Tired.

He can feel his bones aching and a headache coming. Not the kind of refreshing tiredness that you get after fullfilling long hours of practice when he felt content after a hadwork day.

And it’s not something that he can erase with a hot bath and a long sleep. Sleep? What was it like to be able to just fall asleep when he’s tired? It felt like a long time ago he barely remember it.

“Cute”

Taemin looked up to a pair of playful eyes with a coy smile.

“Our Taemin is so cute, even his fingers are just too cute”

Taemin could feel his cheekbones rising and his eyes wrinkle in crescent already. Whatever the older said always bring a smile on Taemin’s face instantly. He hates how happy Baekhyun easily made him.

“I seriously never thought that your idea of romantic is stuffed dolls and pillows”

That initiate a laughter from Taemin “Noo hyung, pls forget that”

“No way, I’m going to tweet this so anyone know how adorable you are” Baekhyun closed his teasing with a wink.

Taemin pulled the older’s sleeve “Noo, you can’t be serious”

“Watch me”

And the banter goes on and Taemin’s tiredness gone for a moment.

Until his alone again, with his mind, and his racing heart remembering Baekhyun’s attention. It was a lie to say he didn’t like it. Taemin live off of compliments. s still compliment him a lot on the phone, or when they met. But it felt different when it comes from Baekhyun.

He knows it’s a dangerous thread he walks on. And he tried to shake the feeling off. Baekhyun is just a co-worker, they don’t even work together for a whole year, just when they started to debute and preparing for the comeback. But it was so easy to fall to the lead vocalist, his warm honeyed voice and playful eyes, and he always know how to make Taemin laugh. Not the kind of proper laugh he has to show, but all gummy ugly sounds laugh that make his day so much.

They don’t spend much time too outside promotion. Which is kind of fair since the youngest line has comeback to prepare and so is Jongin with his solo. The group is definitely closer now, but they have to remain professional and idols life could take so much they barely have private life.

Sometimes Baekhyun would text him and invite him to play online games since the two of them have more times than others. But they never met face to face, Taemin in his house and the leader in his own. That’s common with the leader since he hardly left his house.

“Something’s on your mind” Baekhyun approached Taemin who was sitting alone by the fire

“Does it show?” Taemin mumbled

“Painfully yes, wanna share?”

“Nah, I’m fine. Just thinking when this wrist could heal fully, I hate to burden everyone like this”

“Don’t be silly” Baekhyun chimed in and sit next to him “Not that I wish you injured but it was kind of endearing to see everyone looking out for you”

“Mmmh...” another unwanted smile grace Taemin’s lips. But no, that wasn’t what he was thinking and he stare blankly to the fire.

The members already went to their camp, and some staff still cleaning up their set and equipment in a low voice. It was nice to just sit around with Baekhyun like this, warm and peaceful. Taemin may not realised it but a pair of eyes were admiring him, his usually playful eyes were warm and hypnotized by the cherubic smile and the amber light from the fire dance on the younger’s face.

“So love accross my mind... But now I’m thinking thinking twice”

Taemin laughed softly at the older started to sing so randomly.

“Oh tell me Do you Do you Do you Do you, wanna make that big mistake?”

“Okay, is this the part I should jump in and sing with you?” Taemin asked

Baekhyun shook his head with a serious expression “I want  a little bit more than nothing, and it might tear us apart. But it’s you I’m tired of craving, yeah”

Suprised is not enough to tell how Taemin feeling right then. He locked eyes with the brown hair, and find no will to avert his gaze. It’s a look that he never seen on Baekhyun as long as they know each other.

“So if I ask ask you. Oh let me ask ask you..”

They were still staring at each other, they can see fear in each other’s eyes. Taemin feared that this was just another Baekhyun’s joke, and Baekhyun feared that this would destroy their relationship forever.

“I like you” Baekhyun broke the silence first “Maybe even before you knew me, since I was a trainee and I saw you with Jongin”

“W... what?” Taemin stuttered and blinked.

“I thought I just admired you, that if we could be friends than this feeling would be gone. But the more I know you, the more I fell for you, Lee Taemin”

Now Baekhyun firmly hold Taemin’s fingers in his “I don’t know how you feel about same relationship and I know I risk everything here, but I’m so tired for craving what’s in front of me”

“Do you Do you Do you Do you, wanna make that big mistake?”

Taemin could feel all his tiredness gone, the heaviness he felt in his heart disappear and he swore he never smiled like he did now “I thought you’ll never ask”