“Let’s take a picture!” Lay proposes cheerfully, emerging from the house with a plate full of sliced vegetables for grilling and a bottle of balsamic vinegar in one hand, and an expensive-looking camera in the other hand. Xiumin helps him immediately, relieving him of the food and taking it to Suho, who is currently tampering with the flickering charcoal –he insisted that he cook and take care of everyone this evening. The chatter of the men on the porch quiets down ever so slightly.

“Do we have to?” Kyungsoo makes a face in distaste at the proposition –he’s notoriously not a big fan of memorabilia and his eyes tend to look eerily wide in flash photography. The sun is still setting, coloring everything around them in pretty, vibrant purples and reds, but as magnificent a reflection as it might create on the sea, the light probably won’t be enough to save them from the unattractive glow of the camera flash. Kai’s eyebrows rise incredulously and he nudges Kyungsoo’s side with a protest of ‘Soo!’ after which he latches himself closer on said male, as if a hug can fix Kyungsoo’s mood and change his opinion on the matter. Kyungsoo weakly tries to push his face away, living up to his reputation of being immune to cuteness.

“I don’t look good in pictures” Luhan is the second to object, shaking his head; but maybe he is just being humble or shy, because Baekhyun doubts that it’s true. Every angle of Luhan’s innocent deer face looks pretty good to him, even while Luhan is shaking his head. Kai stops clinging on Kyungsoo and turns to look at Luhan on his right with a deadpan glare.

“It’s a disgrace for me to say this, but no one actually believes that, hyung” he raises a challenging eyebrow and Luhan frowns, in a way that ends in a cute pout, which makes him look the youngest of them all. Baekhyun giggles amused when Chanyeol mirrors Kai’s unconvinced, judging expression, as they both team up against their hyung playfully, crossing their arms in front of their chests. No, Baekhyun did not just notice the way Chanyeol’s exposed biceps flexed.

“Oh don’t listen to him, he was great at taking selcas back in university” Lay assures them with a giggle, only half paying attention to their conversation as he tinkers with the camera in his hands, pretty confident in his suggestion to take a picture.

“Why are you my friend, you traitorous secretary?!” Luhan complains loudly, throwing his arms in the air with exasperation. He looks so childish; it suits him. Kai laughs and high-fives Chanyeol in front of Kyungsoo’s face, who is sandwiched between them, while Sehun pats Luhan’s back, trying to appease him and make him sit down between himself and Kai again, minimizing any violent aftereffects. Lay chuckles good-naturedly at his friend’s reaction.

“Where do we pose?” Chen hops off his chair, ruffling his hair a little for volume; self-conscious, as always in the fashion industry. Baekhyun hesitates for a moment, contemplating about his own appearance and wondering if he should fix anything on himself before they take the picture. The biggest trouble with group photos is taking one where everyone thinks they look good; someone always ends up dissatisfied with the result and there is always that one friend who looks odd, for whatever reason, from scarily red pupils to half-closed eyes or a pre-sneezing grimace. Baekhyun starts touching his long fringe without noticing at first, but soon he is struggling with it openly, fully concentrated on the task of making himself presentable.

“Baek, you look fine” Chanyeol says amusedly, just loud enough for Baekhyun to hear, gently batting Baekhyun’s smaller hands away from his hair and chuckling. Says mister supermodel, Baekhyun pouts begrudgingly and gives Chanyeol his hurt puppy eyes, but the latter doesn’t notice him, as he dutifully takes over the mission of fixing Baekhyun’s hair. With only a few careful placements and gentle combing, for a subtly ruffled effect, Chanyeol is done and he smiles proudly at his work. Baekhyun’s cheeks start tingling in embarrassment after receiving so much of the taller’s attention, and he shifts his eyes away from Chanyeol’s perfect facial features and his shimmering eyes and his brilliant smile, all bathed in gloriously dying sunlight. He tries to distract himself from the bubbling feeling in his stomach and that’s when he notices just one flyaway strand on Chanyeol’s hair; so he fixes it for him, returning the favor, wondering how Chanyeol’s soft hair always sits so perfectly on his head and if he even knows the concept of bad hair days, because Baekhyun doesn’t even want to remember his personal familiarity with them.

“Is this some sort of preening, mating retua-mfff” Kai’s question is cut short by Kyungsoo’s hand against his lips. Chanyeol turns around startled to look at Kai and Kyungsoo and Baekhyun himself gives the duo a bewildered, curious look, one he guesses is on Chanyeol’s face as well, even though he cannot see it. Kyungsoo only shakes his head dismissively while Kai struggles for air, making muffled sounds.

“Ignore him, he’s an idiot”

“Agreed” Chanyeol says, shaking hands with Kyungsoo. Kai gasps dramatically at the betrayal but Baekhyun’s mind still wonders about what Kai meant earlier. What preening, mating –no. Something that Baekhyun will never admit to clicks in his head, and only now does Baekhyun notice the tips of Chanyeol’s ears, peeking red in embarrassment under the strands of his hair. Baekhyun bites the inside of his cheek regretfully and tries to put some distance between him and Chanyeol, as casually as he can manage.

He pretends he’s unaware. He pretends his heart is not racing. He pretends that Chanyeol didn’t almost touch his face while he was fixing his hair. He doesn’t want to realize how easy being around Chanyeol has become. He doesn’t want to think about how many times they have been physically close since this morning. He’d rather he remained oblivious; but his mind kicks back, making him see just how much skinship he has had with Chanyeol in just one day, and he naturally recoils, hiding away from the possibilities. He hopes everyone around them has gone blind and they won’t notice how many not-entirely-normal moments he and Chanyeol have together.

“You people remain sitting and we’ll come over” Suho calls for their attention, having set the camera on a tripod he produced out of nowhere and trying to focus the lens on them.

“I think that’s the button” Lay points at something, looking over Suho’s shoulder as they both fuss over the fancy piece of complicated technology, crowding around the camera.

“I have it under control dear, go pose” Suho ushers Lay away from the camera to work by himself in peace, and Lay halfheartedly walks around the table and stands behind Luhan’s seat, keeping his eyes set on Suho thoughtfully, like a wife that knows her husband too well to trust him on certain issues. Baekhyun smiles, finding them very cutely domestic.

“I don’t think we will fit in the frame…” Chen says, glancing at the camera screen and then making a gesture at the people across the table. “Can you sit closer to each other?”

“Stop clinging on me!” is the instantaneous, agonizing exclamation by Do Kyungsoo, resonating across the sea in the distance, and he unmistakably starts pushing Kai further away from him, even though the latter doesn’t seem to budge in the least from where he’s perched, sitting almost completely on Kyungsoo.

“He said closer!” he cries defensively, pointing a finger at Chen, who only shrugs innocently under Kyungsoo’s lethal glare, which doesn’t look very healthy for his large eyes. Baekhyun catches Sehun looking uncertainly at Luhan, who mouths ‘don’t you dare’ at him warningly.

“Maybe I should stand in the back” Sehun proposes then, a solution to make more space on the bench where they’re sitting. He starts with the intention to stand up, an expression of approval settling on Luhan’s face, but Chen motions him to stop.

“No you shouldn’t Sehunnie, unless you want to look headless in the picture” he says and Sehun exchanges a look with Luhan; the truth is, Sehun is significantly taller than their average height and he’d stick out in the picture, standing taller than the rest and probably too tall to fit in the frame. Luhan’s lips press in a thin line, displeased, as Sehun sits back in his place carefully.

“If he comes any closer, I’m pretty sure I’ll suffocate!” Kyungsoo whimpers, and now he has resolved to kick Kai in an attempt to gain back some breathing space. Admittedly, Kai is so close to the smaller and he seems to be holding onto him so tightly that Kyungsoo’s imminent suffocation is not entirely implausible.

“Baek, why don’t you move closer?” Chen suggests, waving his hand to direct him. Baekhyun eyes the small space between him and Chanyeol, the one he created by slithering away earlier and which he hesitates to cross now, and then he looks at Kyungsoo guiltily. Kyungsoo returns a demanding glare which certainly means death if Baekhyun disobeys, and the latter gulps uncomfortably under the pressure. Sensing his indecision, Chanyeol gathers his hands on his lap to make more room for him, and Baekhyun wants to cry at how noble his gesture is. Baekhyun scoots closer at last, very aware of every inch he’s crossing but unable to do anything about it.

“Um, is this good?” he asks when he’s only one centimeter away from Chanyeol, his heart already picking up the pace. He hopes the sunlight will cover his strawberry blush in the picture. Chen squints at the camera screen, estimating.

“No, you’re still halfway out of the frame. Go closer” he instructs and Baekhyun sighs, seeing he has no choice. Chanyeol gives him an encouraging nod, even though his shoulders stiffen a little. Baekhyun holds his breath for a moment; he can do this. It’s just Chanyeol. Yes, another not-normal moment between them is about to unravel in public, but it’s not like it’s the first time that happens during this weekend and the others might be even used to it. Everyone seems too caught up in their own picture perfect troubles anyway. Chanyeol doesn’t say anything and lets Baekhyun settle himself as he likes, something Baekhyun appreciates greatly; he ends up fitting his shoulder behind Chanyeol’s arm and pressing his thigh against Chanyeol’s long leg to close the minimal distance. Chanyeol stays still beside him and Baekhyun is curious about his expression but there is no way he’s looking up to check right now, when he’s positively plastered against the taller.

“Like this?” he tries very hard to keep his voice from cracking or hiking up a pitch, and it surprisingly obeys. It’s not entirely uncomfortable though, especially after Chanyeol finally exhales and they mold against each other and oh, this is in fact very comfortable…Chen rolls his eyes at them and, excuse him, Baekhyun doesn’t see what he did to deserve the sass.

“Closer!” he complains, fighting back a smirk on his lips and Baekhyun gives him a death glare. He knows Chen too well for his friend to hope that he wouldn’t pick up on his effort to hide a smile. “Chanyeol won’t bite you!” Chen says and well, yes, clearly, despite Chanyeol’s great number of great teeth, he doesn’t have cannibalistic tendencies. But. There is no closer! Baekhyun’s not sure for Chen’s motives anymore. Is this really an attempt to fit them in twenty centimeters of printed paper or does he find some other malicious amusement in this? He huffs and grumbles, missing Chanyeol’s resigned sigh, and he nearly jumps when he feels a warm hand on his arm.

“Baek, just, let me” Chanyeol says in a reassuring tone, his deep voice sounding confident enough to persuade Baekhyun to trust him. Baekhyun gives him permission with a nod and follows his indications obediently, as Chanyeol picks him up easily and readjusts him, bringing him forward and settling him on…on his left thigh. Baekhyun has half a mind to spring from his new seat and fling himself away, but Chanyeol’s hand curls around his shoulder and he freezes for a moment. He rests his weight tentatively, feeling the long bone pressing under him, and he looks at Chanyeol with rosy cheeks and uncertain eyes. Chanyeol’s hand squeezes his shoulder comfortingly. Baekhyun bites his lips shyly; he’s a grown man, not a child to sit like this. It’s embarrassing for both of them, this intimacy. “It’s just one picture” Chanyeol gives him a wide grin and removes his hand from Baekhyun’s shoulder to rest in on his back. Baekhyun is sure his cheeks are bright red all of a sudden; he can practically feel his face burning as bright as the vermilion sunbeams.

“That’s close enough” that horrible squirrel that Baekhyun calls his best friend finally admits, and Baekhyun forgoes the predictable lethal glare for the sake of being a better person.

“Okay everyone, say ‘happyyy’!” Suho exclaims, pushing one final button on the camera and running round the table to stand next to Lay, throwing an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders. Xiumin and Chen stand behind Kyungsoo and Chanyeol with casual, model poses and everyone practices their smiles, looking at the blinking red light of the camera. Their anticipation heightens and Baekhyun can feel it tingling his skin as his lips stretch in what he hopes is a decent smile.

“Aren’t we supposed to look happy?” Luhan gurgles through his teeth, which are clenched in an angelic smile, while Sehun makes a V sign beside him.

“Says the person who’s the grumpiest” Kai retorts through his lips that are equally busy with a smile near Kyungsoo’s face. Kyungsoo is still making feeble attempts to pinch Kai spitefully, in contrast to his innocent, heart-shaped smile. Baekhyun’s smile eases into a more genuine one and his shoulders relax, not minding Chanyeol’s arm that tightens around his waist to keep him in balance. It’s actually comforting, if we’re being honest.

“Okay, okay!” Suho calls excitedly as the light starts blinking at a furious pace “One, two, three!”

 

“…”

 

“Honey, it’s not working” Lay points out the obvious in a gentle yet slightly patronizing tone, when all that happens after the countdown is the light still blinking with no picture being taken. Suho panics.

“I didn-” he starts protesting defensively and the next moment there is a flash. Everyone sighs in relief, relaxing their cheeks and their posture. Suho points at the camera proudly –completely unsuspecting of the fact that his alarmed face will be the odd one in their picture. “There you go”

“Can I have one of the pictures, please?” Xiumin asks Lay, leaning on Chen slightly, and the latter doesn’t seem to mind in the least, instead shifting his own weight to stand straighter and support them both comfortably. Lay smiles brightly at him.

“Of course!”

“I want one too!” Baekhyun forgets where he’s perched in the midst of his excitement and he raises a hand childishly, but that knocks him out of balance and he starts flailing and falling backwards. The world swirls for a moment and the sand seems to replace the sky, until Chanyeol catches him in his strong arms and Baekhyun’s hands fly to anchor around Chanyeol’s neck.

“Why don’t we all get one?” Kai suggests somewhere in the auditory background and the chatter picks up again, but Baekhyun is busier staring at Chanyeol’s face in silence, mere inches away from his own. Baekhyun feels very very secure all of a sudden. They stare at each other in awe, and it’s not the first time Baekhyun sees Chanyeol’s eyes, but they look so sweet and caramel, and they are so wide and innocent, and they glitter in the sunlight so mesmerizingly, that Baekhyun can’t look away for some reason, even though his cheeks burn and he has stopped breathing. This feels like the longest gaze they have ever exchanged and there’s something thumping and spinning in his chest; what is that?

Flash.

Silence.

“What was that?” Luhan whispers after a long pause, during which only the faint whispering of waves and the rattling of a cricket in the trees can be heard. The silence stretches unnaturally among the men as they stare at each other searchingly, trying to understand what just happened. That…that light…was it…? Lay is the first to glance at the camera in suspicion, and then turns to Suho with both hands on the sides of his waist and an accusing look in his eyes.

“What setting did you choose?” he inquires, raising an eyebrow and looking certain that Suho has made a mistake. Suho cowers a little, guilty of making such a mistake.

“The one with three?” he tries to smile innocently, but Lay is not buying it.

“I think it’s going to take another” Xiumin says quietly, pointing at the camera and everyone turns inquiringly to the red light, which is still blinking indeed, just in time.

Flash.

--

To celebrate their last night of vacation, they had a barbeque outside, enjoying the cooling breeze and brightly star-studded sky. They made sure to make a toast to many vacations like this to come, and they were having fun, and they got carried away with jokes and stories and conversations, and now, after they’ve cleaned everything up, it is already 2:47 am. Baekhyun would feel bad for staying up so late if it were any other night, because sleep is a valuable thing that he cannot enjoy fully in his everyday life, but he had fun today, so he doesn’t regret it. He would say that a few hours spent laughing with his best of friends, eating delicious food and sweets, stealing warmth from Chanyeol beside him and gazing at mysterious constellations in the clearest sky he has seen in years, is a good investment of his time.

They say their good nights and each starts for their room. It is very late, therefore Baekhyun pretends he doesn’t notice Kai practically lifting Kyungsoo off his feet and carrying him to their bedroom with noticeably indecent intentions. If you can look past the fact that everyone around them witnesses an embarrassingly inappropriate show, it must be nice and comforting, knowing you are wanted so much. Baekhyun’s small waving at Lay goes unnoticed, as the latter giggles while Suho holds the door of their room open for him. Baekhyun pouts and glances at his own hand, which is holding a bundle of fabric from Chanyeol’s shirt as he trails behind the taller’s broad back. Baekhyun is thoughtful for no particular reason as he quietly follows Chanyeol into their room, guessing that he should let go sometime soon, unless he wants to become Chanyeol’s tail of a sort.

He goes in the shower first, because he can’t stand himself smelling like grilled meat and other sorts of food, and he enjoys the feeling of lukewarm water running down his skin. He replays the highlights of their night with a silent smile gracing his lips. He cannot believe this is the last night of vacation. He feels a bit disappointed that they will have to leave tomorrow morning after breakfast, and by tomorrow evening he will be back to his apartment, sorting out his clothes for laundry and preparing to go to sleep, with faint schedules of activities for the next morning in his mind.

But this has been so much fun. No worries, no obligations, just sleep, food, laughter and the sea. This has to be one of the best vacations in Baekhyun’s life. And it is not just the lack of pressure and the picturesque setting, it is also the company. Baekhyun is happy that he has made new friends, who are good people, who make him laugh and feel comfortable, who will not disappear after a ‘see you around’. He knows that this vacation wouldn’t be as fun if it wasn’t for them and he is very grateful to them for making it so delightful.

Baekhyun gets out of the shower in his comfortable pajamas and Chanyeol takes his turn to disappear into the bathroom to take a shower. Baekhyun settles comfortably on the bed and picks up his phone to check his emails. But after a moment he puts the phone back down, deciding he doesn’t want anything from his regular life to disturb his peace and happiness in this place. Tomorrow it will all be over anyway. He glances to the bathroom door.

There is also Chanyeol. This is the last night they are spending in the same room. Baekhyun doubts this will ever happen again in his life. He has to admit that every night he has spent with Chanyeol has been really nice though; contrary to his initial expectations, he has had a lot of comfortable rest, too. Soon however, they will go back to living miles away from each other, lost in the busy city. Oh, come on, Baekhyun, you’ll still be friends. It’s not like Chanyeol will disappear; you can still meet up, or go out, or visit each other and send messages every night. You just won’t be joined at the hip, like you have been for the last few days…But it is way nicer if he can have Chanyeol’s undivided attention, without asking for it and without having to compete with anything or anyone else for it…

Baekhyun ends up pouting by himself in the silence.

Do you know that feeling you have as a child, when you are used to sleeping with a special item, like a blanket or a teddy bear, and then you have to ‘grow up’ and start sleeping without it, but you miss it like crazy? That’s what it feels like. Chanyeol has become Baekhyun’s gigantic teddy bear. It has been only two nights, and yet Baekhyun feels like he will miss Chanyeol when he won’t be there. There will be no warmth wrapped around him when he wakes up, and there will be no caramel orbs to say goodnight to, and the sheets will not smell faintly like Chanyeol…Thinking of Chanyeol, he has been too quiet in the bathroom for too long. Baekhyun gets slightly worried, so he tiptoes to the bathroom door and knocks lightly on it. There is no sound of running water from the shower or any other sound, which is slightly concerning.

“Chanyeol? Is everything okay?” he asks sheepishly. He feels worried about him but he doesn’t have a specific reason to be worried, so he is a bit timid and reserved.

“Yeah…” Chanyeol’s voice sounds through the door, but it doesn’t sound very convincing to Baekhyun. On the bright side, at least he hasn’t slipped on anything and is not lying unconscious on the floor...“Everything is fine. I’m…” there is a small pause. Baekhyun frowns. Chanyeol opens the door to the bathroom, facing foreword, and takes a deep breath. “I’m not fine” he sighs.

Baekhyun’s first reaction is to scan Chanyeol for any signs of injury or illness, but he looks whole and normal. However, looking in the giant’s eyes, Baekhyun knows that he is not well. The twinkle that is usually there, in those large, innocent eyes, is faded and he looks pale and tired. It’s not physical sickness, Baekhyun can tell after having seen Chanyeol in that state in the past. Something must be on his mind, making him worried and sad. Baekhyun suspected something was off with Chanyeol this whole day, but he guessed it was just his imagination or maybe it was about whatever happened this morning with Chanyeol’s work; and maybe he’s right. He fixes his eyes on Chanyeol’s tired and slightly distressed expression courageously, bracing himself.

“Is this ‘later’?” he asks in a quiet yet clear voice. He doesn’t want to spook the taller into this conversation and let his chance at helping Chanyeol slip through his fingers, but he doesn’t want to ignore it completely either. He is not sure he can help Chanyeol, but he can try. Chanyeol looks at him troubled, contemplating about something for a while. Baekhyun tries to keep his gaze steady and encouraging. Chanyeol shakes his head.

“Are you sure?” he walks around Baekhyun to sit on the bed, his shoulders remaining droopy all the while. “I don’t think it’ll be a happy note of the evening” He looks up regretfully and uncertainly, looking so different from his usual cheerful and confident self that he reminds Baekhyun of an exhausted puppy, and all the smaller wants to do is feed him praline ice cream and enfold him in a cocoon of blankets and affection while patting his hair comfortingly. Needless to say, Baekhyun has made up his mind about listening to Chanyeol’s trouble and helping him in any way he can, although it probably won’t entail any sort of ice cream feeding and cocooning.

“I want to know” he says confidently and sits beside Chanyeol, making the bed bounce with an almost cheerful vibe. The taller looks at his hands with a sad look and then glances at Baekhyun, who makes sure that for all the two seconds he is graced to have Chanyeol’s eyes on him he is grinning encouragingly, showing many teeth, and Chanyeol smiles a little himself at Baekhyun’s attempt to reassure him and cheer him up. Then in a moment’s time, Chanyeol frowns and sighs and falls heavy back on the bed.

“I’m just…scared, Baek. There have been some issues with the company lately and I am not sure I can live up to the expectations. I am not sure I can make everything alright. And I don’t want to ruin the company with my incompetence, because it’s my father’s and grandfather’s legacy. It is very important to my father; he lives and breathes for this company. He has made so many sacrifices for it…But it is like a growing organism: it changes and it needs adjustments, more sacrifices, more effort and more hard work. And now that things are not exactly the way we had expected, I have to fix everything and be a good son, but…What if I can’t? What if I am not smart enough? What if I don’t have enough to sacrifice? And what if-”

“Shh, Chanyeol” Baekhyun interrupts him, seeing how he is getting too stressed and agitated, his eyes widening in fear and anxiousness. Baekhyun leans back on the bed to lay next to Chanyeol and the latter looks at him with adorably sad eyes. Baekhyun smiles at him. “It’s okay if you are scared” Baekhyun reaches across the small distance between them and brushes Chanyeol’s bangs away from his face. Chanyeol pouts cutely.

“But I am the future CEO. I can’t be scared. I will have to handle a whole company one day and yet I am terrified with a temporary mishap. The problems I will have to deal with will grow enormous and what will I do then?” Chanyeol sounds very distressed and Baekhyun doesn’t like that sound. He is used to the cheerful, awkward, smiling, cute Chanyeol, who is hiding for now behind a stack of fears about things that haven’t even happened yet. He really wants to see Chanyeol smile, but he cannot solve his problems for him. There are very few things Baekhyun can do for Chanyeol and one of them is give him reassurance, because right now he needs it. Baekhyun would have never done what he is about to do on his own, if Chanyeol didn’t need him. But he does, so Baekhyun squirms closer to Chanyeol and wraps his arms around the taller’s waist. He hugs people all the time and he has had hugs with Chanyeol before, but Baekhyun has never been the one out of the two to initiate the hug. He is always very careful with Chanyeol. But this time it is not about him hiding from his emotions and his fears, it is about helping Chanyeol so, even if his heart beats crazily in his chest, it is okay if he breaks a few of his self-imposed rules.

“Thank you for telling me, Chanyeol. If you hadn’t told me, I would have never done this” he says and presses himself even closer to the giant. Chanyeol seems frozen for a moment, but then he wraps his arms around Baekhyun, albeit a little tentatively, still at a loss by the sudden display of affection. Baekhyun feels a little assured now that his fears of seeming too small and insignificant and useless to Chanyeol have been partly done away with, and he gradually gets used to the warmth emitting from Chanyeol’s body. He closes his eyes.

It’s not much. Baekhyun can’t give much to him. He can’t even say that everything is going to be okay, because he doesn’t know that and he doesn’t like making fake promises. All he can do is promise Chanyeol that he will not be left alone, no matter how this situation and his troubles might unravel. Because Baekhyun is very sure that he doesn’t want to leave Chanyeol’s side anytime soon. He won’t say it out loud. He doesn’t like the sound of bombastic, overbearing promises, but he means it wholeheartedly. It doesn’t look like he needs to say it out loud either, because Chanyeol is responding well; slowly, he relaxes and his breath becomes soft and calm, and his heart, which Baekhyun can hear in his chest, goes back to its regular beat. Baekhyun knows Chanyeol is reassured, even wordlessly, even with just a hug and a few pacifying caresses on his back. But something from his thoughts accidentally slips through Baekhyun’s lips, mumbling “I believe in you, Chanyeol”

--

Chen stretches his legs on the murky sand and the water rushes over his skinny ankles. He doesn’t mind the stain that the salty water is bound to leave on the hem of his pants –they might be designer, but he’s a better designer anyway –and he enjoys the lapping sensation of the small waves around his skin. It’s not every day he gets to enjoy such soothing moments. Don’t get him wrong, he likes his life with all its flaws –with the fast pace, the deadlines, the pressure, the competition, the struggle for originality, the harsh criticism, the endless hours– but it is always nice to let your hair down every once in a while and recharge.

He breathes in the sea breeze, the faint iron and salt mixed with sand and dampness in the cold air. He hasn’t stayed outdoors so late in such pure natural surroundings in years. But he remembers the times when he would stay out past curfew with Baekhyun, two children wearing fluffy coats and mittens or sweating bullets in white tees and shorts, when they would count the stars from the top of the hill and share dreams about the future. They had carved ‘BFF’ on the trunk of the tree on the hilltop and had promised to show it to their children one day. On the way home, they would share a scarf in winter and hold close to the other for fear of slipping on ice and getting immersed in cold snow, while in the summer, they would chase fireflies and steal ice cream from Mrs. Byun’s kitchen after midnight. Chen can’t remember a time when he was not Baekhyun’s friend, nor a time when being his friend did not mean absolute happiness in his life.

“Hi there.” A soft voice brings Chen out of his reverie. Chen blinks and smiles at Xiumin, pulling his feet out of the water, ready to leave his peaceful perching spot on the sore and retire to their room for the night. He enjoyed the short little time he stole for himself, staying out later than the rest, but he wouldn’t want to stay out too late and disturb his roommate in the middle of the night –or, well, in the middle of the sunrise, seeing how they’re already past the middle of the night. But before he has time to stand straight, Xiumin motions him politely to sit back down. “No, no need to get up, it’s not like there’s anywhere to go” he settles casually beside Chen on the sandy ground, discarding his shoes carefully and dipping his own feet in the cool water. Chen looks at him bewildered, but secretly he feels entertained for some reason.

“Are we not going to sleep?” he asks, quirking an eyebrow. Xiumin sighs comfortably and leans back on his hands, lifting his gaze to the sky and enjoying the nature.

“Well, there’s a situation of plucking strawberries going on inside the house, so…” he trails off meaningfully and it doesn’t take a genius to understand what he means, even though Chen will give him credit for his creative phrasing. He doesn’t hesitate to believe Xiumin, because he’s very sure the sounds are resonating everywhere inside the house once again with after-midnight activities, and like Xiumin, he finds the option to stay out in the moonlight much more inviting than suffering by the naughty tunes.

“Ugh, those people really like eating cookies, don’t they?” he rolls his eyes dramatically; he should have known. When Baekhyun and Kyungsoo invited him, he should have imagined that vacationing with lovey-dovey couples is not a good plan, primarily when you’re single. Blame his momentary lapse in judgment on Baekhyun’s puppy eyes, even though this vacation has been otherwise very nice. They stay quiet for a few moments, enjoying the comfort of the whispering sea waves and possibly lamenting their current situation of being exiled due to extracurricular activities.

“At least we don’t have to suffer alone” Xiumin chuckles, his smooth voice breaking the silence gently, and he glances at Chen once before returning to stargazing, falling flat on his back for a better view. Chen smirks, his interest flaring due to that promising, momentary look. His eyes follow the man who is now lying down with the silver moon bathing him in gentle gleams and light shadows of grey and reflected sea-blue. Xiumin doesn’t shift his gaze from the fathomless universe as he continues with a small smile dancing on his upper lip “It’s nice having you around”

“Generally speaking?” Chen’s eyebrows lift with interest, falling into the game of passing hinting glances and words. He likes this game, he’s not bad at it. He leers confidently but his heart kicks in his chest and he has no idea why. Or does he. Xiumin giggles, his eyes scrunching up and his cheeks puffing out like a delicious bun, looking so much like a child with his white, small teeth.

“Maybe…” he muses and Chen can’t help his cheshire smile. He won’t deny that it’s an answer that pleases him, and he is about to take the very inviting bait to start flirting, when Xiumin suddenly points at the house. “Look at that” Chen’s words halt on his tongue and his eyes shift to the only room where the grand lights are still . The lights make it easy to see through the glass wall clearly, even though the room is on the second floor. Chen discerns the living contents, which are no other than Chanyeol and Baekhyun, those two interesting little sweet peas, both lying on the bed but they don’t seem to be asleep. In fact they are both very much awake. Something romantic, along the lines of how the two are trying to make the most of their time together even though they are consciously unaware of their own infatuation, crosses Chen’s mind.

“Cuteness gracious, they’re perfect together; if only they’d see it…” Chen sighs wistfully. What does a man have to do to get his two friends to see their painfully obvious secret crush on each other? Xiumin hums in agreement.

Chen watches as Baekhyun sits up on the bed like an excited puppy, to stage an impromptu performance of what looks suspiciously like the gwiyomi song and dance. Chen rubs his eyes in disbelief and then a happy smile overtakes his face, fond memories floating behind his eyes as he watches Baekhyun acting cute and Chanyeol laughing and putting up the worst attempt at a failed resistance ever made as he gets dragged into doing cute silly things himself. Baekhyun hasn’t done any cute act deliberately ever since they were ten years old, and Chen is sure because he’d always ask and beg him to share some of his innate cuteness, but Baekhyun would always say he’d wanted to grow manly, and then he switched the excuse to ‘I’m too old for this’, even though Chen has tried everything, even the best-friend-privileges card and bribing him with chocolate. The men by the sea watch in silence for a while, until Chen realizes how far beyond completely inappropriate they have gone with their staring.

But hey, they’re their best friends, so anything is okay, and the cuteness the couple emits is hard to resist sometimes…most of the times…or always, basically.

“I feel like we’re being slightly indiscrete” he sniggers and averts his eyes, taking in the calm picture of the sea that stretches ahead instead. Xiumin laughs a little.

“Only slightly”

The silence engulfs the two men as they sit side by side. And it feels oddly right, just right. Chen never had any particular problems dealing with different kinds of people and at first he thought Xiumin would be the same; an easygoing new friend that would be okay to be around, someone to chat with during vacation and share the burden of grocery shopping. He wasn’t completely wrong; Xiumin actually qualifies for all of the above, but maybe Chen got a little more than he bargained for on the way. He hadn’t thought he’d find someone so interesting and so compatible, someone who’d make him feel calm and free to be himself at all times. Like little children who start exploring once they feel safe in a new environment, Chen feels giddy and ready to play, completely safe and accepted near Xiumin. It could be the vacation spirit and the bachelor’s blues creating an illusion of attraction for the only available, handsome and single member of their vacation crew, but no, Chen doesn’t think so. He is not a half-blind puppy who lives in the land of flower-petal fireworks like Baekhyun; he knows his feelings when he has them, and he knows when there is a chance of something good within his grasp.

“How do I make a yes out of a maybe?” he ponders, pretending to frown thoughtfully. Xiumin laughs lightly, sensing the shift to their previous conversation and playing along.

“You ask nicely, for a start” he says, grinning broadly and stretching his arms above his head, wiggling his fingers in the night air to get rid of all the knots. Chen is more focused on the way his toned forearms flex for a moment but he doesn’t let his concentration on their conversation falter. He beams as he looks down at the other man with gentle eyes and his voice becomes soft in a way that sounds more sincere.

“Please”

“Please what?” Xiumin frowns and looks at Chen with a puzzled expression. Chen beams even brighter this time, having the man’s eyes on him.

“Please go out with me?”

--

His eyelids flutter and his eyes crack open to see…nothing. He sees blackness that turns into obscure shadows that shift into faint outlines as he blinks a couple of times. It’s still night time; stars, a sliver of the moon and darkness shrouding everything outside and creeping into the room through the wall of glass. The waves echo louder tonight, the wind swooshing by the house and making the room colder than the previous nights. The setting outside is somewhat eerie and lonely, but the room feels safer and harmless, despite the reflection of nature’s unease inside the living space. Chanyeol frowns in confusion; why did he wake up?

He closes his eyes, trying to will himself to fall asleep. However, his thoughts slither away from the drowsy path he sets for them and his awareness begrudgingly rises, attempting to decode the reason he is not sleeping anymore. He sighs and opens his eyes again, more wakeful than before, and they sting a little, because he and Baekhyun went to sleep only a couple of hours ago. Now he notices something further. He feels a short and sharp tug on his hand and Baekhyun’s fingers squeeze nervously around his own, physically pulling him out of dreamland. Bewildered and curious, Chanyeol focuses on him with a little help from the light of the dim moon rays.

Baekhyun looks like he is having a bad dream. His one hand struggles to pull Chanyeol closer one moment and then tries to push him away the next, while the other clutches on the sheets restlessly. His legs keep kicking uncomfortably and the covers have shifted away from his lower half completely, exposing him to the cold. Baekhyun’s expression also shows discomfort, his eyebrows scrunched, his lips pouting, small teeth biting them every now and then, his face is pale but the cheeks are flushed, his hair matted or sticking out randomly from his little thrashing fit against the pillow. Baekhyun is sighing heavily in the shadows, as if his lungs are strained, and he whimpers almost constantly; not the usual, cute, puppy whimpers, but a sort of distressed, crying, wounded sound. It breaks Chanyeol’s heart.

“Baekkie…” Chanyeol whispers compassionately with his numb lips and he nudges Baekhyun’s shoulder gently with his free hand, hoping he will distract Baekhyun from his nightmare. Baekhyun stops whimpering for a moment but then he curls closer to himself and sniffles, as he has started crying. Chanyeol panics for a moment, not knowing what to do in his own tired and half-asleep state to help the smaller, but then instinct takes over and an idea that seems like the only option flashes in his head.

In just one moment, the implications of what Chanyeol is about to do reveal themselves very clearly in his mind. It is strangely fascinating how those repercussions with all their numerous complicated, long, entangled probabilities appear so unmistakably clear, even when everything else in his mind is so hazy, disoriented and subdued.  Chanyeol sees them all and understands them thoroughly; he spends maybe half a second considering them and he hesitates. But then he throws them all to a dark corner of his mind carelessly, to be gagged and ignored, because Baekhyun has sniffled again and Chanyeol’s heart can’t stand it.

“Let’s warm you up” he mumbles his plan and starts pulling Baekhyun closer, trying to surpass his sleepy clumsiness and be careful and gentle so that he won’t startle Baekhyun awake. Baekhyun resists too little before he’s crawling closer, meeting Chanyeol halfway in the small distance between them. Chanyeol is mildly surprised at how easily Baekhyun’s small body fits against his own but his brain is still mostly asleep and he can’t spend energy to reflect on their physical proximity when his hands are literally full of Baekhyun. He gathers Baekhyun closer and readjusts the covers over them when he feels the smaller male shaking from the cold. No wonder he can’t sleep peacefully, when he’s so cold. Baekhyun’s feet are freezing when they touch Chanyeol’s calf and he flinches, but he doesn’t mind tangling all four limbs under the covers to share some of his warmth. Chanyeol sighs; the instinct to protect Baekhyun has somewhat appeased in his chest and maybe now he can sleep.

But he doesn’t. Baekhyun might be safe from the cold now but his bad dream is still chasing him. His sniffles and hiccups are hardly audible above the silence of the room and the racket of the wind outside, but Chanyeol can feel them against his body whenever Baekhyun’s smaller frame stutters with an uneven breath. Chanyeol knows he has done enough; bringing Baekhyun into his personal space and sharing body heat with him is already far enough for his limits, but he wants to do more. Is it wrong that he wants to give more to Baekhyun?

“Shh, Baekkie…It’s okay, I’m here” he says soothingly, his deep voice coming out as an almost incoherent purr. Baekhyun whimpers a little and then tucks his head in Chanyeol’s chest, his hair tickling Chanyeol’s chin and his hand squeezing Chanyeol’s fingers. For a heartbeat, Chanyeol is shocked by the fact that Baekhyun is clinging on him, but then that moment is gone, and he naturally wraps his arm around Baekhyun’s slender waist, engulfing him protectively. He frowns, sensing how tense Baekhyun is, and he starts rubbing between his shoulder blades, slowly coaxing him to relax and sleep soundly. After a while of comforting touches, Baekhyun turns to mush in Chanyeol’s hold and the taller smiles to himself when the first puppy whimper of the usual resonates in the room.

“Will you go to sleep now?” his deep voice mumbles as he starts caressing Baekhyun’s forehead, putting back into place all the strands that Baekhyun had tussled earlier, and Baekhyun’s tension visibly melts away. Chanyeol likes playing with Baekhyun’s hair; it’s soft and fluffy. Baekhyun starts sighing strangely in his sleep, a sort of cooing sound, and Chanyeol worries for a moment that Baekhyun is suffocating, but then it dawns on him; he is not sure if Baekhyun even knows how to snore, but he probably doesn’t, and this sound should be the closest thing to snoring his adorable habits include. Chanyeol’s fingers brush above his skin and start combing through his hair, hesitantly at first and then carefully, until his fingers brush behind Baekhyun’s ear and the smaller purrs contently in his sleep. “Sleep well, Baek” he whispers and then he yawns, feeling sleep creeping back into him. His slow, soft behind Baekhyun’s ear falter and he falls asleep soon, with the scent of Baekhyun’s hair on his pillow.

--

Baekhyun’s eyes open when the alarm of his phone chimes once –he has picked the subtler and shorter sound there is on his phone for the purpose of waking up, and it’s really surprising he has never missed the notification, no matter how immersed in dreamland he may be. Maybe it tunes well with his brain’s frequencies or something.

The sunlight is not as bright as the day before, that’s the first thing he notices. When he opens his eyes he realizes that the day outside is just as bright and sunny, but the sunrays don’t sting him because today, unlike yesterday morning, he’s not staring at them. Instead he finds his vision blocked by a grey t-shirt, currently expanding with the intake of a breath. Baekhyun lifts his eyes carefully to the image of a sleeping Chanyeol. His cheeks are slightly rosy and his eyebrows are creased thoughtfully in his sleep, his eyelashes twitch every now and then, trying to shut out the sneaky daylight. You look so serious, Chanyeol. His hair is tangled and shimmering with honey highlights in the sun and his plum lips are pouting adorably, with the hint of morning stubble appearing above the curve of his upper lip. Baekhyun is so close he swears he can see every small detail, even that tiny beauty mark right under the edge of Chanyeol’s jaw. It’s a strange feeling, waking up like this. He’s used to inexplicably ending up as the small spoon to Chanyeol’s spooning every morning, but he has never woken up face to face with him, like today. Baekhyun hears bells chiming again, but this time it’s in his head.

Keeping his composure, Baekhyun starts his newfound morning ritual of disentangling himself from Chanyeol for the last time, seeing that this has been the last night of vacation. It’s a procedure that takes a bit of time and it brings a blush on Baekhyun’s face every time, but he has an excellent ability to pretend that none of this has ever happened after Chanyeol wakes up. Baekhyun starts reciting the formula to solve the puzzle of limbs as he starts moving. First comes freeing his leg; easy. Then he wiggles backwards; careful not to jolt Chanyeol. He turns on his back and pulls the other leg from under Chanyeol’s longer limbs; how is he always so warm?

And now his concentration on his task increases along with the level of difficulty, his eyes constantly checking Chanyeol’s sleeping status. He starts rubbing the toned arm around his waist until the grip loosens –yeah, Baekhyun is not sure if he’s more embarrassed for the cuddling or for the disentangling process anymore, but there’s no other way to escape, he has checked. If Chanyeol senses that Baekhyun is sliding away or is simply trying to remove a few limbs, he reacts by tightening his hold for some reason, maybe out of habit. The only peaceful way out is reassuring and comforting touches that make Baekhyun’s face boil throughout the process. Anyway, back to work now. He carefully removes the arm from his middle section, laying it gently on the bed, and then it’s time for the fingers; oh the fingers are the hardest. He traces circles on Chanyeol’s skin with his thumb for a while and then he scratches under Chanyeol’s wrist a little to get his fingers to twitch and loosen. Now Baekhyun is free to slither away, rolling to the edge of the bed and getting up.

“’Morning, Yeol” he mumbles to the sleeping man, for no apparent reason. He fixes his ruffled shirt and gives the sleeping giant a curious look, hands resting on his hips. How on earth does that man sleep, holding onto something so tightly? He forgets to find the answer when he yawns and then stretches both hands above his head, chilly air biting the skin on his just now exposed tummy. He heads to the bathroom to wash up like every other morning, unaware that he’s a bigger koala-sleeper himself and of the fact that Chanyeol proceeds to gather pillows and sheets, name them ‘Baek’ in his sleep and then cuddle them to sleep a few more minutes.

--

Luhan’s brain gets only a moment’s notice before blasting music resonates in the otherwise quiet room at an insulting volume. He groans at the rude intrusion of noise and tries to cover his ears with his pillow, very unsuccessfully, due to post-sleep clumsiness. After a few accidental collisions between his uncoordinated hand and his face, he turns to the blanket for salvation, searching for it blindly and then managing to throw it over his head. All is well again, the cold is shielded outside of the blanket cocoon and the alarm is sufficiently muffled, until Sehun shifts to turn it off and the blanket gets pulled away, retreating somewhere away from where Luhan had been hoping to keep it for a few more minutes. God, why.

He whines in a hurt voice in the silent room, feeling the cold of the world outside bite his ears and neck and shoulders. Why is sleeping with someone else so bothersome? He tries to shove at Sehun begrudgingly, but he only manages to deliver an annoyed nudge on the arm because his limbs are still lethargic. Luhan grumbles incoherently. The problem is that now Luhan knows he can’t go back to sleep, he can feel his consciousness rising no matter how hard he’s trying to lock it back in a corner of his mind. The cold against his skin is making him uncomfortable and did Sehun really have to choose that song as his alarm? Luhan had been hoping for a less spectacular awakening on the last morning of vacation, and not Carly singing about people tearing the whole world down and stuff that need to be musically accompanied by intense melodies. He’d much rather something softer, even at the risk of falling asleep after the alarm –but not really, because Luhan knows those moments of sleep after the alarm; you’re supposed to steal a few minutes from the day on a Monday morning but then you wake up and somehow it’s Thursday afternoon.

But not something like Sehun’s soft hand, sneaking under his shirt and tracing patterns on his lower back. Luhan huffs and slithers away stubbornly; saying no to Oh Sehun is surprisingly easier when you’re mad at his phone for waking you up. His side gets exposed to the cold where his shirt has ridden up but he doesn’t regret his actions, because childish stubbornness is a sport he excels at, and he will even go as far as to blame Sehun for his misplaced shirt that causes him to shiver, because it was the kid who pushed it out of the way to slip his hand underneath. It’s only after Luhan sneezes that he starts regretting taking refuge from Sehun’s advances in the chilly air.

Thankfully, Sehun is on the protective side –or so Luhan has noticed so far– and he squirms closer, properly covering Luhan with the blanket and embracing him instantly in warmth. Luhan relaxes in the comfy setting, but he’s still holding it against Sehun that he can’t fall asleep anymore. His eyes try to open but he holds them closed with effort; how does it make sense for anyone to have to try to keep their eyes closed when most of humanity usually has to try to keep their eyes open?! Sehun is messing with Luhan’s basic body programming. And with Luhan’s body in general. Because there’s a hand, tracing circles on his stomach, and it does weird things to Luhan’s insides, things that don’t help with his desire to sleep at all.

“I hate you” and good morning. Luhan whines, feeling Sehun’s lips on his throat and Sehun hums in agreement. It’s beyond Luhan how this man’s brain works sometimes, because he seems to be deaf to insults. Although Luhan doesn’t completely mean his insults at Sehun most of the time. Sehun’s hands start exploring, his brown eyes blink away the adorable drowsy haziness and start flaming and scorching, his lips start nipping and Luhan starts losing it, trying to focus to remember why he was mad at Sehun in the first place, but he can’t, especially when his back arches after a very pleasurable touch and he crushes against Sehun’s body. Well that escalated quickly.

“Sehun…” he breathes, tugging at said boy’s hair. He can see where this is going and the responsible part of his brain is reminding him that he has clothes to pack before nine o’ clock and everyone will be waiting for them to leave. “We’re going to be late” he whispers, biting his lips when Sehun blows air against a sensitive area of dampened skin on his neck. What if someone comes to check on them? What if they send someone to wake them up? Luhan really hopes it won’t be cutie tart B or that idiot Kai. And Luhan has to keep quiet or someone might hear them from the kitche-“Nnnn” he complains in response to Sehun’s touches. He makes Luhan like this so early in the morning…damn his raging post-teenage hormones.

“Let’s be a little late” Sehun whispers and seals Luhan’s lips in a kiss.

--

“Nooooo, I don’t want to leaveeee!” Kai whines like a little child, leaning and clutching on the door frame. Kyungsoo rubs his temples, trying to calm himself; because you try and deal with that for ten torturing minutes and still keep calm!

“We really don’t have time for this. How old are you anyway? Luhan and Sehun are already in the car” he says, sounding alarmingly close to a mother who is trying to persuade her child. Kai is not a child, but if he acts like one, maybe he should be treated like one. It makes Kyungsoo’s life a little more difficult sometimes, but Kai’s innocence, his playfulness and the childish things he does are all part of the charm. They are all evidence to Kyungsoo’s mind that he is not like the regular people he is attracted to, that he might be better than them, who used him and discarded him or ran away with his heart. Kai has helped Kyungsoo a lot to build a new heart for himself, attaching small pieces of his own heart to his in the process. Not that Kyungsoo would ever admit to that out loud. But even in moments like this one, when Kai is whining and throwing mild, cute tantrums, Kyungsoo, besides his frustration with the man, wants to smile as well.

“But, Kyungsoo, I really don’t -oh, hey Suho!” Kai is still clutching at the door, but his demeanor makes a one hundred and eighty turn. Kyungsoo physically makes such a turn and sees Suho carrying bags out in the hallway from his room, with Lay following close behind. Kyungsoo suddenly wants someone to shoot him right on the spot.

“Hey guys, you ready?” Suho asks with a smile. Kyungsoo gulps uncomfortably. This is the moment that had been haunting him in his sleep throughout last night. This kind man, so responsible and tidy and calm, so helpful and respectable, hosted them in his house out of the goodness of his heart, asking for nothing in return, and now he is standing in front of them, this saint man, and Kyungsoo wants to die in embarrassment because he is hiding something. It feels like a sin to keep a secret and deceive this man, but Kyungsoo cannot bring himself to confess to his deed last night. Kai was involved too, but he is the devil’s spawn, so he has no shame. Oh, cotton candiness, he can’t take this anymore!

He is saying it.

“I am sooooo sorry!” he squeals and falls on his knees for forgiveness. Suho looks distraught and panics, unaware of what Kyungsoo is referring to.

“What-what happened? Is there something wrong? Are you ill?” he asks in fluster.

“Why would he be sorry if he were ill?” Lay asks behind him with a bewildered face, but Kai answers all the questions soon in Kyungsoo’s behalf.

“No, he is fine, we are fine. He did have a similar reaction yesterday, so I assume it’s about the bed?” Kyungsoo squeals in distress upon the reminder and bends even lower, chanting ‘I’m sorry’ like a mantra in a low voice. He probably looks paranoid, but it is totally justifiable if you consider how kind and giving Suho has been to them and all they did in return was… “Okay, it’s about the bed. See, Suho, we broke the bed last night” Kai admits shamelessly.

And, oh yes, they did it. They broke the bed. The bed, which probably costs more than Kyungsoo’s apartment with the furniture included, suffered some damage last night due to their…um…vigorous activities. Do you understand now?! How can Kyungsoo ever say he broke a bed like that?! How can he say he broke a thousand-priced bed like that? In someone else’s house? Someone who has been hosting them so kindly? He has to be ashamed both for breaking the bed and for inflicting damage to their host’s house. That is why he can’t look Suho straight in the eyes ever again.

“You broke the bed?!” Lay exclaims with an entertained smile, simultaneously covering Baekhyun’s ears with his hands. Kyungsoo doesn’t know when Baekhyun came out in the hallway, but it is better if he keeps his sweet ignorance and innocence, so Kyungsoo is thankful to Lay for covering his ears.

“We will replace it!” Kyungsoo reassures them quickly, standing on his feet again. He agreed with Kai that it was the right thing to do, so now Kai has to replace it –because Kai is the only one of the two with the amount of money necessary to buy a bed fit for this house. Kyungsoo will take the ethical punishment of feeling shame for their deed.

“Did you have fun at least?” Lay asks, throwing Kyungsoo completely off the track with a pair of wiggling eyebrows. Kyungsoo gasps, scandalized.

“Oh, we always do –aw!” Kai yelps when Kyungsoo pierces his ribs with his elbow. This man needs to learn how to be modest.

“Then don’t fret about it! It’s alright, right honey?” Lay turns to Suho with a carefree smile. Suho only blinks, looking dazed by the sudden influx of information. Lay nudges him pointedly and he comes back to life.

“Oh, right, yeah, no need to worry” he reassures them with a short, friendly smile, and then the couple pick up their bags and head for the stairs like they were originally planning to do, leaving the rest behind. Kyungsoo sighs, feeling mentally, morally and psychically exhausted from all the embarrassment.

“Can someone explain to me what all this was about?” Baekhyun asks innocently.

“Oh, nothing! Absolutely nothing!” Kyungsoo pipes up before Kai has the chance to tarnish Baekhyun’s innocent imagination and embarrass Kyungsoo in front of his friend. Kyungsoo proceeds to ushering Baekhyun back to his room. Maybe he will tell Baekhyun about all this one day, because they are friends and they share many things, the good, the bad, and the embarrassing, but not now; maybe he can wait until Baekhyun breaks a bed as well, preferably with Chanyeol but anyway. Right now he needs to leave this house and the evidence of last night behind him as soon as possible. “There is nothing to worry about, everything’s fine and we will be leaving shortly! Now go back to your Chanyeol”

“M-my Chanyeol?!” Baekhyun asks in a surprised, pitched voice, growing slightly pink. This man, out of all the things Kyungsoo said, picked up the one thing he shouldn’t have said. Oh well, if he ignores it and acts like it never happened, maybe he can convince Baekhyun too that it never happened and everyone is happy. So Kyungsoo ignores that and only keeps pushing him to the door.

“Well, go pack and get ready because we are leaving soon” he nearly shoves Baekhyun through the door and closes the door behind him quickly, holding for a few seconds more than necessary to make sure that Baekhyun will stay inside and won’t come out again. He turns to Kai, who is smirking across the hallway. Don’t look at me like that, idiot, I’m only trying to fix the mess we made...

“You know what, Soo? I changed my mind. It’s okay if we leave this house, as long as I am with you”

--

Chanyeol walks through the door which Baekhyun is holding open for him. He has bags in both hands so someone needed to open the door. Baekhyun insisted that he carried his own bag, but Chanyeol doesn’t want that strain on him, so he had to insist back. And in a battle between two stubborn people, the idiot one wins –or so his mother says. On second thought, Chanyeol is not sure that this is flattering for his image right now.

“Are you sure we didn’t forget anything?” Baekhyun asks when they are halfway down the flight of stairs. Chanyeol stops and turns around to look at Baekhyun. If you are here, that’s all I need, I don’t care if I forgot anything. Very few things are irreplaceable for Chanyeol. He smiles widely.

“Baek, I am sure”

“Okay” Baekhyun nods and they continue their way to the door. Chanyeol swells with pride, sensing Baekhyun’s trust in him.

As soon as they get out in the sunny world, Chanyeol rushes to Kai’s car, because these bags are getting heavy. He throws them in –he throws his bag but he makes sure he places Baekhyun’s bag more carefully– and he forgets to close the door after, as he runs around the car to open the door on the passenger’s side for Baekhyun. Baekhyun, who was about to get inside by himself, stops and looks up at him, pressing his lips in a thin line and tightening the corners of his eyes in suspicion. An adorable twinkle appears in his eyes as he does that.

“Chanyeol.” he says sternly. Said man smiles widely, demonstrating his scary number of white teeth, in an attempt to look innocent. Baekhyun throws the knit jacket he was carrying inside the car and then looks back at Chanyeol with the same suspicious expression. “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing?”

“You are being weird”

“I’m always weird”

“No, I mean, you are trying to be cheerful, overly so”

“You can tell?!” Chanyeol cannot hide his surprise. How can Baekhyun see through him so easily? He could be just acting polite. But he is not, really; he is trying to make up for his gloominess last night by any means possible –which basically translates to treating Baekhyun like a princess and smiling like an idiot all the time, for lack of any other brilliant plan. Not that he minds doing those things for Baekhyun. He’d do much more, honestly. He should have seen it coming though; Chanyeol remembers that Baekhyun has pointed out in the past that he doesn’t want to be a princess in his life, or a damsel in distress, and he only wants to be normal. Chanyeol is definitely not acting normal, so of course Baekhyun would pick up on the change. Baekhyun flashes a smile.

“Of course I can!” he points a finger to himself cheekily.

“Mastermind of psychology. Also, a very trustworthy friend. Afraid of mice in the house but not in the field. Easily bribed with chocolate.” Chanyeol remembers, nodding his head all the while. The list goes on in his head but Chanyeol doesn’t continue out loud, because he has a feeling that if he starts with something like ‘makes adorable puppy whimpers in his sleep’ or anything else that’s stalker-ish like that, Baekhyun will freak out –and for good reason. Some things had better stay inside Chanyeol’s head.

“I am also a person who is sufficiently happy by myself, so you don’t have to try as hard and smile all the time. Don’t your cheeks hurt?” Baekhyun asks and quirks his eyebrow, cupping Chanyeol’s face with his delicate hands out of the blue. Chanyeol feels flustered all of a sudden, and thankfully his body is frozen or else he would be flailing his arms around uncontrollably. He feels his cheeks growing hotter under Baekhyun’s touch and he reduces his smile to a loose grin.

“Okay, I promise I’ll go back to my normal self”

“Good” Baekhyun commends and smiles widely, pinching Chanyeol’s cheeks. Chanyeol just felt like a little cute child and he has not felt like that ever since he used to be an actual little cute child. “Thank you for the bags, oh, and for the door” Baekhyun says earnestly and then slides in his seat and starts making himself comfortable for the long trip. Chanyeol feels his heart thump once. What was that?

--

Kyungsoo stretches his legs out of the passenger’s seat, sighing in relief. It’s been a while since their last stop and the shoes have long started feeling uncomfortably tight but, thankfully, they are not too far away from home anymore. He estimates that he will be relaxing in his bathtub within the next half hour, reluctantly dozing off in a room full of soap bubbles. Oh, yeah.

Luhan stomps out of the car and stands on the pavement, crossing his arms and huffing stubbornly, while Kai helps Sehun get the luggage out of the trunk. Kyungsoo doesn’t understand why people like Luhan are even legal. Why does he have the right to look like an adorable child after he has hit the five-and-twenty age mark? Aren’t you supposed to start discovering the first wrinkles around that age? Maybe Luhan has mutated genes that postpone the natural aging process for, let’s say, twenty years later that it is originally supposed to happen. It’s possible. Stranger things have happened.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to take you home?” Kyungsoo asks for what feels like the nth time since the morning, fixing his sunglasses on his nose. Is he being pushy? Nah, let’s just call it parent instincts. Luhan waves dismissively.

“It’d be a hustle with all the alleys and one-way streets around my neighborhood. Thank you, but I’m fine”

“Won’t it be tiring to carry your suitcase all the way there though?”

“Like I’ll do it by myself, you mean?” Luhan raises a challenging eyebrow at Kyungsoo, just as Sehun all but hops his way next to him with two suitcases, one for each hand, only the smaller one of which is his own. Kyungsoo smirks knowingly, imagining a tail wiggling excitedly behind Sehun. The kid is in love, head over heels. “You don’t have to take me home, just give me that” Luhan tries to claim his suitcase and his manly dignity, but Sehun swerves the luggage out of his grasp and frowns strictly at the shorter blond. An intense stare down ensues. Eventually, Luhan rolls his eyes and sighs dramatically. “And so, a brave man was left stranded in the wilderness with a taciturn ice person” he laments and Sehun grins, nudging Luhan with his elbow playfully but keeping completely silent still, in a way that scarily verifies Luhan’s prediction of muteness.

“You’ll survive” Kyungsoo says, smiling in response to Luhan’s glower. Kyungsoo knows Sehun pretty well and the kid is harmless, despite his communication issues.

“Bye guys!” Kai shouts next to Kyungsoo’s ear, making the latter flinch and shoot him a judging look before waving goodbye to the two men on the street. Luhan gives Kyungsoo a last pleading look and Sehun shouts ‘see you tomorrow hyung!’ all too happy, while Kai eases the car out in the street. Kyungsoo strains his neck and tries to keep his eyes on them until they become two dots and they disappear behind a street lamp. After that, they drive in comfortable silence for a while, making a left turn to the main road to drive towards Kyungsoo’s house.

“Assessing damages?” Kai breaks the silence in a hopeful voice, right after a red light, snapping Kyungsoo out of his tranquil state, induced by the soft humming of the engine and the swirling city scenery that makes him miss his vacation already and wish for his bubble bath to prepare itself for his convenience. Kyungsoo smiles absentmindedly. Damages?

“Minimal to none” he admits truthfully and the car skips a little as Kai releases the clutch a tad bit too soon. Kai’s jaw hangs open in awe for a full minute and then he woops and starts a happy dance while holding the wheel, stirring while moving his shoulders up and down and murmuring happily nonsensical stuff. It’s very childish and potentially dangerous for their road safety but Kyungsoo can’t find it in him to reprimand him. It’s kind of cute. He shrugs and leans back in his seat comfortably, mumbling “Well done, my idiot”

--

From: Me

To: Sehun (sent at 21:05)

So, what are we now?

Just thought I should ask.

 

From: Me

To: Sehun (sent at 21: 15)

Still something silly, like boyfriends?

 

From: Me

To: Sehun (sent at 21:47)

Did you get home safely?

 

From: Me

To: Sehun (sent at 21: 55)

I don’t know why I’m sending all this, I’ll stop.

I’m sorry, I’ll really stop.

Bye.

 

From: Me

To: Sehun (sent at 22:00)

Or goodnight. Yeah.

 

From: Sehun

To: Me (sent at 22:10)

Meet me at 15:00 for lunch at my café tomorrow

 

From: Me

To: Sehun (sent at 22:11)

What?!

That’s twenty minutes away from my workplace!

 

From: Me

To: Sehun (sent at 22:16)

This isn’t like a date, right???

 

From: Me

To: Sehun (sent at 22:23)

Sehun.

I’m not sure I’m ready for dates and couply stuff.

 

From: Me

To: Sehun (sent at 22:34)

Can’t we meet somewhere in between the distance from the company to the café?

I’m serious, I don’t have all the time in the world you know!

 

From: Me

To: Sehun (sent at 22:45)

Sehun?

 

From: Me

To: Sehun (sent at 23:17)

I’ll be there at 15:10

--

From: my Idiot Jongin

To: Me (sent at 23:15)

Are you free tomorrow? Do you want to go with me for coffee at that muffin place?

 

From: Me

To: my Idiot Jongin (sent at 23:21)

We just got back after vacation. We spent three days together.

Are you not bored of my face yet?

 

From: my Idiot Jongin

To: Me (sent at 23:23)

No, I’d never!

 

From: my Idiot Jongin

To: Me (sent at 23:24)

...Are you bored of mine?

 

From: Me

To: my Idiot Jongin (sent at 23:24)

…

Idiot

--

From: Me

To: Yeol^^ (sent at 22:46)

Chanyeol, I forgot to ask…

What sort of cookies do you like?

 

From: Yeol^^

To: Me (sent at 22:49)

You don’t really have to make cookies for me Baek~

 

From: Me

To: Yeol^^ (sent at 22:51)

What do you mean?!

You saved my life from a white Mickey Mouse with some window-jumping-super-ninja training! I have to make you cookies!

 

From: Yeol^^

To: Me (sent at 22:52)

Okay then. Let me think about it…

 

From: Yeol^^

To: Me (sent at 22:54)

Chocolate?

 

From: Me

To: Yeol (sent at 22:55)

Chocolate.

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

a/n. Hello world! I’m defying evil internet company tactics and I’m updating today! I’m sneakier than you, incompetent wifi, mwuahaha! :3 I hope you guys enjoyed the update!^^ (Uhm, sorry for the lousy message format at the end, I might edit that at some point, but I just wanted to try something different this time, so…yeah>.<) This has been the last chapter of vacation, hehe! (Xiuchen on the side, as requested!^^ I’m always happy to make you happy!) Back to reality with the next chapter –a reality sprinkled with generous amounts of fluff of course! Stay tuned!

I’m super happy and super grateful that you keep subscribing and sending me some feedback! You’re always very kind to me and I want to build a candy castle for all of you! You guys are the best unicorns in the whole wide Milky Way! <3 *cries* Don’t forget your umbrella on rainy days & make sure you start reading a good book this season! Until next time~ kitty