“So, have you decided on everyone yet?” Chanyeol asks, playing with his pen on his desk. It’s a simple question but it is enough to bring back all the glum clouds that have been hanging above Kai’s head ever since Kyungsoo agreed to go on this mini-try-out-vacation thing. Kai’s shoulders deflate and he gives his friend a puppy look. They are leaving in two days and they are two people short; and that’s a major drawback when you’re going on vacation with someone who has the odd habit of feeling comfortable with his lover on vacation only when they’re under supervision.

“Well, we have decided on as many as we could” he admits. “I mean, you and Baekhyun are coming for sure” at that, Chanyeol smiles so wide that his face looks like it might break; Kai is really concerned about those unicorn reactions lately, and his curiosity is crawling under his skin because he hasn’t asked Chanyeol yet about Baekhyun’s visit to his house a week ago as per the thinker’s genius idea; but he has greater worries right now, so he lets the crazy grin pass without any comment. “Suho will be there too; it’s his house after all, and he said he could manage a few days off from work. He said he might bring his boyfriend along…”

“Suho has a boyfriend?” Chanyeol’s pen drops from his fingers and he looks at Kai incredulously, raising his eyebrows with interest and disbelief. Had it been any other time, Kai would’ve been all in for that juicy conversation, but not now, when gloomy clouds of uncertainty threaten the success of his vacation plans. He doesn’t understand why his plans are met with so much karmic resistance in this universe.

“I know, I know; I can’t believe it either, that there is someone on this earth who likes him romantically for what he is and not for his money” Kai couldn’t not make a comment at all. I mean, Suho has many friends, a few close friends, Kai and Chanyeol sure like him for what he is, but everyone else in this world sees a man of gold, not his heart of gold. So, after so many failed partners, it’s somewhat surprising that he has a boyfriend so serious as to feel comfortable enough to introduce him to his friends.“But that’s beside the point. Kyungsoo said he will check if Sehun wants to come, because he knows everyone and we know him too, so it will be comfortable to be around him. I also asked Luhan-”

“Ow, wait; are you sure Luhan is a right choice?” Chanyeol stops him in a serious, low voice, glancing momentarily at the closed door of his office. Kai can’t blame him; Luhan has the malicious talent of marching in when their conversations reach top-secret level, and everything becomes awkward, and then he guesses correctly about all the secrets they’d been trying to hide –so much for them trying to keep a secret in the first place. Sometimes Kai suspects his hyung is a trained Chinese spy.

“He knows everyone too, and he is a friend” Kai answers casually but Chanyeol looks a bit worried; probably because, okay, Kai’s reasoning is not entirely foul proof most of the time and he admits that mistakes have been made on certain occasions that shall remain unnamed, but this time is not like those times.

“Sure, Luhan is a friend and we love him. And I know better than anyone how much he deserves vacation; I am the one who has to kick him out of here every so often to stop him from working all the time. Undoubtedly, he is on good terms with Kyungsoo and Baekhyun. But, you are missing a point: he reports back to our fathers. How are you planning to act all lovey-dovey with Kyungsoo, when Luhan is just around the corner?” Chanyeol raises one eyebrow. Kai clears his throat uncomfortably. Good point.

“He won’t say anything…I hope” Kai bites his lower lip and he just sounded too uncertain for his own good. Chanyeol rolls his eyes.

“I know he won’t say anything; willingly. But you know our fathers” Chanyeol points out in all seriousness, and he doesn’t need to say anything further for Kai to understand where he is going with this argument. He is right; their fathers will probably torture Luhan until they find out what they want if they suspect he is hiding something, and Kai is not sure how well they train spies in China to last under pressuring interrogations. But if he crosses out Luhan from the list, it would be troublesome; he cannot afford to look for three more people to accompany them during their vacation, when he is already having tremendous trouble with finding two –and to think he has so many friends, as the social butterfly he is, it’s ridiculous…

“What if we make it sound like he volunteered to follow?” Kai suggests after a moment of thought, holding up one finger, and Chanyeol seems interested in that idea. “If he tells our fathers that he is coming to keep an eye on us, we are half way there to keeping them unsuspecting and carefree, and, when we come back, he reassures them everything was good, so we’re all off the hook. They trust him –for some unknown, completely unorthodox reason –so it shouldn’t be hard” That sounds feasible, surprisingly. Who knew that Luhan’s angelic front despite his dark gremlin side would be of use one day? Chanyeol thinks about it for a while, sporting a pout on his lips, and then he nods.

“Okay, it could work, I guess” he concludes and Kai applauds himself mentally; he can have surprisingly good ideas at times… “So, who else is on the list?” Chanyeol changes back to their original discussion. Upon remembering his problems, Kai growls in frustration.

“That’s the end of the list. We need two more people” Kai plummets back into the couch and his misery. He has many friends and some of them would be very willing to leave everything behind last minute and head away for the weekend. The only problem is that he doesn’t want those friends around while he spends his try-out vacation with Kyungsoo, lest they destroy everything he has worked for so hard. He needs the perfect guests to make this vacation as close to perfect as he can. The two men spend a few long minutes of thought in silence.

When the door knocks and Chanyeol’s secretary comes in, they initially don’t take notice. Lay is used to their odd sides, so he ignores the fact that he is being ignored and walks to the desk, nagging Chanyeol. Soon, Chanyeol is completely sidetracked from the topic of his conversation with Kai, attending to his work and contracts, signing papers under Lay’s guidance; but Kai is still thinking on the hot topic. And, right now, he is thinking that he is so desperate that he might as well…

“Lay, would you like to come on vacation with us?” he asks out of the blue. Both two men behind the desk turn to him and blink in surprise. They had probably forgotten about his gloomy existence in the room altogether.

“Um…” Lay starts after a short moment of shocked silence –Chanyeol will probably continue to stare surprised for a while, he has never been the smartest person in the room on certain situations. Lay sighs in defeat for a reason unknown to Kai. “It’s about this weekend, isn’t it?” he says then, and Kai sincerely hopes that Lay doesn’t have a problem with that and that he doesn’t have plans to rescue puppies or anything on this weekend. He fails to notice the resignation in the brunet’s voice.

“Yup! We are going to go to the most beautiful vacation house ever! It’s by the beach and there will be lots of other people coming along –well, not too many, but, you know; what I mean is that we will have fun! And you really deserve this vacation and our host is really kind, so there won’t be a problem” Kai makes his case as excitedly as he can to convince him, flailing his arms and smiling widely, but Lay seems more uncomfortable with every new piece of information. Well, that doesn’t stop Kai; Lay can say no in the end, if he wants to. “We are leaving in two days, we will meet with our cars at-”

“Ninth street parking lot” Lay finishes for him, dejectedly.

“Exactly!” Kai exclaims happily with an excited clap; but then it hits him. “Wait; how did you know?” Does he have some psychic ability? Kai gives Lay a once-over looking for any paranormal signs. How did he guess their meeting point?

“Well, boys, there is something I need to tell you” Lay straightens his back and clears his throat, looking at the two men seriously. Chanyeol looks like a kid who is about to find out that there is not a real Santa and Kai looks at Lay in expectation, thinking how dreadful it would be if Lay’s next words are that he can’t come along. Lay braces himself with a long and steady intake of air.

“I am Suho’s boyfriend”

Silence.

Good old stunned silence.

What? What?! Lay is Suho’s boyfriend?! How did they even meet? Where, when? For how long has this been going on? How long has he been keeping it a secret from them? It’s not like they would about it…much. It’s been right under their nose all this time! Talk about dramatic irony…

Kai’s stunned brain makes a note that maybe this is a good thing though, because Lay is a nice person and he deserves Suho. But how does someone as quiet and innocent as Lay, who passes by people in the office without disturbing even the air they are breathing, find and stick with someone who is so rich that he drives a car-ified version of a tank for safety reasons? Where is society going? How terrifying would it be to realize that the Cinderella story might come true in this world?

But most importantly: all this means that Lay was going to come with them either way on their vacation, and where the hell is Kai going to get another suitable candidate?! 

--

“Whund?” Chanyeol mumbles, touching his phone on his ear in what he hopes is the right side and isn’t upside-down. Orientation becomes a difficult task when his brain is ninety percent asleep and his limbs are numb. He can’t even speak properly and he can’t care for any of the above, because he just wants to go back to sleep.

“I’m nervous” Kai’s voice comes through the speaker and Chanyeol sighs. Of course it would be Kim Jongin in the middle of the night…He tries to crack his eyes open but the light from the screen is blinding and torturous in the pitch blackness of his room, making him hiss and promptly close his eyes again.

“I’m sleepy. So?” he mumbles, barely lifting his face from his pillow and yawning. He is still half asleep and his brain fails to see the point of this conversation with Kai. If there is a point.

“I couldn’t sleep” Kai says with a long wistful sigh. Chanyeol ignores the drama, as always, and glances at the clock.

“And you decided to wake me up instead? It’s one thirty a.m.” he accuses, emphasizing the hour of the night in a begrudging manner. “We’ll both have to be up in five hours or so. We’ll have to drive a really long way, too, and it looks like we’ll have to do it half-asleep. You’re turning us into a public hazard” Chanyeol flops back on his bed, stretching his limbs. It annoys him a bit when his skin makes contact with cold bed sheets but he knows it will get warmer soon.

“Man, I can’t believe we’re going on vacation!” it sounds like Kai just flailed on his bed but Chanyeol is not sure, because the giggle his friend emitted right after his words sort of overpowered other sounds and Chanyeol can’t focus on different levels of stimuli.

“I can’t believe you woke me up again…” he mumbles, closing his eyes and pressing his fist over his left eye.

“How can you sleep, knowing you’ll be going on vacation with Baekhyun in a few hours? Are you not excited to be going on any vacation at all, after all those years? How can you sleep, when your best friend is having one of his most important relationship moments in the history of all his relationships?”

“Best friend…” Chanyeol mumbles in a hoarse voice “…you talk too much. And you talk pointlessly. Can I please go back to sleep now?”

“Why is it so important to you, to go back to sleep?” after many years of reading his best friend’s expression in his voice, Chanyeol guesses that Kai sounds like he is pouting in annoyance. Chanyeol would roll his eyes, if they had been open.

“Because I want to be awake enough to drive tomorrow. And because I’m a human, and humans sleep around this time of the night. And because I don’t want to have black circles and look like a bus ran over me” he stops making an effort to explain, because it becomes difficult for his sleepy lips. Why doesn’t he just sleep, actually? His snores would get his point across to Kai.

“Wanting to look presentable to impress the Byun boy, huh?” there is a knowing smirk somewhere in there, and that makes Chanyeol blink, slightly more awake. He presses the phone closer to his ear.

“What does Baekh-”

“Chanyeol? I haven’t asked you, you know” Kai interrupts him, effortlessly ignoring his attempt at a coherent question, because there are no such things as freedom of choice and equality and democracy between best friends; it’s dictatorship. Benevolent, but still dictatorship. “How have you been faring? Does Baekhyun respond well to your courtship? Is he flirting back? What moves have you tried on him? Answer all of the above in juicy detail, please”

Chanyeol scoffs. He even said please. He must be really curious.

“There’s nothing to tell, you fervent playboy. I haven’t been flirting with him. But thanks for caring after, like, five months…” Chanyeol raises an eyebrow, staring at his ceiling. Kai chokes on the other end of the line.

“What?!” Chanyeol has to distance the device from his ear due to the other’s shocked yelling; it happens often, for various reasons, during their after-proper-hours conversations on the phone, and Chanyeol has been used to unexpected yelling-bursts. He wonders how the neighbors put up with Kai; they’d forgive him anything probably, because he’s eye candy when he returns home from running in the park, all sweaty and se*y. Aren’t his neighbors two girls?

“What.” He deadpans, feeling the drowsiness crawling on his limbs once again and making them heavy. The random thoughts about Kai’s neighbors exhausted him.

“You haven’t- how can you not- why even- What’s wrong with you, Park Chanyeol?!” Kai’s tone still counts as yelling, but it is tolerable for the human ears this time. Chanyeol has almost forgotten what they’re talking about. “Are you seriously telling me that you have not tried any move on Baekhyun?”

“Yeah” Chanyeol yawns, only half registering that this conversation ever happened.

He doesn’t understand why Kai is so shocked. Chanyeol and Baekhyun are friends –maybe tittering on the edge of something more sometimes, but they’re still friends. He is not sure either one of them is ready to take a step forward to something else, because it is a big step, and there are many more reasons, but he is really too sleepy right now to think about it more thoroughly. Admittedly, you can’t make life choices when you’re half asleep. But he thinks that his advances would only make both of them scared and confused. We don’t want that. They are happy as they are. He prefers his blissful ignorance, because he can’t risk ruining everything, not now, when there is so much to lose.

“WHAT?!” Chanyeol grimaces because he did not see that one coming and his ear might have acquired some damage as of now “You mean you’re not even considering Baekhyun romantically?! Park Chanyeol, are you awake? Because if you are, and you’re still saying such absurd things, then we have a problem my friend. Huge one. Are you blind or something? Even I can see you’re into him! Even Lay! Even Kyungsoo’s cat! Even the puppies that puke rainbows when you pass them by on the street!”

“I’m not making much sense of the things you say” Chanyeol admits with a sigh. His brain is really tired and the wheels are not turning fast enough to comprehend the ranting of his friend. Besides, Chanyeol is not ready for the truth that this conversation leads to, and even his sleepy brain acknowledges that. Things with Baekhyun are new to him and complicated and he can’t solve his existential problems using his tired and ruthlessly awakened mind. “Kyungsoo has a cat?” he asks bewildered.

“I’m giving up on you, you hopeless descendant of yoda!” Kai yells again, making Chanyeol wince, and then he hangs up. Thank god. Chanyeol doesn’t take the least offence and he lets his phone fall where it may on his pillows and turns on his side, sighing in contentment because finally, he can sleep.

Not.

His phone starts ringing again after twenty heartbeats and Chanyeol growls, searching blindly on the covers. Why does he have to be stuck with Kai as his best friend? He doesn’t know what button he just pushed but he brings the device near his mouth, articulating a surprisingly clear and definitely final “No.”

“Chanyeooool” Kai whines pitifully on the other end of the line, and it is a funny contrast with his decisive yelling a minute ago. Chanyeol wonders why his best friend can’t keep up pretences and just refrain from calling him again, because, as he said himself, he gave up on his hopeless case. “What if Kyungsoo starts acting like a capricious princess with you guys around and he won’t let me touch him?”

Chanyeol faceplants in the pillow with purpose. What the hell is this moment he’s living? Chanyeol is a firm believer that the surreal moments in life come from the most purple bees, and maybe those violet bugs are crossing paths with him one too many times in his lifetime. Why does he even have to listen to this sort of stuff? He should have read the terms and conditions before agreeing to be Kai’s best friend through a lifetime of shared time and experiences. He really needs to sleep…

“I really need to sleep” he whimpers, scrunching his nose and wiggling in exasperation under the covers.

“You cannot and shall not, Park! Your best friend needs you!”

It’s dictatorship, remember?

--

Baekhyun is the last one to get out of the small convenience store across the parking lot at ninth street, where they scheduled to meet before taking off. He is the last one out because, well, he couldn’t decide which chocolate was the best for his taste in that moment. He should have felt slightly embarrassed that as a grown man he was examining the chocolate bars like a little child, but if it is something as sacred as chocolate we are talking about, he takes matters very seriously and there is nothing to be embarrassed about that.

It’s still early in the morning and there are not many people around, driving, walking or waiting to use the parking lot –which is good for them, because the happy company of boys going on vacation have three cars parked and blocking the entrance, one of which is massive, like the cars one sees in car-chasing action movie sequences. Baekhyun fixes his cardigan on his shoulders, feeling a soft chill in the light breeze. As if a blessing by the gods for their vacation, the weather is getting warmer and warmer every day, even if it is only April; but it is still slightly cold in the mornings. Baekhyun likes this sort of weather; he finds the cooling temperature in the morning invigorating and his mood brightens up instantly at the sunny sky and warm day ahead.

The nice lady inside the store was surprised to see so many people arrive all at once so early in the day to shop bits of stuff that they will need to snack on while driving. She called them ‘flowerboys’ although Baekhyun thinks that someone as tall as Chanyeol and Kai or as fashionable and cool as Chen hardly classifies as a flowerboy. Admittedly, they do look like a bunch of more than averagely fashionable and economically secure young adults; they might be a bit good looking too, each with their own charm. They certainly make a lot of noise, but it is happy noise, so it’s okay.

Baekhyun glances at the cars and the men moving things around, exchanging luggage back and forth through the open doors of the cars. They decided to use the minimum amount of cars –which is three, for ten grown men –but some have a bigger car trunk than others, so they accommodate each other by fitting baggage and people as they can best in the available space. Baekhyun does a small memory check on the spot, while watching the men circling the cars like butterflies around flowers.

Of course he can tell where Chanyeol is, being the incredibly familiar and tall giant. He can also tell who Kai is, standing like a supermodel by an open car door with his sunglasses on his nose. Kyungsoo must be that little person talking to Kai and Sehun is no doubt the lanky person who is helping with the luggage, wearing a bright white v-neck shirt. Luhan is the only one who is short and blonde and Chen is the only one wearing a deep cherry red leather jacket. The one who is half hidden behind the huge car must be Suho, one of the people that Baekhyun met only today. Suho is a really warm and nice person, he smiles a lot and he is calm and quiet, and Baekhyun thinks he likes him. The one next to him must be Lay; Baekhyun knew Lay already, but as it turns out, he is Suho’s boyfriend too! Baekhyun is happy for them. The last one is Xiumin, who is very quiet but Baekhyun thinks he is kind too. Kai said he is like an older brother to him and Chanyeol, and who knew that such a small person would be so strong as to carry a suitcase that looks so heavy? Okay then, Baekhyun remembers everyone.

When the hustle is over, the men start picking their seats in the cars. Kyungsoo is driving his car and Kai sticks to his side, as expected. Sehun almost sleep walks in Kyungsoo’s car and splays his body in the backseat. Suho gets in his own car and Lay hops in the passenger seat –and Baekhyun thinks that these two fit together very naturally. Xiumin takes a seat at the back of Suho’s car and, after a brief discussion with Luhan, Chen is the last one in Suho’s car and Luhan the last one in Kyungsoo’s car –probably because Luhan is more comfortable with the people in that car than with Suho and Xiumin who he barely knows, just like Baekhyun.

In a moment of panic, Baekhyun realizes that there is no seat for him in Kyungsoo’s car! He looks around and double checks the number of the passengers in the car, but the result doesn’t change. They won’t leave him there, of course, but where is he supposed to fit with all thos-?

A whistle captures his alert attention and he turns to the right. And he is immediately relieved. Chanyeol waves at him, standing next to the driver’s door of Kai’s fancy car, with a huge smile on his face. Of course they wouldn’t leave him there. He returns the smile, unable to resist his reflex to Chanyeol’s displays of happiness which subconsciously require him to reflect some of that happiness, and pushes his sunglasses higher on his nose while Chanyeol gets into the car, certain that Baekhyun will come over soon. Indeed, Baekhyun all but hops his way to the car, relieved and excited to spend the long ride alone with Chanyeol.

“Such a bright smile so early in the morning…” Chanyeol comments in his deep voice while turning on the ignition and Baekhyun buckles his seatbelt, smiling, even though Chanyeol is not looking at him.

“It’s because we are going on vacation!” he answers excitedly and Chanyeol smiles, putting on his own sunglasses while the other cars get slowly out into the street. Baekhyun allows Chanyeol to think that it’s the ‘vacation’ part in his sentence that has him so excited, but, honestly, right now he feels more excited over the ‘we’ part.

--

“Do you think Baekhyun and Chanyeol are okay by themselves?” Kyungsoo asks uncertainly for the umpteenth time and he knows he’s being a pestering, annoying bug, just as well as he knows that you’re not supposed to be talking to the driver, but he can’t keep it in. It is sizzling inside him until it’s bubbling in his throat and then it comes out of his teeth barrier. Kai answers him just as calmly as any previous time, careful eyes on the road.

“When are they not?” he smiles smugly at the empty road ahead of him and his perfect teeth glint in the sunlight in a way that makes Kyungsoo jittery; Kai is charming in every way today, from his black leather jacket to his tight jeans and barely-taken-care-of bed hair.

If he didn’t know any better, Kyungsoo would have guessed that Kai is tempting him on purpose –because yes, he wants to kiss those lips and tangle that hair and mess those clothes and run his fingers over the other’s smooth thigh– but he doubts Kai had such intentions while getting dressed this morning because, on the one hand, Kyungsoo knows first-hand how Kai’s brain doesn’t fully function during mornings, so, long-term planning is an impossible theory, and on the other hand, it’s hard to believe that there’s a plan to get Kyungsoo bothered when they’re by default stuck in a small car with two other people for a long trip, because what could possibly happen between them in such a situation?

The shorter just averts his eyes and focuses his worried gaze out the window at the pretty passing scenery. Is it wrong to worry about your best friend? He thinks he is totally justified, because said friend is an inexperienced puppy who has a crush on a sought after bachelor and neither actually realizes their feelings toward each other, so, what if? What if Baekhyun makes a wrong question? What if Chanyeol’s advances go unnoticed? What if Baekhyun ignores Chanyeol for too long? What if Chanyeol says something insanely awkward? Kyungsoo doesn’t notice that he has been biting his lip.

“Actually, I think they will enjoy their alone time” Kai offers willingly after a while of silence. Only then does Kyungsoo realize how murderously on edge he must look like, body rigid, lip nearly bruised and big eyes staring spitefully at the birds out the window. He sighs and relaxes in his seat, internally thanking Kai for starting this conversation, making an effort to improve Kyungsoo’s mood.

“What if they’re awkward?” he voices his thoughts, and it feels so good to get them out of his system “You know how Baekhyun gets shy sometimes and Chanyeol gets…Chanyeol” he makes a gesture with his hands that he’s not even sure what it indicates, but Kai seems to understand everything magically.

“Even if they’re awkward, they are their own sort of awkward, Soo” he says soothingly, smiling at him dazzlingly “Stop worrying about them; they’re adults and they like each other fairly, so I think they’ll survive the trip”

“How can you be so easy about this?” Kyungsoo huffs, crossing his arms on his chest and sulking in his seat, staring at the road ahead. Nobody understands him. Six heartbeats pass until he’s back to worried mode and he drops his arms, perking in his seat and shifting his weight uncomfortably. “Should I call Baekhyun? Just to check on them” he proposes anxiously, already fishing for his phone.

“No, Soo!” Kai reprimands him, swatting Kyungsoo’s hands away from his phone with one of his hands. Kyungsoo frowns and gives him a glare. Kai giggles in response. “You’re adorable, but please, don’t. They’re fine; trust me” he gives the most blinding smile today has ever seen, brown depthless eyes locking with Kyungsoo’s for a moment through his sunglasses, and his free hand crawls on Kyungsoo’s thigh to find his limp hand and twine their fingers reassuringly.

Like hell Kyungsoo can live with so much affection.

“Hands on the steering wheel” he chides, guiding the foreign hand back to its rightful place. He tries not to blush, remembering the sweet gesture, which really worked; as irrational and unreasonable as it sounds, a small moment of holding hands has reassured Kyungsoo. Kai chuckles heartily, not taking offence. Kyungsoo doesn’t know if Kai is even capable of taking offence, because he never really does.

“The road is so straight that I can drive without hands” he argues playfully, wide smile still plastered on his perfect face. The sun glints in his sunglasses when Kyungsoo turns to glare at him warningly, and he looks so gorgeous in that light that it’s almost hard for Kyungsoo to chide him half seriously.

“Don’t you dare! If you try anything silly like that, I’m waking Luhan” he threatens, pointing a finger at the sleeping male in the back seat. In truth, Kyungsoo is surprised that Luhan hasn’t woken up by one of Sehun’s limbs twitching in his sleep, as he is randomly splayed on top of Luhan…How do they even sleep with their bodies bent at so many joints?

Kai huffs but his grip on the steering wheel tightens. Kyungsoo smirks in victory and turns to the window again.

“Soo?” a small voice asks after a while of silence.

“Hmm?” Kyungsoo responds absentmindedly, half of his mind submerged in the sight of the dizzyingly spinning scenery outside his window, full of fleeting colors and sunshine.

“We’re going on vacation” Kai says timidly and Kyungsoo smiles, because he can hear that small smile in Kai’s voice. He remembers how excited Kai has been about the whole vacation deal, and his sarcastic self would roll his eyes, but his mood right now makes him only smile wider. He hides his face from the taller even more, turning his head to the window further, in a slightly uncomfortable angle for his neck but much more comfortable for his pride.

“Yeah” he tries to sound casual but even he can hear the smile in his voice. A quiet chuckle can be heard and Kyungsoo has half a mind to turn around the raise an eyebrow at his idiot, but he is stopped by a familiar hand touching his own and warm fingers slithering their way between his smaller ones. Kyungsoo doesn’t want to push the hand away this time.

“Thank you for doing this with me” Kai says in a calm voice, void of any drama and playfulness and silliness and everything else that could be, leaving behind a soft sense of appreciation, hope and affection in his tone. Kyungsoo blushes and he bites his cheek, not turning around to face him. However, his fingers tighten their hold around Kai’s hand. Thank you for doing this for me.

--

Chanyeol is still not sure if Kai insisted randomly to stuff more baggage in the backseat of his car, or if he was planning to leave Chanyeol alone with –who else? –Baekhyun all along. That sneaky sugar glider he calls his best friend definitely had some sort of plan to get them together, if the bits that Chanyeol remembers from their conversation last night is anything to go by. But he doesn’t mind either way.

Baekhyun is really nice, as a fellow passenger. Chanyeol is not so bad himself when he is travelling with other people; he is easy going, funny, loud, and just the right amount of silly to keep everyone entertained throughout the journey. But Baekhyun is nice in a different way, which only makes Chanyeol want to be an even better entertainer and fellow traveler for Baekhyun’s sake. It also makes his heart melt and jump in joy, thanking his luck.

It is easy and comfortable, driving next to Baekhyun. The smaller man is like a ray of sunshine, fitting the sunny weather. It would have been enough for Chanyeol to have Baekhyun just sitting there, looking adorable and gorgeous, in his tight jeans and beige cardigan, with his sunglasses on his small face, looking like the best combination of an innocent child and a smoldering hot adult. He could choose to sleep through the long ride, because they all had to wake up early, so Chanyeol would understand and drive in silence.

But Baekhyun has not shown any signs of sleepiness so far and he is still going strong. He chats with Chanyeol about anything and everything; from the nice weather, to Chen’s jacket, to his expectations for this vacation escapade and how he has not gone on vacation in a few years, to Kai’s attachment to Kyungsoo, to cooking, to sports that he doesn’t really attend to and to how beautiful the field they just passed by was. Chanyeol contributes to the conversation as much as his concentration on the road allows him, but thankfully he manages to crack a few jokes and make some pointed grimaces that have Baekhyun convulsing with laughter in his seat, his lips wide open to reveal sparkly rows of teeth and the bubbly sound carries outside the open window. It is easy and natural, how they fall in and out of random conversations, singing along to the songs on the radio as if to see who can sing louder or more off-tune, and then teasing each other before teasing their friends goodheartedly behind their back.

Chanyeol steals as many glances as he can during their comfortably quiet moments, trying to etch in his memory how nice the sunlight bathes Baekhyun’s face, how beautifully his content smile sparkles, how he plays with his fingers and the air outside the window cutely like a child, how he lounges back comfortably in his seat or perks up, trying to move his slender, small legs before they get too numb. These are moments of happiness, Chanyeol guesses.

“Chanyeol, would you like some?” Baekhyun asks cheerfully at some point after a quiet interval. Chanyeol glances briefly over to him to see what Baekhyun is talking about and he sees Baekhyun nibbling on a bar of chocolate. Not that he had much choice, but Chanyeol finds Baekhyun’s love for chocolate adorable.

“Sure” he agrees; whatever makes Baekhyun happy makes Chanyeol happy too. Only there is a problem, because Chanyeol is driving right now and his hands are not free to-

“Here” Baekhyun reaches over, offering a small piece of chocolate between his fingers, as if he could read Chanyeol’s thoughts just now. Chanyeol glances at the chocolate first, estimating how far away from his mouth Baekhyun is holding it –which is not much, to make it easy for Chanyeol– and then he leans forward slightly, opening his lips just enough for Baekhyun to slip the chocolate in his mouth. His pretty fingers touch briefly Chanyeol’s lips in the process for a second before they disappear. When the sensation registers in his brain, Chanyeol feels a tickling sensation spread over his lips and his stomach yearn for more than the delicious chocolate in his mouth.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Baekhyun asks, swiping some melted chocolate off of his finger with his pink little tongue.

It’s a good thing there are not many cars and the road is large and straight, or else who knows how many accidents Chanyeol would have caused by now. Baekhyun’s mouth came in contact with the finger that accidentally touched Chanyeol’s lips. The thought has him so distraught that he is pretty sure he loses his sight for a moment, and then his skin starts getting warmer and warmer. Chanyeol has the urge to fan himself but he refrains from it.

“Yes, it is” he mumbles, feeling stupid for getting so hot and flushed over something so innocent; Baekhyun doesn’t even imagine what he might have just done. Baekhyun smiles in glee, looking at the road ahead of them and Chanyeol thinks that he really needs to get his head straight, because he knows how cute and sweet Baekhyun can be and he knows how awkward and drooling over that Chanyeol himself can be, and he can’t have that sort of interaction in display for everyone else in the house during the next few days. According to Kai, even the puppies know of Chanyeol’s crush, but maybe the puppy in the passenger seat had better not find out.

--

Baekhyun cleans his finger, wondering if it is really the chocolate or Chanyeol’s lips that taste so sweet. He can’t believe he just did this. He didn’t touch Chanyeol’s lips as accidentally as he masterfully pretended, and he even took one step further as to swipe his tongue over his finger afterwards; that means premeditation and double the foul. Baekhyun smiles nonetheless. It’s not something to be proud of, it’s just plotting on an impulse really, and he should feel embarrassed for doing such a shameless thing and for taking advantage of poor Chanyeol while he’s driving. He does feel a little embarrassed, but he cannot bring himself to regret it; he really felt like doing that. What can he say? Spending so much time with Chanyeol away from the public makes him have strange thoughts. Besides, Chanyeol doesn’t even notice and continues his unsuspecting driving. Now, Baekhyun’s sudden curiosity about what Chanyeol’s lips feel like is satisfied and Chanyeol is driving after being rewarded with a piece of sweet chocolate. No harm done, everyone is happy.

--

They are the last ones to arrive at the house, because Suho has a Schumacher hiding within him apparently, and Kai drove Kyungsoo’s car in the second half of the trip a little faster than usual, but Chanyeol is a responsible driver, and both him and Baekhyun agreed that they didn’t see any reason to hurry since they are on vacation. Besides, if Chanyeol drove faster, Baekhyun would have missed the chance of spending so much time with him.

They leave the luggage in the car for now and they cross the garden to the house. It is still early afternoon so the sun is slightly too bright for Baekhyun’s taste, but the garden looks beautiful anyway. There are many flowers blooming with a sweet scent and bright colors, pathways hidden in the soft green grass, canopies with ivy and other blooming plants, and to top it off, the fence is white; it looks like a fairytale house. Not to mention the size of the house itself, that could be a small hotel with the most luxurious of rooms. The air is fresh, probably because of the sea which Baekhyun can almost hear and smell –he knows it is there but he cannot see it from the garden. Baekhyun thinks that Suho is a very lucky man to have such a house and the time to enjoy it. He feels calmer already, slightly tired from the trip but happy nonetheless and pleased that his vacation is going to be at a place such as this one. He smiles unconsciously upon seeing a couple of butterflies playing nearby.

“Why are you smiling?” Chanyeol asks with interest, holding the garden’s door open for Baekhyun.

“It’s a very nice place here” Baekhyun answers, feeling so positively jittery and carefree as he has not felt in years.

The front door of the house is open and Baekhyun goes in first, followed by Chanyeol. The noise guides them easily and surely through the unfamiliar and impressive house to the kitchen, where everyone else has gathered.

“Oh, look who’s here!” Kai exclaims when they step into the kitchen and the attention of all eyes in the room shifts to them in a heartbeat. The look the others give them is welcoming and innocent, and there is nothing to feel embarrassed about, but Baekhyun feels a little uncomfortable to come in like that and be the centre of all attention, because he’s with Chanyeol.

“Oh, right, I had almost forgotten about you. Good thing you are a pair of friends, so we don’t have to rearrange the rooms” Suho says, standing in the middle of the kitchen, somehow looking taller than everyone else, even though that might be the exact opposite of the truth.

“The rooms?” Baekhyun asks inquisitively, quirking his eyebrow. How much did they miss until they got here?

“We played rock-paper-scissors to decide on roommates” Kyungsoo explains kindly, swinging his legs back and forth from where he is perched on a kitchen counter.

“But we weren’t here” Chanyeol points out in a deep voice behind Baekhyun. His stomach did not just kick.

“Yes, but you are two people, so we can put you in a room together and save ourselves the trouble of doing it all over again” Lay explains simply.

So, Baekhyun will play roommates with Chanyeol. In other words, Baekhyun will be sharing a room with Chanyeol. In other words, Chanyeol will be sleeping in the same room as Baekhyun. In other words, in any words, this is Baekhyun’s most secret dream and worst nightmare all in one. He feels his cheeks getting slightly hotter and thankfully Luhan speaks, stealing the attention from the blushing and petrified Baekhyun and Chanyeol, standing in the corner.

“I wouldn’t mind exchanging roommates with anyone, just so you all know” Luhan announces, pouting stubbornly. It is not an expression Baekhyun has seen on Luhan before, but it looks cute on him. Baekhyun guesses that people are not the same during their vacation; you can see other sides to them as well. That seems very interesting, psychologically speaking.

“Luhan, you are not switching with anyone; it was luck that made the decision for you and you should stick to it. At least you know Sehun; what about Chen and Xiumin who got paired up without even knowing each other for more than a few hours?” Lay points out strictly, chiding Luhan, who pouts even more.

“It’s just sleeping” Chen says casually, shrugging his shoulders indifferently. Chen never had a problem with sharing or with people he doesn’t know that well; he simply doesn’t care more than the polite amount and his life is easy.

“We are going to be with anyone we want all day” Xiumin adds in a soft yet reasonable voice. To Baekhyun, it looks like those two see eye to eye.

“But I’m stuck with the kid!” Luhan wails in despair, throwing his arms in the air. Sehun seems to find it amusing, because he giggles beside him.

“Come on, it’s not so bad! I’m not so bad! It will be like those school trips!” Sehun reassures Luhan playfully, throwing one arm above his shoulders. Luhan exaggerates being weighed down by the younger taller boy. Baekhyun’s lips crack a bewildered smile. When did these two get so close?

“I don’t want to go on a school trip with you. I bet you’re one of those kids who don’t shut up when it’s time to go to sleep…” Luhan mumbles, growling and trying to jab Sehun’s ribs with his elbow.

“Now that this is settled, shall we continue?” Suho suggests and they all keep quiet to listen. “For you, Chanyeol and dear Baekhyun who were not here earlier, we were just about to assign the rooms” Suho smiles kindly at them and Baekhyun smiles back, thinking that he likes Suho more and more; he is so polite and caring. Then, Suho turns to the rest.

“Lay and I are going to take the master bedroom upstairs; my office is in there too, so it’s easier for everyone if I am using that room. Xiumin and Chen should take the second bedroom; it is designed for children, but, at least, it has two separate beds. Kai and Kyungsoo can use the third bedroom, which is all the way down the hall –for obvious reasons” Kai snickers at the comment, Kyungsoo turns pink and Luhan and Chen smile knowingly. “Baekhyun and Chanyeol can use the last room upstairs; please, enjoy the beautiful view of the room and forgive us for pairing you together without even asking. And lastly, Luhan and Sehun will take the bedroom of the ground floor, so that you can bicker in peace, without worrying about disturbing the rest of us”

Luhan opens his mouth to protest but Sehun cups his hand above it, muffling whatever Luhan had to say.

--

“Chanyeol, we got the wrong room; this must be the master bedroom” Baekhyun says, right after opening the door and glancing inside.

“Um, I don’t think so” Chanyeol says reluctantly; he hates to contradict Baekhyun but… “I am pretty sure I saw Suho and Lay going in that room just a moment ago” he points at a door on his right with his free hand. Baekhyun looks bewildered.

“But, this…this can’t be…I mean, look at it. It can’t be our bedroom!” he exclaims cutely, looking at Chanyeol with wide eyes. Chanyeol wants to squirm at the sound of ‘our bedroom’ coming from Baekhyun’s lips but that would be completely inappropriate and weird. So he smiles instead.

“Why not? What’s wrong with it?” he peeks inside, bending his tall body around Baekhyun, who seems to have been planted by the doorframe.

Okay, so, there is nothing seriously wrong with the room. Actually, it is very nice; it is spacious and bright, with two really big wardrobes and a tall mirror, with a soft carpet on the floor and walls painted in a light color. They even have their own bathroom, and Chanyeol doubts that the master bedroom is much better than this room. There is a stunning view of the beach and the ocean through the glass which covers a whole wall across from the bed, giving a glorious glinting and bright picture of the blue sea and the horizon to all directions. But. There is one tiny little huge problem with the room; there is only one bed. Sure, it is a big and comfortable and beautiful double bed, big enough to fit Chanyeol three times –which is not easy to find. But it is only one.

“Um, okay” Chanyeol says, walking into the room first and leaving his baggage on the side. Let’s try to be optimistic; this vacation has started so well and it is so promising, so let’s not spoil that. Optimism is one of Chanyeol’s strong points. He turns to Baekhyun, who is looking at him dumbfounded, his mouth slightly slack; or maybe it is still just the shock about the room. It’s cute. “It’s okay; I can sleep on the floor” Chanyeol offers with a smile. It’s not the first time he will do it in his life and it’s not that big a deal either way. If he can spend his vacation with Baekhyun, he’s happy, even if he’d have to sleep hanging upside-down from a tree brunch.

“No, Chanyeol, I’m not letting you-” Baekhyun starts to reason but Lay appears beside him by the door, cutting his sentence half by throwing one arm above Baekhyun’s shoulders. Chanyeol bites his tongue and reminds himself that Baekhyun and Lay are childhood friends, so it is okay if Lay touches Baekhyun casually. Yeah, it’s okay. No possessiveness issues, sure. Nope.

Okay, he’s itching to remove Lay and hug Baekhyun protectively.

“So, how do you like the room?” Lay asks –almost like he is the host himself, if Chanyeol may note; it is still a bit weird to see him in the context of Suho’s boyfriend… -and smiles widely.

“Ah, it’s lovely but, do you think we could switch to a room with two beds? I know everyone has been assigned to a room, but…” Chanyeol motions with his hands between him and Baekhyun, trying to explain something that he is not so sure himself what it is. It is easy for him to ask things of Lay, basically because he does it all the time at work. Lay looks at him and then turns to Baekhyun, who gives him an adorable puppy look.

“Please, if it is not too much trouble” Baekhyun seconds in a soft voice that makes Chanyeol want to lurch forward and pinch his cheeks.

“I am sorry to disappoint you boys, but all the rooms have double beds. The house is not designed to host non-family members, so there are only couple rooms and one children’s room; I believe you understand how we cannot make Chen and Xiumin sleep in the same bed…” Lay explains, and Chanyeol once again sees the sense in his words. From the looks of it, Baekhyun understands too, nodding and trying to contain a pout so that he will not look disappointed but thankful in front of Lay. The latter smiles widely again. “Well then, you take your time to settle and then meet us down in the kitchen for dinner!” he says cheerfully and leaves, after pushing Baekhyun into the room and closing the door behind him.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun stay silent and motionless for a while. Baekhyun keeps his eyes focused somewhere outside the glass wall, quirking his mouth cutely every so often while he is contemplating something, with his bag still in his hand. Chanyeol allows him some quiet moments to think, staring at him with a sheepish smile on his lips and playing nervously with his fingers. He would really like to know Baekhyun’s thoughts in this moment, but his mother didn’t think to give him mind-reading super powers when she gave birth to him, she only made him too tall.

He doesn’t know how long they spend in silence like this, but at some point Baekhyun lets out a small adorable whiff of air that sounded like a sigh, and the small sound puts Chanyeol into motion again. He takes Baekhyun’s bag with every precaution, eyes trained on his small face and ready to detect any signs of annoyance, and then he leaves it on the floor next to his own. He smiles innocently at Baekhyun, who is looking at him with a pout on his lips and a frown between his eyebrows. Chanyeol tries to look small and friendly, not sure if he is doing it right, because half his brain is squealing. Suddenly, Baekhyun jabs a finger at him stubbornly –in the cutest way possible.

“You are not sleeping on the floor.” He says in a final tone and Chanyeol wants to laugh at his cuteness and squish the life out of him for being such a considerate cutie, but he only smiles, trying to look trustworthy and not like a spazzing fanboy.

--

“Why are we so far away from everyone?” Kyungsoo quirks his eyebrows, his eyes glued to the furthest door down the hallway, where Baekhyun’s room is. He really wants to go there. His feet are itching and his fingers are twitching, his mind spinning with curiosity about the things that could be happening in that room. But he is as far away as possible from the object of his interest, for some cruel reason that fate had in store for him –probably a reason named Kim Jongin. He huffs in annoyance. “More accurately, why am I so far away from Baekhyun?” he points a finger to the door he has been staring at, just as Kai stops by his side beside the door to their room.

“It’s fine, Soo; you still have me” Kai says, leaning forward and closer to Kyungsoo, trying to take him by surprise while he’s not paying attention. But Kyungsoo is like a trained ninja by now in dodging Kai’s smooch attacks, and he reacts in a flash when he senses the luscious lips puckering near his face. He plasters his palm on Kai’s face and shoves him further away, effectively avoiding the unnecessary kissing exhibition, hearing a small yelp from the other. He raises an eyebrow.

“What are you doing?” he demands with a strict look. Kai gives him a hopeless look, tangling his eyebrows adorably and making a muffled whimper. Kyungsoo doesn’t fall for it. He’d be lost in the nameless-faceless sea of officially whipped people if he gave in to every one of Kai’s antics. He keeps a solid and demanding glare on Kai, who eventually rolls his eyes and sighs through his nose, the air brushing over Kyungsoo’s hand.

“Making myself useful” he mumbles dejectedly, validating his duties. Kyungsoo removes his hand with an approving nod and Kai slumps his shoulders in defeat.

“By?” he urges him to continue repeating what Kyungsoo told him earlier.

“By carrying the luggage to our room” Kai says sadly, looking down as he picks up the suitcases in his hands again from where they lay on the carpet by their feet, after he carried them upstairs from the car. Kyungsoo smiles, even though Kai is not looking at him.

“Good boy” he says, pleased, and swiftly pecks Kai on the cheek. The taller looks up so fast that his neck cracks, staring at Kyungsoo with wide eyes. He definitely didn’t expect that and Kyungsoo is glad that he is not predictable, in a good way. He’s also not completely heartless, so, of course he gives in to Kai’s antics, just a little bit. But he also has to keep face. He nods his head towards their room like a boss, reminding Kai of his chore. The latter all but hops in the room, despite carrying heavy luggage, and Kyungsoo shakes his head at the idiot. Then he gives one last stare down the hall.

“Whatever. It’s just a few meters down the hall anyway” he decides, following inside their room. He can march all the way there and find out what is going on inside that room whenever he likes. Yes, he can do that, it’s within his rights as a best friend. Maybe he’s going to bring Chen with him on the ambush, since Chen’s room is neighboring Kyungsoo’s. Little Baek will be unable to hide his secret adventures with Park Chanyeol behind closed doors under the unrelenting interrogation of his two best friends. Kyungsoo smiles evilly. Even though he’s far away, it’s still better than nothing.

--

“Pssst”

He keeps humming to himself in a low, quiet voice as he hops up the stairs cheerfully. He probably looks like an overgrown child, hazardously carrying a glass of water with a spring in his every step, up the luxurious staircase to his room –their room.

Oh god, he can’t think of it enough to wrap his head around it! Because, let’s be serious, who would have ever thought he’d have such a chance in this lifetime, to actually share a room with him? Well, yes –to all who have been keeping track of this plot and might a raise an eyebrow– it has happened before, but it wasn’t the same. And, yes, he had hopes this would happen maybe someday, I mean, everyone is entitled to dream, but it was dreams, he never thought they’d come true! It was a huge shock to him, when Suho announced it so casually earlier, and he was torn between keeping up the human façade or flailing, squealing and making that weird gurgling noise throats make when you feel like ugh. Their room. His and-

“Pssssssssst”

Chanyeol almost spills all the liquid content of the glass he’s holding on the floor as he leaps backwards, stumbling in surprise and gasping loudly at the noisy hiss –thank god the staircase wasn’t near enough for him to tumble over. His heart hurts form the sudden burst and his eyes are scarily wide open, but his nerves calm down in a breath, when he sees the shorter man with a mop of brown hair waving at him to come closer and be quiet.

Under normal circumstances, Chanyeol would glare at the reason he almost had a heart attack just now and he would groan in exasperation, stick his tongue out at the person and stomp away to his little fortress of a room, uncaring of obeying to the person’s wishes. But he’s not sure he should do any of that this time, because he doesn’t know Chen very well and he wants to be on good terms with the man, because he’s Baekhyun’s best friend.

And it’s not like it’s mandatory that you have a good relationship with the best friends of the object of your affection, but life is admittedly easier that way, so…Wait. He so did not just think of his little guy as the object of his affection. The aware part of your brain would like to inform you that you’re contradicting yourself by referring to him as ‘your little guy’ while stating you have no affection for him. Chanyeol hates his brain sometimes, because it can be actually smart.

With his eyes still wide and curious, he shuffles quietly on the lush carpet, as instructed, until he reaches Chen’s side. The shorter is crouched down and Chanyeol does the same after another gesturing indication. It’s not like they’re hiding, because the hallway is empty of people and it’s not like there is any place to hide either, since it’s just one long, simple box room, so Chanyeol feels silly because even six-year-olds know the basics of hiding, but he doesn’t say anything. He feels strange with Chen, because he doesn’t know him much but Chen seems to know everyone too much, if you know what he means, so he feels, you know…’scared’ is a childish word, so, faintly intimidated, shall we say?

“Is that for Baekhyun?” Chen asks with a smug smirk, eyeing the glass of water. Chanyeol resists the urge to roll his eyes at Chen’s malfunctioning attention span, because surely he didn’t call him over to ask about the water. He nods in confirmation anyway and the shorter man winks knowingly, but Chanyeol is more concerned about how he can’t take too long here because Baekhyun is waiting for him in their room. “Already spoiling the princess, hm?”

“Huh?” Chanyeol doesn’t know if he missed something, but if Chen is implying something along the lines of what Chanyeol’s brain is calculating, then it is better if he plays dumb in any case. Chen raises his fine eyebrows at him and Chanyeol randomly notices that Chen has really long eyelashes if you look at him from such proximity.

“Your unintelligent response, my friend, is oddly appropriate, because I’m out of focus right now. Thank you for reminding me. So, you know Minseok, right?” Chen twines his fingers, in anxiousness or defensiveness, Chanyeol can’t guess. The taller blinks at the unexpected question feeling like someone just pulled the carpet from under his feet.

“Yes, he’s my hyung” he answers honestly, feeling some of his confusion from the sudden change of topic naturally subsiding.

“Oh, ‘hyung’ so, you’re close?” Chen observes the obvious and Chanyeol nods “Great. So, here’s where I’m getting at: do you have any advice for me? Because, you know, we don’t really know each other but we’re staying in the same room, so I wouldn’t want to do something that will make him hate me for the rest of the trip or result in me getting, you know, like, murdered in my sleep. Just give me the highlights of do’s and don’t’s” he shrugs nonchalantly, but his eyes remain looking at Chanyeol closely, giving away his anxiousness. The taller shifts his puzzled gaze at the door to Suho’s room, because it doesn’t make a difference if he’s looking at Chen, and he pouts in thought.

“Uhm…” Chanyeol’s eyebrows keep twisting and raising and then plunging in a frown, and his lips purse or gape like a fish or pout while he thinks. He’s vaguely aware that he has undergone all his weirdest expressions in a few moments’ time but he can’t spend effort to control his face, because it’s really hard. He has never had to think things like that about Xiumin. It has always been easy and comfortable to be around each other and Chanyeol can’t remember a time when he thought he should mind himself around the man or any occasion that Xiumin was annoyed or irked at something. Maybe Chanyeol is not the appropriate person to answer Chen’s questions.

Glancing at Chen’s expectant expression however, the option to shrug and dismiss the whole thing casually evaporates; he seems to trust Chanyeol with this. So, Chanyeol thinks, if he has to give any advice of a sort, he’ll just go for the simple basics. His hyung is a tidy, calm, silent and honest person, and oh, now he remembers that time when Chanyeol and Kai, still somewhere below legal age, decided to test some small alcohol samples from the bar and of course they got caught, because the samples were not exactly small and they were both slurring ‘we ‘ain’t do an-hick-nnnything’ at the wall, thinking it was their hyung. Well, they were not yelled at as much as they’d deserve, admittedly, because Xiumin is kind and sweet and caring, but he remembers the cold shoulder they got in retaliation for a month and the greetings that weren’t ‘hi’ anymore but ‘really, I’m not stupid guys’. They both learnt their lesson when they realized how much they’d missed their hyung’s company.

“Try not to be too messy or unreasonably loud. Even if you do something stupid, don’t try to hide it. Be honest with him, he’ll appreciate it” he concludes, nodding his head along to his own words. Well, that sounded decent and accurate enough.

“So, can I be honest and tell him how horrible his shirt is?” Chen ponders, almost as if he’s talking to himself, and Chanyeol gives him a dirty look.

“Be nice to him.” he warns in his deep voice “He is a good person and he will treat you nicely, too” Chen gives him a blank face, not the least bit regretting his last words, no matter how intimidating Chanyeol looks and sounds.

“What. I’m a fashion designer! I don’t know what on earth that thing was trying to be, but it’s definitely gone wrong. It’s an atrocity, it hurts my eyes!” he complains childishly, wrinkling his nose and flailing his arms for emphasis. Chanyeol gives him a pointedly raised eyebrow and the other blinks at him, frozen in his flailing stance with his arms spread. After a few heartbeats, Chen deflates and sighs in defeat. “Okay, I’ll keep my thoughts to myself and burn that shirt in secret” As if that is comforting, Chanyeol thinks, restraining a disapproving groan in his throat. “Anything else?” Chen makes a hurried gesture and the taller gives him a questioning look. He’s the one being stalled here!

“Um, I don’t think so…He’s pretty, you know, ordinary” Chanyeol explains and shrugs “And very tolerant and nice, squishy, kind, caring, polite, quiet-”

“They paired me up with a saint, I get it” Chen stops him abruptly, holding up one hand. Chanyeol smirks at Chen’s frown; everyone is annoyed at how inhumanly nice Xiumin is at first, but then gradually you forget about how inadequate you seem compared to him and you can’t be bothered anymore because Xiumin is in fact so nice. “Okay, thanks Park” Chen mumbles and then Chanyeol receives a pat on the back, and next thing he knows, Chen is leaving, sneaking across the hallway with silent and sneaky steps, like a spy.

“Um…” he hums uncertainly, feeling something inside him urging him to do something but he’s not sure what. He fidgets nervously, watching as his chance is slipping away. “Hey, wait!” he calls in a panicked whisper. Chen freezes mid-step and glances back, seemingly annoyed that someone interrupted his cool action-movie-inspired exit.

“What?”

“A-any advice for me?” Chanyeol finds what he has wanted to say, but maybe he just lost his voice because only a small sound came out of his lips. He twitches apprehensively, glancing at the floor momentarily. “Because, well, I’m staying with Baekhyun…” he mumbles, even though it doesn’t feel like he needs to explain everything so much. If Chen notices Chanyeol’s blooming cheeks, he doesn’t show it; instead, he takes a moment to think about it, tapping his index finger on his chin.

“If you have to wake him up, don’t jolt him awake; he gets grumpy and mopey, and guess who is going to have to deal with him” Chen points a finger at himself as a hint with a displeased expression on his face. Chanyeol makes a note about his little Baekhyun’s habit and nods seriously. “He’s more of a hug person; think ‘koala’. Oh, and use protection” Chanyeol was about to make a question about koalas but his brain acts up and he sputters at Chen’s last words.

“What?!?! We’re not going to have-”

“Relax, Chanyeol, I’m just kidding” Chen giggles manically with no sound and Chanyeol blushes and pouts, fuming in his place. Why is Chen laughing at him? “I know Baekhyun, remember? I know what won’t happen, because I know what he would and wouldn’t do” Chanyeol wants to writhe in frustration for being made fun of, but he’s holding a glass of water and he doesn’t want to make a mess. “My advice would be, be prepared for clinginess. He has cuddling needs” Chen seems serious but Chanyeol can’t be sure he won’t be the punch line of another joke soon, so he gives Chen a suspicious look. Chen holds up both his hands. “I mean pure and innocent cuddling. Honestly” he promises and Chanyeol thinks it’s okay if he believes him a little bit maybe. “Happy now? I’m out” Chen announces coolly and continues his spy-walk to the door of his room.

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a/n: I’ve missed you guys, SO MUCH!*-*I can’t believe how long I haven’t been around & I can’t thank you enough for being so patient and kind to me! Thank you for your support throughout my exams, you’re the best! *throws candies and hearts in the air* And I believe most of us are free of all studying by now, so happy summer everyone!^^

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of vacation, but there are going to be many more, so prepare yourselves ;) All the places mentioned here are obviously imaginary, because I’ve never been to Korea. This a/n is short because I wanted to update as soon as possible!

Next chapter, Roommates, where we sneak a peek at what happens behind closed doors, with two surprise povs! (because you’ve made me so happy^^) Subscribe, upvote, comment, gather some summer sun and happiness and do whatever makes you happy in general! Until next time, kitty~