5|  Make a Wish

Chanyeol wakes up to Baekhyun’s head tucked under his chin. It really is endearing, ever since Chanyeol learned to just accept that the star is going to inevitably want to snuggle, but it’s still an odd feeling. He’s not used to this sort of thing.

“Channie, don’t leave yet,” the star whines sleepily as the other boy slips out of his grasp and out of bed. He sits up and teeters around a bit before getting his bearings. Chanyeol can’t fathom why there’s such a dire need to follow his every step.

“I'm not leaving," Chanyeol says with a grin as he halts the sleepy star shuffling behind him. "It’s still the weekend, so you can sleep in some more if you like. I'm just going to get some work done."

As the teenager gathers some clothes, Baekhyun insists he help Chanyeol out (even though he eyes the bed longingly as he does so). Chanyeol just laughs and chucks a too-big T-shirt and pair of jeans at the other boy.

Truthfully, he’s been slacking a bit in his responsibilities lately. He doesn’t want to think about what the field must look like now and how overrun with weeds it must be. He’s mainly been focusing on the yard and his mother’s garden, and Baekhyun eats up quite a bit of his time as well. It’s still relatively early when they make their way outside. Hopefully they can get in some good work before the sun starts beating down on them.

Chanyeol gets to work clearing the field of weeds and rocks and anything else that could damage their new crop. It’s tedious work – standing up and kneeling down constantly – but it goes quicker than it has in the past because Baekhyun won’t stop chatting his ear off about anything and everything. He can already feel his legs burning (he’ll feel that tomorrow, too) and plops down in the dirt to catch his breath. The star is more than happy to run back to the house and get the seeds from their shed and some water bottles. It’s times like these Chanyeol is more than thankful Baekhyun never seems to let go of his positive disposition.

Once they’re done, they trudge inside and collapse onto the couch. Chanyeol tries to relax into a light nap, he really does, but the smell that assaults his nose and prevents him from drifting off can’t be ignored any longer. Nearly two weeks of working outside, sweating and digging around in the dirt seems to have finally caught up with Baekhyun. How exactly did he forget to tell Baekhyun you need to clean yourself? Chanyeol groans and tries to scoot away, but the small boy clings and just scoots closer. It’s a shame he doesn’t smell as pretty as he looks after working outside (Chanyeol had to focus because Baekhyun was doing that glittering thing again.)

It’s decided, he thinks as he sits up and does his best to gather all his motivation to stand because his limbs are already aching. He needs to introduce Baekhyun to the process of bathing.

He takes advantage of Baekhyun’s touchiness this time. He grabs the star’s hand (who is positively ecstatic over this) and tugs him into the bathroom. He draws a bath in his old claw-foot tub – a family heirloom of sorts. As the water tops off he tidies up his bottles of shampoo and soap on the little shelf next to it. He feels Baekhyun shift against his side uneasily.

“Use this in your hair, and then this everywhere else,” he instructs, pointing between bottles. “You think you can do that?”

The placidity of the hot water unnerves the star. His eyes stay fixed on the undisturbed surface, wide and fearful.

“I don’t like it,” he says slowly, his gaze unmoving even when Chanyeol groans.

“It’s a bath,” the boy sighs. “Unless you want me to take you out back and hose you down, this is how we clean ourselves.”

“I don’t need one.”

“Oh yes you do. I can smell you across the house.”

“But I don’t want to drown.”

Chanyeol snorts, but his laughter is cut short when the star looks at him with those big, scared eyes, and he knows this odd fear of Baekhyun’s is legitimate. “It reminds me of... Can we do the hose instead?”

Chanyeol’s face softens. He touches the other boy’s arm tenderly to find he’s shaking and instantly feels guilty he’s caused any kind of anxiety. It isn’t often Baekhyun looks anything less than happy and bubbly.

“Hey, look at me. You’re not going to drown. I promise.” Baekhyun’s eyes are big and beautiful again, and Chanyeol notices for the first time a faint mist swirling behind the brown irises. He wonders what sort of magic made this heavenly being materialize into flesh.

“But how do I know?”

“Because I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I’ll show you.”

Chanyeol grips the hem of his shirt to pull it up and over his head. His muscles flex as he does so, and the star feels like he’s twinkling at the sight even though he’s not quite sure what exactly this feeling is that settles in the pit of his stomach. Faded jeans are bunched around the tall boy’s ankles and kicked to the side of the bathroom. He instantly recalls how he and his friends used to go swim in the ponds and tanks like this all the time, making due with just boxers instead of skim trunks, and wonders when that stopped. Or when he just stopped going. It was always a lot of fun.

The star stares unabashedly as he steps into the tub and slowly immerses himself.

“See?” Chanyeol says and relaxes further into the water that only reaches his stomach. His head lolls back a little because in addition to being a helpful demonstration, this feels amazing on his aching joints. “It’s safe. I’m not even underwater.”

Baekhyun answers him with wide, unblinking eyes and silence for a long moment.

“I don’t like it,” he says simply and leaves. Chanyeol looks scandalized.

The auburn-haired boy emerges from the bathroom, trailing water after him. He can feel the heat of a blush settling in his cheeks.

“Get out of my bed!” he cries. “You’re filthy!”

Baekhyun just looks at him smugly and snuggles further into the bed, limbs sprawling out and noodling about as if he’s creating a snow angel in the soft white sheets. The tall boy promptly marches over and snatches him up. Baekhyun yelps and unceremoniously shoves a hand in Chanyeol’s face.

“You reek!” Chanyeol shouts over the commotion. “You need to bathe!”

Baekhyun shouts as the other boy drags him back to the dreaded tub and tries with all his might to shove him in. Chanyeol steps into the water and promptly plops down. He presses the other boy to the side of the tub and says sternly, “You gotta trust me, Baek.” He feels like he’s dealing with a stubborn puppy and not a person…star…whatever he is. He probably should’ve just gone with the hose, honestly.

Baekhyun can feel his glowing flush to the very tips of his ears. “OK.” It comes out as an undignified squeak.

Chanyeol huffs in relief, tugs the loose tee up and over Baekhyun’s head and hangs it over the side of the tub. He then tugs at the legs of his jeans, dragging Baekhyun forward with them and pulling an unceremonious groan from the star’s lips. Baekhyun struggles to understand the odd heat springing to life under his skin that is entirely different from the natural warmth that accompanies his heavenly status and the comforting warmth he feels in Chanyeol’s arms at night.

“Good little star,” Chanyeol chuckles, his voice slightly husky from exertion over the previous commotion, and the star flickers, his glow going dull for a long moment. Chanyeol’s brows knit together and he withdraws, sitting back further. “The heck is that? You do that sometimes, you know. It’s starting to freak me out.”

Baekhyun blinks. “Not sure,” he replies quickly and clings to the edge of the porcelain tub, still clearly unnerved by the water no matter how small the container. All he can think of is murky depths and suffocation.

The teenager rolls his eyes and tugs Baekhyun over to him. With a little twirl, his back is pressed to Chanyeol’s firm chest and all fear is immediately purged with the familiar feeling of Chanyeol’s strong hands grasping him tightly underwater. He recalls the feeling of the boy pulling him to the surface, and he relaxes back further.

Chanyeol then sets to work dumping water over the star’s head. Baekhyun splutters indignantly. The moment is sufficiently ruined.

They emerge some time later once Baekhyun smells nice and fresh and the water is too cool to enjoy. Baekhyun looks like an unhappy wet dog, his sopping fringe hiding his eyes and surely a glare. But at least he’s clean. Chanyeol can’t help but chuckle as he towels himself off and then sets to work on the star. They take their wet clothes outside for Baekhyun to hang dry in the sun, which he does promptly because that’s one of his designated chores when Chanyeol is at school and work. He watches the other boy struggling to hang his heavy jeans, the same ones he’d tugged off Baekhyun, and Baekhyun feels that strange warmth again. The breeze picks up and whips at Chanyeol’s face and hair, making him laugh lightly when he fails yet again to get the jeans to stay on the line, and Baekhyun nibbles at his lip. Chanyeol has always made him feel safe and secure, like nothing can hurt him when Chanyeol’s around, and Baekhyun always feels so cheerful around him.

But this. This is something entirely different.

“So,” Chanyeol starts as Baekhyun retrieves the last of their now-dry clothes. “How exactly did you go from that,” he points up at the sky, “to this,” he finishes with a gesture to the boy beside him.

“This was my idea. My own…design, I guess,” Baekhyun replies, twirling a bit to admire his human body. Chanyeol watches him with knitted brows, which makes the star laugh softly to himself. “We don’t really take shape up there,” he says as his otherworldly gaze lifts to the heavens. His sparkling eyes fall upon Chanyeol again, and a mischievous grin finds its way to his lips as he circles the tall boy. Chanyeol fidgets. “This is entirely my creation. Each strand of hair, each dip and curve. Just the right pigment. Painstakingly planned and executed. Do you approve?”

Chanyeol stiffens as the star stares up at him with a big grin and clearly tries to egg him on and get closer with a roll forward onto his toes.

“Hey!” Baekhyun cries indignantly when the boy plants a hand firmly on his head and holds him away at arms’ length. His arms flail humorously in an attempt to reach for Chanyeol, and it makes a deep, rich chuckle bubble from his lips. Like music to the star’s ears.

“I do,” Chanyeol says finally with an embarrassed smile, and Baekhyun thinks if he had a heart it’d be beating a mile a minute.

They go to bed and Baekhyun curls up next to him with his head on his chest as per usual. He’s always so fascinated with Chanyeol’s heart. He watches the star’s head bob up and down with each breath he takes and watches in fascination at the way Baekhyun’s body seems to instantly and effortlessly conform to his own. It fits so well with his, everything just a little smaller than his own. At first it had been so odd to share his bed with someone else, but now he can’t imagine going to sleep and not waking up to a cute, sleeping star every morning. It feels right.

Baekhyun drifts into a peaceful sleep with Chanyeol’s heartbeat in his ears. He never wants to lie, but he figures he can take a note from humans and fib just this once. Because there was no planning. No crafting. Only emotion, feeling, being. Just Chanyeol on his mind as he took that plunge to Earth, and this was the product. His beautiful design.

The cold weather is officially gone, and the heat that’s rolled into town makes the general store rather stifling during the day. Chanyeol pulls at the collar of his T-shirt and fans himself with a newspaper while Jongdae seems to have even less motivation and ends up sprawled out behind the counter.

Chanyeol has a feeling most of the men in the town who prefer other men like to keep that preference private, but Jongdae couldn’t care less about hiding. Jongdae is openly biual, and although he gets some flak and unkind words for it, he doesn’t care (or at least doesn’t let on if he does). Chanyeol thinks Jongdae has an idea of which gender he prefers and knows there will be no judgment if he ever officially comes out, which is one of the things he likes most about Jongdae. Their town is so close-minded about so many different things. It’s nice to find a kindred spirit in that aspect.

“Someone’s popular today,” Chanyeol deadpans as Jongdae’s phone signals yet another text message. The little alert tones have been driving Chanyeol mad since their shift started.

“Oh, it’s just Joonmyun. He’s been texting me all day.” Chanyeol peeks his head over the counter to get a glimpse of his friend on the floor. “Guy just broke up with his girlfriend last week. Poor thing.” A cat-like grin curls itself on Jongdae’s lips, and he happily kicks his legs a little as he rolls onto his stomach.

“Jongdae…” Chanyeol warns lowly. He definitely picks up on the fact that Hyeri is always “the girlfriend” and not just “Hyeri” in his and Jongdae’s conversations. Those two have never been close.

“Geez, I’m not trying to sleep with him!” Jongdae yells in exasperation, already in defense mode.

“I know.”

“I just—! Oh. Wait, what?”

Chanyeol sighs and leans against the counter, idly rearranging the candy display on top in favor of fidgeting. “I know you like him. And when I say ‘like,’ I don’t mean that lightly.” His stunned friend slowly sits up. It isn’t often Chanyeol opens up like this. “And I know you guys are good friends, but I just… I don’t want you to be…a rebound or something. You’re a good guy, you know? You deserve better than that.”

Chanyeol’s words sound deafening in the silence of the store. Jongdae stares at him for a long time. He’s become all too used to the accusations of being easy from people who think they’re out of earshot, it comes as a complete shock when his friend says just the opposite.

“When it comes down to it, I see how you look at him and how you act around him. I don’t want him to use you to get over someone else.”

Jongdae wants nothing more than to crush his strange friend in a hug right then and there. Instead he settles on snatching an ice cream bar from the freezer, putting the appropriate amount of cash from his wallet into the register and handing it to the taller boy.

“Thanks man,” he says simply and manages to keep most of the emotion out of his voice. Chanyeol shoots him a winning smile in return. “You’re a good guy too. The best I know. That’s why I’m going to help you win over that cute out-of-towner.”

Chanyeol’s smile falters.

“Please don’t.”

Baekhyun’s been acting a little odd lately. Ever since Chanyeol gave him that bathing 101 class, which he realizes now is a bit (a lot) embarrassing, there has been less of the overly enthusiastic, in-his-face Baekhyun he’s grown so used to. Did he do something wrong? Is Baekhyun mad at him for making him face his fears? Are stars allergic to water?

“Your boyfriend,” his coworker says casually beside him with a point to the sidewalk outside but doesn’t even look up. Chanyeol smacks him on the back of the head with the rag he’s wiping down the counter and glass cases with. He ignores Jongdae’s pitiful yelp as he races to the front door.

“Baekhyun! What are you doing here? You know I don’t get off for another two hours.”

The star wrings his hands anxiously on his shirt and greets him with that cute little nickname Chanyeol doesn’t mind anymore.

Jongdae watches the two talk in hushed voices at the door, and with a sly grin he slips his phone from his pocket and scrolls until he finds “Intoxication” in his music library. He ups the volume until Chanyeol turns around with a sour look.

“Jongdae, I know what you’re doing. Now stop.”

The other boy feigns innocence and surprise. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Channie. Just listening to my favorite mix.”

Chanyeol groans to himself and returns to the conversation with Baekhyun.

“Your mother sent me here. She wanted me to pick up some things. Besides,” he says in an uncharacteristically shy voice and steps closer, “I wanted to see you.”

Chanyeol instantly softens but wonders why Baekhyun isn’t his normal bouncy, overbearing self lately. He gets the list from the star and scurries about the store with him following close behind, purposefully ignoring how Jongdae sings along with that ridiculous song as they pass by the counter. “Kiss and touch me, taste and touch me baby,” Jongdae croons softly with that same sly grin fixed on his face, and Chanyeol fumes (but damn he sounds good).

Why does he feel so nervous right now? And when Chanyeol’s mother had suggested he run to the store, why had he felt so anxious at the prospect of seeing the boy he cares about so deeply and has always felt so comfortable around? This is silly. He knows Chanyeol. He loves him. There’s no reason not to feel relaxed around him. He’s just going to ignore that weird feeling he gets in his stomach when Chanyeol gets all sweaty working outside and when he rolls over on top of him in his sleep. Because when he thinks about what time he has with Chanyeol, he doesn’t want to spend it feeling nervous. He wants to show Chanyeol how much he loves him.

With this conclusion, he moves closer to the teen and links their fingers together, and instantly that blissful warmth he feels in Chanyeol’s arms is back. This is how it’s meant to be.

He browses the shelf at the back with all the clearance items while Chanyeol still busies himself getting the items on the list. A lot of the clearance section is damaged goods or seasonal products, and Baekhyun stops at the boxes of holiday lights marked down to pocket-change price.

“They’re beautiful,” the star says.

“They get you in the mood,” Chanyeol agrees with a smile.

“You know what else gets you in the mood?” Jongdae calls from the front (clearly he’d been straining to hear any sort of exchange between the two), and Chanyeol can faintly hear “Adult Ceremony” start to play on his coworker’s phone.

“Ignore him,” he says when Baekhyun looks at him questioningly. “Ignore most of what he says, actually,” he adds when Jongdae calls, “Someone’s playing music! I’ll find out where it’s coming from!”

Chanyeol walks Baekhyun back up to the counter and helps him count out the appropriate amount to pay from what his mother sent with the star. They part with shy good-byes. (The stomach somersaults are back.)

“Just tell him already,” the boy at the counter says without looking up from his phone.

“Hm?”

Jongdae just starts the song over again.

The more time Chanyeol spends with Baekhyun, the more he realizes just how much he’s come to care about the star.  Baekhyun is there when he wakes up, when he comes home from school and when he goes to bed at night. And despite their constant contact for the past several weeks, he hasn’t grown tired of the star at all. Baekhyun will come to visit him at the general store and a genuine grin will break out on his face and he’ll ignore the sharp jab (both physical and verbal) from Jongdae. It’s…nice. It’s very nice, in fact, to finally feel this way. To feel a true connection starting to form.

Baekhyun greets him at the door when he returns from school, and he decides to ignore that homework in his bag in favor of the boy currently refusing to end their greeting hug.

“Let’s go,” Chanyeol says, and Baekhyun’s face lights up.

“Where?” he asks excitedly, but it doesn’t matter because he’s already following Chanyeol out the back door.

“We’re going somewhere special,” the teenager says as he helps Baekhyun over the fence of the wheat fields. He’s been thinking about bringing Baekhyun here, going back and forth between Baekhyun loving the idea because this is where they met, and hating it because this is also where he almost drowned. Chanyeol decides to test his luck. It pays off too, and when they reach the end of the forest path and emerge into the meadow, Baekhyun gasps lightly.

“This is where you saved me…isn’t it? Where we first met?”

Chanyeol nods apprehensively.

“It’s beautiful.”

He releases the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and tugs the star over to his usual spot. They sprawl out in the soft meadow grass and Baekhyun picks a few nearby dandelions. He twirls them around in his hands before Chanyeol shows him how he can blow on it. “Make a wish on it,” he says with a smile. It’s not quite the same as stargazing, but he still wants to share his favorite place in town with the boy.

He picks another, raises it to his lips and blows softly. He feels the other boy move closer at his side. The two of them watch as the delicate white seeds of the dandelion swirl off in the breeze.  The star remains quiet, so Chanyeol reaches for another to ease the silence, but Baekhyun places his hands atop Chanyeol’s and guides them to rest on either side of his face instead.

“W-What are you doing?” Chanyeol stutters ungracefully.

“You should make a wish on me instead,” the star chuckles. “I bet I’m more reliable than that weed.”

He shuts his eyes with a blissful smile and laughs loudly when Chanyeol can only stutter in response.

They don’t get to stay out there for very long because Chanyeol still has to make it to his shift at the store. As they make their way back to the house he suddenly feels very nervous about the idea of seeing Baekhyun again tonight. The stomach somersaults have only gotten worse with time, and he doesn’t think this time at the meadows has done anything to help.

When he has to depart, his hand hesitates when trying to pull Baekhyun into their customary good-bye (until tonight) hug. Instead his palm comes up to rest on Baekhyun’s warm cheek, and his thumb awkwardly brushes it for a moment, as if Chanyeol’s brain switches off momentarily and his body only wants to reenact what he constantly daydreams of doing. His eyes drift downward and he his lips nervously and completely subconsciously. He only comes back to reality when the boy leans into his touch, and he doesn’t know how long he’s been staring like an idiot, but he pulls his hand away as if Baekhyun’s warmth is scalding.

And after he flees his home as quickly as he can, his mind only kindly replays the moment a hundred times over.

Thank you for all your wonderful comments and for continuing to read! I really appreciate them, they keep me going. ;) You guys are awesome.

I think I gave myself a toothache with this chapter. Feedback is much appreciated! <3 

Also, you guys should go read Meet Me at the Mall like now. It’s witty and hilarious (and has cute Chanbaek too). :D