Fortunately Baekhyun and Sehun's apartment was only ten minutes' walk to the barbecue house. Called the Namsan Korean BBQ House, it was a regular hangout for the guys because the food was cheap and delicious, and Lee Ahjussi the owner sometimes gave them freebies because Kyungsoo reminded him of his son who was studying the States.

 

Inside the cosy restaurant, they warmed their hands over the charcoal fire as wafer thin slices of beef curled and sizzled on the grill. To help them warm up faster, Baekhyun had ordered two bottles of Jinro Chamisul soju, which they were now steadily consuming. Soon, everyone was starting to feel all warm and sociable from the alcoholic buzz supplied by the soju. They had chatted about everything from football (Baekhyun insisted that Manchester United was the best English Premier League club to which Jongin responded with a passionate defense of Chelsea) to Chanyeol's latest crush (a sophomore called Jung Yoon Hee) to which club they were going to that weekend (Vertigo). As usual, the loudest contributors to the conversation were Baekhyun and Chanyeol, while Kyungsoo and Sehun mostly listened and Jongin lay somewhere in between. 

 

"So, I'd like to propose a toast to my new roommate, Oh Sehun! He was my next door neighbor for eight years and now he's kind of my neighbor again. And he's the best friend and dongsaeng anyone could ask for," Baekhyun had been in an expansive mood all evening so the toast was not exactly unexpected. Sehun found his friend's effusive compliments mortifying though and he covered his face with his palms in embarrassment. But Baekhyun didn't seem to notice Sehun's discomfort and if he did, he chose to ignore it as he  carried on with the business of the toast.

 

"Here's to Sehun becoming a man! Now you're not living at home anymore, you'll have to ... do your own dishes! Wash and fold your own underwear!"

 

"Cook your own ramyun!" Chanyeol chimed in.

 

"Make your own breakfast," that was Kyungsoo.

 

"Hey, you're not getting any from me 'cause I'm still living at home," Jongin held his hands up, laughing,"I've been folding my own underwear since I was 15 though. Now I just have to convince my little sister that I'm 20 already and more than old enough to move out." Jongin turned to give Kyungsoo a small grin and Kyungsoo made a face.

 

"Okay, I'll wash my own underwear but there's nothing that says I have to fold it, right?" Sehun looked a little disgusted.

 

"Of course you have to fold it because there's no way I'm folding it for you. Ok, get your glasses ready, everyone ... and ... gun bae*!" there were loud clinks as they toasted each other's glasses and drank their soju in one shot, emptying their glasses. Red-faced and laughing, they all cheered for Sehun and said mushy-ish things about him. Sehun was practically squirming under all that attention. Luckily Kyungsoo and Jongin noticed and quickly introduced some other topic to distract the others with, and Sehun was grateful to his longtime best friend. Kyungsoo and he had been friends for ten years - even longer than Baekhyun and he had known each other.

 

As the conversation drifted to movies they'd watched recently, Sehun surreptitiously watched Kyungsoo and Jongin. One had a slight build and alabaster skin, while the other was tall and broad-shouldered, with a light mocha tan. Physically, they were opposites but they complemented each other in every other way. Even though they'd been dating for six months, they were not the sort to hug and cuddle in front of others. It was the subtle things the couple did that Sehun observed and envied. For example, they were now sitting side by side and their knees sort of touched, sort of almost touched. And they would say or whisper things to each other that the others couldn't hear, which would leave them deep in thought, or they would smile at each other or chuckle together. And occasionally, they would put their arm around the other's shoulder. It was painful sometimes, watching Jongin and Kyungsoo, because they shared something Sehun yearned for but would most likely never have ...

 

In the end, Sehun paid for dinner, "Thanks so much for helping today, guys. It would have taken me two days of lugging and carrying otherwise."

 

"Hey, I would have helped. It wouldn't have taken that long," Baekhyun says teasingly.

 

"Pleeeease, hyung. Your idea of helping would have meant you standing there and pointing and telling me where to put the boxes. I would still have been the only one carrying the boxes and it would still have taken me two damned days." Sehun retorted sarcastically and everyone laughed because it sounded exactly like something bossy Baekhyun would have done.

 

"Hey!" Baekhyun protested in mock indignation.

 

"You know he's got a point, Baek. Admit it, you're just plain bossy." Chanyeol smirked.

 

"Maybe just a little," he admitted grudgingly and everyone laughed.

 

------

 

Baekhyun and Sehun walked into the apartment single file. It was past midnight and Sehun was bone tired. He looked around the apartment which Baekhyun had just illuminated with a flip of a switch. He looked around and realized for the first time that he wouldn't be leaving for his parents' apartment later because this was his home too, now. 

 

Baekhyun suddenly ruffled Sehun's hair and he flinched slightly - conflicted because on the one hand, he craved the other's touch but on the other, he resented the motion.  It was something you did to a kid, not someone you saw as your equal. This upset Sehun more than he could say but as always, Baekhyun was oblivious.

 

"I'm glad you're my roommate, Sehun. You know me - I'm not good with strangers. It'll be fun, right? Being roommates will be great fun," Baekhyun's voice was slightly slurred from the soju, "Ok,  g'night, Sehun. I'll see you in the morning." He gave Sehun one final smile and disappeared into his bedroom.

 

Sehun didn't say anything. 

 

------

 

Later, he lay in bed with his right arm tucked under his head. There was a large cherry tree right in front of Sehun's bedroom window and the shadow cast by its branches spilled messily over the covers like ink. Sehun stared up at the moonlit ceiling and shut his eyes tightly, remembering how Baekhyun's hot hand had felt as it moved through his hair and briefly touched his scalp. 

 

Now he'd really gone and done it. What was he thinking moving in with Baekhyun? He always called him hyung in real life, but in Sehun's thoughts, he was always just Baekhyun - his equal, not his hyung - because in his thoughts, age didn't come into things at all. Sehun kept his eyes closed and ran a hand over his hair where Baekhyun had touched it. Now they were sharing a living space, there would probably be all kinds of accidental touches that were going to make things hell for Sehun. He must have been mad to agree to this roommate thing. Mad.

 

Then, before his thoughts could wander any further, Sehun was overcome by sheer exhaustion and his eyelids drifted shut ...

 

-------

 

Well, I hope Chapter 2 has given you a better idea of what the main characters are like. Dropping from exhaustion so I'm gonna stop here. Hope to wake up to some comments ;).

 

Take care,

 

LotusK

 

* gun bae = Korean for "one shot" or "bottoms up"