Kyungsoo is a weak man. He has a really bad luck as well.

In the month that followed Chanyeol’s birthday event, Kyungsoo stayed away from Kai; at least, physically. He didn’t see him or get anywhere near him –it’s not like they attend the same social circles anyway and, with the holiday paranoia going on, he didn’t have any time to spare to the silly, fluffy fluttery flings of his self destructive heart. But he heard about him on the news, and he read a magazine with an article about him, and Kai himself sent him a few –hundreds of– messages on his phone and social media…That was completely out of Kyungsoo’s control, you can’t really blame him.

Kyungsoo didn’t answer any of those messages of course, after successfully brainwashing himself to think they weren’t important, and he erased everything soon after he received them. Did he glimpse at them? Ahem. No. Not thoroughly. And maybe he was faintly aware that somewhere in the world a heart was bruising because of him, but his conscience proved as powerful as a hamster in the face of his own past, full of heartbreaks.

Kai is dense anyway. And they aren’t even together.

He did allow himself to read the article though –because the effects of the brainwash had worn off by then, so, yeah– with the necessarily required disinterested attitude and skeptical eyebrow, not to show that he actually cared to read it. But he had held more hopes than it satisfied, because it was full of general information and nothing substantial, courtesy of a journalist who was too infatuated with Kai and she made him seem like the gift of unicorn heaven to humans. Well, Kyungsoo won’t argue that the man is a perfect sample of male anatomy, but he would rather keep his own opinion of the guy. Like the fact that he’s an idiot.

The news though…That was a punch in the gut and Kyungsoo couldn’t just overlook it. There were some pictures of Kai with some girl, dining at an expensive restaurant, leaning close to each other. The headlines spoke of dates and a relationship with the girl, who was apparently the daughter of a billionaire from overseas. There were all but hearts and roses floating in the air, all cutesy and pink and sparkling and stuff; seriously, it pained his eyes more than his heart to see. Kai did not mention anything about her in his one-sided texting though, and Kyungsoo couldn’t bring himself to ask. Was he even supposed to?

It’s not like it matters, right? It’s not like they matter.

Therefore, he shouldn’t really have felt this way, but he did feel like someone shoved him off a bridge when he heard the news. But. They are not exclusive. They never committed. Two nights together don’t make them a couple. They are not even friends with benefits. Kai was a playboy before. And he is a young, pretty man with needs. Or the news could be a lie. It wouldn’t be the first time. Anyhow, Kyungsoo doesn’t want Kai in the first place. He needs to stay away, that’s what he has been saying all along. It was just three minutes on television one month ago, how important could it be?

And in spite of all that, Kyungsoo still felt a little sad and hurt, every time he thought about Kai during the holidays.

Family and friends is a good way to distract yourself, but it lasts only so much. Four days after the change of the year, Kyungsoo found himself in his apartment, thinking about Kai more obsessively than he would like and would ever admit, attacking his second bucket of ice cream and possibly conversing with the cat. This had to stop. So, he dressed up and treated himself to a night out. If he could dance his problems away, much to Baekhyun’s psychology-derived objections, it would be nice. If he could find someone else to obsess over, that would be even better. So, he picked a club randomly; but his luck is terrible.

Kai was there. Or, more accurately put on the time line, Kai is here.

They danced together for a while, for old time’s sake –or so they both tried to convince each other. Kyungsoo won’t deny that his irritation at Kai has brought about a slight passion within him. There’s this little spark on the edge of his heart. They have already talked about the girl, in a very casual and brief manner –apparently, nothing happened and she was a no one to Kai, just like Kyungsoo suspected. You can be sure that Kyungsoo didn’t start that conversation.

But he still feels irritated. Not at Kai anymore, who looks genuinely happy to see him, but at himself. He allowed himself to feel jealous over someone who is not even his, someone who should not concern him, someone who should stay away; that’s why he is a weak man. Then again, Kai is gorgeous and se*y beyond belief, with his plum lips and his sardonic smile, with his lustful gaze and his sculpted body, so, some jealousy and possessiveness is probably justified. It is a poor excuse all the same, considering how there is nothing between them and Kyungsoo still feels something.

As he sits by the bar, watching other people dance and gyrate somewhere under dizzying lights, and Kai sitting across from him, trying to get his attention by every means possible, Kyungsoo thinks that a month is a terrible lot of time. His eyes travel over the upturned corners of Kai’s talking lips, and the curve of his jaw, the line of his strong neck, the smooth skin, teasingly exposed over his collar bones before disappearing under his top, and he can imagine the covered contours of the rest of his body…A month without any of this is a terrible lot of time. Really.

Kyungsoo decides that he is self destructive anyway, and he is half way there, with the way his blood is pumping faster in his veins and he’s getting heady, so, he might as well…

“Can we go to your house?” he asks, out of the blue, surprising Kai who stops midsentence.

“What?” Kai sputters, confused and dazed.

“I said, can we go to your house? Please?” Kyungsoo scrunches his eyebrows and taps his fingers on the bar nervously. He has not done this ever before, but things need to be done, eventually, even if the culprit is him. He just needs to get his hands on the other. Somehow. It doesn’t matter who makes the first step.

“Kyungsoo, are you drunk?” Kai asks, tightening his eyes in suspicion and leaning near to sniff –as if the martini scent is something discernable in the midst of smoke and about a hundred different alcoholic drinks behind the counter...Kyungsoo ignores the pointlessness of his action and focuses on the warmth of two praline eyes.

“No, I’m pretty sober” he answers casually. He has not even drunk half a glass of alcohol. He doesn’t lean back reflexively, like he would normally do to avoid the sudden proximity, because he sort of likes it. It makes his blood run faster and his cheek tingle. Getting things done is the point, after all…

“And you still want to go to my house? Like a visit?” Kai asks in disbelief. Kyungsoo feels slightly unnerved by the fact that the idiot is still not getting it; does he have to sign a petition or conduct a proposal or something?! But maybe he is a bit accountable for that, because this doesn’t happen often. Actually, it never happens. Do Kyungsoo never asks for those things, but let’s not go there, because the pressure is too much already and he is going to combust due to mortification at this rate.

“Not like a visit. Like a night with you” Kyungsoo corrects, utterly surprised by how smooth and unfazed that just sounded. Kai’s jaw drops comically, and Kyungsoo would laugh if he wasn’t so set on doing what he wants to do.

“Kyungsoo, if you are actually sober, which I doubt you are, do you have any idea what you’re saying exactly? Or what it sounds like? Let me tell you: it sounds a lot like you are saying that you want me for a night, as in, you want my body for a night. And if you are saying what I think you are saying, that you want just my body and skills in bed, then I am so disappointed in you, Do Kyungsoo. I mean, okay, I have a good body, but I don’t want you to want me just for-”

Kyungsoo stops Kai’s rumbling with a kiss –it was that or a slap. It’s not just a peck this time, it’s more like the kisses Kai usually gives him –but maybe a bit more desperate. It’s dark in the club and no one will notice them, so Kyungsoo doesn’t have to mind the world. He somehow manages to lock away his reservations with the rest of the world. He shamelessly tastes Kai’s full lips and feels them between his own, a feeling he had started to miss. Kai is responding, of course; Kyungsoo feels like he can count on that any time. He rests one hand on Kai’s face, touching his soft skin. He nibbles at Kai’s lower lip with his teeth, pulling back teasingly for a moment, letting Kai lean after him for more.

Kyungsoo suddenly realizes with a surge of triumph and smug satisfaction that, even after all this time, it’s not hard to make Kai want him back. And Kyungsoo wants Kai. He doesn’t want Kai’s body; he can find another good body on the dance floor and seduce it, if he wants to. He knows now that his hands itching for Kai is not the only thing he wants. He wants Kai. All of Kai. He wants him in a possessive way, not just a needy one.

“Okay?” he asks, looking up at Kai seriously. Kai stops staring with hooded and dazed eyes at his lips and searches his eyes for a moment, just as serious. Kyungsoo doesn’t know what he can see in there.

“Okay” he agrees and hops off the stool, grabbing his keys, jacket and Kyungsoo’s hand.

The road to their destination is not long but it feels like an eternity of torture, because there is a promise between them now, hanging heavy and electrifying over them, making their blood boil. It takes every ounce of common sense for driving safety to keep Kyungsoo from reaching over to touch Kai while he’s driving. Kai parks hastily and maybe locks the car, but Kyungsoo is already busy by then, trying to bury his fingers under Kai’s shirt and shoving him towards the dark building.

When they stumble through the door to Kai’s apartment, Kyungsoo’s lips are already locked with Kai’s and Kyungsoo is very sure he wants Kai. He is very sure that he will beat himself up for his decision later as well, but for now, he has made his decision and he is determined to enjoy it. Kai catches his foot on the carpet and falls backwards, with Kyungsoo following his fall, after Kai pulled him off balance by the waist. Thankfully, they land on the sofa with a loud thud. Kai sits up and Kyungsoo shifts on his lap to get a more comfortable position.

“Soo?” Kai asks, breaking away from the kiss, breathless, as Kyungsoo trails hungry kisses down his neck.

“Yeah?”

“Are you sure you won’t regret this?” Kai asks hesitantly and Kyungsoo stops, as if struck by lightning. He lifts his eyes to lock his gaze with the other’s seriously.

Kai seems to be more rational than him in this moment. Funny thing, Kai is using his insight from Kyungsoo’s perspective; he is looking after Kyungsoo’s best interest, trying to make sure that he won’t regret it afterwards. Kyungsoo, even though still fully clothed –disappointing as that might be–, feels slightly exposed, because Kai shows signs of understanding him again. It’s as if he knows what Kyungsoo will feel like tomorrow morning, just as well as Kyungsoo can predict for himself. And Kai is giving him a chance to take his decision back before he hurts himself, even though Kyungsoo doesn’t really want to take this chance.

But Kai deserves better. Kyungsoo is not the only one involved here. He sighs, looking at Kai’s brown puppy eyes, and then he runs one hand through Kai’s hair comfortingly, the passion giving way to something else, that he won’t admit to feeling.

“Just for this one night, Jongin; no regrets” he decides right then and there. Kai nods seriously, showing his understanding. Kyungsoo mentally curses at himself for being so weak, knowing full well it will be difficult not to blame himself afterwards. But he will try, for Kai’s sake. He wonders idly if this is what they call ‘learning to love yourself through the love of others’. He stops that thought quickly in its tracks and leans down for another kiss, as his hands start to travel on Kai’s chest, eliciting all the deep sounds he had missed so much.

The next morning, Kyungsoo wakes up earlier than Kai. That’s a first. He stays in bed for a while, napping lazily like a cat, in Kai’s safe and warm cradle. Kai’s bed is starting to feel familiar and comforting, which is slightly concerning but he will postpone his worries for another time. He checks in and out of dreamland, sleeping vaguely, until his eyes open again, landing on a pair of swollen, delicious lips, and he has an idea.

He slips out of Kai’s arms swiftly, careful not to jolt the other awake. Kai only mumbles in his sleep and rolls numbly under the covers. The cold of the room hits Kyungsoo’s bare skin and he hisses in the darkness, until he finds his underwear and his pants. His shirt is missing for now though, so he borrows one of Kai’s t-shirts from the closet. It feels odd, because it’s twice his size, but he decides that he doesn’t need to be perfect and so he just smiles at how ridiculous he looks before leaving the room.

Did he just glance back at the sleeping log. Sunflowers, what’s wrong with me? He blames the after bedroom hormones.

He walks to the kitchen and takes a good minute staring at the closed cupboards. Remembering Kai’s moves, he tries to find a sense of orientation in the kitchen before he starts pulling out the necessary tools. He gets most of the things right and with a minimum amount of noise too. The ingredients seem sufficient for what he is planning to make, but the super-high-tech stove is giving Kyungsoo some trouble, until he gets the hung of it; at least, the place under the pan is warm, and that’s all he needs in order to cook. When the food starts to smell across the fancy apartment, Kai appears by the kitchen door, rubbing the corner of his eye adorably, like a kid.

“Good morning, Soo” he mumbles with a smile. Kyungsoo swallows the lump in his throat and reminds himself encouragingly: no regrets. Fighting! He smiles back, even though his limbs are trembling slightly.

“Good morning” he says and stirs some vegetables while Kai takes his seat by the kitchen island, where Kyungsoo usually sits. Today, Kyungsoo is making breakfast, reversing the roles. It makes him feel on edge but it doesn’t feel as strange as he had thought. Not that he had thought or imagined or fantasized about it. Extensively.

“Did you sleep well last night?” Kai picks a carrot slice and starts munching on it. Kyungsoo is not looking at him but he thinks he can hear a frown.

“Yes, I did” Kyungsoo answers with a smile which Kai cannot see.

“Did you sleep well this morning too?”

“Yes…why?”

“If you were sleeping nicely tucked in the warmth of the bed, then why did you leave my side?” Kyungsoo turns to look at Kai, surprised. Kai is pouting, obviously displeased.

Did it really matter so much? Kyungsoo is used to waking up alone every day and everyone else he has slept with seemed more comfortable if he wasn’t there in the morning, or they disappeared before he woke up. Kai is a different case, but Kyungsoo always thought it was the annoying bone in him that led him to wake Kyungsoo up every morning. Why else in this version of reality would someone torture him by not allowing him to enjoy his precious sleep? Is waking up next to someone really so important?

“I thought I would surprise you with breakfast” he explains finally, picking the next ingredient as nonchalantly as his fluttering heart allows him.

“I need you by my side when I wake up more than I need breakfast” Kai says seriously, in the voice that gets deeper and firmer, meaning he’s really serious. Kyungsoo stiffens for a moment in the face of the unusual situation. He feels a small chip of his heart getting attached to Kai again. When he says those things…

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think of that” he amends, trying to ignore how scared he feels somewhere near his stomach because of this situation, and walks around the kitchen island to reach Kai, who follows his every move with his gaze. He pecks him on his pouting lips and hops to sit on his lap, knowing it will cheer him up. Kai is the third creature that Kyungsoo has ever crossed paths with who is addicted to human contact (top of the list would be Baekhyun, second would be the neighbors’ cat). “I’ll try to remember it next time”

If it is so important for Kai, maybe Kyungsoo can learn what is important about it too. Kai pouts for one long moment more, gazing at Kyungsoo like he is made of a million juggled pieces.

“You’re very different today” Kai says, eying him curiously. His arms snake around Kyungsoo’s waist to secure him in place possessively. Kyungsoo pretends he can’t feel his heart flickering and he shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly.

“We said no regrets” Which, surprisingly, is easier done than Kyungsoo would have ever thought, now that Kai is around.

“I like it” Kai says with a blinding grin. Kyungsoo grins too and he ruffles Kai’s hair playfully.

“Then enjoy it while you can; you never know when and if you will experience it again” he hops off his seat on Kai’s legs and heads back to the sizzling food.

He might be an idiot too, because he doesn’t stop smiling for the rest of their time, not for a minute.

--

Baekhyun knows he is dreaming, but it’s a sweet dream, so he pretends he can’t feel the cold of another January night in his room, biting on his nose, and that it’s actually spring, like in his dream.

In his dream, he is lying on the soft green grass under the tree where his aunt used to take him. The city is blooming with colors and the sky has the most beautiful shade of pale blue. There are a few white clouds dancing far above him and soft spring breezes, warmed by the sun, travel on his skin and down the slope of fresh grass. It is nice under the shade of the tree. The sun is peeking through the thick, green foliage, creating beautiful kaleidoscopic illusions in his eyes and warming his skin with faint caresses.

But the best part about his dream is that Baekhyun is not alone in the peace and quiet of the spring hill; Chanyeol is lying on the grass beside him. His white linen shirt captures the light, illuminating his porcelain skin. His baby face, only inches away from Baekhyun’s just enough so that they won’t go cross eyed, is resting on his hands, which he is using as a pillow –Baekhyun has Chanyeol’s jacket as a pillow. His pink full lips are curled into an angelic, soft smile, so calm and beautiful, and his caramel eyes sparkle happily, more blinding and bright than the sunlight. And Baekhyun is just staring.

The breeze shifts Chanyeol’s bangs, sweeping them on his forehead slightly, making Baekhyun’s heart thump like crazy in glee. Chanyeol is there to protect him, to keep him company and to make him smile; in his dream, Chanyeol is his guardian angel. The faint singing of birds reaches his ears and the colorful life which flourishes around them engulfs them in a calm daze, creating a small, sparkling piece of the world where there is no time, there are no obligations or worries, there is nothing standing between them and no one else matters.

“Chanyeol, why are you here?” he hears his voice ask timidly. Chanyeol smiles even wider for a moment, showing his sparkly white teeth, making Baekhyun curl his fingers around the fabric of the jacket under his head.

“I’m here to make you happy” his deep voice answers, making Baekhyun smile despite the shivers of warmth down his spine.

Baekhyun sighs. It’s a sweet dream, but that is all, he knows that very well. His mind has a very strange way of telling him what he already knows, that Chanyeol makes him happy. His messages, his jokes, even small things like ‘hey’ and ‘goodnight’, make Baekhyun smile in excitement; because, after long years spent far away from other people’s warmth, someone out there cares for Baekhyun’s day and his laughter and his problems and his thoughts. Chanyeol makes him feel safe and accepted, even though he is never physically there.

He is not sure if he should admit this…but it’s just a dream, so maybe he can admit it just this once: he wishes he could have a moment like this dream in reality. It would be nice to have all those things that Chanyeol makes him feel materialize around them and have Chanyeol in front of him in person. Just gazing at each other, just being there, in what seems to be Baekhyun’s world of happiness. Just once, it would be nice.

“Baekhyun, wake up” Chanyeol says in a quiet voice. Baekhyun pouts in disappointment. Why does he have to wake up? The dream is nice and he doesn’t want to leave yet. It’s his dream, so he should be the one to decide when to end it. He wants to stay with Chanyeol for a while longer. But Chanyeol’s image starts getting blurry in his dream.

“Chanyeol?” he calls out but the tall man keeps dissolving into a haze steadily, leaving Baekhyun alone and confused. “Chanyeol?” he tries again in a strained vice, clutching at empty air where Chanyeol was lying a moment ago.

His eyes snap open and he is back in his room again. He sneezes slightly because of the cold air around him and then he blinks furiously, blinded by the bright winter sun. He pouts in confusion. Did he leave the shutters open last night?

“Baekhyun, wake up” Kyungsoo pokes him with his finger on the side. Baekhyun scrunches his eyebrows and turns to look at his friend, pulling his covers closer to his nose protectively. Is this another dream? In what sort of dream is Kyungsoo waking him up? He glances around bewildered, but his room looks pretty realistic. It doesn’t feel like a dream either. “Are you awake now?” Kyungsoo asks with a smile, poking Baekhyun again, playfully this time. Baekhyun squirms under the covers and nods in response.

“Why are you waking me up?” he asks in a voice heavy with sleep, muffled by the covers even more.

“Because you need to wake up; we have things to do” Kyungsoo answers simply, rocking on Baekhyun’s bed. Baekhyun rubs his eye groggily, trying to remember if he had any plans with Kyungsoo for this morning. Well, if he had to work, the alarm would have woken him up earlier, so Kyungsoo is probably not referring to work related ‘things they have to do’, just like Baekhyun remembers. Did they have any other plans, like lunch or so? Baekhyun can’t remember, but wouldn’t he have set the alarm if they did?

“How did you get in here?” he asks, buying time to think of his daily plan for today, in hopes that it will explain Kyungsoo’s presence in his room so early in the day.

“I used the spare key” Kyungsoo answers shamelessly.

“You don’t know where I keep the spare key” Baekhyun deadpans.

“Yeah, I don’t; but he does” Kyungsoo points across the room and Baekhyun turns around, very confused. His eyes meet a familiar figure, half-hidden in his open closet. Well, it’s not a whole figure, it’s just a skinny rear poking out and wiggling every so often. There is only one person who would rummage his closet like that: Chen. It’s not the first time Chen explores his closet; they are lifelong friends after all.

Baekhyun sits up in his bed, feeling disoriented and confused. He runs his hands above his face, trying to make sense of his surroundings.

“Why are you here? Both of you?” he asks. He is sure by now, after double checking his mental list for things to do today, that he didn’t have any plans to meet either one of the two. But here they both are, one waking him up while the other mercilessly digs through his clothes and shoes. Is that his grey knit on the ground?

“We need to take you for shopping!” Chen answers, his voice sounding funny and echoing coming from inside the closet.

“Um, I don’t think there is anything I need” He doesn’t need to buy any new clothes, he has put together three alternative outfits for the upcoming events they are organizing and he is covered even food-wise for the week.

“The reason you think that is because you don’t know the whole story” Chen finally emerges from the closet, smiling mischievously, and holding a pair of black skinny jeans that Baekhyun had forgotten even existed inside his closet.

His ignorance on whatever the two men need him for, combined with Chen’s smile makes Baekhyun feel anxious all of a sudden.

“By the way, what’s this?”Chen asks, moving to the upholstered armchair and pealing of a bright, silken dupatta and waving it in the air, allowing the impressive puff of intricate linen float and flair. It’s very pretty. Baekhyun will have to find a purpose for it, he can’t just throw it away.

“Indian wedding last night” Baekhyun mumbles as an explanation with a sleepy yawn. It was the first time he ever planned or attended such a wedding. Have you ever been to one of those? Things get really happy and pretty much everyone ends up getting involved in the colorful celebration –even the event planners. One of the bride’s maids draped the fabric over Baekhyun, in an attempt to flirt, probably, but he was way too focused on following the dance and having his bollywood moment, so he doesn’t even remember who it might have been. 

“Man, it was louder than anything, I’m pretty sure people could hear it three blocks away. Needless to say, I woke up with a terrible headache. It was horrible” Kyungsoo deadpans, looking at Chen with a weird expression, which might be supposed to be serious but it looks like one of a serial killer. Baekhyun gasps.

“It wasn’t horrible!” he protests immediately. Firstly, there is no way in this universe that a marriage can be horrible. Secondly, no work of theirs is ever horrible. Thirdly, th-oomph. Baekhyun whimpers pitifully when he tries to sit up and his head decides that one piece is not enough and maybe it should split in two, stabbing at everything inside his brain in the process. “Probably not out best either” he laments, feeling the after effects of blasting bollywood music. Kyungsoo smirks and Chen raises a knowing eyebrow. Baekhyun grumbles. “Okay so, shopping?”

That seems to catch everyone’s interest instantly. Kyungsoo hops slightly on Baekhyun’s bed and Chen nods with a happy smile.

“Kyungsoo, will you do the honors?”

“Sure” the latter agrees casually. Baekhyun turns to Kyungsoo, who sits straighter on the bed for his announcement. “See, Kai’s birthday is in a few days and there is some sort of tradition in his rich-brat group of friends to meet every year and have fun on a night out”

“Are we organizing it?” Baekhyun asks uncertain, his mind already planning ahead, trying to guess what Kai would like his birthday reception to look like.

“No, we are not, let me finish” Kyungsoo says strictly, surprising Baekhyun; if they are not organizing it, then how do they fit in the picture? Kyungsoo should better make his point quickly, because Baekhyun’s brain is still half asleep and he cannot make long distance connections between facts. “They go out to an exclusive club; you know, one of those we see in magazines and dream about, but never really have a shot at visiting, because we are only mortals on a limited budget?”

“I’ve been to exclusive clubs” Chen informs from across the room, still examining the dupatta in his hands, and Kyungsoo shoots him an irritated glare with his big eyes.

“You’re a fashion genius; you’re not a simple mortal like us two” he points out, watching as Chen shrugs his shoulders, and then turns to Baekhyun again. “Anyway, it’s the sort of clubs that famous people from abroad decorate and where professional baristas make stunning beautiful and expensive as hell drinks, you know?” Baekhyun nods in understanding. Oh yes, he knows. “Well, that’s where it will take place and we are invited” Kyungsoo finishes.

Baekhyun jolts in his seat, as if Kyungsoo just dropped a bomb on him. They are invited?!

“What? How? Why are we invited?” he blurts, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he, the country boy Byun Baekhyun, has been invited to a high-class club that he wouldn’t even dream of stepping inside, because it’s only natural for folks like him to see those places only through the glossy pages of fancy magazines.

“Um, well, Kai and I…sort of hung out sometimes, so, yeah…he invited me, and sure enough he likes you too, so he invited you as well. Sehun is underage, so he is not invited, of course” Kyungsoo mumbling the first words makes Baekhyun suspicious and he makes a mental note to ask about these ‘hung out’ sessions later and if they have anything to do with a suspicious limping incident at work and the amount of turtle necks returning to Kyungsoo’s wardrobe. But right now, reality is starting to sink in.

Oh my god.

“But I have nothing to wear!” he squeals, gripping the sheets around him. He doesn’t have clothes for an event at this sort of place! And the competition will be tough, with all the other rich, young people who will be invited. He needs something elegant and refined, not too flashy but well tailored and expensive looking without being extravagant and-

“Hello? That’s why I am here” Chen answers his plea and all the questions in his thoughts. Seeing his friend’s reassuring smile, Baekhyun relaxes a little. Then another thought dawns on him, making him panic again.

If it’s Kai’s birthday and Kai’s group of rich friends, then that surely means that…Baekhyun cups his cheeks in terrified frustration, even though there is a small flutter of excitement in his stomach in the same time. That surely means that Chanyeol will be there! He is rich, he is Kai’s friend and the closest one at that. With a move fueled by adrenaline to be faster than lighting, he grabs Chen by the collar and pulls him down.

“How much weight can I lose in a few days?” Baekhyun asks seriously, eyeing Chen with the raged look of a mad man. Chen blinks, utterly taken aback by Baekhyun’s sudden attack. Kyungsoo giggles behind them.

But it’s not funny at all. Baekhyun has not seen Chanyeol in two months and he cannot allow himself to look anything less than perfect, after all this time. He needs to look at least as good as he did back then to uphold his reputation and Chanyeol’s mental image of him. Because it would be disappointing, if Chanyeol saw the person who he has been exchanging messages with looking anything less than what he remembered this person to be. Baekhyun must lose that few extra pounds of guilty conscience after all the eating during the holidays.

“Baek, you don’t need to lose weight” Chen reassures him, methodically disengaging himself from Baekhyun’s deathly grip. “Besides, it’s in three days’ time; I doubt you would accomplish anything anyway. But seriously, you have already lost every last grammar of chocolate you ate during the holidays, so I wouldn’t worry about it” Baekhyun gives him a persistent stare, trying to detect any white lies, but nothing comes up.

“But I want to look perfect for him…” Baekhyun mumbles to himself, slumping his shoulders in defeat and taking an interest in his covers.

“What was that?” Kyungsoo asks suspiciously, bringing Baekhyun back to reality. Did I just say that out loud?!

“Nothing. Oh, my god! Three days? What are we doing here? Let’s go shopping!” Baekhyun shoves the attention away from sensitive subjects and succeeds in making himself panic again, getting hastily off the bed and unmistakably stumbling on the covers, much to the two others’ amusement.

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a/n. First and foremost: you guys, I LOVE YOU!!! Thank you for subscribing and reading and just being there! (even though this update took forever, sorry) It means so much to me, I want you to know that I appreciate every single one of you! *hug*

Okay, so, about the chapter. Passion and attraction is nature’s way of bringing us together. It’s a relatively short period (compared to the following stages) in relationships, but it is very intense (it doesn’t involve only physical attraction, it’s also thinking about the other, wanting to be near them, feeling positive emotions, like happiness, and negative ones, like jealousy & it’s many other splendid things that make us lovesick). Kaisoo phase, explained. May I also draw your attention to Kyungsoo’s baby steps of change (taking initiative, allowing attachment, trying to change…) There are glimpses of domestic Kaisoo in there, did you like it?

I know Baekyeol dream seems romantic but it’s not necessarily so. Feelings like safety, joy, acceptance, caring etc can be found in other sorts of close relationships too (like mother and child or between friends). But, okay, you know this is a love story –only Baekhyun doesn’t realize it yet. Now, I am sure we’ve all had a best-friend-excavating-the-closet moment. But I have no experience with Indian weddings–bollywood aside–so I wrote that a bit blindly, but I’m sure they’re great all weddings are. As you can predict, Kaisoo and Baekyeol fluff bombs heading your way on the next chapters XD so stay tuned!

Wow, I had a lot to say. Sorry. Until next time, I love you! kitty <3