The room was quiet. Too quiet. Yes it was early morning, but usually at this time he would be able to hear the deep breathing of his room-mate and best friend still in the land of slumber. But today there was no other sound apart from his own breathing.

 

Did Baekhyun get up already? 

 

Scrunching up his face in an attempt to pry his eyes open, Chanyeol begrudgingly welcomed the new day with a rather large yawn. He blearily blinked a few times before hauling the top of his body upwards so he was sat facing the other, empty, bed. 

 

Yep, just as he had thought. Baekhyun had gotten up already. Weird. Usually the older boy would need some assistance in waking, often in the style of a pillow hitting his face courtesy of Chanyeol. Never before had the other woke up and left the room before him. This was strange. This was weird. It wasn't unwelcome but it was weird. And it was too much for his half-asleep brain to manage after just waking.

 

Sleepily, the tall boy raised a hand and ran it through his wild bed hair. It didn't help the state of his hair any, but it was a force of habit by now, and there wasn't any real point in stopping. Besides, it would get styled in an hour or so anyway so it didn't really matter.

 

His eyes drooped, once... twice... before his head started falling towards his chest. It was only thanks to his phone buzzing next to him that he was startled awake enough to begin functioning properly. 

 

He had to wake up. They had schedules today. They always had schedules, regardless of what day it was. Today happened to be his birthday but... he wouldn't really get to celebrate it properly. They had schedules. And the company had planned his party for a few days time. His family were on vacation as well so he knew that he wouldn't be seeing them today.

 

The day would just be like any other, which made him a little sad if he was honest. But it was to be expected that this type of thing happen now. He was an idol after all. Everything couldn't just stop because it was his birthday. No, he had work to do.

 

Sighing slightly, Chanyeol grabbed his phone to see he had received a text message from his mother. 

 

'Happy Birthday, 'Yeol-ah. Sorry we couldn't be there to celebrate it with you. Make sure the other boys treat you well today. Enjoy yourself. Mum, xxx'

 

Chanyeol grimaced slightly and wrinkled his nose. It wasn't the contents of the message that caused the reaction but the time it was received. If it wasn't for this text message he could have gotten an extra fifteen minutes sleep. No more than that though, because Joonmyun would have likely come nagging at him if he stayed in bed too late.

 

Speaking of which, he should probably make a move to join them all in the kitchen to avoid said thing from happening. The leader wasn't exactly the gentlest when trying to get people up and out of their beds, and Chanyeol had learnt that the hard way. Sometimes he swore he could still hear a faint ringing in his ears, that sounded remarkably like his hyungs voice. That was definitely something to be avoided again.

 

Stretching his lanky arms towards the ceiling, he let out another large yawn before rolling over and falling, in a very un-graceful manner, off of the side of his bed. A loud thump echoed throughout the room, followed by a low pitched moan. Apparently his legs weren't awake yet. Possibly something to do with how tall he was leading his body to be slower to wake up. Yeah, it was that. Nothing to do with Chanyeol's occasional clumsiness at all. Nope.

 

This wasn't an unusual occurrence though. Which was why there was no-one coming into the room to find out what the noise was about. They probably just rolled their eyes whilst acknowledging that Chanyeol had probably attempted to get out of bed.

 

He had such caring band-mates. Honestly. What if he had fallen and had hurt himself. He could be bleeding all over the floor right now and none of them would know. Yet another reason for him to notice Baekhyun's absence. Baekhyun would have cared. He would have laughed at him, yeah, but if the taller boy had actually hurt himself then his best friend would have been straight by his side, helping him.

 

A small pout appeared on his face as he rolled once again and clambered onto his hands and knees. If he hadn't been completely awake before, he was now that his head and become friends with the floor. No harm done though, he had nothing to really damage up there anyway. 

 

He used his bed as leverage to bring himself up to standing, where he stretched once again before trotting out the door and down the hall to the kitchen.

 

He distractedly scratched at his stomach as he walked through the kitchen door and took note of who else was there. Unsurprisingly, he saw Kyungsoo by the cabinets, apparently serving up three plates of food, and there was Joonmyun at their table flipping through a book. They really looked like a mother and father at that exact moment. The sight was so amusing to Chanyeol that he couldn't stop the low chuckle from escaping his mouth. The other two in the room looked up at the sound and greeted him with smiles. 

 

"Hyung! Happy Birthday!" Kyungsoo greeted, hurrying over to the tall boy to give him a hug. "I've just finished making your breakfast. Take a seat." He smiled as he let go before hurrying back to finish serving the plates.

 

Chanyeol smiled warmly in response before looking over at their leader. The shorter male met his eyes and nodded in greeting with a smile on his face. "Happy Birthday, 'Yeol-ah."

 

"Thanks guys." Chanyeol replied, letting his smile morph into one of his wide grins as he looked between his two friends and band-mates 

 

Kyungsoo smiled in response before placing a plate of food in front of the birthday boy. "Here you go, hyung."

 

"Thanks." Chanyeol flashed another grin at the shorter boy before happily grabbing the utensils and tucking into the food. He was always ravenous in the mornings and food was usually his number one priority, so trying to get anything out of him for the next fifteen minutes or so would be impossible. Knowing this, the other two happily ate their own food, occasionally mentioning something to each other. Chanyeol wasn't paying attention so what was being said went straight over his head.

 

Once he was finished, he leant back against his chair and looked around somewhat vaguely. He was just starting to daydream when Joonmyun stood and ruffled his hair. "Better get ready now, Chanyeol-ah. We'll be leaving shortly."

 

The tallest member blinked before tilting his head to the side. "What about the others? Where's Bacon?"

 

Their leader chuckled lowly before patting the other on the back. "Baekhyun-ah and the others had early schedules. We'll be meeting them at the studio for the performance."

 

"Oh. Okay." Chanyeol shrugged. That explained why his best friend had been missing that morning. He was a little put out, if he was being honest, that the other boy hadn't even left him a message or anything. But he tried not to dwell on it. He'd been seeing him and the others shortly anyway. With that thought he clambered to his feet again and followed his hyung out of the room and went off to change and shower ready for the day.

 

---

 

The day was not playing out how Chanyeol had hoped it would at all. Barely any notice was being paid to the fact that it was his birthday. Not that he was demanding the day to be all about him, but the day had just been like any other normal day for them. Well... maybe not for him exactly. He was getting lots of well-wishes and birthday greetings, and the only thing on his schedule had been their performance earlier. After that he had been free to do what he wanted.

 

What he wanted though was to be able to spend the day celebrating his birthday with his friends. With Baekhyun especially. But could he? Nope. They all still had full schedules, and even though they had all wished him a happy birthday and hugged him (Kai had all but jumped on him when they had arrived at the studio earlier), it wasn't the same. He was left in the dorm on his own, on his birthday. This was definitely not how he had thought his birthday would go.

 

Why did the company schedule his party for later in the week? It was his birthday today after all! What good was celebrating it later? But at least he was still getting a party, so he couldn't exactly complain. It was annoying though. And he was lonely.

 

Since returning to the dorms he had already spoken to all his family on the phone and received the usual teasing abuse from his older sister. That helped ease the feeling of loneliness for all of an hour, before the dorm suddenly felt overly large to him.

 

True, he had full reign over the TV which he did make full use of for a while. But eventually his attention started to drift and he wasn't paying attention to whatever was on the screen any more. He found himself glancing at the clock frequently, awaiting the return of everyone else. 

 

It was around 7pm before anyone else appeared in the dorm, and then it was only Sehun and Kyungsoo who had finished their individual schedules early. Seeing how tired the younger two were, Chanyeol didn't hesitate to jump to his feet, usher the two boys into their respective rooms to change before deciding that he was going to cook. Since he hadn't had much to do today, cooking for the rest of them was the least he could do.

 

The tall boy wasn't the world's best cook but he could rustle up something that was at least edible. He was dishing up something that resembled rice and some form of meat when Kai returned to the dorm. The four of them had sat themselves around the table and happily enjoyed the food. The other two would eat theirs whenever they got back, it was easily enough to heat back up. 

 

Once the four of them had finished, Sehun had grabbed all their empty plates, stating that he was a good maknae and would do all the dishes. Not bothering to argue, the other three had vacated the room and soon found themselves collapsed on the sofa. This wasn't very entertaining for Chanyeol though seeing as that was what he had spent the majority of the day doing. So after excusing himself he had returned to his room, grabbed his book and stretched himself out on his bed.

 

He had a few chapters left before he would finish it and he was practically dying to move onto the next book in the series. Unable to take the silence in the room though, the birthday boy fumbled for his iPod and headphones. After slotting the earpieces into his ears, he hit shuffle and turned his attention onto the adventure awaiting him within the paper pages. It wasn't long before he was lost to the world around him and was immersed in the story.

 

---

 

He wasn't sure when it had happened, but at some point Chanyeol had fallen asleep. Not into a deep sleep but enough for him to have some weird dream involving him and Baekhyun fighting a dragon (which had hair that looked like Kris') and trying to rescue Luhan (of all people) from a locked tower. 

 

He and Baekhyun had just acquired swords from a broom-riding Tao when his consciousness returned and he felt real hands on the side of his face. Someone was removing his headphones and turning his iPod off. Scrunching up his face as he sleepily tried to blink his eyes open, he caught sight of his best friend standing by the side of his bed. A grin sprang onto his face as he practically tackled the older boy into a hug.

 

"Bacon!" He cried happily as he smooshed the other to his chest. "I missed you!"

 

A happy chuckle reached his ears as he felt arms circle his waist. "I missed you too, 'Yeol-ah. Did you have a good day?"

 

Chanyeol pouted as he scowled slightly. He shook his head almost violently as he finally released his best friend from his hold. "No. I was lonely, like, all day."

 

"Aw. Poor Chanyeol." Was the response he received, accompanied with a pat on the head. The taller pouted harder which only caused the older to chuckle again. "I'm sorry."

 

Chanyeol just shrugged as he flopped back onto his bed. "It's alright. You're back now."

 

Baekhyun nodded before perching on the edge of the bed, next to Chanyeol's legs. He was sat for all of two seconds before he was back on his feet and hurrying towards the door. "I'll be right back."

 

"You're leaving me again? You're so mean to me, hyung." Chanyeol all but whined causing his best friend to just laugh as he continued out of the room.

 

If he was being honest with himself, what he felt for Baekhyun went a little bit beyond best friends. Not that he was willing to admit that to anyone. But he was sure the other members at least had worked it out. Sure, he was quite keen and good at skin-ship but there was one person who received it most from the lanky rapper. And that person was Baekhyun. 

 

Chanyeol just couldn't help himself sometimes. He needed the other boy by his side and whenever he didn't have him in his sights, part of him was just filled with panic. It felt like a part of him was missing whenever his 'Bacon' wasn't there with him. Which was why today had felt like such a let-down for him. It was his birthday and he had had to spend it alone and without the older boy being anywhere near him except for around two hours earlier in the day.

 

He wasn't sure what the older boy thought about their relationship. He highly doubted that Baekhyun returned his 'special feelings' but he wasn't about to risk anything. Not yet at least. For now he was content to just be his best friend. The lead vocalist never failed to make him smile after all. 

 

It was only a matter of a few minutes before said boy returned to the room. In his hands was a plate with a cupcake placed on it, on top of which was a single lit candle. Chanyeol's eyes lit up as he saw this and his eyes met those of the boy he had 'special feelings' for as the other started to sing. It was only the usual 'Happy Birthday' verse but to Chanyeol it was the best thing ever. 

 

He sat himself up and grinned at Baekhyun as the plate was placed in his hands, and the older sat down on the bed next to him. "I know we were told not to get you anything today, to save it for your party, but I couldn't let you go without having any cake at all. It is your birthday after all."

 

"Thank you, Baekhyun." He said, the smile never leaving his face as he playfully nudged the other boy. "I really appreciate it."

 

And he did. The fact that Baekhyun had still done something for him to celebrate his birthday, despite the day almost being completely over by now, filled his heart with so much warmth, he was surprised he hadn't burst into happy flames. Or rainbows... he could have exploded into rainbows too. 

 

"Make a wish, Channie-ah." Baekhyun whispered, as he uttered the nickname that only he was allowed to call the taller.

 

Chanyeol glanced at his best friend before doing as he was instructed whilst blowing out the candle. Baekhyun gave him a quiet round of applause, causing the rapper to let out a loud bark of laughter. The other's hands were suddenly pressed to his mouth to stifle the sounds. "Ssh. Don't wake the others up."

 

Chanyeol merely nodded his head as he turned his laughter into chuckles. Feeling it was now safe to do so, Baekhyun removed his hands before turning on the bed and leaning his back against the wall. He watched in amusement as Chanyeol removed the extinguished candle from the cupcake and proceeded to split the cake in half, his tongue half stuck out of his mouth all the while.

 

Once successfully halving the cupcake, Chanyeol happily offered one half to the boy sat next to him as he too turned to lean his back against the wall. He received a shake of the head to start off with which caused him to frown and once again offer half of the cake towards Baekhyun.

 

After another head shake, Chanyeol all but growled at his hyung. "I'll smush it in your face if you don't eat it." He threatened.

 

Baekhyun chuckled as he held his hands up in surrender and accepted half of the cupcake. Chanyeol nodded happily as he watched the other boy bite into the cake before he too began to eat his own half of the cake that Baekhyun had bought for him. It was only a simple chocolate and vanilla cupcake but it tasted like heaven to Chanyeol. He made a point to try and save the frosting for last though. The frosting was the best part after all.

 

He wasn't one to usually share his food, was Chanyeol. Especially not when it was something sweet and small like this. But it was Baekhyun so he didn't mind. In fact he often insisted on sharing his treats with the other boy. The vocalist did the same with him as well. So it was only natural that the rapper had all but force fed him half of his cake. And he knew that his best friend appreciated it too. 

 

It didn't take them long to finish the cake and the remaining stickiness off of their fingers, and they settled into a companionable silence. They didn't always need words between them. They could just sit next to each other in silence, not caring that to others it might seem odd. For them it was right. It was a part of their bond, that they didn't need to have words surrounding them constantly. Just the presence of the other was all they needed.

 

A good ten minutes or so passed before Chanyeol moved to place the now empty plate on his bedside cabinet. He would take it to the kitchen tomorrow sometime, whenever he remembered. It wasn't like it was essential. He had just sat back when Baekhyun cleared his throat and began to speak once again.

 

"I got you something else for today, actually." He said, fiddling with the strap of his watch. 

 

"Oh?" Chanyeol asked, tilting his head to the side, curiosity shining from his eyes.

 

"Yeah. I can't exactly give this to you at your party so..." Baekhyun said before clearing his throat again.

 

Chanyeol turned his whole body so he was facing the other boy, and silently urged the other to continue. Baekhyun drew in a breath to give himself courage before he looked up into Chanyeol's eyes. That was all he needed before he felt the strength within himself to turn his body to face the other's too. He gently placed a hand against the side of Chanyeol's face and softly ran a thumb up and down his cheek.

 

A look passed between their eyes which were still gazing into each other, and gifting the younger with a smile, Baekhyun slowly drew their faces together until there was barely any space between them. 

 

Chanyeol was pleasantly surprised when he suddenly felt the other's lips against his own. It was probably the best feeling in the world. To finally feel Baekhyun's lips against his. To finally be kissing the other. 

 

If he felt like exploding into rainbows before, he was almost certain he would now. Rainbows mixed with glitter and stars. He was amazed fireworks weren't going off in his head... but then again that was because they were doing so in his stomach. Those poor butterflies were probably burnt to a crisp by now. Not that he had time to mourn for the poor creatures. Not when he had Baekhyun's lips against his own and they were kissing. 

 

And they were definitely kissing, for Chanyeol hadn't hesitated to kiss the older back. How could he? It would have gone against his instincts to do so and besides... he had wanted this for a while. Not that he was one to take advantage of situations like this but Chanyeol found that resistance was futile when it came to anything concerning Baekhyun for him. 

 

At some point they had ended up led down on Chanyeol's bed, with Baekhyun led on top of the younger who had his arms gently wrapped around the vocalist's waist to keep him safely in place. The kiss was gentle and soft with enough passion and heat to make them feel every emotion and feeling of the other. If they hadn't been sure of the other's 'special feelings' before, they were now. And both boys now felt more complete than they had done before. It was like something had clicked within them. 

 

They only ended up parting when their lungs demanded oxygen from them. And since Chanyeol for definite didn't want to die yet (he had more to experience with the other boy after all) he broke the contact of their lips and rested their foreheads together. They quietly led there in each other's embrace, panting slightly as they fought to get their breath back before Baekhyun once again pressed their lips together in a soft loving kiss.

 

"Happy Birthday, Chanyeol."

 

---

 

I hope you liked it, yeobo. 

 

Happy Birthday to my Happy Virus.

 

<3