"Baekhyun?" 

There is no answer. Feeling slightly panicked and anxious, she shuts the door of the apartment and sets her bag on the dining table before making her way to her boyfriend's room. The lights in the entire apartment are all off and it is making her heart pound. Baekhyun normally likes bright places and every time he returns home, he would turn on every light in the house. 

"Baby?" she calls out softly when she opens the door to Baekhyun's room. 

She hears him groaning in acknowledgment. Letting out a sigh of relief, she takes a step into room. She turns on the lights and sees a blanket blob on the bed. She smiles softly. Making her way over, she sits on the edge of the mattress, pulling the blanket down. Baekhyun is staring at her, his red hair messy, eyes even droopier than usual, lips in a natural pout. Did she also mention that he has a cooling patch on his forehead? She thinks he looks absolutely adorable. 

"You're late," he mutters, voice muffled from the cold he has contracted. 

"Sometimes you're late too but you don't see me complaining," she raises a cheeky eyebrow as she brushes his hair back, pressing the back of her hand to his warm cheek. He feels so warm that her heart aches. "Traffic was bad," she mentions.

Baekhyun scoffs before coughing a little. "You complain all the time, what are you talking about?" 

"No, I don't," she scowls, peeling the already warm patch off his forehead. "Have you eaten?" 

"No, I've been waiting for you to cook for me." 

"What am I, your maid?" she smacks his arm lightly before standing up from the bed. 

As she throws the patch into the bin, Baekhyun whines softly. "I'm sick yet you're still abusing me? Satan." 

"What do you mean still?" She sends him a glare over her shoulder. 

"You're always..." Baekhyun trails off when he sees her walking in the direction of the door. "Where are you going, baby?" 

"I'm gonna get a new patch and come back," she tells him, turning back to give him a reassuring smile. "I'm not leaving you when you're sick, Baekhyun. I'm not a monster." 

She leaves the room to go to the kitchen. She turns on the lights and gets out a new cooling patch from the refrigerator, at the same time thawing some ingredients to make porridge for her sick boyfriend. She returns to the room as she peels the adhesive paper off the patch. 

The moment his girlfriend enters the room, Baekhyun asks, "What do you mean you're not leaving me when I'm sick?" The girl glances up to see that he is sitting up, his anxious eyes on her. "If I'm not sick, will you leave—"

"Baekhyun, baby," she clucks her tongue, striding over to his bed. She lifts a leg to rest her knee on the bed, leaning closer to him. "I'm not leaving you any time." She brushes his fringe up, clearing his forehead of his red hair. She sticks on the cooling patch, causing Baekhyun to cringe a little at the coolness of it. "This fever must be messing with your head, huh?" she mutters, pressing on the patch to make sure it is stuck on. Her boyfriend hardly ever voices out his insecurities.

"Yeah," Baekhyun grins. "You look extra pretty today, for some reason." She hits his arm again, which makes him snigger. Standing up, she turns around again, about to go make dinner for her boyfriend when the man himself grabs her wrist. "Where are you going now?" he asks, his voice coming out slightly whiny. 

"To cook you food because apparently I am your maid." 

He laughs softly, throwing the blanket off his body. The girl widens her eyes, turning back to stare at him. He slides his hand down to hers, intertwining their fingers. Her heart clenches at how warm his soft hand feels in hers. But then it starts racing in her chest when she sees that he is in a grey hoodie and a pair of black trackpants. 

Baekhyun is a very attractive man. If she hadn't thought so, the fleeting eyes on him whenever they go out would be a good evidence anyway. He knows how to dress himself up in style, capturing attention from both men and women. He loves the spotlight and it's really not surprising to her, since he is a musical actor who enjoys his work. But times like these, when they're home together with no one else to impress, she gets to see him in his comfy clothes, which always brings on a want to snuggle up to him. Baekhyun, to be very honest, is totally aware of it. With their relationship always being so loud and cheeky, they never really get to do romantic things like what other couples do. It is fine by them, really. Because at home, they treat each other lovingly, affectionately— or as lovingly and affectionately as their characters allow. 

So he always dresses up in track pants and hoodies at home, not just because it is comfortable but also because he knows how much his girl loves the look. She's always yearning to nuzzle her face in the crook of his neck, in the hood of his pullover. She loves the sensation of the material of his hoodies on her skin, and she loves his scent most of all. 

"I wanna help you," he says softly, standing from the bed. He is standing so close to her that her face is in his chest, taking in his warm scent. She feels lightheaded and fuzzy. 

She looks up at him. "You should rest, Baekhyun..." 

"At least let me watch," he mutters, rubbing her arm with his free hand. "Since that's what employers do; we supervise our servants." 

She groans, scowling at his words. He laughs, dipping his head to kiss her crown. "Pity, I was planning to drug you," she says, stepping away from him. She pulls him along, clenching his fingers lightly. 

"What are you making?" Baekhyun wonders when they're in the kitchen. 

"Porridge," she murmurs, preoccupied with getting the rice cooker. She doesn't look up at him when she tells him, "Sit by the side, Baekhyun, you're in the way." 

She lets out a soft gasp when Baekhyun pulls her in by the waist and gives her a firm, heart fluttering kiss on her temple. She glances at him, her cheeks feeling warm. He is smiling down at her affectionately, making her heart pound. 

The thing about always squabbling is that every little romantic action feels amplified. A kiss on the cheek, the words I miss you, the touch of their hands; these small things that normal couples are so used to that they don't feel their hearts jumping in their chest anymore, they still manage to make the both of them blush like young lovers, make their hearts flutter like wings of a hummingbird. They'll never be sick of each other, no matter how much they shout and scream at each other. They're perfect for each other, even if the people around them don't think so. 

"Thank you for being here," Baekhyun whispers against his girlfriend's forehead, the tip of his nose on her hairline. 

"I'm always here, Baekhyun," she murmurs softly, hoping he can hear her because she most certainly finds it hard to, what with her heart thumping in her chest. 

"I know," he hums. "Thank you," he says again. 

She looks up at her boyfriend, who is staring at her with a soft look in his eyes. He holds the side of her face gently, his thumb smoothing the apple of her cheek. He leans in slowly, his gaze fluttering to her lips. She closes her eyes, just waiting for his soft lips to touch hers, to quench her craving for his kisses. But instead, he kisses the corner of her lips. She opens her eyes to see him staring at her. 

"I don't want you to get sick too." 

She cannot help herself when she blurts, "Yeah, contracting an STD from my boyfriend would be tragic."

Her lips quirk into a smirk when she sees Baekhyun's unimpressed glare. Every time he tries to be romantic and sweet, she has to break the moment. But then again, isn't that what he does too? The both of them just cannot keep their quips to themselves.

His girlfriend cups either sides of his jaw and darts in to peck him on the lips, taking him by surprise. When she pulls back, she pushes him aside and taps his lightly. "Okay, go away now, Baekhyun. You're an obstruction."

With a suppressed grin, Baekhyun moves to the side to watch his girl cook for him.

It's been a long time since all six of them have met up. Chanyeol is now married to his girlfriend of four years. Junmyeon and Sehun both have girlfriends too. And over the years, they have collected more friends to add to their group. There are now nine boys and only two girls have been never changing, one being Chanyeol's wife and the other being Baekhyun's girl. 

The whole lot of them are in Junmyeon's apartment, for the first time finding a time where everyone is free so that the place is loud with 15 people. They're eating and drinking as they catch up on each other's busy lives. Baekhyun is sitting on the ground with his girl next to him, her legs resting across his lap, his hands resting on her kneecap. She is eating while he is chatting with the guys. So while he listens to what Yixing has to say, he turns to his girl and opens his mouth. 

The girl gives him a look. "Stop looking so ugly," she mutters.

Baekhyun gapes at her for a moment before abandoning the conversation with the boys altogether. "Are you really going to eat all that by yourself?" he scoffs, referring to her plate full of food. She raises an eyebrow as if challenging him with, Yes, so what? Baekhyun's lip twitches. "You're not getting any thinner, you know." When she ignores him and continues eating, he whines, leaning in towards her. "Baby, please..." 

"You're not getting any thinner either, you know," she snipes back, holding her fork in mid air as she gives him a look. 

"I know, I'm a fat ," he admits dismissively. He goes back to whining at her, "Please, baby, I'm hungry." 

She sighs like she is sick of him. Still, she feeds him and he grins at her as he opens his mouth to accept it. They both know that the words they say to each other are just what they are — words. They may hurt, but they have also said much more hurtful things yet the both of them also know those words are not at all true.

Their friends will never not be amused by their relationship. As toxic as their love seems, they also know they're good for each other. Perfect, in fact. Because they're the only two who can stand each other, the only two who can handle the other's sassiness, the only two who can love the way they do. Besides, having them around is always fun because it never gets bored with them constantly trying to break each other's back like this. 

"I want more of the—"

"Get it yourself," she grumbles, now shielding her plate from her boyfriend. 

Baekhyun pinches her thigh, but not painfully. "You should learn how to share, you selfish idiot." 

"Share my fats with you?" she quips, holding out her fork that has a fried cheese stick stabbed on it — the snack Baekhyun wants more of. 

He grins. "Yes."

He bites the cheese stick off the fork and chews on it, the crumbs getting on the side of his lips. She rolls her eyes. 

"You always eat like a child," she tuts, reaching out to brush the crumbs away. 

Baekhyun only grins at her, eyes dancing while he watches her fuss over him. He loves this about her. He loves how she is constantly shooting him down with her words yet her actions are doing the exact opposite. If he ever feels insecure about her feelings for him because of the harsh things she says, he knows he can feel the truth in her actions because they are the mirror of her feelings for him. 

"Baekhyun?" 

"Yeah?" he answers Chanyeol distractedly, still staring at his girlfriend, who is feeding him. 

"Do you want it pure or mixed?" 

Baekhyun reluctantly tears his gaze away from the beautiful girl to focus on Chanyeol, who is holding up a cup in one hand and a bottle of Whisky in the other. Baekhyun makes a face. 

"Pure, please," he mutters, getting the cup from his friend. "Thanks."

"And what about you?" Chanyeol asks, now looking at the girl next to Baekhyun. 

She shakes her head, "I'll just share with—"

"Who said anything about sharing?" Baekhyun blows a raspberry. "Get your own drink." 

"I've always known you were a gentleman," she says, smiling at him so pretentiously that he swears he can smell plastic. 

Ignoring the banter, Chanyeol turns to the guy on the other side of the girl. "What about you, Kyung—" 

Kyungsoo interrupts him, still not understanding how things work around the dysfunctional couple, "She hasn't gotten—"

"Nah, they're sharing," Chanyeol's wife chuckles softly, shaking her head. 

"But Baekhyun said—"

"Oh my god, here!" Baekhyun groans loudly, shoving the cup in his girlfriend's hands. "Now stop whining and complaining like a brat." 

"You're an ," she scowls at him, also pushing her plate towards his chest. 

Kyungsoo watches, confused, as the two exchange the thing in their hands; Baekhyun now holding the almost empty plate, the girl now sipping on the Whisky. He turns back to Chanyeol and his wife, and they can only laugh at his expression. He still has a lot to grasp when it comes to this couple. And because no one will ever understand the two, he will only have to experience their relationship until he comes to terms with the fact that they may not be the most conventional couple, but they are still very much in love with each other, just in an entirely different way.

"What's wrong with them?" Minseok mutters to Sehun as he stares at the couple, already slightly wasted. 

Her head is on the male's shoulder and Baekhyun's cheek is resting on the crown of her head. They're still saying mean things to each other but with more toned down voices. Also, Baekhyun is constantly brushing his lips on her head, kissing her hair every once in a while. This is what happens when they drink, their close friends would know. But for the others who are still green in their friendship, they just don't get it. How can two people display affection like this yet still bite each other with words?

"I'm telling you, guys in suits are hot," she is saying, her words fusing together in a lazy slur. 

"And I'm saying that girls in pencil skirts are hot," Baekhyun says back, his fingers of the hand around her waist fluttering along the side of her body.

The both of them have been on this topic to make each other jealous ever since Jongdae's question about everyone's turn on points, which was almost half an hour ago.

"I wear pencil skirts," the girl mentions, lifting her head to glance at her boyfriend. 

Baekhyun dips his head with a small smile on his face as he grazes his lips on her forehead. "I know," he murmurs. "Turns me on every single time."

Her cheeks warm up even more and this time, it isn't because of the alcohol. She feels a soft sigh against her skin and she tilts her head up to look at Baekhyun. His eyes are closed. He had a bit to drink already and alcohol always makes him sleepy and tired. But she knows his sigh isn't because of his exhaustion, but has something to do with his thoughtfulness. 

"What's wrong, Baekhyun?" the girl whispered, worried. 

There are glances in their direction, the others now slightly curious as to why they're so quiet. Baekhyun flutters his eyes open and they swear it is like watching a romance movie, especially with the way Baekhyun is looking down at her, his lids heavy but his gaze soft, his eyes sparkling. 

"Should I start wearing suits?" he finally wonders out loud, his breath warm on her cheek.

The girl actually giggles, sliding her hand up and down comfortingly on his inner thigh. "No, Baekhyun, don't. You look fine like this." 

"But you said guys in suits—"

She laughs even more, pressing a kiss to his chin. "They are hot, but that doesn't mean I want to see my boyfriend wearing suits everyday." Baekhyun doesn't say anything but instead sighs. "Remember that time you were in that musical?"

"Singing In The Rain?" 

"Yeah," she nods, grinning. Baekhyun knows she is talking about that very one musical out of all the many others he has been in, only because he knows how much she enjoyed it. "That was like my fantasy come true." Baekhyun quirks an eyebrow. "My boyfriend in a suit, singing, and wet." 

The male just stares at her, gaping. The brown in his eyes is swirling like liquid caramel, so beautiful and mesmerising. He flickers his gaze from her eyes to her lips, then back up again. 

"Oh my god," Minseok breathes.

Jongdae's eyes are wide open and Yixing has his hand over his mouth. Baekhyun has captured his girlfriend's lips, his soft hand on the side of her neck, his thumb caressing her skin. 

She moans softly against the kiss, barely hearing the conversations around her. She brings her hand up to her boyfriend's wrist, circling her hand around it lightly. Baekhyun tilts his head, deepening the lip-locking with his tongue lining her bottom lip as he lightly nips on it. She leans in closer as she spreads her lips to give Baekhyun the entrance he is craving for. With every passing second, their kiss deepens even more, slowly but surely becoming more passionate. Just when Junmyeon thinks he should stop them from doing it here in his apartment, the girl pulls away, their swollen lips still touching, their eyes soft on each other only.

"We should go back," Baekhyun whispers, eyes flickering down to her parted lips. 

"We should," she agrees breathily, nodding her head as she swallows. 

Baekhyun stares for a bit longer before turning his head to face their friends. At once, everyone who had been staring at them looks away, pretending to be preoccupied with doing something else better than watch a dysfunctional couple engage in a heated kiss. Baekhyun clears his throat, trying to gain some attention. They only look at him when he stands up, fixing his jeans. 

As he pulls his girl up, wrapping his arm around her waist when she is standing, pulling her closer to him, he mentions, "We'll make a move now."

"They're going to bang, aren't they?" Jongin whispers to Chanyeol as all of them watch them wear their shoes, Baekhyun holding onto her elbow and carrying her handbag as she wears her heels.

"Bye!" the girl waves, taking her bag from Baekhyun, who is holding the door open for her. 

The others wave back and she steps out of the apartment. Baekhyun follows behind her but not before he turns back with a mischeivous glint in his eyes. 

"Yes, we are," he answers to Jongin's question with a wink before leaving for real, letting the door slam shut behind him. 

Author's note:

Writing this is honestly so much fun! The idea is so fresh and it makes writing so much more fun but also so much harder. But I love the challenge. So I hope you guys liked this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please leave comments to tell me what you think! 

Till next time
xoxo