Baekhyun was lounging on the sofa, by the looks of it, having not moved for several days when Chanyeol got back home the next day.

‘Hey,’ He shouted to him as he made his way into his bedroom to put his bag down quickly before heading into the kitchen to find some food.

‘Hey.’ Baekhyun groaned back checking the time on his phone.  Chanyeol joined him on the sofa with a bowl of whatever it was that Baekhyun had saved in the fridge.

‘How was the shoot?’  Baekhyun asked him, pulling himself up out of the pit of pillows and blankets.

Good,’ Chanyeol answered noncommittally through his mouthful of food, but he could feel the colour rising in his cheeks.

‘Something happened.’  Baekhyun stated staring him down with a wide mischievous smile.

‘No.’  Chanyeol shrugged wishing he could control his blood pressure with his mind.

‘Yeah it did, you’re blushing.  What happened?  You kiss her?’  Baekhyun pestered, practically bouncing on the spot like an over active puppy.

‘I had to for the video.’  Chanyeol was managing barely to keep his voice level, but inside his stomach was squirming remembering the kiss before Alexandra had upped and left him.

‘Sure you did, just for the video.’  Baekhyun cocked an eyebrow at him in disbelief. 

‘So did you tell her about the all-consuming love?’  he continued to ask.

‘No.’  Chanyeol sighed back.

‘Okkkkkkkkk.’  Baekhyun drew the one word out into several syllables. ‘Why?’

‘Because there wasn’t a right moment.’  Chanyeol shot him a look telling him to stop asking questions.

‘I don’t believe you.’  Baekhyun continued.  ‘Something happened, you look happier, whatever it is, I hope it was all you wanted.  Are you going to talk to Junmyeon?’ 

Chanyeol levelled his eyes at Baekhyun.  He was staring at him expectantly, and Chanyeol knew it was the right thing to do.  Either way now, he and Alex had kissed, and maybe Junmyeon should know that.  She had kissed him back.

‘I guess.’  Chanyeol shrugged. ‘What are you doing today?’  He asked in a lame attempt at changing the subject.

‘Nothing, I’m free today, but I’m going to visit Heechul later on.’  Baekhyun yawned, falling back into his pillows.

‘Ok, I’m going to sleep then.’  Chanyeol mirrored his friends yawn and threw the bowl of finished food down onto the coffee table, stretching as he got up.

‘Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night huh?’ Baekhyun chuckled behind him as Chanyeol took large strides into his bedroom.  He smiled to himself, wishing that was why, but as he fell onto his bed and closed his eyes, sleep already taking hold of him the sense of regret and confusion sank even deeper into his heart.

Chanyeol woke up several hours later, with a multitude of messages on his phone.  The day had turned into night, a cold icy night at that and he definitely didn’t feel like going outside. 

He padded barefoot into the kitchen, flicking lights on as he went.  Clearly Baekhyun had left before it got dark and didn’t think to leave a light on.  He reached into the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water, and half way through downing it decided to turn the kettle on and make tea. 

He took his tea, along with his favourite hole ridden hoodie and settled on the sofa, powering up the games console to lose himself in for a few hours before Baekhyun got back. 

His stomach was rumbling and though he had messages from Jongin and Junmyeon inviting him out for a drink, he declined, ordering enough food to feed a small army, and settling himself into his evening of mindless game playing. 

Pausing a pretty brutal battle on the console he answered the door to the food which his stomach was groaning to have.  He was in a relatively good mood, despite the fact that Alexandra had bailed out of his room the previous night mid-way into the throws of passion.  He had laid awake the previous night going over it in his mind wondering what had gone wrong, cursing back and forth through endless arguments with himself that she had no interest in him, and it was nothing he could do to change it.  But he knew that didn’t ring entirely true.  She had dropped the box of food and thrown herself on him with all the gusto he had thrown himself on her.  He knew no matter what she was kissing him back, she had removed his shirt, it just didn’t seem right to him that she had suddenly lost interest and that gave him a tiny bit of hope.  

What plagued him after this was why she had acted that way, why she acted the way she did when he cornered her in the small room of the cottage and looked so visibly afraid.  It was logical to think it was Junmyeon, after all, though he loathed to admit it, she did go on a date with him, and maybe she felt like she was betraying him somehow.  He couldn’t help but respect that, even though the thought felt sour to him.  He had sat in the back of the car with her for the 5-hour drive home this morning in complete silence, with her listening to music, blocking him out and staring with purpose outside of the window.  She had a tiredness about her, like she also couldn’t sleep, and back in the car he couldn’t think of the right words to make it better. 

He would see her tomorrow and talk to her about it all, he decided as he finished his food and got back to the battle at hand on the glowing tv screen.  That tiny pin of hope inflating his heart and making him feel invincible. 

Several hours later, he was no where near tired, but he was starting to get a little bored, and a little worried that Baekhyun was not yet home, when he heard an insane noise coming from the hall way along with a mix matched range of different kinds of laughter. 

Pulling himself up, allowing his curiosity to get the better of him, he could hear Alexandra the closer he got to the front door.

‘Ok Beyoncé, you need to go home,’ Junmyeon’s voice rang out with authority, though he sounded amused, followed by laughter, definitely Minseok’s laugh he thought to himself.  

‘Do you need help?’ Baekhyun’s voice came next.

‘No, I got her.  You get Jongin, I’m not sure he can stand by himself.’ Junmyeon replied.

‘BYE BAEKHYUN,’ Alex shouted down the hallway as Chanyeol opened the door, just in time to witness Junmyeon, walking her sloppily down the hall to her apartment.  She was falling all over him, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist to keep her upright.

‘Bye butterfly,’ Baekhyun chuckled back at her, grinning like a Cheshire cat.  Chanyeol could tell instantly he had been drinking too.

‘What’s all the noise?’  Chanyeol demanded as he looked down at the ridiculous pile of human on the floor in the form of Jongin, curled up like a foetus, and back up to see Minseok standing at his door laughing at him.

‘She can’t handle the soju,’ Baekhyun told him in what passed for a sober voice, though Chanyeol knew better, ‘And she thinks she’s Adele,’ he chuckled, cocking his head back up the hallway towards Alexandra, who had just managed to punch in her keycode to her apartment and by the looks of it fall head first into it.  Junmyeon disappeared as he reached in after her and Chanyeol could faintly hear his, ‘Oh god,’ before the door closed. Jongin banged his fists down as a fresh wave of giggles exploded inside of him.

‘Help me get Jongin up, he can’t handle the soju either,’ Baekhyun looked pitifully down at him.  Chanyeol stood mutely staring after Alexandra, feeling the good mood he had been in slowly seeping down his bones replaced with cold fear of Junmyeon being alone with her in her apartment filingl his belly.

‘Chan, did you hear me?’  Baekhyun snapped him out of his own head.  He turned to help a struggling Baekhyun and pulled at Jongin who was clearly unsteady on his feet up and direct him to his room.  Minseok had already opened his and Kyungsoo’s room for him, knowing the latter was probably already asleep.

‘She can’t sing at all.’  Jongin giggled between his two friends as they got him to kick his shoes off in the hallway.  ‘I mean, not one note was right, right?’  He slurred at Baekhyun for confirmation.  Baekhyun looked like he was having a hard time keeping a straight face himself.

‘Not a single clear note Jongin my love.’  He confirmed as Jongin fell onto his own bed with fresh giggles, and then a long groan.

‘Can you guys get me some water, please?’  He asked with the same pure innocence as a child.  Baekhyun couldn’t help but chuckle pitifully at him.

‘Sure thing baby,’ he cr