A/N: 

hi guys, so again, i'm updating pretty late but im kinda sick as fucc lol and i spent the whole day sleeping, and just now i was writing the last bits of the chapter. so yea.
anyway, i hope you enjoy this chapter as much as i did writing it, since things get a little interesting (finally ryt lol) 
as always, thank you for all your support, i will forever say how grateful i am to every piece of attention this fanfic gets :)

see you in ten days loves!

--

"Baekhyun, we kinda don't have any walnuts anymore," is what welcomes the pink-haired man when he walks into the bakery after his lunch break, and his eyes go wide immediately upon hearing the information. 

"What?" he asks, quickly walking over to the counter where Tao is playing games on his phone, having time now when the lunch rush is over. Baekhyun doesn't comment on it, already used to Tao using his phone every time there is time for it. Besides, he knows that Tao is doing his job perfectly, so there's no reason to nag him about using his mobile when there is nothing to do at the moment. 

"There are none left, is what I'm saying," Tao puts his phone down, not wanting to come off as disrespectful towards his boss, no matter how good of a friendship they have. "We checked at least three times everywhere to make sure, but we've ran out of walnuts completely it seems."

"Have you really checked everywhere?"

"Yes."

"What about our supplier?"

"Called him, but they can be there tomorrow at the earliest," Tao says unhelpfully. 

Groaning, Baekhyun looks behind Tao, his eyes searching for Sehun. When he finds him, he questions, "Are you sure that Sehun hasn't eaten them?"

"Not this time, no," shaking his head, Tao chuckles. They both know why Baekhyun asked this question, familiar with how Sehun likes to eat everything he gets his hands on. When he had started working in Baekhyun's bakery, Sehun had at least tried to be discreet about it, but then after some time he probably thought  it and just started eating stuff right on front of Baekhyun without shame. 

"I've heard that, and this false accusation makes me sad," Sehun's voice is distantly heard from the back, and Tao and Baekhyun both ignored it completely, focusing more on the problem on hand than at Sehun's whining. 

"We have an order for two walnut tarts for today evening, ," Baekhyun sighs, running a hand through his hair in frustration. The tarts were supposed to be delivered to the customers around seven in the evening, so there is no way Baekhyun can wait til tomorrow for the supplier. Thus, he makes a decision, "I'll go buy some."

"I can go, it's not a problem," Tao offers, already reaching for his coat, but Baekhyun stops him.

"It's okay, I need to buy other things anyway, so..." trailing off, Baekhyun assures Tao that it's fine at least two more times before he makes his way out of the shop, his scarf around his neck like always. It's not that cold anymore, but Baekhyun still likes to keep his neck and face warm, hating cold from the bottom of his heart since he was young. When other kids were excited for winter season because of the snow when he was a kid, Baekhyun just bitterly sat by them, listening to them gushing about how amazing winter is while he just cursed the season silently. 

If it was still cold as like the past days, Baekhyun would gladly let Tao go to the shop instead of him, but since the weather is fairly good today, Baekhyun doesn't have that much of a problem with doing the shopping himself. As he mentioned, he also needs to buy some things for his empty fridge at home, and this is a perfect opportunity - even though it isn't like Baekhyun truly needs to go shopping in that sense of word, since he is quite okay with eating cereals and fast-food for at least a day more. However, Sehun would probably kill him if he found out that Baekhyun has refused to go to shop and has practically ignored the younger's advice to finally start eating normal food. 

He expected his shopping to be uneventful because, well, what can really happen during shopping, right? But Baekhyun is surprised when he meets Chanyeol on the way to the nearby grocery shop, the tall man being the one to approach him, shockingly enough. 

"Hello," he says with a small smile, casually walking up to Baekhyun who almost gets a heart attack. The greeting wasn't loud or anything, but Baekhyun truly didn't expect anyone to just join him in his walk to the shop, especially not a giant in sweatpants and over-sized winter jacket, towering over him and reminding Baekhyun of just how short he is, as if Sehun and Tao's presence in work today wasn't enough. Seeing how startled Baekhyun is, Chanyeol is quick to apologize, "Sorry if I scared you, I thought you saw me."

"I didn't," Baekhyun says as he collects himself. Chanyeol is as handsome as ever, and seeing the giant's smile that is directed at Baekhyun makes the shorter's heart beats a tad bit faster. "A-Anyway, hi."

It's another surprise itself that Chanyeol initiated some kind of contact with him, even going as far as smiling at Baekhyun with that attractive yet extremely cute grin or whatever it is without knowing what it does to Baekhyun's poor heart. Chanyeol had never smiled like that at him before yesterday, and the pink-haired man has to say that it will take a while to get used to Chanyeol not frowning at him all the time. That is, if Chanyeol will continue to be this nice to him.

Also, yes, Baekhyun knows that he should be getting over his crush for Chanyeol because it's clearly just that; a hopeless crush that will never work out. Still, Baekhyun somehow can't give up on it just yet, no matter how much he wants to. After all, you can't tell your feelings to get lost - or more specifically, you can do it, but there is no way those feelings would disappear just like that. And Baekhyun's feelings are still there, messing up his entire being every time Chanyeol as much as looks at him, all handsome and tall, with beautiful almond eyes. 

"Where are you headed?" oh, and then there's Chanyeol's amazing, deep voice too. A voice that's finally not barking at him, telling him to get lost, but instead sounds so gentle an nice. 

So really, how is Baekhyun supposed to forget about his crush that easily when Chanyeol is so perfect? And now also so nice to him? It's impossible. 

"Grocery shopping," Baekhyun answers, resuming his walk now with Chanyeol by his side. He wonders if his nose is that sensitive or if Chanyeol just naturally smells too good to be true. "I need some food, and we've also ran out of walnuts in the bakery."

"Oh," Chanyeol hums. "But don't you have some kind of.. supplier or someone like that? Or do you always go shopping for stuff?"

"We have, but I need them today and the supplier would come tomorrow, which is late," Baekhyun explains, his tone just the tiniest bit bitter. After all, he can't be angry at his supplier for not bringing him what he wants, since it's such a short notice. He should be glad that they are gonna come tomorrow and not next week, like they usually does. Lucky that Baekhyun's grandmother had been dealing with them since opening her shop, at least Baekhyun has privileges. 

"Do you need them so badly?" Chanyeol questions, and Baekhyun momentarily wonders if Chanyeol is asking because he doesn't want this to be awkward and silent, or if he actually wants to talk to Baekhyun. Deciding not to ruin the moment, Baekhyun pushes the negative thought to the back of his mind, ignoring it completely. 

"Yeah," Baekhyun says. "I have to bake two walnut tarts due seven this evening, and I can't bake it without the ingredients, so..."

"Then good luck with that," Chanyeol wishes him, opening the shop's door for Baekhyun when they are there already, which surprises the shorter a little. It isn't like Baekhyun thought that Chanyeol is not polite or not enough of a gentleman, but Chanyeol opening the door for Baekhyun? That's something else. Plus, Baekhyun feels completely swept off his feet when he looks up and sees Chanyeol giving him that small, gentle smile. 

Truly, Baekhyun isn't getting over his crush anytime soon if Chanyeol continues being so nice. Or so handsome. 

They walk into the shop and greet the two familiar girls standing behind the cash register politely. Immediately, the girls freeze and their giggles die down, the two of them looking at Chanyeol and Baekhyun with wide eyes and semi-open mouth, making the two neighbours feel more than strange. There is nobody else in the shop so it's just the four of them staring at one another and exchanging some weird glances, the girls looking completely shocked while Chanyeol and Baekhyun don't know why are they staring at them so strangely. 

"Okay..." Chanyeol trails off, being the first one to break the awkward silence. "Let's just... do some shopping." 

With that said, he takes a hold of Baekhyun's wrist and tugs him toward the isle, making Baekhyun's skin feel on fire as he does so. He lets go of Baekhyun just two seconds later, but that's enough for Baekhyun to start blushing slightly because of how tender the touch was. Baekhyun is sensitive, it's a fact, but this fleeting touch has such a meaning for him mainly because the last time Chanyeol touched him in any kind of way was that night on Valentine's Day when he jabbed his finger into Baekhyun's chest painfully, telling the pink-haired man that he wants him gone. So yes, while Baekhyun's sensitiveness plays a role, it's still the change in Chanyeol's behavior that makes his knees go weak. 

It's a minute later when Baekhyun realizes why the two employees seemed so shocked to see them, and the realization only makes his heart beat more intensely - it was because Baekhyun and Chanyeol actually entered the shop together, with Chanyeol even opening the door for Baekhyun, which is quite a big thing.

The two girls were there almost every single time Chanyeol and Baekhyun gravely avoided each other while grocery shopping, Baekhyun pathetically hiding behind isles while Chanyeol looked like the grumpiest person on Earth. The atmosphere of the shop always changed when the two of the two neighbours were there, the tension that was clear in the air making the two girls feel uncomfortable as well. So of course they would be shocked to see Chanyeol and Baekhyun walking in together, the taller smiling at flustered Baekhyun and holding the door open for him. It must have been quite a scene, and suddenly Baekhyun not only doesn't blame the girls for staring at them so strangely, but also feels the blush coloring his cheeks. 

They are shopping together with Chanyeol. 

"By the way," Chanyeol's deep voice brings him back to reality, and Baekhyun blinks his thoughts away as he hums, a sign that he's listening. He doesn't dare to look at Chanyeol, surely not until he is sure that his face isn't having the pink-ish shade to it. "The cake you brought me on Valentine's Day," Chanyeol starts, and Baekhyun feels a painful pang in his chest for a second at the mention of that day. While Baekhyun knows that Chanyeol was frustrated because of something and only took his anger out on Baekhyun, even saying that he didn't mean the words that had been said afterwards, the pink-haired man can't somehow stop doubting his neighbour meant everything, in a way. It hurts thinking about Chanyeol truly wanting him gone for good. 

Still, Baekhyun tries to come off as unaffected, urging Chanyeol to continue with a, "Yeah...?"

"Well, I wanted to thank you," with these words, the painful sting in Baekhyun's chest is gone, replaced by butterflies in his stomach instead. Really, a little is enough to please him and make him happy, just as a little is enough to make him fall into a pit of depression. Luckily for Baekhyun, Chanyeol is not hurting him now, which he seemed to enjoy doing a while back. "The cake was the best thing I'd had in my entire life, honestly. It truly... made me feel better." 

"O-Oh... is that so?" Baekhyun stutters, his cheeks now even more pink. He hates this habit of blushing so much, hated it since he was a kid, but there is nothing to do about it other than trying to hide it. Especially now when Chanyeol looks at him curiously when he hears Baekhyun stuttering. Baekhyun just turns his back on Chanyeol, pretending to look over the products in the aisle. Unfortunately for him, it's all stuff for women - more specifically, period stuff. 

Why is Baekhyun always so unlucky, finding himself in embarrassing situations more often than not? 

Gulping down, Baekhyun starts walking out of the isle, making his way to where the walnuts should be. However, his escape isn't successful, because Chanyeol follows him without a second thought, not letting Baekhyun get away. He probably hasn't noticed the blush coloring Baekhyun's face yet, and he casually stands beside Baekhyun while looking over the products offered while Baekhyun is choosing the walnuts of the right brand - he certainly won't betray his favorite brand, right?

"But really, the cake was perfect," Chanyeol continues. "Where did you buy it? I have to visit that shop sometimes soon." 

"I didn't really buy it..." Baekhyun trails off, scratching the back of his neck, hoping Chanyeol would let the topic go. 

But of course the giant doesn't, asking another question, "Oh? How do you mean that?"

"Well," clearing his throat, Baekhyun quietly says, "I baked it." 

"What?" 

"I baked it," Baekhyun repeats a little louder, sighing. He doesn't know why he was so afraid to say that he was the one who made the cake even after Chanyeol clearly stated that he liked it, but Baekhyun somehow didn't want Chanyeol to find out. Maybe it was because giving a self-baked cake to Chanyeol on Valentine's Day would be too obvious, or maybe because Baekhyun was still the tiniest afraid that Chanyeol didn't mean his compliments. Either way, now it's out, and Baekhyun can't do much about it anymore. 

"Really? But you said that it was the best cake you had ever eaten..?" the confusion is clear in Chanyeol's voice, but it doesn't stay there for long. Instead, Chanyeol decides to tease Baekhyun, looking like he enjoys seeing the shorter blushing way too much. "Were you complimenting yourself without me knowing?"

"No, it isn't like that," Baekhyun shakes his head. His self-confidence isn't that high. Well, it can be, if he pretends to be over-confident to cover up his insecurities, but that kind of advanced pretending was out of the question when Baekhyun was talking to his crush that night. "I just-.. um, didn't want you to know, I guess."

"Why, though?" Chanyeol pries further, eyebrows knitting in confusion once again. Baekhyun swears that Chanyeol can be really talkative if he wants to, and he wonders if it's a good thing or not. Although in this situation he would go for the latter. 

"It was Valentine's Day..? For example?" Baekhyun decides to give him the reason that doesn't involves his paranoia. "You know, and me giving you a cake that I had baked would be kinda... well, it could give you a wrong idea."

Actually, it could have given Chanyeol the most clear idea about Baekhyun's feelings, but Baekhyun is sure as hell not confessing his embarrassing crush. Besides, he doesn't have the slightest chance of Chanyeol ever liking him back in that way, so it's better to just hide it until it goes away, whenever that will be. They are finally talking normally, acting like friends; Baekhyun doesn't want to ruin the little they have.

"Right," is all Chanyeol says, and Baekhyun would swear that Chanyeol's voice sounds quite... strange. Baekhyun doesn't dare use specific words to describe how Chanyeol sounded, purely because he doesn't want to make assumptions while the truth can lie elsewhere. 

"So, yeah," Baekhyun says to fill out the silence that has come, moving to another aisle for doing his own grocery shopping now when he has the walnuts for the tarts. Chanyeol follows right after him like a puppy, his longs legs making catching up the easiest task. 

"Still," Baekhyun hears Chanyeol say as they are standing in front of tons brands of cereals, both wondering which one to take home. In the end, Baekhyun goes for the Lion cereals while Chanyeol goes for some random chocolate stuff. "I stand by my words - it was the best cake I had ever eaten," he praises Baekhyun, giving him that sweet, loop-sided smile. "You are definitely good at what you do." 

That's all it takes for Baekhyun to blush furiously again. Lucky for him, Chanyeol wasn't looking at him while his face colored into a deep shade of pink, even bordering with red. 

Little did Baekhyun know that Chanyeol was stealing glances at the pink-haired midget's blushing face every time there was a chance, Baekhyun doing a poor job at hiding how flustered he was after getting a compliment from his tall neighbour. 

The only reason Chanyeol enjoyed looking at Baekhyun was that it was amusing, not because he thought that Baekhyun was adorable when blushing, of course. Definitely not. 

Although, maybe Baekhyun was a little cute when he shyly looked away in order to keep his blush out of Chanyeol's sight, but that's it. Just the smallest bit cute. Chanyeol is just being objective, nothing else.

--

After today's accidental bump-in with his pink-haired neighbour on the way to the grocery shop, Chanyeol thought that the next time he meets Baekhyun would be tomorrow, since they always see each other on Friday mornings, both leaving at the same time. However, he meets Baekhyun sooner than expected and also in a... rather strange situation. 

"Come again?" Chanyeol asks of Baekhyun, forcing himself to keep his eyes on Baekhyun's face instead of his half- body even though the midget's sharp collarbones are practically begging to be looked at. And no, it's not because Chanyeol thinks that Baekhyun's extremely sharp collarbones are attractive, that's out of question. It's just that the combination of that long neck of Baekhyun's and those collarbones is rather attention-catching.

Even more so when Baekhyun is standing in front of Chanyeol's apartment at something past eleven in the evening because, "I said, can I use your shower? Mine doesn't work." Yeah, because his shower doesn't work. Chanyeol kind of over-heard Baekhyun the first time due to the fact that he was completely shocked to see the the midget standing on his doorstep with only a towel wrapped around his body, a shampoo, a shower gel, and spare clothes. Mind to add, that towel isn't all that long, going only to his mid-thigh. 

"What exactly is wrong with it?" Chanyeol questions, his voice sounding unusual and strained even to his own ears. He's gripping the door handle way too tightly to be normal too, and his hands are sweating slightly. He truly didn't expect Baekhyun to come ask for his shower of all things, and definitely not with only a towel around his body. By the blush coloring Baekhyun's face, ears and his neck also, Chanyeol guesses that Baekhyun didn't expect this turn of events as well. 

"The hot water doesn't work, at all. I even called the householder, asking if there is something I can do about it, but she only said that she can send someone tomorrow, and certainly not today," Baekhyun explains quickly, shuffling his feet in nervousness. "So... can I use your shower? I'll be really quick," he repeats his request one more time, looking at Chanyeol hopefully from under his lashes. When Chanyeol doesn't say anything for at least ten seconds, only staring at his short neighbour with slightly widened eyes, Baekhyun is quick to start ramble in order to get a yes from Chanyeol, "It won't happen again, I promise, it's just that I'm really tired, and I want to go to sleep already, but I can't go to sleep without a shower. It's been quite a bad day at work, and-"

"Just come in," Chanyeol interrupts him with a chuckle, seeing that Baekhyun, for one; truly needs a shower, and also; looks very tired. There is no point in letting Baekhyun torture himself with the endless rambling when Chanyeol would say yes in the end anyway, right? And so, Chanyeol opens the door for the pink-haired man further, letting him in with a small, sympathetic smile. After all, if their roles were switched and Chanyeol was the one needing to shower at Baekhyun's, Baekhyun would most like agree to it too. 

"Thank you. So much," Baekhyun thanks Chanyeol and grins at him in gratitude as he steps into the apartment, curious eyes scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. For a few short seconds, Chanyeol just stands there, forozen because of the shock; Baekhyun has never grinned at him this way. It was always shy smiles here and there, but never a grin so bright that it almost made Chanyeol go blind. 

Shaking this weird feeling in the pit of his stomach off, Chanyeol finally closes the door and clears his throat as he points to the room to his right, saying, "The bathroom is right here. Just call me if you need anything."

"Okay," Baekhyun replies, already making his way to the bathroom slowly.

It feels strange to Chanyeol, having someone other than Jongdae walking around his flat. After Kyungsoo moved away to Busan, nobody other than his one friend - and his family of course - has been here, and defninitely not only in a towel around their body. Baekhyun must be the first one.

"I'll be quick," Baekhyun assures Chanyeol before he disappears behind the bathoom door, giving the taller one last small, soft smile that is much more familiar than the wide grin Chanyeol saw before. 

Thinking about how strange this whole situation is, Chanyeol starts walking in the direction of his kitchen, feeling in the mood for coffee. However, the moment he takes a step forward, he realizes that he had forgotten to say a pretty important thing to the midget before he let Baekhyun into the bathroom, that important thing being that Chanyeol has the colors for hot and cold water switched - having blue for hot water and red for cold. 

Wanting to avoid a situation where Baekhyun turns on the cold water because of not knowing that Chanyeol has it switched, Chanyeol quickly turns on his heels and makes his way to the bathroom, not thinking twice as he opens the door - which was definitely a mistake.

His words die in his throat the moment he opens the bathroom door, his eyes falling on a completely Baekhyun, the pink-haired man's back facing Chanyeol in all its bare glory. Chanyeol knows that he should turn away, he knows, but he simply can't, his whole body frozen as he stares at Baekhyun who seems to be utterly unaware of Chanyeol's presence, walking towards the shower corner after discarding his towel without turning around even once.

Baekhyun's body is truly a masterpiece, if Chanyeol is to be honest, and he won't even try to pretend that he isn't attracted to the guy just because it's Baekhyun. After all, that slim figure with incredible hips alone would be enough to have everyone losing their minds - Chanyeol not being an exception - so adding the broad shoulders, long neck, perfect thighs and thin waist to the picture could easily make people fall to their knees and ask God how is it possible that someone with a body so beautiful was born. Plus, Baekhyun's bottom deserves extra attention, for how is it just firm enough for Chanyeol's personal liking.

Baekhyun's body is completely different from Kyungsoo's, but Chanyeol can't help but feel just the same, putting his Kyungsoo-like ideals aside for now in order to enjoy the eye-candy in front of him. 

Baekhyun is truly ing stunning.

And it's making Chanyeol's heartbeat quicken as his mind throws at him the memories of Baekhyun in pleasure on the other side of the thin wall days ago, his twitching in his boxers as those sinful sounds are being replied over and over in his head while his eyes are taking in the sight of Baekhyun in front of him.

"Oh my god!" this loud yell is what finally pulls Chanyeol out of his little world, and it takes him a second to realize that the one screaming is Baekhyun - Baekhyun, who is completely terrified to find out that Chanyeol saw him .

Chanyeol watches as the midget immediately jumps into the shower, covering his intimate parts, eyes wide and face quickly taking on a very vibrant blush. His attempt at hiding himself goes terribly wrong though, since the walls of Chanyeol's shower are very much see-through.

On the other hand, Baekhyun shouldn't even have a reason to hide. It's because of Chanyeol's unwelcomed presence that he has to, and Chanyeol doesn't realize it quick enough.

When he does though, his eyes go incredibly wide, blush coloring his own cheeks as well as his ears, and he backs out from the bathroom in the speed of light, shutting the door loudly before leaning his back against them. 

"I'm so sorry!" Chanyeol screams, expression full of horror as he processes what he's done. "I didn't mean to watch you- uh, I- I swear I'm not some weirdo, I just wanted to tell you that the red color on the tap is for the cold water and vice versa, that's all!" frantically, Chanyeol starts explaining himself, hoping that Baekhyun won't think of him strangely. Not that his pink-haired neighbour would be in wrong to do so, since Chanyeol has not only enjoyed the show of Baekhyun a second ago, but he had also jerked off to the sound of Baekhyun ; the midget is unaware of the first one, luckily. 

Gulping, Chanyeol tries to save the situation to some extent with lying, "I barely saw you, really!" then, realizing it isn't an excuse and probably won't Baekhyun feel any better, he adds, "I'm truly sorry, I shouldn't have entered withou knocking."

"I-It's fine," comes almost inaudibly from the other side, but Chanyeol doesn't feel less guilty at all. 

"Just take the shower, I'm going- to the kitchen... yeah. You can even lock yourself if it makes you feel better, and-.. I'm very sorry," Chanyeol apologizes again, the guilt eating him up from inside. Given how bashful and shy Baekhyun is, this must have caused some big-time embarrassment to him - Chanyeol is sure of it, because he is by far not as sensitive as Baekhyun, but he himself feels incredibly embarrassed because of this situation.

Everything is quiet for some time, but after a few seconds Chanyeol can hear the water being , and he lets out a sigh of relief. He halfly expected Baekhyun to take his things and run away from Chanyeol's apartment, telling him to never come near him again, but in the end Baekhyun just starts showering, without even locking the door as Chanyeol offered. And as Chanyeol promised, he walks away from the bathroom and makes his way to the kitchen, which is on the opposite side of Chanyeol's not-too-big flat.

When Chanyeol is there, he leans against the counter and covers his face with his hands, cursing himself. What the is wrong with him? How could he walk into the bathroom when he knew someone was in there, even shamelessly looking at the body of that certain someone while the person was completely unaware of it? And is if all that wasn't enough, there's the fact that this someone was Baekhyun, of all people.

He got by Byun ing Baekhyun, for Christ's sake, and not just slightly. 

This is horrible.

After ten minutes that Chanyeol successfully spends with throwing insults at himself and denying the fact that Baekhyun got him , the door to the bathroom starts opening slowly. Upon hearing the sound of door opening, Chanyeol's head snaps up right away, his gaze focused on the short person that hesitantly peeks his head through the gap. Their eyes meet just a moment later, and surprisingly, it's Chanyeol who looks away first - even though it's just by a millisecond, Baekhyun following immediately.

For reasons, Chanyeol is unable to keep eye-contact with his neighbour. Firstly; he is utterly and completely embarrassed of himself, and secondly; he isn't that sure that his eyes wouldn't go lower than is Baekhyun's face, since the man is wearing this over-sized shirt again that just looks... very good on him. 

Chanyeol doesn't even know why he is having such thoughts about Baekhyun. Is it possible that he is ually frustrated and, well, Baekhyun's looks aren't helping? But how can he be so attracted to Baekhyun when, as mentioned before, the guy is a complete opposite of his ex-boyfriend? It would make sense if Chanyeol was losing his mind over someone who is even remotely similar to Kyungsoo - since Chanyeol is still not exactly over him - but Baekhyun is nothing like his ex.

So where is this strong desire for Baekhyun coming from?  a question flashes through his mind, and Chanyeol almost chokes on his spit, the words desire and Baekhyun not a combination he would expect to be created inside of his head. Yes, Baekhyun is attractive. Yes, Baekhyun is one of the cutest people ever or whatever. But... he shouldn't be Chanyeol's type. Not by far. 

"I'll get going then," Chanyeol hears Baekhyun saying in a quiet voice, and it immediately snaps him out of his thoughts. He turns his head back to the shorter man again, but their eyes don't meet this time, Baekhyun looking down on the ground as he makes his way toward the front door of Chanyeol's apartment. Chanyeol feels the need to stop Baekhyun and apologize once again, but something is holding him back even though Baekhyun looks like he is expecting something, not an apology perhaps, but just something, which is clear by how he stops at the door, holding the door handle way too long without pushing it down to open the door. 

But Chanyeol is a coward, afraid to face Baekhyun more than anything now, and so he flees the living room, attempting to hide in the bathroom. However, there are two things he forgets to think about as he escapes.

The first one is that the whole bathroom smells like his next-door neighbour, the midget's sweet shower gel in the air, and the way Chanyeol's stomach curls with strange but definitely not uncomfortable feeling because of Baekhyun's scent kind of beats the purpose of running away from Baekhyun.

And the second one is that the floor is wet as , which makes Chanyeol slip the moment he walks into the bathroom.

"Jesus !" he screams as he starts falling, his lanky legs going into two different directions. Fortunately, Chanyeol is quick enough to get a hold of the sink, keeping himself up and away from face-planting onto the floor. The toothpaste, the plastic glass in which his toothbrush lies and a few face products aren't as lucky as Chanyeol though, and they fall to the ground after Chanyeol accidentally bumps into them with his hands while trying to steady himself.

"Chanyeol?" Baekhyun's concerned voice reaches Chanyeol's ears. And then, a more clear, "Are you alright?" follows as Baekhyun gets closer, practically running to Chanyeol after hearing some noise. But he doesn't seem to be slowing down in front of the bathroom, continuing to run, expression worried, and Chanyeol starts to panic because if Baekhyun doesn't slow down, then-

"Baekhyun, wait!"

Baekhyun slips as well, the very moment he steps into the bathroom, and this time Chanyeol isn't able to avoid the fall. He tries to stay on his legs as well as he tries to hold Baekhyun up with him too, but it doesn't work, and soon they are both falling to the floor, Chanyeol on his back and Baekhyun on top of him with a loud yelp. The water on the ground wets Chanyeol's shirt, making him feel quite uncomfortable as if the pain in his back that was caused by the fall wasn't enough. 

Chanyeol groans, opening his eyes when he feels water dripping on his cheeks and forehead, and the first thing he sees is Baekhyun's face dangerously close to his own, maybe just an inch or two away. He gets a close up on Baekhyun's eyes, pretty little nose and pink lips, and his heart does a double flip, especially when he notices one mole on Baekhyun's right cheek, and another one above the right corner of his lips. Baekhyun's skin looks so damn soft as Chanyeol scans it with his eyes, and he immediately gets this strong urge to touch it, to feel the softness for himself. 

Just then, when Chanyeol tries to move his hand, he realizes that it is resting on Baekhyun's lower back, very close to the curve of the pink-haired man's . Upon this realization, a lump creates in Chanyeol's throat and his mouth parts the slightest bit as he feels Baekhyun's warm breath ghosting over his lips, his arm unconsciously circling the shorter's waist. Their eyes meet the very next second, and they just stare into each other's eyes for a few moments, not moving at all as if they were frozen on the floor. 

So pretty, Chanyeol thinks while looking into Baekhyun's small brown orbs, admiring the cute, droopy shape of them, and he doesn't even know how but his grip on Baekhyun gets tighter, pulling the pink-haired midget even closer to his chest. He keeps staring at Baekhyun, not even minding the drops of water that fall on his face from Baekhyun's wet hair, and when a soft, quiet whimper escapes from the shorter's mouth, Chanyeol doesn't even try to deny that he is indeed attracted to the man, his desire stronger than he originally thought. 

Chanyeol's eyes flicker to Baekhyun's lips, thinking damn, they look so ing kissable, and he can't help but inch closer, his nose touching Baekhyun's as he does so. Baekhyun doesn't pull away, instead he stays exactly where he is, warming Chanyeol's mouth with his hot breath. As Chanyeol looks up into Baekhyun's eyes once more to get permission to connect their lips in a kiss, Baekhyun's answer is clear, the want in his orbs mirroring Chanyeol's.  A yes, then, Chanyeol thinks.

Their lips are merely a millimeter apart, already touching slightly, but then the moment is completely broken when a loud knock from the front door is heard, followed quickly by Jongdae's loud, "Chanyeol, I'm here for the tutoring session you promised me!" 

Immediately, both of them freeze, staring at each other with wide eyes. Just then, the realization of what they were about to do downs upon them, and they get up in the speed of light, Chanyeol still holding onto Baekhyun's hips as they get to their feet. 

"I- I-.. uhm," Baekhyun starts stuttering, taking a step back away from Chanyeol and letting the taller's hand fall down from his body. "I should probably-.. get going...?"

Chanyeol's eyes momentarily fall down to Baekhyun's displayed collarbones - the job of the over-sized shirt - and then return up to Baekhyun's red-ish face, the words getting stuck in his throat yet again. He stays quiet, staring at Baekhyun with a lump in his throat, unable to say anything. 

"Then, I will just.. yeah. Thanks for letting me- uh, use the shower," Baekhyun finishes lamely, bending down to collect his things before turning his back to Chanyeol and making his way to the front door quickly. Chanyeol follows his retreating form until Baekhyun disappears behind a wall, his thoughts one big mess, voices loud in his head. 

And just then, when he hears the sound of the front door opening, he realizes that Baekhyun leaving right now through the front would mean that he is going to meet Jongdae, and Chanyeol would have a lot of explaining to do if his friend sees Baekhyun in this state, leaving Chanyeol's apartment at this hour. 

However, it's too late, and Chanyeol throws his head and lets out a troubled sigh when he hears Jongdae's, "What the ?!" 

A second later, Jongdae is already in front of him, asking the same what the  again, his expression utterly clueless, but Chanyeol doesn't really care about giving an explanation to his friend right now, especially not when he doesn't have the answers himself.  

Why did I want to kiss him? 

Why am I even attracted to him? 

Why did I get so because of him?

Chanyeol chooses the easy way out in the end, answering all of his questions with I'm just truly ually frustrated, there is nothing more to it. It seems logical to him, since the last time he had was months ago with his ex-boyfriend, and Chanyeol, as everyone else, has his needs. Baekhyun being the one to make him all hot and bothered is just a coincidence. 

This is exactly what he tells to Jongdae a few minutes later when his friend keeps asking about it, being way too persistent for Chanyeol to reject, but unfortunately, Jongdae doesn't believe him at all, calling Chanyeol out on his bull right away.

And frankly, Chanyeol doesn't entirely believe himself as well, even though he doesn't say it out loud.