face again. Baekhyun wonders why he has never noticed her before.

Taeyeon is the kind of a girl one sees in korean dramas; the main guy just sits there laughing with his friends and then she walks by, steps light and steady and eyes trained on something she sees ahead. She does nothing, but it still sweeps one off their feet. Tiffany, on the other hand would be the one attacting attention with her gorgeous smile and bubbly personality. He adres both of them.

"It's just this school, I'm telling you." Tiffany voices plasing her elbows on the table beside her coffee. " You have a group of heartthorbs and bam! Gay. One sweet guy right here" she nudges Baekhyun with her shoulder." bam! Also gay! You go to another U to meet your friend, you do as much as flipping your hair - bam! Two or three guys ask for your number!"

Taeyeon laughs, covering with her palm (Baekhyun has no idea why she does that, her smile is wonderful) and nods furiously, black hair flying everywhere. "That's way too true!"

Baekhyun grimaces and leans back to look at both of them properly. 

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm gay. I'm more Chanyeol-ual, actually." he sasses and the girls double in laugher. He can't help, but join. "Wouldn't you go gay for this guy? Come on."

Tiffany fans herself with her hand as they calm down, soft giggles falling ut of . He looks at Taeyeon and sees her smile mellowing into just a gentle curve of lips. She rests her chin on her hand and gazes at him warmly.

"How is he? Like, how is he really?" she muses.

Baekhyun hums at the question and his eyes fall onto his cup. He takes an unhurried sip of his macchiato, thinking of an answer. How is Chanyeol?

"He's... soothing." he says, voice quiet. Tiffany leans forward to look at his face. "He's all about those little things; a touch here and there, a peck on the cheek. He smiles a lot and 90% of the time he's a dork. And he can be such a bastard with his teasing, I swear." He hears Taeyeon whine and rises his gaze.

"I want someone to have the same look on their face while talking about me that you just had when taking about Chanyeol." she pouts, making him chuckle.

"You're so whipped, Byun." the other girl states, shaking her head.

Baekhyun is not ashamed.

"Oh my, isn't it a little nostalgic? Meeting in the cafeteria at 8am?"

The voice brings chills to Baekhyun's spine and he turns his head immedaitely to look at the owner. Chanyeol is walking slowly in their direction, hand in the front pockets of his jeans and the 'Baekhyun smile' plastered on his face. His brown hair is sticking from under a vaey familiar snapback and Baekhyun melts. The taller flops down next to him, straddling the bench to face Baekhyun completely.

"Hey there Taeyeon, Tiffany." he greets, a court wave of his hand accompanying his words. The girls nod and Chanyeol focuses on Baekhyun again, eyes swimming all over the older's face features. "Do you hate sleeping or something?" he mocks, sliding closer on the bench until his knees hit Baekhyun's right thigh. 

"Says who, you idiot? You're here too." he bites back with a smile gracing his lipsas Chanyeol's left hand finds his knee under the table. It travels up to his mid-thigh and stops there.

"Aww, insulting me s early in the morning, you're cute." his boyfiend coos and Taeyeon lets out a chuckle. "I'm skipping my classes after this one, you'll be done with yours by three, right?" he asks grabbing Baekhyun's coffee and taking a drink casually, eyes still locked with Baekhyun's.

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm gonna take a nap in your room. Bring me something to eat when you'll be coming back?" Baekhyun rolls his eyes playfully and takes his cup out of Chanyeol's hand. He agrees nonetheless. "You're the best, baby." Chanyeol coos again and stands up, kissing the top of Baekhyun's head before throwing the a short "See you!" and jooging in the direction of the exit.

Baekhyun huffs and moves his cup around to see how much coffee he has left. Chanyeol never takes small sips.

"You guys are goals." Tiffany's words bring his back to earth and he blushes, avoiding their glances.

It's late at night, as he's lying enveloped in his blanket and Chanyel's arms, the younger's chest to his back, his lips to Baekhyun's nape, when he starts wondering how they are going to work. 

He moves his hands from where it was lying next to his head to his stomach, where Chanyeol's arm is. Gently, he runs his finger over Chanyeol's boney ones; the taller's skin is rough on his hands, especially on his knuckes. Baekhyun can't say he doesn't love it when those rough palms glide over his pale skin. He laces their fingers and Chanyeol stirs a little to press their bodies even closer, lips moving over the back of Baekhyun's neck. He feels as the other takes a deep inhale, the cold air of the room moving against him.

As much as he trusts Chanyeol, he knows that the taller is hiding something from him. That much is evident. Moreover, it seems not to be his secret only, but a matter the whole group of his housemates is involed in. Baekhyun doesn't like to make assumptions and he trusts Chanyeol more than anyone else, but the weight of keeping secrets is keeping him up at night, quite literally. That also includes him not telling his lover that he suspects something. But then, what the hell is he supposed to say? 'Dude, I know you're hiding something, let's have a sweet little sharing-is-caring session?' Not ing funny.

"Can't sleep?" a husky whisper tickles his nape. He arches his back to fit the curve of Chanyeol's chest.

"No, I'm fine. Go back to sleep." he whispers back, bringing their linked hands up to his chin. Chanyeol leaves small pecks alongside his bare shoulder.

"You know you can always talk to me if something's bothering you, right?"

Baekhyun exhales and pushes his leg between Chanyeol's. "I know, baby. Now sleep."

But Chanyeol has none of it, as usual. He sneaks his big palm under Baekhyun and flips him over so they are facing each other. Baekhyun can see the puffiness of Chanyeol's eyes and how messy his hair is and falls in love a little deeper. The taller presses them close again and covers Baekhyun's shoulders that got exposed during the moving around. He dips his head down and kisses Baekhuns cheekbone ahead of looking into his eyes.

"Just tell me if I can help, okay? I'll do anything." 

Baekhyun doesn't say a word for a moment, just looks into the other's eyes. Chanyeol's hand is patting his hair now, their tummies are touching and their legs tangled on their own accord. He feels calm and cared for and even if the heaviness is still in his heart, he pushes it back. He circles his arms around Chanyeol's middle and caresses his back for a few moments.

"Okay." he breathes out and breakes the eye contact to snuggle closer and nuzzle his nose to Chanyeol's throat. He closes his eyes and lets himself relax, at least for a while. 

The room stills again and Baekhyun feels his own breathing even out. His eyelids grow heavy and the warmth of Chanyeol's body and the soft exhales lull him onto the edge o