Oh Sehun hated to live alone. Although all his married friends envied him, and thought that having their own apartment was a paradise, the truth was that it . Of course Sehun was a grown man that should be able to live on his own, but even after four months he still hadn't gotten used to it. Coming home to a dark, empty apartment was the worst (even without considering that there could be ghosts).

Tonight it felt especially bad, maybe because it was a Friday, which came with the promise of an entire weekend in the apartment alone, or because it was quite late when he came back so everything felt especially cold and dark. Whatever the reason, Sehun got an eerie feeling when he stepped into the apartment. He hugged himself and tried to shrug it off, reminding himself that ghosts preferred to stay in old houses, not new apartment buildings. Besides, he had already put up a (very expensive) wind chime to scare them away, so his apartment was definitely and without any doubt absolutely ghost free. (Probably.)

Then he heard it. A clear sound. Something falling and breaking.

Immediately he reached for his phone and dialed the emergency number, 119.

“There is someone in my house.” He whispered as soon as somebody answered.

“Sir, what is your name and address?”

Sehun quickly blurted it out, and then repeated: “I think there is a burglar in my house.” (That sounded better than a ghost). “I heard something break.”

“Sir, do you think that you get out of the apartment?”

“Y-Yes?”

“Just move quietly, the police are on their way, everything will be alright.”

Hand shaking, Sehun did as he was told, glad that he hadn't taken off his shoes yet. The woman on the phone talked to him calmly, as he stepped out of the apartment, to the outdoor staircase. He wasn't sure what to do. The woman on the phone told him to stay put, but that didn't sound like a good idea. What if the burglar would come out? What if he had a gun? Or was a part of the mafia?

Suddenly there was a gentle voice behind him.

“Mr. Oh Sehun?”

He jerked in surprise and turned around. It was a police officer so he hung up his phone.

For a moment they looked at each other in silence and then the man spoke.

“I'm officer Byun Baekhyun, I heard you might have an intruder.”

Sehun was speechless. Seeing the officer should make him feel relieved, but in reality it was the opposite.

He had expected someone manly, big and burly, built to protect people. But officer Byun was short, and didn't really look very muscular, but rather soft, and actually kind of cute.

“A-Aren't there supposed to be two officers in a call like this?” Sehun blurted out, because it didn't feel like this one tiny guy could do anything against the group of armed mafia leaders that were now ransacking through his apartment.

“Normally yes,” the officer smiled, but that only made him cuter, which was not helping. “But I was on my way home after my shift so I was close by when the call came. Backup is on the way.” He looked at the half-closed door. “Sir, is that your apartment?”

Sehun nodded.

“Stay put.”

Officer Byun put his hand on his weapon before he slowly opened up the door, and quietly entered the apartment.

At least he seemed to know what he was doing, and if he had a gun, maybe it wouldn't matter that he was cute, his bullets would hit the mafia leaders all the same wouldn't they? Still Sehun was quite nervous and pressed 119, ready to dial again at the slightest sign of trouble.

After what felt like forever, officer Byun's head appeared in the doorway.

“I found the intruder.” He said with a serious expression.

“You did?” Sehun's heart started pounding even faster.

“Here she is.” Officer Byun opened up the door widely, revealing that he was holding a very fluffy gray cat, with a grumpy expression on its face. “Is she yours?” He asked, and casually gave her a kiss on the head.

“N-No.” Sehun answered awkwardly, not understanding how the officer could be so affectionate towards an unfamiliar animal.

“The balcony door was open, so she probably got in through there.” Before Sehun could answer, he the walkie talkie and said his badge number and location before he added: “The intruder was a kitty. I repeat, the intruder is a kitty.”

Sehun blushed. It was kind of embarrassing that he had to call it a “kitty”, that somehow made it worse.

“She looks well taken care off, probably she belongs to one of your neighbors'.” Officer Byun her a couple of times before dropping her down to the ground. Immediately the cat ran away at lightning speed. “Wow. Looks like we not only have one, but two scaredy cats here.” And then he laughed.

Honestly, it was very unprofessional to make fun of him, so Sehun should be offended, but the officer smiled so brightly, so warmly, that it was impossible to stay mad at him, and somehow Sehun started smiling too.

“Well, it's lucky that it was only a cat. But it's always better to be safe than sorry.” The officer said happily.

“Are you... are you absolutely sure that there was nobody else?” Sehun asked hesitantly.

“If you want, I can do another sweep?”

Sehun nodded quickly.

This time they both went into the apartment together, but now all the lights were lit so it didn't look so scary anymore and Sehun started to feel embarrassed.

“S-Sorry about this.” He said as they checked the bathroom again. “I'm not... used to living alone, I just recently broke up with my boyfriend and...”

“Ah man? You guys broke up? That . How long ago was it?”

“Four months.” And it did . Especially since his perfect boyfriend of six years had broken up with him to marry a woman. Probably he should start dating already, but as much as Sehun hated being alone, he also had high standards, and his old boyfriend was hard to compete against. (Apart from that wanting to marry a woman issue).

“Ah, I get it.” The officer took off his hat, and scratched his head a little, making his hair more unruly than it already was. “I was a complete mess when I broke up with my long term boyfriend.”

Sehun's heart skipped a beat. Officer Byun was gay, and he was telling him this? “Was it... recently?”

“Nah, two years ago, so I'm over it now, but it was tough. Especially since it was the worst break-up in history.”

Instead of leaving it at that, officer Byun Baekhyun started telling him in vivid details how he had walked in on his boyfriend having with Baekhyun's cousin (who had supposedly been straight). And then it turned out that the cousin wasn't the only relative of officer Byun Baekhyun that his boyfriend had been cheating on him with. But the weirdest thing was when he was telling this horrible story, he was still smiling and laughing. It was strange that someone could have such a positive attitude, it was also contagious, and suddenly it felt like maybe Sehun could also get over his horrible breakup.

Once they had checked the bedroom, and were back in the kitchen and living room area, Sehun asked casually:

“So... are you... seeing anyone... now?” It was not normal how heavy his heartbeat felt when he waited for an answer.

Officer Byun Baekhyun looked up at him, and smirked a little. “Not seriously, no.”

As much as Sehun tried to hide how happy that made him, for a couple of seconds his smile took control of his face, but then he gained his composure again.

Officer Baekhyun had finished his second check so it was time to thank him and say goodbye, but Sehun didn't want him to leave. Yes, a part of the reason was that he didn't like being alone, but the more important reason was that being around officer Baekhyun made him feel good. He was just so bright and warm, his good mood was contagious. Also, he was very cute. And now that Sehun had spent more time with him, he realized that the officer was more manly than he had seemed at first. He effortlessly took charge in a difficult situation and soothed Sehun's fears without any effort. His face was pretty, but his shoulders were actually kind of broad, and he looked good in that uniform. Very good. (Though Sehun kinda also wanted to see how he would look without the uniform.)

“How did you decide to become a cop?” He asked to stall, and prevent him from leaving right away.

“Me? I guess... because I can't sit still for more than five minutes straight.” Officer Baekhyun burst out laughing.

Sehun smiled. He was starting to really, really like the sound of that laughter.

“And weapon training is fun. Kind of makes you feel like you're in a video game.” He smiled. “But also... I just like people, and you meet a lot of interesting people in this line of work.”

A flock of butterflies appeared in Sehun's stomach and he wondered if the officer thought that he was also one of those 'interesting people'.

He started to feel silly for having assumed that officer Baekhyun was a bad cop, just because he wasn't tall and muscular. As a police officer he must encounter so many difficult situations, coming into people's lives at their lowest points. But if anyone could make someone feel better in a situation like that it would be officer Baekhyun, and now he seemed perfect for the job.

“Do you maybe want a beer?” Sehun blurted out stupidly, but then managed to make it more natural. “I feel bad about making you come all the way over here for nothing... And since it's the end of your shift I was hoping I could maybe offer you a beer... as a thank you?” He held his breath.

Officer Baekhyun's lips pulled up in a cheeky smile. “Mr. Oh Sehun, are you hitting on me?”

“Would you... hate it if I was?”

There was a short pause that seemed endless, but then he answered gently. “No, I would not.”

“Then... Maybe.” Sehun couldn't contain his smile. “But you have to stay if you want to find out.”

Instantly, that bright laughter filled the apartment, and Sehun's insides became warm.

“I guess I have no choice then?” Officer Baekhyun smiled, and the butterflies in Sehun's stomach multiplied.

A moment later, they were sitting on the couch and Sehun handed officer Baekhyun a cold beer. Their fingers touched, and Sehun felt a spark throughout his entire body, something he hadn't felt in a long time. Quickly, he looked up to see if officer Baekhyun had felt it too. Their eyes met, and as Sehun looked into his warm brown eyes his body filled with happiness and excitement. He could already feel that this was the start of something great.

As he blushed and took the first sip of his beer, he thought that since it had led him to this moment, maybe living alone wasn't so terrible after all.