A/N: hi there!! I got a lot of comments on the last chapter and it made me so happy omg i was almost crying really. The ones who write fanfics know how heart-warming it is to read nice comments, so thank you very much!! And special thanks for those who frequently comment on every chapter, it makes me so happy that you like this story so much to leave a comment on every chap :)

the last chapter was long af, so this one is back to 8k. I decided to do a fluff chap, where i can just write how chanbaek are getting closer. From now on, i hope that things will get interesting :) thanks once again for reading!

SPECIAL NOTE - hasti i love you very much, thank you for supporting me in everything and letting me talk to you about crap that's going on in my life without you being tired of it and giving me lots and lots of advices :) love you so much, my dear soulmate xx

--

Chanyeol steps out of Baekhyun's flat with a heavy heart, ready to close the door behind himself and just go home, sleep his pain away. He's done enough damage for tonight, and Chanyeol can't believe that every single time him and Baekhyun have fun, something goes wrong. Hurting Baekhyun, that's what Chanyeol always does at one point. That's why he should go and leave the man alone for now, let him rest and sleep after a night like this. 

With that in mind, Chanyeol starts closing the door slowly so it wouldn't make any sound. However, he fails rather badly because the door loudly screeches with the movement, and Chanyeol sighs in defeat, not being able to even close the door without ing it up. The door is literally one milimeter away from being closed completely when Chanyeol stops, somehow not being able to pull the door closer to him and close it all the way. 

Baekhyun is currently lying in his bed half , and it's too cold in his apartment. 

Chanyeol tightens his grip on the door handle. It shouldn't be such a big deal. It wasn't a big deal until now, since Baekhyun's been living here for probably some time already and must be accustomed to the temperature in his flat. 

He's still sick, though. 

Baekhyun should be okay by now. He looked okay this morning too, and in the club he didn't show any signs of feeling tired or something like that. Actually, Baekhyun was lively and smiley the whole time. If he wasn't there while Baekhyun had fainted, he would never guess that this man that was dancing almost all night was sick just tomorrow.

He's most likely going to have a huge hungover tomorrow, given how much he's drunk. 

Closing his eyes and letting a quiet sigh escape his lips, Chanyeol slips back to the apartment and this time he closes the door, though from the other side. Baekhyun might wants him out, but Chanyeol has to make sure that he's gonna be okay the next morning, and not because he fears Kyungsoo's wrath, but because the cook said earlier that Baekhyun trusts him. Although he didn't give Baekhyun a lot of reasons to do so, the brunet trusts him. Chanyeol can't just leave when he doesn't know if Baekhyun is going to be alright. It's his obligation to make sure he's okay, since he's the one who took him home, since he's in Chanyeol's care now. Again. 

And Chanyeol has always hated when he had to take care of someone other than Jongdae because it was too tiring, but strangely, he doesn't mind taking care of Baekhyun in the slightest. Maybe it's the guilt eating him from inside out, making him do these things without thinking how annoying it is to keep an eye on someone. And maybe it's just because it's Baekhyun, whatever that means. 

Hanging his coat, Chanyeol walks to the couch in the corner of the room, pulling his phone out from his pocket and writing a message to his mother. After all, they are going to be back - if they are not already - in Seoul and he doesn't want his mother think that he's out there creating scandals. He writes a short message about taking care of his friend - he mentions Baekhyun's name because she will immediately connect the name with Jongdae and won't pry too much - and tells her that he kept his promise about not drinking anything tonight. He adds a kiss and goodnight, saying he'll be back around lunch tomorrow and hits the send button. 

Letting the phone fall out of his hand and lend on the couch that looks really old but is also oddly comfortable,  Chanyeol wonders if Baekhyun is already asleep. When Chanyeol's drunk, he falls asleep the second he lays down on his bed, but he doesn't know if Baekhyun's the same. 

Chanyeol decides to check. Even though it's not really a great idea, since Baekhyun will probably get mad at him for still being here and not leaving like Baekhyun do desperately pleaded him to. But it's too dark with all the lights out, so if he just peeps through the door Baekhyun might not notice him in case he's still awake.

He stands up and with quiet steps Chanyeol walks over to Baekhyun's bedroom door, pulling the handle down carefully and opening the door as silently as he can. Thanks god, it doesn't screech as the front door, for which Chanyeol is extremely grateful. From what little he sees, Baekhyun is now turned to the other side, his back now facing the wall instead of Chanyeol. His features are relaxed, eyes closed and the lifting and falling of his chest seems even, meaning that the brunet is most likely asleep. 

Chanyeol opens the door just enough for him to slip into the room that is dark and the only thing that's lighting it up is the moon that's shining way too bright today. Baekhyun's bedroom is really small, just spacious enough for his bed, table, wardrobe and television, so Chanyeol doesn't have a hard time collecting Baekhyun's clothes that are scattered on the floor. The clothes that he's folded not exactly neatly but good enough after picking them up are put on the chair, and Chanyeol takes the two steps to the right then, those short steps being enough for him to reach the wardrobe. He opens it and though he feels like he's intruding Baekhyun's privacy by going through his clothes, Chanyeol doesn't hesitate before he starts searching for another duvet or something big enough that he can cover Baekhyun with. it doesn't take him long to fine one, and when he takes out the smooth duvet from the wardrobe, Chanyeol walks over to Baekhyun's curled up, small form lying on the bed and throws it over him, adding another layer that will protect Baekhyun from the cold. 

The moment the blanket makes contact with Baekhyun's body, the brunet lets out a quiet, barely audible whine, furrows his eyebrows a bit and shuffles on the bed. For a moment Chanyeol panics, thinking that he woke Baekhyun up and it's gonna be wild if Baekhyun opens his eyes and finds out that Chanyeol's still here, but the brunet just changes his position without waking up, letting out a content exhale as he relaxes his body again. 

Now Chanyeol can see his face clearly, the moon shining on Baekhyun's features from outside the window. He feels a painful, almost physical, pang in his chest when he sees the wet trails on the brunet's cheeks that are glistening in the moonlight, along with the wet spot on Baekhyun's pillow. The thought of Baekhyun crying because of him hits Chanyeol like a train, making him wonder if he made Baekhyun cry before, specifically on Sunday after their dinner. The image of the man not being able to hold back his tears after the kiss attempt gone wrong the last time makes Chanyeol feel ten thousand times more than before. 

The wetness on his soft looking face or not, Baekhyun looks breathtaking in the moonlight, parts of his face highlighted while other parts are hiding in darkness. Baekhyun's long lashes are casting shadows on his cheeks, his eyelids covering his brown orbs from the world. Chanyeol has noticed the beauty marks on Baekhyun's face before, but that doesn't mean he's admiring them less. The moles on his face aren't the only thing he's admiring though, Chanyeol's eyes eventually falling on Baekhyun's lips. The lips that were kissing Chanyeol's neck just a few minutes ago, making his heart beat so fast and loud that Chanyeol thought that his heart will simply jump out of his chest. Besides how soft they are, Chanyeol really likes the shape of them, the sharp lines of his upper lip with a mole above their corner. He can't help but want to feel them again, and not only on his neck. He wants to feels those lips everywhere on his body. 

Byun Baekhyun, at least in Chanyeol's eyes, is one of the most beautiful people in the world. If not actually the one in the first place. His beauty got Chanyeol falling to his knees the first time they met, and thinking that he'll lose interest in Baekhyun quickly was really foolish, if someone was to ask Chanyeol about it now. Because no matter how many times he looks at the brunet, Chanyeol doesn't feel like losing interest. It's the exact opposite. Every single time he looks at Baekhyun, Chanyeol feels the need to stare longer, thinking that a simple glance in Baekhyun's direction isn't enough to capture all of his beauty. 

But Baekhyun is never going to be anything more than a friend, and the imagines of Baekhyun's body under his, those perfectly shaped mouth and screaming Chanyeol's name in the darkness of the night and the brunet's nails digging into his back from the pleasure are never going to come true. Imagines... That's all this ever's going to be. And Chanyeol has to accept it, no matter how ing much he wants it to happen. 

Since Chanyeol knows his boundries very well, he will respect them. And if Baekhyun never asks Chanyeol to sleep with him while he's sober and not drunk so much that it's a miracle he didn't get alcohol poisoning, Chanyeol will respect that as well. Because he can see that Baekhyun's been through something that made him like this, and instead of adding to his already existing sadness, Chanyeol wants to help him, make him understand that he's worth so much and that he's way more than enough, not the other way around. If Baekhyun needs a friend instead of a one night stand or a buddy, Chanyeol will keep his urges down and be there for him. 

Because this is what Baekhyun deserves after giving Chanyeol a second chance, even if he didn't have to. 

--

Baekhyun wakes up in the morning with the biggest headache he's had in his whole life. Opening his eyes with a groan, Baekhyun doesn't even remember how he got home. He just remembers drinking a lot after Jongin announced the big news, remembers making fun of Sehun's big crush on Luhan, and then he remembers that he wanted to dance, and that he also dragged Chanyeol with him, but that's all. 

However, the image of his drunk as self dragging Chanyeol to dance is enough for him to hide his face in his hands, cursing himself. It wouldn't be the first time he dragged someone to dance with him, but with alcohol in his blood, the dancing was never even close to innocent. God knows what Baekhyun must've done to Chanyeol the other night. 

Is Chanyeol angry at him? Baekhyun can imagine that he is. After drawing a line between them, saying that he isn't interested in Chanyeol at all and practically friendzoning Chanyeol, he pulls a stunt like this. He doesn't know if he wants to remember what he's done or not, knowing that if he truly did something bad, Baekhyun would then be too embarrassed to ever show his face in front of Chanyeol. 

Sitting up, Baekhyun closes his eyes and touches his head, the headache even worse now when he's up. It's definitely not the first time he's drank so much - honestly, there was a time when Baekhyun drank more and was better now - but given that he's still kind of sick, the alcohol had a bigger impact on his condition. 

When Baekhyun takes off the blanket from his body, he shivers from the cold, the morning breeze caressing his skin in a not exactly friendly manner. Baekhyun has only his boxers on, which means that someone definitely took him home yesterday, because knowing himself Baekhyun would certainly just fall on his bed and fall asleep with his clothes on if he got home by himself. 

It was probably Kyungsoo because the guy can handle alcohol better than anyone. He can mix everything and be just slightly drunk while everyone would probably be dead at that point. 

The moment his feet touch the ground, Baekhyun winces. Too cold, Baekhyun thinks, but still stands up and quickly tiptoes to his wardrobe, pulling out sweatpants and a sweater. The moment he has these two pieces of clothing in his hands, Baekhyun quickly walks back to his bed and gets back on it while he puts on the sweater in one swift motion. It's true that he's already a bit accustomed to his flat being a freezer, but that doesn't mean he actually likes the cold. 

After he's dressed, Baekhyun decides to go for his slippers that are probably where he left them - at the door. Which is too ing far for this cold floor. Maybe Baekhyun should use some of his money to buy himself a carpet instead of having to walk on the surface of the freezing ground. On the way to the bedroom door where he can feel his feet dying from the cold already, Baekhyun's stomach growls loudly. 

Ah, true, Baekhyun thinks. He hasn't had anything to eat for a while now. The only thing he ate yesterday was one cup of instant noodles before he fell asleep and woke just in time to dress himself, put some make up on and head to the dance competition with Kyungsoo who picked him up. He doesn't remember if there still is food in his flat, but Baekhyun hopes so because he's practically dying form hunger now that his stomach reminded him of how long he's gone without having nothing to eat.

He opens the bedroom door with a sigh and an intention to break into a run so he'll get to his slippers faster, but he immediately stops when he sees a person sleeping in his small couch in the corner of the room, the long limbs of that certain someone sprawled in front of him. 

"What?" Baekhyun asks out loud, confused. The cold is nipping at his feet, but he's unable to move due to the shock. Eyes wide, he just stares at the man in his couch, not fully understanding why would Chanyeol be here in the first place. Has he come with Kyungsoo yesterday and decided to just crash here? Did Kyungsoo leave him there because he had enough of Chanyeol's ?

Was there even a Kyungsoo to begin with? A small voice in Baekhyun's mind speaks up, and Baekhyun has to blink a few times to make sure that yes, it is indeed Park Chanyeol sleeping in his tiny couch that is way too small for the CEO's big body. Did Chanyeol actually take him home instead of Kyungsoo, or anybody else? But why would he do that? It's true that they are friends now, but still. Baekhyun has heard from Jongdae that Chanyeol likes to party a lot, so why would he rather take care of Baekhyun than have fun when he could?

Just like that, a weird series of blurred images appears in his mind and his head starts throbbing slightly. The images are of him and Chanyeol, in Baekhyun's room, in Baekhyun's bed, of all places. Baekhyun can almost feel the touches they share in these images, and a vision of him stradling Chanyeol with his hips and kissing the man's neck while Chanyeol's large hands caress the skin of his thighs makes his heart stop.

Did he have a dream about Chanyeol or was it a memory from yesterday? Baekhyun doesn't feel soar at all and looking at his body, there aren't any marks left that could mean that the images in his head weren't created while he was sleeping and subconsiously thinking about the CEO. 

But why would he even think about Chanyeol in the first place? 

With many thoughts in his head, Baekhyun finally moves and and starts walking in the direction of his slippers, but his eyes stay on Chanyeol the whole time. Baekhyun can't believe that the man is truly here, doubting his eyes and thinking they are deceiving him. And oh my god, if Chanyeol really is in Baekhyun's flat, he must've slept on the terribly small couch. His body will most likely hurt as hell when he wakes up. 

When he finally has his slippers on and his feet don't feel like they are going to turn into ice and shatter, Baekhyun walks over to Chanyeol and stops in font of his sleeping form, his eyes falling on Chanyeol's relaxed face. Baekhyun doesn't get how Chanyeol can look so relaxed and content while sleeping in that horrible couch, even Baekhyun himself can't sleep in that thing. Actually, Baekhyun was ready to throw this couch out in following days. 

Baekhyun grimaces, seeing that even Chanyeol's neck is craned in the not-comfortably-looking position. How can he sleep like that? 

Chanyeol looks stupid while sleeping. Really. His mouth is hanging open slightly and his eyes aren't fully closed, making him look not only dumb but also a bit scary. However, Baekhyun can't deny that Chanyeol also looks somewhat... good? That's probably not the word, but it's close. Jongin once told him that good-looking people will still look good no matter what, even if they try making silly faces. Their face will look silly, but there will still be something beautiful about it.

And right now, Chanyeol is a perfect example for what Jongin has said.

Baekhyun lets his his eyes roam over Chanyeol's face, being able to take a real look at Chanyeol for the first time. Last time when he threw the blanket over Chanyeol who was drooling on his documents with his head on the table, Baekhyun was too hungry to spend his time looking at the sleeping man, but now he finally got the chance.

Chanyeol has got really masculine features even though he has quite a lot baby fat on his face, that makes him look really adorable as well as manly. He's also got strong eyebrows and although his lashes aren't exactly the longest he's ever seen in his life, they are pretty thick, Chanyeol's eyes. His skin looks a bit tanned, but not too much, and his lips are plump and light, natural color. They are also chapped, but Baekhyun figures that it's because they got dry, since Chanyeol's breathing through his mouth. Baekhyun's noticed that Chanyeol's lips are usually really smooth looking, so that's probably it. Not like he's been looking at the man's lips, he just noticed it coincidentally. Everyone can notice things like that. 

Baekhyun reaches his hand out and lightly touches Chanyeol's arm, but the moment his fingertips make contact with Chanyeol's skin, Baekhyun retracts his hand and yelps quietly. Chanyeol is cold like, the CEO's skin feeling like ice under Baekhyun's fingertips. Why didn't Chanyeol at least take something to cover himself up other than his coat? He has a spare duvet in his wardrobe, so Chanyeol could just- oh, Baekhyun realizes. The spare duvet was covering him from the cold as well as his blanket, and Baekhyun just wants to cry when he realizes that Chanyeol most probably did it because he wanted Baekhyun to feel warm.

He's really nice, Baekhyun thinks with a sad smile on his lips, feeling guilty for causing trouble for Chanyeol. Baekhyun judged him too soon.

Returning to his room, Baekhyun takes in his hands the blankets and walks back to Chanyeol. He covers Chanyeol's long legs with one of them, and tucks the rest of his body in the other. Chanyeol doesn't even stir, too deep in his sleep to get woken up just because of the faint touch of the blankets. And Baekhyun is glad, Chanyeol deserves the rest after all the possible troubles Baekhyun caused yesterday without remembering.´

Baekhyun knows that he can't behave when he's drunk, he's been told that too many times to ever forget about it. He is lucky that his friends were always there for him, collecting him from the ground after he passed out in the middle of the street or dragging him out of terrible situations Baekhyun has gotten himself in. His friends are already used to it, but Chanyeol isn't. He must think really bad things about Baekhyun, since there is no way that once in his life was Baekhyun well-behaved when he was drunk.

Deciding that simple thanks wouldn't be enough in this situation, Baekhyun decides to cook something for lunch. He's had in mind making something nice for breakfast, but given that it's already lunch time, breakfast wouldn't be enough. 

His plans get shatter though the moment he opens his fridge, finding out that the only thing he has there is a yogurt, ketchup, milk and butter. Baekhyun groans quietly and hangs his head down, cursing himself for not going grocery shipping on Wednesday, as he initially promised himself he would. How is he supposed to make home-cooked lunch when there is nothing in here?

Baekhyun looks back at Chanyeol who is sleeping on the couch motionlessly, the only thing signaling that he's not dead is the even lifting and falling of his chest under the blanket. He doesn't look like he's going to wake up anytime soon, and with that thought in his mind, Baekhyun decides to quickly run to the store on the opposite side of the street. Even though it's Sunday, the small shop is usually open til 13.30, so according to the time, Baekhyun has still twenty five minutes left until the shop closes. It should be plenty of time to shop the essentials for the lunch. 

With fast steps, Baekhyun walks over to the hanger, taking his jacket off it and putting it on in one swift motion. Then, he kicks down his slippers and replaces them with the pair of old shoes, grabbing his wallet and keys as he straightens up. Opening the door, he takes one last look at peaceful Chanyeol on his couch and with a fond smile, he closes the door, determined to cook perfect lunch. 

Baekhyun is a bad cook. He isn't the type to watch a culinary channel and be able to follow the steps on television without burning down his kitchen, even if he tried. But since Kyungsoo is the best cook ever, he sometimes helps him with his experiments when Baekhyun gets the sudden urge to cook because he feels inspired for whatever reason. And although there are only few foods that Baekhyun is able to cook, those dishes he actually can make aren't half bad. 

Chanyeol likes Thai food a lot, Baekhyun remembers Jongdae's words as he opens the entrance door to his building and runs into the streets. Before crossing the road, Baekhyun checks if there isn't any car around, not wanting to get run over when he has serious business ahead of himself. The old woman behind the cashier startles when Baekhyun barges in the shop like the world is ending, and the brunet sends her an apologetic smile before he starts searching for what he needs.

Rice, pork meat, basil, chilli, green beans, soy sauce, sugar, eggs, he names all the products as he throws them in the cart - he puts the eggs in it gently, of course, he wouldn't want them to break - and heads to the cashier, his hands quick as never before when he's putting the ingredients he will need in front of the cashier. The woman looks totally unimpressed when she says the final sum after Baekhyun throws everything in an igelit bag, and Baekhyun hands her the money with a polite smile, counting them carefully so it's the exact amount of money he has to pay. The woman looks like it would take too long for her to give him back the change, and Baekhyun doesn't have time for that. 

Saying goodbye and wishing the woman a good day, Baekhyun exits the shop. He looks at his mobile screen to check the time, and the brunet is surprised with himself when he finds out that it only took him ten minutes to get everything and be done with the shopping. There was no need for him to also buy something to drink, since he has two different mineral waters at home somewhere along with a multivitamin juice because when Baekhyun is too lazy to go to the shop even though it' so close, he drinks a lot so the hunger will go away when his stomach is full of water. 

Unlocking the door, Baekhyun is glad that nobody took the elevator after him and that it's still on the ground floor, therefore Baekhyun doesn't have to wait. Stepping in and pressing button with number three on it, the door closes and Baekhyun exhales loudly, realizing that he's actually quite out of breath after running through the shop to get all that he needs in a minimal amount of time. 

Finally stopping for a minute, Baekhyun wonders why he's so hyped up about making lunch for Chanyeol. The CEO will most likely be unaffected by Baekhyun's efforts, since he has a lot fancier food at home or at restaurants. Still, there is the little hope in Baekhyun that Chanyeol will actually like the dish Baekhyun is going to cook. But why is he thinking so hard about it?

Dismissing it when the elevator door opens, Baekhyun steps out and heads for his apartment door, praying to higher powers that Chanyeol is still sleeping and isn't freaking out when he realizes that Baekhyun isn't at home. He wasn't gone long, but considering Baekhyun's luck, he wouldn't even be surprised if Chanyeol woke right after Baekhyun has left his flat.

Fiddling with his keys and taking out the one that fits, Baekhyun quietly opens the door to his apartment, his eyes immediately falling on the couch in order to check if Chanyeol is still there. And maybe once in his life, Baekhyun actually is lucky, because he sees Chanyeol lying in his couch and sleeping in the exact same position as before after he steps into his apartment. 

Happy that the black haired man is still deep in his deep slumber, Baekhyun changes his shoes back to his slippers and hangs his coat up. He walks to the kitchen and pulls all the ingredients out of the bag and places them on the kitchen pult, once again checking if he truly has everything. After checking, Baekhyun starts searching for the wok pan that should be in one of the cupboards if Baekhyun remembers correctly. After all, it's been some time since Baekhyun cooked. There was no need to cook because he was fine with delivery and ramyun, but no when Chanyeol's here, he sure as hell want offer him instant noodles. When Baekhyun was sick and staying at Chanyeol's house, the CEO also tried to make home cooked meal for him, so now Baekhyun's going to return the favor. However, he won't screw up because he is pretty confident when it comes to cooking this exact dish.

While humming quietly, Baekhyun starts cutting the meat, garlic, chilli and green beans, careful not cut his finger like last time. When he's done, he fries garlic and chilli in oil together for about thirty seconds, then he adds the pork and mixes it all together. He leaves it frying for now, waiting until the meat is done. Since it'll take some time, Baekhyun searches for saucepan and when he finally finds it under old and used pots in one of the cupboard, he adds rice in it along with the measured amount of water, putting a tightfitting lid on top, turning the heat under the sauce pan high.

He turns his head to look at Chanyeol who's still deep in his dreams, and Baekhyun is glad that he didn't wake him with all that noise, though he's trying really hard to do everything as silently as possible.

--

Baekhyun is already turning down the heat under the pans when he hears a voice behind him.

"Aren't you hangover, like at all? How come you're even cooking?" the voice doesn't necessarily have to be loud to startle him and almost make him drop everything on the floor, it just has to be low and still hoarse from sleep, too close to his ear. 

Baekhyun yelps and turns around swiftly, accidentally bumping into the handle of the pan with his arm in the process. Seeing the pan losing balance on the cooker, Baekhyun is ready to cry because he can already see all of his efforts ruined just because of this. However, just as he's about to let the loud no out of his mouth, a large hand grabs the handle and balances it back on the cooker quickly, Chanyeol's fast reaction saving the situation and their lunch.

"Thank-..." his voice trails off when Baekhyun is met with big eyes staring back at him. Baekhyun didn't expect Chanyeol to be so... close, when he turned to face the CEO that is apparently not sleeping anymore. Now, he can feel Chanyeol's hot breath against his forehead and though Chanyeol is not violating his personal space, Baekhyun doesn't feel uncomfortable, per se. He just feels kind of strange. 

They stare at each other like that for a few silent seconds, and Baekhyun is letting a string of curses run around his mind because , this is the second time that happened in maybe two or three days. How many more times is coming? "Thank you," Baekhyun says again, this time actually finishing his sentence. It comes out as a whisper, though. 

"I scared you again, sorry," Chanyeol apologizes and backs off quickly, probably sensing the heavy tension in the air around them. Seeing Chanyeol look away guiltily, Baekhyun wants to tell him it's okay, that he doesn't mind, but what exactly he doesn't mind? Them being so close to each other that they can feel the other's breath on their faces? That shouldn't be okay, since they both settles for being friends and nothing more. 

"U-Uhm," Jesus Baekhyun, get a grip, Baekhyun thinks angrily and starts again, this time with more confidence. "I heard you liked Thai and so I made a little something for lunch, since... you know, you took me home yesterday. And also took care of me when I was sick... This is me saying thank you."

Chanyeol looks back at him and for a moment, he just stares at the brunet, and Baekhyun starts thinking that this was all a big mistake, that he shouldn't have cooked for Chanyeol, but then a bright smile appears on his face and Baekhyun's knees almost give out as the toothy grin splits the CEO's face in half. "Thank you accepted."

"I'm glad," Baekhyun smiles too, not being able to fight off his smile when the tall male is radiating happiness to strongly. "Sit, I'll get you a plate."

Chanyeol obeys and takes a seat behind the small dining table, and Baekhyun feels the CEO's gaze on him the whole when he's preparing a portion for Chanyeol. It's making Baekhyun nervous when he knows someone is watching his every movement. Being stared at isn't unusual for Baekhyun, but being stared at in his home when there are only the two of them is actually making Baekhyun feel flustered. 

However, when he turns around with a plate in his hands, ready to serve the dish to Chanyeol, the male averts his gaze elsewhere as if thinking that Baekhyun didn't sense his eyes on his body just a second ago. 

"Just to let you know, it's one of my favorite Thai dishes," Chanyeol informs Baekhyun when his eyes fall on the food, his mouth watering at the amazing smell. 

Baekhyun hands him the chopsticks along with a spoon and a fork, saying, "I don't know which do you use for this, so have both." He tries to act casual but just the mention of this being one of Chanyeol's favorite dishes is making him somewhat happy.

"It's really good," Baekhyun hears the voice coming from behind his back, and the brunet's face starts feeling hotter than before. He doesn't say anything and continues making a plate for himself, when Chanyeol speaks up again, "Jongin said you're a terrible cook, but this is more than amazing."

"I am a terrible cook," Baekhyun laughs, not taking it to heart. It's true, after all, Jongin isn't lying at all. "But I knew how to make a few dishes... that are actually edible."

Chanyeol laughs at Baekhyun's quieter remark, and the other male finally turns around and heads to his seat with a plate in one hand and a fork in the other. He wasn't that hungry when he woke up, but during the making of their lunch, Baekhyun got hungry as hell and was actually praying that it'll be done faster so he can finally eat. Before sitting down though, Baekhyun gives Chanyeol a glass of water, thinking that the man must be thirsty, since his mouth is dry as hell from breathing through it. After three seconds of thinking, Baekhyun decides to pour himself a glass of water too, and just then he finally sits down and dives into the food.

"But how really, aren't you feeling sick? You've drank quite a lot yesterday," Chanyeol asks, eyeing Baekhyun. 

"I felt bad in the morning, but I'm never hangover for long," Baekhyun answers as he starts stuffing food into his mouth. "I'm just feeling like dying for ten minutes or so and then I'm relatively fine."

"Poor you."

They fall into comfortable silence, and Baekhyun would like to think that it's awkward when their eyes meet from time to time, but it's really not. Instead of awkwardness, Baekhyun feels lighter with every eye-contact the two of them make, giving each other barely visible smiles as they look down into their plates. The tension from before is completely forgotten like it was never here to begin with, and Baekhyun is glad. 

From the occasional glances that Baekhyun throws Chanyeol's way, the brunet thinks that the CEO really looks good with his hair disheveled from sleep, eyes still half-lidded and not awoken completely. It really fascinates Baekhyun that the other male's eyes are so big even though they aren't even open fully yet.

When Baekhyun is half done with his food and Chanyeol is already on his second plate, Baekhyun's eyes fall on the couch in the distance, the taller's coat thrown on the top of blankets Baekhyun brought from his bedroom. 

"Your back must be hurting from sleeping on that thing," Baekhyun comments, looking from his plate once again to see Chanyeol's reaction. The guy only chuckles half-heartedly before answering.

"It's actually not that bad, but I would prefer bed, true."

Baekhyun opens his mouth to say understandable, when a question comes to his mind as he remembers the images that came to his head this morning. he hesitates before asking, knowing that what Baekhyun wants to ask can possibly ruin the light mood that they are in, but as always, Baekhyun's curiosity makes the question fall from his mouth before he can stop it. "Did I do something... weird last night?"

"...What do you mean?" Chanyeol visibly tenses, and Baekhyun heart drops, because of course he's done something stupid. The way Chanyeol's grip tightens around his fork can't be a coincidence. So Baekhyun sitting on top of Chanyeol wasn't a dream after all, but a memory? 

"Exactly what I asked.. Did I do something weird, or stupid, or whatever you want to call it?" Baekhyun repeats his question, eyes trained on Chanyeol even though it's killing him because Chanyeol's face expressions are already screaming the answer in the form of yes, you did back at Baekhyun. 

Chanyeol is silent for a while, just picking at the small remains of his food without looking at Baekhyun. After what seems like forever, Chanyeol finally answers. "You didn't."

"Really," It's not even the question this time, his voice laced with sarcasm. In other circumstances, Baekhyun would be happy to hear that. But judging by Chanyeol's blank look and hard features, Baekhyun senses a lie in his words.

"Yes, really. You just acted really childish, stealing the keys and pressing all the buttons in the elevator," Chanyeol chuckles, probably at the memory of drunk, childish Baekhyun being extra. But even now, Baekhyun can't seem to believe the CEO. There is something more behind that chuckle, and Baekhyun is sure about that.

"That's all?" He questions. 

"That's it."

Baekhyun still doesn't think Chanyeol is telling him the truth because if he was, he wouldn't have tensed to much when Baekhyun asked about last night, but he lets it go. Why would Chanyeol even lie to him, right? There is no reason for him to do that. And Baekhyun also can't straight up ask if him he was just having a wet dream about Chanyeol or if it actually happened. If Chanyeol's saying it didn't happen, then it didn't happen. He will believe him.

Chanyeol averts the topic of yesterday when he starts with telling Baekhyun about how he barged in the wrong room when he was still in college and drunk so bad that he accidentally read 208 instead of 209 and surprised a girl quietly reading her book when he opened the door to her room in the middle of the night. Baekhyun adds his own embarrassing story about dancing in the fountain in the center of the park half-, and then the conversation just flows perfectly, the two of them sharing a meal while talking about all of the dumb things they've done in the past when they were drunk.

It's nice, not to eat lunch alone when he's actually home for lunch. And Chanyeol is a good company, no matter what Baekhyun thought about him in the beginning. He is talkative and funny, and if he accidentally says something that makes Baekhyun tense up - like mentioning Baekhyun's family or school - he changes the topic immediately, without prying further to get to the core of Baekhyun's secrets. Baekhyun won't say it, but he's thankful to the other male for not asking questions that would make Baekhyun feel uncomfortable. 

After they are done with eating, they do the dishes together, and Baekhyun tries really hard to ignore how domestic and couple-y it all feels, but it's impossible to turn a blind eye to it. Baekhyun is not used to someone other than his three and only friends hanging around and helping him clean up after they make a mess, that's why it feels so strange to have Chanyeol  helping him. Again, it's not unpleasant, just strange. Baekhyun actually doesn't mind Chanyeol being here, washing dishes beside him while Baekhyun dries them and puts everything back to its place. 

Also, it's pretty weird how Baekhyun feels so comfortable around someone he only knows for a few days, someone who spent half of the days they've known each other shamelessly flirting with Baekhyun in the middle of the street. And somehow, Baekhyun feels like they are good friends, like they've known each other for at least a year. They joke around, tease each other - Chanyeol usually teases Baekhyun about his height and Baekhyun like to have a comeback with a remark about Chanyeol's yoda years - and bicker about the smallest things and... Baekhyun feels really good.

Chanyeol is a fairly new addition to his life, something new, and Baekhyun usually doesn't let people get close to him, not even his previous boyfriends, but it only takes one glance at Chanyeol and Baekhyun, for whatever reason, feels like he can make it far with this guy. There is something about them, their dynamic, that makes Baekhyun believe that they can become very good friends. Their personalities are very similar and their humor too, after all. 

With a small smile on his lips, Baekhyun continues drying everything Chanyeol washes, and when the tall man asks what is Baekhyun stupidly grinning about, the brunet just shrugs, not giving Chanyeol an answer.  

--

They said it'll be raining on Monday on television, but they are often feeding Baekhyun lies, so obviously Baekhyun didn't think that it will actually rain. When he went to change into his normal clothes, it wasn't exactly sunny, but it wasn't too cloudy either. And now, maybe fifteen minutes later, when he steps out of the staff only room, Baekhyun stares at the heavy-falling rain on the other side of the window, already cursing himself for not bringing an umbrella with him today. 

Sighing heavily, Baekhyun continues walking toward the door, but stops abruptly when he sees a tall man in a fancy suit stop right in front of the door.

What is Chanyeol doing here? Baekhyun asks himself as he stares at the CEO who's covered from the rain by the big, black umbrella. Chanyeol checks his watch and frowns, then looks up and turns his gaze toward the restaurant, a smile appearing on his handsome face when his eyes focus on Baekhyun who is still standing dumbly in the middle of the restaurant, staring back into Chanyeol's eyes in confusion. 

Baekhyun told Chanyeol yesterday that he doesn't have to keep walking Baekhyun home after work when they are actual friends now and friends don't walk each other from work every day, especially if one of them has a lot more on his plate in work than the other one who is finally free from his shift. Wasting his lunchtime to walk Baekhyun home, the brunet doesn't like it in the slightest. Chanyeol should just take his time to rest and eat when he finally has the time.

It comes a few long seconds later, but Baekhyun starts walking toward the entrance door, saying goodbye to one of his co-worker that walks past him. Chanyeol is smiling at him more with every step that Baekhyun takes closer to him, and Baekhyun would really like to say that it doesn't do anything to his heart, but he would lie. Seeing Chanyeol looking at him like that is making his heart skip a beat.

Opening the door to the restaurant carefully so he won't bump into Chanyeol, Baekhyun asks, "What are you doing here? Didn't we talk-"

"I know, I know," Chanyeol cuts him off, hiding Baekhyun under the umbrella too. Baekhyun might not be as perceptive as Chanyeol, but the drops of rain that fall on Chanyeol's shoulder because the CEO is prioritizing protecting Baekhyun from the rain rather than himself, don't escape his eyes. Baekhyun frowns and pushes Chanyeol's hand lightly so the umbrella will cover his shoulder again instead of Baekhyun's full form. "I just came to ask you something."

"Oh? Then go on," Baekhyun says, tugging Chanyeol's sleeve as he starts walking in the direction of his home, though he doesn't need to do that. Chanyeol already knows the way without Baekhyun leading him.

"My birthday is in a week," Chanyeol states, sneaking a hand on Baekhyun's waist and for a second, Baekhyun is confused as to why would Chanyeol touch him like that when they are only friends, the hand on his lower waist bordering with intimity. But the touch is gone as quickly as it came, and Baekhyun realizes that Chanyeol only wanted to pull him closer so the umbrella will cover both of them at once. "Would you like to come to my party? With Jongin, Sehun and Kyungsoo, too."

"It will probably be some big party, am I right?" Baekhyun snorts, but his words don't hold any venom. He's just asking because, obviously, Chanyeol has a lot of money and his personality seems to be a good trait that many people search for when creating friendships, meaning Chanyeol has a -ton of friends. 

"Yeah, kinda," Chanyeol sighs. "Not my idea."

"Whose, then?"

"My father," Chanyeol answers with an eye-roll, then continues to explain because he knows Baekhyun is going to ask. "He likes to show-off how much money we have, so he always hires someone to make a big party for me, though I don't want it. But at least, my guests will be happy."

"Shouldn't you be happy, instead of your father?" Baekhyun questions. The air is warm, much warmer than the other days, even though it's raining. Truth be told, Baekhyun loves the rain. But only when it's warm outside like it's now, for a change. But not having an umbrella when you don't want to get wet . 

Another problem that Baekhyun has right now is that he can smell Chanyeol's parfume with how close they are, and it's making him dizzy. Aside from being er for eyes, Baekhyun loves it when men smell as good as they look.

He isn't thinking about it because of Chanyeol, no, it's just stating the facts. Nothing personal. 

"I'm happy, too. I get to invite as many of my friends as I want," Chanyeol says, but his voice sounds strained, like he's saying it mostly for himself so he can believe in it. "I'll be a lot happier if all of you come."

"Sehun likes birthday parties," Baekhyun voices his thoughts. 

"Really? I thought he wasn't the always-in-for-a-party type," the other says, trying to remember their conversation with Sehun about parties on Saturday. But sadly, Chanyeol can only remember Sehun saying that he goes out just once in lifetime, when there is a special occasion. Not like he's antisocial or something like that, he just practises, works and sleeps a lot. 

"He isn't. He only likes birthday parties. Because it's worth celebrating or some ," Baekhyun gestures with his hand vaguely, bringing his body closer to Chanyeol since the people around them are pushing the poor brunet around, some of them almost hitting him with their umbrella.

"Don't you think that it's actually really nice?" Chanyeol asks.

"Not really. Not when he wants to throw a big party for your birthday when all you want to do is sleep..." Baekhyun huffs, frustrated but not in an unfriendly manner. 

"I think something happened that made you have so obvious negative feelings for your friend's love to birthday parties," Chanyeol chuckles when he sees Baekhyun's brow furrowed at what probably is a memory of one of his birthdays being planned out by Sehun.

"Long story... By the way, why didn't you take a car when it's raining like this?" Baekhyun questions. He gets that in the past, Chanyeol wanted to walk him home to spend more time with him, and walking takes longer than driving. Not like Baekhyun would just sit in Chanyeol's car at that time, but still. It's alright that Chanyeol doesn't want to take his car for just a few meters, but the weather isn't the nicest today. Why would Chanyeol want to risk getting wet? His clothes must be expensive - as he mentioned the very first time they met.

"It just started raining when I was walking here," Chanyeol answers, shrugging. "It was quite sudden."

"Yeah, true." 

It only takes Chanyeol a few seconds of silence before he asks, "So, will you go? All of you?"

"If there will be a chocolate fountain with strawberries, then yes," Baekhyun nods, giggling to himself at the image of a chocolate fountain.

"Oh, it'll be there."

"What?" Baekhyun snaps his head up to see Chanyeol in the eyes, his own eyes wide blown from the shock. Is Chanyeol for real or is he just joking? Because Baekhyun would really, raelly like it to be true. It'll be his fantasies coming true if there truly is a chocolate fountain.

"It's here every year. Jongdae insisted," Chanyeol explains, and Baekhyun lets out an undrestanding ohh when he realizes that Jongdae and him both love strawberries as much as their own life. Of course Jongdae would want Chanyeol to have strawberries and chocolate there.

"Bless Jongdae," Baekhyun is surprised how easy it is to talk to Chanyeol. Walking down these streets, Baekhyun remembers the awkwardness and unesiness that was accompanying him  every time in the past, but not now. Now, it's perfect. 

After a while, Chanyeol asks, "So.. can I have your phone number to give you more info?" his voice shaking slightly on the last words, which is pretty uncharacteric for the shameless and confident Chanyeol.

Baekhyun should have realized that something like that is coming, friends have each others' numbers after all, but he still can't help it when his heart stop for a mere second. And his legs stopped too, it seems, because now they are not walking anymore, but standing in the middle of one of the allyes that are used as shortcuts. 

Collecting his composure and shaking off the shock, Baekhyun tries to sound confident when he cracks a joke, "This is a good way to get my number, Chanyeol."

To his surprise, Chanyeol doesn't say anything for a while, just averting his eyes to look anywhere but at Baekhyun. Understanding that this is somewhat a big step in their friendship, Baekhyun drops the confident and joking act. 

"Of course I will," Baekhyun answers in the end. It's just exchanging numbers, which should have been already done yesterday when Chanyeol was in his flat, so why does Baekhyun feel the same like during his graduation ceremony? 

"Fine, so-" in that moment, a strong wind blows, and the umbrella flies away from Chanyeol's hand, flying off a few meters. Chanyeol curses and runs for it while Baekhyun is still cursing, asking why is this happening to him. When Chanyeol brings back the umbrella, the only protection from the heavy rainfall in his hand, he brings it up above them again, but Baekhyun doesn't miss that the probably-expensive suit has gotten wet in that short time. 

What if Chanyeol has an important meeting or something like that when he comes back to work? He can't show up all wet in work, his hair disheveled from the rain and dump against his forehead. 

Baekhyun doesn't think too much about it before the words fall out of his mouth, "Do you want to maybe... stay at mine for a while? Until the rain stops." and surprisingly, Baekhyun doesn't feel the need to take it back. He feels nervous about hearing Chanyeol's answer to his question, but he doesn't want to take it back.

"Uh... sure, why not," Chanyeol is clearly taken aback by Baekhyun's offer, his shock written all of his face, his expression like a deer caught in headlight. 

And just when they are standing in front of Baekhyun's apartment building, the brunet fully realizes what he's done and why was Chanyeol so shook a few minutes ago. It's the first time Baekhyun is inviting Chanyeol to his apartment. In the past, Baekhyun would tell Chanyeol that he's not inviting him in once they are in front of his apartment complex when Chanyeol implied it, and now it's him who is inviting Chanyeol up. 

It's then when the realization downs upon him, that Baekhyun realizes that Chanyeol and him are really becoming friends. For real.