Baekhyun opened his eyes first and sat up to greet the morning. Sunlight poured in the window of the top floor apartment. It made the room glow with a soft magic that seemed gentle and careful and warm. He wished he was still asleep and huddled closer to the warm body that occupied most of the enormous bed. When granted the room Chanyeol slept like a starfish and he was sprawled out with his arms and legs in every direction. It made Baekhyun laugh and as he giggled and laid back down Chaneyol smiled in his sleep before cracking one eye open.

"Do you have work today?" Baekhyun spoke softly and asked the question he didn't really want answered. He wasn't ready to face the reality of their responsibilities and now he was here in this place, in Chanyeol's arms where he belonged, he never wanted to leave. "Yeah. I have a music show appearance later." Chanyeol pulled Baekhyun closer and whispered against his soft skin. "I want you to come with me. Come and watch. I need you." Baekhyun felt awful, like he was shirking every responsibility in his life, but he wanted to stay. He wanted to feel a part of this life Chanyeol had that was so different to his. He wanted to know this side of the man he loved.

"Okay." He heard himself say. He would feel out of place, shabby and plain, but he wanted to push his own insecurities aside to be by Chanyeol's side. It was where he belonged. "Really?" Chanyeol's whisper quickly became loud as joy filled his expression. "Really?" he asked again and when Baekhyun nodded Chanyeol scooped him closer and squeezed him tight. "You're right Baekhyun. Im sick of just taking the crumbs and accepting it. I'm done being happy with whatever I can get. I'm going after what I want and what I want is you. With me. All the time." Baekhyun's stomach churned with nerves as he realised it was what he wanted to. He didn't know how to make it work but he knew they had to try.

"This place is beautiful..." Baekhyun murmured as he wandered around barefoot in one of Chanyeol's hoodies. Last night he hadn't made it past the bedroom. In the light of day he walked around and checked out every inch of every gleaming white surface in the enormous penthouse. "Baek. It's awful." Chanyeol laughed from the kitchen where he was making coffee and fruit and toast. "Seriously. It's the only thing I've ever spent money on and I hate it." Chanyeol laughed loudly again as he impersonated his accountant talking about what an 'investment' it was. "He said it was an investment in my future." Chanyeol rolled his eyes. "The only investment I've actually made in my future was the tank of petrol I paid to drive home for that reunion." The look in his eye made Baekhyun blush. He took the offered coffee and put it down immediately to wrap himself against Chanyeol's body. Chanyeol was wearing only a pair of black sweatpants and the warmth of his bare chest against Baekhyun's cheek was heaven.

"How are we going to do this?" Baekhyun felt suddenly overwhelmed and blinked back tears as he clung tight to Chanyeol and the taller frowned down at him. "You're making this seem harder than it has to be. I love you. I want you here with me when I'm working. When I'm not working we'll go home." Chanyeol's words were sincere and sensible and like sweet honey in Baekhyun's ears. "I'll buy us a home Baekhyun. I'll build it near the creek or right behind the nursery. Wherever you want. I'll buy the nursery from you guys and I'll buy the bakery and the antique store and the whole ing town if I have to...." Chanyeol trailed off as he thought hard. He would make it happen. Whatever Baekhyun needed Chanyeol was willing to give.

"But for now lets just take it one day at a time." Chanyeol said and suddenly laughed again and the sound was enough to break Baekhyun's melancholy mood. Chanyeol pulled the hem of the hoodie up and slipped his hand up inside the fabric and Baekhyun squealed at the feeling of his cold hands on his bare skin. "First we have to get you some clothes. I don't think I can take you out anywhere in just that hoodie.." The breakfast was forgotten momentarily as big hands roamed Baekhyun's warm bare skin and the two men became hungry for something more than coffee and toast.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door and Baekhyun panicked. "Someone's here!" he clung to Chanyeol and hid behind his body as Chanyeol chuckled. "It's just my Manager. I wanted him to come and meet you." Baekhyun looked down at his hoodie and his bare legs and Chanyeol just smirked. "I think you look fine." But he led Baekhyun to the bedroom. "Wait in here," he said as he got out towels and put them on the bed before going to open the door.

Suho was standing there with two big paper bags hanging from his arm. "You get what I asked for?" Chanyeol took the bags and looked in them before grinning. "Thanks. I owe you!" he returned to the bedroom and tossed the bags onto the bed. "I just got whatever size was on those." Chanyeol indicated Baekhyun's crumpled clothing still on the floor where they had discareded it the night before. "There's jeans, socks, boxers, shirts.." he upeneded the bags onto the bed and Baekhyun stared at the pile. "Suho has excellent taste. He likes things fancy but I told him you like plain so there should be something here that's okay."

He watched Baekhyun shift awkwardly as he stared at the pile of clothes. "Oh for s sake Baekhyun. There's nothing here overly expensive. God damn it." Chanyeol's frustrations suddenly bubbled out of him from the pit of his stomach. "Can you please just accept a gift? Don't you understand? I have money. Too much money. So much I could never spend it all." Tears of anger and frustration filled his eyes. "Money is all I have. I have this big ing apartment that's just lonely and white and empty. I've got bank accounts loaded and nothing to spend it on. I have everything and yet I have nothing." He fell onto the bed on his back and stared at the roof. "I only want you. That's it. Please. Let me do things for you...." He finally let it all out. Everything he had been holding in finally rushed out of him.

"I know how you feel about accepting help. But I can help. Baekhyun I can pay someone to help in the nursery so you can stay here with me. I can pay for your Dad to have access to the best care so your Mum is less stressed. I can buy us a home, not here in the city but a real home at home, Baek I can do all those things and still barely make a dent." 

Chanyeol's frustrations were rising by the second as he allowed himself to get angry. "I want to take you away on a holiday. I want to go to the jeweller and buy you a beautiful ring, fine and delicate, white gold and diamonds like you deserve. I want to put it on your hand and show the world how much I love you.  But I know you wont let me do any of this."

"Chanyeol all I ever do is take from you. It's all I've ever done our whole lives. Aren't you tired of it yet?" Baekhyun stared at the floor as his toes buried themselves in the thick white shag rug.

Chanyeol rubbed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh that carried the weight of the world as he sat up and looked at Baekhyun's miserable expression. "You just don't get it do you? It's not about that. I'll give you everything I have Baekhyun and I hope you'll take it willingly. But you need to give back."

"I'll never get tired of giving. You never even asked me what I spoke to your Dad about." Tears filled Chanyeol's eyes as his emotions broke free. "He's scared. He's so scared that when he's gone you and your Mum will struggle and I promised him that as long as I was alive, no matter what happened between us, that I would never ever let that happen. I promised him I would always take care of you and I will."

"I want us to be together and I know you want that too but in the end your pride is going to make you try to throw this all away. So make a choice. Put the ing jeans on and come out and meet Suho. Or sit here in that hoodie and sulk." Chanyeol got up off the bed and walked out leaving Baekhyun alone.

Baekhyun felt sheepish and embarrassed beyond belief. He'd never seen Chanyeol so quietly angry before and the worst part was he knew he was right. He knew that Chanyeol would give him the world if it was in his hands and it was time he learned to let him. It was time to start to give back.

He swallowed his pride and pulled the tags off a neat looking pair of jeans and a plain white tshirt before stepping into the shower.

Chanyeol smiled broadly as he saw Baekhyun creep out of the bedroom shyly. He looked fresh from his shower and his hair was still wet. The clothes fit him nicely and as he walked out of the room Chanyeol opened his arms and let him walk right into them. "Suho. I'd like you to meet the most beautiful, stubborn and infuriatingly wonderful person in the world. My love. Baekhyun." Suho held his hand out and Baekhyun untangled himself from Chanyeol's safe embrace to shake it and smile.

And when that soft smile lit his whole face from within Suho understood.