It’s Friday. The last day of the working ones, the unforgiving fifth day he has to get out of bed, the final eight hours of slaving his precious life away at the office –if he’s lucky and there is no overtime–, the grueling yet relieving finale of the week. There is something very satisfying in knowing the weekend is about to begin, those magical two days that go by without phone calls, emails, meetings, presentations and demanding bosses; unfortunately, they go by too fast. That doesn’t deter Luhan from keeping an optimistic view on the matter, however, making plans to do absolutely nothing for as long as possible during those days. Friday boils down to the final sigh and tossing the last file on top of the mini-tower of finalized documents on his desk, before he stomps out of the office, wishing the doorman a good afternoon and then hightailing for home, dreaming of the moment he can embrace his bed.

When he left the office today, with the customary greeting to the doorman, all he had wanted was to avoid any traffic on his way home, reach his apartment safely, eat –hopefully something he wouldn’t have to cook by himself– and, of course, sleep like a pretty log –preferably for at least ten hours, in order to become a functioning human again.

But this Friday hasn’t gone as planned.

It was while he was standing at his front door that his accumulated tiredness from the week started affecting him. Everything suddenly seemed so hard, so difficult, it required so much effort. After climbing up the stairs to his floor –because of course the elevator would be out for service during the two-hour time frame he usually gets home– he stood in front of the door lifelessly for at least ten minutes, simply staring at it and moping uselessly. He couldn’t bother finding his keys, thrown messily into his bag this morning and probably sunken somewhere under a sea of files, papers and every other trinket Luhan carries with him in his bag every day. If only doors opened by willpower.

Strangely enough, the door did open by itself at some point. And a certain Oh Sehun popped up from behind it. And that’s the moment Luhan knew his Friday wouldn’t go as planned –Sehun almost always has a plan, but said plan definitely always is not the same as Luhan’s. Whenever Sehun comes by, even on a whim, they end up doing something together; if Luhan is lucky, they watch a movie or cook dinner, they do something while staying at home and Luhan is free to roam around in his flamboyant pajamas. If he is unlucky –as it seemed to be the case this time, judging by the excited glint in Sehun’s eyes when he saw him at the door–, Sehun drags Luhan out of the house, to small or greater distances, but anywhere outside the comforting four walls of his apartment and the convenience of his multicolored pajamas is torture to the shorter.

Being with Sehun makes any torture seem a little better though, so Luhan never complains and the younger gets away with everything. C’ est la vie.

“What are you doing here?” Luhan asks quietly once he’s inside the apartment, dumping his bag aside and glaring up at Sehun –he’s not sure why. Maybe he’s surprised, or annoyed, or tired, or confused, or a combination of all of the above. Sehun is standing too close for comfort in any case, and Luhan is so unsettled that he considers elbowing him in the gut ‘accidentally’ while taking off his jacket. Sehun’s expression morphs into an unimpressed one.

“Welcome back, how was your day.” He deadpans pointedly, staring back at Luhan and raising one eyebrow in disapproval. Curtsies, right. Sometimes Luhan skips those details, especially when his boyfriend surprises him by appearing in his house out of nowhere –which has happened more times than Luhan would like to recount. Luhan grumbles quietly in protest for being mildly lectured, even though he knows he’s at fault; it’s not that he doesn’t care about his boyfriend’s day, it’s just that he’s too tired to blink right now, and it’s Friday, and the faster he gets to his bed, the better this world will seem.

“Yes, okay, hi” he offers halfheartedly, and sighs in resignation under Sehun’s unwavering gaze. His dismissive attitude, however, doesn’t get through to Sehun, who brightens up instantly, as if this is an unscripted interaction which surprises him positively. Apparently, it doesn’t matter if Luhan has been guilt-tripped into proper greetings, and he doubts it’s a matter of politeness either; Luhan guesses there will always be times when he just won’t get the boyfriend brownie points system. He can hardly make sense of anything that’s not his bed at the moment anyway.

“Hi” the taller greets cheerfully, with a smile too pretty for a Friday afternoon. Luhan rolls his eyes at Sehun’s childish excitement, in spite of secretly blushing with his antics; yes, we’re very happy from exchanging greetings, can’t you feel the enthusiasm. He toes off his shoes and loosens his tie for comfort, mostly to look preoccupied. “Welcome back” Sehun repeats, capturing his attention once again, because this time it sounds like a purr and Luhan doesn’t have a moment to be surprised before he’s being pushed against the front door, his lips busy.

Sehun kisses him like he had missed him, his lips insistent and keen, so soft and sweet, but also scorching hot. He tastes of cinnamon and sugar when he smiles against the smaller’s lips, letting him breathe for a moment before claiming his lips again; it takes a moment to catch up, but Luhan kisses back instinctively, enjoying the surprise –and perhaps, he could get used to coming home to this, perhaps not only on Fridays. He’s not even annoyed anymore. He wraps his arms around Sehun’s neck and pulls him closer, standing on his toes to give their kiss a better angle as Sehun leans in. Luhan’s butterflies are so excited that they don’t know where to fly, and his stomach tickles warmly when Sehun’s fingers start rubbing calming circles on his hip, but there is no sense of urgency or any implications; it’s a comforting closeness that asks for nothing more than a kiss. It matches his lazy expectations perfectly while being exciting just enough; Luhan knew there was a reason for keeping Sehun around –and maybe a nice, long massage will justify his reasons even more? He giggles at his thoughts –he’d probably be snoring after two minutes in Sehun’s capable hands–, and Sehun pulls back to look down at him, but he doesn’t seem annoyed.

“Something funny?” he asks, raising an eyebrow with interest, but Luhan shakes his head, still smiling; instead of explaining he’d rather they go back to the smooching business, yes, that would be nice. They are so close to each other that he can see all the shades of red on Sehun’s kissed lips, which slowly spread into a carefree grin, too nice to be kissed. Luhan sighs inwardly for every moment he has to go through without the kiss his wants. “I left work early today” Sehun finally explains his presence here, and Luhan frowns a bit in confusion, momentarily forgetting about the kiss; he left the café early on a Friday afternoon to be here? It’s a busy hour for coffee shops...Sensing his bewilderment, Sehun pecks his frown to smooth it. There goes the kiss, a bit misplaced though. “I wanted to spend some time with you” he says softly, his sharp eyes calm and honest, reflecting just how much he wants to be with Luhan. It’s such a simple confession but it makes Luhan’s heart thump and his cheeks blush nonetheless; he clears his throat awkwardly, even though he’s sure he can’t lie about his pink cheeks in such proximity. He decides to change the subject.

“Can you spend time with me and…pizza?” he chirps, blinking up at Sehun as innocently as he can, hoping he can convince him to talk about food and, well, have actual food sometime soon. His stomach is moments away from growling in protest because it’s been empty all day, but Sehun has a less-than-indulgent history, feeding him greens when he least expects it, so Luhan might have to deer-charm his way to a delicious dinner; he thinks he has enough energy left from the hectic week to try it. Sehun looks at him contemplatively for a moment, humming under his breath; Luhan hopes his cute act is working.

“I was thinking more about ice cream…” he muses, sounding and looking like he knows exactly how much the suggestion is enticing to Luhan, who gasps in awe; his cute act worked? So soon? And they are going to have ice cream?! Somewhere in the world a firework bursts from Luhan’s joy!

“We have ice cream?!” he squeals, not caring that Sehun is still standing very close and the unnecessary decibels of excitement might hurt his ears. They have ice cream? And he hadn’t known about it?! All those days could have been so much brighter, with a scoop of the icy treat late at night! So much joy has been lost, sealed away in his freezer as it were, but Luhan is planning to make up for it; he’s going to eat two or three scoops tonight-

“No, we’ll go get some” Sehun shoots down Luhan’s unfinished yet duly noted promising plans, with a small, charming smile appearing on his lips, as if he didn’t just crush Luhan’s oasis –eating a whole tub of ice cream, sitting on the couch and wearing his pjs. The smile freezes on Luhan’s face; and so, we find ourselves in a predicament. Under normal circumstances, he’d be happy in the prospect of a date, which on regular days he’s too busy to enjoy. But all he’s been daydreaming about today –and yesterday, and the day before that– is the moment he’ll change out of his suit, before diving into his bed without any intention to resurface. And yet, seeing Sehun’s eyes gleaming in anticipation so close to him, it gets hard to remember his original plans and say no to the new ones. The concept of rejection undergoes a crisis in fact, and Luhan feels like his future is already set, because he knows he’s going to say yes to Sehun; but that doesn’t mean he can’t complain about it a little.

“Outside?” he whines, his nose scrunching in distaste.

“Outside.” Sehun confirms with a knowing smirk of victory. Luhan whimpers and lets his head fall on Sehun’s shoulder, his forehead connecting with Sehun’s prominent collarbone. Sehun circles his arms around him and hugs him closer, patting his back in sympathy. Luhan sighs and slumps against him, taking advantage of his boyfriend’s closeness to zone out for a bit –and said boyfriend is very aware of that, but he lets Luhan do as he pleases anyway, because he knows his alternative is to deal with a sulky Luhan all evening. Good boyfriends know when to slow down and take a step back; before they nudge you forward again. Like Sehun does, very literally, guiding Luhan to the bedroom and having him sit down on the bed with a view of the wide open closet. “We’ll be going to the park, okay? Dress warmly” he informs helpfully, ruffling Luhan’s hair and strolling out, to give Luhan some privacy.

Luhan sighs heavily after the younger is gone, and he leans forward to prop his heavy head against his hand; he is so unmotivated to leave the house that he spends ten minutes in that position, staring at the closet blankly, finding it impossible to pick an outfit to change into for the date. Unless it has unicorns and paw prints on it, it seems inappropriate to put on right now. The thought of passing out on the spot crosses his mind –he is just so close, he is on the bed already!– but then he thinks better of it; it’s not like he could ever escape Sehun’s irresistible charm, even when the latter is absent, and you can’t seriously expect him to refuse ice cream while he’s in his right mind. Urgh, manipulative boyfriends. He remains idly engrossed in his thoughts, regardless his intension, until Sehun comes to the rescue, sighing softly at Luhan when he finds him exactly the way he left him –but he’s still smiling, so he shouldn’t be very annoyed. Luhan’s cuteness seems to be doing wonders today, because Sehun takes pity on his miserable puppy eyes and picks out a set of clothes for him –no unicorns or paw prints though, how generic. He hands them to Luhan, who looks at them as if they are alien. Sehun curls a finger under Luhan’s chin to lift his face so that he can look at him.

“Should I change you into them too?” he asks with a teasing smirk –as if Luhan’s heart hasn’t taken enough blows for the day. His mind suddenly kicks out of its lazy state and starts conjuring up all sorts of visual and sensory pictures, making his ears turn bright pink with the promise that flickers in Sehun’s eyes. Luhan’s heart thuds in his chest as Sehun leans down slowly, to kiss Luhan’s jaw; the latter trembles noticeably at the touch, shivers wrecking his skin all over, his eyes closing with a deep yet shaky breath full of Sehun’s scent. Making him so bothered shouldn’t be this easy, it really shouldn’t. “I can’t promise we’ll be going out for ice cream after that though” Sehun whispers, lips brushing against the shell of the elder’s ear. Luhan gulps, fingers twitching around fistfuls of clothing, desperate to grasp on some sanity.

Ice cream, all for ice cream.

“I-I think…” he mumbles with difficulty, taking a deep breath as soon as Sehun pulls back far enough to look at him. Luhan can feel his face burning as hot as the sun, and his lips feel so numb, but he sobers up enough to croak out a few more words. “I should change” he says quietly, gripping the clothes. A slow smile of approval spreads on Sehun’s lips and he pecks Luhan’s nose once before he’s gone, out the door and to the kitchen again. Luhan doesn’t think he will stay as loyal to his plans for ice cream if Sehun pays him a second visit, so he chooses to be wise and scrambles to change as fast as he can, and then he presents himself in the kitchen, ready to go out and considerably less flustered. Take him for ice cream, he’s ready.

The idea of the icy delicacy keeps him going, all the way down the stairs and to the park. The day is nice, the sun hasn’t set yet and the park is full of families and couples, making the most of their free time. The sky looks orange and light blue, shining over the trees and slopes of green grass, easing Luhan’s tiredness; it feels refreshing, even though he would have never guessed so. The sound of childish voices, laugher, and concerned mothers calling their energetic kids echoes everywhere, the paths full of life and the stalls full of children and young couples waiting in lines. It’s very picturesque when taking a stroll in the sunset, and Sehun somehow steals Luhan’s hand to hold while they walk; it makes him feel self-conscious, but it’s too late to do something about it when he realizes. Frankly, it feels kind of really nice, the warmth around his fingers and the sense of sharing the moment. It’s not like they are the only ones holding hands, or that they’ve gotten any weird reactions for it so far…So he decides he won’t mind a bit of PDA today, and he will simply enjoy their relaxing, boyfriend quality time.

Luhan feels truly blessed when he is allowed two full scoops of ice cream –what is happening in the universe today and he’s so lucky?–, and he subtly skips his steps merrily while strolling around with his ice cream in hand, coconut and strawberry cheesecake flavored. It’s so creamy and fluffy that Luhan sings a dozen different pop tunes in his head in delight –some notes might have been hummed under his breath as well, but he pretends he didn’t do anything. Sehun seems entertained by Luhan’s childish excitement, his lips stretched in a smile to mirror Luhan’s bright grin. What has he done to deserve this, the universe is so graceful today! They chat about their day, Luhan complaining about how burdensome his schedule had been for the past week, and Sehun listens to every long rant patiently, lending his ice cream to Luhan when the latter gets curious about the different flavors he ordered. Sehun’s reports about his week are much more entertaining, even though he’s been very busy helping Baekhyun whenever he’s not on shift at the café, and they succeed in making Luhan forget about his former worries and unwind. The more they walk under the spotless sky, the lighter and brighter Luhan feels; it feels like his weekend has started early and that improves his mood drastically.

They are halfway back, the sun nearly gone from the sky, when Luhan’s ears pick on a familiar voice amidst the chatter. A childish voice.

“Where does the sun go after the sunset? Is it really dying? Is it night everywhere? Do you know what sort of dog that small white one is? How old are the trees? What fruits do they make? They don’t? Why?” the bubbly voice of a child he knows is asking a million questions per minute. Given that Luhan doesn’t regularly deal with children, there are few chances for him to ever say that he recognizes a child, but his suspicions are confirmed when a couple of steps later, a familiar five-year-old with pigtails appears somewhere in the crowd, tugging on her mother’s hand. “Oh, look, mommy! It’s Sehun oppa!”

Why the youngest daughter of his neighbors would recognize Sehun first, is beyond Luhan. He’s been living across from them for years; and he even gave them his goldfish!

“Oh, if it isn’t our flower boys~” the middle aged woman says, approaching them with a smile, led by an enthusiastic toddler. Luhan smiles back politely while trying to pull his hand out of Sehun’s death grip, but he’s not making any progress on that. What is he doing, it’s my neighbor, she will see! Luhan resorts to awkwardly shoving his hand –linked with Sehun’s– behind his back, to hide it from view. She has probably suspected their relationship by now, what with Sehun’s frequent presence in Luhan’s apartment, but that doesn’t make coincidental run-ins with her at the local park any less uncomfortable for him. The woman smiles at them in any case, genuinely happy to see them. “How nice to see you! It’s a nice weather for a stroll outside, isn’t it?”

“We thought so as well” Sehun answers with an easy smile, dazzling the woman; he is such a natural charmer when he wants to be, it’s unfair how easily everyone likes him. His neighbors loved Sehun from the moment they first saw him, helping Luhan carry grocery bags into his apartment, even though Sehun’s appearance on that day had been a mess of teenage-leftover comfort pieces and ruffled hair. How could anyone be charmed by that? Luhan is always the exception to that rule, he has the ‘boyfriend sight’, nearly everything Sehun does seem charming to him. The little girl jumps free of her mother’s hold and stands right in front of Sehun, tugging the hem of his shirt with her little fist. She has a big pout on her lips which could bend the heavens, her head thrown too far back to look up to the significantly taller boy.

“Oppa, can you lift me up? It’s so high up!” she asks with twinkles in her big eyes; she has such a deep gaze, it’s like she’s hypnotizing you with those eyes. Sehun chuckles and lets go of Luhan’s hand, bending to pick up the girl with ease; Luhan is left to stare at him and his child dexterity, completely dumbfounded. He has seen it before, because the little sisters living on the same floor as him like Sehun very much and he occasionally lifts them in his arms, which is very entertaining to them, since he is so tall; but it never seizes to impress Luhan. The little girl giggles mirthfully in his arms looking around; a baby holding a baby, such a sweet picture. “It’s so high up! It’s airplane high!” she exclaims, throwing her arms in the air joyously. Her mother chuckles, mildly chastising her to keep her voice down but in truth enjoying her daughter’s happy moment.

Luhan smiles at the sight too, proud of his boyfriend for some reason. Sehun smiles down at the little girl then, and perhaps it’s how adorable he and child look, or maybe the sun is reflecting sparkles in his eyes, but wow, Luhan is wowed for a moment there; Sehun looks inhumanly good with a kid in his arms. He is a natural child-whisperer, and he knows exactly how to deal with them and make them happy –unlike Luhan, who’s never been good with children. They are like little puzzles with a knack to push all your buttons, and he can’t imagine what he could possibly do with a child in his hands; he’s a lawyer, what is he supposed to have in common with a kid? Luhan can hear people coo at Sehun and the toddler as they pass by; and sure, the little girl’s pink dress is cutely matching Sehun’s shirt, but that’s not enough to convince Luhan they suit the family concept. Sehun is good with kids and he is still one himself, as far as Luhan is concerned.

“Let’s fly then!” Sehun exclaims playfully, and spins the girl around, making her clutch his shoulders and laugh loudly. Sehun makes flying noises as he brings her around in a couple more circles, giggling with her; so childish…The little girl is squealing and her mother is sporting a wide smile, while Luhan simply stares at Sehun in a daze. At times like these, Sehun looks more like his age, carefree and a bit silly, and it’s still so irresistible to Luhan.

“We were going for ice cream!” the little girl starts babbling again when Sehun stops spinning her, so that she won’t get dizzy. “I like strawberry. It’s pink, too! What does Sehun oppa like? I’ll get it for you, so you will marry me one day!” she cheers loudly, posing cutely and batting her eyelashes at Sehun coyly, and Luhan chokes on his breath; say what?! Sehun will do what? Luhan’s head gears get stuck all of a sudden, uncertain of how to process the sudden proposal, and his mind draws a black. It doesn’t help with his confusion when Sehun bursts in loud laughter.

“He won’t marry you, you’re still a baby~” her mother coos at her, pinching her cheek. Luhan is still choking for breath but he is ignored. The little girl does not appreciate her mother’s gesture and she frowns at her indignantly, her cheeks turning pink with the blood rushing to her head as she glares at her mother.

“I’ll grow up and he will!” she explodes, pouting mightily in the face of the injustice that is her age, keeping her away from the man she wants to marry. Wait, what am I even thinking? This is so wrong, just no. “Will you marry me oppa?” the five-year-old insists, turning to look at Sehun with googly eyes and unleashing her cuteness; Luhan, in spite of being mostly incoherent still, nearly coos at her endearing crush on his boyfriend –which he shouldn’t find so cute, but he does; who wouldn’t? “Please, don’t be married to Luhan oppa; I’ll grow up, I promise!”

She looks oh-so-innocent but her words come like a slap in the face; Sehun presses his lips in a thin line to hide his smile, but excuse Luhan if he is not as amused. He gasps, appalled by the accusation, which came at him so suddenly. Married?! Luhan sputters at the mention of alleged matrimony, his thoughts exploding no matter what path they take to make sense of the word; married, she says- what- how- no. He has a feeling that he should say something, even just a small refusal, to avoid further misunderstandings; for all he knows, his whole building might have heard they’re ‘married’! But his brain keeps short-circuiting while trying to come up with a legitimate response. His lad neighbor looks a little flustered too at her daughter’s words, but Sehun is much calmer when hearing her shocking statement, and he looks at the girl with curious and pensive eyes.

“Who told you that?” he asks the girl, his eyebrow quirking. The girl’s eyes have an amazing focus on him and she looks him right in the eye to answer. Luhan nods wordlessly on the side; yes, he would like to know how his marital status jumped a couple hundred levels like that too.

“Mommy says that you are a couple; couple means married, right?” she explains, shrugging her shoulders with the simplicity of it. Her mother hides her face behind her hands in embarrassment and Luhan’s jaw keeps dropping to unprecedented lows. How much do his neighbors know? And what sort of child logic is this, marrying people right and left?! Sehun’s lips thin in a thoughtful line and he hums in understanding.

“Not always; there are many sort of couples” he refutes kindly and the girl’s eyes widen in awe at finding out something new. The five-year-old looks very curious with the new field of unconquered information, but Sehun doesn’t look like he’s going to elaborate; it would be a bit difficult to explain everything, admittedly. If her mother wishes to do so, she’s welcomed to try, somewhere less public preferably. Luhan’s entire neighborhood probably knows, and he doesn’t need everyone in the park to know as well. He is a meticulously private person, why do these things happen to him? Luhan’s neighbor’s face is red when she removes her hands, giving Sehun an apologetic look and mumbling an apology to Luhan, who only blink back at her, still frozen in shock and mortification. Then suddenly, the little girl turns to Luhan for the first time today, her pigtails swishing and her gaze nailing him in his spot.

“How old are you?” the little girl asks, looking at him with a pout that means business. Luhan’s eyes widen even further in astonishment; maybe she’s not familiar with discretion at her age but her question makes him feel uncomfortable all the same. Age is a touchy subject –like his relationship with Sehun; how many more of his buttons is she going to discover in less than ten minutes?

“How old are you?” he retorts, disgruntled. He shouldn’t look very different from her in this moment, staring back at her big eyes and pouting, much as it hurts his manly pride…

“I’m five” she answers honestly right away, holding up the open palm of her free hand with all fingers open to demonstrate her age, in case he doesn’t know what five means. He guesses it’s an automatic response at her age, and he sighs in surrender, relaxing his body; if only it was as easy for him to flaunt his age. He’d need three and a half hands to do that.

“I’m a few times that number plus a few years” he answers vaguely. And still, he’s not old, he really isn’t; he’s not even thirty yet, for ice cream’s sake! The little girl frowns in confusion, tilting her head to the side and trying to count on her fingers with no use. Her mother deems that it’s enough for a day, and she harries to pick her from Sehun’s arms before she embarrasses anyone any further. Sehun has been sporting a cryptic smile all the while and Luhan is very sure he doesn’t want to know what thoughts are hiding behind it.

“Enough dear, we should go for ice cream before the store closes” she lures the little child expertly, making her forget everything else. The toddler lights up at the mention of ice cream –and oh, that’s one thing Luhan can say he has in common with kids! “Say bye~” the lady neighbor encourages her daughter and the child waves at them both, giddy and carefree like nothing ever happened. Luhan can’t hold a grudge against a kid, so he smiles back at her and waves, wishing them a good afternoon. The mother and daughter duo depart, the little girl’s voice carrying back to them even when she’s out of sight, explaining that ice comes from water, but ice cream comes from milk.

“You know-”

“No, I don’t know, and I don’t want to know” Luhan stops Sehun before the younger says anything that will haunt him for years; he thinks it’d be better if they pretend this whole thing never happened, he’ll sleep easier at night. He tugs on Sehun’s hand to convince him to move on, pulling him in the direction of the house with both hands when the younger decides to be a statue, staying rooted on the spot playfully. “Let’s go hooome, I’m hungryyy” Luhan whines, pulling with all his strength until Sehun gives in –and he doesn’t care if he’s acting so childishly in public after everything he’s been through today, physically and mentally, he just wants his pjs. But Sehun does care, and a pleased smile graces his lips.

--

“OUCH!” Luhan shrieks and promptly scowls at Sehun who has just taken a seat beside him on the empty bed next to Kyungsoo’s. Luhan’s expression is murderous, eyes burning red, but Sehun doesn’t even flinch. “You sat on my fingers, you toothpick made of lead!” he yells, pushing the younger insistently to move his rear, just enough to pluck his hand from underneath him and nurse it close to his chest, sending mistrustful glances at Sehun. Toothpick made of lead…that sounds somewhat accurate, actually; Sehun looks like a toothpick but he has muscles, muscles are not teddy bear stuffing they are lean meat, which means they are high density mass, and mass means weight, so Sehun must be somewhat heavier than he looks. Kai wonders how many times Luhan has used that insult on his boyfriend.

“Your hand wasn’t supposed to be there” Sehun defends tonelessly, unfazed from the hurt act, and Luhan frowns. Kai stifles an entertained chuckle at the two. He has so much fun when they are around, Sehun knows all of Luhan’s buttons and he presses them expertly, much to Kai’s amusement; he doesn’t understand why Kyungsoo finds them noisy. Or, more accurately, he doesn’t understand why noise is a bad thing.

“Don’t you talk back to me, mister! Or you will spend the rest of the night on that couch!” Luhan threatens and jabs a finger in the direction of the generic, lonely couch in the corner of the room, which looks just as uncomfortable as it is –Kai knows from experience. You would think that with all the money hospitals get, some of it would go to improving the facilities, but no, it doesn’t, and Kai’s back has seen better days; the things he does for love.

“Okay, okay; I value my bones, thank you very much” Sehun amends quickly to ensure his place on the bed, and Kai finds this a wise move; bonus points for the comforting pats on Luhan’s ‘injured’ hand. Luhan’s eyes soften a bit but he still looks ticked off –and, in any stage of annoyance, Luhan might snap and punish you mercilessly, as Kai knows from experience, since annoying Luhan is his favorite pastime. No wonder Sehun has to work to keep his privilege of a comfortable seat on the bed.

Kai quirks his eyebrow curiously, keeping his eyes on Sehun and Luhan as they continue to bicker meaninglessly. So, if Sehun hadn’t agreed with Luhan, and Luhan had to go through with his threat, how exactly would he manage to make Sehun leave the bed? He is smaller, weaker, severely less patient and rational…The only way would be to pester Sehun until he left –which is actually a plausible option, if it is Luhan we are talking about.

Kai is very curious as to how those two interact in their relationship, since he hasn’t had the patience to observe them for long –he’s always busier with his little Soo. Is Luhan acting the way he does around other people when he is with Sehun? Can Sehun see through Luhan’s lies and façade? Does he enjoy bickering with him and is that all they do when they interact? Besides, you know…playing peanuts. The only ones not playing peanuts yet are Chanyeol and Baekhyun, but that’s beside the point. Kai is curious to know how Luhan treats his boyfriend, because he cannot imagine it for himself; he knows Luhan pretty well after so many years, his work-mode and his friend-mode, the devil-mode and his overgrown kid-mode, but he has never seen the boyfriend-mode beyond the blushing bickering and occasional proclamations of hatred. He is also curious to find out more about Sehun’s type of romance –which consists of a lot more resilience in tantrums for one thing…

Kai thinks he will have to see it for himself sometime; he will have to commit to observing them for a while. It’s a philosophical quest, for science. Maybe they could go on a double date, when Kyungsoo is all healthy and kicking again. That will give Kai a chance to compare their own relationship with Sehun and Luhan’s. Or a triple date, with Chanyeol and Baekhyun too! Because Kai is definitely curious about those two sweet cupcakes and their behavioral patterns when they are together! Or maybe they could go on a times-four date, with Chen and Xiumin as well, because he hasn’t seen enough of those two together yet!

Wait; that’s too many people. It’s starting to sound more like an excursion and less like a date. Let’s put this idea aside for now and deal with it some other time.

“Soo, is your leg okay? Does it hurt?” Kai asks, shifting his position on the bed, where he is snuggled next to Kyungsoo. The bed is small and somewhat uncomfortable, but Kai has gotten used to it after almost a week of cuddling next to Kyungsoo whenever he has the chance. Kyungsoo always complains they don’t fit and he threatens to strangle Kai if he causes anything to move out of place and start hurting, but he’s the one who leaches on Kai for warmth and presses his face in his chest; Kai’s little conflicted miracle is cute like that.

He just wants to hold him in his arms all the time, even more so after the accident. Because what if Kyungsoo was gone? Kai thinks there are many things he hasn’t had enough of and he needs to make sure Kyungsoo is safe, until they will have shared enough things together, and Kai won’t take anything less than a lifetime as ‘enough’. He needs to hold Kyungsoo to keep him safe, to make him feel better and to feel better himself.

“I have enough painkillers in my system to last me a week without any pain” Kyungsoo murmurs and shifts as well, to sit more comfortably, resting his back on Kai’s chest and fitting his head under Kai’s chin.

“I thought they were reducing the dose of painkillers…” Kai quirks his eyebrow in bewilderment, his words coming out a little strange due to the unnatural angle of his chin, which has to fit Kyungsoo underneath. He makes sure to keep track of those things and he is constantly asking the doctors about Kyungsoo’s condition and treatment; he wants to know what is happening to Kyungsoo on every given moment. He has learnt so many things about the human body during the last week that he could be a medical student by now.

“Yeah, but they gave me a bit extra today because I am bound to wiggle in excitement a lot this evening” Kai can’t see Kyungsoo’s face but he is sure there is a smile there. He talked to the doctors about tonight? Kai chuckles in amusement.

“Why would you be so excited about this?” he asks. He would understand the excitement, if Kyungsoo was healthy and they were to attend the event, but now they are stuck in a hospital room, sharing one tiny bed, with Sehun and Luhan’s bickering for their original soundtrack, and they are going to watch everything on TV, which is nothing like the real thing. If anything, Kai would be disappointed if he were Kyungsoo –because he knows how much he has been dreaming all his life about that event. He had been hoping to take him there this year but…well, there’s always next year.

“There are many things to be excited about!” Kyungsoo perks up, nearly knocking Kai’s jaw, and he starts counting fingers “First, we are going to watch the Park Company Gala, which is the only reason why every year in the showbiz world has any meaning. Second, our Chanyeol and Baekhyun will be there and it is the first time I personally know someone there. It’s also the first time we get to see them as an official couple; us and the rest of the world. So I am very proud and excited about their appearance, and I am also curious –because Chen said something about a makeover earlier…And third, I am excited because you are here, and Sehun, and Luhan –and Chen will be here any minute– which means I am not watching this alone for the first time in my life and I can have fun with friends!”

“I see” Kai agrees with a smile, liking the sparks he sees in the shorter’s eyes, and he hugs Kyungsoo tighter, because he can be such a sweet little thing when he wants to be, even when he’s bundled up in gauze and pale from spending too many days in this room.

“Ouch, my arm”

“Sorry”

“If you weren’t such a good pillow, you would have been fired and kicked out of bed by now. Seriously, you squeeze me wherever…” Kyungsoo grumbles again and Kai only smiles in guilty silence; he deserved that one. Kyungsoo is still begrudgingly mumbling about pillows and heaters when the door opens wide suddenly, and Chen runs in like someone had been chasing him all the way up the stairs –and there are many stairs to this floor.

“Am I late? Has it started? Are they there yet?” he asks breathlessly, flinging himself across the room and taking a seat hastily in an armchair next to Kyungsoo’s bed, glancing at the tv screen frantically with wide eyes. Kai has never seen him so jittery before.

“No, but it’s about to start any minute” Luhan answers helpfully, turning the lights off to emphasize the pictures shown on tv, which are still advertisements and show previews. The light from the screen creates stark contrasts and strange shadows on everything, but Kyungsoo’s eyes are gleaming prettily and Kai can still see the faces of their friends in the room.

“Oooh, good! I was worried I would miss the beginning” Chen settles in his seat and relaxes in the armchair, fixing his shirt and then leaving his large bag on the floor by his feet.

“Why are you late?” Kyungsoo asks curiously, his eyes leaving the screen for mere seconds.

“You mean except for the insane traffic on this evening?” Chen rolls his eyes in exasperation and Kai understands, since he has been in the same situation himself; he used to leave home a couple hours earlier to get to this event on time, even though he didn’t have to search for a parking spot in that time. There are just too many fancy cars, too many journalists and fans crowding the streets, in what seems to be a one-mile radius from the hotel where the gala takes place, and transportation becomes a difficult task for every poor soul in vicinity.

“Security people, forever incompetent!” Luhan exclaims, throwing his arms in the air in frustration. Kai smirks knowingly; Luhan always works with the organizers for the event to some degree, and he would know about the weak points of the event. He works hard, as always, but it looks like the result is not perfect enough for him; is anything perfect enough for him though? Kai thinks he’ll give Luhan the benefit of the doubt this time in any case, because he’s sure Luhan has worked an extra mile this year.

“Yeah, that” Chen agrees, nodding his head from side to side pensively “Plus, we had a last-minute wardrobe malfunction; Baekhyun’s zipper tore at the end! Urgh, I nearly had an aneurism but oh, thank god I always carry a sewing set with me; it wouldn’t have been visible, but I had to fix it, because it would ruin the perfectly smooth line of the pants on his hip” he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. Kai smirks evilly, wondering what Chanyeol thought of said ‘perfectly smooth line’ of the pants on Baekhyun’s hip…

“Oh, I can’t wait to see that suit; Baekhyun said he really liked it! And I’m so excited about the makeover too!” Kyungsoo squeals in a cute voice and Kai feels him shifting in excitement, crushing his ribcage in the process, but who is complaining. Chen grins cheekily; he is the only one in the room with inside information about the couple’s appearance.

“I promise, you will be amazed!” he answers without giving away anything, and then he looks past Kyungsoo with a new thought flashing in his eyes “Oh, by the way, Chanyeol’s hair looks so good! Is that his natural hair color?” he asks conversationally, probably Kai or Luhan, who have known Chanyeol longer. Luhan is preoccupied with exchanging vengeful pokes with Sehun for now, so Kai takes it upon himself to answer.

“No, his hair was natural as it was before, but he thought he should change something about his appearance for the occasion; I think he didn’t want to feel so ordinary next to a dolled-up Baekhyun” Kai chuckles, remembering Chanyeol brainstorming on ideas and even asking Kai’s opinion on his fashion choices. Chen nods with interest. “His hair grows out insanely fast though, so it will probably be back to the way it was in a month or so” he estimates; he has seen it happen before –and he was particularly thankful for it after a certain orange perm that once resided on his friend’s head. It was gone in less than a month and they have kept absolutely no pictures of that.

“What happened to Chanyeol’s hair?” Kyungsoo requires with interest, tilting his head back to look at Kai. Kai makes sure to give him a smile before he answers.

“He chopped them really short and died them black” he blurts out simply and Kyungsoo’s eyes go wide with wonder.

“Hey, stop it with the spoilers!” Chen chides him before turning to Luhan, to ask something about snacks.

“He must look very charming” Kyungsoo whispers conspiratorially in a low voice, before he turns his eyes to the screen, which he had forsaken for an impressively long time.

“He does” Kai agrees, also whispering so that he won’t get caught by Chen. Chanyeol looks really nice with the new hair; he had Kai’s approval before he changed it after all. You can see his pointy ears –a definite charm point– and his whole face; it looks beautifully childish and amazingly gorgeous combined. It reminds Kai of that time when they were in primary school, and Chanyeol was sporting a similar cut because Kai chopped off a tuft of it; it was a moment of passionate bickering gone wrong, they were only six years old, okay? Besides, Chanyeol was happy with the less troublesome hair and they enjoyed a great mud-fight when they made up and became best friends again after an entire day of separation.

“Has Baekhyun and Chanyeol seen each other?” Luhan asks Chen, his eyes twinkling excitedly in the lights of the tv; Kai doesn’t think he has seen Luhan this invested in anything that doesn’t involve deadlines before. He looks childish, happy, cute even, and it suits him. But don’t tell him that. Chen’s eyes widen.

“Of course they have! Chanyeol came by Baekhyun’s house to pick him up a while before I left with the stylists; the giant cutie even opened the car door for Baek~”

“You were there?!” Kyungsoo explodes, making Chen flinch out of his dreamy bubble in surprise “And? What did they say? What did they do? Come on! The suspense is killing me!” Kyungsoo exclaims cutely, throwing his good arm in the air, and Chen smiles, just like Kai.

“Well…Chanyeol called before he came up, to make sure he wouldn’t step in during an, ahem, uncomfortable moment, but we were already done and the stylists were locked up in another room, and Baekhyun was panicking about not being perfect enough, biting half his lip tint off; but then, they saw each other and it was like time stopped. They were both frozen and stared at each other for a considerable while, Chanyeol’s mouth was in a cute ‘o’ and Baekhyun had those adorable twinkles in his eyes! And then they exchanged a few compliments and Baek blushed, so cutely! He even fidgeted with his hands, until Chanyeol linked their hands and I felt like I was dying!” he recounts animatedly, with gestures and vivid expressions. Kai chuckles and Sehun rolls his eyes, but Kyungsoo and Luhan seem to be enjoying the narration, as Chen moves on to details, with excited squeals and enthusiastic yelps, like a group of loyal fanboys.

Kai tunes them out, thinking that he most definitely has to attend the event next year with Kyungsoo. They will walk together on the red carpet and Kai will probably be as excited, proud and nervous as Chanyeol was for these last few days, but it’s all worth it in the end. Well, hopefully Kai won’t lose the words in his head and leave his sentences unfinished like Chanyeol did numerous times within seven days, when his emotions took over at random moments in the day and he proceeded to spacing out and fretting silently, but yeah, that’s his giant, weird friend for you…

“Oh my god, it’s starting! It’s starting!” Kyungsoo warns the other two and everyone quiets down in the room immediately, leaving the opening music and the journalist’s remarks fill the room which is full of silent anticipation, so thick that you can almost feel the tension on your skin. Kai swears that the whole hospital has gone quiet in this moment –which is creepy but a true fact nonetheless, because every tv in this hospital –in this city even– is tuned to the same channel on this night.

A few boring politicians and their wives and husbands are the first to arrive and make their statements of how honored they feel to have been invited. Chen, Kyungsoo and Luhan make a few comments on their outfits, like the brands of the suits and whether the fabrics are appropriate for summer, like that dress that reveals too much and that dress which is so last year, and that which fits her age perfectly and she looks so classy, like that woman’s faded hair color, the age of the man’s super young wife, the huge earrings of a woman and the funny behavior of that newly married man.

Kai almost zones out, but he tunes back in again when the lifestyle and business stars start appearing. He couldn’t have missed this moment because, for one thing, Kyungsoo gripped his hand in excitement and, for another, the girls next door squealed hysterically, signaling the arrival of a play boy on the carpet. Kai wonders if girls screamed like that whenever he made his appearance too, and if they’ll miss him this year. He certainly won’t be missing anything though, because he has the only thing he needs in his arms.

The first fashionable lad to stroll on the carpet like a boss is Nam Woohyun, looking single and stunning as always. Kai smiles, thinking how Woohyun took over his father’s main business a month ago and he must be freaking out with the new load of responsibilities, but he still manages to look cool and confident. Myungsoo, also known as L, comes right after, looking just as handsome as Kai remembers him. He can’t recognize the girl next to him, but she can’t be very important, because her presence doesn’t stop L from winking at the cameras and posing like he is alone on the carpet. Kai shakes his head in amusement –ever the playboy, L…He will have to catch up with him sometime, now that he is back from Singapore. A few ladies, like Jiyeon, Qri and IU, come after those two gentlemen and the squealing next door is not as heated as before, but the chatter and commentary are at their peak. Zelo, Jinyoung, Ravi and Leo follow soon after, with small intervals of other people, but the yelling is back to superhuman decibels by now. Suho appears and Kai salutes him silently while the others praise his suit. Only now Kai remembers that Lay would not be attending with Suho, because they want to keep their relationship a secret for now. Kai should have thought of calling Lay over to watch the show with everyone here; even though this is a mere hospital room and they are low on snacks because Kai didn’t manage to smuggle in as many as he had planned.

“Dear viewers, I think I can see Park Chanyeol’s car, arriving just this instant. Oh yes, it is him; and he is not alone, oh my god! Ladies and gentlemen, Park Chanyeol brought a date with him this year!”

“Of course he brought a date!” Luhan hollers with pride.

“Goooo Baekhyuuun!” Chen and Kyungsoo cheer with appropriate gestures of encouragement. Kai smiles in anticipation without realizing it, even though those two cannot be seen on the screen yet, because there are a ton of photographers and guests crowding the frame. The caption at the foot of the screen writes ‘Park Chanyeol with mysterious beauty’ and Kai thinks that they got it right, Baekhyun is a beauty, but probably not the kind of beauty they expect; he is even better.

When Chanyeol and Baekhyun finally make their appearance on screen, after the caption has changed about a thousand times in different guesses and the squeals next door are loud as ever –someone is definitely in tears over there–, Kai’s jaw drops painfully, Sehun freezes, Luhan yelps once in shock, Chen smirks proudly and the only sound is Kyungsoo’s astounded exclamation.

“MAGENTA?!”

They stay like that for a few moments like a bunch of petrified idiots.

“So, what do you think?” Chen breaks the silence just about the time when Kai’s brain starts functioning again. The journalist is having three heart attacks and a and Kai is thankful for the walls of this room or he would have gone deaf with all the ear piercing cries and exclamations from the neighboring rooms.

“Magenta…” Kyungsoo whispers so low that it goes unnoticed.

“Chen, that suit is like…perfection” Luhan enunciates slowly with his eyes glued on the screen; Kai couldn’t agree more. He watches in a daze as Chanyeol and Baekhyun pose for the cameras and photographers, standing close to each other and smiling in different angles, or waving at a few lucky people in the crowd.

“Oh, thank god you like it! It was so last minute and I was so unsure of the result” Chen says, but Kai doesn’t pay him much attention. He’d rather watch the happy couple pose a few meters away from the cameraman and the journalist. The flashes have turned night into day on the carpet and people keep yelling to get their attention; Kai cannot see if they are holding hands or if Chanyeol is holding Baekhyun by the waist or anything couple-like like that, but he is sure that they will look perfectly like a couple in every picture.

“I knew that Chanyeol hyung could look stunning whenever he wanted to, but…damn, Baekhyun hyung looks hwat” Sehun opens his eyes wide and everything that needs to be said about how much Baekhyun and Chanyeol are on the better side of perfection on this night is carried in his voice.

“I second that” Kai agrees and high-fives Sehun. He doesn’t think he could have said it better. They look so polished and fashionable, and they both have this amazing combination of se*y and innocent that has everyone drool and swoon; even Kai, who by no means has such ideas about those two, can feel his saliva pooling in his mouth.

“Magenta.” Kyungsoo breathes out but, once again, only Kai hears him.

“They look amazing, don’t they?” Chen coos, and if it was humanly possible, his eyes would have turned to heart-shapes.

“My cutie B looks so natural in front of the photographers! He knows how to work the camera as successfully as Chanyeol. As expected by my pretty, little, super sweet Baek~” Luhan hugs his torso and squirms in his seat. Kai notices that indeed Baekhyun looks very natural in front of the cameras, even though this must be very far from his real emotions and even though he doesn’t have all those years of experience that Chanyeol and Kai have had, born as they are in the spotlight. Congrats to Baekhyun for being so perfect in everything. Chanyeol, you lucky giant noodle…

“Chanyeol looks happier than usual” Kai mumbles absentmindedly. Chanyeol has many types of smiles for the camera and the public, and Kai knows how to tell them apart because he practically grew up with Chanyeol. Chanyeol does his absolute best to smile better than ever for this event every year, but the result is never as brilliant and mind-blowing as this time. Baekhyun brings out the best in Chanyeol and they both look so happy. Kai thinks they deserve it.

“Magenta?” Kyungsoo chokes lightly and Kai turns his attention to him with concern, but Kyungsoo waves he is fine and everyone else don’t seem to be aware of anything that is happening in this version of reality, so that ends up going unnoticed as well.

“What we are seeing is unprecedented, ladies and gentlemen! Park Chanyeol, posing on the carpet with another handsome man! We will bring to you exclusive images of this charming pair and our interview with them in a short while. There are so many pictures to be taken that we will have to go on a short break and we will come back soon. Don’t leave your positions, ladies and gentlemen, this is the news of the year!” the journalist says, frantic, trying to sound above the noise of the photo shoot that is taking place next to her. The end of the world wouldn’t have had any more enthusiastic media coverage than Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s appearance tonight.

“What?! No! Bring them back! Where are you going? I need to see my wonderful creation!” Chen protests immediately, jumping to his feet and shaking his fist threateningly at the television.

“Magenta?!” Kyungsoo shouts this time and gets everyone’s attention, but Kyungsoo is mainly after Chen’s attention. The latter flinches and sinks back in the armchair, blinking at Kyungsoo in surprise. Kyungsoo is practically boiling in Kai’s arms. “Magenta hair?! It’s freaking magenta! A shade of purple! Baekhyun’s hair! How did this happen?!” Kai cannot see his face but he can imagine how his big eyes are open so wide that they look eerie, in a way that makes the sight of his face hunt you for days.

“Well,” Chen shrugs his shoulders and smirks “I couldn’t send him out there looking anything less than jaw-dropping gorgeous and volcano-smoldering hot! Those people are lions, they would have eaten him alive!” he points out in his defense –which sounds pretty valid, actually. Even Kai coached Baekhyun on certain things for the event; one doesn’t simply go there unprepared.

“B-but it’s our Baekhyun, and he has magenta hair! I only saw him yesterday afternoon and he was normal and now he is like…woahwoooooow” Kyungsoo makes a gesture of amazement with his healthy hand and falls back limply against Kai’s chest, a bit roughly, and the latter groans in discomfort, in loving memory of his poor lungs.

“That was the point!” Chen presses, perking up in his seat with a triumphant expression “And if I managed to shock you, who have known him for years, then imagine what I did to the rest of the world!” the triumphant expression turns into a mad scientist smile at this point “I’m a genious, aha~ aha~ And to think that he was ‘not so sure’ about it…” Chen scoffs before resuming his embarrassing sedentary victory dance.

“Unless you are Sehun, I think that anyone would be having second thoughts before dying their hair purple” Luhan comments in Baekhyun’s defense and Kai thinks he is right –but in the not-annoying way Luhan is always right.

“Hey! I wouldn’t dye my hair purple!” Sehun protests and receives a soft slap in the stomach by Luhan for it.

“Your hair was blue? No, it was green. Wait, no, it was pink. Now that I think about it, it was yellow. Your hair was freaking rainbow colored when I met you, Sehun!” Luhan reminds him with a yell right next to his ear, and Sehun grimaces before admitting defeat.

“Wait, hush, it’s starting again!” Kyungsoo says, and his eyes have not left the television for longer than twenty seconds, like a loyal believer. Kai smiles at how cute this little passion is, and he turns his eyes to the tv as well. He is greeted by booming cheers from next door and by a dazzling picture of Chanyeol next to Baekhyun in front of the camera. That screen has never looked better.

“Our holy father, who art in ice cream land, this is the stuff dreams are made of…” Luhan says and crawls on the bed to get closer to the screen, magnetized by the picture, but Sehun pulls him back again. Kai can definitely understand Luhan’s feelings though, because, even if he has seen Baekhyun so many times and he loves him like a little puppy, and even if he has known Chanyeol for so long that he could have been bored of his face by now, he can feel his heart flip, like a teenager seeing their favorite idol on tv for the first time. This doesn’t make sense.

Kyungsoo suddenly decides that it’s not enough if he is squirming in his seat by himself, so he grabs Kai’s clothes wherever his hands can reach and starts shaking him hysterically.

“I am very happy to be here” Chanyeol answers the journalist’s question, something along the lines of how he is feeling tonight “I am very proud that our company has the chance to organize this event for another year. I hope this will be a successful night and that we will raise enough money to support the people who are in need” Oh, right, Mrs. Park has turned this event into a fundraiser the last couple of years. And to be honest, that’s better than a bunch of wealthy people gathering to celebrate nothing in particular. At least now they can spend their money for a greater purpose while celebrating nothing in particular.

“Are you planning on building another orphanage?”

“Our primary goal is to fund humanitarian organizations and already existing institutions, like we did in the previous years. If there is greater need for a helping hand to their operation, we will consider taking further action” Blah, blah, blah…Kai had to memorize similar lines every year, because Chanyeol’s father is a perfection maniac and he wanted everything to look perfect and be under his control.

“Enough with the money! Ask about Baekhyun already!” Luhan demands loudly, and Kai has a uncanny feeling that everyone else in the room is in synch and agrees with Luhan’s motion, even without saying anything or even looking away from the screen.

“And who might be this handsome man with you tonight?” the journalist finally asks the long awaited question and Kyungsoo digs his nails in Kai’s forearm in anticipation. It hurts but too little to care. The camera focuses on Baekhyun too, who smiles politely and the lights make him look like he is physically sparkling.

“My name is Baekhyun” he says simply with a small bow and a melodious voice. Kai is sure that one third of the nation is drooling over Baekhyun’s smoldering and yet innocent gaze, another third is crooning sweet things for his cuteness and another third has passed out due to excessive bedazzlement. Smart move not to mention his last name; it will take the journalists longer to find out who he is and that will spare them decent front-page news instead of articles about various personal information about Baekhyun, like the creepy stuff the reporters find by god knows what means in this life…

“Well, nice to meet you! You both look absolutely dashing tonight!” the journalist says, and Chen is flailing his arms in a gleeful and completely awkward, alien victory dance in the corner where he is sitting “Are you perhaps-”

“Mrs. Park has arrived!” a distant voice –probably the cameraman– exclaims, and the journalist loses her track of thought for a moment, torn between staying with Chanyeol and Baekhyun or focusing on another of the main faces of the night. Chanyeol finds the perfect chance to escape the question which would undoubtedly follow about his relationship with Baekhyun.

“Well, thank you and we hope you will enjoy the night! Bye~!” Chanyeol dismisses the journalist politely, even though she probably doesn’t want to be dismissed just yet. He and Baekhyun smile at the camera and wave cheerfully, and Kai feels like a hormonal teenager again. People who are not used to the presence of those two might have gοne blind by now.

“B-but…wah, wait…” the journalist stutters, forgetting about all the years of her training and experience, as those two walk away from the camera, towards the entrance of the building. The camera starts shifting to the swarm of photographers on the other side of the carpet, but it changes direction abruptly. “Them, you idiot, keep your shot on them!” the journalist instructs imperatively and the picture of Chanyeol and Baekhyun walking down the red carpet towards the building takes over.

Now, aside from the cutest height difference you can ever imagine and the fact that those two are walking side by side and there could have been a sunset in the background, there are two things that strike Kai: one is how much like a super model Chanyeol looks, and that is not often the occasion, since he is too tall and lanky; and two is Baekhyun’s rear, which looks so amazing in that suit and it makes Kai feel flushed all of a sudden and just…holy mother of all cupcakes. The world has pretty much lost all coherencies for now.

“Okay” Luhan says after Chanyeol and Baekhyun disappear entirely from the screen “I know this is Chanyeol’s mom, and Mrs. Park is a sweet woman but, do you think we can watch that again? The cuteness of those two, and their handsome and stylish appearance, and the alluring smile, and that little glance they exchanged when the journalist asked who cutie B was, and that perfect back si-” He clasps his hands in praying position, his eyes focused dreamily on something beyond the wall, the rest of his words jumbling under his breath.

“I am rewinding, right now” Kyungsoo decides dynamically and picks up the remote control at the speed of light. Kai chuckles at how childish they are and Sehun shakes his head with a smile. And wait, aren’t they the youngest in the room?

“Do you think we can make pictures out of this?” Chen asks, getting comfortable to watch Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s appearance again.

“Why would you need them? They will probably be on the cover of every magazine by tomorrow” Luhan grins widely, showing a little bit of the devil inside him. Chen nods, validating the point. Kyungsoo suddenly turns his body halfway back to look at Kai.

“You have to buy every single one of them for me, got it?” Kyungsoo instructs strictly and in all seriousness, his wide eyes still gleaming with excitement. Kai blinks in surprise once, not expecting to be addressed so suddenly, but then he flashes an easy smile.

“Whatever you want Soo”

--

“Your dress is wonderful” Baekhyun compliments the journalist who has been chatting with him for the past five minutes or so, smiling at her politely. He can’t remember her name with certainty, because he has met far too many people in one night, and nearly half of them were journalists while most of them in total were female; his compliment is honest though. It’s slightly easier to remember faces than names for one night, and he is okay with it, as long as he doesn’t have to call anyone by name, because he will probably get it wrong and that would be very embarrassing. Not to mention everyone seems to memorize his name after hearing it just once, probably because they are to some degree curious about him; he’s the one who waltzed in here adorning Park Chanyeol’s arm, after all.

“Oh, thank you” she smiles coyly, with a small blush on her cheeks. He keeps making females blush unintentionally today and it feels a bit strange; maybe it’s his extra polished appearance that has that effect. “Your suit looks quite amazing too! Who designed it?” she inquires with interest; aaaand the spotlight is on him again. Baekhyun wonders if journalists ever talk about themselves for longer than three seconds before asking their conversation partner their next question. He has been receiving a lot of questions tonight, from journalists and people under various other professions alike, and Baekhyun can’t really blame them, because he is Park Chanyeol’s mystery date. He intends to keep his mysterious aura though.

“Chen” Baekhyun answers her, smiling mostly to himself, mentally thanking his best friend for making this astounding suit, mentioning him for the hundredth time tonight. He had only one week at his disposal to design and tailor it, but that didn’t stop him from making it amazing; fashionable, chic and just what it needed to be to make Baekhyun look astonishing in it. His creative side worked wonders on Baekhyun’s figure, and every single seam has been measured and executed to perfection. He has been receiving many compliments thanks to this suit, more than he thinks he’d normally get –oh, the hair seems to have caused quite the sensation too, but Baekhyun is not so sure about the hair yet, because well…it’s purple. His best friend’s creative side might have gone a little overboard with that.

“Chen, the designer from Exo? Don’t they specialize in women’s clothes?” the journalist asks, curious. She shifts the liquor in her hand, her rings sparkling in the light.

“You could say it is custom made” Baekhyun adds just a little bit of cheekiness to his answer, to keep the otherwise superficial conversation interesting, and she giggles. He makes sure to give proper credit to Chen to every journalist who has asked about his suit and, hopefully, it will make up for the stressful week of work he imposed on his friend, when Chen sees the magazine articles with his name in them tomorrow. Because, yes, as alien and frightening as that might sound, there will be articles about Baekhyun tomorrow; his unimpressive little self will probably make it to a few headlines. He tries not to think about that, because it makes him anxious and insecure, but he’s determined to do his best today and make a good impression, so he talks to everyone confidently with a smile. Park Chanyeol, the things I do for you…

“Then he must be very talented! I will definitely mention him in my article, and maybe book an interview with him in the near future” in a blink of the eye she produces a notepad out of her purse –and here Baekhyun thought that journalists didn’t actually carry note pads everywhere anymore– and she jots something down. It’s an awkward moment and Baekhyun bites his smile discreetly. He remembers then, out of the blue, that she works for a fashion magazine and, suddenly, we are past making up for the strenuous work; Chen owes him big time if this interview happens, because his reputation outside the fashion company will sky rocket after that. Chen is lucky that Baekhyun is not the type who collects his debts and he, more like, forgets them.

“So, about you and Park Chanyeol…” she starts, looking up at him with her pen still warm in her hand. Baekhyun’s smile turns slightly strained on his lips, but not enough for her to notice. We have finally reached that point in the conversation, huh? Is there any person in this room who will not try to ask about it? “Are you just a friend, a fellow businessman, or are you two ever closer, perhaps, a couple?”

“Did we suddenly switch from our lovely conversation to an official interview?” he glances at the notepad in her hand long enough for her to notice, and then he looks at her in the eyes, still smiling at her calmly, in a way that implies ‘you’d better follow my changing the course of this conversation because you’re not getting any answers anyway’. Kai has taught him how to do that, after an hour’s practice and intense staring –and manipulating people feels awesome, you can make whatever psychological assessment you want of this.

“Oh, no, sorry” the woman lets out a small, nervous laugh, and puts her notepad away, much to Baekhyun’s relief. His evasive tactics are not foolproof yet, since he is lacking experience, but thankfully, they’ve been effective so far. Being near Park Chanyeol has the perk of scaring people away, because they don’t want to get on your bad books –and his bad books by association. “I am a journalist and you can’t just turn it on and off; asking questions is my thing” another nervous laugh leaves her red lips.

“It’s okay” Baekhyun reassures her with a wide smile. She didn’t do anything wrong anyway. The journalist’s eyes widen a bit, in what seems to be pleasant surprise. Baekhyun wonders if his eyesmiles went too far. Then suddenly, the journalist’s attention is drawn to something over Baekhyun’s shoulder.

“Oh, I can see Mrs. Park! Would you mind, Mr. Baekhyun?” she gives him an apologetic look, blinking at him and asking for understanding. Baekhyun indeed understands; as a journalist, she must be very busy, combining business and pleasure in one night.

“Of course not; it was nice meeting you” he shakes hands with the woman politely, offering one last smile. If anything, he is relieved that he won’t have to mind every single one of his words during a lengthier conversation with her –Kai has warned him that journalists are tricky and that he should be careful when dealing with them, because they have a habit of remembering the most uncomfortable or unfortunate moments. The woman gives him a look of appreciation.

“It was a pleasure for me too; you are so nice. I hope to see you again soon!” she chirps benevolently and leaves him behind, sauntering closer to the next person of interest. Baekhyun tries not to show it, but he has to admit that he breathes more freely after she is gone; she wasn’t a bad person, but her presence and her questions had him on edge.

He moves to an opening in the room, near the corner, where there are not as many people around, giving himself a few minutes to calm down. He feels better after taking a couple of unrestricted breaths in his little bubble of privacy. Being around people is fine for Baekhyun. A little unavoidable attention is fine too. But being in a room full of so many important people, all of who are curious to meet you and prone to scrutinize your every move, is bordering on too much for him. He has briefly met important people before, and he has successfully organized events for them, but he was never in a position to attract so much of their attention. Baekhyun is not the type who enjoys the attention and flourishes under the spotlight; he prefers being remembered by a good few people who notice him for who he is.

But Kyungsoo said he would be fine, because he is who he is. According to Kyungsoo –and Chen, and Kai, and Luhan, and Chanyeol who is a firm believer and self-proclaimed number one fan– there is absolutely no reason to worry that anyone would not like Baekhyun. In Sehun’s words ‘Hyung, you are the nicest, cutest, puppiest person I’ve ever met, and who wouldn’t love a puppy?’. Puppy comparisons don’t seem serious enough to match the apprehension that expectations impose on Baekhyun tonight, but somehow it is working, and Baekhyun feels a bit more sure of himself.

His eyes wander in the room. This hotel would be nothing less than the most luxurious and expensive in the city, but Baekhyun didn’t know that there was such a huge ball room here –and shame on him, because he is an event planner at the end of the day. But maybe they don’t even use this room that often, because everything looks new and polished. Everything is glinting here, from the precious chandeliers to the marble columns, and from the crystal glasses of champagne to the silverware on the buffet. The room looks spacious, even though it has so many people inside, and Baekhyun guesses it has something to do with the sky-high ceiling, adorned with paintings of various themes in renaissance style. Lastly, there are glass doors that surround the room and open to a pretty garden.

A summer breeze swipes over Baekhyun’s cheeks and he realizes that his wandering eyes have been searching for Chanyeol in the crowd, even though he hadn’t been doing it on purpose. Chanyeol left him a while ago, after introducing him successfully to several members of his family and other important people, from politicians to businessmen to anything else you can imagine attending this gala. He said he had to greet his father, but it would be better if Baekhyun doesn’t meet him here, tonight; Chanyeol knows his father better and Baekhyun trusts that he knows what he is doing, so he stayed behind and answered politely to any person who was kind or curious enough to strike up a conversation with him. Baekhyun has been doing his best to be the closest thing to a version of a perfect human tonight, because at the end of the day, even though they avoid saying it out loud to people who ask, he is Park Chanyeol’s date here, and his behavior reflects on said man.

Not a blink of an eye later, Chanyeol walks into view. Speak of the devil…But Chanyeol must be the hottest incarnation of the devil to have walked this earth. His suit is black and soft, flowing elegantly with his every move, and yet looking just the right amount of tight and unruffled. His tall legs and lean frame are to be admired and envied, and his long strides have something feline, alluring, elegant and dangerous. The crisp white shirt illuminates his white skin even more and he looks like an angel. The only reason Baekhyun didn’t stare for embarrassingly long at his suit-clad body when Chanyeol came by his house to pick him up, was that he was too surprised by the hair; Chanyeol, with cropped, jet black hair, looking se*y and gorgeous and cute and childish and perfect.

Baekhyun knows when Chanyeol has spotted him, because his smile changes ever so slightly. It’s a heartwarming sight and Baekhyun, who is not entirely used to the boyfriends-in-public concept yet, feels heat rising to his cheeks, but he pushes it down quickly and smiles back at Chanyeol naturally. His heart picks up the pace with every step Chanyeol makes closer to him, and Baekhyun thinks he must be going crazy if his heart is more nervous after seeing his very familiar and adorable Chanyeol, than it is about meeting the expectations of all those strangers in the room. You are crazy, Byun Baekhyun, crazy in love.

“How’s my little Baek doing?” Chanyeol asks softly once he’s close enough to have a private conversation, with a smile that shows all his perfect teeth and makes his eyes gleam beautifully. Baekhyun’s heart makes sure to remind him on which side of his chest it is beating.

“He is doing better than he expected” Baekhyun nods with a proud little smile, noticing how Chanyeol’s smile looks more relaxed after his answer. He is so sweet to him today, worrying about Baekhyun being comfortable in the midst of so many people, on top of all his business-related worries; he even offered Baekhyun a way out on their way to the event, in case he felt too nervous to go through with their plans. Baekhyun has been trying to figure how many hugs he deserves afterwards but he’s still not done counting.

“Really?” Chanyeol’s eyebrows lift with interest “Wow, Baekhyun, you can handle anything! Should we make an announcement that we’re official then?” he teases with a sly grin, the tips of his large ears tinting pink even though he’s the one saying that. Baekhyun’s eyes widen, not so much because he takes Chanyeol’s suggestion seriously, but because he knows that Chanyeol is definitely some part serious about this; he would become publicly official with Baekhyun in a heartbeat if the latter asked him to, and this power Baekhyun just realized he has over Chanyeol is a bit intimidating to himself.

“Let’s not push your little Baek so much in one night, shall we?” he says, patting Chanyeol’s chest reassuringly. Chanyeol laughs with his deep, husky voice, and Baekhyun can feel it rattling in the taller’s chest under his fingertips; it’s such a rich, tempting sound, and Baekhyun finds himself suddenly fighting a very strong urge to lurch forward, lock his arms around Chanyeol’s neck and capture with his mouth every note that leaves those luscious full lips.

Oh my god, he is going crazy. Where did these ideas come from?! How can he be so shameless, even in his thoughts? Not to mention he was feeling hyper aware of their public image just a second ago, and now he would throw all that to the wind with no regrets, in all honesty, had he allowed himself to kiss Chanyeol. This relationship thing is starting to wear off on his moral defenses. And no, he totally didn’t think that Chanyeol would be worth the moral decay just now.

“Here” Chanyeol’s voice brings him back to reality, pulling him out of his thoughts, of what terrible, sweet things might happen in the future if and when he lets himself be swayed by the giant’s charm entirely. Does he even realize he’s having such thoughts in public? Baekhyun blinks and takes the elegant glass which Chanyeol is offering him, full of some transparent liquid.

“What is this?” he asks curiously and sniffs the contents discreetly. It doesn’t smell like alcohol, like one would expect to be served in such a fancy glass. Chanyeol smiles, apparently entertained by Baekhyun’s reluctance; well, excuse him, but nearly every person he has talked to tonight has tried to make him drink various versions of alcohol, and Baekhyun would rather be completely alcohol-free and in control of himself tonight.

“It’s water; but if anyone asks, it’s a martini” Chanyeol whispers and Baekhyun smiles before he drinks a generous sip. He was starting to feel really thirsty, but he was somewhat scared of approaching the bar, because he would be trapped there in no time by people trying to offer him a drink for one thing, and for another, he is almost sure that water has been replaced by champagne for tonight and maybe they wouldn’t even have any, or they would look at him weirdly for asking for a glass of plain water. Chanyeol, however, is exceeding Baekhyun’s sweetness expectations by being responsible, caring and mindful of Baekhyun’s quirky preferences.

A girl passes by, waving at Baekhyun with a pretty smile, and Baekhyun, being in his most polite behavior, smiles back automatically; he remembers talking with her earlier. Or, more accurately, he remembers her huge and uber expensive earrings; because they are red rubies, trapped in an unstylish and tacky design of jewelry, and he feels sorry for them, so how could he forget that?

“Who is she?” Chanyeol asks in a low voice once she’s disappeared from view and, no, it doesn’t sound possessive, it sounds like a genuine question. It wouldn’t be the first time Chanyeol is interested in Baekhyun’s progress with new acquaintances in the venue.

“Someone I talked to earlier” Baekhyun would have liked to grace Chanyeol with a name to prove how much effort he has been investing into being a nice person this evening, but he really can’t remember, no matter how much he focuses on his memories of his conversation with the girl. Chanyeol suddenly looks at him with scrunched, skeptic eyebrows.

“That is suspiciously vague of you, Mr. Byun” he says, looking at him with round eyes and pushing his lips in disappointment; it is almost a pout, and if Baekhyun sees Chanyeol pouting in earnest with this hair and outfit, someone call the doctor, because he will be having a heart attack. Baekhyun holds his glass with both hands to keep them safely under control, or they might manifest a will of their own.

“That is to be expected, Mr. Park, because I can’t afford to memorize many names besides your family members’ names in one night” he teases back with a playful grin. Chanyeol’s eyebrows smooth out, even though his lips remain the same –and Baekhyun is still having indecent ideas. He wants just one bite, just one, a small one, please…

“Oh…” Chanyeol whispers, turning his gaze to his shoes dejectedly. Baekhyun is perplexed by his reaction; why isn’t he cheering up? Suddenly, a thought of something he had ruled out before crosses Baekhyun’s mind; it might not be so absurd, however, considering Chanyeol can be a good liar if he wants to be, and that this is Baekhyun’s first time in public as Chanyeol’s date. A sardonic smile appears slowly on Baekhyun’s lips without his permission.

“Chanyeol, were you perhaps jealo-” Chanyeol coughs lightly, wide eyes focusing elsewhere, stopping Baekhyun mid-word. How suspicious of you, Mr. Park Chanyeollie. If only Baekhyun could hug him and puppy yip at him until he got an answer, and until Chanyeol’s ears were strawberry colored.

“My mother is coming” Chanyeol mumbles quickly under his breath, turning his eyes to look at his mother, who is approaching them indeed. Chanyeol smiles at his mother brightly, and Baekhyun gives Chanyeol one last suspicious look before turning to greet the woman as well.

“Baekhyunnie, I’m so happy to see you here tonight!” she gives Baekhyun a wide smile and a warm hug immediately, without hesitating, even though they are in a room full of people who are watching and judging everything. Baekhyun thinks that if she is okay with it then he has absolutely no objection, so he hugs her back briefly, a wide smile stretching on his lips. Chanyeol’s mother feels vaguely like Chanyeol; she is a lot smaller, of course, but there is the same sense of safety they exceed when they are hugging you. “I’ve been looking forward to this moment all week; we talk on the phone of course, but I feel like I haven’t seen you enough yet, and it’s such a pity; you’re so beautiful” she smiles at him, her eyes creasing delicately, and she cups the side of his face with one hand, holding him tenderly. Baekhyun blushes a little at the unexpected, motherly display. “And Yeollie, I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” she chides her son right after, letting go of Baekhyun but taking one of his hands in hers instead, as if to make sure he stays beside her.

“I was with father” Chanyeol answers in a quiet voice and, even though Baekhyun doesn’t know Mrs. Park very well yet, he is almost certain that the cheerful light in her eyes deems slightly after Chanyeol’s words. Chanyeol didn’t sound particularly happy to say those words either. So, Baekhyun decides to say something nice.

“You look wonderful tonight, Mrs. Park! Your earrings suit you very much, dare I say” Baekhyun compliments with a bright and friendly smile, in hopes of cheering her up again. Mrs. Park seems to forget whatever she had been planning to say to her son, and she turns to Baekhyun again with a warm smile.

“Awww, you’re such a cutie; thank you for saying that” the hand holding his tightens in gratitude momentarily, and with her free hand she briefly touches the sapphire earrings that match her elegant dress. Baekhyun thinks that for a woman her age, she can put to shame any pretty, young lady. “But it’s Rose for you” she reminds him with a half-serious strict glance, and only now does Baekhyun remember that she had asked him such a thing the first time they met. Chanyeol sighs quietly on the side.

“Apologies, I forgot” he bites his lip and gives her an apologetic, shy smile. But really, how can I call Chanyeol’s mother by her first name? It’s Chanyeol’s mother…

“Oh, stop making me want to hug you all the time!” Mrs. Park exclaims, squeezing his hand in excitement. Then, she turns to her son “Chanyeol, I don’t know how you found him, but if you ever lose him, I’ll have you locked up in a tower on some forgotten side of the world for the rest of your life, understood?” she glares at Chanyeol, who makes an embarrassed and unappreciative face of his mother’s words; but Baekhyun finds it all cute. And it’s always good to know that your boyfriend’s mother likes you. “By the way, how’s my son as an official boyfriend? Has he taken you anywhere romantic yet? Ooh, any exceptional moments or gifts?” she whispers curiously, leaning closer to Baekhyun. Chanyeol’s throat makes a desperate, whining sound that has Baekhyun smiling, even though his cheeks turn pink at her question.

They have been an official couple for a few days now, but it feels like it was yesterday that they first kissed. The little dates they’ve managed to sneak into their busy schedules seem to him baby steps; he hasn’t had enough of Chanyeol yet. In addition, this week has been hectic, preparing for the gala and visiting Kyungsoo at the hospital, so they didn’t have time to go anywhere, or do anything, or even see each other in private time as a couple. And even though Baekhyun understands their responsibilities perfectly and he is not complaining for his a-lot-more-than-averagely-happy life, he can’t help but feel a bit disappointed when he thinks about it; not enough dates, not enough kisses, not enough hugs and touches, not enough smiles, not enough Chanyeol. But being with Chanyeol, even occasionally like they used to meet before, and being more free to admit his love for the giant, is enough for Baekhyun. He sincerely hopes that they will have a lot of time to do things together as a couple in the future.

“Mrs. Rose Park, this is hardly the time and place to ask things that you shouldn’t be asking at all in the first place” Chanyeol chides her, seeing how Baekhyun is not about to answer anytime soon. Mrs. Park gives her son and Baekhyun an apologetic smile, and she looks cute like a little child, despite her age. Chanyeol sighs heavily in an animated act of exasperation, and both Baekhyun and his mother smile at his little act.

“You should come for dinner soon” she reminds her offer to have Baekhyun for dinner at the Park house, and then she pouts at them both pitifully “I’m so lonely, and I want to see my children more often! I have two cute sons now, let me enjoy it a bit” she teases with a little smile, nudging Baekhyun’s side. Baekhyun’s heart does a funny trick and his ears turn bright red; did she just include him as…her son?!

“Mom, you’re embarrassing Baekhyun…” Chanyeol scolds her with a frown; oh joy, to be attacked with cuteness by mother and son, pushing you closer to a heart attack, in a very public setting. They look so much alike in their expressions too, which is not helping. Mrs. Park frowns at her son and she looks so tiny in comparison to him.

“Baekhyunnie will be my son, and I’m going to love him and pumper him and hug him all I want; that’s what mothers do. Don’t be jealous, Yeollie” she jabs at him playfully, pulling Baekhyun a step closer to her. Is this supposed to be happening in public? Baekhyun glances around nervously; thankfully, nobody seems to be paying attention to them by some good fortune. Baekhyun decides to take matters into his own hands, or else these two will make a –very cute– show.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Rose; I haven’t forgotten about our shopping plans” he distracts her with the second most highly requested activity she’s mentioned she’d like to do with him during their occasional phone calls, adding his best smile. Baekhyun is very willing to go on a shopping trip with her, because he thinks it’s a good idea to know each other a little better and have some bonding time, not to mention he genuinely thinks it will be fun; but he wants to have the official dinner with her before that, so that Chanyeol will be included. Mrs. Park cheers up instantly, her eyes smiling happily.

“Oh, that’s right; let’s go soon! I’ll wait for your call~” she singsongs cutely, adding a short wink. Baekhyun giggles quietly; she’s such an adorable woman.

“I don’t know what shopping plans you’re talking about, but you can be sure she won’t wait for your call; she’s clearly overly excited, she’ll call you first” Chanyeol explains to Baekhyun with a deadpan expression with hits right on target, making his mother gasp in feign shock. But before she can retort cutely, Chanyeol’s eyes change focus and a small frown appears between his eyebrows, which means play time is over. “Mom” he murmurs with a serious expression, his eyes fixed on something in the crowd behind her “I think father is looking for you” Baekhyun cannot know the reason for sure, but he suspects Chanyeol’s parents are not on the best of terms, because Chanyeol’s voice and expression seem more glum when he is talking about his father. His mother turns her head coldly in the same direction.

“I sadly think you are right. Well, I will catch up with you later, sons!” she smiles at them one last time and she squeezes Baekhyun’s hand before she leaves. Baekhyun’s reciprocating smile fades slowly after she is gone, his eyes following her slim figure. She finds Mr. Park across the room and they exchange a few words that look harmless to the public eye; but Baekhyun can see that she is not as relaxed and happy as she was when she was talking to Chanyeol and him earlier.

Baekhyun doesn’t know Chanyeol’s father personally and they have never been introduced. He knows what he looks like though, and he has had his opportunities to watch him for brief moments. He is tall, like his son, and he has an aura of power and strength, like his son. Chanyeol looks more like his father sometimes than others, but generally he looks more kind and honest than his father. Maybe it’s just the age difference that makes Chanyeol more appealing than his father. Unfortunately, Baekhyun suspects that it might be more than that.

But he can only make intuitive speculations and keep them to himself, because he doesn’t know the man. It’s not like Chanyeol does not want Baekhyun to meet his father, or that he is not sure about Baekhyun and their relationship or his feelings. Chanyeol has reassured Baekhyun with more guilt-derived effort than necessary that, eventually, he will introduce him to his father formally, and that nothing will change for them, whatever his father’s opinion might be. Baekhyun believes him –how can he not, when Chanyeol showers him with love with every given chance? Honestly, he doesn’t mind that he hasn’t met Chanyeol’s father yet, because it’s not like his parents have met Chanyeol either, and Baekhyun has already been introduced to the better part of the Park family. He wouldn’t doubt that the giant is serious about them, and meeting Chanyeol’s mother is already more than enough.

But maybe it’s not enough for Chanyeol, and that’s okay. He has dreams about their relationship, just like Baekhyun very secretly does, and Baekhyun respects that. However, Baekhyun won’t mind if he is not introduced immediately to Chanyeol’s father, and he understands that tonight is Mr. Park’s night of perfection, so maybe he wouldn’t appreciate meeting Baekhyun on this night. Chanyeol says he feels like he is not treating Baekhyun right and he feels guilty for it, but Baekhyun sees things from a wider perspective and he understands that, until a week ago, Mr. Park thought that his son would marry a good woman –or a rich woman at least– and make him grandchildren one day; he hadn’t thought that his only son would be in love with another man. And if that sounds to you like Baekhyun feels guilty for being Chanyeol’s companion with the wrong gender, then you are wrong; Baekhyun, just like Chanyeol, will never regret his feelings for the other.

“A penny for your thought” Chanyeol interrupts Baekhyun’s silent reverie, which has lasted longer than he had planned. Baekhyun reprimands himself for not paying enough attention to Chanyeol who is so gorgeous tonight, and he smiles at him; I love you irrevocably. But he won’t admit to that thought out loud so easily, so he tsks playfully instead.

“Just a penny? You are a billionaire, aren’t you?” he sasses, sipping on his water with one raised eyebrow. Chanyeol smiles at Baekhyun’s teasing and he is about to make a comeback, but he is interrupted by a girly voice carrying over to them.

“Oppa! Baekhyunnie oppa!”

--

“Oppa! Oppa!”  Chanyeol turns his head to the source of the voice and little Sulli comes into view immediately, just as he’d predicted. “Chanyeol oppa!” she calls, with a huge smile of delight on her lips as she skips closer. Chanyeol doesn’t have siblings but his little cousin is the closest person to a little sister to him, and they even look alike a bit, with their large eyes and bright smile and cheerful childish expressions. Seeing the child smiling so brightly, it feels like her happiness is contagious and he smiles back widely; the frills of her dress bounce so cutely, she’s like a little doll. When she’s close enough, Sulli lifts her arms and clasps the air twice before Chanyeol scoops her off the floor and into his strong arms in a fluid motion, after so many times he has done it in the past.

“Hello princess” he greets her as always, and she wraps her small arms around his neck automatically. He hadn’t known she’d be here today; it’s not exactly a place for children. The venue is too boring for a child. But perhaps his aunt brought her here for just a little while, to start introducing her to such social functions as she grows older; it was a similar process for Chanyeol too when he was a child.

“Oppa, do you like my dress?” she asks with a smile, and Chanyeol comments approvingly at her pink attire. Pink is her favorite color; Chanyeol remembers, because he made sure to tie a big pink bow around Marie’s neck when he presented her as a gift to Sulli. And okay, maybe he has been spoiling her a bit, buying her a pet when her parents were so strongly against it, but it feels nice to spoil someone so small and pure, and watch all those dazzling smiles you can offer them come true. Chanyeol wonders what Baekhyun’s smiles would look like if he spoiled him…

Wait. Baekhyun.

Chanyeol turns alarmed to the smaller male beside him, realizing that he forgot about him for a split second there. Baekhyun is right where he left him, of course, standing so beautiful and statuesque, looking almost unreal. Chanyeol brought Baekhyun as his un-proclaimed date, and he can’t afford having Baekhyun stolen by any pretty or powerful person here –and there are too many people eying him tonight, though it is doubtful whether Baekhyun has realized it and to what extent–, so he has to make sure to keep an eye on him at all times; even when he was with his father, he glanced over to check on him every so often. He knows there are some very charming and dazzling people in this room, but Chanyeol is not willing to lose Baekhyun to anyone.

And honestly, how could he? Who would be blind and stupid enough to let Baekhyun get stolen, especially when he looks like that? Chen has done wonders with that suit, enhancing Baekhyun’s physical assets, and Chanyeol won’t deny the fact that his eyes keep wandering to all places on Baekhyun –and he means all places–, without necessarily asking for permission. It’s a bit embarrassing. The only reason why he has run his tongue over his lips only once tonight is because they are in public, people are watching him constantly, and they might misread his desire as nervousness –and you don’t want to see that Park Chanyeol looked nervous in tomorrow’s articles or his father will be considerably unsettled.

Speaking of his father, Chanyeol thinks that it might have been a good move to announce his relationship with Baekhyun to him tonight. Because his father needs to look perfect on this night and he can’t shout or protest or do anything else but smile, and he can only bear with it, until he realizes he has no other choice than to accept Baekhyun. He didn’t look happy when he first heard of it, but Chanyeol doesn’t really care about what his father thinks; letting him know is a courtesy not an obligation. Chanyeol is lucky that Baekhyun is a sweetheart and everybody is loving him and reporting good news whenever they mention him; some of the praise is bound to reach his father’s ears, and that might make things more favorable when it will be time for his father to properly meet Baekhyun.

“Oppa, don’t stare like that” Sulli giggles and pokes his cheek with her finger, bringing him out of his daze in her childish and familiar way. Chanyeol blinks, realizing that he has been staring at Baekhyun, who is smiling sheepishly with a very soft blush on his cheeks. He looks so beautiful tonight, innocent and sweet in his expressions, yet so stunning and alluring with the soft eyeliner and the magenta hair. Is Chanyeol staring again? “I told you he is a bit silly, didn’t I, Baekhyunnie oppa?” Sulli giggles, poking Chanyeol’s cheek playfully, again and again. Did she just call him Baekhyunnie oppa? Chanyeol thought he heard wrong earlier, with the chatter in the room blurring her childish voice, but maybe his big ears didn’t fail him after all. But then…How does she know Baekhyun’s name? Maybe some member of his family talked about him in her presence and she picked it up; she is a smart girl. But then what is she talking about? When did she tell Baekhyun anything about Chanyeol?

“It’s okay if he is silly” Baekhyun amends, smiling softly at the girl. Half of Chanyeol’s brain is screaming that Baekhyun is so sweet when he is talking to children, his pretty, pink lips curling into such a soft smile, and the other half is trying to form a necessary question that Chanyeol can’t remember. He doesn’t even feel offended for being unanimously proclaimed silly; it sounds like a compliment even. “And I think your dress is beautiful too” he adds cheerfully, touching the edge of the pink ruffles carefully. The little girl squirms bashfully in Chanyeol’s arms.

“Thank you! You look so pretty with different hair” she says in awe and reaches out to touch Baekhyun’s hair gently. To Chanyeol’s surprise, Baekhyun doesn’t even flinch away, trusting the child completely. He is either unprecedentedly good with children, or they know each other already. Chanyeol can’t decide if he is relieved or perplexed by that possibility; he hadn’t expected that they might know each other, but, on the other hand, introducing Sulli to Baekhyun was his second biggest concern after Baekhyun meeting his mother in Chanyeol’s mind, because they are the two most important people in his family to him. So, maybe it’s a relief that this is out of the way; and the two of them seem to be on good terms too! He’ll have to hear the story of their meeting someday though; he feels so left out.

“You’re very nice. How’s Marie?” Baekhyun asks pleasantly, continuing the simple conversation with the little girl, and Chanyeol is now sure that they know each other, because how else would Baekhyun know of the puppy?

“You know each other?” it was meant to be a statement but it came out as a question, and Chanyeol is only half disappointed with his mouth, because he is also thankful he managed to say something, finally.

“Of course we do! And well done, oppa, I’m glad that Baekhyunnie oppa doesn’t have to play alone anymore” Sulli says, and it is not the first time she is not entirely making sense to him –since she is only five and a half years old, some confusing moments are expected in their communication. But Baekhyun seems to be agreeing with her, and that is even more confusing. Chanyeol glances back and forth between the two, feeling like he is from a completely different planet and nothing makes sense only for him.

“Sulli, Marie and I are friends; we met a few months ago at a park” Baekhyun provides helpfully with a patient smile, when he notices how lost Chanyeol is on this interaction. Chanyeol is thankful that Baekhyun can understand him so easily and then explain everything to him simply.

“How come I didn’t know?” he crooks an eyebrow curiously. It’s not like Baekhyun to keep secrets from him, and there is no reason to keep something like that a secret in the first place. Baekhyun bites his lip for a moment, looking up at him with vulnerable eyes.

“We weren’t exactly talking to each other when it happened…” Baekhyun chuckles softly to cover his awkwardness, and turns his eyes to the ground sadly. Oh…that time. Chanyeol feels a pang of guilt, remembering the pain he’s caused Baekhyun, and he wonders what other important or small events in Baekhyun’s life he might have missed while they were apart. He is determined to make up for everything, to make Baekhyun happy. Let this be a tiny step in that direction.

“Yes, oppa, you were very busy and Baekhyunnie oppa had no one to play with. But don’t worry, Baekhyunnie oppa, now you can borrow Chanyeol oppa any time you like!” Sulli smiles at Baekhyun brightly, and Chanyeol is perplexed again; just as he was beginning to make sense of everything…Baekhyun thanks her without an explanation to Chanyeol this time, even though the aforementioned party would like to think that they owe him an explanation, because apparently he is going to be borrowed?

“Oh, look, mommy is waving! I have to go” Sulli says suddenly, and Chanyeol glances over at his aunt, who is indeed signaling her daughter to leave. Chanyeol smiles at his aunt in acknowledgement and she waves at him this time. The little girl shifts in his arms. “Can I have a kiss goodnight, oppa?”

“Sur-” Chanyeol’s unfinished word dies on his lips when he turns his head and notices that Sulli is not asking him, but Baekhyun for a goodnight kiss. His heart is indecisive of whether it wants to sink or flutter in his chest. This is a first; he’s always the one to give her a goodnight kiss…

“Okay, if that’s what you want” Baekhyun accepts the invitation with an entertained smile, and Sulli leans forward from Chanyeol’s arms towards Baekhyun, who leaves a gentle kiss on her cheek. Chanyeol watches them, frozen in his spot, feeling his lips form an involuntary tiny pout. His heart has decided that it’s not happy and fluttering, but it is not exactly jealous either; yet he can feel it sinking, because he has never had a kiss goodnight like that from Baekhyun…And now he is forced to watch someone else receive this special treatment, and he can’t ask for the same thing in the current situation, and he can’t even be mad, because he loves them both too much.

“That’s cruel…” he mumbles miserably, drawing Baekhyun’s attention. The shorter looks surprised for a moment, but then he relaxes into an adorable cheeky smile as he takes a step back. Distance. Even more cruel.

“Don’t worry, oppa! Here’s your kiss” Sulli tries to amend by kissing Chanyeol’s cheek in return. It’s not exactly what Chanyeol has been yearning for, but it’s the best a little child can do, and it still makes his pout transform into a smile. She smiles at them both and singsongs “Goodnight~” before Chanyeol puts her down and then watches over her protectively, as the little girl walks over to her mother, waving brightly to the relatives she crosses paths with on her way. Thus, Chanyeol misses Baekhyun’s speculative look.

--

It’s been another hour at the Park gala and Baekhyun thinks it is easy now. At least, easier. He is not completely comfortable with the attention and the staring –he doubts that will ever change– but Chanyeol has not left his side for longer than a few seconds, and that somehow makes him feel more comfortable –however bizarre that must be, because they seem to attract even more attention when they’re together. But when Chanyeol is physically near him, it helps him ignore the prying eyes of the crowd, because he knows that two eyes are always watching him in adoration.

They have been discussing with a middle aged couple from Britain for the last fifteen minutes or so, standing side by side like a proper, prestigious couple –Baekhyun thinks he saw someone taking a picture of them earlier. Chanyeol and the other man are having a serious conversation, while Baekhyun and the man’s wife –even though they haven’t been banned from making a contribution– prefer talking to each other about more interesting topics, like sightseeing in Korea, food, shopping and being in a relationship where the other half has to work too much. Baekhyun hasn’t specified his relationship with Chanyeol as anything more than friends, but the kind lady is offering him advice anyway, about how to be patient with Chanyeol and his working hours or his concerns, and how to lure him away from his work environment every once in a while with tricks and games –some of which involve touchy times and Baekhyun is sure he is blushing. He receives the advice gratefully though, because you can never know when you might need it…

Baekhyun is thankful that his English is in good condition and that he can speak in a fairly understandable way. He can keep a conversation with the woman easily, and he can understand most of the things Chanyeol says with the man. They mix business with other topics in their discussion, keeping it light and making jokes every so often –to Baekhyun’s relief, he understands those too, or else he would have been doomed to laugh along nervously and awkwardly without a clue. The woman seems to find it cute when Baekhyun pronounces something incorrectly, and Baekhyun knows he’s made a mistake every time he sees her smile widen momentarily; he feels a bit self-conscious, but she won’t even let him apologize, claiming he’s the most interesting and endearing person she’s talked to in a long time. In any case, he doesn’t dare make lengthy replies, especially ever since the talk between them started involving hints about leather and lace in the bedroom; he has no idea how the conversation ended up there, he’s innocent. He doesn’t know what to say or do to change the subject, and the lady doesn’t seem to need him to say anything at all; so, he listens obediently, taking mental notes…for future reference, ahem. He sincerely hopes that Chanyeol is not paying attention to his discussion with the lady.

Baekhyun knew Chanyeol is fluent in four languages, thanks to Kyungsoo being a fanboy and providing information at random times, and he finds it reasonable that someone with such a grand company as him should speak various languages. What Baekhyun didn’t see coming was the accent. Where in the world did Park Chanyeol learn to speak English with British accent?! And does Baekhyun even need to mention how divine the combination of the accent is with Chanyeol’s deep, velvet voice? All Baekhyun knows is that, whenever Chanyeol makes a longer statement, Baekhyun has difficulty focusing on the woman talking to him, because his mind swoons, his heart picks up and pace, his stomach is invaded by butterflies and other strange things happen to his body. Park Chanyeol is this close to be categorized as a deathly disease.

Eventually, their discussion ends, after having naturally run its course. There are many more people seeking attention in the room and every discussion they have is short before moving on to the next –this was one of the longest conversations they’ve had so far, as a matter of fact. The foreign couple greets them one last time with genuine smiles, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries –Baekhyun feels a bit flattered, very lucky and somewhat proud for doing a good job as Chanyeol’s date tonight.

“I shall make sure to send you the package we were talking about when we get home in England” the woman says and winks at Baekhyun, sparing Chanyeol a brief, knowing glance before lacing her arm with her husband’s and leaving. Baekhyun feels his cheeks catch fire instantly, because, even if they didn’t talk about any specific package, he can imagine that the woman is offering to send him…um…distractions for Chanyeol –the bedroom-involving kind. He once again pleads innocent on this. Baekhyun has never gotten anywhere near that part of a relationship, not even with Chanyeol, and of course he didn’t ask for anything; but the lady is so kind and she liked him very much, so she offered her assistance anyway. He is mortified, but there’s not much he can do, is there?

“What is she talking about?” Chanyeol asks bewildered after they are gone, and there is no way in this universe or the neighboring one that Baekhyun can explain to him. So he decides it’s better if he pretends he doesn’t know anything –playing innocent is a sport he is good at.

“I don’t remember exactly. Maybe she’ll send me chocolates? We talked about that briefly, I think” he looks up at Chanyeol innocently, knowing full well that the giant shouldn’t believe him but he will, because no one suspects how many things Baekhyun really knows, and they always think he is the most innocent creature on the planet. Not that he is too many steps above that status, but he is not an infant either; he just pretends to be a unicorn and everyone magically believes him. Baekhyun doesn’t know how he can dismiss so casually and innocently anything somewhat naughty in his behavior, but it’s like a superpower, or a gift. Oh my god, I am so manipulative…

After spending another half hour talking to people and meeting Chanyeol’s mother again briefly, Baekhyun is convinced that the rest of the night will proceed just like that, with smiles, effort to make a good impression and polite remarks. But just as two businessmen were on their way to approach them and engage them in another talk –the kind Baekhyun can’t participate in much but he goes through it patiently with a smile–, Chanyeol waves at them politely and they change their route to talk to someone else right away. Baekhyun finds it weird but he can’t say he is a master of businessmen etiquette yet, so he can’t be sure about what just happened. His suspicions are confirmed when Chanyeol pulls him with a gentle hold around his wrist, away from the crowd to a quiet corner.

“What’s wrong?” Baekhyun asks in a quiet voice when they stop, disengaging his arm from Chanyeol’s hold because, even in this relatively empty of people corner, the staring from curious parties in the room doesn’t stop. Standing beside each other is one thing, touching each other is another. Baekhyun braces himself for any sort of answer from Chanyeol, from feeling bored to feeling sick, but he still finds himself admittedly surprised when Chanyeol flashes him a childish smile; that he did not expect.

“Dance with me” Chanyeol blurts out, and Baekhyun loses touch with reality for a moment, due to the wonderful smile, the velvet voice and the peculiarity of the statement combined.

“Sorry, what did you just say?” Chanyeol couldn’t have said what Baekhyun thinks he heard.

“Can I have this dance, Byun Baekhyun?” Chanyeol replies sincerely, looking directly into Baekhyun’s eyes, shooting right through his heart. Baekhyun is starting to feel like he is melting inside with that sparkly gaze focused on him, his thoughts tangling. Chanyeol takes his hand gently and Baekhyun subconsciously makes sure to hide it between them so that other people in the room won’t be able to see it; the conscious part of Baekhyun is still trying to make sense of what he just heard, and failing miserably due to his incoherent thinking processes.

“I-Chanye-…um…D-dance…but, err…What?” that’s stuttering on Baekhyun level for you; it’s a really high level. Chanyeol, unavoidably, smiles at Baekhyun’s pathetic speech ability in this moment, and Baekhyun’s cheeks pink in embarrassment.

“I want to dance with you” he insists, so clearly that it leaves no room for misinterpretation. So, Baekhyun heard correctly; Chanyeol wants to…to dance. Chanyeol starts playing with Baekhyun’s fingers nervously, hidden from view. “Other people are dancing already and you are my date here, so I owe you at least one dance. It’s not just because you are my date of course, or because I am partly a host for this gala and people are expecting to see me dance. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, and…and I don’t want to dance with anyone else; I want to dance with you, and I don’t care what they might say. We’ve been together for a few days now and we’ve done so few things together –I know we have all the time in the world ahead of us, but I want to start now. I want to start making memories with you. So, please, dance with me” Chanyeol purses his lips, forming a small, hopeful smile, and a soft pink color is dusted adorably all over his cheeks. Baekhyun finds himself blushing deeply too.

He wants to say yes. Baekhyun wants to say yes; because he wants to dance with Chanyeol too, be a proper date for him and do all the things other people can do here to enjoy themselves with their loved ones. He wants to feel precious when Chanyeol holds him, and feel his heart swelling with happiness as he dances with the most perfect creature on earth for him, and be proud he is the one in those arms and no one else. He wants to start making memories with Chanyeol too, and it will be a wonderfully warm memory if they dance in this grand setting, never mind the rest of the world –just Baekhyun and Chanyeol, dancing in one of the most romantic settings one can stumble upon. Kyungsoo would be so all over this…And this sweet, blushing Chanyeol is very hard to refuse, if he’s being honest.

But no. Baekhyun doesn’t care about what people think –not anymore– but he never liked forcing himself on anyone, and since the people in this room are not ready to accept what Chanyeol and Baekhyun have, Baekhyun won’t make them understand. It would be selfish of him to claim this perfect background to create his romantic fragment of recollection. And he really doesn’t need the perfect setting. A dance is just a dance and, for Baekhyun, they might as well be in a small living room, wearing their pajamas when they are seventy years old, and the memory would be just as warm, he would love Chanyeol just as much and it would be just as important and perfect to him –because that’s his romance.

“I think I need some air” Baekhyun says as an excuse, disentangling his fingers from Chanyeol’s and taking one step away, with a sheepish, apologetic smile. Chanyeol’s smile freezes slightly on his lips and his body goes rigid after the rejection, the disappointment he is fighting not to show, shining very clear in his large eyes.

“Oh…” he breathes, trying to appear understanding and stoic, and Baekhyun finds the gesture heartwarming and heartbreaking in the same time. Oh how Baekhyun would have liked to stay, close the distance between them and envelop Chanyeol is a tight hug; but he turns around instead and starts walking to the nearest door. He can only imagine how dejected Chanyeol must feel, but Baekhyun is not as cruel as you might think he is by now.

Yes, he hurt Chanyeol with his refusal; but he has a plan to make up for it. His head is full of crazy ideas lately and he might as well use some of those to his benefit; he simply needs a more private setting. He heads to the garden, the only quiet place available, trying to blend in with the background so that he won’t draw any unwanted attention. He has already taken a few steps towards the glass doors when he realizes that Chanyeol is not following him –Baekhyun had been half expecting that. He’s such an adorable, giant sulking puppy. He turns around halfway and makes eye contact with Chanyeol, who is watching him go with the eyes of a betrayed puppy. Baekhyun makes sure to give him the warmest and most mischievous smile he can manage.

“Aren’t you coming?”

Chanyeol seems bewildered and surprised for a moment, his eyes opening wide like a deer caught in headlights. He fidgets at a loss a couple of times, making Baekhyun smile, entertained; he’s been so collected and charismatic all night, and he’s suddenly reduced to a distraught duckling when Baekhyun simply asks him to follow. How can he be so smitten with me, how do I deserve it? Chanyeol finally nods silently and follows Baekhyun out, walking behind him obediently, without saying a word. Baekhyun can almost feel Chanyeol’s curious and still dazed stare on his back as they walk out. Thankfully, no one stopped them to talk or followed them out.

Once outside, in the mild summer breeze, Baekhyun feels like he can breathe again. The garden is only dimly lit, mostly the flower arrangements in the bushes and the small fountain babbling on the other side. Everything is peaceful here, the air scented by the summer blossoms, the stars shining high above them, the music and chatter muted and distant. The contrast between the deserted garden and the ballroom that is bustling with lights and vigor brings another advantage: privacy. Just like Baekhyun hoped. The people inside cannot see or hear what happened outside, allowing Chanyeol and Baekhyun a place to be alone for a few moments, until their presence is required near the crowd of guests once again.

Baekhyun doesn’t make a move right away –he might have the ability to be bizarrely shameless when he wants to be, but he still has to work up to it. Instead, he relaxes the muscles of his shoulders and lets out a sigh of relief, looking up at the star strewn sky; it’s a pretty place and he hopes their memory will be just as pretty, after he’s through with his plans. He smiles happily, thinking of his plans and enjoying the view of the moonlit garden –it feels like they are alone in the world. Perhaps they should walk a bit further from the venue though, just to be safe. So Baekhyun takes Chanyeol’s hand to pull him forward, and he doesn’t mind that Chanyeol flinches in surprise at the unexpected touch.

“They can’t see or hear us out here” Baekhyun explains, in the quietest voice he has managed to be heard tonight. He feels more free to be himself here and he wants to share this sense of security with Chanyeol, even though he is too small and too far away from his comfort zone to make any promises. Chanyeol seems to relax a bit after the reminder, glancing to the room bustling with people behind him and then turning his eyes to Baekhyun again; Baekhyun gives the giant a bright smile, before he starts strolling on the garden’s vaguely discernable path, tugging Chanyeol to follow him.

“Baekhyun, what are we doing out here?” Chanyeol whispers, curious but also hesitant, as if he is afraid they will get caught; Baekhyun smiles at the childish thought. Even if they did, Chanyeol could easily save them –besides, they are not doing anything forbidden. And, in spite of Chanyeol’s reservations, the taller is still very willing to follow Baekhyun into the unknown, walking next to him without any resistance.

“We are walking side by side and holding hands without having to worry about it or hide it” Baekhyun states the obvious teasingly, and then he swings their entwined hands back and forth childishly; Baekhyun’s hands are very slender and they fit in the crevices of Chanyeol’s larger, warmer hands perfectly, a feeling that makes Baekhyun’s heart beat faster in his chest. Chanyeol’s lips crack a smile, and he tests the movement for himself, swinging their hands again; Baekhyun giggles and Chanyeol does the same. They exchange a look, and Chanyeol’s eyes are sparkling in the dim lights; he looks like a mischievous little child. But, a few steps later, Chanyeol’s smile dulls and clouds appear in his eyes.

“I’m not a terrible dancer, you know” he mumbles in a calm voice, sounding less dejected than he obviously feels. They’ve walked closer to the fountain, where someone wouldn’t be able to see them, even if they came out of the ballroom and searched for them in the nearly dark garden, which means they can talk and act without restrictions. Chanyeol takes a breath and hesitates for a moment, looking so small. “I’m not great, but I’m not terrible either” he explains; Baekhyun notices that Chanyeol still sounds slightly hurt, even though he is making an excellent effort to hide it, and he feels his heart thudding painfully once due to his guilt.

“I know…” Baekhyun replies softly, rubbing comforting patterns on Chanyeol’s hand with his thumb. Chanyeol lets out a tiny sigh and nods, keeping his eyes downcast; Baekhyun can’t help a smile which sneaks on his lips. “…from experience” he adds, nudging Chanyeol’s side with their entwined hands and smiling at him teasingly, even though Chanyeol doesn’t look at him. Baekhyun would pout in disappointment, had his brain not started presenting him flashbacks behind his eyelids. Oh, those moments at the club when he first danced with Chanyeol, song after song, so close to each other…those memories that have taken a completely different meaning after Baekhyun realized his feelings for Chanyeol.

“Then why didn’t you want to dance with me?” Chanyeol whines cutely, like a miserable, kicked puppy; it’s such a cute sound that Baekhyun’s heart jolts in his chest. Chanyeol stops walking, and Baekhyun stops beside him because of their linked hands. It’s not very bright here, but Chanyeol’s features are still discernable to Baekhyun in the muted lights of the garden and the distant glow from the ballroom. Chanyeol juts out his lower lip in a pout, and Baekhyun feels his heart hitting record speed, his throat going dry at the sight of those childish, plush, full, pink lips, pouting more heartbreakingly and breathtakingly than anything you’ve ever seen. Baekhyun can see a soft shimmer on them and he feels a shiver running down his spine, but he tries to recollect his thoughts and regroup them somewhere away from biting ideas.

“Who said I wouldn’t dance with you?” he blinks up at him cutely, tilting his head “I was just picking a better location” he smiles mischievously, trying to keep his eyes away from Chanyeol’s lips, and ending up switching glances between Chanyeol’s eyes and mouth. Chanyeol blinks in surprise a couple of times, slightly bewildered by Baekhyun’s behavior, and Baekhyun feels somewhat accomplished, because he has succeeded in surprising the giant –in a good way, of course.

“Here?” Chanyeol guesses, looking around. “But, it’s dark…”

“So?” Baekhyun shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, taking Chanyeol’s free hand in his, so that he can hold both his hands as he stands in front of him, and he brings their hands close to his chest. “I promise I won’t hold it against you if you step on my foot” he smiles up at him, his eyesmiles appearing. Chanyeol returns the smile at Baekhyun’s comment.

“That’s actually probable” he mumbles, and then he sighs, looking more decisive with his next breath. “Okay” he agrees and Baekhyun smiles gleefully, so much that his eyes must be almost invisible. His heart thrums in excitement, his entire being anticipating their dance; he’s suddenly so happy he agreed to be Chanyeol’s date tonight. Chanyeol places one hand on Baekhyun’s waist, and the other lets go of his fingers to rest idly on the side of his body, high on his hip, pulling him closer. Baekhyun feels electricity all over his skin and he is not sure if his blush is visible or not in this lighting, but he can feel the warmth of Chanyeol’s body blending with his own, his breath hitching a little. He entwines his fingers on the nape of Chanyeol’s neck, and he feels so dazed that he is allowed to be so close and want more; it looks like he’s falling victim to his own schemes. The proximity is making Baekhyun’s heart flutter and the feeling takes him to the first time they danced like this.

He was feeling like his heart would explode any moment back then, but he didn’t want to show it because it would make Chanyeol uncomfortable, so he kept staring at Chanyeol’s collarbone throughout their dance. This time though, Baekhyun is not afraid to look at Chanyeol’s beautiful face and his sweet caramel eyes as they dance; it might be making his whole body tremble and melt, but he likes the more personal and intimate feeling. Baekhyun’s fingers, just like the first time, find Chanyeol’s soft and warm skin irresistible, so they start drawing swirls against it on Chanyeol’s neck, with a feather light touch, without Baekhyun’s permission.

“I really might step on your foot though; I’m clumsy” Chanyeol warns him playfully as he starts swaying them from side to side rhythmically. The music is not loud enough to reach them here, but they don’t need it much. Baekhyun smiles up at him.

“I really don’t mind it though; I’m in love” he retorts, and Chanyeol’s eyes almost visibly melt in the soft light of the moon. Baekhyun, if he wasn’t on shameless mode, would have blushed for saying that out loud and for getting that reaction from Chanyeol.

“Byun Baekhyun, where have you been all my life?” Chanyeol mumbles in a soft voice, smiling angelically at Baekhyun, whose heart makes a violent reaction. Looking at him so closely and with his smile so irresistible, with his eyes shadowed by the warm summer night, with his childish and stunning face so perfectly within reach…

“Chanyeol, you’d better help me, because I have no idea what I am doing” Baekhyun warns him swiftly, when his endorphins have found the override code to the thoughts that have been holding him back. Chanyeol quirks an eyebrow questioningly, but Baekhyun leaves him no time to make a question, moving on with his plan.

He curls his fingers around Chanyeol’s tie and pulls him down quickly, sliding his lips against Chanyeol’s softly. Chanyeol seems frozen for a moment and Baekhyun can hear his heart beating so very loud in his head with an echo of a thousand thoughts per millisecond; this is the first time he is kissing someone. Chanyeol has kissed him before, but it’s not exactly the same feeling if you decide to initiate the kiss. There is always the excitement, because he’s kissing Chanyeol, but there is also this irrational yet undeniable worry that, maybe, he will be rejected; giving a kiss is a very vulnerable position. And Baekhyun with his lack of experience is sure he is not doing it right, another reason why he is starting to think he is silly and ridiculous in this moment.

But Chanyeol doesn’t pull away. After the initial shock, his body starts responding. His lips shift and connect better with Baekhyun’s in a gentle, loving kiss that has Baekhyun’s heart fluttering like a hummingbird; it feels like he is soaring, just because Chanyeol has accepted his kiss. How strange a thing love is…Kissing Chanyeol, the soft feel of his lips, the warmth of his skin, his secure hold, his scent, it is all very nice and Baekhyun is sure he will never feel like he has had enough of it. However, as human nature has it, he wants more.

Baekhyun has no idea what he is doing right now, but he might as well give it a try. He slips his tongue out of his lips very hesitantly, and if his heart was thundering before, now it feels like a heart attack. The tip touches Chanyeol’s lips and Baekhyun tastes something sweet, warm and marble-smooth, a feeling that sets fire in his body and in his veins. Baekhyun’s cheeks are as red as the flame he feels inside him, and his mind is screaming that this moment cannot be happening, it’s too nice, too surreal. Chanyeol doesn’t seem to have noticed Baekhyun’s escapades; not until Baekhyun’s tongue shifts ever so slightly, brushing against the taller’s lips, and Chanyeol pulls away slightly, breaking the kiss in surprise.

And that’s it, Baekhyun wants to be swallowed by the ground and never resurface, because he has obviously made a mess of everything and he doesn’t want to exist; it feels like he might dissolve from mortification in Chanyeol’s arms. He inhales a shaky breath and Chanyeol’s eyes zero in on Baekhyun’s mouth, his pupils still dilated and dazed, and Baekhyun presses his lips closed tight, dropping his eyes to the ground in embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry, I-”

“Do it again” Chanyeol breathes out, and quickly reconnects their lips. Baekhyun feels more flustered than ever, not just from Chanyeol’s sudden kiss but also from what he thinks he just heard. He remains still for a while, trying to collect whatever fragment of coherency he can find in his brain. Chanyeol’s warm hand reaches up and his fingers tangle gingerly in Baekhyun’s hair, holding him sweetly and reassuringly.

Baekhyun knows what he has to do now. He enjoys his raging heartbeat until he works up the courage to try again, and then he ventures his tongue out of his lips a second time, just as hesitantly as before. Only Chanyeol expects it this time, and his lips loosen at the contact and part slightly, so willing and ready, trusting Baekhyun so much that the shorter feels his heart melt. Baekhyun checks briefly with a glance out of the corner of his eye under his lashes, and sure enough Chanyeol has his eyes closed; he is waiting. Baekhyun feels the soft breath coming out of those lush lips and touching his own, sensitive skin.

Without a clue as to how to proceed from here, Baekhyun closes his eyes and prays that he won’t do anything too bad, and maybe do something right. The tip of his tongue slides over Chanyeol’s inner lips, eliciting a gasp that was too soft for Baekhyun to hear over the sound of his heartbeat. Chanyeol’s lips taste even sweeter now and Baekhyun pushes in; and Chanyeol lets him. Chanyeol is very patient and he is doing his best to accommodate Baekhyun in his mouth, and Baekhyun is faintly thankful for that, even though there are other thoughts dominating his head, like how strange it feels when he presses his tongue on Chanyeol’s sharp teeth or how something stirs inside him when his tongue brushes against the other’s. When Chanyeol curls his tongue to pull him further, Baekhyun gasps and Chanyeol loses no time to turn the tables.

Before he knows it, Baekhyun finds himself surrendering to Chanyeol. He obviously has more experience, therefore he knows what he is doing; he knows where to press his tongue and how to move to make Baekhyun want to squeal and gasp and whimper –although he holds back on all those reactions, for fear of making a fool out of himself. And that is just about all Baekhyun can control of his existence, because Chanyeol gives him such newfound and overwhelming sensations, that Baekhyun’s brain sort-circuits, and every thought falls in an inexplicable chasm soon after it begins. Is this supposed to be making him feel this way? Chanyeol pulls Baekhyun even closer, bodies touching, and Baekhyun is seeing stars behind his eyes, slowly starting to feel dizzy.

Suddenly remembering this is not the time and place for such excitement, Baekhyun pulls back softly, disengaging his lips from the kiss; it truly hurts to put distance between them, but he can’t let them get carried away. Chanyeol opens his eyes lazily, looking so satisfied, and Baekhyun feels his heart melting and sending a wonderful color to his cheeks, a mixture of glowing contentment and shy embarrassment. He smiles up at Chanyeol.

“Am I still cruel?” he asks playfully, remembering how all this began. When he kissed Sulli goodnight, Chanyeol gave him a heartbreaking pout, and although it was not meant as a serious indication that the giant felt rejected and disappointed, it still didn’t sit well with Baekhyun. He couldn’t quite forget about that look ever since, and he had been thinking of ways to make it up to Chanyeol –and so he thought of giving Chanyeol a kiss too. He hadn’t been planning something this extraordinary when he brought Chanyeol out here, but he won’t complain things turned out the way they did.

“Okay, I take it back” Chanyeol agrees easily, with a wide grin. Baekhyun giggles and Chanyeol hugs Baekhyun tightly for a moment, keeping him so very close, before letting go and taking a small step back. “I think we should go back now” he says, eyes troubled and unsure. Baekhyun nods; it was a wonderful moment they stole for themselves but they can’t be greedy. He mirrors Chanyeol’s moves as he fixes his suit, straightening out suspicious ruffles to perfection.

“You’re right” he says, thinking that they have been out here for a while and it won’t be any good if people start searching for them. They vanished together and they will be found together, and that will disperse the doubts they strived to build to maintain some privacy about their relationship. Baekhyun braces himself to return to reality; a reality where he is Park Chanyeol’s perfect, mysterious date. Baekhyun finds it a bit disappointing that he has to go back to polite and charming smiles and careful words, after such a cherished moment, but Chanyeol deserves the effort; until they become officially public at least.

Baekhyun finds it sweet when, a few steps before crossing the doors to the ballroom hall, Chanyeol brings their entwined hands to his lips and kisses the back of Baekhyun’s hand before letting go.

-- warning: mentions of suicide. It doesn’t concern the main characters, but I wouldn’t want you to find yourself in tears unexpectedly. Read with caution, at your own pace, or you can skip it and read the last, fluffy part!

“Can I stay the night?” Sehun asks, pausing with his hand on the door handle. Luhan blinks a couple of times, taken aback, because he was just about to send Sehun off; what changed in a blink?

“Um, Sehun, I am a bit tired today so…” Luhan fixes his t-shirt around his neck and shoulders awkwardly, and his eyes drop to the ground. After planning the gala for more than a week with people who were significantly less competent than Baekhyun and Kyungsoo at what they do, and after spending a big part of today at the hospital with Kyungsoo and the rest to watch the red carpet, Luhan feels the exhaustion weighing him down like a physical presence; he is not sure he can…um, have fun with Sehun in his present state –not to mention the hospital bed has given him a dull pain on the waist. If he navigates his body on a bed and his head on a pillow, it feels like he will fall asleep in a heartbeat and stay like that for three days.

“That’s not what I meant” Sehun says, reading Luhan’s mind with his usual superpowers, and Luhan lifts his eyes surprised; it wasn’t? It is, usually, what Sehun means with that question though –sometimes he asks verbally, some other times body language is more than enough for the task. “I just…” Sehun looks away, and it is one of those rare moments when he looks uncomfortable. Sehun has many expressions other than his poker face, but there are a few expressions he hardly ever sports, like the one he is having right now. His eyebrows crease in a troubled expression and his tongue swipes over his lips nervously before returning his gaze to Luhan –who feels very bewildered by the younger’s behavior.

“I will sleep on the couch and I really won’t cause any trouble. I just don’t want to go home” He sounds pretty normal, but Luhan, despite his exhaustion, feels like Sehun is pleading him to stay; there is something in his voice, like an indiscernible pitch. And Luhan can see it too, in Sehun’s eyes. He cannot imagine why Sehun wouldn’t want to leave, but his expression is very clear and, after being his boyfriend for some time now, Luhan can see things in Sehun, even if the latter doesn’t necessarily put those on display, which is the case more often than not. Luhan can almost feel it under his skin that Sehun wants- no, he needs to stay.

And of course he can stay. For whatever reason.

“Okay” Luhan agrees; and doesn’t miss the flash of relief on Sehun’s features as he takes off his jacket once again, but Luhan lets it go without any comment. “I’ll go get you a towel”

“Thanks”

Navigating in his half-dark house, Luhan troubles his lower lip, his thoughts revolving around Sehun. He is behaving strangely all of a sudden. This unusual need to stay and his nervousness…Everything was fine just a while ago, when they got to the apartment, and he was completely normal when they were at the hospital too, watching Chanyeol and cutie B on tv with Kai and Kyungsoo…Luhan cannot think of something he did or anything that might have happened to change Sehun’s good mood out of the blue, no matter how many times he goes over the details in his head.

Luhan gets the towel and a glance in the bathroom mirror reveals to him his bloodshot eyes. Just, perfect. As if Sehun would have wanted to sleep with that; Luhan is practically a shipwreck. He doesn’t feel like changing anything on him at the moment though, so he simply sighs and ruffles his hair before heading for the living room again.

Usually, the reason for Sehun to stay over the night is bedroom activities, or when he falls asleep on the couch while watching a movie with Luhan –which is more often than you might think, because the kid is seriously lacking interest in filmography. There have been a few occasions when it was too late to send Sehun home after a date, so Luhan allowed him to sleep on the couch as well. Suddenly, Luhan realizes that Sehun has been sleeping on the couch a lot on the nights he stays over, like, 70% of those times. And somehow he feels guilty for that. He’s also a bit surprised to realize how many nights Sehun stays over without the purpose of bedroom activities. Chen’s words ring distantly in Luhan’s ears, but he shakes them away; they are not living in together.

When Luhan reaches the living room, Sehun has already arranged his pillow and a blanket on the sofa and he has changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt –it’s a sample of the clothes that Sehun has been keeping in Luhan’s house for the days he stays over. Luhan doesn’t think he is a bad boyfriend, and Sehun doesn’t think Luhan is a bad boyfriend either, but the ease with which Sehun accommodates himself on the couch to sleep like a stranger, after all the times he has done it in the past too, gives Luhan another pang of guilt in his chest.

“Oh, thank you” Sehun takes the towel when Luhan extends his hand with it, and continues fluffing up his pillow. Luhan examines him quietly; Sehun looks normal again. His temper looks lukewarm and overall his moves and expression are calm and steady. So, maybe Luhan is too tired and he was just imagining things earlier. Of course it was just an impression, Luhan puts himself in his right place, why would Sehun have any reason to look desperate to stay all of a sudden? Luhan really needs to sleep.

“Don’t mention it. Would you like some tea?” he suggests, hoping they can relax together for a while before going to sleep.

“No, I’d rather go to sleep” Sehun answers quickly, maybe too quickly –and call him crazy, but Luhan feels like something is off again. Like Sehun is trying to get away with his reason for staying over. Maybe earlier it was a false impression. But maybe it wasn’t. As if Sehun can sense Luhan’s doubtful thoughts, he kisses him on the temple briefly to reassure him. “You must be tired too. I’ll go wash up” and he leaves for the bathroom.

With nothing better to do, Luhan goes to his bedroom and sits on the bed comfortably. He would very much have liked to sleep, but he just can’t when his intuition has been stimulated like this by Sehun. Yes, he is tired and maybe his perception is not the sharpest ever, but there is definitely something wrong with Sehun. Luhan retraces their night and the previous night and the night before, but he swears to ice cream he cannot find anything that could have caused this cryptic, ambiguously spasmodic and unusual behavior.

“Just sleep, Luhan” Luhan tells himself with a groan and falls back in his pillows. Maybe Sehun is just tired too. If something was wrong, Sehun would tell Luhan, right? Maybe he needs to take it slow before saying whatever he wants to say, or maybe he would prefer that they are both fully awake and not tired beyond their limits. Besides, if Luhan had done something bad and had hurt him, he wouldn’t have stayed over, he would have left. Or if something was bothering Sehun and Luhan could help, he would have said something, as he has never been the shy type. And if Sehun needed to rely on Luhan, for any reason, he would have done it.

Or not. Sehun never relies on anyone. It is bizarre but, even though he is the youngest, he is always there to help everyone; and yet he never asks for help –at least, not for anything substantial. He comes to you in his own terms and, before you even realize it is help he is asking for, you have given him what he needed and he leaves like nothing ever happened.

Luhan huffs, irritated, and turns on his side. He is never going to sleep if he keeps on thinking about Sehun! All people are like puzzles: some are simple, with four pieces, some have a million pieces; but Sehun is undefined –if you try to form the picture, you keep on finding out that there are more pieces to add, no matter how many you have pieced together already, and the total number of pieces is n+1. Oh, great, now Luhan is remembering high school algebra –it doesn’t get any clearer that he needs to sleep.

His eyes fall on the closet. It used to be smaller, but Luhan had it enlarged a few years back –because his two, nearing three, digit-ed number of pajama pairs needed to fit somewhere in this house…Nowadays, his closet is being invaded by more clothes as well, Sehun’s clothes, so it’s a good thing there is enough room in there. Actually, Luhan always thought his closet was full to its limit and he had trouble fitting new things in the already overwhelmed space, but somehow, Sehun has not only managed to add his clothes, he has also done it in a way that doesn’t bother Luhan’s belongings. It’s a miracle really. Sometimes, Sehun does impossible things, like superman.

And you are leaving your superman to sleep on the couch; again.

Luhan sighs and he hates to admit it but, this time, his conscience is right to be guilty. He should be treating Sehun better as a boyfriend. He is not treating him badly or as if he were a stranger, but his behavior is not reflecting the level of intimacy and stability of their relationship either –the neighborhood knows they’re together, as they recently found out in a spectacular way, so that’s pretty stable. Many times, things between Sehun and Luhan feel seriously serious; like Sehun is here, in Luhan’s life, to stay, for good. Luhan is too tired to stop himself from admitting the aforementioned enlightenment, so, if anyone ever asks, he never said that.

Grumbling and bleary eyed, Luhan gets off the bed and hopes that Sehun has not fallen asleep yet. He drags his feet to the living room and finds Sehun awake, because he turned around to look at him in question when Luhan might have accidentally bumped shoulders with the doorframe. Luhan pretends it never happened.

“Come inside. I have a perfectly good bedroom, as you know, and that couch is too small for you. You sleep on that couch too much. And this room is really not meant to rest; but the bedroom is, it’s comfortable. So, this couch…whereas the bed is big enough for both of us. You can sleep with me, on the bed. I mean, just sleep, to rest, you know? So, yeah.” That sounded a bit disjointed, or a lot, and whatever attempt at logic got lost in there, but the gist of it makes sense, Luhan thinks.

“What?” Sehun asks, bewildered. Well, ‘Luhan thinks’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘Sehun thinks so, too’…

“Do I have to say it again?” Luhan throws his head back and slouches, his shoulders drooping in exasperation, because he is sure he will make less and less sense every time he tries to say it. Maybe he will have to draw a picture or something.

“No. Okay; I’ll come with you” Sehun looks like he is guessing the answer, but at least he is smart and Luhan is thankful for that, as he makes his way back to the bedroom with Sehun in tow. They get under the covers and Sehun, after he makes sure that Luhan is properly covered, lays back and stares at the ceiling. Luhan turns on his side and stares at Sehun. It’s really nice to have him nearby when he wakes up, and now he finds out that it’s nice to have him nearby when he goes to sleep as well.

“Will you tell me what is wrong now?” Luhan asks sleepily after a while of silence, without really thinking about it beforehand. He’s on autopilot for the basic functions and the rest is improvisation by any part of his brain that happens to be awake each moment. Sehun looks at him, confused.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re different. There’s something strange about you tonight. Will you tell me?” he mumbles, poking Sehun’s bony shoulder with his index finger.

“I…” Sehun averts his eyes, turning his gaze to the ceiling again. “It’s too late to talk about such things” he says quietly, his voice blending with the quiet of the apartment and almost getting lost in it.

“Late? It’s only twelve thirty am…” Luhan jokes –he thinks. He can see a faint smile on Sehun’s lips in the darkness at least, so it’ll have to do. “Come on, you can tell me; I am so tired that I will have forgotten most of it by tomorrow morning, I promise” he tries to persuade him, and at that, Sehun’s smile grows wider. But then it fades and turns into a frown, after a burdened sigh.

“My mom was schizophrenic, you remember that right?” he starts and Luhan nods; messed up childhood for both of us, different but still less than decent. He wasn’t expecting that something about his past would be bothering Sehun out of the blue, however, with no reason, but he is ready to hear whatever worries his boyfriend has, and he feels less sleepy and more focused already. “Well…tonight is the anniversary of her death” Sehun blinks away the glaze that appeared momentarily in his eyes “She killed herself, many years ago”

“What?” Luhan’s lips move but his voice barely comes out. He is completely awake now. He feels like someone just threw on him a bucket of cold water. He knew about Sehun’s mother being mentally ill, but he didn’t know she was dead, or that she killed herself. He assumed she was hospitalized somewhere, or, okay, it was a possibility that she might be dead, but…suicide? Luhan hadn’t guessed that.

Sehun starts transforming in Luhan’s eyes. He can understand the feelings, foibles and shortenings you get from a troubled childhood, because he experienced it firsthand. And he could guess how bad Sehun must have suffered in his childhood, in a different way than Luhan and for different reasons, but just as important and deeply hurtful. Luhan always admired Sehun for being strong, for not losing himself in sorrow and striving to make something good of his life, live with decency and normalcy, no matter his background. And even though none of this changes, because Sehun is still strong and dignified, the weight Luhan imagines Sehun is carrying on his shoulders grows bigger. The impact of a mother’s death on her child is something Luhan cannot understand or imagine.

“She hung herself with a rope made of bed sheets’ tatters” Sehun recounts calmly. “The nurses at the establishment she was residing found her cold in her room the next morning. It was no one’s fault really, she was on therapy and she had been taking her medication; it’s just that, her psychological self was so deeply disturbed that it was impossible for her to tell reality and delusion apart. She was harmless most of the time…and she liked bunnies. She had promised me we would get a white and fluffy one as our pet when she would get out. But…well. She left a note, of course. It was mostly filled with gibberish and stuff that only to her doctors half-made sense. But I wanted to read it too, and the lawyers allowed me to read the note when I turned fifteen or so. It honestly didn’t make any sense” he frowns at that for a moment, and then he seems to remember something else. “There was one thing she wrote to me: ‘Sehunnie, always make sure that the eyes in the mirror are yours; a stranger has been looking back at me for twelve years now and it’s terrifying’” he recites flawlessly, and Luhan wonders how deeply those words have been carved in Sehun’s memory. Sehun shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly. “It’s part of her sickness, but I guess it was her way of caring” he finishes, his fingers drumming against his hip lazily, as if he’s saying the most common of things.

Luhan can’t understand how he’s been Sehun’s boyfriend for so long and he knew naught of all this. Then again, it’s not exactly a comfortable or pleasant conversation one can have casually over coffee.

“I’m sorry” Luhan doesn’t know what else to say really. What do people say in such moments? Sehun surprises him when he turns to him with a smile.

“Don’t be; I have reconciled with the past and all that” he waves a dismissive hand. He’s learnt to live with his past, appreciate the good things in it, and he’s grown to a brilliant person. The strength of this man is admirable. Sehun scrunches his nose momentarily. “But, you know, it’s still the anniversary of her death. I am not turning dramatic or anything on this night; I have spent this night peacefully by myself many times in the past, but…if staying with you is an option, I think I prefer that” Sehun takes Luhan’s hand and Luhan is sure that his eyes are teary, contrary to Sehun’s soft smile, and it feels silly to cry for someone else when they are smiling, but Luhan can’t help it. “I know you don’t think so, Luhan, but you are giving me things that no one has given me before. I don’t know how you do it, but thank you”

--

Chanyeol stops the car in the quiet, slumbering neighborhood, but he leaves the lights of the dashboard glowing in the dark, just for a little while longer. He turns to Baekhyun, who has fallen asleep on the passenger’s seat; Chanyeol smiles softly and traces the lines of his face with his eyes, quietly and clandestinely. In the dim lights, Baekhyun’s features seem childlike, and with his unusual hair color he looks almost unreal, like a vision. His pink lips are plum and his expression is completely relaxed, his fair skin almost glowing in the dark. The makeup has faded by now, smudged around his eyes, and his hair is ruffled out of order, but he looks perfectly decadent while falling apart. If he could, Chanyeol would suffocate him in an endearing embrace, but that’s technically impossible, so he settles with carving this picture to memory.

“Baek, wake up, we’re here” he whispers softly, hoping his deep voice won’t startle the little angel. He doesn’t want to wake him up and part with him, but he doesn’t want him to sleep on the uncomfortable seat for so long either. He caresses Baekhyun’s fair hand with his fingers, and then he gently takes it in his own. Baekhyun’s hands are slender and soft like silk, and Chanyeol likes holding them, especially because they fit perfectly in his. He kisses the back of Baekhyun’s hand and the smaller’s eyes slowly flutter open. Chanyeol gives him a bright smile in the darkness. “Hello there”

“Have I been sleeping for long?” Baekhyun asks in a heavy, sleepy voice, and takes his hand back to rub the corners of his eyes adorably. The smudge around his eyes grows, but it looks even prettier somehow; Chanyeol doesn’t think of saying anything to Baekhyun about it.

“No, I think it has been, maybe, fifteen minutes” Seventeen. Chanyeol has been counting, and he has been checking him and admiring his marvelous sleeping face at least once every minute. Baekhyun chuckles, leaning back against the headrest with a smile.

“That’s long, Chanyeol” he says, but Chanyeol won’t have it and he shakes his head stubbornly. Baekhyun looks around, probably still a bit disoriented from sleeping, and it takes him a moment to focus again. Chanyeol shrugs his shoulders and smiles sheepishly.

“I don’t mind; you were very tired. Can you take yourself home?” he asks, concerned. Chanyeol wouldn’t want Baekhyun to stumble and fall somewhere on those flights of stairs; if he is too tired, Chanyeol can take him upstairs and then leave for home with his heart and mind at peace. Baekhyun nods, however.

“Yup, I’m good. Can you?” Baekhyun scrutinizes Chanyeol with his puppy eyes.

“I’m fine, I’m not that tired” he reassures him automatically. On second thought…“Or maybe I am tired, but I am hyper too, so I will be fine” He doesn’t want to lie to Baekhyun; he is naturally tired after such a long night of carrying expectations, but it has also been a night full of Baekhyun, looking gorgeous and smiling angelically and being perfect, not to mention Chanyeol kept humming in his head ‘he is the love of my life’ proudly, whenever he saw Baekhyun talking to someone else; so, of course he is hyper! And don’t even get him started on that surprise kiss in the garden, because he will become the first human firework, and it’s really too late in the night –or too early in the morning.

“If you say so…” Baekhyun concedes, fighting back a smile “But send me a message to let me know you got home safely, okay?” he requests strictly. Chanyeol nods profusely in agreement to Baekhyun’s request, and then they let a moment of comfortable silence pass between them. “Thank you for tonight, Chanyeol” Baekhyun says then calmly and gives him a beautiful smile that makes Chanyeol’s heart flip.

“It wasn’t terrible after all, was it?” Chanyeol teases him, remembering how Baekhyun was unreasonably nervous all week that people wouldn’t like him. I mean, of all the things, he was worried about that? That’s the only thing practically impossible…But for all the other things worrying Baekhyun too, Chanyeol tried to be supportive. Baekhyun must have guessed Chanyeol’s thoughts, because he bites his lower lip with a small, guilty smile.

“Well, there were a few terrifying moments –and god, I don’t think I want to know what people will say and write about us tomorrow. But it was exciting too” he grins brightly “It’s the first time I walked on a red carpet, the first time to be your important date, the first time to walk out of the house with purple hair…” Baekhyun and Chanyeol both laugh softly at that and Baekhyun’s grimace. “I wonder what Kyungsoo said when he saw me…Can we pay him a visit tomorrow?”

“If you’re not too tired…” Chanyeol shrugs his shoulders with a smile and Baekhyun nods once in appreciation.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning then” he glances at the clock briefly “…which is not too far away” he giggles. Chanyeol has to agree with him. It took a while till they were allowed to leave and until they finished with the customary greetings. At least there were no journalists and photographers outside by the time they left and they were able to slip out without any commotion.

“Baekhyun, before you leave” Chanyeol stops him after the smaller unbuckles his seatbelt, and Baekhyun gives him a quizzical look. Chanyeol doesn’t want to let go of Baekhyun yet and he is making excuses, even though it’s late and they are both tired; does that make him a greedy person? “Can I have a kiss goodnight?”

Baekhyun blinks in surprise a couple of times; Chanyeol is surprised too, he doesn’t know what he’s saying. That was just the first thing that came to mind, maybe because the thought had been there since earlier. Chanyeol is starting to feel embarrassed with his impulsive request, but then Baekhyun smiles softly, getting Chanyeol’s hopes up. And then, of all things, Baekhyun kisses the fingers of his pretty hand and touches them on Chanyeol’s lips right after. An indirect kiss. Chanyeol’s hopes go crushing down. Baekhyun gives him a sneaky smile.

“That’s not what I had in mind…” Chanyeol pouts, slightly disappointed; he got his kiss, technically, and he is over the moon right now, mostly for the fact that Baekhyun is playing with him, and it doesn’t matter that he is on the shorter end of the stick, as long as his little guy is willing to spare him so much attention, but he won’t deny that he would have liked a small, yet real, kiss. If you have a boyfriend like Baekhyun, you want to kiss him 99% of the time and you are thinking about kissing him, pretty much, all the time...Chanyeol would know, trust him.

“It was a perfectly valid kiss goodnight though” Baekhyun retorts with a playful smile.

“You’ve never kissed me goodnight” Chanyeol whines cutely, like a child. He wants to stay with Baekhyun for a while longer, even for a heartbeat, and since Baekhyun seems fine with staying and playing with Chanyeol, then no harm done.

“But I’ve kissed you good morning” he singsongs cutely in defense, holding up one finger. Chanyeol gasps in disbelief.

“Whe-”

“Suho’s beach house, on vacation” Baekhyun efficiently stops his protest before it even begins. It takes Chanyeol a moment of bewilderment to remember, but eventually, it all comes back to him; that morning and his moments of panic that almost swallowed in his memory the most precious moment of a sweet, short peck on the cheek. It must be obvious in his expression that he remembered, because Baekhyun’s lips curl in a satisfied smile.

“Fine” Chanyeol mumbles and pouts, coming to terms with his fate slowly. Baekhyun looks like he yields a bit, seeing Chanyeol pout, and his smile softens.

“Don’t worry, Yeol. I think –and hope– there will come a day when you will be getting both kisses good morning and goodnight, without even asking for them” Baekhyun flashes a smile that adds fuel to the frantic beating of Chanyeol’s heart. He blinks dumbly in surprise, feeling his mouth go dry at the thought of everything Baekhyun includes in a future together with Chanyeol; that Baekhyun has thought of a future with Chanyeol in the first place. That’s one very beautiful future you are describing, Baekhyun.

“I am, already, so intensely, looking forward to that day!” he exclaims, his voice coming out slightly higher pitched, and Baekhyun laughs heartily, his eyes turning into crescents and his voice sounding like wonderful music in the night.

“Well, for now,” he says, after his laughter dies down naturally, and he smiles at Chanyeol genuinely, cheeks still flushed “goodnight”

“Goodnight Baekhyun” Chanyeol says softly, watching the other getting out of the car and closing the door behind him. He feels sad to see him go, but he feels a little better thinking that their next meeting is only hours away. Chanyeol is planning to stay and watch Baekhyun until he’s safely inside the building, so he doesn’t move. But Baekhyun takes a few steps away from the car and then turns back around, knocking lightly on the passenger’s window. Chanyeol rolls it down immediately, with his curiosity piqued.

“You know, Chanyeol” Baekhyun says, his eyes glinting in his eyes and a playful smile lingering on the corners of his lips “you’ve never kissed me goodnight either” he points out.

Oh my god. He is right.

Why didn’t Chanyeol think of that?

Does that mean…that he could…like, Baekhyun would let him…if he wanted to…Did he just miss a chance to kiss Baekhyun? Ugh, Park Chanyeol, what to do with you?! Stupid, stupid…Baekhyun must be finding Chanyeol’s sudden realization and internal conflict amusing, because he lets out a small laugh, seeing Chanyeol’s expression which should be very funny indeed, if Chanyeol knows his face, and then Baekhyun w…then Baekhyun winks.

Baekhyun. Winks. At Chanyeol.

Cue, heart attack.

The next thing Chanyeol knows is the only thing that could have pulled him out of his stunned state; the sight of Baekhyun walking away, swaying his hips slightly as he walks without even realizing it, until he disappears inside the building. Chanyeol lets out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, and slumps in his seat. Just a few hours and he’ll be with him again; and he’s definitely going to kiss him then. If Baekhyun wants, of course. Kisses good morning and goodnight, Baekhyun said. Chanyeol smiles dreamily and allows himself to drown in a sea of plans and pictures of memories he wants to make with Baekhyun in the future, before he starts the engine again.

--

a/n: Hello, lovely people! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you are all well~ This chapter was actually meant to be the October update soooo... *drum roll please* There will be another chapter up in a few days!!! *cheers* It will be a chapter with lots of fluff and affection, because it's getting cold outside and we all need some cuddly vibes, hehe ^-^

As far as this chapter is concerned, I hope you liked the hunhan date! It involved ice cream, and did you notice how Luhan and Sehun were both so childish, but in different ways? It was expected that Luhan would cutely freak out with the idea of marriage, but Sehun's past was perhaps more unexpected; it's a sad yet not impossible past, which I had planned since the beginning. The way he was raised explains a lot about his character (from his initial lisp to his great composure). And then we have kaisoo, being so in love, even in the hospital! Kai is so supportive and patient, and just a perfect tad bit mischievous, and he will continue to be so! With his great boyfriend insight, an otherwise lonely and boring evening for poor Kyungsoo turned into a lively fanboying session with friends! And who else would be the object of their admiration than their good friends, who wowed people left and right at the gala! *-* Mrs. Park and little Sulli appeared again! But Chanyeol and Baekhyun still found time to be lovestruck puppies~

More kisses are coming with the next update, so stay tuned! Keep yourselves warm and healthy, cupcakes! I'll be with you soon for the next update! kitty~