“Are you packing swim trunks?” Chanyeol asked as he ate a popsicle.

Baekhyun pondered the idea and shrugged as a response, “I don’t think I have any.”

Chanyeol his red lips and pierced them together, “So if Kyungsoo wants to swim with you, what are you gonna say?”

Baekhyun scoffed and placed another shirt in the suitcase. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to figure that out there.”

Chanyeol pouted, “I’m bringing swim trunks.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, “No one asked. I still can’t believe you were able to get me the day off.”

Chanyeol laughed, “Technically, it was Jongin who did it.”

Baekhyun found it incredible how Jongin was able to pay off the owner to give him and Chanyeol the weekend off. He was even more shocked at how fast Friday had come. He hadn’t even been able to pack his things. So now, he spends his morning making his suitcase with Chanyeol next to him keeping him company.

“You nervous?” Chanyeol asked.

“No, why?”

“Because, you and Kyungsoo. How’s it going between you two by the way?”

Baekhyun felt a small smile come onto his lips. Things between Kyungsoo and him were going great. He knew he had feelings for the latter and he knew that Kyungsoo had feelings for him too. He was extremely lucky that Kyungsoo decided to choose him. “Good.”

Chanyeol let out a huff and threw himself back onto Baekhyun’s bed. “That’s it?! Good!?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, “I like him.”

At that, Chanyeol sat up quickly, nearly dropping the popsicle from his hand and onto the sheets. “Huh?”

Baekhyun laughed and looked up from his suitcase at Chanyeol, “I like him a lot.”

Chanyeol’s shock was immediately replaced with happiness. “Are you serious?” He remembers Baekhyun’s eyes when he realized his string was torn, they held the worst pain imaginable. He remembers how heartbroken the latter was the next morning, completely crushed. Knowing that Baekhyun had found someone who could help repair not only his string, but his heart, had Chanyeol feeling almost grateful to Kyungsoo.

“Yeah.” Baekhyun replied happily as he zipped up his suitcase. He couldn’t wait until his string could be connected again. When he finally saw Kyungsoo’s string, it would be attached to his own. That thought alone made him giddy. “Alright, I’m all set.”

“When are Kyungsoo and Jongin supposed to get here?” Chanyeol asked as he finished the popsicle.

“Any minute now.” Baekhyun answered him. He was ecstatic to be able to go to the lake house with them. Kyungsoo had told him that Jongin and he would drive together to Baekhyun’s apartment to pick up him and Chanyeol. It just made things easier to have the both of them in one place.

“Jongin said the lake house isn’t big. But he’s too modest.”

Baekhyun pouted, “I bet it’s huge. Kyungsoo’s the same way.”

“Yeah! Just look at the suits they wear.” Chanyeol scoffed.

Baekhyun laughed as he nodded, “And their watches! Have you seen the watches they wear?”

Chanyeol nodded, agreeing completely. He had seen the watches Kyungsoo and Jongin wear, the most expensive brands only. They were way too modest, but at the same time, that added to their charm.

***

Kyungsoo opened the window of the car as Jongin drove. Baekhyun smiled wide as the wind blew his hair.

“Do you smell the fresh air now?” Kyungsoo asked as turned around to look at Baekhyun in the back seat.

Jongin and he had rented a car especially for them to drive to the beach house. They didn’t want to garner any attention while on their little vacation. They had picked up Baekhyun and Chanyeol from Baekhyun’s home and were now on their way to the beach house.

“I smell it now.” Baekhyun rubbed his tongue against his lips and smiled, “Taste it too.”

Kyungsoo laughed a little too hard at Baekhyun’s joke. Jongin scoffed and shook his head slowly. Kyungsoo was whipped.

“You ever been to a lake house Baekhyun?” Jongin asked as he looked at him though the rearview mirror.

Baekhyun shook his head, “Nope, never.”

“It’s not a big deal, just a house by the lake.” Kyungsoo answered.

“So basically,” Chanyeol began, “It’s a big house where the backyard is a lake?”

Kyungsoo laughed, “If you want to look at it like that, sure.”

Jongin took a small turn by a fork in the road and that’s when Baekhyun saw the house. It was big and had two floors. There were windows, lots of windows. The house was brown and looked very welcoming, it gave off a homey feel.

“This is it?” Chanyeol asked, astonished.

“Yep, this is it.” Jongin replied as he began to park the car in front of it.

“You said it wasn’t a big deal.” Baekhyun said as he held onto Kyungsoo’s seat and pulled himself forward.

Kyungsoo smiled and squeezed Baekhyun’s hand. “And it isn’t. It’s a just a small getaway for four people to enjoy themselves. Nice, warm, and cozy.”

Baekhyun looked over at the house again. This house a big deal…quite literally.

“Let’s get the bags quick, I want to show you the inside.” Jongin said excitedly as he grabbed Chanyeol’s hand.

Kyungsoo turned to look at Baekhyun, “Let’s see the inside?”

Baekhyun looked over at him, “Yeah.” He replied as he smiled.

Kyungsoo smiled wide and it wasn’t until then that Baekhyun noticed how close they were. He was leaning forward with Kyungsoo’s hand on top of his. Being this close, Kyungsoo could easily make out all of Kyungsoo’s features. His brown eyes, his pretty lips…had they always looked so…

“Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun blinked the thought away and threw himself back, “We should go inside, right?”

Kyungsoo pressed his lips together and let out a laugh, “You were checking me out?”

“I—“ Baekhyun felt himself going red.

“It’s ok.” Kyungsoo answered. “I check you out too.” He opened the door and went outside.

Baekhyun let out a sigh. How could he be so casual over this?

Kyungsoo opened the back door, “Let’s go.” He told him.

***

The inside seemed even more homey than the outside. It was a beautiful shade of coffee with cream with a fireplace right in the center of the living room. There were light brown sofas to match it. The kitchen was the same color as the living room and was right next to it.

“It’s so pretty.” Baekhyun said as he looked around. “And so much light comes in.”

“Yeah, the windows help it be bright inside.” Jongin answered.

“You want to see your room?”

“Sure.” Baekhyun replied as he pulled on his suitcase.

They made their way upstairs where all of the rooms were. Jongin opened a door, revealing a room that was painted light blue with a carpet on the floor and queen sized bed in the middle of it.

“This is your room Baekhyun.” Jongin said with a smile.

Baekhyun walked in slowly and gasped. It was big! It had a closet and bathroom attached to it! He looked ahead and saw that it even had a balcony!

“Is this…the master bedroom? Because if it is, I can’t take it.”

Jongin and Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow, “Master?” Jongin questioned.

Baekhyun nodded, “Yes.”

“Oh! You mean—Oh no. It’s not. All of the rooms are like this. Each room should have its own bathroom. I slept in a place once where I had to share the bathroom.” Jongin shuddered at the thought. “It was awful. I would never subject someone to that.”

Chanyeol let out a scoff, “I forget how rich you are sometimes.”

Kyungsoo and Jongin both looked at him. “Hm?”

“Sharing bathrooms is normal.” Baekhyun scoffed.

“Oh…well I’m not used to that…” Kyungsoo replied as he turned a bit red. He lifted up his arm and rubbed the back of his neck. His silver watch shined as the sun hit it. Baekhyun smiled at how cute the latter was. Kyungsoo was embarrassed and it was adorable.

“It’s not a bad thing.” Chanyeol shrugged.

“You want to help Baekhyun get settled?” Jongin looked over at Kyungsoo as he raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

Kyungsoo blushed even harder and dropped his hand quickly, “Show me my room Jongin!”

Jongin laughed as he looked back at Baekhyun, “I’ll let you get settled in.” Jongin said as he slowly shut the door.

Baekhyun smiled as he shook his head. He put his suitcase on the bed and began to organize his clothes for the weekend.

***

Baekhyun rushed down the stairs when he had organized everything in his room. He had unpacked his suitcase and decided to make the room feel as homey as possible. He had put everything away in its proper place and basically made it his own.

He was halfway down the stairs when he heard someone call his name,

“Oh, Baekhyun!”

Baekhyun looked up, whipping his hair back in the process with his hand.

“Hey, how are you?” Kyungsoo asked as he tied a white apron around himself.

Baekhyun grinned wide and made his way towards him, “Good, watcha doing?”

“I’m going to make a stew. Chanyeol and Jongin went out for a walk around the woods, so it’s just you and me right now.”

“Oh? Isn’t it a little dangerous?”

Kyungsoo shook his head as his eyes darted down to his cutting board. “We get good signal here, so they could contact us if anything. And they have really loud whistles with them. And there’s lots of park rangers that patrol the area.”

Baekhyun stood next to him and watched as he chopped vegetables. “Need help?”

Kyungsoo looked over at him, “Sure, you want to chop vegetables?”

Baekhyun smiled and nodded.

Kyungsoo grabbed another cutting board and placed it in front of Baekhyun. “We’re making a simple stew. So just chopped up vegetables and spices.”

Baekhyun nodded and grabbed a carrot and a knife. “Gotcha.”

They both chopped while standing next to each other. Baekhyun found this nice, just him and Kyungsoo. There was no one else here to disrupt them, so peaceful. His mind wandered as he chopped. He envisioned Kyungsoo placing his hand over his and then slowly lifting his chin upwards towards him. Then he would lean in and—

“Baekhyun!”

Baekhyun blinked and looked over at Kyungsoo who was laughing, “Can you pass a potato please?”

“Oh!” Baekhyun turned and picked one up. “Here.”

Kyungsoo smiled, “Thank you.” He blinked then raised an eyebrow, “Are you blushing?”

Baekhyun shook his head, “N—no.”

Kyungsoo smiled and tossed the vegetables that were cut up into the boiling water. “I don’t think we need anymore.” He said as he began throwing in spices.

He turned to face Baekhyun when he was done and smiled. “What were you thinking of?”

Baekhyun shook his head as he tossed in the only carrot he chopped up. “Nothing.”

Kyungsoo furrowed his brows, smile never leaving his lips, “Nothing?”

Baekhyun wet his lips, “Nothing.”

Kyungsoo grabbed Baekhyun’s chin in between his index finger and thumb. He was so quick, Baekhyun didn’t even notice until he felt the touch.

“Is this what you imagined?” He asked as he began leaning in.

Baekhyun’s mouth opened and he swallowed, “M—maybe.”

Kyungsoo smiled and leaned in closer. Baekhyun shut his eyes, was this it? Was it about to happen?

He could smell Kyungoo’s musk emanating off of his body, then felt a pair of lips make contact with his forehead.

Baekhyun opened his eyes and realized that Kyungsoo was kissing his forehead. The latter pressed their foreheads together and smiled, “Not yet Baekhyun.” He told him.

Baekhyun leaned into the latter and placed his head on his shoulder. “I really like you.”

“I really like you too.” Kyungsoo told him.

“Oh!”

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun turned to face the direction of where the voice came from. Jongin and Chanyeol stood there wide eyed.

“Oh…we could leave again.” Chanyeol said as his ears flushed pink.

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo both let out a laugh at the same time. They didn’t feel embarrassed, on the contrary, they felt confident. Baekhyun knew that eventually his string would be attached to Kyungsoo’s. So it was ok for people to know, right?

“Stew is almost ready.” Kyungsoo said.

“Did you guys want to go swimming later?” Chanyeol asked with a cheeky smile.

***

They sat huddled by the fire, blankets around the four of them. After taking a swim in the lake, they all decided to come together to eat the stew that Kyungsoo and Baekhyun had made. Baekhyun insisted that it was all Kyungsoo, but the latter refused to take all of the credit. They all agreed that it was delicious. Chanyeol had even made the comment: “I didn’t think a rich kid who had been fed with a golden spoon all of his life could cook.” That earned a laugh from all of them. Kyungsoo wasn’t even offended, he found it hilarious.

The light of the fireplace in front of them illuminated their faces while they ate a cake that Jongin had brought from a bakery before coming over to the lake house. It was warm and calm as they all sat in silence. Baekhyun was glad that he had been able to come. And it was barely Friday. There were still 2 days left that they could spend with each other.

“The woods sound nice.” Chanyeol suddenly said as he leaned back.

“What do you mean?”

He smiled as he let out a sigh, “Like, it’s so peaceful. And you can hear the owls, crickets, the lake…I don’t know. It’s just nice.”

Baekhyun nodded as he agreed. “It is nice.”

Kyungsoo smiled, “Yeah, makes you forget that the wailing woman exists.”

Chanyeol and Baekhyun both turned to look at him, “Hm?”

“The wailing woman. She haunts places with large bodies of water. Haven’t you heard of her?”

“It’s a lady who drowned her kids in a lake because she wanted to marry a man who didn’t want any kids.” Jongin began.

“Uh huh?” Chanyeol’s eyes had widened as he listened to the ghost story.

“But when he found out what she did, he abandoned her.” Kyungsoo took over the story from here.

“And what happened?” Baekhyun questioned, his lips slightly parted.

“She died shortly after, but because she drowned her kids, she was doomed to wander the earth for all eternity until she found them.” Kyungsoo leaned back a bit and looked down at the ground. His voice came out in a hushed whisper, “So now every night, she wanders large bodies of water. She cries out in a blood curling scream,” Kyungsoo looked up slowly and in a slightly louder voice began, “Oh~ my children…OH~ My Children!”

Chanyeol and Baekhyun were so immersed in the story, they didn’t notice Jongin creeping up behind them. He grabbed both their shoulders and screamed out loudly causing the both of them to jump and fall forward onto their faces.

Jongin and Kyungsoo both let out loud laughs as they fell onto their backs.

“Jongin!” Chanyeol shouted as he got up, “I was ting myself.”

Baekhyun rolled over on the floor and frowned. “Very ing funny…”

“Oh come on, it was too easy.” Jongin said as he sat up.

Chanyeol pouted, “That’s not the point. I could have had a heart attack.”

Jongin smirked, “It wasn’t that bad.” He said with a small smile.

Baekhyun sat up and sighed. It was funny, he can’t deny it. It was all in good fun anyway. He felt an arm wrap itself around him and he inhaled the scent right away. He smelled heavenly.

“Sorry, you ok?” Kyungsoo asked.

Baekhyun nodded, “Yeah. I would have done the same thing. So I have no reason to get upset.” He said with a chuckle.

“By the way, you were kidding about the legend right?” Chanyeol asked.

Jongin shook his head, “Nope. It’s real. It’s a story from Mexico. But don’t worry. She tends to be heard in Spanish speaking countries.”

Baekhyun gulped. He didn’t think a ghost story would creep him out this much.

“I’m sleeping with you Jongin.” Chanyeol said as he tugged on his shirt.

Jongin shrugged as he placed the dirty dishes in the sink. “That’s fine.”

Kyungsoo caught up to them, taking over the sink. “You guys can go on up ahead, I’ll wash. I know that you had to wake up early Jongin.”

Chanyeol looked over at his soulmate. “You told me you didn’t work today.” Chanyeol told him with a frown.

Jongin bit the inside of his cheek, “It was just a small meeting.”

“Well yeah, but you woke up early and drove all the way here. You must be exhausted.” Chanyeol grabbed Jongin’s hand and squeezed it. “We’re going upstairs right now and going straight to bed. I don’t want you losing sleep.”

Baekhyun saw the glint in both their eyes as they looked at each other. They looked as though there was nothing more precious in this world. Baekhyun wondered if he would ever have that.

A small chuckle had him turning his head and he realized what the answer was.

“I—I think I’m going to call it.” Jongin said as he turned to look at Baekhyun and Kyungsoo. “Goodnight guys.”

They bid each other goodnight and watched as Chanyeol and Jongin went upstairs to the room they were both going to share, leaving Baekhyun and Kyungsoo alone in the living room.

“We should head upstairs too, huh?” Kyungsoo asked as he looked up at Baekhyun. He washed the dishes quickly. Luckily, they didn’t have much since earlier Baekhyun had washed the ones where the stew was in.

Baekhyun nodded, “Yeah we should.” He heard as the wind hit the lake and the sounds it made. He suddenly thought of the ghost story and it sent a chill up his spine.

“Your story really did creep me out.” Baekhyun said as he let out a nervous laugh.

“Did it really? I was just messing with you.”

Baekhyun chuckled, “Yeah. I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep.”

“We can sleep in the same room if you want. The beds are big enough to fit two people.”

Baekhyun felt himself heating up and opened his mouth, but closed it again quickly.

“Uh…I mean…”

Baekhyun looked up to see Kyungsoo just as red as him. He clearly didn’t think his words before saying them.

“It’s ‘cuz you said you were scared. Not ‘cuz like—of anything weird, you know? Only if you’re comfortable though! I’ll wear my pajamas.”

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, “Pajamas?”

Kyungsoo bit his lip, “Yeah, I mean of course, I’m going to wear clothes. I don’t want to pressure you into…”

“Into?”

Kyungsoo face palmed, “This is coming out bad, isn’t it?”

Baekhyun smiled wide, “It’s cute.”

Kyungsoo swallowed, “Sorry, it was a dumb question.”

Baekhyun shook his head, “No, it was a sweet gesture. Thank you for the offer, I accept.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened, “Huh?”

“I accept.” Baekhyun repeated triumphantly.

“You—you do?!” Kyungsoo questioned with a shocked tone to his voice. He didn’t think this through at all. Was this happening right now?

***

Baekhyun knocked on Kyungsoo’s door. Was this a good idea? Sleeping next to one another? He wasn’t sure. But he wanted to. He felt so safe with him.

Kyungsoo opened the door, he wore sweats, a gray sweatshirt, and had his lips pressed together. He almost looked childlike.

Baekhyun giggled, “You look cute.”

Kyungsoo grinned wide and nodded, “So do you.”

Baekhyun walked inside, looking around Kyungsoo’s room. It was a similar size to his own and was the same color. The bed was located in the center, with a walk in closet and restroom to the sides of it.

He turned to look at him, “Thanks by the way.”

Kyungsoo sat on the bed, “No problem. You sleepy?”

Baekhyun nodded, “Yeah I am.” He replied honestly as he climbed on. “By the way, did I tell you I uploaded the video onto YouTube a couple of days ago?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened, “Did you really?”

Baekhyun nodded as he let out a giggle, “Yeah, want to see?”

Kyungsoo smiled, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Of course I do!” He scooted over closer to him, Baekhyun pulled out his phone.

“But don’t laugh, ok?”

“Of course not.”

Baekhyun hadn’t logged onto his account since he uploaded it. He was nervous and didn’t want to spend his days obsessed with views and likes. If it did well, then great! But if not, then that was fine too.

Once it said it was logging him in, he shoved the phone towards Kyungsoo, “I can’t watch.” He said as he shut his eyes. He opened them only to look at Kyungsoo’s facial expression. The latter reached out and clicked play to watch the video.

Kyungsoo giggled and smiled throughout the whole thing. Baekhyun also saw a glint that appeared in the latter’s eyes. The same one he had seen whenever Jongin looked at Chanyeol. Baekhyun’s eyes widened and shined. Was Kyungsoo looking at him with those eyes?

“It’s wholesome.” Kyungsoo finally said when it was over. “You can feel the passion and fun you were having while playing. I loved it. It’s so real, nothing about it seems fake.”

Baekhyun grinned wide and looked down, “You know, this is all because of you.”

Kyungsoo blinked and looked over at Baekhyun. He put the phone down slowly, “What?”

Baekhyun smiled wider. “It’s true. This has been my dream since I was a kid.” He looked over at him, “And thanks to you, it became a reality.”

Kyungsoo stared at him intently, analyzing him. Oh, what Baekhyun would give to know exactly what was going on behind those beautiful eyes.

“It was ‘cuz of you Baekhyun.” He told him. “I just helped you get there. But it was all you.” He reached his hand out and cupped his cheek. “Give yourself credit. You’re amazing.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he swallowed. Kyungsoo was perfect. Everything he could ever want. He reached out and took Kyungsoo’s face in between his hands. He let out an exhale and leaned in swiftly, in one fell swoop, he closed the distance between them.

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened, then they watered. He kissed Baekhyun back with just as much intensity. Could he get his string back? Was this it? They both felt their hearts accelerating, he could practically hear Baekhyun’s heart.

When they parted, Kyungsoo smiled and let out a chuckle. He hugged Baekhyun and they both fell back on the bed.

Baekhyun giggled when his back hit the bed and he hugged Kyungsoo tight. He had finally gotten the courage to kiss him. He was beyond ecstatic.

“How are we gonna sleep now?” Kyungsoo asked.

Baekhyun was just as excited as Kyungsoo, there was no way they were sleeping anytime soon.

“How about you kiss me again instead?” Baekhyun suggested.

Kyungsoo obliged quickly. They spent most of their night like that, mostly talking and kissing, nothing past that.

When they finally did get sleepy, Kyungsoo shut off the light and wrapped his arm around Baekhyun’s waist.

Baekhyun felt something cold on his hip and opened his eyes. He searched and found the source wrapped around Kyungsoo’s wrist.

“What the—? You sleep with your watch on?”

Kyungsoo yawned. “It’s easier. That way when I get up I don’t have to worry about putting it on.”

“It’s cold though…” Baekhyun pouted.

Kyungsoo chuckled and Baekhyun heard as he took it off and placed it on the dresser.

Baekhyun smiled and wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo, “Good night.”

Kyungsoo inhaled Baekhyun’s scent and smiled, “Good night Baekhyun.”