For Yixing, there wasn’t a lot of instances where he could get enough time to cook a self-cooked meal. He was usually too busy juggling college as a music major and his part-time job at a guitar shop. Luckily, school was off for the spring break and he decided to take a week off from work. He would’ve liked to go back home to China. Unfortunately, plane tickets from his university in Korea to China were too expensive for only a week’s vacation.

Instead, he chose to stay in his off-campus apartment. He decided to use this week as a way to kick back from the various stressors in his life. Eventually, Yixing got bored of only sleeping in and watching daytime soaps on TV. So after he took a peek at his empty refrigerator, he decided to go grocery shopping to make himself something special.

One of the dishes he was attempting to make was a hot and sour soup that had a pungent smell that wafted throughout the kitchen. Yixing was chopping up the cilantro, the final touch to his soup, when he felt a sharp prick on his left thumb.

“!,” Yixing quietly cried.

He dropped the knife and went out to the cabinet in the hallway in search of a band-aid. Just as he was about to get one, he saw his roommate Baekhyun walk out of his room.

Yixing couldn’t help notice the way his roommate was dressed. His hair was gelled back, he was wearing newly-polished black leather shoes, and he had on a tuxedo.

“Are you and Chanyeol finally eloping?,” asked Yixing with a small smirk on his face.

“I wish. We’re going to my cousin Junmyeon’s wedding. I hear there’s gonna be lots of drama. Apparently, Junmyeon’s marrying some poor girl and his family isn’t too happy about it.” Baekhyun answered. Abruptly, he asked, “Hey, what happened to your finger?” while he grabbed Yixing’s hand.

“Oh, nothing. Just a cu-”. But the rest of Yixing's response died in his throat as soon as his thumb suddenly became entrapped between Baekhyun’s lips and tongue.

Before he could say anything, blood rushed to his cheeks and he could feel his stomach turn to jelly. Yixing was entranced, almost like he had been put under a spell, as he watched Baekhyun make small ministrations on his finger with his tender pink lips. Also, his tongue roamed around the area where he was cut, up the remaining blood.

“Gross, Baekhyun! What are you doing?,” Yixing eventually asked, pulling his finger back.

“Hyung shouldn’t walk around with open wounds!~” Baekhyun exclaimed with a glowing face.

“That’s what band-aids were invented for, .”

“You should be careful while cooking, especially since you almost never do it. I worry about you sometimes, hyung.” said Baekhyun.

Yixing was touched to hear that his roommate was concerned about him. However, he doubted that it was the same type of worry that Yixing had for Baekhyun.

After meeting his dongsaeng for the first time at the beginning of the school year, Yixing decided that they would become good friends, despite being total opposites personality-wise. However, what he had failed to anticipate was the growing affection that he would feel for the younger that went beyond the lines of friendship. Baekhyun’s kindness and warmth had seeped into Yixing’s heart and refused to leave.

However, those very same affections reared its ugly head whenever he happened to catch a glimpse of Baekhyun tightly fastened in his boyfriend Chanyeol’s arms or whenever he witnessed any equally affectionate scene between the two. Also, it resulted in waking up from dreams similar to Baekhyun’s finger-, except he was doing it to a different part of Yixing’s body and was crouched down on the floor.

Snapping out of his reverie, Yixing looked at Baekhyun. He was checking himself out in the mirror and was struggling to adjust his tie.

“Here, let me help you,” said Yixing as he walked over to the younger male. Yixing grabbed his tie and seamlessly knotted it, a skill acquired due to years of experience from attending the numerous weddings of his extended family.

His body was almost flush against Baekhyun’s, which offered a close-up view of his face. He noticed that Baekhyun had on his signature eyeliner. He liked how it accentuated his caramel eyes and how feline-like it made him look.

“Checking me out, eh?,” said Baekhyun with a playful smirk. “I know just how devastatingly handsome I look right now.”

“I’ve seen better,” chuckled Yixing.

Just as Yixing was about to finish fixing Baekhyun’s tie, a phone vibrated on the couch.

“Ugh, that better be Chanyeol. He’s already ten minutes late,” Baekhyun complained.

He dashed for his phone and read through a series of long texts. Yixing watched Baekhyun’s face instantly turn sour.

“He says that he’s not coming because he too hungover from a party last night. I really can't ing believe it. Who the does he think he is?,” he sighs. “But then again, this is Chanyeol we’re talking about. Why do I even expect him to do anything? I must be an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot, Baek” said Yixing, as he grabbed his hand to make Baekhyun stay still from pacing across the room.

Baekhyun forlornly looked into Yixing’s pitch-black eyes. He took a deep sigh. “Screw it. I'm not going to the wedding by myself,” Baekhyun resigns. He plopped himself on the couch and ed his black jacket and white shirt.

“I’ll go with you,” offered Yixing.

“You’ve met my family members before, right? Why in the world would you want to endure that again?”

“Just an option. But if you don’t go, your parents will definitely be pissed.”

Baekhyun considered his friend’s words. He had really wanted Chanyeol to come with him instead so that he could meet his parents. But with Chanyeol ditching him, which was slowing becoming a common occurrence these days, he wasn’t sure that he wanted his parents’ approval of their relationship anymore. It just wasn’t worth it.

“You sure about that?,” asked Baekhyun.

“Duh, we’re friends. That's what friends do.”

Baekhyun beamed at him. “Thank you so much, Xing. I really don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’d probably die from a heart attack since the only thing you know how to make is ramen,” said Yixing with a wide grin.

Yixing grinned harder as he felt a pillow smack his head as he walked out of the living room.