“I’m on my way to check on Chanyeol” Baekhyun informs Kyungsoo, touching his earpiece briefly. He checks a couple of things off the list on his i-pad while he is in the elevator, all alone.

Thankfully, everything is proceeding perfectly so far; he wouldn’t forgive himself if he was anything less than perfectly prepared for this gala, because, for one thing, there are many super-rich people out there who might opt to hire them in the future –oh, how Kyungsoo rejoices at that thought– and, for another…it is Chanyeol’s birthday we are talking about! And Baekhyun might or might not be rejoicing at that thought…

“Okay; one seventh of the guests have arrived, so I guess it’s a good time to make his appearance” Kyungsoo agrees.

Baekhyun sighs in relief with the consolation of a clear purpose in his immediate future and leans on the elevator wall, waiting to reach his destination. There are not many things he can do while he is in here, so he allows himself to relax for a few moments, forgetting about the chaotic list of checks he has to do. His reflection on the mirror-doors catches his attention when he lifts his eyes.

Chen had an idea about Baekhyun’s outfit, and Baekhyun agreed to wear whatever Chen had in store for him without any further questions at the time –which is not always a smart move, considering that Chen is not the most predictable person on the planet when fashion issues are concerned. Quite honestly, he should have seen it coming; something unusual and exaggerated, but also so well made that you can’t hold a grudge against it. Sure, Chen is a designing genius; the black trousers hug Baekhyun’s hips snugly and the black jacket fits his shoulders and his waist perfectly. But those silver details which drape over the shoulders, twinkling in the light like diamonds, have Baekhyun doubting that maybe he looks a bit too…sparkly.

Actually, Baekhyun started his rebellion with the tight pants –but Chen said he should be thankful it’s not leather, and Baekhyun can’t believe he is still holding that against him! Then, he found the waist too thin and feminine –but Chen said it’s not his fault that Baekhyun has a tapered waist; not that it’s Baekhyun’s fault either though (it’s his body build, something defined by genes, he didn’t ask for it). And then he described the silver details as ‘an element easily misunderstood as an overly exaggerated effort to set a trend’ –but Chen only smiled and retorted ‘That’s why only you can pull it off’. Baekhyun can’t find any solid logical basis for this, but he hopes it’s true, because he doesn’t want to make a bad impression on Chanyeol’s birthday.

Baekhyun has not decided on whether he likes it or not yet. He guesses it is ambiguously and debatably good. Undoubtedly, he is okay with the outfit by now; from the few glimpses he got at the ball room earlier, this outfit is not something as alien as it seems, at least not in this environment of designer gowns and suits that worth more than six-figure amounts of money. Since then, Baekhyun is starting to come to terms with his fate. It is cognitive dissonance working in his head, he knows it, but knowing doesn’t mean he can do something about it.

Maybe the fabulous suit is a good thing, he tries to justify, because maybe his other suits would have looked too plain and shabby in comparison to his surroundings. People invited here tonight are the sort of people who never remember exactly how many things they own and they need five other people to remind them how many houses, how much money, how many companies and cars and stocks they are worth. Sometimes, it is easy to forget how rich and powerful Chanyeol is, with his misleading, adorable eye-twitching smile and carefree, booming laughter…

Baekhyun fixes his fringe in his reflection; he doesn’t look bad.

Okay, he looks good.

Maybe he looks really good.

Let’s just say he likes the outfit.

The doors open on the isolated and silent floor, bringing his attention back to his work. Baekhyun walks swiftly through the hallways, according to Luhan’s directions. He hasn’t been up here before but he doesn’t find anything extraordinary either; he guesses all huge corporate headquarters have sleek desks, spacious offices and glass ornaments. Luhan said he should make a turn to the left and Chanyeol’s office should be right about…here. He knocks on the oak door lightly, feeling the excitement flair in his stomach.

Wait, excitement? Why is he excited?

“Come in” Chanyeol’s deep voice sounds from the other side, stopping Baekhyun’s swirling thoughts about his emotional situation in the moment. Baekhyun pops his head through the door and smiles.

“Hey, are you ready? They are asking for you downstairs” he informs quickly. Wow…

We have long established that Chanyeol is super gorgeous but he looks even more so, with his black stylish suit, flowing over his long, toned limbs in beautiful seems, and outlining his statuesque, tall figure. His white shirt under the suit doesn’t have the smallest wrinkle and the top two buttons are open, exposing his long white neck. His hair is styled neatly and Baekhyun wants to close the door again and fanboy behind it, but he settles for trying to keep his jaw in place. How can he be so charming and elegant and perfect? He totally understands Kyungsoo’s admiration now. When Baekhyun’s eyes cross paths with Chanyeol’s, the door feels like significant support under his hands, or he would have been reduced to a puddle of melted chocolate.

“Oh, hey Baekhyun! I…I was about to come downstairs but…” Chanyeol raises his hand, showcasing an unraveled tie, hanging from his index finger. He gives Baekhyun a sheepish smile that makes certain hearts thump. The smaller gives himself a mental slap to get it together.

“You can’t tie it?” Baekhyun guesses, coming inside the room properly. Chanyeol pouts cutely at his question.

“I know how to tie it, there is just no mirror to help me” he says stubbornly, with a childish charm, which clashes with his mature outfit in the cutest way possible.

“There is no mirror? What a terrible mistake of the planners!” Baekhyun says in an animated voice, teasing him slightly. Chanyeol seems surprised for a moment –and maybe, if Baekhyun wasn’t so lost in his interaction bubble with Chanyeol, he would have noticed too that teasing is not something he regularly does with his clients on the job. “Allow me to apologize on behalf of the planners, Mr. Park, and offer my assistance in atonement” Baekhyun continues and walks closer to Chanyeol, leaving his i-pad aside.

Chanyeol is very still while Baekhyun works his magic with the tie. It is black, but in different texture than the suit; A+ for Chanyeol’s fashion sense. He has tied the ties of other men many times, because there are many slacking or incompetent grooms out there, who need a help before walking down the aisle. But none of them was really as tall as Chanyeol. Or as good looking.

Baekhyun is trying to focus all of his attention on the tie, and not the small distance between him and Chanyeol, bodies almost touching. Or how he has to look up slightly because of Chanyeol’s height, and the height difference is so thrilling. Or how white Chanyeol’s neck and jaw line are, as if made of the finest marble or porcelain.

Or how he will mess up if he keeps thinking about things that tangle his thoughts like that.

“There you go” he steps back and smiles in relief when he is done –the knot came out just fine, thank god. Chanyeol blinks a few times and then smiles back.

“Thanks” he says and starts for the door.

“Oh, wait!” Baekhyun stops him from leaving, coming back to the reality of his job.

“I thought they were asking for me downstairs” Chanyeol gives him a bewildered look.

“Yes, they are, but you are not ready yet” Baekhyun searches his pocket for the small box he put in there earlier. He can’t skip it; it’s tradition.

“What did I miss?” Chanyeol asks, opening his arms wide for inspection. Aha, found the box!

“This” Baekhyun waves the small box and then opens it quickly before Chanyeol’s curious eyes. “We, as a company, in the context of having a humane and friendly –not standard bureaucratic– relationship with our clients, have the tradition of giving them this small sort of gift before each event” Baekhyun takes the small flower from the box; it’s for the boutonniere. Some clients choose to wear it, some others only save it, but it’s tradition for their company to offer it anyhow.

Chanyeol’s eyes focus on the flower and a wide smile appears on his face. Baekhyun hoped to see this dazzling reaction when he chose the flower.

“It’s the…” he starts with excitement sparkling in his eyes.

“It’s the twinkling flower” Baekhyun says with a smile and offers the small piece of baby’s breath to Chanyeol. It’s Baekhyun’s way of being considerate. He wanted to pick something special for Chanyeol, not just any random, pretty flower. So, he thought that Chanyeol would be happier if he wore his favorite flower on his almost-birthday event, rather than any other flower. The florist was a bit puzzled at Baekhyun’s choice when he asked solely for baby’s breath, but Baekhyun is now sure that he made the right choice.

Because the proud smile on Chanyeol’s lips while he fixes the flower in the lapel hole looks like the one of a little child on Christmas day, and the happy gleam in his eyes dazzles Baekhyun and makes his heart beat faster, just the right way.

“Thank you, Baekhyun” Chanyeol’s deep voice is lower than usual and his smile becomes soft when he looks at Baekhyun. Baekhyun feels his bones turning to the consistency of a jelly fish as the deep voice allures him to a world he has not seen before. He remains staring at Chanyeol, not really caring about the fact that he is unashamedly staring, because Chanyeol is staring back with his soft smile in place. The world starts spinning and becoming a blur, becoming unimportant, while everything inside Baekhyun shift and melt.

“Baekhyun, have you taken Chanyeol downstairs yet?” Kyungsoo asks in his ear. The world around Baekhyun stops its pirouettes and the force of the sudden stop hits him, almost physically. He blinks several times to get out of his daze, feeling like someone just threw him a bucket of cold water.

His first thought is ‘why didn’t I pull that useless thing out of my ear earlier?’, but then he realizes that this is not the right thought to have right now, it’s the polar opposite. How long has he been staring at Chanyeol? This is so embarrassing; completely unprofessional, uncalled for and unacceptable! What was this emotional intermission anyway?

And Kyungsoo has a point.

“Come on, Chanyeol; we have a schedule to follow” he mumbles, walking first out of the room with unnecessary haste, in hopes his red cheeks will not come to Chanyeol’s attention. He feels so flustered with himself; schedule is religion, and now he got so close to forgetting about it completely…Chanyeol follows silently but Baekhyun doesn’t dare glance back at him.

You need to fix your pretty head, Byun Baekhyun, and focus on your work like the renowned professional you are.

--

“Good evening, sir, madam” Kyungsoo greets the next guests who walk closer to him with their million dollar smiles and their billion dollar clothes. He smiles politely, like he has practiced, and then he checks off their names as soon as he finds them in the long list. In the mean time, Sehun relieves them of their coats and the gift box they are carrying, and Boram offers them her name politely.

“This young lady will you to the twelfth floor. Have a nice night” Kyungsoo explains and the couple smile and thank him before following the cute employee to the elevators. Kyungsoo overhears a few appraisals for the kind hospitality and he cheers internally; Baekhyun is a genius in people and he will make them rich one day, Kyungsoo is sure of it.

Kyungsoo’s smile feels more real on his lips as he arranges the papers on his table by the reception, enjoying the small silent interval. His feet are starting to hurt from standing here for so long, and he is really curious to see what things look like upstairs at the actual party in the ball room, but he has to wait for another hour before he can join Baekhyun upstairs. On the plus side, he gets to bicker with Sehun if he is bored and he is the first to see the guests’ outfits –and he is keeping mental notes for gossip with Baekhyun later.

“Hello?” a voice startles Kyungsoo and he looks up with wide eyes, terrified that he was spacing out just now.

“Oh, good evening…” Kyungsoo’s smile falters and it’s beyond his control that his voice turns flat as he registers the person in front of him “sir.”

“Hey princess; you look nice” Kai smirks and no, Kyungsoo doesn’t find it heart-flipping and seductive, it’s unnerving. Maybe. And he doesn’t appreciate being called ‘princess’ –at least, not in this setting –so the compliment doesn’t count. And the blood is rushing to his head only because he is irritated.

Kyungsoo takes a breath and clears his throat, remembering where he is and why he is here. He is on the job, and Kai might be an idiot, but he is also a guest, so Kyungsoo has to do what a man has to do. He doesn’t even want to know what Baekhyun would do to him if he found out he was rude with a guest.

“Welcome, sir. Please, leave your coat to the young man over here” he says softly, concealing all the boiling indignation inside him behind a small smile. It looks strained and fake and he knows it, so he gives up and smiles in irony openly. It’s just Kai, he can take it. The welcoming procedure is the same and their status as working employee and guest don’t change, but Kyungsoo refuses to accept in his mind that this is anything less than ridiculous, given their history.

“Kyungsoo on the job; I think I like it” Kai must have noticed that Kyungsoo is not exactly friendly by now, because he is not that dense, but he smiles entertained all the same as he shrugs off his coat. Kyungsoo doesn’t have time to prevent his eyes from cascading down Kai’s body. Okay, that suit looks kind of breathtaking on him.

Sehun scoffs to hide his laughter as he takes Kai’s coat and Kyungsoo opts to glare daggers at Sehun, murdering him in his thoughts, as the boy retreats to the closet. This is not funny, certainly not to Sehun at least. Kyungsoo sighs but it brings no relief; he still feels stiff and uptight. And he is not afraid to admit it: it’s because of Kai; the man plays with his nerves as if they were harp strings.

“This young lady will esco-” Kyungsoo starts saying mechanically, sounding blank and hard, and he has no idea why the idiot smiles even wider, but he wishes he was allowed to slap him with the book he is holding anyway.

“It’s okay, Soo, I know the way” he interrupts, waving a hand dismissively. Kyungsoo bites his tongue in embarrassment, hating the other man’s leer right now.

Right, Kai knows the way, he works here. And what young lady, Boram is not back yet…Ugh, making a fool of himself is just what he needed right now. This experience will make him feel blue for the rest of the night and then it will torture his pride for days and he will hate Kai even more because of it, that’s the only thing he’s sure of. And he was only starting to feel more bright…

“See you around, Soo” Kai calls over his shoulder, walking casually to the elevator with lithe dancer strides. Kyungsoo briefly wonders when ‘walking casually’ became super model strides in his thoughts…Kyungsoo stares after him, in what hopes to be more anger than awe, and he forgets to check Kai’s name off the list. See you around? Not if Kyungsoo can help it. He will hide under every rock he can find, just to make Kai’s life harder.

He doesn’t even notice the pencil snapping in two in his vice grip and Sehun’s eyes growing wide with horror at the sight.

--

Chanyeol opens the door on the side of the lobby area and slips quickly in the side hallway of the ballroom on the twelfth floor. Something about the structure of the building allows some hallways on this floor which lead to nowhere in particular; there is just one small room that is always empty and they never use it for anything. Well, maybe the event planning crew has found some use for it that Chanyeol couldn’t know, but he doesn’t care either. He just needs a less frequented area to sit for a while.

It has been many hours since the gala started and now the guests have dwindled down to a number of two digits –but we are still on the side above fifty...This will never end; Chanyeol has the looming feeling he will see the dawn in this building, and that’s not his ideal way of starting his birthday.

Everything on this night has been perfect of course, the delicious food, the good music, the magical decorations –with blue roses and baby’s breath just like he suggested, and Chanyeol did not just giggle –and the cake was wonderful and everyone seems pleased…

But Chanyeol feels so tired. His cheeks are starting to hurt from all the smiles and the air inside the ballroom is just too stuffy with female perfume and businessmen hypocrisy. Add to that his mother pestering him about not bringing any date to the event, and a hundred people engaging him in work related conversations he wouldn’t like to have, and everyone wishing him happy birthday even if it’s not his birthday yet, and Chanyeol feels like he is about to explode.

His father seems pleased; at least that’s something.

Chanyeol rounds the corner and sees the door of the small room half-open. There are no lights on, but there is a soft, cooling breeze of fresh air that draws Chanyeol like a magnet. He walks into the room enjoying the soothing temperature for a moment. No more fake smiles, no more humming music and conversations in his ears, no more pretending, no more heat on his skin and pressure to be the perfect Park Chanyeol. He sighs softly, letting out his anxiousness to enjoy his few moments of peace and quiet.

Suddenly, the door opens behind him and he turns around so fast, almost giving himself a whiplash. The moonlight is coming through the window, soft and white, but it is not enough to identify the visitor. The small black figure leaves a box carefully on the pile of presents; probably this is where they have decided to store the presents the guests are bringing for his birthday. And Chanyeol finds himself holding his breath hesitantly, suddenly feeling like a child caught snooping around somewhere he is not supposed to be.

“Chanyeol?” a familiar, soft voice asks. Chanyeol feels his body relaxing, a wonderful mixture of relief and excitement washing through him.

“Hey Baekhyun!” he greets happily and his smile is raging out of control, without hurting his cheeks now, and without being visible in the dark, but he doesn’t care for being seen, he just needs to smile.

“You scared me for a moment…What are you doing here?”

“I, um…I just needed some air” Chanyeol finds that his speech falters a lot when Baekhyun is around. It is one of his many flaws which emerge in the presence of his little guy and won’t go away, no matter how hard Chanyeol wishes they would, so that he could make a good impression.

“Well, don’t stay here too long; there are still people out there” Baekhyun instructs after a moment of awkward silence, that Chanyeol foolishly let sneak between them, and moves in a way which seems to Chanyeol like he is turning around to leave.

“Wait!” he calls panicky and Baekhyun’s figure stops moving immediately “Do you think you could, uh, stay here? For a while” he blurts out. He was originally planning to be alone, but being with Baekhyun would be even better than that.

Hopefully, Baekhyun won’t ask why Chanyeol wants him to stay, because there is not a non-creepy answer to that question –Chanyeol can be an impulsive idiot sometimes…

“Mmm, just for a while?” Baekhyun hums in thought. Chanyeol feels his heart flair and he nods fervently; and then he realizes that Baekhyun can’t see him probably, so nodding is of no use.

“Yes; if that’s okay with you…” he bites his lips hesitantly.

“Okay” Baekhyun agrees with his usual cheerful voice and Chanyeol wants to jump in excitement –although that big a move would be more visible than a nod, even in the dark, thanks to his height, so he refrains from it.

“Can we go closer to the window? I can’t see you very well from here” he suggests, trying to sound normal and not as hyped as he feels.

“Sure” the shorter agrees easily.

Chanyeol walks to the window, followed by Baekhyun. The moonlight reveals Baekhyun’s beautiful face and smile, and his eyes sparkle, fueling Chanyeol’s dazed grin. They are standing closer than usual to fit in the window frame and Chanyeol has to look down slightly. Chanyeol can’t explain why looking down in Baekhyun’s puppy eyes feels so wonderful and he can’t explain what sort of wonderful it feels like either, but it does.

When Baekhyun walked in his office earlier, showcasing that fashionable outfit with just the right amount of confident attitude to match, he seemed more alluring than usual, closer to the heartbreaker Chanyeol has in his mind, but not quite there, since he didn’t seem like he wanted to break his heart exactly –he was only playing with him. Under the moonlight, Baekhyun looks as innocent as a child, so pure and soft and kind, so unlike his breathtaking, seductive charm in the office –and Chanyeol is starting to think that this image can break his heart a thousand times more easily.

“So, do you have anything to say?” Baekhyun asks after a short while. Chanyeol all this while has been preoccupied with admiring the silver sparks in Baekhyun’s eyes and his rosy lips curling adorably at the corners. So, no, he doesn’t have anything not-creepy to say. But if he won’t say anything, Baekhyun will think he is weird and then he will leave. Chanyeol belatedly starts to panic.

“No?” Baekhyun guesses “Because I do! I have something to say” he smiles widely. The relief Baekhyun brings to Chanyeol combined with the excitement and happiness, is a strange feeling that Chanyeol cannot describe; all he can say is that the feeling is pleasant and nice, it is warming and exciting, and it is filling him so much that his smile never feels enough to express.

“Okay” Chanyeol’s deep voice agrees with Baekhyun’s request. Baekhyun runs his tongue over his lips nervously in preparation but keeps his pretty smile.

“Well, first of all, I know it’s not your birthday yet, so I won’t say happy birthday” Chanyeol tries really hard not to pout at that…“I was planning on leaving my gift on the stack with the rest of the gifts but-”

“Wait, you got me a gift for my birthday?” Chanyeol stops him, bewildered. Is Baekhyun a hallucination? Because it would make sense if he is; first he is complying with Chanyeol’s wishes without hesitation and without making –sensible but uncomfortable to Chanyeol –questions, then he looks as gorgeous as always in the moonlight, and now he is starting to follow some of Chanyeol’s fantasies of Baekhyun showing signs of caring for him.

And so, this is the moment Chanyeol discovers he is a schizophrenic at age twenty two. He really hopes not. Baekhyun bites his lower lip shyly.

“Shouldn’t I? Was it too much?” he asks sheepishly with a heartbreaking innocent and shy expression –which Chanyeol’s head could never hope to imagine, so down goes the mental illness theory, thank god.

Baekhyun got a gift for him. For Chanyeol, yes, it is too much; in the sense that he wants to jump from a rainbow out of joy! Wait, how did rainbows get involved?

“No, it wasn’t!” he defends eagerly and still a bit stunned “I only meant that you didn’t have to. It’s my birthday and you’re here, and you organized a perfect event already. And you gave me the twinkling flower earlier. Well, you can always do anything you want, buy or not buy things, give them away or keep them, of course, I am not implying I have any veto power over you. And it’s not like I am not happy that you brought me a gift, I am exultant –um, very thankful, I mean –I just didn’t expect it, because we are not as clos-; no, that sounds wrong. I mean, I didn’t think you were obligated to-”

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun stops him with a slightly louder voice; thankfully, Baekhyun stopped him, because creepy things were starting to slip out…Chanyeol closes his lips obediently and looks at him with a sheepish look. “As childishly charming as it is to see you rumbling about, the heart of the matter is: I brought you a gift, and that’s that. Now, let me continue. I was planning to leave it with the rest but, since you are here, and since my gift is small and it might get lost in all those huge boxes, can I give it to you now?” Baekhyun closes his hands behind his back and balances on his heels, blinking up at Chanyeol adorably, with a small smile. Chanyeol nods and this time Baekhyun can see him, and his smile grows even wider in response.

“Before I give it to you, promise that you will open it tomorrow; on the actual day of your birthday” he says strictly, holding up one finger. That is a promise Chanyeol is reluctant to make; he is too curious already, but he doesn’t want to break a promise to Baekhyun…

“It’s past midnight so, technically, it is the actual day of my birthday already” Chanyeol reasons in a serious voice. Baekhyun shakes his head.

“It doesn’t count if you don’t sleep first”

“Why not?”

“It just doesn’t! Now promise you will open it tomorrow –tomorrow at noon, just to be sure –no matter how curious you get” Chanyeol would probably burst out in a childishly stubborn protest, had Baekhyun not voiced out his torturous conditions so cutely.

A mini stare down contest ensues. Chanyeol pouts stubbornly. This is unfair. Baekhyun gives him a look, unyielding. No promise, no gift. Fine.

“Okay, I promise” Chanyeol mumbles halfheartedly, still pouting. Baekhyun smiles triumphantly.

“Tomorrow at noon?” Baekhyun asks for confirmation but he is already smiling, so he has probably decided to give Chanyeol his gift anyway. Chanyeol nods, with his lower lip still jutting out slightly in defeat.

“Now give it to me” he asks in a cute voice, childishly and imperatively. Baekhyun has to fulfill his end of the deal. A small smile grows bigger on Chanyeol’s lips as Baekhyun hands him a white envelope. It feels very light but it also feels very precious to Chanyeol.

“It’s not all that great, really. I just thought…well, you’ll understand what I thought when you open it” Baekhyun mumbles shyly. It doesn’t matter what it is; to Chanyeol it is worth more than all the load of extravagant gifts behind him combined.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

a/n. Happy Chanyeol day to the world! I hope you are having a nice day (regardless of Chanyeollie’s birthday) and that reading this made you just a tad bit happier.^^

For Baekhyun’s suit I was thinking of their stage clothes for overdose promotions (how I love exo for pulling off the most amazing suits…) Notice how the tension grows between Baekyeol and how Chanyeol gets confused with his own feelings -in a good way? Ah, I feel like we are watching a small flower peeking adorably out of its pot; I hope you will stay with me until we see it in full bloom. (wow, that was faintly poetic…the things Baekyeol fluff does to me, OTL) See what Baekhyun’s gift to Chanyeol is next time!

Thank you all for subscribing, it means a lot to me! I'm sending hugs to you all uncontrollably right now! Until next time, kitty~