Author's Note: Once again, I wrote this all today so pray for the quality! But I hope everyone will like this update, as it was based on a request! ♡

The weather started to grow colder, and slowly the people around them began pairing up. It was that time of year, when couples became inescapable, and everyone seemed to be in a rush to find a partner. At Taemin’s work, they had begun hosting classes for people to make their own wagashi, which Taemin took a part in leading. Though they’d been immediately popular, he couldn’t help noticing how most of the people coming in these days were boyfriends and girlfriends. He also didn’t miss the way Jonghyun seemed to watch them enviously.

“I’ve never seen you with a girl before,” Taemin noted one evening as they were cleaning up the store. Jonghyun gave a slightly disheartened shrug.

“Some people are good at dating, and some… aren’t. Girls seem to like when men are gentle, or when they have a lot of passion and energy, but not both,” Jonghyun explained, heaving a sigh. “I always get stuck in the getting-to-know phase. Once they realize I’m not all soft and sweet, or that I do have a soft side, they seem to be bothered. I’ve given up on the idea. If someone comes, they come.”

Taemin wondered if that was true. In his mind, Jonghyun’s ability to be both soft and strong, quiet and vibrant, thoughtful and outspoken all in one was such a charm. But maybe girls thought differently, he supposed. Then again, he himself had fallen for Jongin, who was fairly consistent too = but then, Jongin had chosen him, and Taemin thought he was a mess, personally.

“There will be someone for you,” he concluded assuringly, making Jonghyun smile in appreciation.

Another one of his friends who seemed to be eternally single was Baekhyun, although he was a completely different case. Though single, he never seemed to be alone – he had a plethora of one-night stands and buddies to keep him occupied. Despite this though, couple season seemed to weigh on him.

Taemin noticed it one night when they went out for dinner and drinking together, along with a couple other friends. Chanyeol was there (naturally), and a guy named Sehun who Taemin had met several times but never had so much as a conversation with, as well as another friend named Kyungsoo. This guy was newer to the circle, Taemin thought, having only seen him once or twice (and as he was a bit intimidating, Taemin had never talked to him either). But Jongin seemed close and comfortable with them all, and Taemin was just happy to be with his boyfriend, honestly, that he didn’t care about much. But he couldn’t miss the way Baekhyun seemed off.

The first thing that was strange was where Baekhyun chose to sit – moving to squish himself in the corner beside Taemin, rather than a central seat beside his best friend Chanyeol, like usual. Those two were typically the life of any outing, but Baekhyun was quiet that night. Chanyeol didn’t say anything about it, but Taemin couldn’t keep his curiosity to himself.

“Are you alright?” he asked partway into the evening, quiet enough not to interrupt whatever conversation was going on between their other friends. Baekhyun looked moody, as he had all night, and didn’t bother hiding it when Taemin asked.

“I hate this time of year,” Baekhyun muttered in response. “I hate couple season. I hate couples… Most couples,” he added, glancing past Taemin to Jongin on his other side.

“How come?”

Was it because he was notoriously single? Did he feel jealous, or just annoyed seeing people doing silly couple-y things? Maybe that was why he didn’t mind Taemin and Jongin, since they never showed off.

Baekhyun didn’t give much of an answer though. “Just get on my nerves…” From his tone of voice, it almost sounded personal, and Taemin suspected there was a story there. He didn’t ask though, because if there was one thing Baekhyun liked to do, it was talk – and if he wasn’t talking now, Taemin knew it was significant. Instead, he poured Baekhyun another shot of soju and partook in the silence with him.

When Taemin became too quiet though, Jongin ended up noticing. He was laughing loudly about some joke when he turned to Taemin, finding him only smiling politely and quickly throwing an arm around his shoulders. “What’s wrong, baby?” he asked, leaning in to speak into Taemin’s ear so the others wouldn’t hear the pet name.

“Oh- I’m fine,” Taemin promised, trying not to be flustered by the sudden flirtatiousness. Though Baekhyun and Chanyeol knew about them, the other two guys with them didn’t, and Taemin didn’t feel like changing that right now. “Baekhyun’s just a little unhappy.”

Glancing around the place, Taemin could see why. There were couples littered all over the restaurant they were at. Jongin peeked at Baekhyun, asking him what was wrong but only getting a head shake for any answer. Next, Jongin turned to Chanyeol.

“Hey, what’s the matter with your boyfriend?”

Chanyeol froze mid-laugh, blinking at Jongin before rolling his eyes. “I don’t have one of those, idiot,” he replied, not sparing Baekhyun a glance. “But if you mean Baekhyun, he’s just in a funk lately. He’ll get over it.”

“Yeah, sure,” Sehun chimed in. “After you and-”

“Don’t,” Chanyeol cut him off in an instant, glaring dangerously. Taemin watched in silence, dying to know what Sehun had been about to say. There was a secret there, something he wasn’t in on, and maybe something they didn’t want him to know. It made him wonder how many secrets there were between this group – Jongin’s relationship with him, whatever it was Chanyeol and Sehun (and probably Baekhyun) were in on… Taemin had a feeling it was only the tip of the iceberg.

He sighed under his breath. It made him miss his old friends. They had always told each other everything, never kept things from each other… Though it was probably because Taemin was something of an outsider to Jongin’s friend group – which didn’t make him feel all that much better. Taemin had friends here and there, but not so much of a group of his own to belong to…

A hand gently his hair, bringing him out of his thoughts. He turned to see Jongin eyeing him, brow slightly furrowed – silently worrying if Taemin was okay. Had he heard the sigh? Or was Taemin just wearing his thoughts on his face? Taemin quickly cleared his expression and leaned on Jongin’s shoulder, effectively distracting the younger with his rare display of affection.

“Let’s go to karaoke,” Chanyeol announced. “If there’s one thing that cheers Baekhyun up, it’s hearing Sehun sing.” This brought a round of laughs, and even Baekhyun couldn’t resist smiling in amusement, though he was quick to fix his face when Taemin glanced his way.

Soon the group was getting up and clearing out, finding a nearby karaoke place that Chanyeol paid for. They crowded into a room with two couches, Chanyeol passing Baekhyun a microphone before he was able to retreat to the corner. Baekhyun just rolled his eyes and handed it back.

“Come on, Baek, you start us off,” Chanyeol said, the whining not missed in his voice.

“You never want me to sing first,” Baekhyun shot back at him, heading for the door. “I’m gonna buy some beers.”

When he left, Chanyeol sighed. “He’s impossible…” Then he held the mic out to Sehun. “You start. We all need a laugh.”

In response, Sehun took the mic and swatted Chanyeol with it, the resounding thud that echoed around the room making Jongin snort. But then Sehun was offering Jongin the mic. “Oh no- I’m not a good singer, let’s have a few more drinks before I subject you to that…”

“It’s not about singing well!” Chanyeol exclaimed. “It’s about having fun and making everyone else feel better about themselves.”

“You sing then,” Jongin retorted, Taemin giggling beside him and immediately regretting it as the mic was held in his direction. Jongin glanced to Taemin. “Sing us a song, Taem.”

Taemin’s cheeks went pink. “I don’t sing…”

“Sure you do, you used to in church,” Jongin pointed out, which had Taemin shooting him a must you glance.

“Church is church, you have to sing there,” Taemin tried to argue in return, feeling very shy being put on the spot this way. Everyone seemed to have him as their target now though, the most defenseless of them all.

“Karaoke is karaoke,” Chanyeol shot back. “You have to sing here too!”

And with that, it was decided that Taemin would be singing for them. He could have buried himself in a hole and died from embarrassment as he chose a song, not picking anything complicated as he didn’t want to humiliate himself any further. Baekhyun came back just as the song started, cheering for Taemin as he saw the younger with the mic. It didn’t help Taemin much, just focusing on the lyrics onscreen as his face burned.

At first, it wasn’t too bad. Everyone was more focused on pouring beers and grabbing snacks that Baekhyun had brought in to really pay him any attention. There were some exaggerated woo!s as he went through the first verses, but when it picked up for the chorus – shooting up an octave into a slightly complicated melody – everyone turned to look at Taemin, wordlessly impressed at his ability to carry the song with ease. It made him feel worse to have all their eyes on him, but he carried on through it, receiving some rowdy cheers at the end.

“And I thought Baekhyun was the only one who could sing here,” Chanyeol said, sounding both mildly astounded and also a tiny bit frustrated. “Taemin’s not allowed to have the mic first either, then. Making the rest of us feel worse…”

“I’m not that good,” Taemin mumbled in embarrassment, suspecting Chanyeol was just gassing him up to make him feel better. He handed the mic off, and then found himself being pulled backwards – down into Jongin’s lap, where the other was immediately wrapping his arms around Taemin’s waist.

“You are,” Jongin noted, voice filled with unfiltered fondness. “I didn’t know you could sing so well…” When Taemin looked back, he could practically see the hearts in Jongin’s eyes, and he had to pray that the other guys didn’t notice.

“Let’s do a song together,” Baekhyun suggested to him, although Taemin didn’t have a chance to respond before Chanyeol was shouting.

“Absolutely not! None of that before the rest of us have had our chance!”

This had Baekhyun laughing as Chanyeol urgently typed in a song and hit play. “Let me show you guys what real karaoke is about,” Chanyeol said before he began, singing in an overexaggerated manner and going off key a few times. This seemed to have the affect he’d been going for, as Baekhyun seemed to brighten up and everyone else was laughing and cheering by the end of it. It also gave confidence to the others, as Sehun followed it with a rap-heavy song that Chanyeol duetted with him, and then everyone was getting in on a group favourite.

By the time Baekhyun took the mic, no one seemed to care if he was better than them, barely reacting as he sang the opening lines of a ballad. It must not have been their first time hearing him – but it was for Taemin, who was left awestruck as it turned out Baekhyun could sing. Every note came out clear, powerful, yet somehow effortless, and by the end of the first chorus Taemin was gaping.

“He’s good, right?” Jongin said in his ear, smirking a bit as Taemin snapped his jaw shut. “Don’t fall for him…”

This made Taemin chuckle. “Not falling, just wondering how he’s not famous,” he murmured back, his boyfriend laughing in return. Still, Jongin hugged him a little tighter, possessive as ever.

Baekhyun wasn’t paying them any attention though, singing his heart out. Sometimes he would look to the audience – but really, his gaze never went further than the first couch, where the other three were sitting. Finally at some point, when Baekhyun had turned his back to them again, Chanyeol leaned in to say something to his friend beside him, Kyungsoo. Then their eyes were turning on Taemin and Jongin, and Kyungsoo was saying something in response.

It wasn’t hard to tell when he was being talked about, and Taemin immediately became extremely self-conscious. Was Chanyeol telling his friend something about them – something in particular? Taemin realized that he was just there, sitting in Jongin’s lap like there wasn’t enough space for a person on either side of his boyfriend. How subtle…

Trying to be casual, Taemin slid off of Jongin’s thighs and onto the couch, with much ado given by Jongin. Taemin gave his head a slight shake though, trying to create some space between them – to little avail, as Jongin continued to cling to him. When would he ever learn?

After a few seconds, Taemin saw Kyungsoo getting to his feet. He moved past them to grab a drink off the table, and then sat down – beside Jongin.

Oh no. He was going to ask questions, Taemin feared. Confirm for himself what Chanyeol had just told him – that they were actually a couple. Why else would he sit there, so suddenly? When Kyungsoo turned to Jongin, Taemin felt himself tensing, straining to hear what he had to say.

“Sorry, this was Chanyeol’s idea,” Taemin heard over Baekhyun’s singing, the song coming to a close. “We need to get into a conversation so Baekhyun can’t try and kick me out of his spot.” Jongin gave a puzzled look, reflecting Taemin’s thoughts. What? “He wants Baekhyun to sit over there,” Kyungsoo explained, nonchalantly gesturing to the other couch.

Oh. Oh. So Chanyeol hadn’t been talking about them. Their secret was still safe. Taemin leaned back then, relaxing against the couch cushions and letting out a breath of relief.

It didn’t last long.

“So- do you have a girlfriend?”

Why did Kyungsoo have to ask that of all things? And worse, why did Jongin have to answer, “Mm, kind of…” His hand squeezed Taemin’s side where it was now resting, though thankfully Kyungsoo couldn’t see.

“Oh really? I’ve never heard you mention her…” Kyungsoo seemed intent on knowing, and Taemin had to remind himself that it was an act – a crucial one, because Baekhyun was spotting him and yelling from the other side of the room as he made his way back.

“Get out of my seat!”

Kyungsoo looked up at him with a frown, and Taemin felt nervous on Baekhyun’s behalf. Baekhyun looked unbothered though, glaring right back. “We’re talking about Jongin’s girlfriend,” Kyungsoo said simply.

“Girlfriend?” Baekhyun glanced to Jongin, annoyance temporarily replaced by confusion in his eyes. “Since when do you-”

Oh boy. This was not a good can of worms to be opening… Jongin seemed too intoxicated to be filtering things properly too, giving Baekhyun a blank stare. “Baekhyun, you were literally one of the first to know.”

“Oh…” Baekhyun took the only free spot, his back to Chanyeol as he nodded. “Oh yeah. Sorry, I guess I was mistaking you for Sehun.” Sehun, who was preparing to do another song with Chanyeol, swatted Baekhyun pointedly. Then Baekhyun was looking away from the trio as Kyungsoo turned back to Jongin, not seeming interested in their conversation.

“So have you been together long then?” Kyungsoo prodded, not keeping his voice down. “I’ve never seen you with any girls before.”

Taemin couldn’t help noticing the way Baekhyun pulled a face. Even though he wasn’t looking, it seemed like he was still listening, although Taemin wasn’t sure why he would be bothered by the question. Probably because he knows Jongin doesn’t really have a girlfriend. He must feel sorry for him.

“It’s been a while,” Jongin answered, truthful but vague. “We’re kind of… private right now.”

“Doesn’t sound much like you,” Kyungsoo admitted. It had Taemin wondering – how did Kyungsoo know Jongin that well anyway? They hadn’t spent that much time together, as far as Taemin knew… It didn’t seem like they talked much either – Kyungsoo wasn’t much of a talker, period.

He must learn a lot from just observing. We should be more careful…

“It’s not me,” Jongin laughed, squeezing Taemin again. Taemin had to hold in a frown, but Jongin added, “I just respect her. We’ll announce it eventually.”

“You’d think she would want to announce it,” replied Kyungsoo, his eyes full of unreadable thoughts. He was definitely suspicious of things, but Taemin couldn’t remotely tell what. Did he doubt Jongin’s story? Was he suspicious of the girl, or perhaps, that it wasn’t really a girl after all? “I mean, you’re good-looking, really popular; you must get a lot of attention from other girls…”

Jongin shrugged. “I don’t care about them.”

“But she doesn’t?”

Taemin had to clench his jaw to prevent himself from commenting. Why are you digging in so far? This wasn’t supposed to be such a deep conversation – it wasn’t like he needed to fend off Baekhyun anymore. And yet there Kyungsoo was, waiting ardently for Jongin’s next response.

“I don’t think so… She’s just got a religious family.” Jongin was good at this. He kept his composure, not sounding remotely flustered or on the spot. Taemin had to envy his skills. But there was a slight problem…

“They don’t want her to date?”

Why would a family worry about a girl dating a boy?

“Not yet,” Jongin lied, confidence faltering a little.

“Are they planning to arrange a marriage or something?” Kyungsoo wondered, sounding a bit concerned. However, before Jongin was able to respond again, there was an interruption across the room.

“No, I won’t film you singing for your stupid girlfriend!”

Everyone looked over at Baekhyun, who was shrieking at Chanyeol as the other held his phone out to him. Even Sehun paused mid-rap to look, shaking his head and then carrying on without care. Then Baekhyun was getting to his feet, shoving Chanyeol out of his way hard enough that Chanyeol tripped backwards over the edge of the table, nearly falling flat on his face. Fortunately, Sehun was able to catch him and prevent this. Baekhyun didn’t see it though, as he was too busy stomping off out of the room.

“Oh, for God’s sake!” Chanyeol yelled after him, everyone falling silent. The background music continued playing, but the room was quickly filled with awkwardness, no one knowing what to say. Finally, Chanyeol grabbed his cup and drained the remainder of his beer, before pouring himself some more and shaking his head. “Whatever. I’m not going after him,” he muttered, ending the song before putting something else on.

Taemin exchanged a glance with Jongin, neither having a clue what they should do. It wasn’t really their business – they didn’t even know what was going on – but Taemin still felt like someone should talk to Baekhyun. When it became clear that no one else was going to, Taemin stood.

“I’ll see…” he announced quietly as he headed to the door.

As he went down the hallway, not sure where he should look for Baekhyun, Taemin started processing everything. Baekhyun had mentioned Chanyeol having a girlfriend – and he didn’t seem to think very fondly of her. It must have been a fairly recent development – new enough for Baekhyun not to be over it, but old enough that Chanyeol was already used to it. Suddenly, his mind flashed back to that time, so long ago now, that Chanyeol’s girl friends had come over to his party. Was it one of those girls, who Baekhyun had seemed to hate so much? Or did Baekhyun’s taste always vary from whatever Chanyeol liked?

Left with more questions than answers, Taemin figured the best thing to do was to just hear Baekhyun’s side of the story. (He wasn’t exactly close enough with Chanyeol to ask him, though maybe Jongin could do so on his behalf.) So he wandered through the maze-like hallways of the place, eventually passing a bathroom and deciding to check if Baekhyun was there.

The older was at the sink, running his hands under the water and staring at his reflection stoically. His eyes shifted to Taemin’s reflection when he came in, offering a tiny half-smile that quickly disappeared. “Don’t tell me he sent you to check on me…”

“No…” Taemin stepped toward him, and Baekhyun turned off the tap, drying his hands on his pants. “Are things okay? You seem upset at him. You’ve seemed that way all evening…”

It wasn’t like Taemin had just noticed or anything. He’d seen it since they’d been in the restaurant, the way Baekhyun had been avoiding Chanyeol. Was Chanyeol’s girlfriend related to it, or had Baekhyun just been lashing out at Chanyeol for requesting something of him when they were evidently fighting?

And if Baekhyun wanted to lie and deflect it or avoid the subject, he didn’t. He deflated a little, losing the last of the spark in his eye that normally burned like a flame, looking entirely put out as he faced Taemin.

“Honestly, I’m just… I’m really, really jealous of you, Taemin,” Baekhyun confessed, his voice wavering as he said it.

“Me?” What had Taemin ever even done? Especially for someone like Baekhyun, who was so charming and interesting, vivid and witty and talented and so many things that Taemin couldn’t even distantly see in himself. He just couldn’t understand, even when Baekhyun nodded.

“Yeah, you,” Baekhyun hummed, giving a sad smile. “You have exactly what I want. And I swear, you made it seem so easy…”

“What do you mean?” Taemin’s head swirled with greater confusion, more and more questions as nothing was answered. “I haven’t even done anything…”

Silence bit the air as Baekhyun stared at him, leaving Taemin to wonder as he seemed to debate internally whether or not to elaborate.

“I mean Jongin,” Baekhyun said slowly. He looked back to the mirror, leaning against the sink and then dropping his gaze, shoulders slumping while Taemin looked on. Jongin? Was Baekhyun saying – was he interested in Jongin? That couldn’t be right.

“I don’t understand…” And Taemin could have laughed at himself, because his words came out sounding abruptly more distant, to the extent that even Baekhyun noticed and had to chuckle, glancing back to him.

“I told you before, you have what so many people want. You fell in love with someone that should have been impossible – your best friend, your straight best friend – and somehow managed to win him over. You’re living the dream. My dream…”

All the happiness, playfulness, lightheartedness – every bit of positivity drained from his voice in the last two words, the crack audible as he looked off again. It took Taemin a moment, understanding slowly dawning as he realized Baekhyun did not in fact mean Jongin was the one he wanted. No, he wanted…

“You get it, right?” Baekhyun asked him quietly, no hint of the bubbly boy Taemin was familiar with in his tone now. “Why it bothers me… I’m sure you’d feel the same if you saw Jongin with someone else. Not that I’m entitled to him or anything…”

Taemin didn’t know what to say, a little shocked at the revelation. Thinking about it now, it seemed obvious; Baekhyun always seemed different with Chanyeol. It was clear they were close, but the way he seemed somewhat possessive, bothered whenever Chanyeol looked at girls (or more)… It was starting to add up.

“That’s the worst part,” Baekhyun went on, and Taemin was fairly sure he saw a tear fall into the sink. “Being the best friend, you’re so close, but you still don’t have any claim to them… You just have to sit back and be happy…”

At that point, Taemin stepped over to him and pulled Baekhyun into a hug. He could only imagine. Sure, Jongin had had a girlfriend while they were friends, but they’d lived so far apart back then. Baekhyun saw Chanyeol all the time still, probably had to hear about and even see his girlfriend in person every day. What would Taemin do, if Jongin asked to film him serenading his girlfriend? Suddenly, Baekhyun’s reaction was making a lot more sense.

There was a moment of silence as Taemin just hugged him and Baekhyun took a few deep breaths to keep himself together. And then, before Taemin could filter it, he blurted out, “Does he know?”

It probably was an insensitive question, but Baekhyun answered anyway with a sniffle. “Yeah, he knows.” Ouch… “But he’s straight. And I guess I don’t have your charms, or I’m just not his type enough to have him swing my way.” He gave a dry laugh, and then Taemin felt him lean his chin on his shoulder. Taemin just hugged him a little tighter.

“I’m not anything special,” he assured quietly. “I was just lucky, that’s all…”

“Yeah. I’m glad one of us was.” And Baekhyun didn’t sound bitter. Taemin could tell he was happy for him, but sad for himself. It must have felt so unfair to watch Taemin succeed in exactly what he was failing in, yet Baekhyun graciously didn’t hold it against him at all.

“I’m sorry,” Taemin said, feeling sympathetic to the situation as he’d been there once too. “I wish I could help you the way you helped me…”

Baekhyun chuckled, but he seemed to deflate even further. “It’s okay. You’re helping me like this… And anyway, whatever’s meant to be will be. I’ve accepted that I’m destined to be everyone’s best man, but never anyone’s groom.”

And it broke Taemin’s heart a little to hear it, but he wasn’t sure Baekhyun was wrong.

*

They ended up returning to their room eventually, Taemin making sure to have Baekhyun seated at the far end of the couch from Chanyeol’s couch – after giving Kyungsoo a firm look to return back to that one and making Jongin scoot to the other end so Taemin could stay by Baekhyun. The mood had died down by then, so they only ended up staying for a handful of songs more before the night was called and everyone made their way home.

“You know, Kyungsoo was saying he thinks Baekhyun likes Chanyeol,” Jongin said as they got back to their apartment, laughing to himself. “I thought it was funny. I wonder if he thinks that about us, too…”

Taemin just patted Jongin’s back, not mentioning what he had learned that night. It wasn’t his secret, after all. “You told him you had a girlfriend,” he pointed out instead. This made Jongin chuckle again.

“Oh yeah, he was really worried about her…”

Shaking his head, Taemin prodded in a quiet voice as they reached their door, “What did you tell him, anyway?”

“Just that her family doesn’t want her dating so early,” Jongin replied, unlocking the door for them and holding it open with a playful bow. “He’s a funny guy. Reminds me of you a bit…”

This made Taemin pout, feeling needlessly jealous. He hated when Jongin compared others to him, some sort of complex that must have come from insecurity in his assumed replaceability. If Jongin could find others like him, he wouldn’t need Taemin, right?

Jongin followed Taemin inside, not missing his expression. In a second, he was taking Taemin’s face in his hands and leaning in until their noses touched, alcohol on his breath as he assured, “Nowhere near as pretty as you, though…”

His cheesy attempt made Taemin chuckle, stealing a kiss before taking a hold of Jongin’s wrists. “Let’s go to bed,” he murmured, pulling Jongin to their room.

He was lucky, so lucky. Taemin realized just how much as they changed into their pajamas and then Jongin pulled him in to kiss him over and over, gentle butterfly kisses full of affection. And then Jongin dragged him into bed and held him tight, kissing him more until they fell asleep. It was something he could only have dreamed of once, and something, he now knew, that others were still only dreaming of. And, as if he hadn’t been doing so all this time, Taemin knew he needed to cherish every moment.

Because some people would never get the chance.

Author's Note: So, as mentioned, I was given a request on an update about Baekhyun, and specifically his relationship with Chanyeol. I'm guessing most already suspected it, but I figured I'd bring it to light. It's bittersweet! Not everyone has Taemin's luck (or various charms - which he has, whether he can see them or not!) and Baekhyun is one of them. What do you think - is Chanyeol cruel? He's aware of Baekhyun's feelings, but is it really his fault?
Also, shoutout to Kyungsoo for joining the cast! We'll see if he has any significance down the road 👀
And shoutout to Jonghyun too, who is looking for love to come to him if anyone is willing to volunteer 👀👀
And a final shoutout to me for posting early instead of late! 🙌 See you all again soon~ ♡