"Mum, you need to help us..." You start off. Baekhyun, you and your mother are going on a walk after dinner. The boy listens attentively to your conversation as you continue, "You do know that Baekhyun's parents are dad's rivals?" She doesn't say anything. "They said that they wanna be on good terms with him and this would be a great opportunity to bring our families together."

"What are you really going on about?" Your mother asks, but you can see the mischievous glint in her eyes. She just wants you to say it.

And knowing you, you're not going to be the one saying it. So Baekhyun grasps your hand and holds it. "I want to to date your daughter, Mdm."

Your mother stares at the both of you for some time. You already know what her decision will be but Baekhyun isn't really so sure. He starts fidgeting and you squeeze his hand lightly. He shoots you a worried glance.

"Okay," your mother shrugs, looking forward again. She is trying to look nonchalant but you know she really isn't.

"Really?" Baekhyun squeals and you give him a weird look. He clears his throat.

"So you'll help us talk to dad? With Baekhyun's parents?" You want to confirm. "You will do your best?"

This time, you see how your mother's expression harden. She is being all serious now. She fixes those hawk eyes on Baekhyun and interrogates like a police officer, "Do you really like my daughter? Or are you just playing? Like before?"

Baekhyun is alarmed as his eyes widens, "No, Mdm! No, no, no! It was only because—"

"Dad threatened him," you cut him off, helping him because he looks like he is going to start begging. "Dad said that if he continues seeing me, he will do something bad." You think of it before you ask, "Was dad some kind of gangster before?"

Your mother laughs heartily, this expression suiting her more. She is chuckling as she answers as she nods, "He was quite an arrogant guy when I met him." After a while, she pats Baekhyun's back in a motherly manner, "I'll talk to him first. And then we'll have a meeting with your parents."

"Thank you, Mdm," Baekhyun bows and repeats several times. You smile a little at how polite he is. But then you remember how annoying and rude he is to Sehun and, sometimes, you. You scowl at him.

The three of you go back home and Baekhyun brings you out despite the time. It is almost nine at night and the sky is already dark. At least it is a Saturday tomorrow. The both of you drive off to somewhere secluded at the top of a hill. You know Baekhyun wouldn't hurt you, so you don't say anything about it. He stops the car when he reaches the top and climbs out.

You are in awe at the pretty sight in front of you when Baekhyun wraps his arm around your waist. He kisses your cheek and stares at you as you gush to him how beautiful the view looks. Tapping on your waist, he gets your attention. You see how soft and tender his eyes are. He smiles at you and your heart swells. Baekhyun walks you to the hood of his car and lets go of your waist. You didn't even notice that he had a thin blanket with him when he spreads it on the top of the hood.

"Come here, kitten," Baekhyun beckons when he lies on top of the blanket. You falter as you look at him.

You shake your head, "The hood is hot."

"It's not, now come here," he turns his head to look at you. Hesitantly and grudgingly, you walk towards him. You lay down next to him and you feel your head being cushioned. You turn to the side to see Baekhyun's arm extended. He taps your nose with his other hand, "Can't let my princess lie on the hard hood, can I?"

You blush despite yourself. You struggle to find a comfortable spot and Baekhyun watches you. You snuggle closer to his body and put your head on his shoulder, almost at the crook of his neck. Baekhyun tightens his hold around you. Once you're comfortable, he kisses the top of your head and starts drawing patterns on your arm.

"What are we doing here?" You ask, turning to him. Your face is basically buried in his neck but he doesn't shove you away. Actually, Baekhyun likes the feeling of you being close to him.

"To stargaze!" He chirps and you look up to the sky. Because it is summer, the sky isn't as dark as it is supposed to be at 9PM.

"There are no stars, Baek."

"But I see two!"

"Where?" You squint your eyes because you really can't see any star that is there for a long time. There are little flickers here and there but you know that they are either satellites or planes. When Baekhyun doesn't say anything or points out to anywhere, you turn to him.

But your breath stops when you see Baekhyun staring really intently into your eyes. He whispers, "Here." You feel yourself getting warm as you blush. Baekhyun's lips turn up into a gentle smile. He tucks your hair behind your ear and leans forward to plant his lips on your temple.

The both of you stay in that position for a little longer, your body still. Baekhyun pulls back and sighs contentedly. You feel really blessed to have Baekhyun, to be honest. After Minseok had hurt you, you were pretty sure you were going to be a spinster when you're older. And right now, with Baekhyun's appearance in your life, you have noticed how much you have changed.

You're much more open to your feelings, letting them flow even though you used to shut them up. Baekhyun made you open up so quickly and so much more than before. It made you afraid at first but Baekhyun is exactly the type of person you want to trust yourself to. He may seem cheeky but he really isn't. You know that it is a good choice to open up, especially to Baekhyun.

You're not sure what will happen in the future but whatever it is, you thank the stars that you have Baekhyun at this moment in time and until whenever.

△▽△▽△▽△

Baekhyun, you and Sehun are at Jongin's school to visit him. Jongdae couldn't tag along because of a project meeting. The three of you try to find your way around this school that looks like a museum. When you guys ask a group of girls nearby, you notice how they are slightly blushing and murmuring like they are shy. You find it cute how they are so intimidated by the boys' presence.

They direct you to the right direction and the three of you find yourselves in a hallway of dance rooms instead of classrooms. You hear some music coming from several rooms and you're all not sure where to look first. A short, piercing shout is heard and your gut feelings immediately tell you that it's Jongin. Sweat starts to form and you react before you think about anything. You don't waste any time, sprinting towards the very room that emitted the shout.

"Jongin!" You burst through the room, shouting really dramatically. Your eyes dart around the room and you see him clutching his leg in pain.

He seems shocked when you run to him, lifting his shirt to check his waist. All of you knew about his waist injury and even though you have been nagging at Jongin about toning down his activities, he never listens. The other two arrives shortly after, also worried for their best friend.

"Why are you checking my body when I'm holding onto my leg?" Jongin asks flatly like you are stupid. You blink blankly at him and he rolls his eyes. "I hit my leg on the piano. Who the hell needs a piano in a dance room anyway?!"

You stare at him and then repeat, "You hit your leg." He nods with a Duh look on his face. "It's not your waist?" Jongin shakes his head, expression immediately softening.

"Awww," he coos. "I'm sorry I made you worried, cupcake." He pulls you to his sweaty body and hugs your really tight.

"Ewww!" You don't hug him back as you try to get away farther from him. But this only makes him want to bring you closer.

"Okay, enough," Baekhyun whacks Jongin's head as he pulls you out of his embrace. Sehun throws Jongin's sweat towel to the oldest boy and he cleans the sweat off of you. He makes a face, "Now you don't smell like you."

"Are you trying to say something?" You narrow your eyes at him while he wipes your neck.

Baekhyun glances at your face and then shrugs, "That you smell gross. And that I don't like gross-smelling girls."

"That's mean!" Jongin shouts even before you can say anything. You are about to shoot him a grateful glance when he continues, "You can't call me gross!"

You roll your eyes because you had thought he was going to reprimand Baekhyun for calling you gross. You slap Baekhyun's chest and scold, "Do you wanna die, Byun Baekhyun?"

"Yes, if it's with you," he gives a cheesy smile and the other two boys pretend to make gagging noises at his greasiness.

You pinch his arm several times painfully and he looks at you in distress. You slap his arm one last time, "Don't ever curse me to die."

Baekhyun's face is scrunched up in pain but you ignore him. He needs to man up. You turn to Jongin and Sehun who are already talking. They include you in their conversation easily. The three of you catch up of the several weeks that you haven't met Jongin. You hear Baekhyun trying to be included but you ignore him because he is so noisy.

"Hey! Guys! Dude! Hello??" Baekhyun probes his head into every opening he sees in your attempt of a huddled circle to leave him out. Eventually, he stops annoying you guys and leaves the room.

The three of you honestly didn't realise that he isn't in the room. When you look around the room for him, you see that he's not there. Sehun urges you to go look for him. But you push the responsibility back to him. Because there is air conditioning in here and you really don't wanna face the sweltering hot weather outside.

"Go out and look for your boyfriend, stupid!" Jongin and Sehun push you out of the circle and effectively ignores you.

You sigh, going out of the luxurious air-conditioned room. You're not sure where Baekhyun went and you feel a little happy today because you saw Jongin. So, seeing no one around, you close your eyes and turn several times on the spot and stop to face a direction. You start walking in that direction, a fruitless way of finding Baekhyun. You are giggling when you fall to the ground. The weather is definitely getting to your head.

"Are you okay?" A familiar voice that you love so much reaches your ears. Baekhyun holds onto your shoulders firmly as he inspects your body for any injuries. "What were you doing?"

"Where did you go?" You kick his leg and he falls to sit on the ground. He groans. You cross your arms, "I was trying to look for you."

"I saw what you were doing, it didn't look like you were looking for me." Baekhyun raises an eyebrow.

"So where did you go?" You ignore his question again. He sighs, giving up on you. He wonders how he will ever be able to go against you when you are so stubborn.

"You guys were ignoring me," Baekhyun pouts. Now that the world isn't spinning, your vision is clear. The boy looks like a dejected puppy and you can't help it when you pat his head.

"Sorry, baby. But it was fun," you grin. All in a matter of seconds, Baekhyun has tackled you to the ground. He is sitting on top of you and the both of you are laughing.

"Are you really okay? Why are you so happy today?" He chuckles, leaning closer to look at you. You scrunch your nose and shrug.

"I missed Jongin," you tell him. Here, Baekhyun straightens his back again. He looks annoyed and you decide that you like Jealous Baekhyun. "Aw, come here, baby Baek." You tug on his arm and pull him closer.

He still looks upset, so you hug him tightly, making him lie completely on you. Then you pull him back only slightly as you kiss his cheek. Then his temple. Then his forehead, his nose bridge, his nose and his eye. By the end of it, he is gurgling with laughter. You beam at him and kiss the tip of his nose one more time.

"Smile more, kitten," Baekhyun murmurs. "You look like an angel when you do."

"Smiling is tiring," you sigh, brushing his hair away from his eyes. He looks perfect even from here.

Just then, the two boys leave the room and sees the both of you there. Sehun clears his throat and the two of you look up at them. They give you amused looks and Baekhyun gets off of you reluctantly. He holds out his hand to you to help you up. You didn't even have to use any energy because Baekhyun is strong enough to pull you up. You fly to his body and he securely holds your waist with his other hand. You hear someone groan.

"Why didn't the both of you just apply for drama here?" Jongin rolls his eyes as he fixes the strap of his duffle gym bag. "So are we going, or not?"

"Going, going!" You nod, leaving Baekhyun and hooking your arms with your two best friends. You pull them away, walking towards the exit.

But then Sehun is yanked aside and you turn to see Baekhyun hooking his arm with yours while smiling really widely. You laugh heartily. You slide your hand down and intertwine your fingers with his. Turning your head, you motion for Sehun to come closer as you let go of Jongin. All four of you are walking in a line. You file into Baekhyun's car, you in the front seat.

Baekhyun leans over to your side, his chest resting on your thighs when he tries to get something from the compartment in front of you. You question, "What do you want?"

"A CD," he looks up at you innocently, his eyes in his natural droop. His lips are also in a slight pout.

You chuckle, nodding, "I'll get it for you. Which one do you want?"

"The BIGBANG one."

"Oooh, nice taste," you wink at him when he starts moving the car again. He gives you a smug smile.

"Wow, what did I miss? Since when were you guys a mushy couple?" Jongin interrupts.

"We're not a couple and we're not mushy," you reply the same time as Baekhyun says, "About two weeks?"

The both of you glare at each other and Sehun backs Baekhyun up, "Yeah, slightly more than two weeks. Around there."

You shoot daggers at Sehun with your glare and reprimand, "What happened to chick before or hoes before bros? Huh? Huh?"

"You got the order wrong, kitten."

"Shut up, Baek," you slap Baekhyun's arm.

The four of you arrive at a Chinese restaurant and Jongin rushes to the doors first. He is starving. Sehun flicks your ear when he passes by and joins Jongin. Baekhyun pulls on your hand and drags you the restaurant because you are walking baby steps.

You whine when you guys at seated, "Sehun is always bullying me! I don't wanna be near him!"

"You don't mean that," Sehun looks at you in horror and you shrug.

"I mean it now."

"Impossible," he shakes his head. "You love me."

"Yeah, so much so that I wanna be one of your fangirls."

"What fangirls?" Jongin look up from the menu.

"Sehun has a fanbase in the school. And in every country in the world," you nod at Jongin even though Sehun is shaking his head. "It's true. He gets at least a love letter everyday. And I'm not even kidding."

"Do you get them?" Baekhyun asks you instead, eyes trained on you.

Sehun nods seriously, "Oh yeah, they don't just write her love letters, hyung. They actually follow her everywhere and carry her stuff for her. Everyday she receives at least one present too. Flowers, chocolates, those kind of things."

"Seriously?" Baekhyun narrows his eyes at you. You shake your head but Sehun pipes up again.

"Stop lying to your boyfriend, cupcake. That's not how a relationship works."

"Oh Sehun!" you yell.

Baekhyun is slightly annoyed when he asks, "So what is the truth?" He actually looks like he is going to kick some butts.

Sehun laughs awkwardly, "I was... Just... Kidding."

"Well, it wasn't very amusing," Baekhyun looks down at his menu again, ignoring Sehun for the rest of the time.

You mouth to the younger boy, "Serves you right."

Baekhyun is pretty quiet throughout the meal, leaving the three Same Age friends to talk. Although, he doesn't make his annoyance quite known but you know. He is an open book to you, after all. It is nice talking and hanging out with Jongin again but with the boy next to you, things are difficult. After dinner, Baekhyun drives Jongin and Sehun home first.

When you are finally alone with him, you speak up about his behaviour, "What's wrong with you?"

He sighs, glancing at you for a moment before turning to the road again. It takes him quite a long time to reply and you try not to get worked up. He finally says in the softest tone, "I don't like that guys are—"

"They don't!" You roll your eyes.

Baekhyun stops the car abruptly and his hand shoots out to keep you from hitting your headboard. It is a few streets away from your house, so it is okay to stop anywhere since it would still be in front of a house anyway. You give him a pointed look, about to shout at him when he started fiddling with his fingers.

You have never seen Baekhyun look so helpless and raw. You soften a little but it still doesn't simmer that feeling of injustice and unfairness of him being mad at everyone.

"Baek," you reach for his ceaselessly moving fingers and cover them. "Tell me."

He lets out a huge breath and looks up at you with fearful eyes. "I just... I want to be known as your boyfriend so people will stay away from you. And I know how uncomfortable you get with strangers..."

You frown, "That's not the only reason, baby. I know it's not." Baekhyun looks away, biting his bottom lip. He is contemplating whether to say it or not. So you urge, "Spit it out, Baekhyun."

"What if... What if one of them... One of the guys g-get to make yo-u like th-em... A-and—"

You grab Baekhyun's face and make him face you. He looks a little frightened, like a puppy that is seeking comfort in a storm. You start making soothing circles with your thumb and he closes his eyes briefly. You have never seen Baekhyun so... Insecure. Not once ever, since you have met him a year ago. You scan his beautiful face slowly and reach up to brush his fringe out of his eyes. He opens his eyes and looks at you with a trembling gaze. 

"Byun Baekhyun," you whisper and his eyes seem to glisten while his ears perk up. "Listen well because I'm not saying it again." He blinks twice in a row and you smile slightly. "We can never predict the future but I can tell you one thing for certain, Byun Baekhyun-ssi... I am," you gulp and say the next few words softly, almost close to a whisper. "In love with you."

The world seems to have stopped for a moment when Baekhyun stops breathing. His eyes are transfixed on you like you are a goddess from heaven. You nod once, continuing, "I love you now. And I will love you until you stop loving me. Or cheat on me. Whichever comes first." You shrug like it's no big deal but you're almost squeezing his face.

"Can I kiss you?" Baekhyun blurts out, his eyes only fixed on your lips.

You narrow your eyes at him, "Can't you say something other than that?"

"I'll do it after I kiss you," the boy glances at your eyes for a millisecond and leans in for a kiss.

His lips envelops your top lip and you feel how soft and supple his lips are. Baekhyun asks for an entrance and you let him in without hesitation. He probes on your tongue, as if asking for permission to dance. You twirl your tongue around his as your hands move to his hair. You twirl your fingers in his hair, following the motions of your tongues.

Baekhyun makes a sound at the back of his throat and he pulls away slightly. Just looking at your lips makes him want to attach his lips to them again. So he does. He gives you an endearing kiss and pulls back shortly after. The both of you are close enough to feel each other's breath on your skins though.

"I'm a nerd who scores top in everything, kitten." Baekhyun murmurs as if he is explaining. When he sees your confused look, he goes on, "It's like getting 100% for every test and yet cheating on the paper." You still don't understand and he chuckles breathlessly. Baekhyun shuts his eyes blissfully and gives you a butterfly kiss on your nose.

"A person will never cheat when they already have perfection in his hands."