Hello people ~
As always, I hope you're all doing okay and taking care of yourself. <3 
You are such a lovely bunch of peeps :3 
This is my second favorite chapter and I honestly couldn't wait for you to read it!
Tell us what you thiiiink ~ 

- K.

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Baekhyun was looking at himself in the mirror, scrunching up his nose at his reflection and wishing he could look just a bit more presentable for Chanyeol’s friends, but the man had told him not to overdress. He rolled his eyes a few times, eyeing the makeup on the shelf and he was about to grab it when he heard a knock on the door.

 

“Ugh, fine, fine. I’m coming, Jongdae.”

 

“It’s Minseok, but come, we’re waiting for you.”

 

“What the hell is he doing there? Baekhyun!” Jongdae whined from the corridor. “Just wear whatever, we’re gonna be late! You need help?”

 

“It’s easy for you, everybody already knows you’re ugly!” He opened the door, looking at Jongdae with a deadpan expression. The boy was wearing a simple white shirt and a pair of dark jeans, his hair still a mess and falling on his forehead cutely.

 

“You are? You never told me!” Minseok looked at Jongdae with wide eyes and they both laughed.

 

“You look good, what’s your problem?” Jongdae turned to him, shrugging. He and Minseok were wearing sweatpants, just as Chanyeol told him. They both looked way more comfortable than Baekhyun in his pair of jeans.

 

“You seriously are wearing sweatpants?” he opened his eyes wider. “Now I’m gonna look overdressed!” He whined, rubbing his face with his hand.

 

“I swear to god… Just take a pair and you’ll change at Chanyeol’s, okay? We still have to go buy the alcohol, we don’t have time,” Jongdae grumbled, putting his sneakers on and Minseok just chuckled, waiting for them, car keys in hand.

 

They arrived at Chanyeol’s place forty minutes later, plastic bags full of snacks and alcohol in their hands. The white-haired man greeted them happily with a beer in hand. The living room was already full as they were the last to arrive. Everyone was sitting and talking loudly, happy and comfortable. Baekhyun saw Hyejin chatting with Yixing, Wheein and Yongsun talking to Sehun, who was showing them something on his phone and Mr. Do snuggling into the side of a handsome man. Both were holding pads and playing some game on Chanyeol’s Xbox, bickering playfully. Baekhyun recognized the stranger from his anatomy class and the unfortunate meeting from last September, when he had first seen him. He was sure he saw him around the academy a lot, often near Mr. Do’s classroom.

 

“Hi, Baekhyun, what are you staring at?” Chanyeol took him in his arms, kissing him softly, while Minseok and Jongdae went into the room to greet everyone.

 

“Hm? Sorry, nothing.” He smiled, looking up at him and feeling a bit more relaxed between Chanyeol’s arms. “How are you?” He sneaked his arms around the man’s waist and kissed his cheek.

 

“Now I’m fine,” the man chuckled, pecking his forehead and leading him to the living room. “Come, I need to introduce you to Jongin and Junmyeon. I’ve heard you’ve met Sehun already?” Baekhyun nodded.

 

“He’s Jongdae’s mentee.” He looked around the room, everyone wearing comfy clothes and looking happy. He scrunched up his nose. “I need to change…”

 

“Oh, sure. You know where the bedroom is,” Chanyeol cocked an eyebrow, a smirk stretching his lips. Baekhyun gave him a little punch on the arm, taking a step back and his boyfriend faked a pained expression with a hand on his heart.

 

“Shut up,” he mumbled, walking away and entering the bedroom. It was the most familiar space in Chanyeol’s apartment as they mostly spent their time here. The main light was turned off, but the room wasn’t entirely dark thanks to the warm light of the small lamps installed under the simple bed. The sheets were fresh as Chanyeol surely had to change them after Baekhyun’s last visit there. The collar and handcuff set was also still there, nicely arranged on the nightstand. Baekhyun shook his head, closing the door behind him and locking it before taking off his pair of jeans. He put on his black sweatpants, checking himself one more time in the mirror and he sighed before he left the room, walking back to the living room, where he could hear laughter and a bit of bickering. Moonbyul was by Chanyeol’s side, the two friends annoying each other as they usually would, his boyfriend’s arm resting around the girl’s shoulders.

 

“You literally wore this dress to Yoora’s wedding and you’re trying to convince me you have tastes?!” Chanyeol bridled with fake shock in his voice. Moonbyul rolled her eyes, smiling at Baekhyun when he sat next to his boyfriend.

 

“Byun, I honestly don’t get why you’re dating someone as tasteless as Park Chanyeol, care to explain?”

 

“He must have tastes if he’s dating me,” Baekhyun murmured, a bit too shy to say it out loud because of the glances Chanyeol’s friends were giving him. The man grinned, wrapping his arm around his waist.

 

“Baekhyun!” Wheein exclaimed and got up to hug him.

 

“Hi, Wheein!” he greeted her with a bright smile, tightening his hold against her, relieved to see someone who knew him at least a little bit. “I missed you.”

 

“Missed you too, baby! How are you?”

 

“I’m fine,” he smiled softly, “just a bit nervous,” he added in a murmur, “What about you?”

 

“I’m great,” the girl sat down next to him, “It’s okay, I know these people and I swear they don’t bite.”

 

“I’m just glad you’re here.” Moonbyul grabbed a glass, giving it to Baekhyun who thanked her with a smile.

 

“Yeah, meet my boyfriend,” Chanyeol chuckled, poking Baekhyun’s cheek. Wheein laughed happily.

 

“At last! I can’t believe it took you two so long. I was betting you’d get together right after you made out in the booth at the office the other day!” Baekhyun blushed a little, rolling his eyes at Chanyeol.

 

“He was a jerk, how could I date him?” the boy asked, earning a little laugh coming from Sehun and a slap on the knee from his boyfriend.

 

“Yet he was the only thing you talked about when I met you,” Sehun noticed, Baekhyun narrowed his eyes.

 

“Who asked you, kiddo?”

 

“Just sayin’.”

 

“He’s right, though,” Jongdae shrugged with a smirk. “I don’t know how many times I’ve heard about Mr. Park being the biggest jerk on Earth.”

 

“That’s so cute,” Wheein sighed, pinching Baekhyun’s cheek. “You were both so fun.”

 

“Yeah, but Yeollie admitted at least that Baekhyun is hot, didn’t he?” Yongsun chimed in and Baekhyun had to turn his head when he saw the tips of Chanyeol’s ears getting redder. “Remember when he texted us during the photoshoot?”

 

“What photoshoot? I wanna know everything,” Jongin perked up from his seat next to Kyungsoo.

 

“I heard there were a lot of interesting texts in that group chat!” Baekhyun exclaimed, smiling excitedly. “I told him I’d ask you to show me,” he told Moonbyul, and she smirked.

 

“Oh, babe, you really wanna see that?” he nodded, glancing at Chanyeol.

 

“ no! You won’t scroll the whole ing year just to embarrass me, will you?” the man turned to his best friend. “You really want me to strangle you, don’t you?”

 

“Oh, Chanyeollie, it’s funny how you think I’d have to scroll as if I don’t have screenshots, babe.” She shook her head, patting his cheek with a sweet smile on her face.

 

“You wouldn’t do that to me, you petty .” The girl raised an eyebrow, pulling out her phone from her pocket.

 

“Watch me?” Baekhyun giggled, while Wheein explained to Jongin what photoshoot Yongsun meant.

 

“Oh, so you do want me to tell Yongsun who your crush is? She asked me, you know…” Chanyeol said, daringly looking Moonbyul in the eyes.

 

“Do you want me to cut your , you ing ?” Moonbyul asked, dark eyes and her phone now abandoned on the floor. Chanyeol tilted his head, smirking.

 

“Not anymore, sweetheart. We’re good.” She punched him in the arm, rolling her eyes and grabbing her glass. “Love you.”

 

“Die.” Baekhyun chuckled, shaking his head and looking up at Chanyeol.

 

“You know I can still ask her once this entire night is over, right?” he murmured, referring to Chanyeol’s plan for Moonbyul to finally confess. To Wheein, or Yongsun, apparently.

 

“You don’t want to read that. The chat is boring, and we mostly talk about work,” Chanyeol assured and Yongsun burst into laughter.

 

“We literally never talk about work, Yeol, don’t lie to the baby,” she shook her head condescendingly, Baekhyun whispered a not a baby to her. “Lately it’s just Yeol boasting about his cute boyfriend, really,” she rolled her eyes and Kyungsoo chuckled.

 

“But it’s so cute, I love when he’s so soft,” Wheein chimed in.

 

“I wish he’d keep it to the chat only…” Minseok sighed and made a sad high-five with the art professor. The student scrunched up his nose, his cheeks just a little bit red at the idea of Professor Do knowing all about his romantic - and probably ual - life.

 

“Jesus, why am I friends with you all?” the man rubbed his face with his hands.

 

“You chose us, babe,” Moonbyul added, raising an eyebrow.

 

“A big mistake,” he shook his head and turned to Baekhyun to give him a small smile. “Please don’t mind them.”

 

“I think they’re interesting. You hide some things from me apparently and I’d love to know what you say about me.” He tilted his head cutely, a small smile on his face.

 

“The truth?”

 

“Mostly that you’re so fun and cute, and adorable, and talented, and interesting…”

 

“Yeah, and some other things that I definitely don’t wanna know,” Kyungsoo muttered loud enough for Baekhyun to hear. The boy’s cheeks turned dark and he pushed his elbow in Chanyeol’s ribs.

 

“Yeol!” he whined, trying to hide behind his fringe. The man shrugged with a grin and took a sip of his beer.

 

“Unfortunately, I know exactly why some of my students are late or miss my classes,” the professor sighed and Wheein laughed out loud. Baekhyun hid his face in his hands and felt Chanyeol’s shoulder shaking as he slapped Moonbyul’s knee. He was always laughing so bodily and everyone seemed to be aware because the girl raised her elbow without even looking at the man.

 

“What? Why?”

 

“Mr. Byun here misses at least one class a week and I asked Yeol to talk to him about it… He missed another one this Wednesday and, well, turns out my dear friend was happy to inform me that, I quote, sorry, we ed,” Kyungsoo said, barely holding his smile and making the whole room burst into laughter. Baekhyun whined, hiding his face against Chanyeol’s arm, and definitely hating Professor Do’s existence.

 

“Oh my god, Soo, I didn’t say that!”

 

“You did!”

 

“M-Maybe but not like that!” Baekhyun pinched his thigh, whispering an I hate you against his arm. “Oh, no you don’t.” He furrowed his eyebrows, looking up at the man, who blushed faintly.

 

“Shut the up,” the student added, turning away from Chanyeol, his cheeks still red as he grabbed his glass and took a sip from it.

 

“Poor Baekhyunnie,” Yongsun added, shaking her head. “You can come sit next to me if they’re being too mean, okay?” He looked up, ready to stand up and leave Chanyeol. The man deserved nothing better, after embarrassing him in front of his entire group of friends and his professor.

 

“Who’s too mean?” Chanyeol fluttered his lashes innocently and smiled at Baekhyun, leaning in. “Are you angry for real?” he asked in a concerned whisper, quiet enough for no one to hear them over the chatting in the room. Baekhyun turned to him, offering him a comforting smile as his hand found Chanyeol’s.

 

“Probably you,” Moonbyul casually answered Chanyeol’s question, “when you choke him with your .”

 

“Oh, that’s consensual, though,” the man’s expression changed in a second, from a slightly worried pout to a smug smile, as he turned to Moonbyul, squeezing Baekhyun’s hand. Baekhyun squeezed it harder, trying to make him shut his mouth.

 

“It’s fun, how I have no idea who Baekhyun is as a person, but I totally know how you guys are in the bedroom,” Junmyeon commented, raising an eyebrow and Baekhyun wanted to die, suddenly.

 

“No, you don’t. You just overheard the worst part and now you have bad ideas,” Chanyeol corrected casually.

 

“He wouldn’t if you and Moonbyul weren’t squealing so loudly,” Sehun chimed in, raising an eyebrow.

 

“We weren’t, you were eavesdropping,” the white-haired man accused, “and don’t act like you’re innocent, Kim,” he looked at Junmyeon judgingly. “I could say the same thing about Sehun, you know.”

 

“What?” Sehun turned his head towards his boyfriend, his cheeks getting as red as Baekhyun’s. Baekhyun chuckled, half of his back resting against Chanyeol’s arm.

 

“Shut up, Park, you know nothing.” Junmyeon rolled his eyes. “What about Kyungsoo then? Jongin doesn’t give a , he’s always talking about their amaaazing life.”

 

“Oh, , no.” Baekhyun murmured, scrunching up his nose.

 

“Now that I think about it, aren’t we all a bit too close?” Kyungsoo sighed, glancing at his grinning boyfriend. “And don’t say that, the poor kid will think we’re only a bunch of gays talking exclusively about our life.”

 

“That’s exactly what you are, gays.” Moonbyul answered. Chanyeol gave her a look and poked her side.

 

“You’re in it too, homo.”

 

“It’s so interesting, though! How else would I know your awful kinks?”

 

“Oh, don’t scare the kids,” Wheein looked at Baekhyun and Sehun, concerned. “Also, not everyone here is gay.”

 

“Literally three people aren’t,” Hyejin raised a brow and they both laughed.

 

“Three and a half!” Yongsun raised her hand. Baekhyun heard Moonbyul whimper on the side, and he glanced at her curiously, watching her as she was looking at Yongsun. He opened his mouth, eyes wide and he turned to Chanyeol, who winked at him. Baekhyun smiled brightly, his fingers tightening around Chanyeol’s.

 

“You’re bi?” Jongin turned to the girl, who blushed a little.

 

“Yeah, I thought you all knew?”

 

“You told us at one party, but I think the whole squad wasn’t there,” Chanyeol smiled, glancing at Moonbyul sideways. “Byul, Jongin and Hyejin were off, I think?”

 

“Oh, yeah, you’re right,” Youngsun nodded, shrugging sheepishly. Moonbyul discreetly punched stupidly smiling Chanyeol in the ribs, Baekhyun chuckling as he saw Moonbyul look so distressed with the new information. It seemed like the girl had no idea.

 

“Sorry, babe,” Chanyeol kissed the girl on the cheek softly. “I wanted you to suffer a bit more.”

 

“Suffer from what?” Yongsun turned her head giving them a curious look. “Stop being so mean to Byullie, you’re supposed to be best friends,” she sighed, sitting next to the girl and pulling her closer to her, as if she wanted to defend her from Chanyeol. The man eyed his horrified friend, as Yongsun pouted, embracing the girl, her hands around her shoulders. Moonbyul sneaked her arms around the girl’s waist, sighing contentedly after a few seconds and Baekhyun giggled, hiding behind his hand.

 

“I’m not sorry, she’s mean to me too,” Chanyeol commented, his eyes fixed on his best friend’s face and smiled mischievously, pretending to want to poke Moonbyul’s side. Yongsun frowned, tightening her hold and the man turned to Baekhyun, pure satisfaction on his face. “I’m awesome, be proud,” he whispered, placing a kiss behind his ear. Baekhyun shivered, his fingers caressing Chanyeol’s thigh.

 

“You kinda are.” he smiled softly.

 

“So, Baekhyun,” Junmyeon started, “How about you tell us a bit more about yourself?” he smiled, taking a sip of his drink. Baekhyun tilted his head a little, wondering what he was supposed to say. He certainly wasn’t the most interesting person in the room and now everyone turned their heads toward him, looking at him curiously.

 

“I… I mean… I’m not… That interesting? I’m sure there’s more to say about Sehun, he’s still a kid but he’s living a really cool life,” he smiled sheepishly when Sehun threw a dark glance at him. Junmyeon chuckled.

 

“We already know a lot about Sehun, we’ve met him a few months back already,” Yixing added with a soft smile, Junmyeon nodding by his side. “Actually, you were the ones who took an abnormally long time to get together. Jongdae and I bet on you the first day we met.”

 

“And you won,” Jongdae sighed, giving Baekhyun a disappointed look. The boy stuck his tongue out.

 

“Yeah, we know, you dumbs,” Chanyeol raised a brow. “Not my fault the kid kept being a little .”

 

“You both were awful and kept saying how much you hated each other,” Wheein noticed and Kyungsoo laughed.

“Yeah, it was so ing funny when I asked Yeol to fill in for a model on my anatomy class… You all should’ve seen Byun’s face,” he laughed and took a sip of his beer. Baekhyun opened his mouth, his brows furrowed.

 

“I still can’t believe you did that to the kid,” Jongin smiled. “Normally I’m the one filling in for him but he asked Chanyeol because we thought you may have a chance to finally talk more and maybe not hate each other,” he explained to Baekhyun happily, not letting Kyungsoo cover his mouth.

 

“W-What? You mean… You did that on purpose?” Baekhyun asked, dumbfounded.

 

“No!”

 

“Yes, you did, baby.”

 

“Oh my god…” Baekhyun blushed, looking anywhere but at Kyungsoo, who slapped his boyfriend on the shoulder.

 

“Stop it, he’s my student and he isn’t supposed to know!” he whined. The serious, stern Mr. Do whined and pouted and Baekhyun saw that with his own eyes. This night definitely was surreal. He almost wanted to record him, just so he could see it again and make sure it wasn’t a hallucination.

 

“I can’t believe this…” he murmured. Chanyeol glanced at him curiously, tearing his gaze away from Yongsun and Moonbyul who were now sitting and talking casually with Junmyeon, Sehun, and Jongdae, Yongsun’s arm still on the girl’s shoulders.

 

“What?”

 

“Professor Do just whined and pouted,” he whispered.

 

“Yeah, Soo is pretty cute. He does that a lot,” Chanyeol shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.

 

“Cute?!” he exclaimed loudly, straightening up and catching the attention of the group. “Professor Do?” he whispered again but his words were perfectly audible for everyone after the room fell silent for a second.

 

“Professor Do!” Yixing laughed happily. “I’m never calling you Kyungsoo again!”

 

“Of course he’s cute, look at the baby,” Chanyeol grinned, pointing to his friend sitting in Jongin’s lap with his most deadpan expression.

 

“I’m gonna ing choke you, Park.”

 

“Yes, please, cutie,” he purred and Minseok groaned loudly, hiding behind Wheein, who gave Chanyeol an amused look.

 

“Go be a ert somewhere else.” Baekhyun still was dumbfounded, his eyes never leaving his professor.

 

“You’re the most adorable baby.” Jongin chuckled, kissing his cheek and his boyfriend frowned, his expression cracking after a while when he kissed him back.

 

“I’m not,” he muttered, embarrassed and Chanyeol smiled at them fondly.

 

“Baekhyun? Go and talk to people, get to know them a little, hm?” he whispered to his boyfriend. “Don’t leave Junmyeon hanging, hm?”

 

“But I don’t know what I’m supposed to tell him, he seems super interesting, he was Jongdae’s mentor last year and he’s your friend. I’m just a dumb kid,” he pouted. He heard Jongdae laugh, looking at him daringly and he frowned, straightening up.

 

“You’re not. Go and ask him about stuff if you don’t want to talk about yourself,” Chanyeol prompted him. “Come on, you’re here to meet people, not to stick by my side for the whole evening,” he smiled mockingly, poking his cheek.

 

“Yeah, yeah, fine, I’m going.” He kissed his cheek, sipping from his glass to get a bit of courage in his system, before he stood up and walked over to Junmyeon, starting a small conversation with the man.

 

“Love you, bye!” Chanyeol called to his back, chuckling and turned to Moonbyul, before Baekhyun managed to process his words, blinking when he saw her wide eyes. “What?”

 

“What the hell did you just say?” she asked, frowning, but her arm not leaving Yongsun’s waist. Chanyeol eyed her hand with a smirk before raising his gaze.

 

“Bye?”

 

“Not what I heard, .” She narrowed her eyes.

 

“Oh, calm down, it’s just...” Chanyeol made a meaningless gesture with his hand. “It’s nothing.”

 

“Nothing,” she rolled her eyes. “Can you believe it, Sunnie?”

 

“I never believed any of his words as it came to Baekhyun, you know that.”

 

“Hm, yeah, Chanyeol is a when it comes to him after all.”

 

“Oh, shut up,” the man scoffed, getting up to sit next to Wheein and Jongin. Moonbyul rolled her eyes ostentatiously, but then smiled softly, looking at her friend. She could see how happy he was since he and Baekhyun had started going out together and she couldn’t be happier for him.

 

Baekhyun was talking to Junmyeon, a bit distracted and lost in his thoughts after finally processing Chanyeol’s words and Sehun seemed to realize it as he asked the boy if he was okay. The painter smiled apologetically and looked at Junmyeon, back to actively listening to him. Everyone gathered in smaller groups around the room, talking and joking around with glasses and bottles in their hands. Two hours into the evening there was a ring at the door that Chanyeol went to open just to come back with a stack of pizza boxes in his hands, earning a small round of applause from his friends. He gave away the boxes, taking a pillow and lying comfortably against a wall next to Minseok, talking to him and glancing at Baekhyun from time to time. His boyfriend was happily talking to Jongin, laughing brightly and excitedly moving his arms around, seemingly way more relaxed than he was at the beginning of the night. Kyungsoo returned from the toilet and as Baekhyun had taken his seat, he settled on his boyfriend’s lap, listening to their heated conversation on the recent Marvel movie. He played absent-mindedly with the hem of his hoodie, looking between the two.

 

“No, no, no, Thanos is a megalomaniac and you can’t possibly say he’s doing this for the greater good, it’s utilitarianism and he’s just a jerk!” Baekhyun exclaimed, frowning.

 

“Of course he is, but still, he literally chose to kill his own daughter so he could make the lives of everyone else better! He chose the greater good!”

 

“He only thinks his idea is the only way to save the world and he’s got this great purpose! He’s a mass murderer,” Baekhyun argued and in the corner of his eye saw Chanyeol smirking at him from the other side of the room.

 

“And so is Loki,” Jongin said, sounding final.

 

“You take that back!” Baekhyun answered, eyes wide, looking offended. Jongin grinned, wrapping his arm around Kyungsoo’s waist.

 

“You’ll understand when you’re older. Hey, baby, are we boring you?” Baekhyun blushed a little, it was a bit strange to him to see his Professor acting so lovey-dovey. It felt like he was preying on him.

 

“No, I’m… I just have no idea what the hell you’re talking about,” the professor chuckled and Jongin smiled, caressing his cheek.

 

“Well, the conclusion is that Baekhyun has no taste and should be burned on the stake for his heretic views,” he explained, purposefully avoiding Baekhyun’s gaze.

 

“I’m sorry, what?” the student asked. “You’re the one who’s defending Thanos. He killed Peter Parker!”

 

“Oh!” Jongin’s eyes lit up and he craned his neck to look at Chanyeol. “Are we still laughing at the Spider Parker joke or…”
 

“No,” Kyungsoo cut him off quickly, covering his mouth with his small hand. “It was never funny.”

 

“What joke?”

 

“Don’t listen to him, it’s not even a joke. They were just drunk and came up with some weird story because of Park being so awkward with his long limbs… You know, like a spider, Park and Parker… It was funny for some reason but it’s actually not,” the professor sighed. “Yeol and Nini get too creative sometimes when they drink, that’s all.”

 

“You drew that, though, I have a picture of Spiderman Chanyeol somewhere!”

 

“Oh my god, don’t show him that!”

 

“We have that little game when we come up with ideas and Kyungsoo draws them for us,” Jongin explained happily, looking for his phone. “Last time he drew me in a bear costume, it was awesome! I hung it up on our fridge, it’s so cool!”

 

“Oh, remember when he drew that fantasy thing with Junmyeon as the water spirit?” Wheein chimed in. “He made a whole comic page on his fight with Spark Chanyeol,” she laughed. “You should see that, Baekhyun, he’s incredible!”

 

“Here, found it!” Jongin gave Baekhyun his phone, a picture of a pencil drawing displayed on the screen. It was Chanyeol in the Spiderman costume shooting a web in a room that strangely resembled the living room they were sitting in. The background was hastily sketched but it was recognizable, nevertheless. The character had his legs and one arm positioned in a way that definitely made a spider come to mind. It was a bit goofy and fun, but the proportions of the body were perfect, making the drawing look like a comic book sketch. It was a bit weird for Baekhyun to realize that his professor had drawn that. The boy had been a big fan of his work for years and it had nothing to do with comics. He couldn’t actually believe that Mr. Do, Professor Do could be funny. The thought was a bit unbelievable. Do Kyungsoo was not funny. Do Kyungsoo was stern, strict, cold, and for some reason — possibly Baekhyun being a bad student — he hated the kid. Baekhyun couldn’t imagine Kyungsoo sitting down and drawing something so goofy, funny, almost childish. He frowned a little, looking at the drawing, before slowly looking back up. He hoped it was okay to do it, to talk to Kyungsoo normally. It seemed fine; the man was talking to him as if he wasn’t his student right now.

 

“You… really drew that?” he asked in a murmur, almost a whisper. Jongin smiled proudly, kissing his boyfriend’s shoulder.

 

“Yeah. I don’t only do watercolors, you know,” Kyungsoo smiled, a bit sheepish. “I draw lots of comics for fun and I like drawing their ideas,” he gestured for the group, “because they give me real challenges with the anatomy and perspective.” Baekhyun raised an eyebrow. He didn’t want to offend him, but Do Kyungsoo and fun in the same sentence seemed a bit out of this world for him. He nodded though, when the guy told him about anatomy and perspective, because it looked a lot more like him.

 

“Yeah, I can imagine…” he answered, pointing at the screen. Jongin scrolled through his gallery, finding another picture of a drawing. This one was colored with watercolors and depicted Junmyeon and Chanyeol fighting with spurts water and fire floating around them. It looked epic, straight from a fantasy book.

 

“Look at this! I love this one, Chanyeol has it somewhere… Hey, Yeol, where’s the Spark poster?” he shouted and the white-haired man grinned, pointing to the picture-covered wall behind them. There were hundreds of pictures plastered to the wall and sealed with lacquer, one of them being an A3 size poster of the drawing Jongin showed Baekhyun. There were several other printed drawings in other places, including one of Chanyeol walking on a runway, pieces of colorful fabric floating around him as he lifted his arms in a powerful gesture. Baekhyun had never taken the time to look at the wall, as being with Chanyeol in his apartment meant being with Chanyeol. They would talk, laugh, eat, and . They showered together and they would stay in the man’s room most of the time, lying on the king-sized bed and talking or just spending time next to each other.

 

“They look so good,” Baekhyun said, his eyes not leaving the drawings. He wished he was as talented as his professor. “Honestly, so far from your usual stuff, but still so good…”

 

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo lowered his eyes shyly and Baekhyun frowned at the sight. Jongin elbowed his boyfriend impatiently.

 

“Tell him!”

 

“I, uh… This is my usual stuff too. I draw comics apart from teaching, I just… I use a pseudonym,” he muttered. “Don’t tell anyone or I’m gonna fail you for the absences,” he threatened, suddenly turning serious.

 

“Oh, babe, don’t scare him,” Jongin kissed his boyfriend on the cheek with a smile.

 

“No, but seriously, I could easily fail him,” Kyungsoo turned to Baekhyun again and took a long sip of his beer. “According to the academy rules I shouldn’t let you pass; do you realize that?” Baekhyun scrunched up his nose, his shoulders dropping a little.

 

“I know…” he murmured. Well, if he had doubts the man ever hated him, there it was. Scaring him and threatening to make him fail, Do Kyungsoo definitely was not taking a liking on him. He wished, maybe, that being Chanyeol’s boyfriend would change things, seemed like it wasn’t enough. “I’m sorry…” and, in all honesty, he was. He had never actually decided beforehand to miss all those classes. It just came to his mind sometimes, when he was too tired, when he was hungover, when Chanyeol ed him too good. Baekhyun wasn’t purposely missing Professor’s Do classes, the man just had to be unlucky enough that all his classes were in the early morning, almost every day. He looked down, his heart dropping at his feet. So much for meeting his boyfriend’s best friends.

 

“Just don’t let Chanyeol make you stay in bed for too long,” Kyungsoo smiled hesitantly. “And, uh… I really don’t wanna fail you because you’re way too good for that. Just learn to treat the academy more seriously, it would be such a waste of your potential if you had to repeat the subject,” he let out. “I try to treat everyone equally and I probably shouldn’t tell you that but… You’re doing really good, Baekhyun. But I hesitated before I recommended you for the gallery exhibit because I was worried you were not gonna take this seriously. I think you should know that,” he finished, glancing at Jongin, who pulled him closer, placing a hand on his shoulder and it comfortingly.

 

“I thought… I thought I had no chance anyway, because you know… you hate me,” he whispered, “and then I was really surprised when you actually said my name…”

 

“Who said I hate you?” Kyungsoo frowned and Baekhyun blushed.

 

“I mean… everyone does in class?”

 

“I’m scolding you because you’re either absent, late, or ting with Yeol in my classes!” the man raised his voice, attracting the attention of the rest of the group.

 

“Naughty,” Sehun commented with a smirk and Jongdae snorted.

 

“The number one hoe in the house,” he said to Sehun in a theatrical whisper, loud enough for everyone to hear. Chanyeol looked at him, covering his mouth with his hand and chuckling. Baekhyun noticed him not making a move to defend his dignity, laughing together with Jongdae instead.

 

“I-I am not! He’s the one who does that!” His cheeks and ears were read and he suddenly hated Chanyeol. “I don’t t, I never did!” Well, that was an obvious lie, but who could blame him, really.

 

“I saw your conversation; I was literally standing behind you for like five minutes and you didn’t even notice! Do you realize you don’t have to reply right away, and that Park can ing wait?”

 

“Well then, Professor Do, do you get off on reading other people’s ts?” Moonbyul asked, raising a playful eyebrow.

 

“No, you idiot, he was literally showing me the screen,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, throwing a chip at the girl. She laughed, throwing it back.

 

“Hey, my carpet!”

 

“He was asking me something, I had to answer!” The boy was still blushing like crazy, his heart beating too fast and Chanyeol laughing from his place on the floor.

 

“What was so important?” Kyungsoo sighed exasperatedly.

 

“I-I mean… I just… point is, it’s his fault!” Baekhyun pouted, suddenly feeling way too hot. “I’ll just ignore his texts forever.”

 

“It’s yours for replying,” Jongdae shook his head and Baekhyun canceled his best friend title once again. “Damn, you’re so dumb.”

 

“At least don’t text right in front of me,” Kyungsoo gave him a judging look. “And pay attention, you’re good but not as good as you think, and you still need to practice. That’s what the classes are for,” he explained patiently and turned to Chanyeol. “You were right, he is a little .”

 

“That’s my baby,” the man smiled proudly, making a heart with his hands. Baekhyun ignored him, turning his head towards Jongin and Kyungsoo again.

 

“It’s fine, I’ll be a good student now,” he answered, sipping from his glass.

 

“You’re doing it for yourself, not for me, kid,” Kyungsoo shrugged. “Enough about school, I’m not your teacher now. You wanna hear some embarrassing stories about Chanyeol?” He shrugged and pouted, too proud to actually say he wanted to hear those stories. He was supposed to be mad and not care about Chanyeol, after all. Yixing chuckled, shaking his head and turning to Chanyeol.

 

“He’s feisty.”

 

“You have no idea,” Chanyeol sighed, resting his chin on his palm and smiling fondly at Baekhyun, his eyes glimmering with affection. Moonbyul looked at him, nudging Yongsun for her to do the same. The girl chuckled, whispering to the blonde.

 

“He’s so ing whipped...” Moonbyul nodded, letting her head fall on the girl’s shoulder.

 

“You want to hear the stories from me?” Jongin offered with a small smile. Baekhyun looked at the couple, looked down, and nodded, a pout still on his lips. Kyungsoo looked at him in disbelief. “Okay, listen up. Once, when we were here, Chanyeol almost burned down the building. Since then, the Spark Chanyeol was born,” the man and Baekhyun heard a few giggles from the room. “It all began with a candle and an awkward lanky man with no control over his way too long limbs…”

 

“Jesus, Jongin, not again,” Chanyeol groaned from the other side of the room, tearing his gaze away from his boyfriend. “Mercy, dear sire.”

 

“No way, he needs to know so he laughs at my jokes!”

 

“I just dropped a candle, it’s not a big deal…”

 

“You dropped it on the bed,” Minseok pointed out happily.

 

“Full of your sketches. On, like, paper.”

 

“There was ing fire service after the alarm went off.”

 

“Why the were you holding a candle?” Baekhyun asked, his eyebrows furrowed. “We’re in the 21st century, nobody uses candles anymore, you old man.”

 

“Stop calling us old, fetus,” Minseok grumbled, offended. “Your boy has a weird thing for fire and loves lighting up candles in the weirdest places and moments.”

 

“Not anymore, I stopped after the incident,” Chanyeol defended. “But yeah, I used to have candles in almost every room back then. And I dropped one.”

 

“Because he was dancing,” Jongin snorted, giving Chanyeol a mocking look.

 

“Not a word about my dancing, .” Moonbyul was laughing really hard, Yixing following close, and Hyejin just shook her head condescendingly. Junmyeon gave Chanyeol an apologetic smile, as if it was his fault Jongin was talking about this right now.

 

“I want more than one word, please?” Baekhyun pleaded cutely, tilting his head and looking at Jongin.

 

“Long story short, I can’t dance for ,” Chanyeol said quickly, not letting Jongin get a word in. “It was stupid, I just tripped over Toben and literally fell down on a bed covered in my sketches with a candle in hand. Then Jongin came up with Spark and he can’t seem to let it go for almost… I don’t know, two years now?”

 

“Who the dances with a candle in their hand?” Sehun chuckled sarcastically and Junmyeon shook his head.

 

“So you almost killed an entire building ‘cause you’re a clumsy ?” Baekhyun asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Uh… yes?” Chanyeol chuckled nervously and Jongin laughed mockingly.

 

“One more detail: we were all there,” he added. “And we saw the whole thing and Park setting his bed on fire,” he pointed to the bedroom door, perfectly visible from the couch, “and standing there, looking at it…”

 

“Imagine,” Kyungsoo continued. “This right here dances to Britney Spears’ Toxic before our own very eyes, drops the thing, his bed is burning and he stares at it and goes… Oh, wow.”

 

“That was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen,” Yixing added, nodding with an amused smile on his face, and Jongin joined him, clapping happily. Wheein just sobbed quietly next to Chanyeol, wiping tears from her cheeks and trying her hardest to stop laughing voicelessly.

 

“Why the hell am I dating you again?” Baekhyun asked, looking at his boyfriend. Chanyeol grinned at him, his mood suddenly up.

 

“You want me to say it out loud?”

 

“Shut up, moron,” the boy murmured, pouting again.

 

“Because I’m the nicest, the sweetest, the most interesting man you’ve ever met…”

 

“You ing wish,” he rolled his eyes, looking at him. “I met nicer guys.”

 

“...and no one else will ever you that good,” Chanyeol finished and Minseok slapped the back of his head. Baekhyun blushed hard, grabbing one of the pillows from the sofa and throwing it at his boyfriend’s face. The man caught it effortlessly and immediately threw it back at him. Baekhyun dodged it at the last second, the pillow hitting Kyungsoo, who whined miserably.

 

“For ’s sake, Park,” Hyejin sighed.

 

“What? It’s true,” Chanyeol cocked an eyebrow with a wide grin.

 

“You know nothing about my previous life.” Baekhyun murmured. Not that Chanyeol was wrong, but he had to say something.

 

“You told me yourself, though.”

 

“Okay, hoes, you can resolve that later in the bedroom,” Jongdae interrupted but gave Baekhyun a knowing look. The boy stuck his tongue out and Chanyeol hooked his thumb in the corner of his own lips for a second with a wink when Baekhyun looked at him. “Are we playing a game or something?”

 

The boy wanted to stand up, walk over to Chanyeol, and slap the smile out of his face — he would never do that, but he still felt like Chanyeol needed to stop being so smug. He rolled his eyes, throwing him an I’m so done with you look and finished his drink before turning to Jongdae, nodding.

 

“You kids,” Hyejin murmured.

 

“What kind of game?” Yixing asked with a smile.

 

“I don’t know, what do you normally play?” Jongdae shrugged. “Could be a classic truth or dare if you want.”

 

“I haven’t done that in years,” Junmyeon added softly and Chanyeol burst into laughter, slapping his shoulder.

 

“Grandpa-style, just like I like my Junmyeon.”

 

“You old people just play Scrabble usually, don’t you?” Baekhyun asked, tilting his head. He saw his boyfriend standing up and walking up to him, trying not to step on any pizza box or person lying around. He followed him with his gaze.

 

“Hey, I’m just not a kid anymore. Last time I played must have been when I was 20.”

 

“Also, I take offense because Scrabble is a great game,” Wheein chimed in. “I haven’t played truth or dare even once in my whole life.”

 

“How?!” Baekhyun exclaimed.

 

“I don’t know, I’m not exactly the party type,” she shrugged, gesturing around at her friends in their sweatpants and colorful socks, bags of chips and pizza leftovers on the coffee table and around the floor. “See what my life is?” Baekhyun giggled, grabbing her hand.

 

“I love you, Wheein.” He added with a bright smile.

 

“I’m glad you do, baby, but still,” she returned the smile, and Baekhyun felt an arm sneaking around his waist. Chanyeol placed a kiss behind his ear and buried his nose in his soft hair. Baekhyun wanted to keep the mask on but he couldn’t help himself from sliding his hand on the man’s thigh, caressing it softly.

 

“Should we play something else then?” he asked, nudging Chanyeol, who hummed questioningly.

 

“What, you expect me to entertain them?” Baekhyun rolled his eyes and turned his face towards him.

 

“It was your idea, you ,” he whispered so that only Chanyeol would hear him. “Crush, confession, remember?”

 

“I’m so sorry, darling, your beauty distracted me too much,” he scrunched up his nose, raising his voice a little. Meanwhile Baekhyun pinched his thigh, a faint blush on his cheeks. “Ouch, that hurt. Truth or dare is cool, we can play a round or two if you hoes want,” he looked around at his friends’ faces.

 

“Jongdae should go first since it was his idea,” Sehun perked up, smiling at his mentor. The boy nodded, finding an empty bottle and they scrambled to stack away the empty boxes, cleaning the room before gathering in a circle.

 

“If you get Byullie, you ask the question,” Chanyeol muttered into Baekhyun’s ear, settling between him and Kyungsoo.

 

“Okay,” Jongdae cleared his throat and spun the bottle. “I seriously can’t believe you guys never played this. Everyone does at some point,” he looked at Wheein and then at the bottle, which pointed to Baekhyun, who smirked under his nose. “Oh, , I know everything about you already. But just to clear things up, is Park Chanyeol really the best you’ve ever had?” The boy grabbed the pillow that hit Kyungsoo earlier and threw it towards Jongdae, whining.

 

“Why the would you ask that!”

 

“You want a dare instead?” Would it be anyone else, maybe Baekhyun would have chosen dare, but he knew his best friend well enough to know it was not a good decision.

 

“Shut your dumb mouth,” he answered with a deep sigh. “Yes, he is.” He was blushing and he could see the satisfied look on Moonbyul’s face. He hated Jongdae more than anyone else and he wanted to die, just the slightest. Chanyeol gave him a smug smile and Baekhyun heard Jongdae and a few other chuckles. The student looked away, his cheeks still too hot.

 

“Nice. Yixing, your turn.”

 

“Oh, cool, cool,” he smiled, spinning the bottle which pointed at Wheein. “Ooooh, truth or dare?”

 

“Um, truth?” the girl answered nervously. He cooed at her cuteness.

 

“What was the weirdest place you had at?” He tilted his head, cutely trying to look innocent.

 

“Oh, no,” she bit her lip, wondering for a second. “The weirdest… was probably… uh, the Mintblueish reception desk?” she let out and blushed immediately. “I’m so sorry, Yixing,” she added quietly and the whole group screamed collectively. Chanyeol fell down, laughing maniacally and Hyejin deadpanned, looking at Wheein with disbelief.

 

“I love this game already,” Jongin wiped a tear off his eye, never stopping giggling.

 

“B-But how? W-When?!” Yixing exclaimed, dumbfounded.

 

“I… Uh… Remember when I had a boyfriend who was the manager and supervised the security guards?...” the girl hid her face in her hands. Baekhyun heard Chanyeol letting out a dying sound, the man still lying on the floor, whole body shaking. If he wasn’t too busy being absolutely in shock from Wheein’s answers, he probably would be looking fondly at his boyfriend. Watching Chanyeol laugh was definitely one of his favorite things.

 

“O-Okay…” Jongdae managed, when everyone calmed down a little and the shocked gasps, screams, and laughter died down a little. “Baek... Baekhyun, your turn.”

 

“Yes, come on!” he exclaimed after spinning the bottle, watching it turn and turn before it pointed at Minseok. “Oh!”

 

“Dare?” Minseok glanced at his boyfriend, uncertain. “How bad can it be?” Baekhyun smiled, glancing at his best friend before looking back at Minseok.

 

“Are you ready?” He asked, chuckling. “You have 20 seconds to name 5 things Jongdae is the best at.” He grabbed his boyfriend’s forearm and looked at Chanyeol’s watch. “Starting now!”

 

“Oh, god, um… designing, deadlines, sandwiches, and, uh… dressing people and…” the man closed his eyes, seeming to already regret what he was about to say. “,” he muttered, making his boyfriend gasp. Everyone laughed again and Chanyeol didn’t even manage to sit straight, howling at his friend. Baekhyun was looking at the couple, his mouth wide opened yet still smiling, before he burst out into loud laughter, high-fiving Jongin who lifted his hand just for that.

 

“Oh, !” Jongdae exclaimed but joined the group, giggling with everyone. “I can’t believe you said that,” he kissed Minseok’s cheek, cackling.

 

“I definitely love this game,” Moonbyul added, swiping a tear from her cheek. She was having the time of her life and Yongsun smiled at her happily, still sitting next to her. Chanyeol spun the bottle and smiled wickedly at Kyungsoo.

 

“Soo, my baby, truth or dare?” The man looked at him, already done with whatever Chanyeol was about to say. He glanced at Jongin, who smiled at him reassuringly.

 

“Truth, I guess?”

 

“I can see how excited you are,” the man looked pointedly at his friend. “Give me… three things that turn you on the most?”

 

“Watercolors,” Jongin snorted, looking at his boyfriend expectantly. Kyungsoo patted Jongin’s cheek.

 

“When Jongin passionately talks about what he loves, when he just woke up with his bed hair and sleepy eyes. When he does the ing dishes once in a while.”

 

“Hey!” Jongin whined, slapping Kyungsoo on the shoulder. “I do the dishes?”

 

“Wait, does the first one mean it turns you on when he talks about you?”

 

“I’m talking about his passions, you moron.”

 

“You are my passion too, though,” the man pouted.

 

“Would you shut your cheesy mouth, please?” Baekhyun giggled, looking at Jongin and Kyungsoo acting like an old couple.

 

“Rude,” Hyejin commented and Yongsun chuckled, looking at the two men. Kyungsoo grabbed the bottle, spinning it and giving a discreet kiss to Jongin. Baekhyun smiled softly. He quite liked this Do Kyungsoo. The bottle stopped, pointing at Chanyeol.

 

“Well, what were the chances, huh?” he looked up, smiling at his friend. It was a bit creepy, Baekhyun thought. “Truth or dare?”

 

“Truth,” Chanyeol smiled, settling on a pillow he took from the couch.

 

“What’s the… naughtiest thing you’ve done?” Kyungsoo tilted his head a little. “In public.” he added after a few seconds. Baekhyun perked up, turning his head towards his tall boyfriend.

 

“Do the parties count?”

 

“Whatever you want, Park.”

 

“Uh, so…” Chanyeol mused for a minute. “In normal life... I gave a on a subway once,” he looked up at the ceiling, ignoring Minseok little ew. “And at a party… I made a whole showcase actually,” he murmured, looking at his friends. Baekhyun realized they may have not been fully aware of what the man was into or did not understand it too well. “I did a whole suspension scene, when you tie a person to a metal bar above the floor with a rope,” he explained quickly. “Aaand blew the guy,” he added after a moment. Sehun coughed, putting his glass down and Junmyeon patted him on the back.

 

“Oh my god, what?” Jongdae blinked, confused.

 

“W-What?” Baekhyun asked, “You mean, in front of everyone? You blew him… in front of everyone?”

 

“Um..” Chanyeol fixed his eyes on the floor. “That was a long time ago.”

 

“How long?” Wheein raised her brows.

 

“A year…” Baekhyun stopped breathing for a few seconds, watching his boyfriend still looking at the floor. A year, he said. One single year. He surely loved trying new things with Chanyeol, but he wasn’t sure he would be capable of letting him do that, no matter how much he wanted to please his boyfriend. He swallowed down silently, sliding his hand on Chanyeol’s thigh anyway, just so the man wouldn’t feel like he was being judged.

 

"I don't do that anymore, though. I mean I did a few workshops but that's all," he muttered, cracking his knuckles. "Should we move on?" he asked and it felt like everyone in the room breathed out at the same time.

 

"Okay, I didn't expect you to go this hard with the rope stuff. I thought it's like tying your wrists or something," Minseok admitted, looking a bit concerned. Baekhyun saw Jongdae eyeing him from his seat with a slightly worried expression. The boy gave him a small smile to reassure him that everything was okay.

 

"You never asked," Chanyeol shrugged, forcing a smile. "It can be everything, really, you just have to know what to do." The student slipped his hand along Chanyeol’s forearm to his hand, his fingers fitting perfectly between his boyfriend’s and he leaned down a bit to kiss the man’s hand. "Are you satisfied?" Chanyeol turned to Kyungsoo, squeezing Baekhyun's small hand. His friends knew him well enough to tell that he was embarrassed.

 

“Satisfied.” Kyungsoo answered, offering him a small smile. Jongin spun the bottle and smiled when it pointed to Sehun.

 

"Truth or dare?"

 

“Dare!” The boy exclaimed, a small smile on his face.

 

"Act out the weirdest situation that happened to you recently," Jongin said after a short while.

 

“Oh, okay.” he straightened up, clearing his throat. He lifted an arm dramatically. “I once suspended someone to the ceiling. Wait, whaaat, you did what? With ropes? Yes. I didn’t know you used the ropes for that. You never asked. But like, I thought you used it to tie your wrists or something? It’s fine, Chanyeollie, I’m here for you!” he added in a high-pitched voice, his hand grabbing Junmyeon’s. The group laughed together and Chanyeol just rubbed his face with his hands, lifting his head up at the very end.

 

"Oh my god, was that Baekhyun?" he suddenly burst into laughter with everyone else, his composure cracking.

 

“That’s not my voice!” Baekhyun whined and Sehun laughed.

 

“It definitely was!”

 

"My do… darling would never," Chanyeol called an offended expression, wrapping an arm around Baekhyun's waist and lacing their fingers again.

 

“You should shut up, Sehun, you’re just a kid who knows nothing!” he pouted.

 

“You’re just a year older than me,” Sehun raised an eyebrow.

 

"Calm down, children. Yongsun, your turn!"

 

The girl smiled, grabbing the bottle and spinning it quickly, as the group quieted down again.

 

"Byul!" she exclaimed excitedly. Chanyeol exchanged a look with Baekhyun. The student smiled, his thumb caressing Chanyeol’s hand and he looked back at the girls.

 

“Oh, that’s me,” Moonbyul said with a smile. “Hmm, dare!” She smiled.

 

"I dare you to tell me who your crush is!" Yongsun threw her hand in the air victoriously.

 

“W-What? That’s cheating!” Moonbyul whined, looking at Chanyeol. The man blinked and his lips stretched in a wide grin. Baekhyun chuckled, hiding his smile behind his hand.

 

"Well, then… I dare you to kiss your crush!"

 

“Who says my crush is here?” she asked, blushing madly.

 

"No one, that's a dare! If you like someone, they should know that, so I dare you to kiss them!" Yongsun announced and Chanyeol let out a choked laugh.

 

"Be strong, baby," he said weakly, watching Moonbyul, his fingers crossed in his lap. The girl scrunched up her nose, running her fingers through her hair. Yongsun watched her impatiently.

 

“She’s gonna hate me,” she murmured to herself, taking a deeper breath. She glanced at Chanyeol again, meeting Baekhyun’s eyes. He smiled at her and she turned towards Yongsun, closing her eyes for a few seconds before straightening up, her hands gently cupping the girl’s face and her lips meeting Yongsun’s in a soft, delicate kiss.

 

Chanyeol wheezed, immediately joined by the rest of the group. Wheein squealed, squeezing Hyejin's forearm, the other girl's mouth falling open. Kyungsoo and Jongin let out an excited scream at the same time and Minseok clapped his hands happily. Baekhyun smiled brightly, his hold tightening around Chanyeol’s hand, as the man made another weird choked sound and Yixing pulled out his phone to take a picture of the girls.

 

"I ing knew it!" Minseok exclaimed and Jongdae laughed at him, hugging him tightly.

 

Yongsun blinked in shock when Moonbyul pulled back, the girl’s cheeks red, her eyes panicked. She let go of Yongsun’s face in a quick move, apologizing in a whisper, looking down at her fingers.

 

"Byullie…" Yongsun took her hands, looking at her friend, her eyes opened wide in surprise. "Oh my god,” she chuckled quietly and leaned in to kiss the girl back, quickly pulling her in her embrace. They parted after a minute, kneeling in front of each other in a tight hug. Moonbyul heard another weird sound and opened her eyes to see Chanyeol looking back at her, tears streaming down his cheeks freely, the man fully sobbing now. Baekhyun chuckled at the sight and kissed his wet cheek.

 

"I knew it," he said out loud, making a few people turn their heads. Yixing took a picture of him too, Chanyeol not even noticing the camera through his teary eyes.

 

“What?” Moonbyul asked, still not fully comprehending what just happened. She tightened her hold on Yongsun, pulling her closer. Baekhyun clapped happily.

 

"I-I… was sure that…" Chanyeol sobbed, moved and Wheein passed him a pack of tissues in his trembling hand. "That Sunnie was gonna kiss… kiss you back!"

 

Yongsun chuckled, pecking Moonbyul's cheek softly and the girl turned her head to look at her.

 

"I've heard you have a whole date planned for your crush?" Moonbyul blushed, whining and hiding her face in Yongsun’s shoulder and she heard Hyejin and Wheein laugh quietly, having heard about the date a million times already. "When are we going? Tomorrow?" the girl asked happily.

 

“A-Are you sure… you want to?” Moonbyul asked, a bit scared at the idea of Yongsun doing this just not to embarrass her in front of everyone. It was a sight Baekhyun wasn’t used to, the girl usually looked really confident, just like her smug best friend who was currently crying his eyes out, sobbing in his shoulder. He patted the back of his head softly.

 

"Of course I do," Yongsun smiled softly, squeezing Moonbyul's hands reassuringly. She was even prettier than normal now, a pink tint on her cheeks, her eyes glimmering with excitement and happiness. Moonbyul’s eyes were glistening with unshed tears, her hold tightening around Yongsun’s waist and she was smiling so brightly that Baekhyun had the urge to hug her. He did not make a move, watching the girls being so happy and his hand patting his boyfriend’s hair. Chanyeol finally calmed a bit, falling to the floor again and loudly blew his nose, hiding behind Baekhyun's back.

 

"My throat hurts," he complained, his muscles going lax, as he snuggled to Baekhyun.

 

“How sad,” Baekhyun snorted, rolling his eyes. His own throat had been hurting its fair share of time, thanks to his boyfriend, who apparently thought of the same thing because he sat up and raised an eyebrow at him. He looked comical with his eyes and nose red and swollen and his cheeks wet from tears. Chanyeol chuckled in a way that sounded more like a sound and scrambled to lie down again, resting his head in Baekhyun's lap. Baekhyun’s fingers ran through his boyfriend’s hair, as he smiled fondly at the man.

 

“How are you feeling?” he murmured, playing with the white locks. He knew Chanyeol really wanted him to get along with his friends, probably because they were like a big family. It was going well so far, despite how nervous he was in the beginning and he didn't feel that he stuck out that much anymore.

 

"I'm so happy and relieved," Chanyeol sniffed, curling into a big awkward ball. He looked so adorable and cozy now it was hard to believe that this was the same person who made him scream his lungs out twice this week. Baekhyun traced random patterns on his nape with his fingertips, humming softly.

 

“You are?”

 

"Of course I am, I waited two years for this," he whispered, moving even closer to the shorter boy. He placed a hand on Baekhyun's thigh, his large palm covering almost half of it. Baekhyun looked at him.

 

“Imagine how happy she must be,” he murmured.

 

"I am, that's why I'm crying," Chanyeol huffed out a laugh. "They're so cute, I wanna cry more but my head hurts," he whined. The boy chuckled and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

 

"So… are we still playing?" Yongsun asked when the group calmed down a bit and everyone was just sitting and talking quietly. She sat close to Moonbyul, who was still blushing cutely by her side, holding her hand discreetly.

 

“Doesn’t feel like we are,” Yixing chuckled, looking at the pictures on his phone.

 

"But there's still you and Junmyeon!"

 

"Junmyeon, do you have anything spicy to share?" Kyungsoo asked with a raised brow. "I don't know, have you tied someone with a rope and blew him in front of… How many people were even there, Yeol?" he asked, amused.

 

"Is this gonna be the new meme?" Chanyeol scrunched up his nose, hiding his face in Baekhyun's thigh. "It was a big party. Like…"

 

"Thirty?"

 

"One hundred?" Chanyeol said at the same time and both he and Kyungsoo opened their mouths to say something else but stuttered. Baekhyun coughed.

 

"I'm never getting over this," Minseok shook his head and Jongin giggled behind his boyfriend's back.

 

"It was an exception, first and last time I've ever done that," Chanyeol explained quickly. "They just needed a rigger for the showcase and my friend asked me for help."

 

“What friend? All of your friends are in this very room,” Moonbyul said, raising an eyebrow.

 

"An acquaintance," the man corrected himself. "I met him at a party some time ago and gave him some lessons. Can we not talk about this?" he scratched his head, sheepishly. "Or can we talk later when I'm mentally ready to share?" Baekhyun’s fingers had stopped moving on his nape, the boy looking away, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

 

“Anytime you’re ready,” Yixing said with a comforting smile and Kyungsoo nodded in agreement.

 

"The next party at my place is just gonna be a lecture so I can educate you all," Chanyeol announced with a smile. "The same that you listened to," he added quietly, looking up at Baekhyun. "Just without the props."

 

The boy blushed, shaking his head a little to hide his eyes behind his fringe. Chanyeol sat up, taking his small hand in his.

 

"Baekhyun, I'm so sorry you had to hear it like this," he whispered. "We'll talk later, right?" He nodded slowly, his cheeks red and his eyes not really looking at Chanyeol.

 

“Yes, of course…” he murmured.

 

"Are you okay?" the man bit his lip, worry obvious in his voice. "Do you wanna talk now?"

 

“No, no… I’m fine,” he gave him a small smile. “You should have fun with your friends.”

 

Chanyeol's face fell, as the man loosened his hold on his hand and opened his mouth, helpless. Baekhyun saw Jongdae eyeing him suspiciously from behind Minseok's back.

 

"Can… can we talk now, in the bedroom?" Chanyeol asked nervously, digging his nails in his own wrist. Baekhyun frowned a little at the sight of his boyfriend’s fingers around his wrist. He put his hand on Chanyeol’s, trying to calm him down.

 

“What about them?” He pointed to the people around them.

 

"They'll be fine on their own for ten minutes, I don't need to be here," the man shrugged, taking Baekhyun's hand and leading him out of the lively and loud living room to the quiet bedroom. He sat down on the large bed, cracking his knuckles nervously. "So, uh… tell me what's wrong," he let out finally, exhaling. He took another deep breath, calming himself down and putting on the calm and collected tone he used at work. "Talk to me, Baekhyun?"

 

“W-What? Nothing’s wrong?” He murmured, looking down, avoiding Chanyeol’s gaze.

 

"I can see you not looking at me."

 

“I am…”

 

"Baekhyun," the man furrowed his brows, his features hardening. "Did I scare you? Are you grossed out? Do you wanna go home? Tell me, I'm not a mind reader and I can't stand you pretending to be fine for the rest of the evening."

 

“What?” Baekhyun frowned, taking a step closer. “I’m not grossed out!” he exclaimed, looking into Chanyeol’s eyes.

 

"Then why are you acting so weird?!" his boyfriend threw his hands out in an exasperated gesture. The boy took a step back, looking down again.

 

“I… just…” he murmured, “I can’t… I just… I will never be able to… fully please you…” he whispered, swallowing down.

 

"What? Why?" Chanyeol blinked. "Because you’re not into full suspension? This was just a showcase!"

 

“I’ll probably… never will and… I don’t want to… do it in front of anyone else either… I’m sorry…” Baekhyun’s heart was beating painfully fast against his chest.

 

"Oh, darling, no," Chanyeol stretched out his hands for Baekhyun. "I did it on the model! I would never make you do that," he sighed. "Come here and I'll explain?" Baekhyun looked up, eyes glimmering. He took a step closer. Chanyeol took his hands, pulling him close gently enough for Baekhyun to free himself if he wanted to.

 

"Hyunnie, doll," Chanyeol whispered when the boy settled on his lap. "There are little festivals organized sometimes, okay?" he began when the boy nodded slowly, Baekhyun's back. "I have a friend, who participates in the lifestyle and whom I taught rope to after I learnt it. I told you how important safety is, right? So people organize parties to meet others and to participate in workshops and panels on the practices. The friend asked me to do a show on one of these events and it was the full suspension scene. I don't normally do that publicly; it was an exception. And I did it on the model that I knew and it got… a bit too far," he murmured, his voice low. Baekhyun’s hand found Chanyeol’s, playing with the man’s fingers nervously.

 

“I just… I feel like… you may have to refrain yourself from doing some of the things you like just because of me… and I don’t want you to be frustrated because I’m not into that lifestyle… I… I respect it, you can enjoy whatever you want, but I’m not sure I’m ever gonna be able to do it all…”

 

"No one is," Chanyeol shrugged, kissing his temple softly. "But it's just a preference, it's not like you have to perform all the tricks for me to choose you," he chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind the boy's ear. "And the other way around, there's two of us, after all. You're everything I wanted and coincidentally you enjoy the two things I love doing the most, so I'm certainly not frustrated, doll." The student’s fingers slid between Chanyeol’s lightly tightening his hold on his hand.

 

“Promise me you’d tell me if there was something you miss doing…?”

 

"I promise," the man kissed the corner of his lips. "And we can try new stuff, I'll be happy to tie you up someday, but don't feel guilty if you don't like some stuff. There are things that I don't like either," he smiled. "Or that are neutral and don't really work for me."

 

“I would love to try new stuff… you… you taught me things that I never thought I'd try, or even like…”

 

"Really? Like what?"

 

“Like, the cuffs?” Baekhyun tilted his head a little. “The thighs cuffs, I didn’t even know it existed… and… ing? I knew about it but… I always wondered why men liked it so much? Like, what’s so fun about watching your partner choke and fight for oxygen…” he caressed the man’s hand with his thumb.

 

"You mean I was the first one to do it to you or the other way around? Because watching you choke is literally the best thing in the world," Chanyeol said dreamily, his free hand tickling Baekhyun's neck and the boy shivered.

 

“You were the first one choking me and when I saw it before, you know, I never thought I’d like it… But it’s… It’s so good, honestly… watching you loving it and feeling your at the back of my throat… I just… I could almost get off on it.” the boy nuzzled Chanyeol’s cheek with his nose. “So I really wanna try new things… I trust you enough for that and if you say something feels good, it means it probably does... “

 

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that," the man smiled, hugging him tightly. "I really want you to be fully honest with me as it comes to this, okay?" Baekhyun nodded softly, burying his face in the man’s neck. "Always tell me, whether you like the stuff we do or not. I'm gonna tell you too so we're both happy here, okay?" he asked, Baekhyun's head gently with the tips of his fingers, making him feel so little and safe. The boy snuck his arms around his boyfriend’s waist, closing his eyes and taking in his scent.

 

“I’ll always tell you how I feel,” he added in a murmur.

 

"Good boy," Chanyeol whispered, his tone tender. He smiled, embracing Baekhyun and letting him hide in his arms. "You're so tiny, doll.” The student shook his head slowly, tightening his hold.

 

“You’re a giant,” he whispered against his skin. “How many times do I have to tell you?”

 

"Just let me baby you for a while, will you?" the man muttered. Baekhyun chuckled, nuzzling his neck.

 

“Yes, Mr. Park.” Baekhyun’s fingers slid under the man’s shirt, just so he could feel his skin against his a bit more, the warmth emanating from his boyfriend making him feel at peace, safe. Home. “Can I ask you a question?”

 

"Of course, doll. What is it?"

 

“What did you mean… when you said I was everything you wanted?” he asked in a shy voice, his fingertips caressing Chanyeol’s hip.

 

"Don't you know exactly what it means but you just want to hear me say that out loud?" He slowly shook his head. Maybe he did. Maybe he just needed to hear it. "I'll take it as a yes," Chanyeol laughed softly. "It means that I love how responsive you are to everything I do and that I love that you're into things that I like the most. I feel the chemistry with you and it's not only about . I like doing the daily stuff with you, and talk to you, even when we're just hanging out and mind our own businesses next to each other. You're so fun and so, so adorable," he smiled fondly, lifting his chin to kiss him on the lips. "It's just two months but… I really like you," Chanyeol finished, a bit sheepish. "Happy?"

 

Baekhyun smiled shyly, kissing him more tenderly, his fingers digging slightly in the man’s skin. Baekhyun had never felt so comfortable with any of his ex-boyfriends and he had no idea what it was about Chanyeol that made him feel so good, but he sure knew he couldn’t stop wanting it, him, more and more. They kissed for a while, Chanyeol's strong hands wandering on Baekhyun's body, quickly slipping under his t-shirt, until the man pulled back with a sigh.

 

"We should go back," he glanced at the door, from behind which they could still hear the group chatting and laughing. Baekhyun nodded, his eyes on Chanyeol’s lips.

 

“We probably should…” he looked up slowly, tenderly rubbing the tip of his nose against his boyfriend’s. “But stay with me…”

 

"If we stay here, we're not gonna come out until morning, do you realize that?" Chanyeol raised an eyebrow in that trademark gesture of his that made Baekhyun's heart melt a little each time.

 

“I know…” he sighed, a bit disappointed. “Let’s go then… But stay by my side…?”

 

"I will, doll," the man purred, squeezing his sides lightly. "I promise I'll make up for it later," he added smugly. Baekhyun bit his lip, shivering a little.

 

“I know you will,” he added, slowly lifting his hand and hooking his thumb in the corner of Chanyeol’s mouth, just like the man had done earlier in the living room. His boyfriend smiled cheekily, giving his finger a cat . Baekhyun scrunched up his nose, pulling the thumb away and putting it against his own lips, his tongue twirling around it for a second. “You’re so mean, by the way. I hate you.”

 

"Me?" Chanyeol asked in a hoarse voice, looking pointedly at his lips.

 

“You.” Baekhyun answered, narrowing his eyes. “Making ual innuendos and looking at me like this, being all hot and everything. You just wanted me to pop a in front of your friends, didn’t you?” he pouted cutely, still frowning as if he was mad at him.

 

"It's not my fault you find me hot even when I'm stuffing myself with pizza in my sweats," the man shrugged with a perfectly innocent expression. "What a kid you are."

 

“Yes, old people don’t have stamina like this, how sad for you," the boy said cheekily, tilting his head to the side.

 

"I have enough of it to make you four times in a row," pointed out Chanyeol. "I'm just saying you're enough to let me."

 

“And you, mister, are using my to embarrass me in front of your friends. That’s not really nice of you.”

 

"You've done perfectly well though. Didn't see any boners there?"

 

“The night is not over yet, is it?”

 

"I'm not trying to get you a , though, I simply like making you blush," Chanyeol kissed him, an amused smile lingering on his lips. "Let's go before I get one, shall we?" he sighed, stilling Baekhyun's hips, when the boy resettled on his lap, moving a bit too much. Baekhyun chuckled, pecking the man’s lips.

 

“Like my , Mr. Park?”

 

"You know I do, doll," Chanyeol looked up at Baekhyun who stuck out his tongue happily, smiling before kissing the man’s cheek and standing up. "I'd ing bend you over and eat it right now, if they weren't waiting for us," the man added in a deep, low voice, his asscheek and giving Baekhyun a firm slap right after. His boyfriend moaned, whining after a few seconds, the sudden slap making his twitch a little. Chanyeol stood up, giving the boy a once-over. "Come on."

 

Baekhyun sighed, pouting, and he slipped his hand in Chanyeol’s, who gave him a quick peck on the lips and opened the door.

 

The couple joined their friends in the living room after several very much expected jokes on their absence. Chanyeol settled down in an armchair comfortably, spreading his legs, a fresh beer bottle in his hands, and Baekhyun joined him on the wide armrest, leaning on his side, his arm around his broad shoulders. His fingers were playing with the baby hair on his nape and the boy was humming quietly, happily looking at Chanyeol talking and joking with his friends. Cheerful music in the background, the group was rather lying than sitting around at this point. Moonbyul and Yongsun still held hands, looking at each other shyly from time to time and exchanging small smiles, while Hyejin watched them with a proud expression on her face, talking to Yixing. The receptionist told her a story that was seemingly interesting enough for Kyungsoo and Jongin to listen and gross enough to make their faces twist in grimaces, as they looked at Yixing, disgusted and amused at the same time. Sitting next to them with his back rested on the couch, Minseok Jongdae’s hair while the boy was falling asleep with his head in his lap, discussing something with Junmyeon. Sehun listened to the conversation, chiming in from time to time and Wheein sat beside them with her brows furrowed, looking at the men in disbelief. Chanyeol smiled at her, turning back to Moonbyul and Yongsun, who told Baekhyun a story of how his very smug and ever so confident boyfriend would get scared every time someone appeared behind his back and how the trait led to him falling into a lake and almost drowning on their last family summer vacation, as they called it.

 

“You totally have to come with us this year!” Yongsun exclaimed excitedly. “We all work and have different schedules but somehow we manage to meet for a summer and winter vacation every year for… this is gonna be the fourth one, right?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol nodded. “We went skiing in December for a week, just before Christmas, and this summer I don’t know, do we have a plan?”

 

“Oh, yes, He’s a snowboard master,” Yongsun pointed at the man, smiling to Baekhyun. “You should see your man on the slope, you’d fall in love all over again.” The boy blushed, coughing as his drink went through the wrong pipe and he suddenly became a stuttering mess, his eyes falling on Moonbyul who was looking at Yongsun with a proud smile.

 

“I-I m-mean...I am n-not…”

 

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol chuckled, patting him on the back. “The point was that you have a pretty cool boyfriend,” he smiled cheekily. “So what’s the plan for summer vacation?”

 

“Kyungsoo really wanted to go to Japan this year and I think that might be really cool. We should start planning soon,” Yongsun turned to him, smirking at Baekhyun. He snuck his tongue out to her, turning his head so he would see Kyungsoo.

 

“Why Japan?” he asked softly.

 

"I don't even know. He'll probably choose some cool place to paint though. He always takes a canvas with himself and it's super annoying," Chanyeol smiled fondly at the professor. "We all have to be super careful not to break it but it's so cool when we wake up hungover, go outside and there's the , painting in the rays of the morning sun."

 

"This is both very poetic and insulting."

 

"I know. Kyungsoo makes us go around museums too but it's literally the best thing ever when you can visit a gallery with a person who can actually tell you something about the things you see. He's our guide and he's the best. Says we're worse than his students, though."

 

“I doubt it, but I understand,” Baekhyun chuckled. He doubted the people in this room were worse than him when it came to art history. Oh god, how much he hated that class. He could only blame himself, of course, as he barely worked on his first year and now, when he was supposed to use terms he didn’t understand, he was helpless and even less motivated than before.

 

“Me being a great guide or them being brats?” Kyungsoo joined their little circle, sitting on a cushion that Yongsun passed him.

 

“Them being worse than your students,” he chuckled, his fingers tracing soft patterns on Chanyeol’s nape.

 

“Oh, at least you’re not swearing, making stupid jokes out loud and going around calling Fahrelnissa Zeid the funny scribbles lady,” Baekhyun laughed, and shook his head, murmuring a she seemed to have taken a bit too much of LSD though, and Kyungsoo sighed. “Or calling Pollock the smeary thingy guy.”

 

“Anyway, our vacations are the best time of the year. You need to go with us this year!”

 

“Yeah, you sure do,” Chanyeol looked up at Baekhyun with a smile. The boy smiled softly, kissing his boyfriend’s cheek. He wasn’t sure how to answer, because it sure seemed fun, but they had been dating for a short time and summer was still a few months away. He sure wished they’d still be together then, sure wanted to stay with the man for as long as he would want him in his life, but what could he really say right now? Making plans in such a short relationship, wasn’t it just a little bit too much? He kissed the man jaw and Chanyeol smiled, scratching his scalp lightly. He seemed rather certain about his offer but didn’t say another word, letting Baekhyun think in peace. The boy buried his face in his neck, closing his eyes.

 

The quiet hum of mixed voices and the warmth of Chanyeol’s soon lulled the boy to sleep. Some time later he woke up, just to hear his boyfriend seeing his last guests off and soon closing the door. Half-asleep, he heard the familiar steps around the house until the bed moved under the man’s weight. Chanyeol slipped under the blankets, lying down behind Baekhyun and wrapping an arm around him. He pushed his leg between the slim thighs and buried his nose in his hair, breathing in deeply.

 

“Goodnight, darling,” he muttered sleepily, sliding his hand under Baekhyun’s t-shirt and pulling him even closer. Baekhyun hummed, his hand sliding on Chanyeol’s, tightening his hold.

 

“‘Night…” he answered in a sleepy voice, his eyes still closed. He sighed contently, Chanyeol’s warmth putting him back to sleep. The man placed a soft kiss on his nape, lacing their fingers.

 

“It was… the best day ever,” Chanyeol murmured. They both fell asleep and when Baekhyun wasn’t sure if he was still awake or already dreaming, he heard a soft, sleepy whisper. “Love you.”

 

 

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So, honestly, the scene in the bedroom is my favoriiiiiite <3 
Hope you guys liked it!! <3

- K.