Please explain to me again why we are doing this?” Kyungsoo grumbled to his friend as they completed their membership paperwork. Handing their clipboards back to the spandex clad young man who’s outfit left nothing to the imagination, Kyungsoo received a wink and a breathy “If you'd like to come this way” that almost had him running for the exit. Baekhyun was usually the bolder and more playful, flirty, if he was honest, one so he was usually the one to receive all the (unwanted) attention. Kyungsoo was more used to staying in the background in case his best friend managed to get himself in an awkward situation and needed rescuing.

 

“I already told you. Sehun said this is the best place in town to get….. in shape.” Baekhyun hedged. 

 

Kyungsoo knew those weren't the words their friend and neighbor had used to convince Baekhyun to visit the “hottest new gym in town” and from the many interested stares they'd received since they walked through the doors, coupled with the fact that Kyungsoo hadn't seen a single women so far it wasn't hard to guess what the greatest selling point was.

 

Kyungsoo didn't bother asking anymore questions, he probably didn't want to hear the answers as they followed Minhyuk on their tour of the facility.

 

“Can we go now?” Kyungsoo asked in a stage whisper after dodging yet another “accidental” near miss with Minhyuk's busy hands and Kyungsoo's body.

 

“No. We're here for the zumba class Sehun recommended.” Baekhyun said as they continued deeper into the maze of hallways.

 

“Oh! If you like to get sweaty in a group setting-” Minhyuk started to say only to be cut off by Baekhyun.

 

“We're good, thanks.” Baekhyun said with his most winning smile in place. 

 

“Okay. Well if you need anything I can give you my number. You can call me anytime.” The young man called to their retreating backs.

 

“Alright. Thanks.” Baekhyun replied as Kyungsoo rolled his eyes at the guy's persistence.

 

“Not today. Not ever.” Kyungsoo grumbled under his breath.

 

“Awww…. but he liked you!” Baekhyun teased his friend, earning him a smack in response. “Well if you wouldn’t have led the kid on with your dazzling charm…”  To which Kyungsoo punched Baekhyun in the arm. That was going to leave a mark.

 

“Are you sure we’re going in the right……” Kyungsoo forgot what he was saying as they passed a classroom with a wall of floor to ceiling windows that must be used for the dance classes. The sight that distracted him was a young man, around his own age, in baggy grey sweats and a well worn white tank top doing stretches. He was by far the most beautiful person Kyungsoo could ever remember seeing. But if asked, Kyungsoo probably couldn’t even tell you his own name at the moment, so taken with the sight in front of him. 

 

“Here we go!” Baekhyun chirped happily as he spotted the door marked Welcome! Zumba on in. “Soo? Are you coming? I don’t want to meet Sehun’s ‘hot guy’ on my own. I’m liable to say something stupid in front of him.” Baekhyun prompted.

 

“My being with you won’t stop you from saying anything stupid.” Kyungsoo muttered as he tore his attention away from the dancer to join Baekhyun outside the Zumba room.

 

“True.” Baekhyun agreed merrily as he pulled open the door. “But we don't want to be hauled away to the police station again. You were all sorts of embarrassed in front of Daehyun’s new partner.” Baekhyun laughed at the memory. “And when the handcuffs came out you turned an entirely new shade of red.” 

 

“One more word and I'm leaving you here.” Kyungsoo threatened.

 

“Oh remember-” Baekhyun stopped suddenly, making Kyungsoo crash into his back. “Holy moly….Sehun’s tastes have improved.” Baekhyun muttered. Kyungsoo looked over his friend’s shoulder, rubbing his nose that received the brunt of the impact of the collision to see a young man in a baggy, low neck tee with the facility’s logo on it and a pair of black sweats, partially backlit by the rays of the setting sun. 

 

“Ehhh. He’s alright, I guess. What do you mean by Sehun’s tastes are improving? Didn’t you both date that Park guy?” Kyungsoo had seen true beauty in the form of the guy just a few doors away.

 

“Chanyeol? Yes but you know I have a weakness for big-” Baekhyun said as he subtly tried to fix his hair. 

 

“Don’t say it! This isn’t the place for that or maybe it is but I really don’t want to hear it.” Kyungsoo mumbled.

 

“Jeez. I was going to say hands. Did you think I was going to mention a certain other body part? Cause let me tell you, Chanyeol has a-” Baekhyun stopped himself at the look of horror on his friend’s face. It wasn’t the usual fear of Baekhyun's disregard for boundaries. It was the other look and Baekhyun knew, with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, what he’d find when he’d turn around.

 

“Hi guys! Welcome! Are you here for my Zumba class?” The instructor asked with a teasing twinkle in his eyes and a smile that highlighted his dimples.

 

Dimples. Why did it have to be dimples?? Baekhyun internally wailed. If he had weakness for big hands, his fondness for dimples was far worse. 

 

“Yes we're here for the class.” Kyungsoo spoke up when his friend was still rendered speechless by the instructor's smile.

 

“You're pretty.” Baekhyun finally blurted out only to realize what he'd said after it was too late. “By that I mean your classroom is very pretty. Very inspiring for exercise.” Not his best first impression but it was what it was. 

 

The man's eyes literally danced with a playful mischievousness that assured Kyungsoo that he wasn't fooled or put off by Baekhyun's behavior. Good luck to them both.

 

“My name is Zhang Yixing. My class is rather intense. Are you guys going to be able to keep up?” Yixing asked.

 

“Pst…. What? Of course! We are lean, mean, zumbaing machines.” Baekhyun assured with what he hoped sounded more confident than he felt, especially as he could literally feel Kyungsoo’s judging stare.

 

“Zumbaing machines? Really?” Kyungsoo whispered as they found a spot in the very back of the class.

 

“I'm sorry, alright? I wasn't expecting him to be so stunning.” Baekhyun replied back in a less hushed tone to be heard over the music that was seemingly coming from everywhere.

 

The warm-up portion of the class had barely passed when Kyungsoo and Baekhyun were already sweating and questioning they're more recent decisions.

 

“I hope you know that if we survive this I am going to kill you.” Kyungsoo said with a little bit of breath that he could catch between their gyrations. 

 

“I guess it's a good thing then that we aren't going to make it out of here alive.” Baekhyun said, having given up on trying to follow the class, instead just making random flailing motions. “How can Sehun do this and survive?”

 

“Well it could be because he's younger or maybe it's because he's not addicted to Ben & Jerry’s." Kyungsoo replied as the song ended so his voice carried clearly through the room, earning more than a few giggles.

 

“Great job everyone! We're going to do some cool down exercises and then I will let you go home for the night.” Yixing said from the front of the class, not appearing sweaty or winded.

 

“I'm gonna need you to carry me to the showers.” Baekhyun groaned as he collapsed against the nearest wall after the class ended. 

 

“Well it's not a normal part of the class but I can make an exception for you.” A voice that wasn't Kyungsoo’s said, making Baekhyun wish for a handy cloak of invisibility. 

 

“Ha. No, I'm good, thanks.” It was bad enough that their instructor witnessed his utter exhaustion; he didn't need to expose his less than toned abs to the guy as well. “Maybe next time.” Baekhyun said to lighten the mood.

 

“Anytime.” Yixing shot back with a wink before he wandered off to talk to some other students.

“Where did you wander off to?” Baekhyun hissed at his friend as Kyungsoo appeared carrying their water bottles and backpacks. 

 

Kyungsoo ignored the question, choosing instead to offer his friend a hand to rise from the floor. “Let's go. I'm gonna need a hot shower and pain patches if I want to be able to move tomorrow.” 

 

“I don't even want to think about moving.” Baekhyun whimpers as they trudged towards the showers. 

 

On their way they coincidentally had to pass the dance studio but Kyungsoo wasn't lucky enough to catch another glimpse of the young man that had been there earlier. 

 

 “Ugh. Baek can I borrow your soap? Mine is missing from my bag,” Kyungsoo didn't really want to smell like Axe Apollo that he knew his friend often favored but it would be better than nothing. 

 

“Sure.” Baekhyun replied, handing a distinctly phallic shaped soap on a rope over the divider between their shower cubicles. 

 

“What the-” Kyungsoo yelped before flinging it back in Baekhyun's general direction. 

 

“Jeez Kyunggie you act like you've never seen a-”

 

“Please let me remind you where we are before you finish that sentence.” Kyungsoo scolded his friend. 

 

“I was going to say gag gift. We had leftovers from Daehyun’s bachelor party.” Baekhyun laughed as he bent down to pick up the soap. 

 

“I hope Youngjae knows what kind of a family he's marrying into.” Kyungsoo said as he considered using his shampoo as body wash, 

 

“Here you can borrow mine.” said a new voice to Kyungsoo's left. It was a nice voice Kyungsoo was sure he could easily become addicted to. 

 

Kyungsoo just knew without looking that the voice that would be sneaking into his fantasies dreams belonged to the god-like man that had been in the dance studio earlier. 

 

“No. Thanks, I'm fine.” Kyungsoo mumbled as he attempted to disappear by resting his forehead on his crossed arms which were placed on the edge of the cubicle divider.

 

“Hi. I'm Baekhyun. We're new here and just checking things out.” 

 

Kyungsoo winced at his friend's accidental (probably not) choice of words and his possible (absolute) enjoyment of Kyungsoo’s discomfort.

 

“Hello. I'm Jongin. I'm one of the dance instructors here. You're welcome to stop in anytime and see if you'd like to join my class.”

 

The warmth was melting Kyungsoo's brain until he heard his soon to be ex-friend's reply.

 

“That sounds promising. This is Kyungsoo and I'm sure he’s interested, too. He's single by the way. A bit shy at first but….”

 

Kyungsoo wished he could vanish. He was used to his friend's lack of discretion for the most part but he had entered into a whole new level at this point. Kyungsoo's only defense was to curl up into as small of a ball as possible.

 

“Alright, I hope to see you soon. It was nice meeting you Baekhyun and you too, Kyungsoo.” Jongin said but his voice had taken on an almost concerned tone.

 

While Baekhyun waved a merry farewell to Jongin he mused out loud, to no one in particular “I wonder if he knows Sehun.” Meanwhile he seemed to be oblivious ignoring the fact that Kyungsoo was probably plotting how to best dispose of his body. 

 

Jongin did hear Baekhyun's question before the door closed behind him. Now he remembered why the names sounded familiar and their behavior made much more sense as his conversations with Sehun came back to him. Sehun's high praise of Kyungsoo had intrigued Jongin and he knew under all Baekhyun's teasing and playfulness there was a kind heart. 

 

He didn't realize it but as he dressed a goofy smile had taken over his face. He was still smiling to himself as he passed Yixing on his way out of the locker room.

 

Yixing didn't miss the smile. Lately his friend had been focusing solely on his career and leaving no time for any outside distractions. “Hey what put that look on your face?” He asked after their brief bro greeting. 

 

“That cutie in there.” Jongin said with a nod towards the showers. 

 

When Yixing stuck his head in, the only person he saw was Baekhyun who was singing softly while shampooing his hair, sculpting the bubbles into different shapes before finally rinsing it out. Yixing was mesmerized by the trail of suds sliding down Baekhyun's back until he realized he was ogling a guy his friend just expressed interest in. Suddenly a shower wasn't as important at the moment and it might be better if he just changed and headed home. 

 

Baekhyun draped a towel over his head and wrapped a second around his hips before leaving the safety of the cubicle. He would never admit it to Kyungsoo but he wondered if his nutella abs could be the reason for his current social dry spell. He wasn't worried about running into and not impressing Jongin, there was little doubt where his interest was focused. He strolled out towards the locker where he and Kyungsoo had left their everyday clothes, still singing to himself as he towel dried his hair. The sound of a locker door slamming closed let Baekhyun know he wasn't alone but he still assumed it was Jongin. Baekhyun hoped it wasn't Min, he didn't want to have to use his martial arts skills on the kid to defend Kyungsoo's honor. 

 

“Oh! Yixing!” Baekhyun exclaimed in a too loud voice for the quiet of the locker room. Their Zumba teacher was the last person he'd been expecting to run into and now he was wishing he was wearing more than just a towel. 

 

When Yixing gaze met Baekhyun’s it was missing the warm playfulness of earlier and was now more guarded. Baekhyun was so busy trying to casually cover more skin with his hair towel that he missed the change. Instead he said the first thing that popped into his head. “Would you like to go out for coffee sometime?”

 

Yes, he'd very much like to see more of the shorter guy but since Jongin had expressed his interest, he'd do the right thing. “No. I'm sorry, but maybe next time?”

 

"Oh. Okay." Baekhyun said quietly, wondering what had caused Yixing's sudden coolness. It must be the nutella abs, he thought.

 

Yixing didn't miss the change in the other man's expression. He was about to try to undo the damage he'd done when the locker room door opened and strolled in the center's basketball coach. 

 

"Hey Xing. When are we gonna go check out that new coffee shop everyone is raving about?" The newcomer asked.

 

"When hell freezes over, Kris. If you'll excuse me Luhan is making dinner tonight and he gets annoyed when he can't eat it while it's hot."

 

"I can drive you home." Kris offered. "I'm sure Lu made enough."

 

"Kris just accept the fact that we've all made mistakes in our lives and move on. My dating you was a huge mistake but it's in the past and I've moved on, maybe you should too. How is Tao anyway."

 

"Tao is fine but he's always so busy I need someone who's around enough to keep me company." Kris as if everyone should be understanding his lack of monogamy.

 

"Goodbye Kris." Yixing said as he brushed past the taller man on his way out the door.

 

"Fine. Whatever. Your loss." Kris muttered before turning his attention to the now fully dressed Baekhyun.  "Hey cutie. Are you new here?" 

 

Before Baekhyun could form a reply Yixing reappeared. "Baek, how do you feel about authentic Chinese cuisine?" Baekhyun wasn't given a chance to reply before he was being towed by Yixing's firm but not uncomfortable grip on his wrist. 

 

"Kyungsoo." Baekhyun finally managed to say as they briskly put as much distance between themselves and Yixing's ex.

 

"Oh. He wasn't still in the locker room was he?" Yixing asked as he came to a quick stop.

 

"No. Car." Baekhyun offered, trying to not seem as winded as he felt after the brisk, almost jog toward the main exit.

 

"Oh, okay." Yixing couldn't help thinking how cute the shorter man looked while trying to act cool and not breathless. "I'm sorry I drug you off like that but Kris can be very charming when he wants to be and I don't want you to get hurt.I overheard about your weakness for 'big hands'" 

 

Baekhyun blushed but also welcomed the return of Yixings playfulness. 

 

"I'll take a rain check on the authentic Chinese." Baekhyun said with a saucy smile."But if you'd like a ride home it would give us more time to talk. Do you know a guy named Jongin? I think he caught Kyungsoo's eye." Linking his arm through Yixing's Baekhyun batted his eyelashes at the taller man. "Besides, if you come with us Kyungsoo will have to wait until later to kill me. I may have said some things to move things along that Kyungsoo would have preferred me not saying." 

 

Hope began to spread as Yixing remembered Kyungsoo had been with Baekhyun and may have been the person who had caught Jongin's attention. 

 

"I do know Jongin. He's a friend of mine and an all round good person, as well as an amazing dancer. Kyungsoo just may have caught his eye, too." Yixing said with a laugh as they made their way to where Kyungsoo waited in the idling car. 

 

"Hey Soo! Good news! We are taking Yixing home and he's friends with Jongin so you can ask him all those questions that have been plaguing you."

 

Yixing had to admire the way Baekhyun wasn't cowed by Kyungsoo's look of death.

 

"Do you happen to know our friend Oh Sehun?" Kyungsoo asked while still shooting death glares at Baekhyun.

 

He assumed Baekhyun knew why the question was being asked even if Yixing was still unclear. A pout appeared where the cutest smile had been and Baekhyun's general vibrancy seemed to dim.

 

"Yes I know Sehun. Is he tall and very slender?" Yixing asked all the while watching Baekhyun's reaction. "He takes my friend Luhan's beginner classes in the morning. He's slightly less coordinated than you two but according to Luhan he has a weakness for Chinese guys and a great deal of stamina." Yixing laughed quietly at Kyungsoo's judging look.

 

"What???? Beginner's class? That little brat!" Baekhyun squawked, seeming more upset at being tricked than at the perpetrator. "So that means you two aren't…. You know." Baekhyun's voice trailing off, for fear of asking a question he may not want to hear the answer to. 

 

"A couple? No. Completely unattached." Yixing smiled at Baekhyun using the full power of his dimples to melt Baekhyun's brain cells.