“Come in” Kyungsoo calls, fixing the covers above his legs and thinking that he needs to start getting up and walking around more often, because his hospitalization will end someday soon and he needs to remember what it’s like to walk without someone holding him up and helping him around. He can’t go very far independently in any case, but for his dignity’s sake he’d rather he could make a step or two without having to be squished against someone –probably Kai– for support. The stairs will be such painful fun, Kyungsoo can imagine it already. It’s like his brain has erased the file containing his motor skills and he’s been living like a disjointed, uncoordinated squid for the past few days. It’s like the limbs which are not bundled up in casts have forgotten how to function without their symmetrical counterpart; his legs can’t decide which one goes first and his arms constantly miss their aim, miscalculating the space around him and resulting in fresh bruises.

How dare his limbs defy him like this?

“Good morning Soo!” Kai walks in with supermodel strides, sultry, pretty smile flashing as he takes off his sunglasses. So much handsomeness so early in the morning is impressive, especially when you take into consideration that they spent last night watching the Park Gala and then a movie, and Kai went home a lot later than the others, since he likes leeching on Kyungsoo till the latter is asleep –as if this bed wasn’t too tiny and uncomfortable already. It makes Kyungsoo miss the comfort of their bed; he wants to go home sooner. Kyungsoo pays attention to his boyfriend and his stylish attire for all of one moment before his eyes zero in on the coveted item Kai is carrying in his hand.

Holy sugar. Magaziiiiiines!

“Give me, give me” Kyungsoo stretches his good arm and clutches at empty air with anticipation, barely having enough patience to stay put as Kai weaves around chairs and hospital equipment with practiced ease. He comes closer and sits on the edge of the bed –he never favored the chairs–, careful not to jostle Kyungsoo too much and staying teasingly just a little out of reach. Kyungsoo tries to scoot closer, his mind too fogged with anticipation and excitement to pay heed to the idiot and his games. Just give him those glossy, expensive pages already, printed with pictures and tiny letters everywhere, and he’s going to peel them with utmost respect, he’ll be very careful, he can promise.

This is what he has been waiting for all year, and the sentiment has multiplied a hundredfold since Baekhyun and Chanyeol will be included in pretty much every magazine that respects itself! He could feel his heart beating faster with every step Kai took closer, and his wide eyes cannot believe he is now so close. Oh, it’s always such a sweet moment in life, the seconds before he can get his hands on those precious pages! It’s tradition for him to scurry out of his house extra early in the morning to buy those magazines the day right after the Park Gala, and then to bundle up at home and savor every picture, every headline and expression, every letter on those pages. It takes at least four hours to read everything with the appropriate respect, and it leaves Kyungsoo in a stupor until the end of the day. It creates such a sweet feeling of fulfillment, with Kyungsoo’s head full of pictures and mental imagery that resembles genuine memories a lot, and he feels like dancing with his pillows till the next morning.

It’s called daydreaming, okay? Please, don’t judge.

Kai, who’s sitting on Kyungsoo’s hospital bed, holds the bag of Kyungsoo’s desires away, where Kyungsoo can’t reach no matter how much he tries. He pouts and stretches harder, till the bed creeks, his arm strains and there are strange noises leaving his throat; but Kai is too good in being an idiot and it’s frustratingly impossible for Kyungsoo to reach him. Kai smirks smugly and Kyungsoo frowns, finally giving up due to insurmountable physical restrictions; he exhales forcefully when he falls back in his pillows and tries not to pout. Instead, he tries to kick Kai vengefully but he only succeeds in wiggling awkwardly in place –an injured man can’t fight his oppressor, ugh, fate is cruel.

“Kiss first” Kai singsongs with a playful smile and Kyungsoo huffs, giving Kai a lifeless glare. Now he is paying heed to the idiot and his games –and of course it would be something ridiculous like that– but he doesn’t have much choice. He wants to see the pictures, if only those of Baekhyun and Chanyeol, so that he can admire those gorgeous smiles, the height difference, the magenta hair –yes, even the magenta hair, after the initial shock, he thinks it’s growing on him. He wants to see proof of last night and frame it, he’s curious what journalists have written about his best friend, and he wants to see the details of the event for himself –even though Baekhyun will visit to tell him everything later. His eyes glance over Kai’s shoulder at the half open door, his mind calculating how far he’s willing to go to get what he wants.

“There are people passing by outside” he reprimands Kai with a troubled expression. Closed doors are nice and reassuring in Kyungsoo’s mind, because they can keep curious eyes and ears at bay, but open doors are nothing like that. People, and mostly nurses, check inside the rooms when the door is open –the former group does it out of curiosity, the latter to make sure everything is okay for their patients. Not to mention, Kai has a face people recognize and, professional duties aside, ninety eight percent of the nurses have a crush on him; Kyungsoo is not comfortable with the idea of someone sneaking a peek to find out that he is kissing Kai, playboy extraordinaire who’s been oddly tame in a relationship lately, and he certainly doesn’t want to get in the nurses’ bad books, because they are handling his IV, remember?

“Oh well, I can always come back later…” Kai teases him with a nonchalant shrug, and he starts getting off the bed, pretending to leave with Kyungsoo’s valued bag of magazines; and even though it’s obvious to everyone under the sun that Kai wouldn’t abandon Kyungsoo that easily, the shorter feels panic rising at the sight. His magazines, they’re getting away!

“No, wait! Come back, okay, okay” Kyungsoo squawks and grabs the closest thing which is Kai’s sleeve, pulling on it relentlessly, until Kai decides to sit down again with a playful, self-satisfied smirk. Kyungsoo would punch him –and then kiss it better– if Kai hadn’t been holding those precious items he is holding. He looks kind of se*y with that smirk though. We could kiss it and bite it and- what, no; focus, brain! He looks into Kai’s warm eyes –it’s not helping with his biting ideas– and takes a deep breath. “Just one kiss, really quickly” he allows halfheartedly, feeling like he is sticking his head into a lion’s mouth. There is good chance a million things could go wrong and they could be caught red handed by literally anyone in the building, even the child hospitalized next door; but he should be fine if he keeps it short, right? Just a peck –and perhaps he’ll manage to get close enough to steal the bag; cue mission impossible original soundtrack.

He leans forward to kiss Kai’s smile softly, pressing their lips together just for a second, and hoping it’s enough. But just as he was about to pull away and possibly hook two fingers around the bag handle, Kai sneaks a hand around his nape and pulls him back, keeping him close and continuing the kiss. Kyungsoo feels flustered and flails his hand, his eyes widening and then closing again dazedly, magazines and the rest of the world erased from his mind, because wow, he had forgotten it feels like this when Kai does such a thing. All that’s left in his thoughts are Kai’s full lips, his gentle and careful hands, his wonderful lovesick pace, his sweet touch and his familiar scent; the intimate moment makes Kyungsoo’s heart skip multiple beats, and he realizes that they haven’t kissed so passionately in a while but oh, he really needs to get out of this hospital and into a proper bedroom with Kai soon, because his stomach is knotting and he wants more. Just as he’s starting to lose his breath, Kai pulls away, returning for small pecks with a wide smile on his lips, until he’s given up on Kyungsoo’s red lips completely. Kyungsoo inwardly sighs.

Oh boy.

“Here” he says, finally placing the treasured bag in Kyungsoo’s lap “Happy reading” It takes Kyungsoo a moment to tune into the reality of orbiting planets and gravity, but when he realizes what he is holding, his face lights up and his smile gets so wide it hurts his cheeks; he must look ridiculous but he doesn’t care. People don’t see such an expression of utter jubilation on him regularly, because Kyungsoo is like a snail and he hides in his cell if people get too close. But sometimes, for some people, it’s okay to get too close; and if Kai gets close enough to see anything, it will be okay, because admittedly, he has seen much worse inside Kyungsoo’s cell.

He opens the bag excitedly, running his fingers through the cluster of magazines, feeling their sleek pages and sharp edges, briefly counting them and pulling out a few; he is sure every magazine he asked for in his very meticulous list is in there, and indeed Kai did a good job at gathering everything, just like he promised. Kyungsoo can’t wait to open the first one and get lost in a night of glitz and glamour he hopes to experience himself someday, but for now he’s content just dreaming about it! He pauses and checks again for a small discrepancy in numbers, but his second count is the same; there are more than he asked for? His perplexed expression must have given away his thoughts, because Kai chuckles and ruffles Kyungsoo’s hair.

“I saw a couple more with our friends on the cover, so I thought you might want to collect those too” he explains simply, making it sound like anyone would do it, when in truth, no one would; they wouldn’t understand, much less support Kyungsoo and his crazy little sides. This man went out early in the morning, still sleepy and tired, to collect everything Kyungsoo had jotted down the night before, and then he dolled up and rushed to Kyungsoo’s side. And now he’s sitting on a messy and uncomfortable hospital bed, swinging his legs off the edge like a child as he waits to see Kyungsoo turning on the crazy fanboy mode.

Kyungsoo pauses for a moment and lets everything he’s been dreaming of since yesterday fall back inside the bag; they’ll be there one moment later, just like they were there one moment ago. But some moments are more important yet easier to lose, and Kyungsoo doesn’t want to be the unwise one who lets them slip through his fingers. He looks up at Kai who is watching him with soft eyes and an entertained smile, and his heart clenches. Ugh, my idiot, I love you so much right now. But Kyungsoo can’t explain in simple words what he feels, so he pulls Kai down by the neck and gives him another quick kiss, more excited and warm than before, his lips fervent, curious people and dutiful nurses be damned. Kai is flustered for a second by the sudden attack, but then he relaxes and he kisses back, making Kyungsoo smile into their kiss.

“Thank you, Jongin” Kyungsoo whispers seriously, practically against Kai’s lips, looking into Kai’s eyes earnestly and feeling a small smile playing peek-a-boo on his lips. Thank you for everything. Kai blinks in surprise a couple of times, and it’s kind of cute how for once Kyungsoo managed to stun him out of the blue, but Kyungsoo doesn’t let him have enough time to recover. If he does, an embarrassing and heart spilling episode will follow, declarations of undying love and attempted punches with broken arms; but there are other important things in life demanding their attention right now; like the magazines! It’s about time he saw how that magenta hair looks on camera!

He returns his full attention to the neglected bag once again, reverently pulling out the first vignette –they’re in the right order too!– and he vibrates in place impatiently, his eyes landing on the first few enlarged pictures of his best friend and his beau, pretty lettering and exclamation marks or question marks; whenever his eyes fall on a new front cover, a small squeal escapes him and his hands are making small flailing movements. Because-

“Owmigosh, look at this!” Kyungsoo doesn’t need more than a blink to switch into full fanboy mode and his words flow past his lips like a consecutive sentence; Kai settles beside him and steals glances over the shorter’s shoulder to share his fascination unobtrusively. “That magenta hair looks really good in photos! And ah, this has to be Baekhyun’s good side, look at this angle! He knows how to pose already; can we just take a moment here, because this was my favorite moment and –oh my, is that from inside the venue?! They are so sweet, standing side by side~ Can we frame this? And Chanyeol looks so handsome with the new hair, just…wow! Aww, look at those smiles –we have strived to make those smiles happen– and they look so cute together, height difference and all! They are practically glowing! Oh, it looks like they’re holding hands in this one and –oh! Okay, this is so going down in a scrap book; it’s too perfect a picture. Jongin, did you by any chance bring scissors with you?”

--

Chanyeol knocks on the door and prepares his best smile, expecting Baekhyun to open it any moment now. It’s been less than ten hours since they last saw each other, and yet his skin is itching and his blood is yearning to see his little miracle again. Baekhyun might have woken up a few hours ago, so he’ll probably look all tidy and proper when he opens the door, cup of tea in hand and pretty smile on his lips. Or maybe he just woke up after the long night they’ve had, and he’ll look all disheveled and cute, fluffy hair, puffy eyes and adorable pout, answering the door in his pjs. Chanyeol’s brain squeals at the mental imagery, and he pats down his clothes to perfection nervously. Either way, the plan is to go inside, gather the smaller man in a hug and steal a good morning kiss from his sweet lips; that’s a proper boyfriend greeting. Chanyeol fixes the hair around his elfish ears self consciously, listening to his heart fluttering its wings like a hummingbird in his chest; he might develop a heart condition if he stays in front of that closed door much longer.

As if his heart is magically granted mercy after that thought, the door clicks and swings open. Chanyeol grins brightly, expecting to see his love; but wait, it’s not Baekhyun?

“Good morning, Mr. Park!” Chen exclaims cheerfully the moment he appears behind the door, opening it wide for Chanyeol, who freezes in place, feeling like someone just threw him a bucket of cold water. The shorter man looks so comfortable and casual to be opening the door to someone else’s house so bright and early in the morning, a wide kittenish grin complementing his teasing, cheerful attitude –he did call Chanyeol ‘Mr. Park’ after all, and that’s far from what you call a friend so close you’ve even threatened with death in the past.

“G-good morning, Chen” Chanyeol tries to return a genuine smile, but his lips feel a little stiff. It’s not that he’s unhappy to see Chen, it’s just that his silly heart keeps wilting and reminding him it’s not Baekhyun in his cute pjs, and now there’s no one to hug and kiss good morning –hell, he’s not going anywhere near Chen in this context. Given that Chen answered the door yesterday evening too, when Chanyeol came by to pick up Baekhyun for the function, this is not the first time Chanyeol is living this, and he sincerely hopes it won’t become a recurring theme.

“Won’t you come in?” Chen nods over his shoulder, inviting Chanyeol in the house and stepping out of the way “I’m sure Baekhyun will be happy to see you here” he adds with a wink, sashaying to the side and leaning against the kitchen doorframe casually. Chanyeol is left standing in front of a wide open door, and he suddenly feels very conscious of his actions. The small step required to cross the threshold seems very different to him, compared to all the previous times he’s made that same step.

This is evidently not the first time he visits Baekhyun’s house, and he certainly felt very comfortable inside those walls every other time. He has good memories inside this house. That’s the small couch he has slept in and watched a Disney movie with Baekhyun, that’s the kitchen he has had breakfast in and cooked breakfast for Baekhyun, that’s where he hugged Baekhyun for the first time, that’s the hallway he has carried Baekhyun like a half asleep, clingy koala to his bedroom; this is the house Baekhyun lives and breathes in, and Chanyeol has many memories with Baekhyun in here, well before anything became official between them. And being official doesn’t change anything, except for the fact that Chanyeol can now stare at Baekhyun adoringly for as long as he wants and be obvious about it without having to think of excuses, he can hug Baekhyun just because he looks particularly adorable, he can think and talk about him with possessive pronouns because Baekhyun is his Baekhyun now, or he can kiss him, because he’s quite kissable.

Relationship fluffiness aside, it’s nice to be acknowledged as Baekhyun’s boyfriend by friends, family and the rest of the world, as of last night. It makes him very happy to think that he can be a good boyfriend to Baekhyun no matter when and where, without having to hide. But does that apply to Baekhyun’s house too? It’s not the first time Chanyeol is inside Baekhyun’s house with someone else other than the two of them; namely last night, there was a small army of stylists and makeup artists stuffed in some corner of the house when Chanyeol arrived to pick up his date. But his appearance at the door had been expected then, everyone had been waiting for him and it was very clear what he ought to do –perhaps he wasn’t meant to stare at Baekhyun like a star-struck duckling, but such things happen when your boyfriend looks as gorgeous. This visit, however, is on a much more personal basis, and even though having Chen around, of all their friends, does not feel completely weird, still… What is Chanyeol supposed to do? Act comfortably and make himself at home, or act like a guest who doesn’t even know where the water glasses are –they’re in the cabinet left of the sink, for the record–, or maybe act like Chen and be casual, or…?

Where is Baekhyun to make his life easier –and his day brighter?

Deeming he has been standing like a petrified statue in the doorway long enough, Chanyeol decides to just go with the flow, and finally steps inside with a small smile –what do you know, it feels exactly the same as any other time. He takes off his shoes while Chen closes the door behind him, and glances around at the tidy house. There’s still no sign of Baekhyun inside the apartment, but Chen seems very comfortable and confident, stepping around Chanyeol and resuming his place, standing in the small foyer as if it was his own house. Life-long friendship does that to you, Chanyeol guesses; it’s not like Kai is shy of being another living example of this, acting like he owns Chanyeol’s bed and navigating the kitchen in his parents’ house better than a hungry beagle with a blindfold. Chen continues his speech with ease in an unruffled manner.

“You have great timing! Baek’s in the shower right now, but he will be out any minute. He overslept and probably silenced all his alarms on autopilot while half asleep. I let myself in and he almost had a heart attack when I woke him up and he realized the time. Poor thing was so tired; but you should have seen him jump out of bed when I mentioned you –that was sheer panic. Safe to say he’s been expecting you…” Chen wiggles his eyebrows and nudges Chanyeol with his elbow knowingly –there is an abundance of embarrassing friends in their group. Chanyeol feels oddly bashful and shy by the gesture, even though he knows it’s benevolent –and he might or might not be blushing. Chen only smirks and doesn’t say anything further about it, mercifully; Kai would have been less subtle.

“So, I guess it was good that I dropped by to pick up Baekhyun’s bow tie –I need to wear it at an event tomorrow. And god, that thing costs something like a small dog!” Chen opts to talk some more, which is good,  because Chanyeol feels awkward and shy right now, partly for being in this guest-but-not-exactly-that situation in his boyfriend’s house, and partly because the idea of Baekhyun expecting him so eagerly is flattering, so there is no way he would have said anything normal, had he tried to answer earlier. “But it was worth it; in case I haven’t told you already. You both looked amazing yesterday night, absolutely stunning! And finally, finally, someone took my little cutie Baek to a red carpet event; thank you, Park Chanyeol! He said you took good care of him, so thank you for that, too. Moreover, a journalist called this morning and shesaidshewantstobookaninterviewwithme, ugh! Can you believe it?! Baek told her about me, about the suit! That man you call yours, is an amazing man and an incredible friend, Chanyeol; I mean he-”

“CHEEEEN!” a loud voice resonates in the apartment out of the blue, interrupting Chen from his spazzing talking-spree and making Chanyeol’s eyes round in awe. They both turn to the hallway, moves slow and filled with dread. That sounded a lot like it came from the bathroom, and there is only one person they know to be in the bathroom. Not to mention the voice strongly resembles Baekhyun’s…but Chanyeol has never heard Baekhyun shout like that before. Sure, he can get loud sometimes, when he’s happy or excited, but this level of resonance is unprecedented from the shy and collected male –and it definitely didn’t sound happy or excited.

“Oops” Chen breathes, his face going slightly pale. His eyes are fixed in the direction of the bathroom, unusually fazed, like a bird that is about to get eaten by a snake. All speech plans from before have been forgotten thoroughly, and Chanyeol quirks an eyebrow at his strange reaction; we’re talking about Chen here, he might as well have never felt unsettled in his life. There’s statistical evidence that he’d be the only human on earth taking an asteroid collision casually. But he’s afraid when Baekhyun, the personification of a rainbow puppy, yells his name?

“Was that…Baekhyun?” Chanyeol manages to ask in a low voice, his eyes also fixing on the hallway in disbelief. He asks mostly to be sure, after a few moments that seem eternal in pregnant silence, neither of the men in the foyer daring to move a muscle more than it would be absolutely necessary. Baekhyun can shout like that? How unusual…and interesting. His voice sounds the same but different, and it’s very intriguing because Chanyeol has never seen such a side of him. This is obviously not the time, but Chanyeol can’t help but wonder how loud Baekhyun can get and under what circumstances, in how many ways Baekhyun can shout, in how many other ways Chanyeol can possibly make Baekhyun shout…

Why did this suddenly turn inappropriate?

“OH MY GOD! CHEN!” comes another yell not long after, shuttering the dead silence. This time, Chanyeol is sure that his big ears are hearing Baekhyun’s voice. Chen flinches beside him, his nose wrinkling in dislike. A sudden thought crosses Chanyeol’s mind, or maybe it’s not just one but many thoughts –catastrophic scenarios have the bad habit of coming at you all at once– and his stomach clenches uncomfortably.

“Is he okay? Is he hurt? Shouldn’t we go help him?!” Chanyeol panics, his eyes opening wide and his heart kicking in his chest painfully at the idea of the slightest scratch or bruise or cut on Baekhyun’s pretty, silky skin. Any damage is simply unacceptable, and he will need to inspect it himself, and take care of it, kiss it better, wrap Baekhyun in blankets, hug him and feed him his favorite cakes until it heals. He has half a mind to run down the hallway to his boyfriend’s aid, but the plan escapes his mind when he feels Chen’s hand patting his arm comfortingly and keeping him in place.

“Nope. Channie dear, you might have not heard this voice before, because it means only one thing: I’m gonna kill my best friend slowly and painfully sometime soon” Chen says in a quiet voice, adding a cracked half-smile, and Chanyeol gives him a quizzical look. Why ever would Baekhyun want to kill Chen? They’re best friends.

Scratch that. Chanyeol knows from experience there are always reasons to kill your best friend.

“Don’t worry, he’s after me so he won’t harm you –probably” Chen sneaks a quick glance at Chanyeol, full of doubt and not at all reassuring, before returning his anxious eyes to the doorway, where his impending doom –according to himself– is going to appear in the form of an enraged puppy. “I will try to appease the beast but, if you see him try any deathly grip on me or go for a kitchen knife, please save me” he flashes a big grin, far from what his words indicate he’s feeling at the moment, and he straightens his back, putting on a brave and cheery face. Needless to say, Chanyeol feels beyond confused right now. Not to mention how incompatible the concepts of a ‘murderously dangerous’ and a ‘sweet koala angel’ Baekhyun seem in his head. Baekhyun is like a fluffy, harmless, cute puppy…

“YOU SAID IT WOULDN’T BE PERMANENT! YOU SAID! BUT LOOK AT MY HAIR, OH, IT’S STILL PURPLE! PURPLE!!! YOU ARE SO DEAD WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU! BECAUSE MY HAIR IS PURPLE! AND IT’S PERMANENT!”

True to the laws of sound physics, Baekhyun appears stomping his way to them cutely, soon after his voice has become booming to Chanyeol’s ears. He looks like a small bubbling pot, slender legs bringing him closer with menace –and call him insane, but Chanyeol likes the way Baekhyun is frowning and yelling his lungs out; it’s a new, exciting side to him, both frightening and endearing. And Chanyeol was right; Baekhyun does look like a fluffy, harmless, cute puppy…with murderous intentions. Chanyeol wouldn’t want to be in Chen’s shoes, that’s for sure; but he guesses he can enjoy the spectacle for while it lasts. Even though Baekhyun’s eyes gleam dangerously, alarmingly focused on Chen and completely oblivious of Chanyeol, who is standing on the side unobtrusively, the latter can’t help but think it’s a beautiful and promising gleam; it’s very…passionate.

And then Chanyeol’s thoughts travel down other paths, which might or might not lead to indecent territory, because Baekhyun’s magenta hair is darkened by the water and sticking wetly on his forehead and on the sides of his pixie face, tussled on the temples, his pink lips are pouting heartbreakingly and he is wearing a white, fluffy bathrobe, a few sizes too big to make Chanyeol wonder what it’d be like to explore; Chanyeol is dying to get his hands on it, or anywhere on Baekhyun in general, but he won’t, for the sake of age rating.

And what exactly is he thinking about?! Baekhyun looks like a startled bunny and he’s thinking all those risqué things. Shame on you, brain. The love of his life is having a mental breakdown, this isn’t the time to be selfish!

“Baekkie love, calm down. You’re scaring Channie” Chen tries to distract him in a motherly voice, risking his life by stepping closer to Baekhyun and blocking Chanyeol’s view. At the sound of his odd pet name, Chanyeol’s ears perk with interest, but Baekhyun gives no reaction to it, as if he didn’t even hear it. Chen was probably hoping to contain Baekhyun’s reaction using Chanyeol’s presence as an excuse, and even though it doesn’t seem to be working so far, suddenly Chanyeol realizes to which extent Chen can be dangerous and manipulative if he wants to. Chanyeol is mildly concerned, if he may.

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? ALL I KNOW IS THAT MY HAIR IS PURPLE!” Baekhyun stomps his bare foot on the ground imperatively, small fists clenched on his sides, and Chanyeol finds it uber cute. It takes all his self restraint not to jump on him, scoop him in his arms and kiss his puffy cheeks repeatedly, squeezing him for all his cuteness and nuzzling his nose along that beautiful white slope of his neck. In a totally innocent way, he means.

“And it looks fabulous on you!” Chen reassures him with a grand gesture of his hand and a pleasing smile –even though Chanyeol doubts a smile can make everything okay. Chanyeol knows he’s not considered an active member of this conversation, but he feels the need to certify Chen’s opinion by nodding his head in agreement. But why are they suddenly making remarks about- oh. Oh. So, step two is flattery. Chanyeol keeps his eyes peeled for Baekhyun’s reaction, and indeed the compliments seem to work a bit better on Baekhyun. A little reassurance goes a long way, and Baekhyun’s features soften, his body relaxes and his fists unclench. He doesn’t look entirely relieved, but at least his anger melts into hurt, and he stops glaring at Chen to show him a pitiful expression.

Chanyeol makes a mental note of this for future reference, on the chapter entitled ‘how to handle your boyfriend when he is bunny furious’ –he certainly wishes to avoid any situation in the future that might upset Baekhyun so much, but you can never know…Chanyeol is pretty dense, he might mess up a few things along the way. He knows the risks, but he trusts Baekhyun loves him enough to forgive him –and now he has one extra tip memorized if ever needed.

“But it wasn’t supposed to be permanent!” Baekhyun wails with a desperate frown between his eyebrows. At least the volume of his voice is far more normal, so he’s probably turning tame again. Chanyeol understands Baekhyun’s distress; he guesses he’d be pretty upset too if he woke up one day with permanently purple hair. It gets some getting used to. Baekhyun’s shoulders droop –nope, definitely didn’t notice the peek-a-boo of collarbones, no– and he slumps against Chen, his knees giving out and his head ending up resting on Chen’s shoulder. The latter staggers a little due to the sudden addition of weight, but he manages to hug Baekhyun tentatively. Chanyeol is, bizarrely, a tad bit jealous that Baekhyun is not sulking on him instead of his best friend; he fights down the urge to seize him up and kiss that frown away, and then pepper his whole face and pouty lips with kisses until Baekhyun smiles again.

Oh my god, what is he thinking at times like these. He should be happy Baekhyun is coming out of his blues, even if it’s not Chanyeol dancing him through it.

“That’s okay” Chen says calmly, patting Baekhyun’s back comfortingly. Baekhyun whines quietly and Chen starts tracing soothing circles on his back; Chanyeol takes more mental notes –of course cuddles would be a very crucial step of the procedure. “We will wait for a couple of weeks, and then we’ll dye it back to your natural color! Or any color you want; I’ll get you the best hair colorists out there and you can pick one, okay?” Chen sounds more convincing now, gaining confidence as Baekhyun’s irritation dies down and fades away. Baekhyun is unmoving for a moment, while he gives Chen’s suggestion a moment of serious thought. He lifts his head to look at Chen thoughtfully, a small quirk on one of his eyebrows and puppy eyes running a meticulous examination of Chen’s face to appraise how serious he is about his offer. Then he whimpers cutely and slowly returns his forehead on Chen’s shoulder for comfort.

“And what will I do until then? How will I go to work with purple hair? Everyone will recognize me and I will have to avoid their questions…And I have no clothes that don’t color-clash with this hair; except for a few dark blue, grey and black shirts, maybe...” he whines in a low voice, and it sounds like the adorable, complaining yelps that puppies make. How can you not love him, when he’s this adorable even when he’s mad? Chanyeol has not seen Baekhyun so insecure before –actually, maybe just once, and it felt heartbreaking and horrible, because Chanyeol himself was the source of Baekhyun’s discomfort– but watching safely from the sidelines is a whole other story. This is undeniably one of the most endearing things Chanyeol has ever witnessed. “And look!” Baekhyun’s head suddenly snaps up, and he is sporting an alarmed expression; the abrupt change from his docile behavior a moment ago makes Chanyeol flinch a little. “My dark circles are showing more now!” he claims, poking the skin under his eyes indicatively to prove his point. And then he pouts; goodbye, sanity. Chanyeol loses his succession of thoughts in the curves and silky colors of those lips.

“Baekhyun, clothes are never an issue if you are my friend” Chen reassures him, patting his arm brotherly. Chanyeol is not entirely coherent but he thinks he remembers a fact of life about Chen working in the fashion industry. And for the love of puppies, Baekhyun is still pouting! “And we both know very well that you can apply makeup like a pro, so don’t worry about your dark circles” he adds cheekily, shaking Baekhyun off of him completely. Baekhyun stands on his own and gives him a betrayed look, and then regains his hurt, pouting expression. He is definitely calmer now though and there are hopes of him returning to his puppiness over the rainbow in the immediate future.

“I hate you! Why do I have to go through this? It was your idea” he complains, poking Chen’s shoulder with his finger –it probably hurts a little, because Baekhyun is not easy on the pressure he’s applying, but it’s not a death grip Chen warned Chanyeol about, so he should be fine. Chanyeol can’t say he doesn’t understand; the love of his life woke up with permanently purple hair –not that Chanyeol minds, but he can imagine how strange and disorienting it must be for Baekhyun. He’s determined to help him through this, however; he’s going to tell Baekhyun how beautiful he is every day until he reconciles with the change in his appearance.

“It’s an improvement, Baekhyun” Chen says calmly, swatting away Baekhyun’s insistent finger. “And hey, Chanyeol likes it!” he adds out of the blue, with a cheerful color in his voice. At the mention of his name, Chanyeol starts and blinks his wide eyes. After Chen’s words sink in, he starts thinking them through, to be prepared –years of being a semi-human octopus in disguise have taught him that preparation is key to most things in life.

Does he like the magenta hair? Maybe. It looked just the right amount of gorgeous last night and he’s told the pictures came out amazing. He was very impressed himself and he loved it last night, when Baekhyun looked so ethereal and perfect, dressed up to the nines –and all for Chanyeol. Chanyeol’s heart flares at the memory of Baekhyun walking, standing, smiling, laughing, talking, breathing and generally existing beside him –and don’t even get him started on that magical, surprise kiss by the fountain. But, if he has to be completely honest, it is a bit strange for him to look at his Baekhyun in broad daylight and not find something theoretically askew. Because, like Baekhyun pointed out, he can’t be wearing only black and dark clothes –Baekhyun is a ray of sunshine, dressed in all the colors of the rainbow and looking dashing in all of them. And oh, Chanyeol will miss the way that baby blue jacket Baekhyun owns brought out the melted chocolate tones in his brown puppy eyes…

But. Chanyeol has the chance to observe Baekhyun in vivo in broad daylight as we speak, and he ought to say, that theory doesn’t seem to apply. At this point, let’s make one thing clear: he is not, by any means in this universe or the next one, disappointed.

Baekhyun looks great; different, but in a great way. Chanyeol has no idea what dark circles Baekhyun was talking about earlier, because all he sees is beautiful, glowing skin on his perfect little face, and healthy rosy cheeks in spite the lack of sleep. Actually, Chanyeol thinks his skin has a glow that hadn’t been so prominent before, as if he’s shining from within. And he still looks cute, fluffy hair and pouty lips knocking out Chanyeol’s heart in seconds. And he also looks se*y, definitely that; he would be lying if he said he doesn’t want to run his fingers through his hair and bring him close-ahem. And somewhere amongst the heartbreaker’s elegance, the curtness of a puppy, the seductive shadows that the new hair color brings out in his eyes and the innocent glinting of his eyesmiles –insert Chanyeol’s slightly indecent fantasies that he shouldn’t be having, but that’s sensibly impossible for him– Baekhyun gains something mischievous in his countenance, something that Chanyeol always suspected was there, and it now seems more accessible.

In conclusion, the magenta hair brings out the perfect combination of unimaginably se*y and heartbreakingly cute on Baekhyun. So, of course Chanyeol likes it. He adores it.

“Why do you keep bringing up- Chanyeol!” Baekhyun’s look of bewilderment dissolves into sheer surprise when he looks past Chen and his eyes meet Chanyeol’s across the room, where he’s been standing silently all the while, a few steps behind Chen. Chanyeol feels strange with those wide eyes on him, like a child caught eavesdropping. But he hasn’t been eavesdropping, he’s just been…present. In spite of his stomach dropping to the floor, he swallows his nerves and offers the friendliest smile he can manage.

“Hi” he breathes out hesitantly, only to see Baekhyun’s eyes widening even more in fluster. Oh no, did I say something wrong, what do I do?!

“You had been expecting him, right?” Chen provides with a smug smile; he’s much more daring now, since he is off the hook. His voice almost goes unnoticed, as Baekhyun stares at Chanyeol, frozen in shock, and Chanyeol stares back, thinking of what he should and shouldn’t say next. He’d better not sound weird, awkward or say anything that might make Baekhyun coil away in embarrassment for his earlier behavior; Chanyeol loves to explore every side of Baekhyun, nothing should be embarrassing. Chen looks back and forth at the two other men, expecting a reaction. When he gets bored of the mirroring immobility, he sighs and chirps “I better get going now though. I have to prepare for tomorrow and cook for a boyfriend and such” he shrugs on his jacket, fixing the lapels to perfection, and he’s about to go out the door unhindered, but he suddenly stops and twirls around. “Oh, and Baekhyun?” he adds one final thought, and said man turns his head, vaguely distracted from his staring at Chanyeol, to spare a glance at Chen. “You’re so bold, appearing in front of your boyfriend in a bathrobe; it makes me wonder what you guys do behind closed doors~” Chen winks with a mischievous smile which suggests about all there is to be implied, and then he snickers and disappears quickly, closing the door hurriedly and leaving the other two staring after him dumbfounded.

It takes a good five minutes of Chanyeol blinking and Baekhyun breathing, time seemingly frozen inside the apartment. Chanyeol doesn’t know what to say, but he decides to say it anyway; someone has to go first.

“Okay-” Chanyeol breaks the silence in the calmest voice he can manage, afraid he might spook Baekhyun if he brings him back to reality too abruptly. Since they’ve been staring at each other very intently, Chanyeol gets a terrifyingly clear view of Baekhyun’s cheeks turning more red than a strawberry and his puppy eyes rounding in fluster. Uh-oh.

“Oh my god, don’t look! Look away!” Baekhyun exclaims instantly, his voice pitched in distress, flailing his arms in front of him in a panic-infused, dizzying way. Not having a mind to object and feeling the panic transferring to him, Chanyeol turns his head away so forcefully and fast that his neck hurts, obeying Baekhyun’s request reflexively. Baekhyun gathers his robe up to his neck, somewhere in Chanyeol’s peripheral vision, clearly more distressed than Chanyeol thinks he should be. Because when he thinks about it, seriously…

“Don’t look at what, Baek? You’re perfectly covered” he reasons with a vague gesture in Baekhyun’s general direction –because he definitely doesn’t want to turn around and frighten Baekhyun, and then go over Baekhyun shutting down in embarrassment; never again in this lifetime, he has learnt his lesson. He keeps his eyes away, much as they’d like to sneak a peek, feeling obligated to give Baekhyun some privacy and room to regroup. They are boyfriends, yes, but they’re pretty new and some lines between them are still hard to bend. Not that Chanyeol minds the idea of Baekhyun going around in a bathrobe or in any attire he likes; he can still contain himself and his ideas. Therefore, Baekhyun panicking over Chanyeol seeing him in a fluffy bathrobe is somewhat unnecessary. Besides, I’ve been looking at you for the past few minutes and, trust me, whatever indecent thought I could have, even though I wouldn’t be supposed to have it, I’ve had it already.

“Y-yeah, but I’m covered in a bathrobe, so that changes things” Baekhyun stutters in a mildly embarrassed, defensive voice, and Chanyeol is sure he is sporting a lovely frown above pink cheeks. It gets more and more difficult not to turn around and hug him; Chanyeol’s brain can’t come up with any other legitimate course of action right now, because Baekhyun is wearing a fluffy bathrobe, fresh from a shower, pouting and blushing within reach, can you see the struggle? On a side note, Chanyeol will have to schedule a deep and meaningful talk with Chen –and if that fails, he’ll just have him assassinated– for putting such ideas in Baekhyun’s head; the smaller can live without the added embarrassment of hypothetically compromising situations. Besides, closed doors are not necessary for Baekhyun and Chanyeol; they have their bubble for that and they are lovestruck enough to flaunt it.

“J-just…go wait for me in the living room, and I’ll come join you as soon as I can, okay?” Baekhyun requests in an absolute yet timid voice that gives away the flush of his cheeks, and Chanyeol fights back a smile. So cute. There is a moment of silence and then “Please?” Baekhyun adds in an uncertain tone, to amend his request. He probably feels a little guilty for having spoken to Chanyeol more harshly than usual, but Chanyeol doesn’t mind. He didn’t really mean it. He is being perfectly honest; Chanyeol didn’t feel offended by Baekhyun’s earlier tone –he understands that he is naturally shy and it is obvious he is very flustered right now, after Chen’s comment and its implications.

Chanyeol nods without a word, not trusting that anything he might say won’t upset Baekhyun. He turns around and starts for the living room quietly, following Baekhyun’s instructions and not peeking even once. He hears the quick shuffling of bare feet on the floor and, after he takes his seat, he only catches a glimpse of Baekhyun’s violet hair and his fluffy bathrobe before the smaller disappears in his room and closes the door behind him.

--

Baekhyun discards his robe and dresses in the most covering and loose clothes he owns, no part of his body revealed or looking remotely seductive, he combs his offensively purple hair and checks his teeth, he stomps and jumps around his room in frustration and then he deems himself presentable and relatively mentally stable to deal with the situation. He uses his sweater paws to open the door and peek towards the living room; it’s too far to discern anything substantial, but he guesses Chanyeol is still there. He bites his lip at the memory of Chanyeol, being so silent and looking so small when Baekhyun ordered him around earlier; he needs to apologize for that…and other things.

He gets out of his room and starts walking down the hallway, tripping a little on the hem of his overly long pants on his first steps. He doesn’t want Chanyeol to wait for him but his hallway suddenly seems too short for him to think through something humanly coherent to say. What could he possibly say? There are so many things to apologize for and he managed to pile them up at his expense in less than ten minutes, there has to be an award for that. He shakes his head, pressing his eyes closed for a moment, and then he glances to the living room. He recognizes Chanyeol sitting casually and comfortably on the couch, toying with something on his phone. At least he doesn’t look mad…Baekhyun thinks, but the closer his steps bring him to the living room, the harder it gets to lift his eyes again, so he keeps them trained on the ground.

This is not what he had imagined this morning to be. He woke up later than his alarm valiantly tried to deafen him out of sleep, with Chen’s face being closer than any human would hope to see it before they’re properly out of slumber. He zoomed into the bathroom faster than a bullet and everything was hastily going well on autopilot until this darn violet dye wouldn’t rinse off! He grabbed the first thing on his way –in retrospect, thank god it was a robe and not just a towel, because he wouldn’t have hesitated to appear in minimal modesty in front of Chen– and he stormed out of the bathroom to harvest Chen’s soul. He didn’t rant half as much as he’d have liked though, because his best friend knows him and his buttons a little too well, but then a Chanyeol appeared out of the blue, standing on the side and looking maybe traumatized. He can’t believe he appeared so messy and wearing a bathrobe in front of Chanyeol! Or that he was yelling at Chen like a mad man for his very purple hair, while wearing said highly compromising bathrobe, with Chanyeol as their unsuspecting audience. And then, feeling flustered more than sky-high quantities can count, he yelled at Chanyeol for no reason –did he even say good morning? Oh god, he didn’t. He was so rude and unfair, and Chanyeol has every right to be mad and mopey if he wants to be. Baekhyun wants to disappear in a puff of embarrassment –but after he has apologized.

He stops by the doorframe, right before entering the living room, and he opts to stand there for a while in silence. It’s a safe and non-threatening distance, and he finds himself wishing Chanyeol would simultaneously say something and not notice him at all. His mind gets suddenly intrigued by a tiny thread on the carpet, so he just keeps staring at that, trying to find his voice to say something, just one word. His thoughts keep revolving around things he would like to say, things he should say, things that might be possible to come out of his mouth, things he should expect to hear in return, and why isn’t human dematerialization possible again? He remembers to keep breathing but he finds it hard to swallow, his heart picks up the pace or slows down at irregular intervals, and he thinks he’s starting to feel dizzy but he really hopes he won’t pass out on the spot, because that would be highly counterproductive.

He knows that Chanyeol is right there, in all his tall and handsome, smoldering hot glory, gracing Baekhyun’s humble living room with his presence, and he must have noticed Baekhyun by now, standing idly on the side, partly hidden behind the doorframe. He has not made a sound, however, allowing the shorter to dwell on his inner conflict; the space he is given is appreciated by Baekhyun. Chanyeol similarly respected his privacy and minded his fluster earlier –and all Baekhyun did to repay him was order him around. Baekhyun’s heart falls to his stomach. The silence stretches for a few minutes. Okay, Byun Baekhyun, you should say something to your boyfriend now. He takes a deep breath, hoping it will carry him through his words.

“I’m sorry” Baekhyun’s voice is barely above a whisper when it leaves his lips, but the house is so quiet and tranquil that even a sigh can be heard. He pokes the carpet with his toe, his heart trembling with uncertainty. Everything in his body is doing all sorts of funny summersaults and he feels his cheeks flaming up; he covers them his hands promptly, as if that will take away the burn, or maybe he just wants to hide. “I’m sorry I was abrupt with you earlier, it wasn’t your fault and I was unfair. And I’m sorry you heard me yell like that, I thought Chen was ignoring me. I’m sorry I didn’t even greet you properly…hi. And I am sorry you had to see me like this, with huge dark circles and this red scar on my chin and wearing a bathrobe and being so unkempt” Baekhyun falls to silence when he realizes he’s rambling, his heart beating behind his teeth.

Internally, it’s a whole different story. His mind is screaming and chattering from a million different directions, about every little thing his memory can provide, making him feel too small to handle so much guilt. His shoulders feel so heavy, because to the last of the words he spoke to Chanyeol earlier, there wasn’t a nice one. None of this was Chanyeol’s fault and yet Baekhyun spoke to him so rudely, because his whole system was on defense-mode. He did add a tiny ‘please’ after sending Chanyeol to wait in the living room, to make it sound less like a childish punishment, but that couldn’t counter-act everything he had already said and the tone he had used. Sending Chanyeol away when all the taller wanted was to help Baekhyun was not very nice of him; it was actually a pretty heartless greeting, even though Chanyeol had been so gentle.

And oh, he really wishes Chanyeol had never heard him yell like that –or at least, not so soon into their relationship. He had been hoping his crazy sides would remain hidden for a while longer, for obvious reasons. Shouting his frustrations at the top of his lungs is not something he does frequently, he’s a peaceful and optimistic guy, but when he does resort to such methods…oh, when he does. His voice is not good only for singing in the shower; when he resolves to yelling, it’s like his regular throat unlocks and he reaches decibels that surprise even himself every time! And as the events unraveled this time, today’s show was complete with an uncanny outfit; wearing a bathrobe while throwing a fit was a really unfortunate moment he’d rather never ever mention to anyone. He was mostly covered on the outside of course, but his body was uncovered like a baby underneath. And his new hair really does bring out his dark circles, which are already prominent due to staying up late last night –and he is out of concealer, so there’s no hope of covering them– not to mention that red scar on his chin because his acne remembered to visit him with bad timing. It’s not a feeling-good-about-yourself day for him.

“Baek” Chanyeol sounds very close all of a sudden and Baekhyun realizes that his eyes are seeing Chanyeol’s socks, which must mean the taller is standing right in front of him. With insecurities raining down on him, Baekhyun finds this a less than ideal moment to face his boyfriend, so he lowers his face even more. A part of his brain is yelling at him that this is not what he wants, he should lift his eyes and unleash all his puppiness in hopes he’ll be forgiven instead of pushing Chanyeol even further away like this. What is wrong with me? He knows what he should do but his body won’t obey his common sense, it won’t even listen to what he wants to do –everything is against him.

He just really needs a hug today.

Two warm hands warp their fingers around Baekhyun’s wrists and hold them gently, slowly coaxing Baekhyun’s hands to drop from his face. He doesn’t show his face –which surely sports red handprints on both cheeks– but he lets Chanyeol twine their fingers of both hands; it feels comforting. They stay like that for a while, and somehow Baekhyun’s forehead ends up resting against Chanyeol’s chest; the proximity and Chanyeol’s calming presence help Baekhyun relax. It’s something about his warmth and the way he breathes, the hum of his heartbeats and his thumbs rubbing Baekhyun’s knuckles that wake Baekhyun’s butterflies and soothe all his worries. He doesn’t protest when Chanyeol eventually lifts Baekhyun’s head, guiding him with a gentle finger curled under his chin, until he is looking into the other’s wonderful, large eyes.

“I was not offended by your tone, and the yelling was loud but also kind of cute. And, if you don’t mind me saying, the fluffy bunny bathrobe looked great on you” he caresses the edge of Baekhyun’s jaw line to his ear, the gesture and his words making Baekhyun blush a little. “Although, I hope you won’t kill Chen, because he is your best friend and you will regret it for one thing, but also because it’s highly possible he will come back to haunt you just to tease you” Chanyeol exaggerates opening his eyes, as if he is seriously warning Baekhyun of that possibility –Chen would never become a frightening ghost, he’d be too busy goofing around. Baekhyun can’t hold back a small entertained laugh, not the least bit remorseful for laughing at his friend’s expense, because it’s his fault they ended up like this in the first place. Seeing his efforts at cheering Baekhyun up pay off, Chanyeol’s lips reflect a pretty smile. Baekhyun can’t describe how precious he feels when Chanyeol looks at him.

“And I don’t know what you are talking about, about dark circles and scars or such” his eyes scrutinize Baekhyun’s face, but he’s too close for comfort –he can probably see every pore on his skin and how his left eye is slightly droopier and that persistent pillow mark on his temple, oh no. Baekhyun suddenly feels embarrassed for his inappropriate appearance; why couldn’t he be one of those blessed people who wake up pretty? He contemplates shying away from Chanyeol’s touch, to save the latter from the horrifying view, but he ends up staying put; Chanyeol has seen worse of him and he never once failed to make him feel beautiful. Chanyeol leans closer. “All I see is perfect.” he places a tender kiss high on Baekhyun’s cheek, on the rim of his dark circle under his left eye. Baekhyun’s cheek twitches but he doesn’t smile, his heart leaping to his ribcage. “Perfect” Chanyeol kisses his dark circle on the other side gently. “Perfect.” he finally kisses the red mark on his chin, careful not to hurt him, and then he pulls back and shows a big, innocent grin. Baekhyun feels his cheeks grow warmer and his lips manage to return a small smile. He feels a little better now, this day might even end up being a good one.

“Even if I have purple hair?” he asks, his mood a little playful, but deep down he’s still doubtful. Because really, it was nice for one night, but permanently sporting purple hair is not exactly a lifelong dream if you’re past a certain age, much less for Baekhyun, who likes to live his life quietly, blending in with the happy crowd; and it is definitely impossible to do that with this hair. He’s an event planner not the main attraction. Chanyeol presses his lips in a fond smile and brushes Baekhyun’s freshly washed bangs away from his face with gentle fingertips. It’s more intimate than Baekhyun thought and his heart stutters, feeling a little nervous.

“I think I like your hair” he says honestly, threading his fingers through Baekhyun’s hair. It is somehow a small relief to hear that he likes Baekhyun’s vulgarly purple mane. “So soft…” he mumbles then absentmindedly, combing Baekhyun’s hair affectionately, and the latter blushes furiously, but he just can’t look away; those affectionate, chocolate eyes have him captivated. He leans into the touch, feeling his heart dancing a happy tune. He still feels a little guilty for his earlier behavior, apologies clinging to his lips like a bitter aftertaste, but maybe that can be fixed with a kiss or two. Uh, what? What am I even thinking…?

“Thank you” he says quietly, his lips twitching when Chanyeol’s fingers scratch at that nice spot behind his ear. “I like your hair like this too” Baekhyun compliments a fraction of what his mindblowingly handsome boyfriend deserves, but he takes pride in that faint pink tint that appears on Chanyeol’s cheeks. He raises one hand slowly and touches the short strands, running his fingers over the hair above Chanyeol’s ear. It’s soft and warm, perfect for a bit of scratching. The taller gives him a wide smile and leans into the playful touch; he looks even more childish like this. Admittedly, Baekhyun will miss the feeling of Chanyeol’s long, silky locks sliding and tangling around his fingers; but Kai told him that Chanyeol’s hair grows quickly, so it will be longer again in a few weeks, therefore, they should enjoy the picture while it lasts. And the picture is really nice, if we’re being honest; the combination of cute and sultry is so appealing but also tempting, bringing cartwheels in Baekhyun’s tummy. Heart alert, too fast, it’s going to burst. “And who knew you have such large dumbo ears?” he teases, flicking one of Chanyeol’s ears with the tip of his finger pad. Chanyeol pouts immediately in protest.

“Hey-”

“I love them, they’re so cute~” Baekhyun interrupts him, cooing and gently rubbing the ear he earlier attacked between his fingers. Chanyeol doesn’t protest and only smiles, reassured. Baekhyun doesn’t say how he loves those ears even more with their new, interesting red color.

“Let’s sit down, shall we?” Chanyeol suggests and takes Baekhyun’s hand, leading him to the living room. Baekhyun thinks it was about time they stopped standing in the doorway like two equally enchanted statues, so he follows with a quiet smile; but he has to admit he feels somewhat surprised when Chanyeol takes a seat and, instead of letting Baekhyun snuggle beside him, he uses their clasped hands to pull him down. It feels so disorienting when Chanyeol spins Baekhyun mid air as if he’s made of feathers and helps him land on his lap seamlessly. Baekhyun realizes in a blink that they got too close too fast, but Baekhyun won’t say he minds. His arm weaves reflexively around Chanyeol’s shoulders to hold himself upright, and Chanyeol helpfully wraps one arm behind his back to hold him in place. “This is much, much better” Chanyeol mumbles, probably not meaning to be heard but they really are too close, and Baekhyun is certain he’s sporting strawberry cheeks but he doesn’t care.

“Have you had breakfast?” Baekhyun asks on a whim, showing a bright grin. He slept in this morning and he hasn’t had breakfast yet, but he can feel his painfully empty stomach on the verge of a very embarrassing protest. He needs to dissuade it from growling out its native song, even just with the promise of food –because, realistically speaking, he doesn’t think he can convince himself to leave Chanyeol’s lap so soon, even if it’s to get food. But if he’s making plans for breakfast, he can definitely include Chanyeol; it might help him feel a little less guilty for his previous outburst too. He can prepare pancakes, or bake fresh croissants if Chanyeol wants to be his sous-chef, or they would have hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls if he can convince himself to get dressed and make the short run to the bakery down the corner…

“I’m sorry Baek, I’ve already had breakfast” Chanyeol apologizes, scrunching his nose in regret “It’s something like a tradition for me and my mother to have breakfast together at my family house the morning after the gala” he offers an apologetic smile, which makes him look like a child who’s shy after eating the last cookie. Baekhyun feels a little disappointed, but he smiles and shakes his head to reassure Chanyeol; he would never hold against Chanyeol the fact that he is a good son, or begrudge his mother, who is an adorable and loving woman, who misses spending time with her hardworking son.

“That’s okay. How about lunch then?” Baekhyun suggests, trying to estimate if lunch would be appropriate at this hour; he deems it’s late enough, they can have lunch if they want to. It’s half past the time his stomach should be feeling full and any meal will do; he really needs to eat, in case you haven’t noticed; he hasn’t had proper food since yesterday afternoon. All the better if he can share his meal with Chanyeol, perhaps cook it with him and spend some more time with him in general. Maybe they can spend the day together, cuddling and napping and eating. But Baekhyun’s plans don’t make it very far before they fade, because the look in Chanyeol’s puppy eyes doesn’t seem very auspicious, paired with a small pout; Baekhyun can see every small crease on his skin due to the proximity.

“I’m really sorry, but I can’t stay” he says timidly and Baekhyun can’t stop his heart from dropping to his stomach this time. He is not disappointed because of Chanyeol, the taller did nothing wrong; they didn’t have a date planned for today, they just said they might visit Kyungsoo if they had enough time, so nothing is actually cancelled. But Baekhyun’s silly heart still feels disappointed to lose the opportunity to flutter like crazy all day in Chanyeol’s vicinity. Chanyeol sighs. “My father called just before I came here, and he said he wants to go over some contracts with me; urgently. Today. As soon as possible. He’s making such a fuss about work, he’s unbelievable” Chanyeol frowns deeply but it’s gone in a moment, and he blinks up at Baekhyun, pouting adorably “I’m sorry I have to leave you so soon” he mumbles, looking more disappointed than Baekhyun feels. Even though this cute display doesn’t make up for Baekhyun’s disappointment, it feels strangely comforting, so he even smiles.

“I don’t mind” he reassures Chanyeol, his fingers playing with the short ends of Chanyeol’s black hair at the nape of his neck. Chanyeol quirks his lips, a dimple denting his cheek, with a look as if he can see through Baekhyun’s act, feeling just as disappointed. Then, he stretches his neck and kisses Baekhyun’s cheek, making the smaller bite his lip in embarrassment and promptly unhook his arm from around the taller’s shoulders, diving to Chanyeol’s chest to hide his blushing cheeks. Chanyeol is frozen in shock for a moment, while Baekhyun cuddles up to him, resting his cheek on Chanyeol’s collarbone, and that’s when Chanyeol relaxes and chuckles. Perhaps he can sense that Baekhyun is flustered, because his hand starts rubbing soothing circles on his back, and soon enough Baekhyun is relaxed against Chanyeol, dangerously close to dosing off. “Do you have to go right away?” he mumbles sleepily.

“Theoretically and in my father’s head, yes. Technically and within sanity standards, no” Chanyeol sighs in defeat “He doesn’t even need me all that much, he is just being difficult-ugh. Let’s not talk about him” he requests and Baekhyun nods against him, a move Chanyeol can feel rather than see. Baekhyun is fine with it; if Chanyeol doesn’t want to talk about his father, which is admittedly a sensitive and complicated issue, Baekhyun can simply offer his support, as long as Chanyeol is happy. Maybe there will be a time and place for that talk, but they don’t need to force it.

“Just let me know when you have to leave, okay?” Baekhyun tries to keep himself awake, leaving his snuggly place and straightening his back, showing Chanyeol a small smile. Chanyeol nods, puppy eyes and adorable pout in full force. Before Baekhyun has time to blink, Chanyeol pulls Baekhyun even closer and rests his head at the base of Baekhyun’s neck, reversing their earlier position.

“Can we just stay like this for a while?” he mumbles with a pleading voice and, after his initial surprise passes, Baekhyun hums, feeling snuggly –if anything, he is severely more than happy to stay near Chanyeol like this. Chanyeol sighs in contentment, and Baekhyun smiles to himself. He starts petting Chanyeol’s short hair gently, breathing in their expensive scent, internally giggling. It’s not every day your giant boyfriend feels so small in your arms. With his cheek pressed against Baekhyun’s collarbone, Chanyeol starts nuzzling his nose on the side of the column of Baekhyun’s neck affectionately. His skin is a bit sensitive there and Baekhyun almost flinches away, but that would hurt Chanyeol’s feelings, because he doesn’t know of Baekhyun’s weakness. So Baekhyun stays put and doesn’t say anything. However, that doesn’t mean that Baekhyun can’t feel the chills rolling on his skin, down to his stomach and all across his chest, goose bumps rising on his arms and his spine quivering. Sensitive, yeah.

His heart starts beating loudly in his chest and Chanyeol might be able to hear it –or he can definitely hear it, with the way half his face is plastered against Baekhyun’s body. But Baekhyun guesses there is no harm in that, because Chanyeol presses his cheek against him even more, as if he’s chasing the sound; Baekhyun chuckles quietly, lightly scratching Chanyeol’s crown.

When Chanyeol’s arm snakes around Baekhyun’s waist for support, the latter welcomes the move, because he feels like he wants to fold and curl around Chanyeol as much as he can, sharing the cuddly warmth of a lazy morning. It is Chanyeol’s other hand that makes the muscles on Baekhyun’s back tense and his stomach stir. Because it slides over his thigh, fingers slowly ghosting over the soft material of Baekhyun’s pants –let’s pretend Baekhyun didn’t notice how perfect that touch felt just now, creeping sweetly up his thigh– and it stops high on his outer thigh, perching there precariously, bordering Baekhyun’s perky rear. Chanyeol probably hasn’t even noticed where he’s touching, and Baekhyun is sure he doesn’t mean to imply anything indecent, because he would never do anything that would make Baekhyun uncomfortable. He respects Baekhyun’s inexperience and he is always very patient, giving Baekhyun space and following his slower pace.

That very same inexperience is what has Baekhyun’s senses suddenly alert. He’s suddenly very aware of how close they are and how tangled in each other. He doesn’t feel upset or uncomfortable; Chanyeol’s hand doesn’t feel intrusive or foreign. It just feels…new. It’s a little exciting. No one has ever touched Baekhyun there or anywhere near there; it’s generally considered uncharted territory. The only exception might be Chen, who pinches him wherever on his body when he’s taking measures for his clothes, but that is obviously not the same; his best friend’s touch is teasing and it doesn’t feel any different from brotherly pokes. But Chanyeol’s hand is warm and it fits just so, so perfectly on Baekhyun’s curve, obliviously stimulating a hundred whirlwinds of fire under Baekhyun’s skin and a tingling sensation that spreads all over his body, like a spell in his veins.

When Chanyeol’s thumb starts tracing circles absentmindedly against his hip, Baekhyun goes from counting his breaths to full rigidity. It would be impossible for Chanyeol not to notice; he’s unavoidably aware of Baekhyun’s body shifting in the slightest ways, since they are so close and leaning against each other.

“What’s wrong?” Chanyeol lifts his head, giving him a puzzled and concerned look, after noticing Baekhyun’s body freaking out. He looks straight into his eyes and it’s almost unbearable to maintain eye contact when Baekhyun feels so embarrassed and shy. He blinks his wide eyes a few times, looking at Chanyeol and meaning to say something, but his lips are glued. Chanyeol’s concern doesn’t lessen, his one hand rubbing up and down Baekhyun’s spine and shoulder blades to help him calm down; it takes a few moments before he succeeds.

“Y-your hand” Baekhyun manages to stutter past his numb lips, with brightly blushing cheeks. That doesn’t make much sense but Baekhyun finds it physically impossible to explain anything further. Chanyeol looks at him in bewilderment for a second and Baekhyun panics that he is being unreasonably weird, but then something seems to click in Chanyeol’s head, his eyes widening. The dawn of realization is hard to miss on Chanyeol’s face, so near to his own, and the taller instantly wrenches his guilty hand away, as if he’s touched scorching iron.

“Baekhyun, I am so sorry! How did this happen, I swear I didn’t realize my hand was- I’m sorry, I would never, ever do anything that might-” he starts panicking, his face going paler.

“I know, I know” Baekhyun stops him, cradling Chanyeol’s face with both hands and helping him focus on his face again. Chanyeol’s guilty conscience is as obvious as Baekhyun’s raging blush, but they keep looking into each other’s eyes, trying to calm down. “You didn’t do anything wrong, I don’t blame you. It wasn’t bad, it’s just…it’s me; I’m not used to…things like that. Like this” Baekhyun gestures at the limited empty space between their bodies and everything else included between them, the intimacy he’s not used to experiencing so close to his skin. They’ve been close with Chanyeol before; they have had their moments to hug and cuddle and exchange affectionate touches, but it doesn’t feel the same in broad daylight. The sunlight makes it so real, taking away the dreamy haze of later hours and Baekhyun’s romantic valor. He purses his lips and looks at Chanyeol, hoping he understands, because words have already started to fail Baekhyun and he won’t be in any position to explain anything properly soon.

“I’m sorry” Chanyeol repeats, the hold of his other arm on Baekhyun’s waist loosening. “I didn’t think you would mind, I just wanted to be close. Does it make you uncomfortable? Because if it does-” Chanyeol releases his waist immediately and leans away, pressing against the back of the couch to give Baekhyun some personal space. Baekhyun’s eyes widen, instantly missing his source of warmth. No, that’s not what I meant! Come back! Baekhyun doesn’t want space, he wants to be close to Chanyeol, too!

“No, come back!” he squeals before he has time to process his words, and he throws himself on Chanyeol, his hands quickly attaching on Chanyeol’s shoulders, scrambling to get a hold and stay close to the taller like a clingy koala. After his arms are wound around Chanyeol’s neck and latched on his shoulders, securing Chanyeol’s surprised face close to Baekhyun’s, the latter’s actions register and he blushes. Did he just bring them so close by himself? Did he just practically haul himself on poor, unsuspecting Chanyeol? I did what? Oh my god, I’m still doing it! Baekhyun gulps, his nose nearly bumping with Chanyeol’s, and he decides that since he’s gotten this far, he might as well…“I mean, I don’t mind being so close. I didn’t mind when you, um…touched me. I-I sort of liked it, actually” Baekhyun gulps. Is he really saying the things he thinks he’s saying? Chanyeol is looking at him with wide, incredulous eyes, still a little surprised by Baekhyun’s cuddle attack, and probably by his words as well. Baekhyun bites his lip, his heart accelerating as if it’s legitimately about to explode. They are boyfriend now, right? Touching is…fine, right? It certainly feels wondrous. His lips open without his permission. “C-can you do it again? If…y-you want”

It takes a few torturously long moments for Chanyeol to react –and what is this reality Baekhyun is living? What is he saying?

“Um, sure” Chanyeol agrees, trying to remain composed. Baekhyun lets out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, his heart unclenching. Chanyeol traps his lower lip in his teeth, reluctantly resuming his pose, wrapping one arm behind Baekhyun first; with the supporting arm Baekhyun relaxes, leaning against Chanyeol more comfortably. Maintaining eye contact, as if asking for permission and monitoring his reaction, Chanyeol’s other hand returns gingerly on Baekhyun’s leg, resting on his knee. Baekhyun expects it to slide higher and his breath hitches a little, but his wish is not granted. He exhales softly, realizing that Chanyeol has settled for touching Baekhyun’s knee.

His knee.

Not exactly what I had in mind…but oh well.

“Just, don’t push yourself, okay?” Chanyeol says, his thumb rubbing circles on the small dent of Baekhyun’s joint –and oh, this feels kind of tickly but in a nice way. “There’s no need for this and I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. I’m happy with anything if I get to keep you” he says softly, his confidence returning slowly and showing Baekhyun a smile. Baekhyun only nods this time, planning to tell Chanyeol that he really enjoys ‘this’ very much another time. He lays his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder and the latter starts humming a tune, cradling him close and hooking his chin on top of Baekhyun’s head. His heart quiets down after a few minutes of acting as a puzzle piece and listening to the lullaby, and he finds himself once again close to sleep. “How about I come back later, hmm? We can have dinner together, maybe watch a movie or nap afterwards?” he’s nearly snoozing when Chanyeol’s voice rings quietly, planning everything Baekhyun had hoped for this day, his fingers fidgeting absentmindedly with the hem of Baekhyun’s sweater. The smaller is drowsy but he still manages to smile and hum his agreement happily.

--

Something explodes and mayhem ensues, chunks of buildings falling off and flying across the street, windows shuttering and falling like rain, cars turning over and various fires igniting everywhere, ash and debris falling from the sky, while epic original soundtrack plays in the background. Man, there is no way the spy has survived after that.

Luhan sighs and slumps against the couch, having lost his interest in the movie and opting to focus on his bowl of popcorn instead. Sehun keeps his eyes on the tv, watching the movie and probably making another accurate prediction of the ending, as always. He’s the only one who’s really understood anything in the first place, because it’s a foreign action movie with many strange names and a complicated plot; Luhan can deal with subtitles but remembering so many names and everything that’s happened to every character in the movie is hard. A Sunday afternoon is not supposed to be hard though, so he settled with ogling the hot spy and munching on the popcorn graciously provided by his boyfriend, until the poor guy in the movie died.

He doesn’t really mind that he can’t understand the movie Sehun picked, because today is a good day. He woke up late and Sehun went out to buy him bagels for breakfast, they showered together and Sehun cooked them lunch; Luhan hasn’t had to make an effort for anything, not even comb his hair. Sehun allowed him to stay in his cupcake patterned pastel mint pajamas all day and he’s never been happier! They’re going to have ice cream after dinner too! He doesn’t have to go to work –he doesn’t even have to go out of the house– and he can be lazy, lying on the couch till the pillows accept him as one of their own, eating nice home cooked meals by his boyfriend and spending time with said boyfriend, until it will be time to go to bed. Doing absolutely nothing on day off is necessary every once in a while.

Another explosion happens on screen, its red and orange lights illuminating Sehun’s face. He’s sitting on the floor by Luhan’s feet, giving up the couch for him, his now empty, smaller bowl of popcorn placed neatly on the coffee table. His light blond hair looks a bit golden in the light of the setting sun, his brown eyes shining amber. He looks so effortlessly handsome, with messy hair, simple and comfortable clothes, sharp cheekbones and pale skin; he has such a blessed face. Sometimes Luhan wonders how on earth he managed to get a boyfriend like him; it’s nearly painful to compare his couch potato-ness to Sehun’s supermodel qualities. It baffles him why and how.

And Luhan knows this is not the time to be thinking of such things, much less discuss them, but his brain forgets to use multiple filters.

“Sehun?” he starts carefully, holding his popcorn with no interest in his lap. The taller hums distractedly, his eyes never leaving the screen. Had he been looking at Luhan right now, it would have been impossible for the latter to continue, because Sehun’s eyes have this strange mindreading superpower and it leaves Luhan tongue-tied. Luhan wets his lips nervously. “We’re boyfriends, right?” he asks casually –as casually as anyone can ask such a question at least. He thinks he did a pretty good job at hiding his inner turmoil, if you ask him, but Sehun doesn’t seem to think so; something about the question peaks his interest and he turns to look at Luhan, uncaring about the ongoing movie.

“Yes” he answers readily, without even a hint of hesitation or uncertainty in his voice. His gaze is very straightforward, pinning Luhan in place, even though he has the higher ground. Luhan tried to estimate what percentage of success he’d have if he tried to pass it off as an unimportant question which hasn’t been eating at him for days now. Fail, fail everywhere, just abort mission. But what else could he do? He sees Sehun’s lips press in a thoughtful, thin line, and if Sehun uses his wits, Luhan is doomed. “Why are you asking this now?” he asks, quirking his brow in bewilderment. Luhan gulps.

It’s true that it’d be perfectly silly of him to ask about their relationship status after a few months of indulging in every aspect of it, but he’s not asking because he doesn’t know what their relationship is. He’s asking because other people don’t know what their relationship is.

“It’s just that…” he pauses and frowns for a moment “people are confusing sometimes. And it’s been happening a lot lately” he says, not entirely sure it’s enough of an explanation. Sehun has always been very clear on what he wants from Luhan and their relationship; his honesty and openness might surprise Luhan sometimes, but he’s never confused. On any given moment, Sehun can explain everything about them very simply, which is something beautiful and also very helpful at times when Luhan starts overthinking things. But other people don’t see the beautiful simplicity of their relationship.

“How so?” Sehun tilts his head to the side, his whole face bathed in dying sunlight. Luhan sets his bowl aside and shuffles to make room for Sehun on the couch. The taller relocates, taking a seat next to Luhan, who folds his legs under himself timidly.

“Well, you know” he makes a vague gesture with his hand, and Sehun waits for his explanation patiently, watching him with great focus. Luhan fuddles with his hands. “Chen thinks you’re moving in, the girls next door think we’re married…” he flinches and grimaces at the word. Why does it have to be like this? They’re very clearly boyfriends, even if they do some things in a different way –doesn’t every couple do things their own way? A toothbrush in the bathroom, a house key and sharing meaningful, loving moments of their everyday life don’t mean a relationship level-up. Sehun leans a little closer to Luhan, peering at him as if he can read through him.

“I’m more interested in what you think” his voice is quiet but steady, making Luhan feel calmer than before when he looks into his familiar, sharp eyes.

And it all falls into place. Luhan doesn’t have to worry about what others think and if he’s the only one who’s left thinking otherwise. They’re boyfriends. Luhan is not particularly fond of social constructs and labels, and he’s never been very eager to fall under a category defined by others, but he has long accepted that he is Sehun’s boyfriend. They can be just Luhan and Sehun, with everything they choose to include in that and without having to change their definition, no matter what others think.

“I think I really, really like you. A lot” he blurts out, blushing only a little. Sehun’s lips twitch slightly upwards at the corners and Luhan notices only because they are so close. “Is that okay? Is that…enough?” he asks, unsure if he’s supposed to use these or better words. It’s Luhan’s words, pretty or not, and they’re honest.

“It’s the best” Sehun assures him, closing the gap between them and kissing Luhan’s lips. The kiss is deceptively sweet from the salt of the popcorn still lingering on their lips, and Sehun’s hand is warm when he touches Luhan’s cheek, just before he tilts his head and captures Luhan’s lip better. A sound he didn’t mean to make escapes Luhan’s throat, and he’s a bit embarrassed at first, but it encourages Sehun to kiss him more and Luhan thinks he doesn’t regret it anymore. His stomach flutters and he leans into Sehun, chasing his lips for short pecks when the taller tries to catch a giggling breath from Luhan’s lips; Luhan wouldn’t mind if extracurricular activities were included in their day. He slides a hand over Sehun’s shoulder, unhinging his eyelashes just enough to peek through them, and he sees Sehun’s smile and- wait. Luhan’s eyes open wide and he gasps; is that the hot, freaking dead spy?!

“Oh come on, are you kidding me?! Why isn’t he dead?!” Luhan protests, shouting right in Sehun’s ear, loud enough to deafen him, but the taller doesn’t even flinch, bursting in laughter instead. Luhan is focused on the screen, trying to catch up to the plot, and he might or might not have pushed Sehun out of the way, all naughty plans postponed. The taller ends up splayed on the floor in any case, clutching his stomach and laughing like a careless child. Luhan can’t hear anything and grabs a pillow, throwing it at him to silence him, but Sehun only laughs harder.

--

“The left one. I mean the other left, your left, Baek” Chanyeol waves his arms, trying to indicate his preference, cutely swaying in his seat on the couch because of his big gestures. Baekhyun chuckles at the childish display and Chanyeol pouts, a little frustrated and a little embarrassed with his lacking communication skills today. His cuteness is very tempting, but Baekhyun doesn’t leave his place just yet. He sets aside the fabric sample Chanyeol just ruled out, and Chanyeol sighs in relief, sinking back into the pillows.

True to his promise, Chanyeol came back earlier this afternoon and he has stayed with Baekhyun ever since. Only Baekhyun hadn’t been expecting him at the time –he thought he’d come a little before dinner not a little after lunch! After Chanyeol left this morning, Baekhyun decided to have a slow day –the sunny day and his loose, comfortable clothes called for it. He cooked himself a nice brunch and called his parents because he hadn’t heard from them in a while, and then he sat down to watch one episode of a random drama that was on tv. Naturally, he ended up very ceremoniously taking a nap, putting in some precious extra hours of misplaced beauty sleep. He felt so reenergized when he woke up, so he decided to brainstorm a little on an upcoming project. He opened his windows to let the sunlight and fresh air flow in, he spread his materials all over his living room, put some jazz music playing in the background and started working on a late summer wedding.

It was while he’d been trying to decide on flower arrangements that the door knocked, and Baekhyun opened it without a second thought about his messy living space. Chanyeol was right outside, sporting a blinding grin, and he kissed Baekhyun on the forehead as he let himself in like sunlight, rendering Baekhyun’s brain officially dazed and useless for a couple of minutes. He didn’t even have time to think of something to say before Chanyeol spotted the chaos in the living room and scampered to the couch like an overexcited puppy, claiming his spot and taking an interest in every trinket surrounding him. Baekhyun apologized profusely and tried to tidy up a bit, but Chanyeol wouldn’t let him, insisting that Baekhyun shouldn’t give up on his work just yet. Somewhere between Chanyeol poutily apologizing for interrupting his work and pleadingly requesting to help Baekhyun on his project, the event planner agreed to have Chanyeol offer his assistance; the latter was positively thrilled to be granted participation. Baekhyun suspects Chanyeol secretly likes weddings as much as he does.

Admittedly, there are so many more interesting things they could be doing during these blissful hours they’ve been gifted to spend together in peace –like, hmm, things that might involve lips and hands and cuddling?– but Baekhyun ought to say this doesn’t feel bad either. Chanyeol is sitting on the couch across Baekhyun’s inspiration board, claiming it’s the spot with the best view, bundled up in a fluffy blanket like a giant cinnamon roll –a grand work by yours truly–, looking so small and domestic. He dived into fabrics, flowers, lettering and bouquets without hesitation, showing such honest interest it’s heartwarming, which only makes Baekhyun love him more. He is so genuinely interested in Baekhyun’s work, fascinated by the smallest of things and excited about things that Baekhyun does automatically by now; it’s refreshing to work with someone so naively curious and enthusiastic. Chanyeol doesn’t know much about event planning, but he’s trying very hard to be helpful, even if all he has to offer is his opinion on what he thinks is prettier. His straightforward judgment and good sense of style and aesthetics have helped Baekhyun put together an inspiration board much quicker than he had expected, even the finishing touches.

“Okay, done!” he announces, pinning the fabric sample underneath a cut out orchid –Chanyeol’s proud achievement– and he takes a step back to evaluate their overall work. It looks pretty decent, great actually, he might not have to make any adjustments at all before presenting it to the happy couple. Baekhyun smiles to himself, thinking it was fun working with Chanyeol, and he feels all fluffy on the inside, wondering if they’ll ever get to join efforts like this in the future to plan their own- hold it, no, he did not just think that. He whirls around, ready to congratulate and thank Chanyeol for their productive evening, but his smile dims a little when he sees the taller frowning a bit.

“It’s pretty, I like it” Chanyeol decides after a thorough examination of the final result, but his frown remains carved between his eyebrows. Baekhyun is puzzled as to what might worry him at the moment, but he doesn’t think Chanyeol won’t share what’s on his mind if he gives him a little time. Chanyeol tries to fix his blanket on his shoulders, even though the fluffy material keeps sliding down, and that seems to dampen his mood a little more. “Too bad I won’t get to see it in person” he mumbles, fidgeting with the hem of the blanket in his lap. Ah, so that’s what it was…Baekhyun’s smile turns fond when he realizes the source of Chanyeol’s discomfort; of course he’d want to see his ideas materializing and bringing joy to someone’s special day. He’s such a giant softie.

“I’ll take pictures for you, is that okay?” Baekhyun suggests, trying to cheer Chanyeol up, hopping over a couple of dangerously splayed materials on the floor on his way to the couch. Chanyeol’s expression instantly morphs into a bright, mischievous smile. Baekhyun stops right in front of Chanyeol and tugs on his blanket with a small pout. “Me too?” he pleads, trying to look harmless and cute; he deems it was about time he stole some warmth from Chanyeol’s cocoon. Chanyeol opens his arms readily, welcoming Baekhyun without a second thought. Baekhyun plops on his lap shamelessly –Chanyeol let him sit there this morning so it’s within his territory now– and leans on Chanyeol’s chest, letting him wrap his long arms and the blanket around him; warmth pours into Baekhyun’s body, something soft is under his fingertips and against his skin, and Chanyeol’s scent is everywhere around him and inside his head. Baekhyun sighs happily, closing his eyes and enjoying the moment. “We make a good team; I like working with you” he mumbles absentmindedly.

“You’re the only one who really works, I just give you a humble opinion” Chanyeol hums, the sound reverberating in his chest against Baekhyun’s ear, but it suddenly stops. “You’re just using me” he accuses incredulously, but it’s clearly playful because he volunteered for the job in the first place and wouldn’t take no for an answer either. Baekhyun squirms, pressing his nose against Chanyeol’s collarbone.

“But you get many hugs” he chirps, his voice lilting to the bright side of things. Chanyeol’s arms tighten around him momentarily and when Baekhyun glances up towards his face, he detects a small smile. Boyfriend wants to be pampered huh? Baekhyun can totally do that. He squirms some more –hoping his bum is not touching anything inappropriate in the process– until he is a little bit higher. “And many kisses too” he says merrily, pecking Chanyeol’s chin. Chanyeol’s lips curl in a more prominent smile, encouraging Baekhyun. He pecks the side of Chanyeol’s mouth and then his chin again, then he trails butterfly kisses along the sharp bone of Chanyeol’s jaw; the taller giggles. Baekhyun can’t resist kissing the lobe of Chanyeol very scarlet ear, leaving one more kiss in the hollow behind it, and then he retraces his kisses all the way back to his chin. Chanyeol has leaned his head back in the meantime, always accommodating Baekhyun, and Baekhyun’s eyes first drop to his Adam’s apple when he glances down in between his pecks, but then they zero in on a tiny beauty mark just on the underside of Chanyeol’s jaw. Must kiss that. Must. Without sparing a moment of thought, Baekhyun attaches his lips on the cutest little mole he has discovered on Chanyeol’s skin, kissing the softness, warmth and Chanyeol’s scent greeting him. He hardly notices Chanyeol’s body freezing a little and his fingers twitching against Baekhyun’s clothes.

“Baek, that’s ticklish” he says in a breathless voice, but this breathlessness has nothing to do with air; it’s as if that spot is not exactly ticklish but something more. It tempts Baekhyun to try different and new things on his skin, see what might happen if he kisses harder, with teeth and tongue. It sounds delicious and he can only imagine what divine, deep sounds he could create from Chanyeol. But he saves that thought for a little later, pulling back to look at Chanyeol with a mischievous smirk. Sure enough, the taller’s cheeks are bright pink.

“Where, here?” he chirps, and dives down again to kiss that same soft spot, so kindly and conveniently marked by the cute mole. Chanyeol squeaks a little in surprise but he doesn’t move; Baekhyun estimates it’s safe to try his teasing nature on Chanyeol –everyone suspects he’s innocent but Baekhyun thinks he has secretly one too many teasing bones in his body, and there’s no one else he’d rather practice than with Chanyeol. He presses his lips a little firmer for a moment, his hands splaying out over Chanyeol’s ribs on his sides to feel the taller body tremble imperceptibly, and then he parts his lips, letting his breath linger against the skin and his inner lips brush against it. He’s about to touch his tongue when Chanyeol weakly fidgets underneath him.

“Baekhyunnnn” he whines, his hands on Baekhyun’s waist indecisive to push him away or pull him closer. His pitched voice and lightly panting breath hint that he has reached his limit of experiencing sensations without responding in any way. Baekhyun respects Chanyeol’s limits –they might be more lenient than Baekhyun’s but they exist and it’s something the shorter values. He detaches his lips from Chanyeol’s skin gently and noses along Chanyeol’s jaw for comfort, letting him straighten his head from the uncomfortable position, his hands sliding behind Chanyeol’s back to hug him closer, chest to chest, and his lips kissing Chanyeol’s cheekbone innocently. He stays there for a bit, enjoying the close touch and their warmth under the blanket, his heartbeat sounding like an echo of Chanyeol’s.

“You’re such a big baby” he mumbles against Chanyeol’s cheek with a wide grin, swaying down to meet Chanyeol’s lips with his own before the taller has time to protest. His lips are so soft and warm, relaxing under Baekhyun’s own lips, and their touch is making Baekhyun’s resident butterflies excited; it feels so satisfying to be able to kiss Chanyeol any moment without having to worry about excuses or rejection. It’s a very simple yet highly satisfying mouth-to-mouth massage, the pressure just enough to exist but not to hurt, the moves subtle, rhythmical and choreographed nicely. Baekhyun can’t remember to breathe right with Chanyeol’s plum lips hot against his own and his large hands pressing against the small of his back, making something in the pit of his stomach ignite pleasurably. Chanyeol seems just as affected by the kiss, breaths short and shallow, but he’s also happy, little smiles escaping on the corners of his lips when they’re not occupied by Baekhyun’s mouth. Baekhyun smiles a little into their kiss too.

It’s unexpected but not bothersome when Chanyeol starts shifting, the blanket falling off. It feels a little dizzying to Baekhyun whose weight shifts around without his own accord, but Chanyeol is holding him securely through it, so he has nothing to fear. He feels the couch seat cushions under his back and he lies down comfortably, stretching his legs as far as they go in the limited space of his couch. A pillow finds its way under his head, Chanyeol’s fingers carding through Baekhyun’s hair after he has snuggly placed said pillow; it’s a comfortable position and a welcome change. Chanyeol has to settle then, trying to fit himself on what little space of the couch there is left, his limbs bumping Baekhyun’s in all odd places as they keep trying to accommodate each other. It’s a little silly and a lot funny, and Baekhyun giggles –Chanyeol does too– their lips losing touch a couple of times due to Chanyeol’s endless hovering and shifting; Baekhyun sometimes lets them go with a smile, other times his chases after them, reconnecting midair, other times he whines and tries to pull Chanyeol closer by the waist where his hands are, causing the taller to stumble even more.

He’s doing the latter when Chanyeol’s hold on the couch slips, ending in a close call to a crush, but the taller is able to stabilize himself before he squishes Baekhyun underneath him. It’s one of the few moments they have separated and Chanyeol’s eyes are wide with horror for a moment but then he sighs in relief over Baekhyun, realizing he hasn’t crushed his smaller boyfriend just yet. Baekhyun, on the other hand, is frozen in place not because of fear –he can handle Chanyeol’s weight just fine for a little while– but because of fluster. Because somehow, Chanyeol’s knee ended up between Baekhyun’s thighs and it makes him feel things he shouldn’t be feeling. Heat starts creeping up his cheeks but the ideas remain –what if he squeezes his thighs together, how would Chanyeol’s bony appendage and strong thigh feel against Baekhyun’s soft inner thighs, what if he scoots just a little lower or Chanyeol moves just a little higher, what if Baekhyun brought his knee up and pressed- no. No, no, no, no, no this must stop. Baekhyun accuses his teasing nature and his surprise at the moment for the indecent ideas his inexperienced body is having. He remains quiet and still through it all, blinking up at Chanyeol helplessly; it takes a moment of bewilderment when their gazes meet until Chanyeol registers their compromising position. It’s evident in the widening of his eyes and his fiery cheeks.

“Sorry, oh my god, I’m sorry, what’s with me today-” Chanyeol starts stuttering above him, fussily trying to shift his weight and move away from dangerous regions. He gets redder by the second, his eyes looking everywhere around Baekhyun’s neck and chest but never glancing over his face out of embarrassment. Baekhyun has to admit that he feels a little hurt by the haste Chanyeol is trying to make to get away from him; it’s far from Chanyeol’s intention for sure, all he wants is Baekhyun to be comfortable and feel respected, but it kicks the wrong way inside Baekhyun. A small part of him makes him insecure, doubting whether Chanyeol really wants to be close to him or if he’s repulsed. He swallows his nerves before speaking.

“Um…” he ekes out of his lips; it’s a small sound but it catches Chanyeol’s attention since they’re so close and he stops moving. The effort he makes to look Baekhyun in the eye is painfully obvious but he manages relatively well, an uncertain look painting his features. Baekhyun blinks up at him. “You don’t have to…you can just…” he mumbles through his teeth incomprehensibly, feeling the weight of what he’s about to say flaring the fire inside him. It’s no surprise that Chanyeol looks at him strangely, confused and a bit uncomfortable in their current position, so Baekhyun opens his lips properly this time. “Stay”

“Oh” Chanyeol breathes, his eyes slightly incredulous as they stare right into Baekhyun’s. Baekhyun presses his lips tightly, not knowing what to say; he’s very busy keeping himself from fainting when he’s having such intense eye contact with Chanyeol at such short distance. Without a word, Chanyeol starts moving again, settling with his hands planted on either side of Baekhyun’s head and his knees bent on each side of Baekhyun’s left leg. He sways a little, testing his balance. “Is this okay?” he asks timidly, his lips slanting uncertainly, a dimple denting his cheek. Baekhyun nods and a slow smile spreads on his lips, mirrored by Chanyeol. The shorter even goes as far as to tangle their legs as he can, his hands trailing from the sides of Chanyeol’s waist to the back. Chuckling at the hesitant, affectionately shy mood between them, Chanyeol leans down to kiss him again. He slides his lips against Baekhyun’s but he pulls back too soon, leaving Baekhyun chasing after him and pouting in protest when the taller rises too high above him to reach. “Small kisses or you’ll be the death of me” Chanyeol warns him smilingly; Baekhyun doesn’t need to think about it –any kisses are better than no kisses– but he pretends to pout a moment longer, straining his neck to lift off the pillow and get closer to Chanyeol for his next kiss.

A while of short kisses ensues, playful or affectionate, lingering and sweet. Chanyeol’s lips brush over Baekhyun’s again and again, causing a light tingling sensation, tracing the edges and the corners carefully. Baekhyun tries to sneak a longer kiss here and there but he’s only a little successful. “Baek?” Chanyeol asks out of the blue, pulling back from Baekhyun’s lips just enough to look at him in the eyes with slightly troubled eyebrows.

“Yes?” Baekhyun hums, his mind blissfully dazed.

“I was wondering…” the taller muses, biting his lower lip momentarily; the unconscious action draws Baekhyun’s attention like a magnet. He’d gladly replace those teeth. “Would you like to go on a date with me this Saturday?” Chanyeol blurts out, blinking his wide eyes adorably. The proposition takes a moment to sink in and Baekhyun quirks his brows, slightly bewildered by the sudden reference. A date? Like a real, actual couple that goes on dates and spends time fluffily together! A date! Baekhyun feels like flailing in glee and singing a soprano part on top of a hill, because they’re going on a date! Chanyeol asked him on a date –oh god, it never gets old. They can go somewhere nice or go for a walk, oh, they could make fancy dinner plans or go for a picnic! He can’t stop his excited smile from curling on his lips and a hopeful glint appears in Chanyeol’s eyes. But, wait.

“What about dinner with your mother? We should do that first” he reminds Chanyeol dutifully, his heightened spirits deflating a little. He really really really wants a date with Chanyeol, but free time is a scarce luxury for both of them, since they get very busy very easily. It’s important to spend time with each other, but dinner with Chanyeol’s mother is a promise they’ve made for a while and they need to make time for that too. She is such a sweet woman and Baekhyun would hate to make her ask another time. Besides, he thinks it’d be nice to finally visit her; she’d be delighted and he’d be more than happy to get to know to her better. He’s also a little curious about Chanyeol’s family house; he wants to see the room Chanyeol grew up in. Chanyeol’s expression falls a little as he thinks over Baekhyun’s words, and it morphs into a determined pout.

“We will, just, not this Saturday. Next week, I promise” he nods to his words like an honest puppy. “I want to spend time with just you. Please~” he pouts heartbreakingly, giving Baekhyun his best puppy eyes –and they’re working a tad too well. Baekhyun grins and hums noncommittally as if he’s thinking about it, but his playful giggle betrays him; who is he kidding, he wants to spend time with Chanyeol too.

“In that case…sure” he tries to say it casually but he’s way too excited to hide, his nonchalant shrug ending up as a cute squirm. Chanyeol’s smile is so wide that all his teeth are on display, one eye twitching enthusiastically –Baekhyun had missed that little twitch. Baekhyun’s heart soars when Chanyeol swoops down to kiss him again, but this time he does it properly, with great fervor, his lips sweet and unrelenting against Baekhyun’s. Baekhyun sighs happily, indulging in the kiss and readily parting his lips when Chanyeol flicks his tongue over their seam. His bones feel like jelly and the blood rushes in his veins, liking the slow pace Chanyeol sets, exploring and tasting, teasing Baekhyun’s lips. He likes it even more when one of Chanyeol’s hands sneaks down and rests on the side of Baekhyun’s waist, the touch so light it’s barely there, making Baekhyun shiver. His toes curl into the blanket that has bunched up by the feet when Chanyeol hooks his tongue just so, and he tries to keep his whine within his chest, even though little notes of the sound escape him –they get lost in Chanyeol’s lips promptly. Lazy make out sessions on late evenings is something he could definitely get used to.

“Baek…” Chanyeol whispers, pulling back a tiny bit. Baekhyun hums, pecking Chanyeol’s philtrum and then the corner of his lip –his lips are so messy and red but he doesn’t care. “…that thing you’re doing with your hands…” Chanyeol continues with a little difficulty and the smaller stops his adventures on the rim of Chanyeol’s lips; the hitch in his voice intrigues Baekhyun and he makes an effort to understand what Chanyeol is talking about. What are his hands doing? He does a mental check and he finds his hands on Chanyeol’s waist where he left them –sort of. They’re a little lower, precariously low in fact, and he is tracing random patterns idly over Chanyeol’s shirt. He doesn’t mean to accomplish anything by it, he simply wants to touch so much and his fingers are a little restless; Chanyeol seems more affected by them than he’d have expected, eyes darker than usual, lips bright red and pink ears. He looks nearly debauched and a little interested, but on the shier side. “…it’s distracting” he whispers softly, his hips twitching subtly under Baekhyun’s hands.

Under different circumstances, Baekhyun would have blushed eleven shades darker at the implications of ‘distracting’, and he’d scamper away to give them both much needed space; neither of them is used to such intimacy with one another –and Baekhyun in particular has not experienced it with anyone before. Of course he finds Chanyeol physically appealing, but it’s something he hasn’t let himself delve into too much; there’s a bit of ground he has to cover till that point in a relationship. But he’s not against the idea of venturing out of his shell occasionally, testing the waters and hoping for a smoother transition into that phase of their relationship. He grins wickedly, biting his sore lip as mischievous plans run through his head.

“What if I’m doing it on purpose?” he mumbles innocently, blinking up at Chanyeol with wide puppy eyes, but he simultaneously claws his fingers, his touch digging into Chanyeol’s soft clothes and skin. The taller looks like he’s about to say something, his lips parting but remaining silent; his words fall from his lips when Baekhyun purposefully drags his fingers to the sides of his waist, his eyes losing focus and a deep, muffled sound thrumming in his throat. Baekhyun finds himself holding his breath, waiting to hear that sound with knots in his stomach that he can’t explain. Chanyeol takes a breath.

“We might get in trouble soon…” he hums as he exhales, giving Baekhyun a small, lopsided smirk, so heartbreaking and playful. Baekhyun smiles too, feeling the inexplicable tension dissipating from his body; it’s strange how Chanyeol knows him so well already, even when they find themselves in unfamiliar situations. He feels completely relaxed again when Chanyeol leans down to kiss him, their lips smiling against each other’s. He brings his hands higher on Chanyeol’s back, reassuring him that he won’t try anything else to , parting his lips invitingly; Chanyeol is all too happy to oblige. But Baekhyun’s angelic and tame disposition wavers when his stomach starts tickling with pleasure from Chanyeol’s blissful ministrations, and he gets another idea that might or might not involve ‘trouble’ in the future. He shifts his hips slowly and –hopefully– seductively, his thighs brushing and rubbing against Chanyeol’s knee; it feels kind of nice –but he’ll deny ever thinking that. His squirming is subtle and too awkward to be considered naughty, but his mischievous grin gives him away and Chanyeol notices pretty soon; he smoothly pulls back, breaking the kiss, giving a scandalized look to a giggling and blushing Baekhyun. “That’s it, no more kisses for you mister!” he announces, falling to the side and stuffing himself between Baekhyun and the back of the couch with an adorably stubborn huff. “You’re becoming dangerous” he murmurs, shaking his head in disapproval even though his wide grin betrays him.

“Neoooow~” Baekhyun whines in a cute voice, still giggling and making room for Chanyeol by turning on his side, facing the taller. Chanyeol doesn’t even flinch while Baekhyun scrambles to attach himself against him in whatever way he can, hooking his knee in between Chanyeol’s legs to ensure they remain tangled, curling an arm around his waist and scooting closer, burying his face in Chanyeol’s chest. He’s as close as he can get, partly because there’s not very much space left by Chanyeol’s limbs and partly because he doesn’t want any space between them. “Do I reserve my cuddling rights?” he belatedly remembers to ask, lips jammed against Chanyeol’s shirt; he doesn’t think Chanyeol would refuse him. Cuddles are a basic need for Baekhyun, his survival depends on it, and Chanyeol would never be so cruel.

“I would never win against your inner koala, Baek” Chanyeol says with an entertained chuckle, his arm draping over Baekhyun’s side to rub between his shoulder blades. Baekhyun gets comfortable, sighing happily and melting in Chanyeol’s warm embrace. They are closer than usual and far more touchy, but he doesn’t mind; he’s nearly lulled to sleep and he feels so fuzzy on the inside. He nuzzles against Chanyeol’s collarbone, nosing the hollow at the base of his neck and then kissing the prominent bone tentatively. Chanyeol does not react in any particular way, his fingers still lazily massaging Baekhyun’s back, so Baekhyun dares another kiss against his skin dazedly, and another, and another. It’s light and chaste, an innocent token of affection. Chanyeol hums after a while. “What are you doing?” he questions, moving to look down at Baekhyun. He looks a little bewildered but he’s smiling at least, and his hand hasn’t stopped its relaxing petting.

“Showing affection?” Baekhyun doesn’t sound very sure because he hadn’t thought he’d have to answer such a question. But yeah, he’s sure; he’s showing affection. Isn’t that what kisses are for? He blinks up blankly, and perhaps a little bewildered. Chanyeol gives him a funny look, raising an eyebrow, unconvinced –okay, Baekhyun will agree that the kisses were one too many, but it’s not like he was trying to- oh. His eyes widen and then curve with his impish smile. “And seducing you a little bit, maybe?” he chirps, resting his cheek on Chanyeol’s chest while showing him his best grin. Chanyeol sighs, pretending to be hopeless.

“My boyfriend is a Casanova, what do I do” he asks rhetorically, but there’s no bite to his teasing. He slumps against the cushions, his body going limp, and Baekhyun giggles at the childish drama. He thinks Chanyeol might be closer to the truth than he thinks, but no one has found out yet. Biting his lip, he worms his way up the pillows, slithering against Chanyeol a lot less than gracefully but he makes it in the end. He lies next to Chanyeol at eye level, their noses only a few centimeters apart so that they won’t go cross-eyed. He beams brightly, looking at Chanyeol in the eyes; his cheeks are so puffy from his smile that his eyesmiles obscure his vision a little.

“Hello, boyfriend!” he singsongs gleefully, and Chanyeol’s face breaks into a huge smile “I might be inexperienced, but I make up for it with determination and thoughtfulness; I promise I’ll take good care of you and make you fall for me every day!” he announces with no hesitation of remorse, even though his ears are burning pink. Chanyeol is laughing loudly by the time Baekhyun finishes his little rant, a deep sound that reverberates inside his chest and against Baekhyun’s fingertips, his cheeks adorably rosy; Baekhyun can only give him a soft stare, committing to memory every detail. He did that, he made Chanyeol so happy. Gradually, Chanyeol’s laughter shimmers down to bursts of chuckles and giggles. When his eyes focus on Baekhyun he finds him already staring and his cheeks turn a little redder.

“You’re super cute too” he says, the arm he has draped over Baekhyun gathering the smaller closer to him. He is giving Baekhyun a small, dimpled smile and his eyes are gentle, but there is a vivacious glint in them which is so enchanting to gaze at. Baekhyun’s nose almost bumps against Chanyeol’s and he leans back on their shared pillow, blushing –because Chanyeol just called him super cute, in case you didn’t notice, not just cute. He tries to keep a straight face and look thoughtful, pressing his lips even though they keep twisting in a smile.

“Hmm yeah; I’m super cute too” he agrees with a shrug after a few moments, still too easily to fool anyone. Chanyeol rewards him with a huge, eye-twitching smile of utter happiness, and Baekhyun kisses his chin before tucking his head underneath it to hide, his heart missing a couple of beats.

--

“Chanyeol, darling, I know you have a handsome face but I am growing tired of it –because it’s pretty much everywhere!”

“Good morning to you too, Luhan”

“Latest issue” Luhan deadpans soullessly, marching into Chanyeol’s office –as if there is no business hierarchy in this company, and uncaring of what Chanyeol might have been doing till now; but they’ve been working together for too many years, so anything goes. He struts across the familiar space to reach Chanyeol’s desk, where he emphatically dumps a couple of magazines unceremoniously. Then he gives him a tired look. Chanyeol smiles at him.

“It’s not my fault” he says, angelically batting his eyelashes and enjoying the way Luhan huffs indignantly at his teasing. It really isn’t his fault though…He didn’t ask to be on the front cover of multiple magazines for three days in a row, nor does he have anything to do with all the interviews Luhan and Lay are in charge of declining; in fact, he’d be much happier in life if he could get a break from avoiding magazine stands, public places and all those not very subtle photographers; but this too shall pass. Chanyeol gives it a few days till they get bored or drawn to another scandal, leaving him to live his life peacefully. He is considered important, but not very intriguing, so things should go back to normal soon enough. Chanyeol, too, goes back to his papers, because he seriously has to sign these and turn them in by noon.

“At least they write good things about you, right?” Luhan tries to console himself with a positive side to the matter, rounding one of the armchairs across from Chanyeol’s desk and plopping down tiredly. Chanyeol is only half paying attention to Luhan, trying to keep his focus as concentrated as possible, but for the sake of acknowledging the other man’s presence during what seems to be his lunch break, he shrugs his shoulders indifferently, without lifting his eyes from his work.

“I wouldn’t know; I don’t read them” he admits with a nonchalant mumble, faintly aware of the blond man flipping through the pages of one of the magazines he’s brought with him and then he suddenly stops.

“What?!” Luhan exclaims –it echoes in the empty floor, most employees if not all having left for lunch. It makes Chanyeol feel a little miserable. Some stunned limb of Luhan’s must have hit the desk due a surprised twitch because the furniture just shook under Chanyeol’s pen. Chanyeol looks up at the man, faintly irritated that Luhan is being such a big and unnecessary distraction for Chanyeol at times of serious work. Luhan just stares at him with round eyes and Chanyeol narrows his eyes at him in warning; he needs to finish with these documents to be on schedule. It’s a very efficient and responsible schedule planned out by his dutiful secretary to help Chanyeol manage his work so that he might get the weekend off. He wants those couple of days free of work so that he can spend them close to Baekhyun; it’s a sacred purpose and the only hope that keeps him powering through late night sessions of dismantling and rebuilding paper castles within the four walls of his office.

“I don’t read them.” Chanyeol repeats with a frown between his eyebrows, making his words slow and clear, as if he’s explaining it to a child. Luhan’s expression is still one of utter disbelief. The shorter man unfreezes and tumbles back from the edge of his chair, sinking gracelessly in the armchair across from Chanyeol’s desk, limbs overflowing.

“Well, hasn’t anybody told you?” he questions, his eyebrows quirking in bewilderment. Chanyeol idly wonders how Sehun deals with Luhan when he’s so being so loud and demanding so much attention; for now, Chanyeol’s pen has halted over his papers till further notice. “It’s been four days! And your face is literally everywhere; someone must have read something and mentioned it to you, an abstract, a summary, anything! What about Baekhyun? Or at least Kyungsoo?” Luhan guesses, gesticulating as if he’s made an obvious point.

“Baekhyun said he doesn’t want to know what is written in there, and I completely agree with him. We know what we are and we don’t need anyone’s opinion on it. Kai is in charge of Kyungsoo, who has been allowed to fanboy as much as he wants, in private” Chanyeol explains their arrangement shortly, hoping it will be enough to appease Luhan for now. It’s an arrangement they made on very basic terms and everyone is happy with it –even Kai, who has to endure Kyungsoo’s fanboying outbursts– except for Luhan, apparently, who rolls his eyes at Chanyeol, probably meaning the gesture disapprovingly. Well, Chanyeol could care less, so he turns his attention back to his papers.

“How is my cutie pie B?” Luhan asks after a while of silence, changing the conversation topic slightly –it seems like he is here to kill time, and maybe fragments of Chanyeol’s patience with it. Chanyeol sighs. If he focuses on Luhan for five minutes and then shoes him out and focuses on his work, he will probably get more work done, than if he tried to juggle both Luhan and business paperwork at the same time.

“He is fine, healthy, alive and happy” Chanyeol deadpans, dropping his pen emphatically on the folder he’s been neglecting due to a certain someone. Luhan only makes a grimace before grinning again. Don’t get him wrong, he loves talking about Baekhyun and he could go on talking about the perfection and cuteness of his precious boyfriend for hours on end, especially after all the cuddles he’s been gifting Chanyeol lately and Chanyeol hasn’t swooned over them enough; it was tempting one late night when the wall seemed very interesting to stare at, but that would risk losing a vital amount of time, and Chanyeol needs time, because he has to ensure a weekend completely free of work to dedicate it to his little guy. He can swoon to his heart’s content with the real thing in his arms then.

“Have you lovebirds been on another date yet?” Luhan wiggles his eyebrows, obviously missing the hint that Chanyeol is very busy. He even leans on the desk with both elbows, resting his head in his hands dreamily. Had it been anyone else asking that question so shamelessly, Chanyeol might have blushed, but if it is Luhan…

“None of your business” he bites back with a blank expression. If it is Luhan, he has a good excuse to be an oyster and refuse to divulge any information about his personal life, because Luhan is a close friend and we have long established that close friends are embarrassing with every given chance. And perhaps he and Baekhyun haven’t been on a date yet, but hopefully they will go on a date this weekend –if Chanyeol can make absolutely certain that his father won’t have any reason to call him to work once again.

Oh, and Chanyeol really needs to find out what he wants to do with Baekhyun on their date because he’s the one who asked to take him out, and he needs to think about what Baekhyun might like or what might bother him, and he’ll probably have to keep it simple so that they won’t draw too much attention, nothing too dramatic, but it still has to be romantic and unique, and he has to make arrangements and prepare mentally for it; so he will stop thinking about it altogether now, because he might start freaking out, like, two minutes ago.

But Luhan doesn’t need to know any of that, because who knows how he might use that information against Chanyeol, and god forbid he sides with Kai and they start plotting. Said blond man doesn’t seem to think so though.

“Chanyeol” he calls the taller’s name seriously, smoothing down his jacket in a professional manner; Chanyeol almost scoffs. “My job is to make sure you won’t do anything stupid, so it is my business, in the general spectrum of your life’s activities. Also, as I am rather fond of cutie B, you’d better be a good boyfriend to him, or you might be found decapitated –or not found at all, depending on Kyungsoo’s health condition. Need I remind you, I have a genius boyfriend too, who just might be able to plan a perfect crime if asked by the right person –read, yours truly. So, when is the last time you saw him?” Luhan chirps the last question too joyously compared to the somber mood his threats have set but he doesn’t seem to care; he simply entwines his fingers and brings them on the desk in a strange inquiring gesture, his lips stretching in a smile that can never be trusted. The odd circumstance makes Chanyeol consider the possibility of telling Luhan the truth.

“The morning after the event” he admits halfheartedly with an uncertain frown that ends into a dejected pout. It’s been four days without Baekhyun’s physical presence and it is taking its toll on him –even though they parted on very cuddly terms and they’ve talked on the phone since. The cute messages and phone calls late at night keep him going –his dreams are exceptionally sweet if Baekhyun hums goodnight before he goes to sleep–, but he feels incomplete and deprived of joy, not being able to actually see and hug Baekhyun…

“The morning after?! You spent the night with him!” Luhan comes to the ridiculously loud and embarrassing conclusion, jumping from his seat and jabbing an accusatory finger under Chanyeol’s nose. Luhan is glowing with his flash of genius, sparkly deer eyes wide in wonder and excitement, and Chanyeol would have punched him if he were standing any closer, because Luhan’s conclusion is indiscrete, embarrassing, and it couldn’t be further from the truth!

“What?! No!” Chanyeol squeals, his deep voice going several octaves higher with distress.

“What! No?!” Luhan exclaims back in disbelief, stumbling back and gripping the sides of his armchair.

“Of course not, Luhan!” Chanyeol yells in his own voice, but he can feel his skin turning red to the roots of his hair. How can he say such things, and shout them in their workspace no less, how did he infer something so indecent from a simple, innocent reply? Why would Luhan think he has slept with Baekhyun? Their relationship has not reached that point yet, and Chanyeol prefers not to overthink the matter and let everything unfold naturally. Baekhyun is very attractive, even on strictly physical terms, and he’s getting impressively good at the game of temptation and seduction, but Chanyeol would never push him into an intimate situation, much as he might bodily suffer from that choice.

“You haven’t slept with him yet? Why, for holy ice cream’s sake?!” Luhan’s eyes open wide to a frightening degree and his grip on the chair seems like it is the only thing keeping him from lurching at Chanyeol to grab him by the shoulders and shake him back to his senses. Chanyeol watches this conversation derailing dangerously like a train with no tracks on a bridge over a cliff, and he gapes like a fish. Do people normally ask this kind of questions to someone else so straightforwardly? No preamble, no polite pretences, straight to the extremely personal details?

“I know, right! You have no idea how many times I’ve asked that!” Kai’s voice suddenly agrees with Luhan, and Chanyeol turns his head to see him standing on the other side of his desk, his arms folded across his chest casually. When did he come in? Wasn’t he supposed to spend the day with Kyungsoo and help him pack his things to leave the hospital soon? How come Chanyeol is blessed with both nightmares of best friends today, of all days, when he’s so busy? How he wishes Lay hadn’t left for lunch earlier so that he could at least hope that someone would come to save him…Kai gives Chanyeol a level look. “It’s so disappointing, Yeol…” he says with a sad shake of his head.

“When did you come in?” is all Chanyeol has to respond smartly, blinking at his friend with impassive, dumfounded eyes. His question falls on deaf ears though, and he is grandly ignored, but he doesn’t mind much himself, because did Kai just say his bedroom life is disappointing? Since when did his bedroom life become a casual topic of discussion? And doesn’t his opinion count? Because if you ask Chanyeol, sure, there might not be actual bedrooms involved, but he is really very happy with intimate cuddles and kisses with his little koala, which are not disappointing at all!

“Did you know of this?” Luhan turns to Kai with wide eyes, making an accusatory and not very graceful gesture in Chanyeol’s direction. Chanyeol huffs, his pride making him feel vaguely offended.

“Of course” Kai shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, toying with a trinket on Chanyeol’s desk and looking so at ease. Luhan groans and Chanyeol chokes. What do you mean ‘of course’? Since when did his private life become something so unfussy, even for his best friend? It’s supposed to be…you know, private. And he’s pretty sure he hasn’t mentioned anything about it to anyone, not even Kai, so how did he know of anything? Chanyeol’s choking and the look of utter disbelief promptly go unnoticed, even though the guy could be having a heart attack from the looks of it. So much for best friends. He finds it in him to glare at Kai, with a mixture of incredulousness and murderous intentions, but Kai only glances at him briefly and goes on unperturbed. “Kyungsoo asked Baekhyun”

What?! He did what? When, how? Chanyeol doesn’t know why he feels shocked and flustered the most right now: the fact that someone has asked his innocent Baekhyun about his –nonexistent for now– private life with Chanyeol, or that other people in this world seem to find it completely normal to have talks about these things and Chanyeol’s experience is not as bizarre as it seems. He remembers planning a long and serious talk with Chen about compromising conversations and it seems he will have to include all their friends in it. He needs to protect the innocent one at all costs.

On a side note, Chanyeol doesn’t know how he is ever going to convince himself to look at Baekhyun in the eye the next time they meet. He’ll be right beside his little boyfriend and he won’t have the courage to look into his eyes without exploding in mortification. Because Chanyeol now knows that someone has asked Baekhyun about this issue. An issue that they have not even tried to talk about yet, at least not directly or in detail, because there hasn’t been a need to discuss it so far. It got close last time, but they didn’t get to the actual discussion. They take their time, they are careful and honest, they are still testing each other’s limits and hesitantly discovering each other’s body around the edges, but they make sure they’re both comfortable above all else. It’s absurd that their friends talk about this, even though they are strictly the only two people concerned!

Chanyeol, however, after thinking about it for a few days after the latest incident of intimate cuddling, has accepted the fact that Baekhyun might have started having thoughts about the issue. He was playing with his fingers on Chanyeol’s waist on purpose; do you have any idea how many hours Chanyeol has spent thinking about that while staring at the wall late at night? Baekhyun has taken everything well so far, little touches and deep kisses, and he seems willing to play with Chanyeol just as much, teasing him and kissing back, contented with inching closer at his own pace. Chanyeol thinks he is okay with that and he’s willing to wait until Baekhyun is comfortable enough venturing outside of his innocence cell to talk about it.

But if someone has already asked Baekhyun about it –and probably has stared at him expectantly with their abnormally big eyes until they got an answer–, then that means that his little guy must have been forced to think about the issue seriously, to some degree, within the last week. Was it before or after the blissful Sunday afternoon they spent together? Was Baekhyun trying to hint at something? Is Chanyeol overthinking? Suddenly, Chanyeol, despite his embarrassment, is dying to know what Baekhyun might have thought. Does he find him attractive enough, or have any preferences, or…? How will Chanyeol find out about these things in the next ten seconds before he explodes from accumulated curiosity?!

“What was Baekhyun’s exact reaction?” Luhan asks Kai with an unnaturally huge amount of interest. Because, seriously, this is still Chanyeol’s personal life they are talking about! But the person of interest is going to let this one slide because he wants to know too.

“Pretty much like this one” Kai answers simply, motioning to Chanyeol, who comes to realize his current state. His hands are gripping the desk so tightly that his knuckles are white, his eyes are unblinkingly focused on his best friend like a deranged owl, his face feels so hot it might be glowing red, he is biting his lips hard and his eyes are opened to their full capacity, and his body feels strange, stiff and gooey and burning and frozen all together. Luhan raises an eyebrow and Kai snickers. Are they making fun of him?

Chanyeol mentally slaps himself to get back on track under the judging stare of the other two.

“Okay, we are not talking about my bedroom life” he announces in the most authoritative and final voice he has ever managed, and he is thankful that his lips didn’t mumble or got glued together in the process. He’d better stop this discussion now before it gets out of control and ends up even weirder than it is. He composes himself, tidying up his papers and smoothing down his clothes like a respectable professional. He makes his business face, the one he uses during meetings to show he’s serious, but his friends know better than that and decide to disregard him.

“Seriously though” Luhan says after a while of eerie silence. Thankfully, he seems calmer than before and less heated about the topic, but you can never know with Luhan. He’s just too good at pretending sometimes. Luhan makes a vague gesture with his hand. “You are lacking experience, so maybe you have some questions?” he proposes smoothly, shamelessly maintaining eye contact with Chanyeol and ignoring Kai’s guffaws. Lacking experience about…questions about…oh god.

Chanyeol wants to bang his head on the desk with all the force gravity has to offer. As if he would ever ask Luhan or Kai about such things! He would rather die first, be resurrected and die again, thank you. Maybe he doesn’t have the experience they have, since he used to date females, but to ask them questions about it would be beyond embarrassing, fruitless and ridiculous. Thank god someone invented the internet and that Chanyeol was good in biology back in his school days; he won’t admit to ever having researched on the topic, but he’s pretty confident he can get the picture without having to search for vulgar details. And even if he did have questions of a specific kind, he would prefer talking them out with Baekhyun. Sure, Baekhyun is even more inexperienced and oblivious in these issues than Chanyeol, and Chanyeol has no idea how he would have made his lips move to ask what he needed to ask if the hypothetical situation ever arose, but at least it would have been a private discussion with Baekhyun and they would have reached a mutual consensus on their future actions.

God, he sounds weird.

“I have slept with people before, in case you don’t remember” Chanyeol decides it is high time he made a comeback and he tries to sound strict “And you are in no position to talk because you are dating someone severely inexperienced” he reminds Luhan with a pointed glare and Luhan grows pink in embarrassment, his eyes opening wide in shock. Admittedly, it was a low blow, but hey, Sehun told Chanyeol on his own volition –because they have a strange and unexpected, brotherly camaraderie–, and when Chanyeol is cornered like this, he finds no shame in using that piece of information to save his life.

“You were Sehun’s first?” Kai is momentarily sidetracked from their earlier conversation, and he turns to Luhan with an amused expression, his dark eyes glinting with mischief. He’s not going to let this go easily, and it serves Luhan right for starting this conversation in the first place.

“Does it really matter?” Luhan presses his fingers on his temples and tries to calm himself with monitored breaths, avoiding eye contact with both of the other men in the room. His face is a bit red but Chanyeol has no regrets; he is sure Sehun wouldn’t mind, he’d probably laugh with them. He resembles Kai in that aspect.

“Can you take this conversation outside? I need to work” Chanyeol suggests without delay, picking up his pen for emphasis. The sooner they leave, the sooner he can focus on his work again and the sooner he can finish.

“No; because Luhan is right” Kai focuses on him again with a serious look. Chanyeol inwardly curses his luck at the moment. Is he ever going to get rid of them? What does he need to do? “You have no experience with guys. You wouldn’t want to hurt Baekhyun, right?”

Kai’s question is not a surprise, even though he might have meant it as such. Chanyeol has thought about it in the past. Yes, he has had a few experiences, but only with women, and no, he doesn’t want to hurt Baekhyun, ever, in any way. Hence the internet research on many branches of human biology. He is not entirely confident in his theoretical skills yet, but at least he is not completely in the dark. But that is not up for discussion either.

“No, and I won’t” he answers confidently and then switches to a more stern tone “This is not up for any further discussion. Both of you, go away. And we are never talking about this again. Ever again. This is where I cross the line; my bedroom life with Baekhyun is eleven solar systems too far away out of your reach” he marks the end of discussion by folding his arms across his chest and pouting stubbornly while glaring alternatively between Kai and Luhan. He doesn’t know if he looks like a stern adult or a sulking child, but he doesn’t care, he just hopes it will work. Eventually, the other two sigh in surrender and retreat. Chanyeol hears the bells of salvation and barely manages to contain his relief so that he can maintain his strict-and-pouty expression for a little bit longer. Kai holds the door for Luhan as they get out of the office, which is unusually chivalrous; until he lets the door nearly crush Luhan, earning a punch on the arm which he deserves and doesn’t seem to notice in his cackling fit. Whatever their antics, Chanyeol thinks finally those two are leaving and he is going to get some work done, bringing himself one step closer to his date with Baekhyun. But then, Kai sticks his head back through the door.

“We can always ask Baekhyun about it” he chirps, like it’s a brilliant idea, and Luhan snickers outside –he sure forgave the younger fast. Chanyeol feels his temples throb and then he feels greatly disappointed when Kai moves out of the way and closes the door, before the pen he threw murderously after him found its target. Chanyeol can hear the two men laughing boisterously outside and, if he didn’t have so much work to do, he would have taken the time to punch both of them for even thinking of asking Baekhyun. They wouldn’t.

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

a/n. Hello loves, and happy holidays! This update has quite a story behind the scenes: it was ready on December 1st, but then my pc crushed and it took days to fix, not to mention tech geeks couldn’t recover anything, so I ended up rewriting it *sigh* I lost a lot of files, but I’m getting back on track! On the bright side, I added more kisses the second time I wrote it, so I hope that makes up for the long wait, even a little bit *puppy eyes* Since it’s Christmas time, may all sorrows be forgotten!

I hope you enjoyed our couples being awkward and shy, or naughty and in love, and their many kisses –have I mentioned that already? Kaisoo are still in the hospital but they’ll be back home soon! As for Hunhan, I like keeping them a little timid on some matters –like relationship labels; I feel people are too focused on that sometimes. And last but not least, Baekyeol are venturing into naughty territory, maintaining their koala qualities though; Baekhyun is turning out to be such a tease hehe

Also, I’ve joined baconandeggs! *-* I’ve wanted to join since their first round but I was not very confident I could do it, so I’m really excited I finally had the courage to join, and I’m thrilled to be working on a story for this year’s round! There’s a lot of work to be done and a lot of time ahead, but I hope that’s interesting news to some of you hehe

I hope you’ll get to read this chapter in between family feasts and opening presents, to contribute what I can to your happiness! Let’s end this year with warmth in our hearts and smiles on our lips, and hope for the best. I love you all sweethearts! kitty~